Hello Again!
This chapter is basically a continuation of the last, when you read it you will understand.
rockstar-101: Thanks for your consistent feedback, it's really nice to know someone out there enjoys the story as much as I enjoy writing it. Though Harry is only nine, you won't have to wait too long until he and Sirius (and others) show up. This year is important to establish the OC, but after certain events unfold (as long as I stick to the plan), the story will skip ahead a few years.
Disclaimer: The usual...
Chapter 7: Repercussions
By the time Celestia arrived home, Kali was safely in her room, dressed and ready for bed. After hearing the front door slam shut (never a good sign), a bang on her bedroom door startled her.
"¡Dejame entrar!" Celestia demanded in a low, dangerous voice.
Kali reluctantly lifted the spell that barred her door and allowed Celestia to enter. The scowl on her face and the language she spoke told Kali she'd crossed the line.
"What the fuck were you thinking?" she yelled, adopting her mother tongue.
"Don't worry," Kali answered cheekily, choosing to answer in English, "No one saw me Disapparate." She knew that was the least of Celestia's concerns, though it was, technically, illegal.
"You know exactly what I mean." Celestia gave her a look that was meant to destroy her confidence.
She wondered whether Mr. Malfoy had told her anything about their conversation but stopped abruptly. Though she was proficient at Occlumency, she always found it difficult to block Celestia out of her mind.
"What are you afraid he told me?" her grandmother asked calmly in Spanish.
Fuck.
Celestia raised a brow and stared at Kali with venomous eyes.
When she was a small child, that look would almost always reduce her to tears, but she learned to master herself over the years and, as her own power grew, she feared Celestia less and less. Her grandmother knew this but adopted the look anyway, furiously trying to break into her mind.
Kali, ever resourceful, started concentrating on a fictitious scenario, aware that Celestia would succeed any minute.
A few seconds later, the master Legilimens was accessing her recent memories.
She saw Kali, sitting opposite Lucius Malfoy, as he asked her about school. Then she saw the tall man stand up unexpectedly and move across the room, taking a seat next to her granddaughter. He continued asking about Beauxbatons (did she enjoy classes, what were her favourite subjects) while he ran a hand up her thigh.
Kali felt what she thought was a hard shove, before realizing that Celestia had left her mind. She swayed slightly as her knees threatened to give way, but she quickly regained composure.
The witch grimaced at her, and looked suspicious.
"Is that really what happened?" she demanded, eyes narrowed.
Kali smirked, despite the effort to keep her face neutral.
"You ungrateful girl!" she yelled, realizing the memory was false. "I sat through that meal with those insufferable twits for you and this is how you repay me!"
Kali let the smirk linger but did not answer. This time she allowed her to access her thoughts.
If you only knew, Granny.
Celestia glowered at her. She loathed Kali's ability to alter her thoughts and memories with little effort, and she hated being reminded she was, indeed, a grandmother. For a moment, Kali was sure she would receive a stinging hex (Celestia's favoured physical punishment) but the older woman seemed to calm, and adopted a different tone.
"No matter," she said silkily, "Lucius knows enough about you to take what you say with a grain of salt."
Kali busied herself with rearranging her pillows for bed and, still, said nothing.
"Well, if this is your attitude, then I think I'll leave here tomorrow while I visit old friends. I don't want to have to drag you along."
Kali made no sign of acknowledgement. Celestia swept out of the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her. The sense of satisfaction she had been nurturing from the moment she left the grounds of Malfoy Manor was gone now, replaced by feelings of uncertainty and dread that usually followed a row with her grandmother. She knew she would pay for her actions and hoped it would only be a Christmas alone in a dusty house. Her stomach rumbled loudly, reminding her she hadn't eaten – only pretended to.
After barring her door once more (out of habit), she climbed into bed, suddenly tired and, trying to ignore the dull ache in her stomach, she fell asleep.
The next morning, Kali awoke to an empty house. She was secretly relieved, though she felt the sadness of another Christmas without her mother. She noticed a small stack of presents at the foot of her bed, and with a childlike sense of curiousity, she grabbed the first on top of the pile and quickly unwrapped it. A multicoloured bracelet, a present from Sebastien, glittered in the box. A tiny tag told her it was a 'Stress – Relieving Charm Bracelet: Good for calming nerves before tests, exams or anxiety – inducing situations.' Slipping it on, she felt a sense of calm come over her instantly. She smiled to herself, thinking of her friend, and placed it back in the box. Next she grabbed another carelessly wrapped package, obviously from Olivier. The present, a bookthat looked Indian in origin (but was written in English), turned out to be, upon further inspection, a muggle sex manual, complete with detailed – and graphic – illustrations. As she flipped the pages with growing incredulity, a note fell out.
Chere K,
You said you wanted to expand your mind. Enjoy! (Perhaps the professor will enjoy it, too.)
Avec Amour,
OlivierShe slammed the book shut, shaking her head, amused by Olivier's sick sense of humour, and put it aside. There were only two other gifts, one from the kindly wizard who helped her mother years ago, the usual package of sweets, and another smaller box that had no card or tag. She knew it wasn't from Celestia; she never gave her anything, not since her mother died.
Though her grandmother never said it, she missed Dahlia as well, and had ceased celebrating Christmas (the only time mother and daughter where guaranteed to see her) since she died four years ago. Kali knew this, but it didn't make her loathe her any less. In fact, she hated her more for what she saw as hypocrisy on her grandmother's part.
Kali carefully unwrapped the package and opened up the small box, tentatively at first, then forgot her suspicion as her eyes rested on a diamond – encrusted fleur de lys pendant dangling from a platinum chain. She almost touched it but stopped herself, remembering what her mother taught her about 'constant vigilance'. She examined the box, but it bore no markings, and, unable to figure out where it came from, she closed the box and shoved it into the bottom of the drawer in the table by her bed.
She padded downstairs quietly (though it was unnecessary), finding a small sack of gold on the kitchen table and a note that simply read, 'For Food'. The ache in her belly very prominent, she hurried back to her room to dress, and then realized, as she rifled through her rucksack, she had nothing warm to wear. She entered her closet, only to exit in disappointment moments later, as nothing fit. The last time she was in this house she was eleven, skinny, and flat, and all the clothing reflected that. Desperate, she put on a faded tee shirt from her bag (which, curiously, belonged to Olivier), and pulled on a tiny jumper, which stretched just enough to fit but not enough to look like it was supposed to. She wore the same trousers from the night before, and decided to wear her mother's old winter cloak that still hung in the front closet by the door.
Looking like she'd dressed in the dark -- and looking rather unfestive and gloomy -- and headed out in search of food.
As she walked towards The Leaky Cauldron, which was always open on holidays, a group of caroling muggles past her, singing as they went. She rolled her eyes as she tried to avoid being swallowed up by the merry crowd, and as she pushed through them rudely, the smallest, a young girl about five, stopped in front of her and said, "Merry Christmas, Miss," and handed her a little chocolate man wrapped in red and white foil.
Kali looked down at the sweet confection, the first bit of food she'd had for a day, unwrapped it and shoved it crudely into her mouth.
Merry Christmas, indeed.
I know this chapter is shorter than the usual, but it's not meant as a filler. Really.
Just a note: Celestia is speaking to Kali is spanish, something she does when she is angry, upset, etc.
To translate, 'Dejame entrar' means 'Let me in!'
Coming Soon: Chapter 8: (tentatively titled) Everything Old is New Again
The next chapter (almost done) will bring our Remus into the new year - and into trouble (of all kinds!)
If you've read this far, you may have an opinion. I'd love to read it.
Constructive criticism, opinions, and ideas are welcome!