After hours of what Bellatrix and I call 'tortured beautification' we were finally deemed to be ready.
Andi and Cissy seemed to work wonders on us.
They decided to tame Bella's hair by putting something called Sleekeazy's Hair Potion and Scalp Treatment, proceeding, to put it into pin curls, leaving it down and adding a simple brooch on the left side of her head.
They proceeded to put my hair in an elegant twist with a simple brooch to cover all the pins that had been placed to twist and keep my hair in the twist.
"Beautiful." Cissy whispered in awe.
"We're good." They said, 'high-five'ing each other.
"Yes, so good. I don't see why we are still having this foolish party, when our grandparents have just gotten their heads blown off." Bella complained, scowling at her reflection in the mirror.
"Bella!" Andi said, warningly.
I was standing by the bathroom, listening to them bicker when I felt the familiar peculiar stirring in my stomach begin as the present time disappeared before me once more.
Vision:
A familiar dark hooded figure walked down the familiar cobblestone path, tall green hedges surrounding the path making it appear as if it were a green labyrinth.
The distant manor suddenly became larger and larger until a massive lighted manor appeared before the figure. Completed with massive cobblestone wooded doors. A path of thick cobblestone steps leading to the terrace.
The figure simply waved his hand, slamming the doors open violently, before walking into the lavishly decorated family room. Two familiar looking people stood in the middle of the sitting large room.
The figure dropped his hood as he walked into the room. A sinister smile on his familiar face. It was Nikolai Kutznetsova. Recognizable for his sharp features, complete with a broad form and stature, that made him look almost too menacing. His hair appeared to be raven, with ash-blonde streaks, but in reality, was just ash-blonde.
"Hello, Aly..." He said, a smirk pulling on his dry lips.
The woman, known as Alya Nova Malfoy, let out a shocked gasp, her light blue eyes widening as her husband pulled her body behind his, protectively.
"Oh please, there's no need to do that. I'm simply here to ask for a favor." He told the man, scoffing and rolling his eyes as he paced before them.
"A favor? We do not do favors for murderers." Abraxas Malfoy Senior sneered, as he foolishly pulled out his wand and pointed it at the man that was pacing before them.
"You are working with Grindlewald are you not? Have him do a favor for you." He continued ignoring his wife's light warning.
"No, you see your wife and I were acquaintances of sorts a long time ago. I need you to tell me if you know anyone by the name Riel or MacLaggen." He said, smirking at their shocked expressions.
"No, we do not. If you are looking for someone, then might I suggest you actually start looking for them, because you aren't going to find anything here." Abraxas said, stiffly.
"Didn't they teach you any manners, Mr. Malfoy?" Nikola, asked, amused.
"Not for people like you." he growled in response.
"Pfft. What a waste, truly it is. I could've used more people like you in my growing ranks." He tutted, fake sympathy clear in his voice.
"Very well." He said, raising his wand.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" He shouted, aiming straight at them.
Alya let out a high-pitched panicked scream before she met the same fate as her now-dead husband. Nikolai stood before the limp bodies splayed on the ground, shaking his head at them annoyed, before turning and walking out ... the mansion without another glance back..
Unaware that the Malfoys' eldest son had just witnessed everything that has occurred from the secret passage in the room.
I gasped, tears flowing down my face as I watched the scene play out before my eyes.
When I snapped back to the present time, my nose was already bleeding.
Bella and her two sisters were attempting to levitate me to her bed, but almost dropped me onto the ground, when I snapped back into the present.
"Are you alright? Does anything hurt? What did you see? Should we be worried?" Andi asked, worried as she wiped the blood from my face with a handkerchief.
"How long was I out of it?" I asked her, as they helped me get onto the bed.
"Forty-five minutes." Bella answered automatically, worry written all over her face.
I nodded, sitting down as Cissy proceed to shove a glass phial with violet liquid in my hand.
"Drink it. Don't say anything, just drink it." She ordered.
I obediently swallowed the violet liquid, feeling my energy come back almost immediately.
The aftertaste, however, made me begin gagging as I tried to swallow back the knot that had formed in my throat.
"It's a good thing you didn't mess any of our work up or we'd have to start all over again." Cissy complained.
Bella scoffed, rolling her eyes at her older sister before turning to look at me worried, "What did you see, Anna?" She asked.
"I'll tell you after the celebration is over." I said, groaning as I hopped off the bed and walked over to where I stood previously to step into my shoes.
