Title: If Only For My Daughter
Author Name: Urania and Melpomene Black
Category: General
Key Words: Mirabel, Germany, Krys, Remus, Sirius
Rating: R for some language and adult content and situations in later chapters
Spoilers: PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OotP, HBP
Summary: When worlds collide everything stops for a moment and everything in the world makes perfect sense. You know why people hurt, why they die, what loving someone really means. But before you can take it all in everything crashes and you may never understand anything ever again.
DISCLAIMER: We own Mirabel, Krys, Leah, Catrina, and Michi. All else belongs to J.K. Rowling. Bless her for allowing us to put her wonderful characters through such torture.
Chapter Five: Teaching Woes
Hogwarts – Scotland – Monday September 15, 1997
Dumbledore tapped lightly on Mirabel's bedroom door early on the morning after the full moon. When he heard nothing he knocked again. Still nothing. She must not be up yet, he mused to himself as he cracked the door slightly open. Deciding it was safe to enter he did so. He saw her curled up on top of her bedcovers with her yellow blanket wrapped tightly around her chest and middle. "Mirabel," Dumbledore said gently trying to wake her, "Mirabel," he called a little louder. At the sound of his voice Mirabel shot straight up and glanced around wildly. She visibly relaxed when she realized it was only Dumbledore.
"Is there something you need your Highness?" she asked politely.
"Yes, I neglected to inform you earlier that due to your father's…um…condition you will be responsible for handling his classes. So today you will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"I'm what?" Mirabel asked in disbelief, trying to untangle herself from her blanket.
"I'm sure your father has left enough instructions for you to carry on for today, but in the future you'll be more prepared I am sure."
"You cannot be serious." Dumbledore was all ready out of her room when she finally got both bare feet on the stone ground. She ran after him and stuck her head out the door in order to yell at him.
"But, Dumbledore I can't teach. I don't know how and I hate kids." He either didn't hear her or was ignoring her. Mirabel hoped for the first, but was betting on the latter. The sound of the bell ringing brought her from her silent cursing of all things breathing. "Oh hell," she mumbled as she slammed her door shut. She quickly threw on her robes over her sports bra and pajama pants, crossing her arms tightly over her chest she opened the door and stalked into the classroom. The smiling faces of the seventh year Gryffindor's and Slytherin's met her glare and she groaned loudly "I hate you god," she mumbled loudly enough for the entire room to hear her. Krys quirked an eyebrow and continued to stare questioningly at her best friend. While Ron voiced the question that was on almost everyone's mind.
"Mirabel what are you doing here?"
"I'm teaching dammit. What does it look like I'm doing?" Krys bit her tongue knowing that a retort would only further Mirabel's anger. Mirabel walked over to her father's desk and began to rummage through the drawers looking for anything that might help her. After a few minutes she grew bored and a sudden idea hit her. Walking over to the door that led to her father's bedroom she banged twice on the door before letting herself in.
"Sirius move out of my way I need to talk to dad. Ah, no take the sheet with you please. Dad wake up. Where are your lesson plans? His godliness wants me teaching." There was a mumbled response before Mirabel was back in front of the classroom. "Hermione," Mirabel called out, "come help me." Hermione looked at her questioningly, but complied nonetheless, "I take it you know what everyone is supposed to be doing." Mirabel whispered.
"Actually," Hermione whispered back, "I don't. I accidentally neglected my readings last night. Remember."
"Oh," Mirabel responded, "that's right. Never mind I'll just improvise."
"You might want to change. The Slytherins like to comment on everything." Hermione warned.
"I will just as soon as I get everyone started and you are going to help me. Let's start teaching them wandless magic." Hermione nodded knowing that she could help with this. "Alright," Mirabel said so the entire class could hear her, "put everything away and stack your bags under the staircase in front of the door." The Gryffindors and Draco were the first to comply with the rest of the Slytherins joining in after a few moments of contemplation. As they moved from their desks Mirabel began turning the desks and chairs into pillows with a flick of her hand, Hermione helped. "Okay you're going to learn wandless magic. God tells me that since you're so used to a wand it will be difficult, but I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. Anyway we are going to start with lumos, once you've mastered that and nox, move onto accio. Watch closely." Mirabel held out her hand palm up. "Lumos," she said. A ball of light appeared in her hand, "Nox" she said and the light disappeared. "Accio." A pillow flew into her hand and then she threw it back into the pile. "Go on and start if you need help or have questions ask Hermione."
