Manaia was in the bath, her blond hair floating around her ample bosom in the water and sweet smelling bubbles that seem to neutrilize most of the pain from the travels here to England. Sirius had offered his mothers bathroom, which she had kindly accepted. In Manaia's line of work any chance for washing was generally welcomed with both arms.
"You must be the crystal sage the others are talking about." A cold voice said from behind Manaia. She turned to face it and the familiar portiat of Phinneas Nigellus, Sirius's great great grandfather and, to Manaia's horror-a stalker. Ever since arriving at 12 Grimmwald place he had whispered sweet nothings from his paintings "I would have never guessed you Manaia." His bearded lips formed a devilish grin.
"Guess it is so Phinneas ." Manaia replied as she returned to her comfortable bath. "Now, why are you here?"
"Can't I come and...congratulate you on becoming one of a few warlocks to become a Crystal Sage?" Phinneas spoke, his voice was raspy and Manaia guessed that he had tried to sound alluring, but had failed miserably.
"Thank you." Manaia said. "But as you can see, I am trying to have a bath. I am tired, you know."
"If you had been in my family, I would gladily made you my heir." Phinneas pressed.
"Is that so?" Manaia queried, partially listening to him while her own thoughts wafted through her mind.
"I would have married you."
"Hm." Dumbledore had offered Manaia two ways to become intergrated in the school, student (where she would have to relive the worst years of her life) or become a professor (where she would have to teach teens, who would be at the worst years of their lives.) Manaia hadn't yet given her preferance, but she had told him that she was unable to age passed eighteen because of her training, so, in that case she had chosen her preferance.
"Student it is." Manaia said out loud to no one in particular as she sank ear level in the water. It seemed that Phinneas had gone quiet, knowing that Manaia was otherwise occupied with her own thoughts and was not tending to his own need to talk. Phinneas sighed.
"Your not very talkitive." Phinneas said coldly.
"I'm bathing." Was all that Manaia said.
-
Breakfast was a solemn affair as everyone was in relative silience as many seemed to wonder about their predicament ths far. Scrambled eggs and porriage with other breakfasty delights were stacked high on the long wooden table as Mrs Weasley inspected each of her children, even Harry, Hermione and Kitara as they made their way to the food.
"So Kitara, where did you travel from?" Mr Weasley asked, trying to liven the otherwise dismal atmosphere.
"Japan." So that was the weird accent that Harry had picked up on when he had first heard Kitara. She was eating her scrambled eggs slowly, her muggle sunglasses never being removed and this intrigued him.
"Interesting." Mr Weasley bit into a piece of toast. "Do you have any questions for us? To clarify anything?"
"No." It was a definite answer.
"Can we ask you questions?" Hermione piped.
"I don't mind if you want too." Kitara responded softly after consuming her last bit of egg before reaching for a sausage.
"Why don't you take your glasses off?" Ron blurted. "It was pitch black and you still wore them. Only weird people do that."
"Ronald, don't insult Kitara like that." Mrs Weasley barked at her son. Kitara glanced in Ron's general direction and smiled.
"It is fine Molly, I said that they could ask." Kitara said. "I don't usually take my glasses off because-it's better if I show you." Kitara removed the offending muggle glasses off and all saw why she was hiding her eyes away. She was horribly scarred around her eyes, the scar tissue sealing them shut. Most gasped, and even Harry found himself doing this. Kitara replaced the glasses and began the lengthy explanation. "When I was younger, my father was experimenting and made me a test subject." Kitara's mouth twitched and she swallowed. "He blinded me, but I could still see. It hurts when I don't wear any protection on them, so I've become...dependant on them. I can use chakra to make them temporarily open and 'normal' but that can weaken me. So this way seems to be the only way that act without drawing attention. Does that answer your question?"
"In more ways than you would believe." Ron said, unable to shake the way that he had found the way she was preyed on by her father very cruel. Hermione was wanting to ask a question, Harry had noted that she was making the I-was-wondering face.
"Yes Hermione?"
"Are you really Manaia's granddaughter?"
Another lengthy explanation followed and everyone felt somewhat enlightened by the conversation. Part way through the Q and A session a plump black little barn owl plopped itself on the wooden desk and deposited its mail to Ron. His ears burned as brightly as his hair as he secreted the letter away from everyones view and continued the conversation as if the letter had not turned up. Ginny sniggered and Ron glared fericously at his younger sister.
"Finished talking about me younger daughter?" Kitara heard above her and damp curls of blond tumbled down and a pair of cool emerald eyes shone sharply.
"Yes."
"Good, now lets get going before the rush." Manaia said with a wicked smile. Fred and George took Manaia's arms and and pinned her between them, to both Mrs Weasley and Kitara's disgust. "Thank you boys."
"Its our pleasure Manaia." They chorused together.
"Shall we apparate together Manaia?" George asked. Manaia smirked.
"We shall." And the familiar pop of the apparatee's made Mrs Weasley grumble. The twins were very evil and now with Manaia, only god knew what they were going to do. Kitara was the same, and she was exhaled.
"She is going to be the end of me." Mrs Weasley muttered darkly.
"I have to agree with Manaia." Sirius said. "Should we get ready to go?"
"Lets."
After emerging from the Floo network, Harry could see that Diagon Alley was somewhat fuller than expected because he assumed, that they were in the Hogwarts rush. Not that Diagon Alley and all of the shops couldn't handle it, they seemed to thrive under the pressure.
