A FINAL CHANCE

By: Shadowedheart89

Disclaimer:I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, nor do I claim to.

Note:I just want to thank everyone who has been reading and reviewing. I completely suck at answering reviews but I do love them! Also for the record, Xavier Jamison is an original character. Sorry for any that might have confused. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 20:Mum and Dad

"Thank you for joining us, Marlene," Uncle Albus told me as I entered his office Monday morning after breakfast. Just as I anticipated, I had received an owl at breakfast telling me to go to his office. I was a bit excited to see what my mother's response was be to her brother's actions, though I still couldn't help but to feel a bit nervous at the thought of her discovering my relationship with Draco.

Before I could make any response, my mother grabbed me and enveloped me into a hug. I was shocked to say the least. I thought Uncle Albus was merely going to tell me what my mother said, not that she would actually be there. "I can't breathe, Mum," I struggled to tell her. Her grip was so tight that it was beginning to choke off my air supply.

She loosened her grip just enough to let me breathe but didn't let me go completely. It was almost as if she thought I was going to disappear or something. "How are you? Are you okay? Why haven't you been writing?"

"Relax, Mum. You'd think that I've never gone away to school before with the way you're acting," I told her, taking a moment to scan the room. Dad was next to her, waiting for her to relinquish her hold on me. In the corner, Uncle Damien brooded, obviously trying to avoid getting into trouble. "I've been fine. This school is great, and I've made some friends too. I'm sorry I haven't been writing. I've just been really busy. You know Uncle Albus. He always has stuff for me to do."

She finally let go of me and glared at the headmaster. "What exactly have you been doing? I thought we had an agreement."

I raised my eyebrows at the two of them before my dad hugged me much more gently than Mum. "It's good to see you again, kid," he told me with a grin, his warm brown eyes shining down at me. He always was much more relaxed than my mother, and it was often his job to keep her in control.

"I have not broken our agreement Claire," Uncle Albus told my mother with that ever present twinkle in his eye. "She is doing the normal curriculum for her year, and I have asked her to tutor one other student. All of her other extra endeavors have been all of her own choice."

"What extra things are you doing exactly?" my mother asked, rounding on me.

"Technically, not all of them have been my own choice," I said, glaring at Uncle Albus. He was trying to avoid my mother's wrath just like Uncle Damien was. "He is making me take extra lessons with Severus once a week too. And he has me helping out with a club as well."

I watched as my mother's eyes widened and she turned back to the white haired man, who merely held up a hand in protest. "The lessons with Severus are a punishment for dueling with a professor in the middle of class and undermining his authority. As for you helping with the club, as I told you in the beginning of the year that is purely optional."

I rolled my eyes. "That's just merely semantics. And since when are you punishing people for undermining someone's authority? You are always going behind the ministry's back to do something. You forget that I heard of all the tales of Dumbledore even before I knew you were him. And how could I not get involved with the D.A. being as close to Harry as I am?"

His beard twitched as he tried to hide a smile. "I was merely stating that it was not a demand. You could simply walk away from that obligation if you wished to do so," he told me, that twinkle in his eye getting even brighter, "and I don't think that it would be a good idea for you to follow in my footsteps. I'm quite certain that one of me in this world is quite enough."

"Merlin knows we don't need another senile old coot," Uncle Damien muttered from his corner.

My mother's eyes blazed as she turned to him, "Watch your tongue," she warned him. His mouth snapped shut and he become completely still as if he feared that any movement might warrant an attack. My father put a hand on my mother's shoulder and she visibly relaxed. He shared with me the power to manipulate a person's energy to change their emotions and it came in handy with my mother's volatile temper. "So what other extra activities have you been involved in?" my father asked, curiously, trying to get the conversation back on track.

"Well I spend most of my time helping my friends with homework, one in particular," I said avoiding using names after sending a short glance over to Uncle Damien who was looking on avidly. "I'm helping Xavier with his potions classes, and I'm taking more advanced lessons in my spare time."

"I hear there is a boy you've been involved with as well," my mother stated emotionlessly.

I sent a dark glare to Uncle Damien's corner before nodding morosely and dropping my eyes to the floor. "Draco Malfoy," I confirmed quietly, waiting for the onslaught of disapproval.

"I thought we told you that you shouldn't see him again," came the calm reply.

I looked up to see my father still hand his hand on my mother. I felt a sudden rush of appreciation for him. I knew that while he didn't approve of Draco, he wasn't so adamantly against him like my mother was, and he was keeping her from lashing out as she otherwise would have. "You did, but it wasn't as if I sought him out or anything. I mean he goes to school here and he's in nearly all of my classes. It would be quite difficult to avoid him."

