Natalia watched, smiling softly, as father and son hugged for the first time in almost ten years. She felt a pang of longing as she watched the family reunion, wishing she could have her family with her. She looked up when she felt someone stop beside her, locking eyes with Andromeda's grey orbs. "I assume you want to know how they woke up?"
Raising an eyebrow at the question, Andromeda answered, "Yes, I would. As far as I know, there isn't anything that can bring a person back from insanity."
"We actually weren't insane, Healer Tonks," Alice said from where she was hugging Neville. "I can vividly remember the Aurors coming and arresting the Death Eaters and soon after they left, Albus Dumbledore showed up. Since I was just barely conscious, I could only watch as a flash of light came out of his wand and surrounded Frank and then Neville before he did the same to myself."
"Healer Tonks, I suggest you do a diagnostic check on Neville for any magic blocks," Natalia suggested, looking at the healer. "It is very probable that Dumbledore put blocks on Neville's magic."
Nodding, Andromeda ran a quick diagnostic on Neville, finding at least four blocks on his magic. "Okay, Neville has the standard block put in place by parents to help reduce accidental magic but I found a stronger block that wraps around it so it wouldn't fade when he reached eleven years of age. In addition to those two blocks, I found two more that block almost half of his raw power and a block on most of his infant memories, which most likely has caused him some short-term memory loss. Would you like me to remove the blocks in place?"
"Yes, please," Frank said, barely containing his anger at what Dumbledore had done.
When Andromeda finished taking the blocks on Neville down, she turned back to Natalia. "Miss Potter, can you please answer my question from earlier? What was that potion you used?"
"First I ask that you not associate me with the Potter name, please," Natalia said politely before answering the questions. "The potion I used is called the Reconcilio Potion. The name literally means to restore, whether its consciousness, sanity, or something else. Because the Ministry declared it as a Dark potion, you wouldn't have heard of it. Actually, most wouldn't have heard of it since it has been somewhat lost through the ages as it dates back to the Founder's time. Basically the only ones who have heard of it are potion masters."
"If it is only known to potion masters, then how do you know of it?" Andromeda asked suspiciously.
Natalia just smiled innocently, not answering the question. Turning to the Longbottoms, she said to Neville, "We should be getting back to Hogwarts, Snare. I'm sure if we're gone for too much longer, we will be missed and raise the Headmaster's suspicion."
"What is today?" Alice asked curiously.
"It is Halloween, Mrs. Longbottom," Natalia answered politely, looking into the woman's blue eyes. "Today is the ten year anniversary of Voldemort's supposed defeat."
"Supposed defeat? Who defeated him?" Frank asked as he looked at Natalia.
"Yes, supposed defeat, Mr. Longbottom." Natalia said. "And Dumbledore declared Harry Potter as the Boy-Who-Lived, the one who defeated Voldemort." Conjuring a current newspaper, Natalia handed it over to her friend's parents for them to read.
Alice frowned as she read the article about the Potters', noticing it didn't mention Harry's twin sister once. "What about Harry's twin sister, Natalia? What happened to her? There's nothing in the paper about her."
Chuckling humorlessly, Natalia said mockingly, "Of course there isn't. Can't have the jealous and ungrateful Potter twin mentioned in the paper, what would the fans of the Boy-Who-Lived say?" Natalia stepped up before the Longbottoms' and mockingly bowed, "Natalia Potter, the forgotten twin, at your service."
"Shadow, you're not any of those things, especially not forgotten," Neville said, stepping forward and hugging his friend tightly. "What could you possibly have to be jealous of when it comes to the Brat-Who-Lived?"
Giggling at her twin's nickname, Natalia said, "Thanks, Snare. I needed that." Looking up at Neville's parents she apologized, "I'm sorry for my behavior, Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom. The Potters' are a sore subject for me and I tend to get a little mocking when it comes to them."
"There is no need to apologize, dear," Alice said pleasantly. "And please, call us Alice and Frank. After all, it was your potion that woke us up."
Smiling slightly, Natalia nodded to Alice and said, "I'll try to remember that, Mrs. - I mean Alice."
"If you don't mind me asking, why do you not like your family?" Frank asked as he sat on his hospital bed and pulled Neville into his lap.
"They aren't my family, sir," Natalia corrected automatically. "Yes, they brought me into this world but that is it. When Voldemort was defeated, they abandoned me on my muggle aunt's doorstep on Dumbledore's orders. They thought I would be jealous of Harrison's fame and the attention he would no doubt receive from Lily and James."
