The Cat.

A Long Awaited Confrontation.

When the wizards had left her, Selina had found nothing constructive to do except to read or look around the room. She'd done both activities, taking her time as she did. It would take a long time to view those memories, and Selina knew they would talk to her afterwards. It was the most logical thing in the world for them to do, and Selina wasn't going to back down from them. This day had been a long time coming, for her and for the magical world, whether they wanted it or not. The young woman had been quite insulted when she'd felt on the edge of her magical senses a ward appear around the door. Did Dumbledore really think she'd risk her freedom, bring the news of what happened to Lily Evans, just for her to escape with their backs turned?

No, the whole point of coming here was to show the magical world her mother's past pain, and her death. After feeling the ward, and looking out of the window, a way out she could easily get through, Selina had grown bored.

Fortunately, the Potters and Dumbledore had left her bag behind, along with her book and the supplies she'd packed for today. Munching on an apple before taking a swig of water, Selina's mind raced as she thought of what her next move would be. It had taken her so long to show the magical world those fucking memories because Selina hadn't known for sure what the consequential outcry would be. She was the daughter of Lord Voldemort, afterall, not to mention the final descendent of Salazar Slytherin. Finishing her apple, Selina decided to wander around the room again. She was tempted to try and break the ward and have a look around her...prison, because this felt like a cell. She decided against it, if the wizards realised she was out then she would be hunted down, and she didn't want that.

This was one meeting she wanted to be amicable.

But just to be careful, Selina checked her bag, and found in the very bottom two leather gloves. Selina pulled them out carefully, making sure to not grip the fingers. She put them on, and with a thought a set of deadly razor sharp claws appeared. Selina grinned as she studied one of her physical weapons. The gloves were dragonhide, set to last forever, and the metal was goblin forged. Those babies were sharp enough to slice through metal plates, never mind flesh. The goblins had made this set as a favour. Selina watched as the light reflected on the claws, reminding herself they would never need cleaning or sharpening, the enchantments on them were so strong they were permanent. With the smile still on her face, she put the gloves carefully away.

Selina decided reading wouldn't help her pass the time to the degree she wanted; she knew those memories were going to garner a great deal of attention and debate. She was all for them to make up their minds, but she wasn't going to let them make unfair assumptions by escaping from this room.

This was a long time coming.

Making up her mind, Selina started performing tai chi exercises, before moving on to pilates and practicing a few judo, karate, and then kick boxing moves. The hours rolled by, and it was about 5.00 pm when she decided to do a more in depth exercise. Closing her eyes, Selina focused on a form, and then transformed into the selected finalist; a long, sleek, beautiful tabby cat. Opening her eyes as one of her animagus forms was always an experience for Selina, her body, being metahuman, always vibrated with power, both physical and magic, but there was something about her animal forms that made Selina feel like the strongest and most powerful being on earth. As a cat, Selina could do anything she liked, she could go anywhere and no one would expect a cat, a mere dumb animal to do anything like that.

Selina started to stretch, and she couldn't help but make those sounds of pure pleasure. She couldn't help herself; there was something definitely orgasmic about stretching herself like this in a cat someone with decades of knowledge of yoga couldn't begin to manage, and yet a cat found it effortless. As she sat and licked her paws like the world around her was of no importance, the human aspect of Selina's mind thought long and hard about the memories she'd given Dumbledore.

According to her mothers diaries, Dumbledore and her old boyfriend had been very judgemental about certain subjects, James Potter even more so, and some of the memories, particularly her killing that street thug who hated women might make him pass judgement on her regardless of her being Lily's daughter.

Selina truly didn't care about his former attachment to her mother; she wasn't Lily Evans incarnate, but then again Selina wasn't sure. Sometimes Selina had wondered, especially after her mother had told her the truth about her father and what he'd done to Lily, she'd wondered who she was. Did she take after her mother more than her father, or vice versa? Lily had tried to answer that question more than once, and one of the last things she'd said had been when she was dying. Lily, on her deathbed, had told her she was her own person, a kind person who gave her loot to those without anything in the world. It was true, Selina had given quite a bit to charity over the years, both in name and in person, but that had been to clear up the crimes her own blood had committed over the years, especially at the hands of Lord Voldemort. But did those isolated deeds help her in the long run to soothing her soul?

As she continued to bite and lick her cat fur, Selina thought about her problems. She wasn't afraid of the magical world, but she was concerned about what they might do if they found out about her existence. She wasn't afraid of them because they didn't know the first real thing about her. They didn't know where she lived, where she worked, what her plans for her future were, but the biggest card was despite having her here, they didn't know the full extent of her knowledge. If she played her cards right, she could leave here and not be bothered in the future. This was an errand.

