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Chapter 15- First Year (part III)

Hogwarts Castle-April-1992
Age 12

Susan's POV

I admit- it might have been my fault.

I mean Hannah did say we should stay up till Lyra gets back. I thought she was being paranoid. Sure the blond had gone to the forbidden forest at night- but it's not like she'd wandered off there alone. She had Hagrid there at least- there was no reason to be so worried about her…and it had been a long day, I was tired.

So waking up to a baby unicorn in my bed and a camera flash that came from Hannah's general direction was probably my penance for not acting Hufflepuff enough.

Or so I'm assuming.

Because rationally- I can't think of anything I might have done to deserve this.

The rest of the day did sort of make up for it. It was a Saturday with no classes, which made for a pleasant lazy mood to begin with. To top that off, watching people reactions to a little unicorn wandering around in the hallways, following Lyra like a lost puppy, was quite amusing.

That is until we reached the great hall for breakfast. How exactly was Lyra planning to explain little Bambi's presence to the staff? I shared a brief worried glance with Hannah, hoping she had a clue- going by the confused expression on her face, I would have to guess not. I looked to Lyra, trying to see if she would hesitate or pause before entering the hall- nothing… she walked right in like it was just another day. It's like she was oblivious to the fact that she was breaking school rules…in broad daylight… in the great hall… in front of the entire student body and staff.

She better have a plan.

The hall started hushing up as soon as we walked in. A couple of people got up from the seats further down the hall to get a better look at the shiny golden foal that was trotting down the aisle between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables like it belonged there.

Before anyone could say anything, we were already seated and stuffing ourselves, while every thirty seconds or so either Lyra or Hannah held out a carrot stick or an apple, or anything green they could get their hands on towards little Bambi, who gobbled it all up like nobody's business.

Five minutes into the meal I finally gathered enough courage to look up from my plate to see how the Professors were taking my friend's recent foray into magical animals' husbandry.

My eyes were drawn, as always, to the Headmaster first. He was conversing with Hagrid over Professor Flitwick's head. Hagrid attempted to be explaining something, with a lot of exaggerated hand gestures. Every few seconds Dumbledore glanced our way with a fond and amused smile. Snape looked … exasperated. Like he'd given up trying to make sense of things… I could have sworn his lips twitched into something resembling a smile when he looked up at Lyra though.

Snape… smile?

Right… Must have been a trick of the light.

McGonagall look vaguely appalled and made to get up to come towards us several times, but was held back by Professor Sprout, who seemed to be following Hagrid and Dumbledore's conversation intently.

Quirrell was looking towards Lyra with an oddly blank expression, but when his gaze turned to Bambi, something sparked in his eyes. I felt a chill go down my spine. For a second I looked around to check if someone had cast a spell in my direction- or was that just my imagination again?

Lyra's POV

It was so easy. Break rules with a straight face and a somewhat altruistic reason – and they wouldn't do a thing to stop you. Should have figured that from all of Harry's 'future' experiences.

In any case- as generous as the Professors were about ignoring a baby unicorn in the hallways- I knew it wouldn't last forever. And sure enough- a week into Bambi's stay Professor Sprout called me into her office.

"But she's perfectly well behaved Professor- she hasn't caused any trouble at all!"

"Be that as it may Miss Addison, It is against school rules… I'm sorry child, but it's best for everyone if you just let Hagrid take care of her…"

Bambi started whining , she was agitated- clearly she knew exactly what Sprout was trying to say here.

"I can't!" I snapped.

"Miss Addison!" She looked a little surprised by my curt behavior.

"No Professor, you don't understand!" I tried to explain it the best way I could. "There is… something… out there in the forest killing unicorns for their blood! I brought Bambi away from the protection of the forest… It may not have been my intention to do so, but I've made her more vulnerable to the threat by bringing so much attention to her!" This fact had been torturing me for days now. How could I have been so stupid! I didn't even realize my mistake until I caught sight of that stuttering poser's expression the morning after the fiasco in the forest. And I hadn't let Bambi out of my sight since.

"Oh my! I-I hadn't thought of that…" Sprout said, looking greatly disturbed by my implication that Bambi might be in such danger.

See that's the thing about unicorns. They were such pure and guileless creatures that you can't help but fall in love with them. They radiated an aura of unrestrained, unconditional love and acceptance. The younger the unicorn, the stronger the aura. And Bambi was young enough that I had to ask for help from the upper years to keep people from crowding her too often. And they were only too glad to help. She had become something of an unofficial school mascot.