"That doesn't mean that you have to go out of your way to spend more time with him than you have to," my father pointed out.

"Draco isn't a threat to me," I told them stubbornly.

"He can hurt you in ways that you would never expect," my mother told me.

I felt my face flush in anger. "I thought the whole reason you didn't want me to talk to him was because you thought he would sell me out to Voldemort. Well he can't. I made sure of that. So what other way could he hurt me."

"Every spell has its loop holes," Uncle Albus added sagely. "There are always ways to get around things if you know where exactly to look."

"He wouldn't be able to. There is no way that he could hide it from his thoughts. I'd know instantly if he was trying some kind of betrayal," I argued.

"He could be working against his own will. You might not be able to see that," Uncle Damien put it.

I hissed in his direction. "You would know all about controlling other people's will, wouldn't you?"

He winced at the accusation, but nodded. There was no point in him trying to deny it. He was caught on plenty of occasions studying obscure and most times very dangerous forms of magic. I knew much more about it than I wanted to from his stints at training me. His whole approach to a problem was to beat it in any way possible. He most definitely didn't believe in playing fair. "There are ways to control people, more complex than the Imperious Curse. They can be undetectable, maybe even to you. There aren't enough natural born telepaths in the world for that information to be known."

I groaned. "Uncle Albus wouldn't let him anywhere near me if he was a threat."

The aforementioned man nodded, "I do trust young Mister Malfoy. He is facing a very difficult situation at the moment, but I truly believe that he will pick the right path."

I looked at him with wide eyes. "You know what's been going?" I asked incredulously the same time my mother asked, "How do you know?"

"Yes I am aware of his present situation, though he did not tell me it. I found out through one of my many sources. I know that he will make the right decision when the time comes because he is a smart young man. He's been forced to live his life in his father's shadow, and he wants to show the world that he is different, but most people are not willing to give him that opportunity. I am, and I don't think he'll let me down. I believe that Marlene was one of the first to see his real potential and he knows that. His appreciation for her extends far past what most of you could ever imagine from a Malfoy."

"I don't trust him," my mother stated.

"I do," I responded defiantly.

She sighed. "I can't stop you from doing what you want, and I can't say that I'm happy with it, but you have to learn from your own mistakes. I can't protect you from everything. That doesn't mean that I have to like it."

I nodded before Uncle Albus changed the subjects. "Now I believe we are here to discuss your allegations against your uncle."

"My allegations? You don't believe me?" I asked shocked.

"It just seems very strange. The castle is warded so that no one can enter or leave the premises without my knowledge. If he came to the school as you claim he did, then I should have known about it."

I thought about it. It made sense about the wards. He probably had a bunch of them, letting him know what was going on around the school. It was no wonder it seemed like he knew everything that was going on. He let the students get away with a lot more than they could have ever imagined. It didn't explain though how Uncle Damien managed to get in. I knew he did, because I saw him, and I even felt him, so it couldn't have been some kind of illusion. I would have known if it were someone impersonated him. "I don't know how he managed it, but he did. I was walking through the hallway on my way to meet Draco when he grabbed me from behind a statue. He waited until the hall was clear and then dragged me into an empty room."

Everyone turned to Uncle Damien to hear his side of the story. "Now would I really be crazy enough to break into Hogwarts, where one of the greatest wizards who every existed resides?" he asked with a smirk.

I fumed. "You called Uncle Albus a flake! You just called me a crazy old coot a few minutes ago! You basically admitted it to my friends that you came to the castle."

"You have no proof," he told me with a level gaze.

Uncle Albus raised a hand and effectively cut off our arguing. "I believe you are telling the truth Marlene. The only question is how did you do it Damien? If you truly wish to help protect your niece as you said you do, then you should have no problem telling me so that I can resolve the problem. We wouldn't want someone else to be able to sneak in as you have."

Uncle Damien just glared knowing that he was caught. If he didn't tell how he managed to get in, he'd be in trouble, but by telling his secret, he wouldn't be able to do it again. "You said yourself that every spell has a loop hole."

"Ahhh, Dark Magic."

Uncle Damien rolled his eyes. "Don't be so archaic. Magic is neither dark nor light it's just how you use it." He began to go into the semantics of the spell and I was lost quickly. They began to discuss theory and practice which was far beyond my level of comprehension.

My parents and I finally sat down and waited for my two uncles to finish their discussion. I could feel my father's on me, but I didn't turn to look at him. I was too busy thinking about Draco. It bothered me to no end that Uncle Albus knew what was bothering him but I didn't. I was sure that I'd be able to help if only I were given the opportunity.

