I own nothing except the seventeen year old girl that is now named!!
A/N: Sorry about the delay! But I when I was going over this chapter I really didn't like it. It was short for one thing and really just lame; especially the beginning. So, I changed it and it is now double the length! Anyway, all mistakes are mine, if there are any; hopefully there aren't. :) Anyway, thanks to those that reviewed last chapter; dunno if I replyed or not; but thanks! Enjoy!
Seven: Another Stone
Ground aspen roots were poured over the violet potion by Ron Weasley. The simple sleeping draught they were making was already the wrong color, and half the ingredients they put in were wrong. How that happened? No one knows; the ingredients and instructions were listed on the board in plain English. So, what happened next shouldn't be a surprise.
Almost every other potion in the class was either a lime green or the correct seagreen and they were placing the second last ingredient in; ground rose petals. The aspen roots were supposed to be sliced; not ground and they were supposed to be placed in third. So, as soon as the wooden spoon touched the surface, the potion exploded, covering the Gryffindor's in violet goo.
Snickers came from the Slytherin side of the room as Snape swept over to stand over Ron and Jared. "Why am I not surprised?" He drawled as he crossed his arms. "Detention tonight with Filch and twenty-five points each." He said it so plainly that if you had guts, you would've laughed. He then turned and walked to the front of the class. "Bottle your samples and dismissed." He sat down behind his desk as the class got to work.
Pansy, Hermione and Ginny were giggling quietly to each other as they led the boys to their next class, Transfiguration. The three boys just walked behind them, rolling their eyes.
"What are you laughing at?" The three girls looked ahead to see Jared and Ron sneering at them; both now clean. "Well?"
"Your display in potions." Hermione answered, crossing her arms.
Jared narrowed his eyes further at her. "Like yours was any better. You had the reject helping you."
The three girls, in synch, rolled their eyes.
"Really Potter." Draco sneered. "You think your better then a Slytherin?"
Jared barked out a laugh. "A Slytherin could do better than me? Outrageous."
"We just did." Ginny stated, placing her hands on her hips. "Our potion was seagreen; the color it should be when adding the ground rose petals. Honestly; the potion was on the board. How stupid can you be?"
The two boys were turning red with anger, but before they could say anything else, McGonagall showed up and opened the door. The class filed in; Gryffindor's on one side and Slytherin's on the other.
"Today we will try something new. On your desk you will see a quill. We're going to transfigure a wine glass out of this." McGonagall started the lesson as the door closed behind the last student.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The whistle blew, causing the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor teams to shoot into the air. The bludgers and snitch were released a moment later, followed shortly by the quaffle. As Madam Hooch blew the whistle a second time, the chasers zoomed towards the red quaffle, a Gryffindor getting there first.
In the Slytherin stands, Harry's eyes flew around the field, seeking out the snitch. Hermione sat beside him, their transfiguration book open on her lap. Pansy and Blaise sat beside her, cheering the Hufflepuff's on or gossiping to each other. Ginny sat next to him, her gaze following the chasers and the quaffle. Finally, Draco sat beside her, Crabbe and Goyle behind him, his gaze lazily drifting around the field.
Across the pitch, in the professor's box, Severus reached up behind his ear again to rub. His obsidian eyes roamed the area lazily, his finger never wavering from behind his ear. He felt an increase in magic around him, causing his hand to fall to his lap. As discreetly as possible, he let his eyes roam around the professor's surrounding him.
McGonagall's eyes were trained out at the flyers, her lips pressed into a thin line as she watched her house. Sprout and Flitwick were cheering and clapping, the others joining in every so often. Quirrell, however, was silent, his eyes trained on one player.
Severus' lips began to move, even as Jared's broom started zooming out of his control, breaking his view of the elusive golden snitch. Some people in the stands were holding their breath, while others were screaming or crying.
Hermione and Harry's concentration never wavered once, from the objects in front of them. The snitch was roaming near the Hufflepuff goals as the players continued their game, not noticing Jared's predicament above them. Ginny had spared a glance at Jared before turning her attention back to the quaffle, hoping to one day be able to join the Slytherin team.
Snape's counter-charm wasn't strong enough for Quirrell's enhanced magic, and Jared lost his balance on his broom. He managed to grab the handle, now dangling thirty meters from the ground.
Jared's eyes made a quick look down, only to snap back as he caught the snitch about five meters below him. He looked up once again before finding the snitch again. Making a rash decision, he let go of his Nimbus 2000, extending his other hand as he did so.
Screams echoed from the stands as they watched Jared Potter fall, heading towards the ground. Nobody saw his hand close over the small golden ball, they were all watching as he continued to speed towards the ground, feet first.