Like her mother, the young witch soaked knowledge up like a sponge, and she'd learnt from her mothers knee. Lily may have been reluctant at first to teach her magic, but it was her right, her heritage. Besides sooner or later Selina would discover her magical abilities, whether by accident or by a school admission letter, and then Lily would need to painfully tell her daughter the truth.

Lily had suffered a great deal, but she had worked hard to ensure her daughter had received a childhood her father had not, and she didn't want all her hard work wasted by a simple misunderstanding that could turn to resentment.

But once Lily had started teaching Selina magic, as well as muggle subjects, there was no going back. It was like a tide that never ebbed, and Selina went further. She found out about wiccan magic, and later the magic of the Old Religion. She'd found an old grimiore by accident, and quite by chance because knowledge of the Old Religion was rarer than finding one time edition books, and she'd learnt the powerful magic, magic as old as the world, magic more greater and richer than what Selina might have learnt stuck in some boring classroom, waving a stupid wand.

If pushed, Selina wouldn't hesitate to push back. She didn't want to, though, and she genuinely hoped to forge a long standing trust with these people. Her ears, already sensitive because of her meta powers but more stronger as a cat, pricked up at once at the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. Selina's head shot up, her cat eyes unblinking. Then she went back to licking herself. Maybe seeing her as a cat would tell these people she was more than capable of magic without them knowing anything else.

The door opened, admitting Albus Dumbledore and the Potters - and they stopped, staring at the cat who was licking herself shamelessly. James's eyes shot open in shock, knowing he was seeing an animagus. Dumbledore just smiled.

" Selina, you can turn back now if you wish." He invited.

The cat looked up, then she jumped down from the bed, and started walking over. She transformed along the way, not stopping her stride.

" Professor Dumbledore," the young woman greeted, " Mr and Mrs Potter."

" You're an animagus," James was still stunned a witch without any visible magical training would become an animagus seemingly so effortlessly.

Selina nodded.

" How did you learn it?" James persisted.

Selina smiled. " The true masters of animagus transformation, the Native American Indians were kind enough to teach me the rudiments of their abilities, especially after I helped them with a little matter." She smiled deeper, her face innocent. Amelia could see no attempt would get her to talk.

Amelia eyed her suspiciously; now she'd seen what this girl had done in those memories, and this latest demonstration of an ability that few had mastered, she wondered what else this girl was hiding, bearing in mind she had murdered someone, though she could do nothing about it.

" That's all you are getting," Selina replied, holding up her hand. " Look, I helped them with a problem, and they taught me the animagus transformation without question."

Amelia was still hoping to learn more about this girl, and she wasn't going to ease up on it. " From your mothers memory, you're a thief," she began.

Selina's eyes widened. " Oops," she replied, not sounding sorry at all. " Girl's gotta make a living."

" You could get a job."

" I could, yes," Selina agreed readily. " I once applied to work as a secretary for this big company, I've forgotton the details," she lied, she remembered as easily as she could remember some of her first days of school. " Anyway, this guy who interviewed me spent more time looking at my breasts. I was more than willing to let it go, especially if it meant having a decent career, opening new doors for me as I travelled. Unfortunately, whilst I was willing to let the matter drop, he wasn't."

James frowned. Sexual harassment as just as problematic here in the wizarding world as it clearly was in the muggle world. " What happened?" He asked. He wasn't surprised when he felt, despite this girl's parentage, a hint of protectiveness towards her.

Selina frowned, her eyes darkening in remembrance as she recalled the incident. " He pinched my bum as I he held the door open, I retaliated by breaking his arm and jaw. After that I stopped bothering."

Dumbledore frowned but he didn't say a word about forgiveness. " Selina," he began to change the subject. " I do not care if you are a thief. Life is about choosing who you are, and I can see Lily is right about you being a good person."

Selina inclined her head, but if her quirked eyebrow was any indication she wasn't overly complimented by Dumbledore's words. The old man carried on.

" I must however question your methods, how you promised yourself not to become like your father-"

Selina interrupted him. " Ah, I can see where you are going with this. Since that...night," the wizards could see the girl trying to rein in her emotions.

" I haven't killed anyone since. That thing that murdered my mother was the first and only person I killed. Didn't you see the memory I supplied afterward?"

She didn't bother looking at Dumbledore, instead she focused on the Potters. " Well, answer me. Did you or didn't you?"

James looked down. " Yes. We saw the memory."