The adults in the room looked disgusted as Natalia explained what Dumbledore, Lily and James had done. Shaking her head, Alice said, "I can't believe Lily would do that to a child. Abandoning a child is the worst sort of crime a witch or wizard can commit."
"While I agree, I am perfectly happy with how my life has turned out," Natalia said honestly. Turning to Andromeda she said, "No one can know the exact way the Longbottoms' were awakened, Healer Tonks. It would be best to say that you had permission from Madame Longbottom to use an experimental potion to awaken them. Also, I suggest you contact the Director of the DMLE and explain to her the truth about the attack on the Longbottoms' that night and Bellatrix Black's innocence. And Sirius Black's innocence as well." Grabbing Neville's arm she said, "We must be going but I'm sure we'll hear from you soon, Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom."
Alice, Frank and Andromeda could only watch as Neville and Natalia disappeared in a flurry of snowflakes before they could say anything else.
Natalia and Neville arrived just outside the doors of the castle in a flurry of snowflakes. Natalia sniggered as she remembered the looks on Alice, Frank and Andromeda's face as they were leaving. She stopped suddenly when she heard her name yelled.
"Natalia! Natalia!" Rose yelled when she saw her sister appear on the front steps of the castle. Running with her twin brother beside her to their sister, Rose squealed excitedly as they hugged Natalia's legs tightly. "We missed you Natalia."
Kneeling in front of her brother and sister, Natalia hugged them to her tightly. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to see you two in a while, Rosie. How about I spend the rest of the weekend with you to make it up to you? How does that sound?"
"Will we get to play with Bre?" Jamie asked excitedly, gazing happily at his big sister.
"Of course, Jamie," Natalia answered, smiling at her brother. Standing, she picked both twins up and held them on each hip as she headed inside the castle with Neville following. Deciding to trust Neville with one of her secrets, Natalia led them up the stairs to the fourth floor to the portrait that hides her room. Stopping in front of the portrait, she turned to her friend. "Can I trust you to not reveal anything I'm about to show or tell you to anyone, Snare?"
"You can trust me, Shadow," Neville said seriously, gazing at his friend steadily.
Nodding, Natalia turned back to the portrait and hissed her password, hearing Neville gasp in surprise as the portrait opened up to allow them inside. Setting the twins down when she stepped inside, Natalia waited for Neville to step inside before telling the animals in the portrait to let her know if anyone was looking for her or Neville. Walking into the living room area, Natalia saw Neville staring in awe at the portraits of the Founder's. "Neville, I'd like you to meet Helga Hufflepuff, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin, my parents. Mum, Dad, Mother, Father, this is one of my best friends, Neville Longbottom. His family was attacked the night following Halloween ten years ago. Dumbledore put his parents into a coma-like state, passing it off as them being tortured into insanity by Death Eaters."
"You must trust him greatly to show him this room, Little One," Salazar said, smiling at his daughter. "It is nice to meet you, Neville."
"N-nice to meet you as well, Mr. Slytherin," Neville stuttered slightly, shocked.
"Please, call us Sal, Helga, Ro, and 'Ric," Rowena said pleasantly. "We don't much like formalities, young one."
Pulling her siblings to stand in front of her parents, Natalia said, "These are my younger siblings, Rose and Jamie. They're twins and are about four years old. Jamie, Rose, these are my parents."
"But I thought we had the same parents?" Jamie asked confused.
"We do but these four are the ones that raised me, not Lily and James," Natalia explained simply, kneeling in front of Jamie.
"So they're like your secondary parents?" Rose asked.
"Yes, like that," Natalia said smiling. Standing, she glanced between her siblings and Neville. "What do you guys want to do?"
Later that night at the Halloween feast, Natalia sat with her friends at the end of the Gryffindor table near the doors. They were in the middle of discussing pranks when the doors to the Great Hall were thrown open and Professor Quirrel came running in.
"Troll! Troll in the dungeons," Quirrel paused, breathing heavily. Before dropping to a dead faint, he said, "Thought you oughta know."
The hall erupted into terrified screams as the students jumped up from their tables and started moving. Dumbledore stood up from his seat and yelled, "Silence!" When the hall quieted down, he ordered, "Prefects, take your students to your common rooms immediately. Professors, come with me to the dungeons."
As the noise level grew again and Prefects started leading their students to their common rooms, Natalia stood on the Gryffindor table. "Headmaster, what about the Slytherins?"
Dumbledore stopped and turned to where Natalia stood on the table. "What about them, Miss Potter?"
