It was partway through breakfast that Jean realized she was, in fact, the second woman in Sam's life. The first landed at their café table with a regal puff of her snowy white feathers and a condescending look at her human. Sam's wand work was blazing fast but her surface thoughts revealed the charms she cast to be notice-me-nots and a small glamour to make them harder to identify.
"Smart girl finding me out here. Jean, say hello to Hedwig. Hedwig, Jean," Sam introduced the snowy owl and ran a few diagnostic spells over her and the letter attached to her leg. "Tracking charms, damn. Once I take them off, we have to move."
Jean nodded and quickly cleaned up their dishes so they wouldn't leave a mess behind. Her eyes were entranced by the motions of the ornately carved wood Sam was flicking and swishing around with both focus and abandon. Soon she deemed it safe and they were both up and running down the thoroughfare.
By unspoken agreement they both kept to the populated roads. Now that Hedwig was proven clean of trackers Sam sent her on ahead to their hotel room. "We'll need to get some decent distance and then catch a cab. I don't want them catching us because we got caught in traffic." Sam shouted to her.
"Who are we running from?" Jean asked.
"The old bastard and all his flaming chickens!" Sam replied. While the bond filled in the gaps, Jean still found it a hysterical mental image. Her humor died at the sight of colorfully swirling robes at the edge of her vision.
"I think they've caught on to us." Jean told her.
"Fuck! Probably werewolf senses. Remus I love you mate, but if I don't make it out of this I'm going after you with a whole ton of silver." Sam muttered.
Jean's phone rang causing her to growl in irritation. It was hard getting the small plastic rectangle out of her pocket without interrupting their stride. "WHAT!?" She didn't bother with patience.
"Jean? I can sense your feelings of alarm, are you okay?" Professor Xavier asked.
"Umm… Well to make a long story short Sam's headmaster objected to her spending too long away from her legal guardians. So far I've identified at least three people chasing us." Jean told him.
"I see… Kitty and Logan are on their way. This sounds like it'll be quite the story." Professor Xavier told her.
"Backup is coming. We just need to keep going," Jean informed her lover.
"Oh good!" Sam replied with only a modicum of actual cheer.
Jean checked her phone, "It's almost eight. If we can keep going we can lose them on the subway."
"The what?" Sam asked.
"Uhh… The tube!" Jean corrected herself.
"Oh! But we just missed the stairs!" Sam told her.
"Don't worry. We're getting there another way." Jean smirked.
As soon as Kitty and Logan appeared at the edge of her awareness she took command telepathically. The plan was hashed out in seconds and agreed upon instantly. Sam and Jean pushed themselves harder to reach the particular alleyway they were looking for.
Logan was already in the alleyway breaking open bottles of whiskey. The sharp scent of alcohol was supposed to give them an edge for escaping their tracker. Kitty was pacing back and forth looking completely out of place in her flowery bohemian princess style clothes. "Everyone, like, grab on!" She called as soon as they entered the alleyway.
Jean and Sam let go of each other to grab onto Kitty's arms and Logan placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. She closed her eyes and cutely scrunched her face up in concentration and suddenly they were falling. Jean barely remembered to roll with the landing while Sam landed off balance and was soon on her ass. Only Logan had landed perfectly and he was now holding a wide-eyed Kitty off the floor with an arm around her waist.
"Come on." Logan said gruffly as he put the girl down. "We're going to miss the train if we don't hustle."
Jean looked around the platform they'd landed on and couldn't help but agree. The train presently at the station was already mostly boarded and the clock was reading five after. Even at their best run they missed the doors, but thankfully kitty once again phased them through. All three girls immediately fell on an open set of seats.
"Too much…" Kitty huffed out.
"Definitely." Sam agreed with only slightly less puffing.
"Need a break…" Jean thirded.
"Girls." Logan chided earning a glare from all three of them. "So what was that all about?"
Sam took a few deep breaths and evened out her breathing as best she could. "I go to a special school… In Scotland. I can't talk a lot about what they teach, but we have divination as a class. The teacher prophesied that I was supposed to kill some big shot terrorist douchebag back before I was born only he heard just enough of the prophecy to identify me."
She shook her head. "It's all a long story but for now the headmaster of my school keeps controlling my life. When I'm not at school he packs me away with my piece of shit relatives who treat me like a slave. I decided to go out on the town on my own a couple nights back and met Jean. You can see the result for yourself."
"Is that all." Logan said sarcastically. "We'll take a cab back to the Professor at the next station. For now rest up."
Jean discretely took her lover's hand back into her own. 'The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches… Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark her as his equal, but she will have power the Dark Lord knows not…' Jean shivered at the prophecy playing through Sam's mind. 'Born to those who have thrice defied him… Born to those who have thrice defied him.'
