The Impossible Miracle
It was a dream. At least, that's what I thought. Just a dream. I'd had others like it many, many times. Because there was no way this could be real. And as I opened my eyes and saw the wonderful, blue ones of my boyfriend, I could almost fool myself into believing that it never happened. When I became more aware of my surroundings, I realized that we were back in the stables, my head was in Draco's lap, and he was fanning me with some random piece of paper.
"What the hell happened to me?" I asked. He pushed some hair behind my ear.
"You passed out, love." He said, but he had a smile on his face.
"Oh God. That's embarrassing. Thank God no one else saw." He handed me a glass of water, and I gulped it like it was the last glass of water on the planet. "I had the weirdest dream. I mean, I've had plenty of dreams just like it, but this one was so realistic…" I said.
"That's because it was real, Sherlock," Someone from behind me said, and I closed my eyes. Deep down, I knew all along it wasn't a dream, but for some reason my heart couldn't take it. I spent my whole life missing my little sister, I felt like this was too good to actually be happening to me. "Talia—" But I never got to hear what she was going to say, because suddenly I was running over to her and hugging her so hard we fell to the ground, and I never wanted to let go. "Talia, I can't breathe—"
"Oops! I'm sorry!" I said, and let go. I sat up, pulling her with me, so we were sitting cross-legged right in front of each other. I put my hands on her face, and touched her hair, and grabbed her hands. "I can't believe this. How are you here? You're dead." I said.
"Well, obviously I'm not…" She said sarcastically, and I smiled.
"Well, you know what I mean. The last time I saw you, I thought you were dead. You weren't breathing! You were bleeding everywhere…" I trailed off, not wanting to finish.
"I wasn't dead. I was… changing." She said, which confused the shit out of me.
"What do you mean, changing?"
"Just so you know, if we weren't already sitting, I'd suggest you take a seat."
"Yeah, yeah, just tell me what you mean." I said impatiently, which for some reason made us both smile. But then she got serious.
"Okay. Well, that night, when we were supposed to be hiding, and I ran out of the cupboard, I wasn't killed. I was attacked by Fenrir Greyback." She said, and at first I didn't quite understand what she meant.
"Yeah, I know that! You were attacked by a Death Eater, apparently Greyback, and you died!"
"No, Talia, you don't understand what I'm saying. I was attacked by Greyback." I heard Draco gasp from behind me, but my mind still wasn't allowing me to comprehend what she was telling me. Why was I being so stupid? Kayla gave a frustrated sigh. "Talia. I was bitten. By Greyback." And finally, the wall that was keeping me from understanding broke, and her words bombarded me.
"Oh God." I said, and I think I may have started to cry, just a little bit. I felt Draco's hand rubbing my back, and I was glad he was here with me. "You're… a werewolf?" My face must have looked harsh, because she winced at my words as she nodded.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, so I reached out to her and pulled her to me.
"Oh, Kay, you have nothing to be sorry for. There's nothing wrong with you!" I said, and she cried even harder.
"The only reason I haven't come to you sooner was because I was afraid that you wouldn't love me now that I'm a monster." She cried, which made me cry harder too. We cried like that for a few minutes. Well, it was more like blubbering. When we were both finally able to speak again, I looked her in the eyes.
"Kayla, you are not a monster. You're just different. And even if you were a monster, it's not like you're the first one in my life. Remember mum and dad's friend Lupin? And Bill Weasley? They were both attacked by Greyback, too! Bill's not a full-blown werewolf or anything, but he's definitely got some wolf-y qualities. And hell, you wanna talk about monsters? My boyfriend is a Slytherin!" And we both cracked up at that. I looked back to make sure I hadn't offended him or anything, but he seemed to be amused as well.
"A Slytherin? Mum and dad wouldn't like that."
"Not to mention a Malfoy." Her eyes widened.
"A Malfoy? And dad would REALLY hate that."
"Actually, they both seem okay with him." Her eyes widened, and I didn't know why. "What?"
"You mean, they're alive?" She asked, and I realized that of course she'd think they were dead.
"Yeah! Actually, they're here, at Malfoy Manor. Draco's Crazy Bitch Aunt Bellatrix is keeping them hostage."