Quirrell was so surprised that his spell on the broom stopped, as all the teachers stood to watch as Jared fell. Nobody thought to cast a spell to cushion his fall or slow him down, all watching with bated breath as he plummeted towards the ground.
Hermione looked up from her book after hearing the screams continue and not sounding good. She watched as Jared continued to fall, and she saw the small golden wings peaking out from between his fingers. She sighed and discreetly pulled out her wand, aiming it at Jared. "Permoveo tardus." She stated.
There were sighs of relief as they all watched Jared slow down and land softly on the ground. The students assumed it was a teacher and soon cheering erupted from them as Jared held up his hand with the golden snitch held tightly in his hand.
Harry turned to Hermione and smiled. She looked up from her book again and smiled back at him, Harry being the only one to notice.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Severus Snape raised an eyebrow as he looked at the four students standing in front of him. "You expect me to believe that?"
Harry mentally groaned. He hadn't expected Snape to be stubborn. "How many dark marks do you have?"
Snape narrowed his eyes. "And what makes you think I have one at all?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly; mom told us you used to be friends with Harry's father."
Harry nodded. "Has the skin behind your left ear been itching or hurting at all?"
Snape eyes narrowed further if that was possible. "Get out."
"But, uncle Sev." Draco said.
"Now Draco."
The four students sighed and walked out of the room, their heads hung after another failed attempt to get Snape to believe them.
"I don't understand. Why is it so hard to believe that a spell was placed upon him?" Ginny asked as they headed to the Great Hall for lunch.
Draco sighed. "He's not used to the idea that someone could place a spell on him and one of that magnitude."
Harry nodded as they sat down at the Slytherin table.
"Are you sure your mom won't mind me coming home with you guys for Christmas? I mean you didn't even send her an owl." Ginny said as she loaded her plate.
Hermione and Harry sighed. "She told us to get you away from those despicable Weasel's." Harry said.
Ginny and Pansy giggled while Draco and Blaise snorted.
"Okay." Ginny said, deciding to drop it even if she still felt unsure.
The six of them started to eat, discussing everything from school to Christmas. The hall was, as usual, filled with the excited chatter of students most talking of the upcoming Christmas holidays.
"They seem happy, don't you think?" Helga asked Rowena as the two looked upon the heirs that would soon turn into three.
Rowena smiled. "Yes. I do hope Godric is right about what will happen over the holidays."
Helga smiled. "I believe he's right. You can see it when they look at each other. Almost as if they were born from the same parents in the first place."
Rowena chuckled. "Yes; you're right. What about him?"
Helga sighed. "I don't know. The hat said to wait a year; but I believe it's going to be longer than that."
Rowena nodded. "You can almost see it when you watch his eyes. As if he knows what's going to happen before it does. But that's impossible; he's not a seer."
"Yes. I wonder how long we will have to wait. I do hope it's soon; this school needs to be set back to its original standards."
"I agree completely. We can't have these students failing out in the real world, now can we?"
Helga chuckled. "Sadly, under his instruction, they probably already are."
Rowena nodded slowly. "That is too true. Can you feel what's happening to the castle?"
Helga sighed and raised her yellow eyes to the magical sky that only changed between night and day unless spelled by the headmaster. "Yes. I wonder how much longer. I feel as though it should've happened years ago."
"Yes I feel the same way. I wonder why that hasn't happened yet." Rowena muttered as the students started to depart from the Great Hall to finish packing or to get a head start on their homework before they left the next day.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A 17 year old girl, with bright blue eyes and black hair sat pouring over a book on defense. Because of her seer ability, she managed to pass her NEWTs by the age of 14. Now, three years later, she was studying to become a master in defense. She had moved to France when she finished school and was now studying under Madam LeBlanc at Beauxbatons. Her grandfather had passed away when she was thirteen, leaving her the heir to the Jonson fortune.
"Kyrene."
The girl looked up and smiled at Madam LeBlanc as she came into the room. "Oui, Madame LeBlanc?"
"Sont allant vous étudier par Noël?"
Kyrene smiled. "Je n'ai pas de famille est partie. Et j'aime l'érudition plus si je peux."
Madam LeBlanc smiled at her and nodded. "Je dirige à la maison ; j'ai obtenu la permission de Madame Maxime. Elle m'a accordé la permission pour avoir vous reste ici si vous souhaitez."
Kyrene smiled and nodded. "Merci, Madame LeBlanc."