While Mirabel went to change Krys positioned herself next to Draco in order to get his attention.
"Draco," she hissed at him. He turned sharply causing the fizzle of light in his hand to go out, "we need to talk."
"That doesn't sound promising. Should I prepare for the worst?" he joked.
"No, I just had a strange dream last night and I want to talk to you about it." He nodded, but turned his attention back to the palm of his hand.
"Hermione," Ron whined, "my light is dull." Hermione walked over to Ron and noticed that although he had managed to produce a ball of light in his palm it seemed to be flickering on and off like a lamp where the bulb had not been twisted on tight enough.
"Concentrate on brightening the light." Hermione suggested. Ron closed his eyes and screwed up his face as he began concentrating. A few seconds later there was a bright flash and the class had to shield their eyes to keep from going blind. "Ron I said brighten the light not conjure up the sun." Hermione reprimanded still shielding her eyes.
"Sorry," Ron said sheepishly, "nox." The brilliant light disappeared and the others continued working. Harry and Krys had already advanced to accio and Krys was sending pillows flying left and right while Harry was still trying to get it to do more than roll over.
"Hey Potter, Weasley, watch this." Draco called out happily as he pointed his hand at Krys's back, "accio." Krys flew backward into Draco who caught her easily.
"Show off." Krys pouted.
"Hey no PDA in my class." Mirabel said coming out of her room wearing designer jeans and her seeker t-shirt.
"Nice shirt." Draco called, releasing Krys from his arms.
"Thanks."
- 88888888 -
After class Krys pulled Draco into an empty classroom for some privacy to discuss her dream.
"It was strange," she began, "I just saw flashes of things, like memories. It was about this curse that Teresa Maye put on Voldemort and the Death Eaters. You wouldn't know anything about it would you?" she asked.
"How did you find out?" Draco roared.
"I had a dream." Krys told him calmly.
"What are you a seer now? There's no way. Now who told you?"
"Draco, please, listen to me," she said taking his hands in hers, "Mirabel is a Maye and I know you know what that means. I lived with her for a while. The curse affects me as well, but this is the first dream I've ever had of this nature. Please Draco you have to tell Dumbledore."
"I can't," Draco sighed, "if my father found out you knew. Krys you don't know what he's capable of. If he hurt you." Draco broke off not able to finish his sentence. Krys moved into his embrace and held him.
"Nothing will happen to me. You won't let it, but this could help the Order. You need to tell them. If you don't and they find out you were hiding it they might believe. Well you know what would happen."
"Krys," he began to protest again.
"Look we can ask Mirabel about it first. If she doesn't know then you have to tell the Order. If she does know then we'll let her tell them." Draco sighed and rested his head on top of Krys's.
"Whatever you say love." He answered.
"Good. Let's go find Mirabel." Draco followed her to the Great Hall where Mirabel sat alone eating an extremely late breakfast.
"Hey Anne." Draco greeted as he and Krys took seats across from her. Mirabel rolled her eyes at Draco's use of her middle name.
"Art," she shot back. He just smirked.
"Knock it off you two. Mirabel do you know anything about a curse against the Malfoy's?" Krys asked.
"Sure, I know people that curse them everyday."
"Mirabel." Krys said warningly.
"No, no one has ever mentioned any Curse of the Malfoy's. Mom just told me to stay away from them because Augustus Malfoy killed my grandfather."
"Yes, and then your grandmother invoked this curse. Um. Deficio maledic. Yeah that was the curse." Mirabel put down her goblet and stared at her two friends.
"No, no she couldn't have." Mirabel whispered. She jumped up from the table tore out of the Great Hall toward her bedroom. She rummaged through her desk pulling out two white candles and one black, a small silver bowl, a vial of thick yellowish liquid, and a small vial of red liquid. Marching back out into the classroom she slid everything off her father's desk. She set the candles down with the black in between the two white ones. She lit the white ones first and then the black. With another spell small flames sprang to life and she set the small silver bowl on them using a hover charm. She poured the yellow goop in first. "I call the one who curses the slayers of love. The watcher of faith, the keeper of hope. I call the one who used spells in anger, used words of hatred, and thoughts of malice." She poured in two drops of the red liquid and a small puff of smoke went up, "deficio maledic." Mirabel shouted throwing a spell at the bowl.
"What's going on?" Sirius asked coming out of the bedroom with Remus not far behind.
"I don't know, but I'm getting Dumbledore." Krys said taking off. A silvery form began to appear from the bubbling liquid in the bowl. Slowly it grew until Mirabel's grandmother stood in front of her.