Your mother isn't angry with you. She just wants what's best for you, I heard my father's gentle voice say in my head, startling me out of my thoughts.

I know. Uncle Albus seems to be the only other person to really trust him. I just wish she could trust my judgment of him, I sent back.

I trust you. I looked over at him and saw a warm smile on his face.

I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face. His smiles were contagious. Thanks Dad.

Are you happy here? Albus told me there were a few problems.

I am happy here. I've made some really good friends. I've gotten really close with Harry Potter. He really is a nice boy, and his friends are too. His friends didn't trust me that much at first, but Uncle Albus got them to come around.

He told us you were in the hospital wing at one point.

I felt the blush creep across my cheeks. That was my own fault. He gave me potions so that the school wouldn't drain my magic, but I forgot to take them. I had a bit of an overload, but now I'm fine.

He looked at me concernedly, but before he responded my mother just about yelled, "Oh will you two just quit. You are driving me nuts."

All four of us jumped. "Who are you talking to Mum?" I asked timidly, afraid that she might have noticed the silent exchange with my father and was now about to demand a recount of what was said. It always aggravated her when she noticed I was mentally communicating with people around her. She hated being kept out of the loop with anything.

"Albus and Damien. They already figured out the problem and now they are just arguing about pointless things. Can we get the wards fixed or not?"

There was a ghost of a smile on Uncle Albus' face as he tried to hide his amusement. "My sincerest apologies Claire. I know exactly how to solve the problem."

"Thank goodness. Now is that all the bad new and serious discussions?" I asked.

"There is just one more thing, though Damien is now free to go. You are to leave these grounds and not return unless you have a proper invitation." He glared at Uncle Albus and muttered to himself as he left the office. Uncle Albus turned is gaze to me, the amusement still apparent. "Now I believe I promised you that you would be allowed to be present when I notified your mother of this next bit of news."

It took me a few moments before I remember what he was talking about. When I did, I grinned sadistically at him. "Well carry on then."

My mother looked at him warily waiting for the news. "I made Marlene tell three students the truth about who she is. The entire truth."

My mother's eyes bulged and she quickly moved out of arm's reach from my father so that he couldn't calm her down. "Are you crazy? What were you thinking Albus? I thought we were all in agreement that we should keep it between as few people as possible. Why would you have her tell three teenagers none the less? How could you possibly think they could be trusted? The entire school will know in no time, and it will get to You-Know-Who." I rolled my eyes. I had spent enough time around Uncle Albus growing up that I never saw why people chose not to call Voldemort by his name. All the other phrases to refer to him merely got on my nerves.

"The three teenagers in question are quite possibly the only three teenagers today that would have any grasp of the position Marlene is in. They of all people know how to keep a secret."

"Oh really? And why is that?" my mother asked sarcastically.

"The three friends are Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley."

My mother finally fell silent and dropped back into her seat. She looked at me in shock. "So those are the three friends you mentioned."

I nodded. "Harry accepted me with no problem. Out of all of them, he was the one with the most reason to question me. There was an incident on the train that made him aware that I was a bit different than everyone else, but he trusted me. Ron trusted me pretty easily too, but Hermione didn't really like me. She could tell that there was something I was hiding, and it wasn't until Uncle Albus made me tell them about me that she finally accepted me."

"What incident?" my father asked curiously. I regaled them with the tale of my journey on the train. My father just shook his head. "You really should be more careful than that." I just blushed and nodded.

"Well I think it's about time Marlene heads to class. You are going be late if you don't leave soon," Uncle Albus told me, obviously a dismissal.

I stood up and was about to leave when something occurred to me. "So what about Uncle Damien?"

"I'll take care of him. You are not to see him alone. If he has to speak with you for any reason he will do so in the company in the company of me, your father, Albus, or Severus only. If he tries to approach your or contact you in any way that isn't through us, then I want you to tell me immediately," my mum told me.

I nodded. "What is he up to anyways?"

The three of them all exchanged an uneasy look. "I think that is a discussion for another day. Off to class with you now."

I hugged my parents farewell with a promise to write more before heading back to the Gryffindor common room.

____

"How did your meeting go?" Harry asked when I met up with him in the common room.

I shrugged. "It was fairly interesting. Did you know that Dumbledore knows exactly who enters and leaves the grounds?"

His eyes widened in shock. "Really?" I nodded at him. He looked thoughtful for a moment. "That means he knew that I snuck out third year to go to Hogsmeade. "

I laughed. "And here you thought that you were being sneaky. I have a feeling that he knows everything that goes on in this school. He just picks and chooses his battles to punish people." I thought about the fact that he knew that I spent the night in Draco's room more often than not. It was a strange feeling to know that someone knew everything that I was doing. It made me feel very unsettled.