Madam LeBlanc nodded and left the room, her robes swishing behind her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The six Slytherin's sat in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, heading towards Platform 9 ¾ for the Christmas holidays. Harry, Draco, Blaise and Ginny were involved in a game of exploding snap. Hermione sat beside the window a book open in her lap, while Pansy sat across from her, watching the game.
"So, where are you guys staying now?" Pansy asked, bringing Hermione's attention to her.
Hermione smiled. "Gryffindor Castle." She giggled as Pansy made a gagging noise and motion. "Sirius, Remus and mom really wanted to see it; after all they were all Gryffindor's."
"True." Pansy muttered.
"Have you guys seen it yet?" Blaise asked.
"No." Harry answered. "They moved in October. Sirius said he was getting bored of all the yellow and black."
Pansy snorted. "Of course he would. He's a true Gryffindor."
Harry shook his head. "No; he's not. He fooled Dumbledore and James Potter for almost ten years."
Pansy and Blaise's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"
Hermione nodded. "Yup. Him and Remus; they worked together, really. Otherwise I believe Sirius would've messed up somewhere along the way."
The others giggled as the train started to slow down. They all stood up to pull their trunks down from the overhead shelf.
"Harry," Hermione started. "Didn't you say you knew what was going on?"
Harry nodded as he sat down again. "Yeah. The philosopher's stone is hidden somewhere in the castle. I also overheard Weasley and Potter talking; they think Snape is the one trying to steal it for his master. In other words, Voldemort."
Hermione nodded. "But you know it's not Snape."
Harry smiled. "Of course it's not Snape. He thinks he's a spy. It's clearly Quirrell."
"Quirrell?" Pansy and Ginny said, disbelief clear in their voices as the train came to a stop.
Harry nodded. "Yup. The turbans on his head for a reason." He stated before heading out and leading the group onto the platform.
The six stepped onto the platform, moving off to the side away from the crowd and looking for their families. Pansy found her mother, father and brother first, turning to the group; she gave them all hugs and promised to write from her vacation.
"You better tell me everything when you get back." Ginny said.
Pansy laughed and promised before disappearing into the crowd.
Blaise found his mother second, and hugged the girl's goodbye and just said goodbye to Draco and Harry. He turned and disappeared into the crowd after Pansy, losing sight of him seconds later. Draco was next, finding the blonde head of his father near the barrier. He hugged them all, lingering on Harry, before turning and disappearing as well.
The three were left searching, trying to find their guardians. A bark brought their attention down from the heads in the crowd to find a black dog running up to them.
Harry and Hermione smiled, squealing "Padfoot" as they both kneeled and hugged him. Lily and Remus came into view a moment later, smiling at the kids. Ginny was surprised when Lily immediately came to her and hugged her.
"Welcome to the family, Ginny." Lily said.
Ginny smiled widely as tears prickled in her blue eyes. "Thank you." She whispered, never hearing anything like that before.
Harry and Hermione grinned up at the two red heads as Remus wrapped them both in a hug as well.
Remus pulled away, smiling. "Alright, let's start heading home. I'm freezing and hungry."
Harry laughed and stood hugging Remus tightly around the waist.
Remus chuckled hugging him back. "I may be warmer, but I'm still hungry."
Hermione stood and nodded. "I agree. I haven't eaten since breakfast. Only snacks on the way."
They all agreed and headed out through the barrier and into an alleyway. Sirius turned human and they each apparated a kid to the wards of Gryffindor Castle.
They headed into the barrier and the three kids stopped, eyes widening as they took in the grounds.
"Dear Merlin." Harry whispered.
The fence that surrounded the castle was made out of nine foot tall hedges that grew year round. The gate was made out of bamboo and opened immediately when they walked up to it. The path leading up to the castle was a light beige stone with a giant griffin shaped fountain in the middle. The path was also surrounded by five foot high aspen trees and ended right next to the three steps that led up to the doors.
The interior of the castle was just as beautiful. Most of the floors were done in a rich mahogany with the walls being a nice beige. It was decorated in mostly red, gold and brown with white and black making an appearance every now and then. Four house elves greeted them when they stepped through the doors. Two disappeared with their luggage, another went to start dinner, and the last, Archie, showed them around.
Twenty minutes later, they were seated around the dinning room table, it having been shrunk so Remus and Sirius could sit at the ends. The kids talked about school and the new friends they made. Harry told Lily what the hat said, which brought tears to her eyes, but she agreed. They talked about what classes they liked best and what Harry found out about the philosopher's stone.
"Harry, just be safe. Don't go foolishly running into anything." Lily said.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Mom, that's a Gryffindor trait. Why would I do that?"
"Maybe because you're descended from one?" Sirius asked, grinning when Harry turned to him and stuck out his tongue.