Druella walked into the room after that, and ordered us out of the room and directed us to the large dinning hall, to sit and wait while they began greeting the arriving guests.
"Does this mean your cousin, Sirius, shall be here?" I asked, suddenly feeling on edge.
I didn't want anything bad to happen, if he showed up, and Tom did too.
"No, he hasn't attended any celebrations since he was sorted into Gryffindor." Andi said, softly as she stared straight ahead.
"He doesn't live with his family anymore either, he hasn't lived with them since then either." Cissy added, staring towards the door.
We all looked towards the door, silently waiting to see who would show up.
The first to walk in was the Lestrange family.
Reginald Lestrange, and his wife, Rosalynn Lestrange in the front pulling a three-year-old Leta along with them.
Both their sons walking in behind them along with Tom, who walked in with his hands behind his back.
"Rose, it's great to see you, darling." Druella greeted, pulling her into a hug.
"Elara, it truly is wonderful to see you again. How've you been, dear?" The blond woman, with a kind, heart-shaped face said.
"Fantastic. Cygnus and I have talked and have decided to redo the east wing, just like we discussed the other day at tea." She spoke, excitedly.
I sat on the far side, of the room quietly chatting with the girls. Ignoring the fact that the boys had just walked into the room.
"Who is the little girl with Bastan's parents?" I asked Bella, who was playing with the end of her hair, amused.
"Oh, that's his little sister, Leta Rose. She's, I believe, three years old, I am not entirely sure, though." She said, shrugging as said three-year-old came bounding towards us and climbed up into my lap.
Surprising me, and in the process, kicking Bella right in the middle of her left shin
She let out a surprised, pained yelp, clutching at her wounded shin.
"Ouch. You little snot troll! Watch where you kick those feet of yours." Bella complained as she leaned down to rub her sore shin.
Continuing to mumble under her breath as she did so.
"Hiya, I'm Leta Rosalyn, my mommy calls me Rosie. What's your name? You have pretty hair. Can I touch it?" She babbled, settling into my lap.
"I'm Sophia Annamarie, call me Sophie or Annie. It's nice to meet you too, Leta." I said, smiling down at her face.
She was adorable, unlike the Lestrange brother's she had bright, lively baby blue eyes like her mother, her hair was a perfect combination of raven and honey blonde, making it seem as if she had a raven crown around the top of her blonde head.
She had soft childish features but appeared to look more like her mother than her father, which was a complete change for any Lestrange.
"I think I'll call you, Sophie. Sophie is a beautiful name. Is Bastan a friend of yours?" She asked, curiously.
"Yes, he is, darling girl." I cooed, playing with her soft curls.
"You'd think she was Sophie's daughter or baby sister with the way she is clinging to her. I mean look she even has the same tone of hair color!" Narcissa noted. "The only thing missing is the colored streaks and she'd look exactly like her." She whispered to her sisters, watching our interaction.
I smiled down at the little girl, briefly wondering what it would be like to have a daughter that looked like me, before looking up at the three sisters.
"Are you three done gossiping like old ninnies?" I asked, nodding me head at the group of now six couples.
They laughed in response as a shadow appeared before me and Leta.
"Cute kid. Whose is she?" Tom asked, standing before me.
"Like you don't know whose she is. It's Bastan's adorable baby sister." I said, smirking at his response.
"Ooh, Tommy hasn't come outta' Bastan's room since he got to my house uh-lier this mor-ning." Leta said, pouting, crossing her arms over her chest as she swung her feet.
I raised an eyebrow at him, before I realized that the room was now full of most if not all the 'sacred twenty-eight', and it appeared that all of them were eyeing me like a piece of meat.
The only few that were actually missing were now the Lupins, Parkinsons', and at least six more missing here.
I noted that it was the Gaunts, which would've been Tom's uncle. Tom must be representing them.
Parkinsons, the Prewett, the Weasleys, the Longbottoms, the Selwyns, the Ollivanders, the Fawleys, the Slughorns, and the Flints. It appeared that most of the people sorted into Gryffindor were missing.
"Good evening to everybody present." Cygnus spoke, from a platform that suddenly appeared, raising him several feet off the ground, above us all.
Leta watched in fascination as the platform moved Mr. Black towards the farthest part of the room.
"Wow, I can't wait to see what Hogwarts teaches me." She said in utter fascination.