"Their common room is in the dungeons, Headmaster," Natalia said loudly, causing most of the students to stop and turn back around to look at Dumbledore. "How could it possibly be safe for them to go to their common room when the troll is down there?"
Dumbledore just stood there, looking at Natalia like nothing was wrong. Before he could open his mouth, Minerva stepped forward, "As Head of Gryffindor, Gryffindor opens their tower to Slytherin house."
"As Head of Slytherin, Slytherin gratefully accepts Gryffindor's hospitality," Snape answered quickly before Dumbledore could deny the request. "Slytherins, follow the Gryffindors up to their tower and behave."
Natalia smirked smugly when she saw Dumbledore glare at her. Jumping down from the table, she started following the other Gryffindor and Slytherins up to Gryffindor Tower. Close enough to her twin, she overheard his and Ron's conversation.
"Harry, what about Hermione? She doesn't know about the troll," Ron said worriedly.
"Don't worry about her, Ron," Harry answered uncaringly. "She's just in the bathroom and that's not anywhere near the troll."
Natalia tuned out the rest of their conversation, inwardly cursing her brother for his selfishness. Breaking away from the group, Natalia turned and made her way down towards the dungeons where she figured Hermione would be. Covering her nose when a wretched smell reached it, Natalia ran when she heard a scream. Sliding around the corner of the bathroom's door, she stopped in shock when she saw the troll raising it's club before swinging it down and crushing the sink next to the one Hermione was hiding under. Pulling her secondary wand out, she cried, "Congelacion!"
The troll froze with his raised for another strike. Thinking quickly, Natalia levitated the club out of his hand and unfroze the troll before dropping his club on his head, knocking him out. Rushing over to Hermione she asked, "Are you okay?"
"I-I'm f-fine," Hermione stuttered, her hands shaking. "T-thank you."
Before Natalia could say anything, the door to the bathroom banged open and Professors McGonnogal, Snape and Quirrel entered the bathroom with their wands drawn. Hiding her wand quickly, Natalia stood and faced the professors. "It's not what it looks like, Professors."
"Oh? And what does it look like, Potter?" Snape drawled sarcastically.
Ignoring the use of her last name, Natalia said innocently, "Well, sir, the troll lost grip of his club when he raised it and the club fell on his head, knocking him out. Hermione and I were already in the bathroom, as we didn't hear the announcement made by Professor Quirrel, and were on our way to the feast when the troll came in and attacked us."
"That's not possible, Potter," Snape said coolly. "I saw you at the feast myself, as it was you that brought attention to the Slytherin common room being in the dungeons where the troll was located."
"Are you sure it was me and not my twin, Harrison? I'm told we look a bit alike, Professor," Natalia asked, her face the picture of innocence.
Minerva cut Snape off before he could retort. "It does not matter, Severus. Miss Granger, is what Miss Potter said the truth? Were you already in the bathroom when the troll entered?"
"Yes, Professor," Hermione said meekly, looking down at her feet in embarrassment.
"Very well, five points to each of you for sheer dumb luck," Minerva said, ushering the girls outside the bathroom.
As Natalia passed by Snape, she saw the leg of his pants were torn and his leg was bloodied. Glancing up, she briefly locked eyes with him before turning and walking with her godmother and Hermione. She looked up questioningly when her godmother stopped them outside the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Natalia, what really happened in the bathroom?" Minerva asked quietly.
"I overheard Potter and Weasley say that Hermione was in the girls bathroom. Weasley thought they should go look for her but Harrison said she would be fine and they continued to the common room," Natalia explained. "Not wanting to take the chance, I headed down to the bathroom and when I entered, the troll was about to crush the sink Hermione was under. I levitated his club over his head and dropped it, knocking him out."
"Why didn't you just tell Severus that? Why lie?" Minerva asked in confusion.
"Because I don't trust him yet, I don't know him," Natalia answered as if it was obvious. "How do I know for sure he is trustworthy?"
"Dumbledore trusts him," Minerva pointed out half-heartedly. "And why tell me? How do you know I am trustworthy?"
"Yeah and Dumbledore also has two Death Eaters working here," Natalia said seriously. "And who else would I tell if not my godmother, Aunt Minnie?"
"How did you know I was your godmother? The only way you could have found out was if Lily or James told you," Minerva asked in shock.
"I only talk to them when absolutely necessary," Natalia said dismissively. "And I have my ways of getting certain information."
Minerva just nodded to what Natalia was saying before stopping short. "What do you mean two Death Eaters are working here?"