"Do you think he knows all of the secret passageways in and out of the school?"

"Probably. He went to school here when he was young, and he was teaching here years before he became headmaster. I don't think there is much about this school that he doesn't know."

Harry looked thoughtful again for a few minutes as we gathered our things for class from where we scattered them around the common room. "Why do you think he lets us get away with so much then?"

"Well I think it would drive him nuts to make sure that every rule breaker was punished. We are just kids really, of course we are going to sneak out and do things we aren't supposed to do. I guess he's just letting us get it out of our system."

"But why would he let me leave the school grounds when he thought that Sirius was after me?" he muttered almost to himself.

I thought about it for a moment. He had along with Ron and Hermione caught me up on the story of Sirius Black. "He probably had some other way of watching out for you. He wouldn't have let you go otherwise."

He shrugged. "I don't think we should mention this to Ron or Hermione. Ron would be ecstatic and take this as permission to sneak out more, and Hermione would probably have a fit at Dumbledore's leniency."

I laughed. "I suppose your right. If people found out, he'd probably have to crack down on the rules some more."

____

"Just relax and concentrate," I told Harry. We were sitting in the Room of Requirement instead of outside like normal because of the rain that decided to plague the grounds. While normally I loved the rain, I had to admit that it wouldn't be the best circumstances to have a lesson in.

The room had created a comfortable living room style area for us. We were sitting on a couch together with a glass of water on the coffee table in front of us. He was staring at it so intently that his eyes were narrowed behind his glasses, his face was slightly contorted almost as if he were in pain and a thin shine of sweat covered his forehead. Every once in a while I could see the water in the glass start to quiver. He was so close to being able to manipulate it, that I could taste it.

"Try holding your hand out to it, to help you focus," I suggested, holding my own hand out to the glass to demonstrate.

He followed my instructions and after a few more minutes of concentration, the water slowly started to float out of the glass. As soon as the water was completely out of the confines of the glass floating in a glistening orb, Harry gasped, finally realizing that he managed to do it and that it wasn't just in his head. As soon as the gasp left his lips and his focus was loss, the water fell back down, splashing all over the table.

"You did it!" I cheered, launching myself at him and hugging him.

His arms wrapped around me enthusiastically returning the hug. "I can't believe it. It's all because of you."

I laughed. "I didn't do anything. You are the one that did it. All I had to do with tell you how."

"You are a great teacher."

I realized that we were hugging for a lot longer than what was normal. I tried to pull away from me but he was holding on pretty tightly. It took a few seconds before he realized and let go quickly, trying to hide the blush on his cheeks.

"Well I think this is reason to celebrate," I told him, trying to cover up the awkward moment.

"What do you have in mind?" he asked skeptically.

I closed my eyes and felt the magic in the room shift as it changed to suit my will. Then I summoned a couple of butterbeers, a bunch of sweets, and snacks. I opened my eyes and glanced around the room. Not much had changed but it felt more open and freer. The main difference was the streamers that now cascaded from the ceiling. I picked up one of the butterbeer mugs and raised it in a toast. "To great accomplishments and many more to come," I said before taking a gulp.

He grinned and grabbed the other mug. "Cheers."

____

"It's getting worse," Hermione said the next morning at breakfast as she read through the Daily Prophet.

"What's happening now?" Harry asked, thought he sounded like he'd rather not know.

"More attacks. He's gone after a couple more Muggle towns and a few Wizard villages too. It looks like there is no place safe anymore."

"You haven't been getting anymore dreams or glimpses into his mind?" Ron asked Harry curiously.

Harry shook his head. "It seems like the Occlumency is really working this time. The few nightmares I have had lately have been normal ones."

"Have you tried to see what he's thinking?" I asked.

He blanched and shook his head again. "I don't exactly want to be in the mind of a psychopath."

Hermione threw down the paper with frustration. "The attacks are so random. There is no way to predict where he is going to go next. How are we supposed to protect anyone if we don't know where he's going? If only we knew what he was thinking."

I stared at her for a moment pondering her words. She was right, if only we know what Voldemort was thinking, we'd have a serious advantage. Suddenly the proverbial light bulb went off in my head. "Hermione, you are a genius! I have an idea."

A/N- I would have updated a lot sooner but I did NaNoWriMo, and got a bit caught up. It was amazing and inspired me to finish this story. Hopefully it will be finished soon since I have a much better idea of what direction I want this to take. Enjoy! :D