"Oh, you'll love it there. If you love learning then it'll be the best experience." I whispered, smiling as her eyes began to shine eagerly.
She smiled at me excitedly as her mother watched us, a smile playing on her lips. I began to wonder what the celebration truly was about, as I looked around the room.
Everyone seemed rather on edge or to be eyeing me with a hidden eagerness in their otherwise expressionless faces.
"Now, tonight I am pleased to announce that the prophecy that was given almost sixteen years ago has now begun to show signs of its commencement." He spoke to the crowd, with a slight smile on his face.
"As many of you have heard the once wiped out lineage of the name Riel, was actually just hidden. Tonight, I am proud to announce to you all, that the daughter of our dear friends, John and his lovely wife Lucy, is well and alive. In fact, she is-" He began, before a resounding collection of gasps were heard, and another interrupted rudely.
"What's this about, Cygnus? We were all at the Riels funerals, all of their family members were killed after John and Lucy's deaths. There is no evidence that supports them having a daughter before they were killed by Kuznetsova." Abraxas hollered loudly.
I could feel the anger begin to boil as that man spoke about my parents and my father's family; practically tainting their memories as he contradicted Bella's father.
My eyes narrowed as I unconsciously began to scan the crowd for the ash blonde hair colored man.
"Oh no..., Annie... calm down." Bellatrix whispered, leaning towards me as I felt my grip on Leta tighten the slightest.
Tom, who stood behind my chair, put a calming hand on my tense shoulder.
I could feel as the telepathic bond began to open, as I tried to breathe in deeply to calm my anger, and shock.
'Sophie, deep breaths. You don't want to hurt any of these people. Do it for Leta, who happens to be in your arms, she could get seriously injured if you let loose in here.' He cautioned, rubbing slow calming circles on my shoulders.
For a moment I lost concentration and let some energy flow outwards.
All the doors slammed shut in an instant, making everyone jump in surprise.
'Silencio!' I thought, my wrist flicking once, as I put up a barrier. Leta whimpered in fear as she snuggled deeper into me, as if trying to disappear.
I loosened my grip on her, as I heard her whimpering automatically calming down, just a bit.
"What's going on?" Alya, Lucius' mother asked, her voice quivering.
"Come on Leta, let's get you to your mummy, alright?" I whispered, standing up as I made my way towards a very shocked Rosalynn.
"No, I wanna' stay with you, Sophie." She pleaded, turning around in my arms and burying her face in my neck.
"Please go with your mummy, Leet. I promise, I'll come get you later alright? After this is all over." I whispered patting her head with my free hand.
We slowly walked through the crowd, I could feel Tom trailing behind me, in a calming manner.
As people met my face, their eyes widened and gasps began to spread around the entire room.
I slowly handed Leta to her mother's waiting arms, and continued weaving through the crowd, as I slowly lifted my fingertips to touch the left side of the back of my neck.
With Tom still trailing closely behind.
"Mr. Black." I greeted slowly, with a vacant expression.
"Anna, my dear." He greeted, happily.
'Why didn't I see this coming? How did I not see this coming? I should have been able to stop this...' I thought, as I stepped before him and accidently giving my back to the crowd.
'Calm down, Sophia, get the answers you need first. Clear and cool your head, you need to keep emotions out of this. I know it's hard but do it. Now!' Tom thought urgently, from where he stood.
"Mr. Black. May I speak to you, privately?" I asked him, as all our followers began to appear behind us, walking from the crowd.
"Might as well say what you need to say in front of everybody here, we'll all be family one day." He replied, smiling wildly.
"Dad...noooo..." Bella whispered, shaking her head at him.
"Alright. I will." I said, shaking my head in agreement, please to see that almost all of the group was present.
"I demand you let me know what you know of the prophecy you just mentioned, and that you tell me how you knew my parents." I said, eerily calm.
"Demand?" He repeated, laughing mockingly.
"Might I suggest you do it, while she is asking calmly, sir." Tom stated, crossing his arms, as he stood next to me, and before our group.
"What could a group of kids possibly do to a bunch of adults? Adults, who happen to be more powerful than all of you put together." He mocked, crossing his arms over his chest, as he snorted disbelievingly at us.
"Is that so? Let us test that theory out, shall we?" I asked before turning to scan the crowd.
I nodded, looking back at Bastan, "Get your sister Leta and bring her over here." I said, calmly.