"Snape and Quirrel, they're Death Eaters," Natalia said off-handedly. "Though something else is up with Quirrel, I think he's a host or something." Natalia didn't wait for Minerva to reply, she turned and pushed Hermione through the portrait hole after whispering the password. Stopping just outside the view of the common room, Natalia silently Obliviated the previous conversation from Hermione's mind and replaced it with their walk up to Gryffindor Tower. Making sure Hermione could stand on her own, Natalia pushed her forward into the common room, passing by her and heading up to her dorm room. Entering the dorm room, she ignored Pavarti and Lavendar, her roommates, and walked over to her bed. Standing in front of her bed, head cocked to the side, Natalia asked her roommates, "Has anyone been in here besides you two and Hermione?"
"Professor Evans was leaving when we came up here about an hour ago," Pavarti answered, looking at Natalia questioningly. "Why?"
"She tried to go through my stuff," Natalia muttered, looking through her trunk and cabinet to make sure nothing was missing or in the wrong place. Finding nothing wrong, she mumbled to herself, "The wards obviously stopped her but what was she looking for and why? Thank Merlin I've got glamours on my private books."
Putting up extra wards around her things, Natalia pulled back her bed curtain and climbed into bed before closing them again. Curling up around Breeze who was beside the window, Natalia stared at her family's pictures before slowly falling asleep.
The following months passed quickly with Neville getting reacquainted with his parents, who were said to have been revived by an experimental treatment, and the four pranking friends constantly pulling pranks on the Potters' and Dumbledore. So far a prank had been pulled on every professor except for Minerva, who was extremely grateful. Natalia kept a close eye on Quirrel, even following him one time when he went to the forbidden third floor corridor and finding out about the three-headed dog that was guarding a trap door. Immediately after, she overheard her twin and his two friends, Ron and Hermione, also known as the Golden Trio, talking about the three-headed dog whose name was Fluffy guarding something made by Nicholas Flamel, the famous Alchemist.
Having met the Alchemist on one of her time-jumps with Merlin when she was nine, Natalia immediately knew what Fluffy was guarding; the Sorcerer's Stone. She also knew that Nicholas and his wife, Perenelle, wouldn't trust anyone to guard something so precious to them, so that meant Dumbledore must have stolen it for some reason. With Christmas in a few days, Natalia decided to file everything she learned away until she had more information about why Dumbledore had the stone and where her twin and his friends were in figuring everything out.
Standing on Platform 9 ¾ at Kings Cross Station, Natalia waited with her friends as their family's came to pick them up. She was laughing with Neville at a joke Fred and George had told when she saw Neville's parents come through the barrier followed by the Weasley family. Turning to her friends she said, "Looks like your families are here, guys."
"You sure you can't spend some time over? Mum and Dad would love to have you over," Neville asked again, hugging his friend.
"I'm sure, Snare," Natalia said as she pulled back from the hug. "I've already got plans for the holiday but I'll see you when it's time to go back to Hogwarts." Turning to the twins, she hugged them quickly and watched as they headed over to their family. Waving to Neville, Natalia walked to a secluded dark corner of the station and waited for everyone to leave.
"Now what is a little girl doing in a corner all by herself?" a cold voice asked from beside Natalia.
Turning her head, Natalia looked at the man and woman that had moved to stand beside her. The man was tall, with a cane, and had white blonde hair and grey eyes. The woman beside him was also tall but not as tall as the man. She also had blonde hair but not as light as her husband and ice blue eyes. Glancing at the signet ring on the man's finger, Natalia answered dryly, "I would assume waiting for her guardian to pick her up, Lord Malfoy. Much like you and your wife are waiting to pick up your son." Catching sight of a glamoured Merlin, Natalia pushed off the wall she was leaning on. "Now if you'll excuse me, Lord and Lady Malfoy, I must take my leave."
Walking toward Merlin, Natalia was stopped when a blur of green and black ran into her, hugging her tightly. Chuckling at her Slytherin friend's antics, Natalia hugged Pansy. "What's with the hug, Pans?"
"Is it not okay to give my friend a hug when I won't see her until we go back to school?" Pansy asked sarcastically when she pulled back.
"Of course it's okay, Pans," Natalia answered amusedly. Nodding at Draco beside Pansy, Natalia greeted him, "Malfoy, nice to see you again."
"Same to you, Potter," Draco drawled politely, inclining his head in greeting. "Pansy, we must go now as it's not wise to keep my father waiting."
"Malfoy, tell your parents Natalia Potter says it was nice to meet them," Natalia said before turning and walking over to Merlin. Grabbing his hand she said, "Lets go, I can't wait to see my family."