"Professor… I know Hogwarts is supposed to be the safest place in the wizarding world…" I am still proud that I managed to say that with a straight face, "But Bambi is becoming my familiar… I can't risk leaving her out on the open grounds, so close to the forest …" I could see by the expression on her face that I had her convinced, but before I could lay out my proposal to just let things be, we were interrupted.

"You familiar you say" Came the Headmaster's soothing voice.

I turned to see Professor Dumbledore walking in to my Head of House's office.

"Pardon my intrusion, but I couldn't help but overhead part of you conversation" he nodded in greeting to Professor Sprout and then turned to look directly to me "Miss Addison, are you certain that this little unicorn is your familiar?"

"Well… I'm as sure as I can be, given the facts. But it would help if I had some way to confirm it even to myself… I'm still not entirely certain what having a familiar entails, Professor," I told him as honestly as I could. Bambi was fidgeting by my side, but I felt a sense of approval and sadness directed at the Headmaster, I put the curious feeling aside to examine for later.

"Hmm… how intriguing" He looked at me with the joyous curiosity that reminded me of a seven year old Harry with a new toy. "Tell me Miss Addison have you been experiencing any strange surges of emotion? Feeling that you are certain were not your own?"

"Yes I have… I assume they were coming from Bambi?"

"Yes, so it would appear" he stated with a smile. "And another simple test… If you could hold out you hand my dear"

I did as he instructed. Then before I could comprehend what he was he was doing he cut my palm open with a small pocket knife.

"Yee-ouch!"

Where the hell had that come from! It wasn't a deep cut- but that still hurt you damned old goat! Thankfully, before I could voice my indignant and rather rude opinion- I noticed that the wound was already healing.

OMG It's like I have the f-ing Kyubi in me!

"P-professor?"

"Yes my dear?" He looked amused. AMUSED.

"What just happened?" I asked. My voice sounding remarkably calm, given the rush of ideas and theories assaulting my mind.

"A familiar bond has certain, shall we say… benefits… that come with it. My own bond to my phoenix, Fawkes has granted me a longer a life span than most people. During my travels, I had the good fortune of meeting many others bonded to familiars. A bond to a dragon gives one a remarkable resistance to fire, a bond to a demiguise can turn the bonded invisible at will and though I have only heard rumours of this before today- apparently, a bond to a unicorn heals any of the bonded's injuries at an unprecedented pace."

I could feel a twitch coming.

"So you cut up my palm to test out a rumour?" I said in a deadpan. In my periphery I could make out Sprout's own surprisingly impressive glare that was aimed at the oblivious old man.

"Yes" He nodded with a smile. Yup, still oblivious.

"Does this mean Bambi can stay?" I asked exasperated.

"No, I'm afraid it is still against school rules to allow a unicorn within the walls. She is far too distracting," He stated in a no nonsense voice.

Another twitch. I don't get it… then what was the whole point of proving Bambi was my familiar?

"But this does make things simpler" He stated before I could voice my protest.

"How so Professor?" I asked.

"A simple spell my dear, a protection spell that relies on the strength of the bond between the caster and the protected… If you succeed in casting the spell on your familiar- no one with ill intentions can approach her so long as your magical power is greater than theirs… and from what I have seen of you so far Miss Addison- power will never be a problem"

I blushed while trying to cover my discomfort over the compliment. The source of my power was still something I actively avoided trying to think too hard about.

"Will you teach me the spell Professor?"

And that's how I ended up with detention after dinner every day for a week in the Headmasters office until I mastered the spell and Bambi was finally moved into the shed Hagrid had constructed for her by the pumpkin patch.

The time spent with Dumbledore had been… enlightening. I discovered from our short conversations in-between instructions that he had learned of my little potions project from Snape and was conflicted over it. I was surprised when he told me that as impressed as he was with my ambition- the potential uses for the potion disturbed him. He disagreed with my method. "Remorse," He said "Would have no meaning if it weren't honest". Eventually though, he did concede to the same argument I presented to Snape- this potion could potentially be used to reform men that have lost their way. He didn't like that a first year was working on something so dangerous- but he never attempted to dissuade me from completing the potion. I kept wondering why he was being so honest with me. Until one day he gave me the answer himself.

"You remind me of my sister Miss Addison, she was such an inquisitive child. Quiet, Studious, Ambitious, yes, but so very selfless about it… and powerful… she was incredibly powerful… until…" And for one unguarded moment his face truly reflected his age. He never completed that sentence, and I never asked him too. I think he appreciated my discretion- and the thought made my guts twist in guilt. I hadn't held my silence out of respect for him or his sister- I had done it, because I already knew their story. I felt like I was betraying his confidence without doing a thing.