The memory had been of the aftermath of the thugs death. After dropping him, Selina had collapsed, hugging herself to the brick roof as tears as she cried for her mother, and for the fact she'd taken a life. James had the impression she was also crying for herself, the fact she was no better than her father, or so they'd thought. It had also changed his wifes opinion about the girl, for which he was grateful. Though she was a different person, James could see much of her mother in Selina. Which was good as he truly didn't want to see the other half, the half belonging to her father.

Selina swallowed. " Can I have the memories back please?" She held out her hand.

Dumbledore didn't want the memories to leave. He considered it for the Greater - no, he thought. It was that thought process that made it easy for Lily to be kidnapped, Voldemort to have so many followers, and Snape to become a death eater when the Headmaster had thought the boy would never do it, and allowed him to get away with murder. Literally.

The memories, Dumbledore thought, should be used to clear a few questions. Maybe, he thought as he realised those memories represented a private person, and they shouldn't be made public knowledge. Lily Evans' death had, naturally, brought up many questions about her fate. Maybe it was a wise move to let this young woman live privately, without the magical world knowing the truth of her paternity. Dumbledore may talk about the Greater good, but was it necessary to ruin this girl's life?

No, Dumbledore thought. It wasn't.

Selina Evans couldn't help who her father was anymore than Dumbledore could his own family.

He nodded. " Very well, I shall hand over the memories soon."

Selina nodded, then a thought appeared. " Could you do me a favour? I don't really know much about my mother aside from the memories I have of her growing up. Can you tell me about her, and give memories to me so I can cherish a different side of her?" Tears began leaking from Selina's eyes.

Dumbledore and James nodded. Amelia smiled. " I think we can arrange that."

Bag considerably more heavier because of the number of memories, Selina was walking away from Potter manor with a smile on her face. Mission accomplished, all was good in the world.

James and Amelia were alongside her as they walked to the barrier where James had created a portkey which would take her to the Leaky Cauldron, and allow her into the muggle world. Selina was given the portkey - the water bottle she'd been carrying - and was about to go when James put a hand on her arm. She gave him a curious look, and James had to chuckle at the catness in the look. Was that even a real word, catness?

Oh, well. Never mind.

James smiled as he pulled out a mirror, and handed it over to Selina. The young woman took it with a scrunched look on her face. She looked at James. " What is this for?" She asked.

" Its a two way mirror," James explained. " My friends and I made a set of them during our time in Hogwarts. We used them to cheat at school, and talk to each other in detentions."

Amelia huffed. Clearly she didn't approve of this.

James smirked at her before turning back to face Selina. " Anyway," she continued. " all you need to do is say my name, and I'll appear live on the mirror."

Selina looked at the mirror, then back at James. " My mother spoke of you, after she told me the truth of my paternity," her face darkened before it lit up again when she looked into his face. " She told me that despite your cowboy attitude, you were a good man." Selina held up the mirror. " Its nice to know you still want to keep in touch with me, despite knowing my father was a monster." She hugged him. James had been heartwarmed by her speech, and hugged her tightly back.

It was good to have a piece of Lily back.

He pulled away.

" Just wanted to know," he smiled. " You as a thief, how did that happen?"

Selina laughed as she realised this question hadn't come up. " It happened in a store," she smirked at the memory. " This manager was being unfair to this bunch of kids. They wanted chocolate, but he wouldn't let them for some stupid, bizarre reason. Anyway, whilst his attention was diverted, I managed to steal enough. When they came out, I showed them, and I was a hero.

She chuckled. " Whilst I was hailed as a hero, seen as a robin hood, I was amazed by how easily it was to steal. I soon learnt I was a natural thief, able to use distractions to my advantage. So I began practicing. I graduated from pickpocketing to cat burglarly. I learnt from street magicians, escape artists, anything that had an application. I don't rob for the hell of it, though it gives a nice income. Its more of a lifestyle. Its the excitement, the danger that gets me." Selina smirked at James and Amelia, knowing the justice loving woman was trying hard to stop herself arresting her, but the young thief knew she couldn't do anything about it.

James chortled. " You're more like Lily than you realise. Don't look surprised. Yeah, she may not have enjoyed me being a vigilante at school, but she was one herself. She would get herself into all kinds of issues with the debates she came up with, and she won almost every time. Lily would never have let those kids suffered." His smile disappeared, a more solemn look came over his face. " In that regard you are nothing like Lord Voldemort."

Tears trickled down Selina's face as she threw herself at James again, this time Amelia dragged herself into the hug. For a long moment, the three people with different backgrounds held each other in a warm embrace.

Finally, gently, Selina let go. She grasped the portkey and her bag, with both hands, and she said one last word to the Potters.

" Goodbye."

She disappeared, this time with a lighter heart than before. Now she had friends and contacts in the magical world.