Sam's hand shot to her neck and she pulled out the platinum domino necklace hanging there. "May your luck be better than mine… Well that worked like a fucking charm." Sam muttered.
"We need to go back to ou—My hotel room. There's someone I need to contact and I can only do it by owl." Sam whispered in Jean's ear. The frown Logan suddenly leveled on them proved the girl had been correct to censor her words.
Jean nodded and looked at Logan. "Change of plans, we're going back to Sam's hotel room. I'll contact the professor."
"What's this about?" Logan asked, and Kitty's curious expression proved she wanted to know as well.
"The hero of the prophecy was supposed to be born to a couple who had defied the… terrorist three times." Sam told him. "I'm adopted."
"So, like, you can't be the person it's referring to?" Kitty asked.
"Exactly." Sam agreed. "I know another girl it may have meant… She has to know. I can't keep this from her."
Jean nodded and dialed her phone. "Professor… Change of plans."
Augusta Longbottom marched through downtown London with a single-minded focus on her present mission. Her granddaughter Nadia quietly earned her pride by matching her stride and focus with her own. Only a few years ago the girl would have hidden behind her skirts. Now she may have been quiet but she was far from cowed.
A frown marred her features as she reached the appropriate street but didn't see the person they were supposed to meet. She almost jumped, dignity be damned, when she felt a gentle brush against her occlumency shields. It wasn't subtle like an attack meant to slip past her guard, just gentle.
'Madam Longbottom?' The words were outside her shield. It was unobtrusive but certainly not her own.
'Yes.' The Longbottom matriarch replied by focusing on sending the thought outside her shields.
'Samantha's waiting for you in the penthouse suite of the Golden Lion hotel.' This time the voice also sent an image of the girl in question sitting on a large hotel bed scribbling in a composition notebook.
"Our destination is clearer now, Nadia. Follow me." She instructed her granddaughter before leading the way to the hotel in question. The staff got little more than a curt nod as she skipped straight to the elevators and took one to the penthouse.
Her first impression on exiting the elevator was that the room was quite tacky. Gold was a major theme in the décor but the owners clearly couldn't afford much of the actual metal. Still, she remembered more than a few safe houses she'd been in during the war with Grindelwald. Better by far to find oneself in a revolting place selected on a whim than one too easily guessed by one's enemies.
The sitting room was occupied by a distinguished man in a wheelchair, a teenage girl about her granddaughter's age and a grizzled man who reminded her far too much of a certain auror. While they politely noted her arrival they also politely kept their attention to themselves like fellow guests.
"Sam's in here. She'll be speaking to you two alone." The voice from her mind said drawing her attention. She immediately noticed the red hair and green eyes of the teenager and couldn't help wondering if the girl were perhaps a relative of Lily's.
"Thank you. We shall be in to see her presently." Madam Longbottom said. They strode into the room while the girl held the door open but to her relief she really did leave them alone with the girl in question. For a long moment she remained silent to take the measure of the teenager that had called her here.
Samantha Potter was certainly what anyone would consider a rare beauty. From what her Nadia had told her, it was more of a curse for the attention averse girl than a blessing most times. To her surprise Nadia quickly swept around her and gave the girl a friendly hug.
"Thank you for coming, Nadia... Madam Longbottom," Sam said and motioned them to a small sitting table that had been set up with some tea. "I'm afraid that I have some very grave news for you."
"According to my Nadia not only has Voldemort returned, but he has had over a year to build up his forces worse than unopposed. I'm not sure how much graver your news could possibly be." Augusta stated, enjoying the look of mild disbelief her easy mention of the name brought.
Samantha fidgeted for a moment and then let out an explosive breath. "The fight in the department of mysteries was in order to prevent Voldemort from hearing a prophecy." Augusta couldn't really feel particularly surprised at that. She'd pieced it together easily enough. "The prophecy foretold the birth of someone who would eventually vanquish him once and for all."
"Born to those who had thrice defied him… Born as the seventh month dies… And the Dark Lord will mark her as his equal, and she will have power the Dark Lord knows not… And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives." Samantha intoned, making it clear what she was saying. "Dumbledore believed the prophecy could refer to one of two girls. Myself or…"
"Me," Nadia said, speaking for the first time in their meeting.
"Yes… You." Sam quietly confirmed. "Now, after the night I got this scar Dumbledore interpreted it to mean I had been the one marked making me the one in the prophecy."
"I can see how he came to that conclusion." Augusta agreed wondering where this was going.