"What were you thinking?" Mirabel yelled, "How could you? And then you just die and now I'm the one who has to deal with the consequences of using deficio maledic as a curse."
"Mirabel you must listen. I did not use the curse to avenge your grandfather. I took careful steps to make sure you would not feel the remnants of it."
"Don't patronize me. I know all about mother's plan. She thought she could run from it, but it ended up killing her. She cursed me and you knew it. She was a coward. She deserted her friends when they needed her because she was too afraid."
"You would have died if she stayed."
"Lily protected Harry, Leah protected Krys, but like always us Mayes have to run. I hereby revoke my right as a member of the Maye family and any power that goes with it."
"Mirabel no!" her grandmother shouted, "Someone stop her." Draco drew his wand and pointed it at her.
"Silencio." He cried. Mirabel fell silent although she could still be seen screaming at her grandmother.
"If she gives up the Maye name everything will be undone. The Curse of the Malfoy's will be lifted, but so will the ancient magic that Lily did to protect Harry. If you don't calm her down Harry will no longer be the Chosen One. The spell is wearing off I cannot stay any longer." Teresa disappeared and the flames and the candles went out although Mirabel was still trying to yell. Remus was too weak to help his daughter and he was sent back to bed by Sirius. Despite her best efforts Mirabel could not prevent Sirius from throwing her over his shoulder and taking her to the infirmary. Madame Pomfrey forced her to take a sleeping potion before Sirius removed the spell keeping her from speaking.
"I hate her," Mirabel told Sirius hoarsely as her eyes began to close, "I hate her so much."
"Shh," Sirius whispered stroking her hair, "Just rest right now. We'll sort it all out later."
- 88888888 -
"What happened to her?" Krys demanded later on that afternoon, "Why was she so upset?"
"The curse that Teresa used was never meant to be used in the fashion that she used it. Mostly it is used to call on those who have already passed to seek their advice on how to destroy great evil. Once or twice it has been used to prevent evil from winning. However I believe Teresa found a way around all of this and coupled with the spell Lily used to protect Harry it brought down Voldemort. Teresa knew it would not kill him, but she believed it would give us enough time to figure out what would kill him. That is when I discovered his use of horcruxes. I will be the one to explain all of this to Mirabel. In the meantime I believe it wisest not to mention this to anyone." He said looking at Krys, Draco, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They nodded in agreement before leaving the Headmaster's office.
"Hermione have you ever heard of that spell before?" Harry asked. She shook her head.
"No, but I'm going to find out. I'll see you at dinner." Hermione headed in the direction of the library so naturally that is where everyone believed she was headed. Instead she took a detour and ended up in front of the Defense classroom. Poking her head inside and seeing no one she made a dash for Mirabel's open door. Once inside she shut the door and looked around. "Please forgive me Mirabel." She whispered heading for the desk first. She sifted through pieces of parchment, mostly letters from Krys, one from her mother that Hermione did not even touch for fear of upsetting Mirabel. In the second drawer were hundreds of muggle pictures from across the world. In the third drawer, which had already been open when Hermione arrived, she found a dusty old book underneath some unused candles and parchment. Pulling the book from the drawer Hermione walked over to the bed and settled down to read. Tea and dinner came and went and still Hermione read, absorbing every word the book offered on the history of the Maye's, Malfoy's and the known weaknesses of Voldemort. Around ten o'clock Dumbledore escorted Mirabel back to her room after a two hour long discussion. Still angry with her mother Mirabel grudgingly forgave her grandmother now coming to understand her motives. When Mirabel entered her room all she wanted was to sleep as Dumbledore had informed her she would be teaching classes tomorrow and one class was even a double period. She noticed Hermione asleep with a book lying open across her chest. Taking off her jeans and shirt she grabbed a pair of pajama pants and a tank top. She took her blanket from the foot of the bed and the pillow Hermione was not using and put it at the foot of the bed by Hermione's feet before lying down herself. Hermione stirred, but did not wake up and soon Mirabel was fast asleep as well.
12 Grimmauld Place – London, England – Saturday July 26, 1997
"Hermione seems nice," Mirabel said taking a seat on his bed.
"She is." He answered absently from somewhere in his closet.
"How long have you been dating?"
"We aren't really. I mean nothing is official. Actually I've no idea what we are." He handed over a plain red t-shirt. Mirabel pulled it over head and it fell to just above her knees.