For years now I had had a recurring nightmare. I would stand in middle of a circle, surrounded by all the people I loved. It started out innocently enough. They were celebrating- It was my birthday and they were singing for me. I would open my mouth to thank them- except it wasn't my voice that came out- It was hers. The girl I had been before life (or was it death?) granted me a second chance. And then one by one my loved ones lost the look of adoration as it turned to confusion and then disgust. They hurled accusations at me- 'Liar', 'Traitor', 'How could you?', 'What did you do to her?', ' Where's my daughter?', 'Where is Lyra?'

Ever since I had come to Hogwarts the nightmares had been getting worse. First it had just been my parents and Harry. Now there was a whole crowd of people thinking I was someone I was not. Draco, Hermione, Susan, Hannah, Ron, Neville, Professor Sprout, Professor Snape, and a dark haired man whose face I couldn't see-but I could feel (as surely as I could feel my heart break under the weight of their accusations) was Sirius Black, the man whom even now was paying the heaviest price for my silence. And now when I returned to my nightly penance- Dumbledore's face joined the rest- his cold disappointed gaze tore at me as terribly as any words ever could.

Before I knew it- it was already the end of the year. The last day of the exams arrived. Dumbledore left the school for urgent business to the ministry, Harry, Ron and Hermione ran up to McGonagall with their suspicions- which she immediately rejected.

And then the story deviated.

Harry came up to me- and told me everything he knew about what he thought was going on.

I agreed to meet them by the third floor corridor at night.

I was, to be completely honest- fairly useless to the whole endeavor. Harry played the flute Hagrid gifted him as soon as we entered Fluffy's room. Hermione freed us from the tendrils before I could remember the spell for it, Harry caught the key to the next door, Ron played our way across the chess board, Hermione figured out the riddle.

Honestly, by the time we got to the room with the potions I was really annoyed.

When Hermione stated only one of us could go through to the next room, I'd had enough.

"Hermione, go back to Ron, make sure he's okay, and call for help, I'm following Harry through that door" I stated.

"But, there isn't enough-"

"I don't need the potion", I interrupted her, casting a flame freezing charm on myself and my clothes "Just go! I'll make sure he's okay"

Hermione's eyes widened as she recognized the spell I cast as one that wouldn't be taught to us until third year. Then she gave us a final determined nod and swallowed her potion and walked out the way we came.

"Ready?" Harry asked.

"Not one bit"

And then before I could change my mind we walked in through the flames.

Despite all my efforts to make him look suspicious, Harry was still surprised to see the inept Defense Professor standing in front of the mirror.

"Ah, I wondered if I'd be seeing you here Mr. Potter, Miss Addison." Said the man with two faces.

Something wasn't right. Quirrell looked incredibly pale and weak. Was he supposed to look this washed out? Shouldn't the unicorn blood have-

That thought made my blood freeze in my veins. The unicorn blood.

In cannon- he had been interrupted and fled when Firenze had come to Harry's rescue- no baby unicorn was mentioned. Why didn't Bambi come out to her mother's body in cannon? She hadn't been scared of us- that unicorn wasn't afraid of anyone. So why didn't she come out?

He killed her.

A young foal's blood had significantly more power than an adult's. He hadn't killed her this time- he was much weaker than in cannon.

He hadn't killed her this time. He hadn't killed her. I kept repeating this thought to myself, trying to calm the rage that this moment of epiphany left me in.

While I was busy gathering my thoughts, Voldemort had already made his big turban-removing-reveal.

If I had to make a guess- he didn't have enough power to actually fight us- even if we were just a couple of first years. So he would try to intimidate us instead.

Voldemort's red eyes looked straight into Harry's as he offered to bring back his parents if he joined him, and then surprisingly, he turned to me and looked into my eyes.

I felt his attempt at entering my mind. It was much more aggressive than before. My head felt like it was being pounded on by an anvil. Repeatedly.

It was too much. It hurt too much.

But my walls didn't give way.

I could see the growing frustration on his snake-like face. It changed gradually from annoyance to outright anger.

And then came the final blow- this was different from his previous attempts- his mind surrounded mine like a gentle mist, and then without a breath of warning he dug into it from all directions at the same time- Like knives into flesh. I couldn't hold back my scream if I tried.

Hearing me shout propelled Harry into action. But instead of going for his wand he physically lunged at Quirrell.

All I remember before I fainted was a roaring scream and the smell of burning flesh.