"I do believe you've gotten impatient during your stay here," Merlin said as he led Natalia to a dark corner. Making sure no one could see them, he opened a portal and stepped through, quickly followed by Natalia.
The Christmas holidays passed too quickly for Natalia's liking and before she knew it, she was back on Platform 9 ¾ once more standing in a shadowed corner watching as parents said goodbye to their children. She was twirling her wand between her fingers when she felt a presence come up beside her. Continuing to twirl her wand, Natalia looked up to see Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy again. "Lord Malfoy, Lady Malfoy."
"And you are Miss…?" Lucius asked, raising a pale eyebrow at the girl.
"Like you don't know who I am, Lord Malfoy," Natalia said calmly, looking into his cold grey eyes. "You would have done your research since the last time we…conversed."
"You should learn to respect you betters, Potter," Lucius hissed angrily, stepping closer to Natalia.
"I don't go by that name, Lord Malfoy," Natalia said evenly, meeting Lucius' gaze head on. "And as for my betters, I'm sure you don't mean yourself, sir, since you obviously aren't better than a muggle-born. What with following the half-blood hypocrite Voldemort. I would have thought that such a prestige pureblood such as yourself, you wouldn't bow down to someone with muggle blood running through their veins."
"You don't know what you're talking about, girl," Lucius spat angrily. "The Dark Lord was a pureblood, not some filthy half-blood."
"Do you even know his real name?" Natalia asked coldly. Not waiting for an answer, she said, "His name was Tom Marvolo Riddle." Drawing the words in the air between them so they could see them, Natalia waved her wand and explained, "He got the name Voldemort by rearranging the letters in his name so, Tom Marvolo Riddle became I am Lord Voldemort."
"You're lying, girl," Lucius snarled. "The Dark Lord was no half-blood, he was a pureblood. He is the Heir of Slytherin."
Natalia couldn't stop herself from bursting out into laughter, having to lean against the wall so she wouldn't fall over. Wiping her eyes as she chuckled still, Natalia said, "Oh Merlin, that is the biggest load of crap I've ever heard. Voldemort the Heir of Slytherin? I can't believe that idiot actually had the balls to claim such a noble house as his."
"Do not mock the Dark Lord, girl," Lucius growled dangerously. "When he rises again, I'll gladly take the chance to get rid of filth such as yourself."
Natalia just rolled her eyes, shifting her stare to look at Lucius' wife, Narcissa, and ignoring the arrogant pureblood. "You know I met your sister a few months ago. She was very nice, but didn't seem to have much faith in her family."
"Andromeda was never one to follow our parents' wishes," Narcissa said coolly, looking down at Natalia.
Natalia didn't get a chance to answer as the train horn sounded as it began to pull away. Watching the train pull away from the station unconcernedly, Natalia pushed off the wall. "Seeing as the train has left, it is time for me to go. Lord and Lady Malfoy, I'm sure we'll see each other again. Perhaps next year in Flourish and Blotts during Gildory Lockhart's book signing." Natalia didn't wait for a reply from either Malfoy as she called her phoenix to her, grabbing Akeisha's tail feathers as the death phoenix flamed them to the train.
Neville jumped, squeaking slightly, when Natalia suddenly appeared in a flurry of black flames. Holding his hand over his heart, Neville said, "Warn a bloke the next time you do that, Shadow. You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"Sorry, Snare," Natalia said grinning. Putting up locking and privacy charms, Natalia turned back to her friend. "Okay, so you remember when I said there was something on the back of Quirrel's head?"
"Yeah, and we still haven't figured it out," Neville groused.
"Well, Uncle Merlin looked into some of Quirrel's past and he found out what was on the back of his head," Natalia said quietly, leaning closer to her friend. "Quirrel has Voldemort on the back of his head, Nev. Voldemort wasn't killed all those years ago, only temporarily disabled. And Dumbledore knows this, he knows Voldemort is inside Hogwarts. I think the old coot is setting up some kind of test for Harry, to see what kind of power he has."
"But Dumbledore is the Light's leader," Neville sputtered, looking at Natalia incredulously.
"Maybe so, but Dumbledore is manipulative and doesn't care who is sacrificed in order to achieve his goals," Natalia said seriously. "Look what he did to your parents. I'm not saying he is going dark but he is definitely uncaring about who is lost so long as he achieves what he wants." Seeing the skeptical look still on Neville's face, Natalia said, "Nev, because Dumbledore is Headmaster, he is connected to Hogwarts, which means he knows about everything important that goes on inside the castle."