Everyone's eyes widened when I spoke. I smirked as they reacted.
When he walked back with Leta clinging to him in fear, I smiled at her, sending her calm waves until she fell asleep.
"Bella, Bastan, Cissy, Andi...go stand in that corner and don't move from there." I stated, coolly.
"What have you done, you insolent girl?" He growled, giving a threatening step towards me.
I ignored his question, turning back towards the crowd, watching them briefly before I turned calmly back towards him to answer, "Tell me, Mr. Black, did you actually know my parents, or are you just trying to get power by claiming that you did?" I asked, feeling myself begin to lose my patience.
I watched as his eyes widened in fear, taking a step back while looking around the room.
"Your p-parents?" He repeated, gasping as the realization sunk in of what I just said.
"Yes. You see, my name is Sophia Annamarie Riel-MacLaggen. Known as Sophie Marie MacLaggen." I said, smirking at his dumbfound expression.
"You-yah-you're the lost daughter of the Riels." He gasped in realization. "The one the prophecy spoke about." He continued as he turned towards the crowd. "The lost daughter, she does exist." He babbled.
"Indeed. Now as for the prophecy you mentioned earlier... Explain it, please..." I calmly asked, interrupting his inconsequential babbling.
"It is said that an heir to the Hogwarts four would be born, that only he or she would be able to mend the bond that was once broken between Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin... But that is not all, it also says that an unknown heir to the house of the serpent would surface, thus completing the prophecy." He said as if in trance.
'Tom, the prophecy speaks of us.' I thought, gasping in realization hit us both, my eyes meeting with his.
"Now we don't know who the other heir of Slytherin could be, but if you really are the daughter of who you claim to be then this means that not only has the prophecy began to blossom, but now we all must protect you at all costs." He said, turning towards the crowd.
"What do you mean?" I asked, almost fearing the answer.
"Believe it or not, your father was a part of the Slytherin house. He was once our friend, and like a brother to some if not most of us. When the prophecy was given, we all promised each other that no matter what, we'd protect you. Though we weren't sure of your existence, seeing as your parents went into hiding and concealed your existence. We knew that we would protect you should the occasion arise." He explained, looking towards me searchingly.
By this time, most if not all the women in the room were in tears, with a hand cupped over their mouth in shock.
I stepped back woozily, unintentionally slamming into Tom's chest, causing him to automatically wrap his arms around me to prevent me from falling onto my bottom.
"You. You have the distinct green eye color of the Gaunts... but not their traveling eyes..." Druella whispered, as she walked to where we stood, reeling at the startling announcement. Pointing at Tom, who stood behind me.
"Merope was his mother." I whispered, still within his hold.
Though by this time, I wasn't sure how to wrap my head around all this new information.
"What was truly the point of this 'Christmas party'?" I asked suddenly.
Druella was the one who interrupted, "I need to confirm you are indeed Lucy's child. I had a feeling it was true..." She said, standing before me, looking at me from head to toe in a searchingly manner.
I lifted my hand hesitantly towards her, watching as she hesitantly took my hand in both of hers.
I closed my eyes in concentration, showing her my most recent memory of my mother and father.
She stiffened in response, gasping as the images played in her head. When the images stopped she dropped my hand as if I burned her.
"What did you do to her?" Mr. Black asked or rather demanded, stepping before her protectively.
"Relax, Cyg. She truly is Lucy's daughter." She informed him calmly, giving me a watery smile.
"If you don't believe me or her. I'd gladly give a demonstration..." I offered.
"Demonstration? Of what?" someone asked.
"Dave?" I called , motioning for him to step forward.
He calmly stepped forward.
Without even taking my eyes from Mr. Black, I flicked my wrist, watching as Dolohov dropped to the ground in a heap, limbs twitching.
I flicked my wrist again, watching as he fell limp to the ground before standing up a few moments later.
I could feel the shock radiating off of everyone in the room.
"The food is ready, so if you'll remove all of the charms that you put up..." He said, gesturing around the room .
I nodded, flicking my wrist. "The children can stay in here to eat." Druella said, looking at us all.
All the adults left the room leaving only those in our groups within the room along with Leta, who was still soundly asleep.
"Some party we're having, eh?" Bella commented as we all sat down around a table that suddenly appeared in the middle of the room.
I snorted in response, "Oh, sure, it's great." I retorted, rolling my eyes at her as we all began to eat. All the while joking around.