"Unfortunately, Dumbledore was so paranoid he didn't share the prophecy with anyone. He informed my parents, and yours, Nadia, that we were being hunted but came up with a cover about some ritual to steal family magics." Sam continued. "When my godfather… When Sirius was killed at the ministry his will became active. In it was a corollary to ensure that I was delivered this necklace," she pulled out her platinum domino charm, "Without anyone else knowing what it was or what the letter with it said."
Sam paused and turned to a window to gather her courage. "While James and Lily Potter loved me enough to invoke forbidden blood magic to give me a proper line adoption, they were not my biological parents."
Augusta and Nadia both gasped. There were so many things to think about that, so many places for her thoughts to go. However the girl had led them expertly down this road. The implication was clear. "You think the prophecy is about Nadia."
"Perhaps. There are still two parts I can't pretend to understand. The part about marking her as his equal and the part where neither can live while the other survives. It all gets rather confusing around those, though I think Dumbledore went out of his way to force me to fit the wording." Samantha looked back at her with the haunted eyes of someone who has seen far too much suffering in their years.
Augusta took a moment to consider it. "Do you know Susan Bones very well, Samantha?"
Sam shook her head. "I've had a conversation or two with her but we never really got to know each other. Why?"
"The Bones were rather staunchly against Voldemort but they also had a deep seated distrust for Dumbledore and the Light alliance. You see, their family name comes from a time when the line between healing magic and necromancy was extremely thin. Autopsy was a controversial art and making use of those cadavers wouldn't have been seen as that much more dark than performing the study itself." Augusta explained.
"Since Voldemort wears his thanatophobia on his sleeve his interest in their necromantic arts surprised nobody. He came first for Susan's grandparents, Lord Robert and Lady Olivia. They refused to teach him their family art and were killed soon thereafter. Then he went to their eldest Edgar and offered him a place among his death eaters. He refused and later his entire family was killed."
"Afterwards he had to choose between visiting the middle child, Amelia, or the youngest son, Calvert. As it so happened Calvert was quite ready for that confrontation. Their battle lasted far longer than most other engagements in the war. There was no order or ministry involvement as Calvert delved deep into his family's macabre arts for that battle." Augusta smiled. "It was mid-October, and those few who knew about it have even theorized that Voldemort was still recovering from that battle when he came knocking on the Potter's door."
"The day after the battle his wife died in child-birth. Julia Bones was a fine woman. Of course while all records know her as Julia, amongst friends she went by a nickname derived from what she considered her lucky month. July." Augusta paused and nodded at the widened eyes of the girls. "Her healer was tried for negligence and was proven to have been an agent of Voldemort. According to that woman, Voldemort was systematically clearing the way to eventually take Susan altogether and through her one day acquire her family arts."
Silence reigned as they all took a moment to let that sink in.
"So you think the prophecy refers to Susan?" Samantha asked, biting her lip in thought.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. The point is that it isn't as clear cut as it seems. Albus hadn't really interacted with Julia Bones over the course of his life. He was never close enough to know her nickname. If he overlooked one child who is an even better fit than Nadia, how many more might there be." Augusta shook her head. "It is never safe to assume a perfect understanding of prophecy. Fate will do its worst to keep the wording technically true."
Sam nodded. "I agree." She hesitated for a moment then spoke, "I'm going to be leaving for America in about a month. That should draw Dumbledore and Voldemort's attention away from here somewhat. At the very least the snake might get overconfident if he thinks the only person who can vanquish him is thousands of miles away."
Augusta stopped mid thought and stared at the girl. She may not have heard as much as some, but she thought she had at least enough of a handle on her character to know she wasn't a coward. Her eyes tracked around the room wondering what she was missing until she spotted an empty potion vial. The vial was quite distinct and she recognized it quickly. "You couldn't have…"
She turned back to face the girl and found herself instead facing the hard visage of a seasoned warrior. "I will do whatever it takes to protect my family." Sam said quietly. There wasn't an inch of fear or hesitation in her expression as she stared down one of the most feared matriarchs in wizarding Britain.
Nadia gave her grandmother a questioning look but Augusta kept her own council. Samantha Potter may have been leaving the country, but she was also playing bait at the highest and most dangerous levels. Were she simply a coward she could have publicly advertised her adoption and easily avoided both men's attention. While it was not the manner in which it was expected, her contribution could very well win them the war.
"I doubt this will gain you many fans, but know this: The Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom will forever be the friend of you and all your issue." Augusta finally spoke.
"Thank you, Madam Longbottom." Sam gave her a quick bow. "I take comfort in knowing that I will always have at least one friend in this world."
"Now, I believe it is time that my granddaughter and I were going. There is much to arrange… So very much to do." Augusta said and began the long trek back to the Longbottom flat and its secured floo.