"I believe you, Shadow," Neville said sincerely, leaning back in his seat as his mind processed what he'd just been told. The rest of the train ride was made in silence as the two First Years thought over everything they knew.
A few weeks later after dinner was over and the students retired to their dorms, Natalia snuck out of the Gryffindor common room and silently made her way to the third floor. Unlocking the door she stepped inside and closed the door quietly. Looking up when she heard growling, Natalia locked gazed with the middle head of the Cerberus. (I mean you no harm, Cerberus. I only wish to know that which you guard.)
(Why would one so young wish to know what we guard?) a deep, growling voice asked.
(There is another in the castle that wishes to steal it, Great One. I simply wish to know if what you guard is truly what I believe it to be, Nicholas Flamel's Philosopher's Stone.) Natalia answered softly, her voice radiating respect and politeness.
The three heads debated for a moment before the middle one spoke again. (We will allow you passage, young one. But in order to find that which you seek, you will face other challenges.)
Natalia bowed to the three headed dog, (I thank you for your passage, Great One, and your warning.) Straightening, Natalia walked forward to the trap door the Cerberus uncovered, opening it and jumping into the hole. Landing on something soft, Natalia felt it begin to move, wrapping around her wrists and legs. Realizing it was Devil's Snare, she relaxed completely and easily slipped through the plant. Landing on her feet, Natalia walked into the next room that was filled with flying keys. Ignoring the flying objects, Natalia moved to the door and placed both hands on it, letting some of her power seep into it, causing it to open. Smirking, she walked through the open door onto the next challenge. Seeing the oversized chessboard, Natalia decided to bypass the challenge, changing into her eagle form and flying over the board. Changing back when she landed, she opened the next door and walked inside. Seeing the table with potion ingredients and black flames in the way of the next door, Natalia ignored the table and walked into the flames, knowing she wouldn't be harmed since she was an ice mage.
Stepping inside the next room, Natalia saw a large mirror in the middle of the circular room with stone pillars surrounding it. Walking up to the mirror, she gazed back at the reflection that showed her surrounded by her family and friends. Smiling, Natalia reached out and touched the reflection of her parents. Shaking her head, Natalia focused on the Philosopher's Stone, thinking hard about the red stone. She watched as her reflection put a hand inside her pocket before pulling it out again, holding the red stone. Feeling a weight settle in the same pocket, Natalia reached her hand inside it and wrapped her fingers around the object. Pulling her hand out again, Natalia smiled when she saw the Philosopher's Stone in her hand. Changing her sight to Mage Sight, she saw that it was the real Elixir of Life before changing her sight back to normal. Pocketing the stone again, Natalia closed her eyes and focused on her dorm room, disappearing in a flurry of snowflakes.
The next morning, Natalia headed up to the Owlery after her morning workout. Last night she'd written out a letter to her old friend, Nicholas Flamel, to ask him about the stone that kept him and his wife, Perenelle, alive. Finding a beautiful snowy owl, Natalia walked up to her. Rubbing a finger over the owl's beak she asked softly, "Hey there, girl. Can you take this letter to someone for me?"
The owl hooted softly, sticking her leg out for the letter. Tying the letter to the owl's leg, Natalia whispered, "Can you take this to Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel, please? It's important."
The snowy owl hooted again before taking off to deliver the letter. From the shadows of the Owlery, a figure stepped forward and asked, "How do you know the Flamel's, Miss Potter?"
"What makes you think I know them, Professor Quirrel?" Natalia asked coolly as she turned around.
"The fact that you s-sent them a letter, Miss Potter," Quirrel said, stuttering slightly.
"I don't know them, Professor," Natalia lied smoothly. "I was simply curious about how Mr. Flamel came to be an Alchemist. I sent them a letter to ask if they had any advice about rewarding jobs for the future." Glancing at the clock above the door, Natalia saw it was close to breakfast time. "Excuse me, Professor Quirrel, but it is about time for breakfast and I'm quite hungry."
Natalia walked out of the Owlery calmly, making her way steadily down to the Great Hall. She was just about to enter when she heard her name called.
"Natalia, wait up," a female voice called from behind the First Year.
Turning, Natalia smiled when she saw Tonks coming towards her. When the older witch was close enough, Natalia asked, "Hey Tonks, how have you been?"
Tonks grinned at the younger witch, "I've been good, Nat. I'm excited about graduation being near, but I'm going to miss you. How are you?"