"Why are you here, anyway? You should be in your last year at Hogwarts." I turned a little sheepish, not wanting to tell her. But I had to.
"I'm also sort of a prisoner here. They found out I'm a Siren, so they're planning on using me in this whole war thing. Jokes on them, because I'm on Team Potter." Her eyes widened once again.
"You're friends with Harry Potter?" And I laughed again and hugged her.
"Oh, the things you've missed. Don't worry; we'll catch you up eventually."
"Good. But for now, I just want to know about this boyfriend of yours." She said, and we both turned to look at him. It was really cute, his face turned immediately pink. I patted the spot next to me, and he slowly made his way over and put his arm around me. Kayla smiled.
"So are you guys dating, or are you just shagging, or what?" She asked, and I gaped at her blatancy.
"Bloody hell, Kay, were you raised by a pack of wolves or something?" I said, and we all laughed at my incredibly hilarious joke.
"As a matter of fact, yes, we are sleeping together. AND dating. So what?" I asked, and she smiled.
"Nothing, I just wanted to have some girl talk with my sister." I could've cried. I was having sex-talk with my sister. So of course, I had to ask her the follow up question.
"What about you? Are you shagging someone?" She made a face.
"Not at the moment. The last time was awful, so I've been playing it cool for a while." I looked at her with… I'm not really sure what kind of look it was. Surprise, mixed with a little bit of sadness, mixed with some violent anger at whoever gave my sister terrible sex. She looked at me bluntly and pointed at herself. "Raised by wolves." And Draco and I nodded in understanding.
"God, Kayla, I have no idea who you are! You have to tell me about yourself!" I said, and she looked like she was thinking hard about it.
"Well, I was actually raised by wolves, but it's not as stupid as it sounds. We just live in this little village in Scotland. I didn't go to Hogwarts, obviously, because apparently a werewolf going to Hogwarts is frowned upon or something. But there were a few werewolves there who taught me just about everything I'd learn at Hogwarts. I wasn't very good at first, though. I kept blowing things up." I looked at her and smiled. "What?"
"Oh, it's just that I have a friend who you'd get along nicely with. Go on." I said, gesturing to her to finish her story.
"Well, I left them like six months ago so I could travel a little bit, but then something inside me made me track you down and I found you here!"
"I'm so happy you did. Although, I gotta say, that whole stalker thing was getting pretty creepy."
"Yeah, sorry about that. I kept on deciding to come see you, but then I'd chicken out at the last second. And then tonight, I was actually going to do it, but then I saw through the window that you guys were, uh… occupied. So I ran. But you followed me." She yawned, and I noticed for the first time how tired she looked.
"Are you okay? You look pretty worn out." I said, and she gave a small smile.
"Yeah, I'm alright. We werewolves don't get that much sleep this time of month."
"Is it a full moon already?" I said, momentarily panicking.
"It's in a couple days. But don't worry; I've got a year's worth of this potion that lets me stay in my right mind when I'm a wolf."
"Yeah, Lupin takes that stuff. God, he is going to be so happy you're alive. So is Sirius, and all the Weasleys, and… Mum and dad! We have to go tell them! I think the window from their room is around this area…"
"Let's wait until tomorrow! I'm pretty tired. And… nervous. What if they don't love me?" She asked, and I held up the wrist that had the bracelet that she made our mum all those years ago.
"Mum gave this to me after we met. She told me that you made it for her, right before that horrible night happened. She's worn it every day, every year since then. Well, until she gave it to me, that is. I'm pretty sure they'll love you no matter what." She looked hopeful, but still nervous. "That's okay. We can wait until tomorrow. It's not like I can walk into their room in nothing but my boyfriend's shirt, anyway."
…
I woke up with sun on my face, and for a moment was a little scared that we slept too late. It would be way too hard to get back into the Manor this late in the morning. But then, I remembered the events of the night before, and a smile appeared on my face before my eyes even opened. When they did open, I found myself asleep on Draco's chest, and his arm around me. I rolled over onto my back, and he pulled his arm away and rolled over to his other side. Man, that boy slept like a rock. I looked over at Kayla, a few feet away wrapped up in her own blanket and pillow, but wide awake. So I scooted closer to her until we were right next to each other, and was instantly reminded of when we were little and would share a bed when we wanted to stay up late and talk. I think she felt the same way.