"Well don't you think you should find out?"
"During February we talked and I guess we're considered a couple, but I haven't asked her to be my girlfriend. I guess we're more like friends with benefits." As Harry explained to Mirabel about his love life she pulled on the jeans that were two sizes to big.
"How does Hermione feel about all this?" Mirabel asked checking her reflection in the mirror.
"Don't know actually."
"Hmm, maybe you should find that out as well. Thanks for the clothes Harry. I'm going to go meet god now." She waved and left the bedroom.
Hogwarts – Scotland – Monday September 15, 1997
Mirabel was startled awake by Hermione's tossing and turning.
"Hermione," she called out shaking her legs, "wake up, it's just a dream." Hermione sat up quickly, the book falling from her chest to land on the floor with a loud thump. In the moonlight Mirabel could see tears glistening on her cheeks, "Hermione what happened?" Sobbing Hermione answered.
"Harry told you we were just friends with benefits." Understanding immediately Mirabel crawled forward to take Hermione in her arms.
"Oh honey, he's a seventeen year old boy. He didn't know what he was saying. I'm positive he didn't mean it. Anyone with eyes can tell that Harry adores you." As Hermione continued to sob on Mirabel's shoulder she stroked her hair and muttered soothing words.
"On the plus side," Hermione said once she had gained control of speech again, "I guess this means you like me since I now have the curse."
"Of course I like you. Why would you think I didn't?" Mirabel asked stunned by Hermione's confession.
"Well I figured you wanted me out of the way for a shot at Harry. At least that's how most girls feel about me. Either that or I'm an ugly, bossy, book worm, know-it-all."
"Hermione," Mirabel reprimanded sharply, "You are not ugly. As long as you believe you are you will never be comfortable with Harry liking you and in the end you'll be pushing him away. Tell me what you think is ugly about you and why and I'll tell you what I think is ugly about me. And Hermione," Mirabel added as an after thought, "Harry is way too geeky for me and he's my brother so it'd be like incest or something. I'm from Germany not Alabama." Hermione laughed at this her tears beginning to dry.
"I despise my hair. It's so bushy and everyone always comments on it." Mirabel nodded.
"Okay I hate my upper arms I think they're too flabby."
"I hate my chest. It's too small, I'm only an A." Hermione said looking down at herself.
"Ditto, but I'm a B."
"My legs are too short."
"My torso is too short."
"Yeah okay Mirabel this is depressing me." Hermione admitted.
"Good now the second part. You need to try and do something about the parts of you that you don't like. For example my arms, I'm trying to work out my upper body so I can tone them up. I wear bras with under wire and extra padding to give me more oomph you know. And for my torso I wear low rise jeans and t-shirts that cover my stomach. Now what can you do for you?" Hermione gave it some thought
"There's this potion I can buy that will help with my hair. I can do the same thing as you for my chest and I'll learn to deal with my legs. I'm not that concerned about them. I mean at least there's no cellulite of flabbiness going on."
"See you'll be back to your old confident self in no time." Mirabel said patting her back happily. "And the bossiness and book wormishness that's just who you are. Me I'm brash and nosy and blunt to the point that I keep making first and second years cry."
"Yes, but you're also smart and strong and beautiful."
"But so are you. It takes a while to see it. Trust me I wasn't always this comfortable with my body. It just gets to the point where you wake up one day and go who cares what the hell anyone else thinks. The people who love me say I'm beautiful and they're the only ones whose opinion counts for something. All the people that trash you are just jealous that you don't pay them a quarter of the attention you pay Harry and Ron."
"You are very good for a girl's self esteem, do you know that?" the girls laughed.
"Come on we need some sleep? I have classes to teach and you have books to read."
Hogwarts – Scotland – Tuesday September 16, 1997
The next morning came too early for both girls who yawned their way through their morning routine. Hermione borrowed one of Mirabel's skirts and a plain white button up shirt as her clothes were too wrinkled to wear. Instead of her usually knee high socks Hermione wore thigh high stockings. Standing in front of the mirror she scrutinized her appearance.
"Hey my legs look longer!" she exclaimed.
"Because your socks aren't cutting you off at the knee. Why don't you wear your hair back today?" Mirabel suggested, "Well aren't you just stunning. Harry will be speechless."
"Harry won't notice." She said bitterly.
"Then only pay attention to the ones who do. Not everyone feels the same way about me as you do, but I don't know who they are because I have this thing called selective hearing. I only ever hear the compliments."