"When do you three want to do the ritual?" Remus asked as the house elves brought in dessert.
"Um; Ginny?" Hermione asked, looking across at her.
Ginny shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me; but should we wait until after Christmas?"
The other two nodded, agreeing.
"Hey, Padfoot," Harry started. "Whatever happened between you and Mr. Malfoy?"
Sirius grinned. "The divorce papers are signed and cleared."
"That's it?" Ginny asked. "You're not getting married?"
Sirius' smile faded slightly. "Don't know yet. It's been years since we've been together; we're going to take it slow. Make sure nothing really changed."
Hermione nodded. "Makes sense. Is he coming over for Christmas?"
Sirius' grin returned. "Nope. He said he didn't want to be sick seeing all this red and gold." Those around the table laughed as the house elves cleared the plates.
The next morning saw Lily in the living room sitting in front of the fire in her robe. A cup of coffee was in one hand while the Prophet was in the other. There wasn't much in the news, the front page, however, told of the Potters going away for Christmas and taking the Weasley's.
Lily rolled her eyes then smiled when Ginny came into the room in a purple robe and matching purple slippers.
"Thank you, Lily." Ginny said as she sat down beside her.
Lily grinned and placed her cup and the paper down before wrapping an arm around Ginny's shoulders. "Ginny, I know this may be soon, but I consider you my third child. Even if not by blood, I love you all the same. The first time I met you I knew there was something special about you. I hated that you were in the shadows and never could understand why those despicable people didn't treat you with the love you deserved. I promise that I'll love and take care of you for as long as I live."
Ginny's eyes started to tear up again as she stared up at Lily.
"Hermione calls me mom; it took her a little while, but she understood that I was different from her aunt and uncle. If you wish to, you may as well. I'm not like Molly or Arthur, and especially not James. Sirius and Remus will love you as well, and when Tom returns, I'm sure he'll be the same."
Ginny smiled brightly through her tears. "I'll try."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The elves had a marvelous time decorating the house as it had been close to a century since the last time an heir lived here. Every room except for the bedrooms and bathrooms, had decorations lining the walls. The tree was in the living room, in the corner by the fire and dressed in silver and gold with red and green mixed in. The star atop the tree was charmed to flicker between silver and gold. The lights were miniature charmed fairies that flew around giving the illusion of flickering lights. Presents were stacked underneath the tree, wrapped in all different colors, completing the room. The elves had also put on Santa hats, at the insistence of Sirius, saying they had to get in the Christmas spirit. The elves now looked like miniature Santa's with their red and gold uniforms Godric had made all those years ago and the hats that had gold instead of white.
The entire family wore silk pajamas and robes; all the same style and the color of their magic, while Sirius' were red and Remus' were brown. They had all agreed to eat breakfast first, with Harry, Hermione and Sirius bouncing in their seats.
Lily smiled as the house elves laid their breakfast feast on the table. "Now kids, there are three presents missing under the tree for you." Lily started as they all began loading their plates. "We're going to get them after your ritual."
"What are they?" Hermione asked before digging into her favorite blueberry pancakes.
"Your familiars."
The three kids' faces lit up, bright, wide grins stretching across their faces. The three adults smile back as they continued eating their breakfast.
About an hour later, wrapping paper, bags and tissue paper covered the floor and everybody's presents were in separate piles. Ginny was the happiest she's ever been in her life and the smile never left her face. Each of them had gotten a new broom; the Nimbus 2000. Hermione got her own miniature potions lab that was set up in a room connected to her bedroom and would move if they moved. Ginny got a practice Quidditch set where the bludgers and snitch would have to be spelled to start. Harry got a bunch of pranks, where most wouldn't be able to tell you who set them off. They all got more clothes, Ginny more so than the other two, as well as some rare and old books Remus had found at a pawn shop that was not noticeable in Diagon Alley.
"I really want to get my familiar." Hermione said. "Could we do the ritual today and get them tomorrow?" She asked, biting her lip as she looked around the room.
Lily smiled and nodded. "We'll do it after lunch." She smiled as the three kids beamed a smile at each other.
Three hours later, the six of them were down in the ritual room, the three adults sitting down around the circular room and the three kids standing in a circle in the middle. There was a small round table in the middle of them with three knives, one in front of each kid. They each picked up a knife and slit both their hands.
"We three wish to become siblings of blood under the name of Stone. With our magic and blood we wish to become siblings." They chanted, repeating the sentences two more times. Pure white magic began to swirl around the room, lifting the kid's hair around their faces. Their magic soon joined the pure white light, mixing the three colors, aqua, rose and lavender together. Sirius, Remus and Lily soon had to close their eyes and shield their faces against the onslaught of pure magic coming from the three.