"I'm doing okay, just waiting for this year to be over so I can go back to my family," Natalia answered honestly, smiling at her friend. "How has your mum been doing? I'm sure she's been really busy with her bosses and reporters wanting to know about the Longbottom's recovery?"
"Yeah, she's been going bat crazy trying to get them to leave her alone," Tonks said laughingly, her blue eyes sparkling. "She still wont tell anyone exactly how the Longbottoms' woke."
Natalia just shrugged, leaning back against the wall beside the Great Hall doors. "I'm sure she has her reasons, Nym."
"Yeah, maybe," Tonks said, letting her friend use the nickname. "Anyways, what will you be doing over the summer holiday?"
"I'll just be spending time with my family, and hopefully Jamie and Rose as well," Natalia said, frowning slightly. "What about you, Nym? Got any plans for the summer?"
"I'll be going into Auror training," Tonks said excitedly. "Ever since I was little and my mum's cousin, Sirius, came over and told me about being an Auror I've wanted to be one."
"I'm sure you'll be a great Auror, Nym," Natalia said honestly. "Lets go get something to eat."
Together, they entered the hall and went to their separate tables, ignoring those that turned to stare at them. Sitting next to Neville and the twins, Natalia asked, "What's up, guys?"
"Hey, Nat," they said, smiling at her. Neville locked eyes with Natalia and asked, "What are you going to do over summer break?"
"I'll be spending time with my family and Rose and Jamie," Natalia said, smiling slightly. "I'm anxious to see my parents, Alex and Lizzy again."
Fred and George frowned when Natalia mentioned seeing her parents. Looking at his friend questioningly, Fred asked, "What do you mean your parents? I thought that the Potters were your parents?"
"They are my biological parents but they didn't raise me so I don't consider them my parents," Natalia elaborated, putting up a privacy charm. "When Harry was named the Boy-Who-Lived, Dumbledore convinced my parents to leave me on Lily's muggle sister, Petunia Dursley's, doorstep. Dumbledore left me on the doorstep in the middle of the night and after he left, someone else picked me up and took me somewhere I'd be loved and wanted."
"Who was it that picked you up?" Fred asked before George finished the question.
"And where did they take you?"
"The person who picked me up was Merlin and he took me to the past, exactly a thousand years into the past. I was raised by the Founder's of Hogwarts, they even Blood Adopted me which means I'm their heir and Merlin's." Natalia admitted, smiling at the thought of her family. "But you two can't tell anyone what I just told you, it has to remain a secret for now."
"We won't tell anyone, Shadow," the twins promised seriously before they broke the tension by talking about a joke they pulled on Filch once.
The rest of the day passed slowly for Natalia, who was anxiously awaiting a reply from the Flamel's. It wasn't until the next morning during breakfast that she received a reply. A regal looking eagle owl flew in from the rafters to land in front of Natalia, holding it's leg out for her to untie the letter. Feeding the owl some bacon, Natalia looked down at the letter before looking around. Seeing Dumbledore's, the Potter's and Quirrel's narrowed gazes, she stood up and left the hall, shadow walking up to her chambers. Sitting on a chair in front of her parents' portraits, Natalia opened the letter and silently read.
Dear Miss Potter,
It was a shock for me and my wife to hear from you, especially as you are just eleven years old and asking about a stone I made. To answer your question about the whereabouts of the stone, my wife and I do not know as it was taken from the vault it was supposed to be in. However, due to the nature of your letter, I believe you may know what happened to it and who took it. If this is true, please send a reply or meet us at Gringotts tomorrow morning at 9am. That stone is very important to us, and not only because it keeps us alive, but because it is something we worked very hard to accomplish.
Yours sincerely,
Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel
Folding the letter, Natalia turned around and pulled the stone out of the drawer of the desk in front of her parents' portraits. Turning it over and over, she thought about what to do. Dumbles and Quirrel will notice if I'm not in class tomorrow, they'll know something is up. But I can't not return the stone to the Flamel's, so how can I pull this off without Dumbles or Quirrel noticing I'm not here tomorrow morning?
"You could have a friend of yours use poly-juice potion," a female voice suggested, startling Natalia.
"Who are you? Why are you in my head?" Natalia asked quickly, panicking.
"Do not be afraid, Little One, I am Hogwarts," the voice said soothingly. "Over the many years of having young witches and wizards within my walls, I've become a sentient being. I can choose whether or not to bond to one of the Founder's heirs, but never have I met an heir to all the Founder's and Merlin before."
"So you've decided to bond to me?" Natalia asked to be sure.