"It'll take Samantha about a month until she's ready to come to the institute. She'll need my help to finish out some things, so I'll be staying here with her." Jean told the gathered X-Men. Part of her attention was on the conversation her lover was having in the other room, but not enough to seem inattentive.
"I'm not so certain that's a good idea Jean. While it may be summertime, I seem to recall you had a rather busy schedule." Professor Xavier said.
"Nothing that can't be rescheduled or handled at a later date." Jean replied.
"Do you have somewhere you can stay while you're here?" Logan asked. He growled at the tea Jean had set out and stood to find a pot of coffee.
"I'll be staying with Sam. She has enough to cover this room once the comp rate runs out so it's not a big deal." Jean replied.
"That's, like, so cool. I mean this place isn't exactly fab but it's, like, got a lot of space you know." Kitty happily chirped.
"Perhaps I should leave Professor Logan here as a chaperone." Professor Xavier offered. The man himself frowned over his freshly poured coffee.
"Sorry professor, but I don't think Sam would be comfortable with that. She's… Led a very interesting life. I'm sure I can convince her to share the whole story once we're in New York. For the moment though, there is a very good reason we are here and not in Surrey. Unless that changes it should really stay as just the two of us." Jean countered.
Xavier looked like he was about to speak but Logan cut him off, "Let it go, Chuck. Jean's done everything proper and by the book for as long as I've known her. If she thinks this is important, you can trust her this time."
There was a loud click as the door to the bedroom opened. They all worked hard to maintain polite disinterest despite the oversized stuffed vulture on the woman's hat. She gave them a curt nod of acknowledgement and swept regally towards the elevator entrance with her granddaughter trailing behind, face hidden behind dark tresses of hair.
"Is there anything else to take care of today, Professor?" Jean asked while she cast a worried eye at the opened doorway.
"No… I suppose not. However, I would rather like a full explanation when we meet back at the mansion." The professor said before shepherding his small group back to the elevators.
Jean watched them go and then walked over to the doorway. If she couldn't see Sam's eyes she would have thought the girl to be rather serenely pondering her tea. The hurricane force storm of emotion just on the other side of their bond put the lie to that. For a moment she was tempted to open the bond entirely, but then she would have to ride the storm… Better to wait it out and be ready to heal the damage afterwards.
There was no visible warning of the impending change. One moment her mask of calm was perfect, the next Sam was screaming in unrepentant rage as she trashed any unfortunate furniture that happened to get in her way. For a fifteen year old girl it was a more than impressive inventory of damages.
The coffee table was reduced to component parts in a single punch. A serving platter worth of fine china smashed against an interior wall. Mattresses were upturned and an armoire smashed on the ground.
Finally Sam fell to her knees with tears streaking down her face. The worst part was the laughter. It was horrible, soulless, empty laughter of the sort given when the only punch line possible was life. Her pain was so raw against the edges of the bond that even with it almost fully closed it still brought Jean to tears.
Certain that the storm had passed Jean ran to her lover gathered her close. The black haired girl cried and laughed and cried some more into her chest. Hedwig winged her way over to land next to them and added her own showering of affection.
"Shh… Shh. I'm here for you. I'm here, my love." Jean whispered in her ear. The emotion behind her words, the feeling of love and the earnest wish to ease her lover's pain, was pushed gently through the bond as well.
"I… I…" Sam tried to start but broke to sob a few more times. "All that pain… All that… I was so scared. Always so scared. I'm scared. Oh god, I'm still so scared. And none of it had to be. Nothing… It was just… It was just bad luck…" The sobs returned full force but seemed to consume what little was left of her energy.
Jean nodded and held her close for another long spell. Finally she disengaged. "Come on. Let's get you to bed. You'll feel better with some sleep."
She was halfway through undressing her lover when the girl seemed to realize the state of the room around them. "Wa—" Her voice cracked startling her into silence. "Wand."
Jean frowned but used her telekinesis to deliver the girl her wand from the seat it had been forgotten on. Sam gave her a slight smile and then harshly barked out a single word. "Repairo!"
Almost instantly everything broken or upturned righted itself. A few seconds later the outstanding tea stains were the only sign that the room had seen any change since before the Longbottom's arrived. "Scourgify." Sam croaked and even that problem corrected itself.
Sam gave her a watery smile but she could feel the girl's utter exhaustion. Jean considered it a miracle that she even got the girl undressed and in bed before she'd drifted off completely.
"It looks like she's going to need us at our best, Hedwig." Jean told the snowy owl which quickly agreed. She shook her head and stripped down to join her lover in blissful oblivion.