"There Manaia is!" Mrs Weasley shouted, knowing if she had gotten her hands on the blond it would be hell. The twins were around her as per usual, protectively more than infatuation as she carried a large canvas sack over her shoulder, looking like a muggle cartoon robber.
"What is that?" Mrs Weasley asked furiously as she stopped short and glared at the woman.
"It's from my account at Gringotts." Manaia replied, lowering the sack down so Mrs Weasley could see the contents. Galleons glittered in the morning light, and it looked like the whole bag was filled with them.
"Is it all...galleons?"
"For sure." Manaia said brightly.
Ignoring the mounting argument, Harry looked around and he couldn't see where Ron is.
"He's going to meet is girlfriend." Ginny chuckled when he had searched for his friend.
"Whose is girlfriend?" Harry asked, genuinely interested in who his friend had chosen.
"Luna Lovegood. Can you believe it?" Ginny said, chuckling more. It did seem like an unlikely pairing, but Ron could surprise on occasions, and during their last year at Hogwarts he had become exceedingly fond of Luna. Harry had too, but she was too dreamy for him. Maybe Ron enjoyed being around her. It wasn't hard to find Ron after that as he spotted the gangly figure of Ron standing beside the platnium blond haired girl who he had assumed was Luna, who had grown a few centimetres since he had last seen her and she was becoming a beautiful woman, and Ron was lucky that he had gotten her. Ron waved at Harry.
"Harry!" He shouted as he caught sight of Hermione and Malfoy in Flourish and Blotts. When Luna and Ron made it through the crowds and to Harry, Harry pointed out the situation.
"Didn't you know?" Ron asked Harry. "Hermione's a pureblood?"
"What?" Harry said incredilously. "I though she was muggle born?"
"No, her mother was Lucrezia Black." Ron said. Luna smiled, her prominant blue eyes were half open and sparkling. "But what I had gleamed outta her she was left on her parents doorstep and you know the rest from there."
"Lucrezia Black, why is that name so familiar?" Harry pondered.
"Its on the Black family tree." Ron said. "She married Sirius's brother, Regulas."
"Why didn't she tell me?" Harry bemoaned, wishing sometimes that Hermione had told him information too.
"She barely told me." Ron said. "But the question is, why is she talking to Malfoy?"
"To swap information." Luna said languorously. "Can't you see?" Both Ron and Harry stared at Hermione and Draco and noted how Hermione reacted as Malfoy leaned closer, blush erupting from her cheeks and she grinned. Malfoy was facing away from them but he would be responding the same as she was. Ron blushed with rage.
"They better not be snogging, honestly, if Hermione had standards." Ron grunted as he pushed his way through the crowd and towards Hermione and Malfoy. But Hermione saw Ron first and warned Malfoy.
"Honestly Ronald!" Hermione shouted as she was half way receiving a leather bound book from Malfoy.
"What are you doing with Hermione Malfoy?" Ron fumed. Malfoy rolled his eyes.
"I am just congratulating our new Headgirl." Malfoy drawled as per usual. Ron's mind went blank.
"Congratulations Hermione." Luna said, smiling.
"Thanks Luna." Hermione returned Luna's smile. "And I Hogwarts new Headboy." Hermione motioned at Malfoy.
"WHAT!" Ron exclaimed.
"Congratulations Draco." Luna said.
"Thank you Lovegood." Malfoy replied. "Can you tell your boyfriend that this is a shop, people are staring." Luna straightened and elbowed Ron, making Ron pick his jaw off the ground and compose himself. Harry and Ginny had arrived at Ron's side.
"I have to go Granger, I will speak to you on the train." Malfoy drawled and Hermione nodded, clutching the book he had given her. As he dissappeared out of the store, questions bombarded Hermione in a heartbeat.
"Why were you so chummy with the ferret Hermione?" Ginny questioned rather slyly. "Branching out because of your new found status?" At this Hermione flushed further.
"No." Hermione stuttered. "He had contacted me earlier about some information about my biological mother. I was interested so he gave it to me." Hermione showed the group the book Hermione was holding, it was a opalescent dragon skin leather bound book with golden letters 'Lucrezia D'oro' scrawled into it.
"That better not be a diary Hermione." Harry hissed. "Remember what happened the last time we had contact with a diary." Ginny squirmed as Harry indirectly referred to Tom Riddle's diary and the destruction it had caused.
"Draco said it was something intimate from Lucrezia." Hermione said, oblivious that she had called Malfoy by his first name.
"Already on first name terms Hermione-what's next?" Ron practically shouted at her, which made some heads turn. He was going to go on but Hermione raised her wand.
"Silencio."
Ron was still going on, but nothing came out. Luna giggled.
"I need to learn that one." Luna said as she affectionatly leaning closer to Ron, who nuzzled her hair in reply.
"If this means that I can find the woman who gave birth to me, I will do anything within my power to get it." Hermione hissed, and Harry could see she was deadly serious. Harry was getting a foreboding feeling about Hermione's descison. "Now, we need to get our supplies." Hermione moved away from the group and pored over every referance book in a particular shelf, but in reality trying to hold herself back from crying. Luna floated over to Hermione and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"We will help you find it Hermione." She assured. "Just ask."
Hermione didn't reply but she could see that Luna was as serious as she was before.
"Thanks Luna."
Authors Notes:
All relevant disclaimers apply to this fanfic.
I was wondering, doesn't Ron/Luna make better sense than Ron/Hermione? I thought so. AND what is Hermione doing with Draco? Thanks for reading the second chapter!