In the circle, Ginny's eyes were glowing purple, while Harry's were glowing blue and Hermione's were glowing pink. Soon, their colors surpassed the pure white and it diminished, fading into their bodies. The elements soon made their presence known by an unnatural wind picking up even stronger, fire soon spinning around through the wind and joined by water, before vines came through the ground and trapped the three in a cage; diminishing the wind to the adults.
The adults opened their eyes and they widened upon not being able to see the three inside. They could all feel the power radiating from the kids and wondered how they could get stronger.
The elements left a few minutes later as well as the pure magic coming from the three kids. Their eyes closed and they began to fall, slowly to the ground, landing softly, asleep, on their backs.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The next day the adults gawked at the three kids who were all showing more signs of being elves. Ginny, apparently, also had recessive elf genes that came out during the ritual. Their eyes now permanently held specks of their power; Harry's were a shining emerald with specks of aqua, Hermione's were a shining garnet with speaks of pink, and Ginny's were a shining sapphire with specks of purple. Harry's hair had grown a little bit, falling around his face with bangs now covering his scar. It didn't reach his shoulders, just the back of it as the rest fell softly around his face. His hair was also a dark chestnut brown instead of its normal black. Hermione's hair had grown a little and lost its insane bushiness. It now reached her mid back and had soft, bigger waves throughout it instead of corkscrew curls. Her hair was also a richer, medium brown instead of its normal light brown. Ginny's hair had also grown a little, now reaching just below her shoulder blades. It was still straight, but was now a rich red roan instead of its orange-red.
"What?" They asked when it became apparent the adults were just going to stare at them, open mouthed.
"My word." Remus muttered.
Lily just grinned and hugged the three, before directing them to the international floo room. "Let's go get your familiars."
The three nodded excitedly, forgetting about how the adults just acted.
"Okay." Lily said as she pulled out an enchanted map of the world and spread it over the table that rested under the windows. "This map is enchanted with auras of animals at pet stores around the world. It updates daily so let your magic guide you. Hold your hand over it and when you feel a strong pull to an area, place your finger on it."
They nodded and allowed Ginny to step forward first. She held her hand over the map before dropping it on Madagascar, Africa. Hermione stepped up next and her finger landed on the Himalayan Mountains. Harry stepped up last and his finger landed on Northern British Columbia, Canada.
Sirius sighed. "You would all be going to different places." He said, earning a slap from Lily.
Lily took Ginny to the Ia Hut, Sirius took Harry to the Pine Shelter and Remus took Hermione to the Ice Cave. Ginny came home with a crimson kiya monkey baby she named Jaiyana (strength). She was a dark, rich red with black beady eyes. Harry came home with a lyan fox cub he named Coralee (courage). She was auburn brown with a white nose and paws and brown eyes. Hermione came home with a white heon snow leopard cub she named Zita (hope). She was pure white with black spots and brown eyes.
A crimson kiya monkey is extremely rare and never just bond with a normal witch or wizard. They have the ability to become invisible and hang from any surface by their tails. They also have the ability to wield the fire element if their master is not human. They don't grow very big, only weighing about 30-40 pounds and reaching a height of two and a half feet at most. These little monkeys also have the ability to bring their master and a few others back to safety, usually their master's room. After this ability has been used, however, he/she will need to rest for four or five hours, depending on how old he/she is.
A lyan fox is also extremely rare and only bonds with someone who is not human. They have the ability to become invisible and run at amazing speeds across any surface, including water. The largest lyan fox was about four and a half feet tall and four feet long, weighing 85 pounds. Normally, they only grow to be about four feet high and three feet long, weighing between 55 and 75 pounds.
A white heon snow leopard is even rarer than the two above. They only live in the Himalayan Mountains and only bond with blood, night or day elves. They also have the ability to become invisible and change the color of their fur to match their surroundings. Their spots, however, can only change between black and white. These leopards also only get about four feet high and three feet long, weighing between 55 and 75 pounds.
A/N: Read the italics if you want to understand things that happen about the familiars in the next chapter :).
Kiya = ki (hi)-ya; Lyan = lie-an; Heon = he-on (this is how I pronounce it)
(move slower – tranexp . com) (Conversation between Kyrene and LeBlanc: "Are you going to study through Christmas?" "I don't have any family left. And I like learning more if I can." "I'm heading home; I've got permission from Madam Maxime. She's granted me permission to have you stay here if you wish." (freetranslation . com)) So if the translated stuff is wrong I can't take credit for I used a website :)