"Yes, I chose you," Hogwarts said softly. "You have a pure heart, something the other heirs I've encountered haven't had. You would sacrifice your life to protect my walls."
"This is my home, I would do anything to protect it," Natalia agreed quietly. "Do you know of another way, except poly-juice, to trick Dumbles and Quirrel into believing I'm in the castle?"
"I can project an image of you but it would only last for about three hours," Hogwarts offered hesitantly.
"That would be perfect, Hogwarts, since I'll only need an hour or so to meet with the Flamel's and return the stone to them," Natalia said excitedly, smiling happily.
The next morning, Natalia woke at her normal time and went outside to work out. Jumping in the shower after she got back, she dressed in comfortable black slacks, a green silk button up shirt and pulled her hair into a bun with a snake clasp. Checking the time she saw it was nearing nine so, she mentally told Hogwarts she was leaving and teleported silently to Diagon Alley. Morphing to look like a young woman, Natalia made her way to the tall white building that was Gringotts. Nodding towards the goblin guards, Natalia made her way into the bank and past all the counters, heading for the hallway that would take her to the Director's office. Knocking on the office door when she reached it, Natalia morphed back to her base form and waited until she heard 'come in' before she entered the office. Smiling at the Director, she greeted him.
"Snagtooth, it is good to see you again," she said informally, grinning at the goblin.
"Natalia, what a surprise. Aren't you supposed to be in school, youngling?" Snagtooth asked, baring his teeth in a smile. Remembering his guests he said, "Let me introduce you to Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel. Mr. and Mrs. Flamel, this is Natalia Potter."
Turning to the couple, Natalia nodded her head, "It's nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Flamel. I'm assuming you've told Director Snagtooth about your missing stone?"
"Yes, Miss Potter, we were just informing him of its disappearance from the vault," Nicholas Flamel said politely, staring at the girl that looked familiar with curiosity.
Cutting in, Snagtooth asked, "Natalia, do you know what happened to the stone? Is that why you are here?"
Nodding, Natalia sat in the empty seat in front of Snagtooth's desk. "Yes, I know who took it and where it is. I believe it was being used as bait, for lack of a better word."
"Who took it and where is it?" Perenelle asked, speaking for the first time.
"Dumbledore had it but it was not him who took it from the vault," Natalia answered, watching the Flamel's reactions. "Up until the other night, the old coot was in possession of the stone."
"Why would Dumbledore want to use the stone as bait?" Nicholas asked in confusion.
"The stone grants immortality to who drinks it, but if a person were to be a spirit it would grant them a body," Natalia said softly. "Dumbles was using the stone to lure Voldemort out of hiding and he succeeded. Voldemort is currently possessing my DADA professor, Quirrel, and has tried going for the stone but was stopped by the Cerberus that Dumbledore has on the Third Floor."
"And you know about this three-headed dog because?" Perenelle asked hesitantly.
"Because I've met him and I overheard my twin and his friends talking about him," Natalia said simply. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled the stone out and set it on Snagtooth's desk. "I took the stone from the Mirror of Erised where it was placed. The challenges in front of the mirror were interesting but could be easily beat."
"What other challenges were there?" Snagtooth asked curiously.
"Besides Fluffy, there was Sprout's Devil's Snare, Flitwick's flying keys, McGonnogal's chess board, Quirrel's troll, Snape's riddle and potions and finally the mirror, which was Dumble's." Natalia rattled off, rolling her eyes slightly. "Pretty pathetic excuses for guarding the stone but it's not like the professors knew what they were helping to guard."
"And how did you get passed the challenges?" Nicholas asked, staring at Natalia intently.
"Fluffy let me by, I fell through the Devil's Snare by staying still, I bypassed the flying keys, chess board and troll, I walked through the flames in the potion's challenge unharmed since I'm an ice mage and I simply summoned the stone through the mirror," Natalia admitted, shrugging. "I'm sure I would have enjoyed Aunt Minnie's challenge but I was tired and didn't feel like thinking too hard."
The feeling that he'd met this girl before became too much so Nicholas asked, "Have we met before, Miss Potter? You look extremely familiar to me."
Giving a half-smile, Natalia nodded slightly, "We've met, Mr. Flamel, about 200 years ago. I was with my Uncle Merlin on one of his time-jumps and going by the name Natalia Gryffindor. What was 200 years ago to you has been only two years to me. I was born in this time but taken to the past to be raised after my biological parents abandoned me on Lily Potter's muggle sister's doorstep. I was raised by Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin, they are my parents."