"Are you ready to talk to mum and dad?" I asked her, whispering se we didn't wake up Draco. Kayla seemed nervous, but happy.
"I think so. It's been so long since we've been a family." Her eyebrows scrunched up a bit, like she wanted to ask me something but wasn't sure how.
"What is it?" I asked her.
"Who did you live with? I mean, who raised you? I hope it was someone nice."
"I lived with the Weasleys." Her face lit up.
"That's so awesome! I miss those guys." She said.
"You'll see them again, soon. They all miss you too." I hugged her, and then we heard Draco stir.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" He asked, groggily.
"Well, you're just so cute when you're sleeping." I said, smiling at him.
"Yeah, and we didn't want to interrupt you're special drooling time." Kayla said, and we both laughed.
"It's gonna be a blast having both of you around, isn't it?" He said sarcastically, but he also looked sort of happy. We both nodded enthusiastically. "Good. And now we all have to go, it's pretty late. We're already going to have to sneak in a window somewhere." I smiled and looked at both of them.
"I know just the window."
…
I knocked on our parents' window, and dad was the one to greet me. Kayla was hiding just around the corner, and Draco was behind me. "Open up!" I mouthed, and he shook his head with a rueful look on his face.
"It only opens from the outside." I heard him say. I rolled my eyes, and struggled to get the window open. After a few seconds of failing, Draco stepped up and pushed it open without any effort. He helped me through the window, because I was wearing the short dress from the night before. When I was through, I straightened up and smoothed my dress, and located my mum on the couch with a book in her hands.
"Hi, sweetheart. Why are you coming through the window?" She asked, with a confused smile.
"Well, yesterday Narcissa told me that Draco had "Forgotten" to mention his birthday was a few months ago, so we snuck out and had a little celebration last night. By the way, dad, remind me to tell you about Draco's horses later. They're beautiful." I said.
"Why can't you tell me now? And why is he waiting outside?" My dad asked, and I smiled.
"Because I have something more important to tell you. Last night, Draco and I met someone who you really need to see." And Draco helped Kayla through the window. She stumbled a little bit, but I caught her. When she looked up at our parents, I saw immediate recognition in their eyes. That, and the same disbelief that I felt.
"Um, hey, mum and dad—" She was cut off by their crashing hugs, and sobs of relief.
"I knew it. I knew you were alive, I felt it. Your father didn't think so" Mum said, and I started to cry. She gave dad a sharp look.
"That's not true! I simply said it was unlikely—" He said, but mum interrupted him.
"She was attacked by Greyback, Sean! It was extremely likely!"
"I'm so sorry, Kayla, I should've believed—"
"My baby girl—" All at the same time, they grabbed me and pulled me into the hug, and I immediately gave into it. This felt amazing, we were a family again! I looked over Kayla's shoulder to see Draco smiling at us, so I reached over and yanked his arm and forced him into the hug.
Later, when we were all either on the couch or sitting in front of it, we were all catching up as a family.
"So, does this mean you're a werewolf?" My mum asked her.
"Yes, it does. But don't worry about me or anything, I'm totally fine. I'm in complete control, and I have enough potion to last me for a year. The people who raised me really helped me get a handle on all this. They even took me to get a wand and taught me magic." Mum looked like she could start crying again. "Mum, what is it?"
"I'm just really glad you both were raised by nice, kind people. But I'm also upset that I didn't get to raise you." And my dad reached over and touched her knee.
"And we're also very proud of you both." Dad said, and I giggled.
"You wouldn't be if you heard the mouth on this girl. I gotta say, being raised by wolves gave her such filthy language." I said, making fun of her, she crossed her arms in mock-defiance.
"Well, excuse me miss bitch-this-and-shit-that, you're language isn't any better than mine." And we started playfully arguing, and Draco even piped in a few times in my defense. Mum and dad just laughed.
"We should care, but we really don't. We're just glad to have you back." Mum said.
"Hey, I have something to discuss with you guys. Where am I going to stay?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well, don't get me wrong, I'll go back if I have to. I just didn't want to leave now that we've all found each other again. But I have nowhere to sleep." She said, and we all thought about it. I wished she could stay in my room, but there was no way that could work. Thankfully, Draco had an amazing idea.
"Why don't you stay in the stables? The only people who ever go out there are me and my mother, and Talia now. I mean, as long as your quiet, no one will ever know your there." We were all silent for a moment, and then I said what we were all obviously thinking.
"Draco, that's a brilliant idea." And I kissed him. I turned to Kayla. "What do you think?"
"I love it! I love horses. I mean, obviously I'll have to spend my "Time of month" A few miles away, just in case, but this is perfect."
"And I'll come see you every day! And I'll sneak you into mum and dad's room as much as I can! And I'll even sneak you up to my room as much as I can! And I can bring you food and clothes…"
"Talia, I can take care of myself. Trust me. The visiting is all I need." She said, and I smiled apologetically.
"Sorry! I'm just so excited to have you back." Draco was sitting behind me running his fingers through my hair, so I leaned against him and sighed in content. "I suppose we should leave soon." I said, frowning a little.
"Why?" Kayla said, looking just as disappointed as I felt.
"Because the Crazy Bitch is going to notice that I've been gone for a full twenty four hours now. Draco, too."
"Yeah, she probably has a whole list of random, unimportant stuff for you to do that she could do in four seconds with her wand." Draco said, pulling me up with him. Kayla got up too, and pulled me into a tight, desperate hug.
"Don't leave again while I'm away." I whispered into her ear. I was so afraid that she would disappear.
"I won't, I promise." She whispered back, and Draco and I left. And I immediately missed her.
…
The next day, as I was cleaning the fireplace, I felt a presence behind me. Groaning internally, I turned around to see none other than Bellatrix Lestrange herself standing over me.
"I'm almost finished, I'm sorry it's taking so long—" I started, but she cut me off.
"Where were you yesterday? I needed you to clean out the rain gutters and wash all the windows!" She said, and this time I accidentally groaned out loud.
"Are you kidding me?" I said a little too loudly, and she heard me. She stared at me for a few seconds, taking in that I had actually talked back to her. And then the Crazy Bitch unleashed her wrath by backhanding me across the face. I immediately felt wet warmth where her hand had slapped me, and when I reached my hand up to touch it and pulled it away, it was covered in bright red blood. She had slapped me with the hand she kept a ring on. I looked behind her to see Draco hurrying over to us, a murderous glare on his face for his aunt. I shook my head ever so slightly, but I was struggling to hold back tears. Not tears of hurt, but tears of rage. If I looked up at Bellatrix, she would see glowing green eyes.
"What did you say to me? Did you talk back to me? Listen here, you little tramp. No one talks to me like that. Do you hear me? I own you, little girl. You do what I say, when I say it. Got it?" I took a few seconds to calm myself. I slowed my breathing, and closed my eyes until I was sure they were back to their bright blue. And then I straightened up and looked her right in the eyes.
"Of course, Mrs. Lestrange. I'm sorry. I'll get right on that."
"Yes. You will." She said, and started to walk away. But then Draco piped up.
"Actually, Aunt Bella, I was going to tell the Jackson girl to go clean up my horses and get them ready for the day. They haven't been out in a while, and I was going to spend the day letting them run." Bellatrix, while looking soft at her nephew, still had hard, suspicious eyes for me.
"Didn't she spend all of yesterday and the day before with the horses?"
"Well, yes, but that was just their stables. Now I need her to clean the horses themselves. I'm certainly not going to do it myself." He said with that perfect Malfoy sneer.
"Of course you aren't! Miss Jackson, go out and clean up Draco's horses. And why don't you follow him while he rides them, in case he needs something."
"Yes, Ma'am." I said, and followed Draco outside to the stables. I saw Kayla sitting there on a little bed area she had put together, and she had a warm smile for me. And later on, I was able to return that warm smile. But for now, when Draco put some sound and sight barriers around the stables, there was one thing I needed to do first.
I screamed.