The Rani.

The Whirlwind.

Albus Dumbledore rubbed his eyes tiredly in the candlelit gloom of his office, his eyes sore from reading the incredibly neat, and annoying, script in the hand of Percy Weasley, the most pompous fool that made Fudge himself look like a choirboy, and Dumbledore wondered why, aside from placating Molly Weasley's loud mouth, he'd made the arrogant little twerp into the Head boy when he was clearly not suited for the job. Fudge wanted to meet him, and Dumbledore often wondered why on earth he bothered with the incompetant little twit. It wasn't as though he was helping the war effort, taking bribes from Death eaters. Fudge lived in a fantasy world where the real world had no place, where everyone adored him as a minister. The sad fact was everyone saw the ministry as it was, especially now during the wartime, and Fudge was cutting the costs to the aurors meaning there weren't enough fighters, and more death eaters. At one point Fudge may've done a more or less decent job as a minister in peacetime, but in the time they were in he was a blundering fool, his staff were no better, and they were constantly drawing money that should be diverted to the war effort into pointless and stupidly insane galas. Digustedly, Dumbledore threw the offending letter away, his mind, tired as it was, trying to formulate a way to get the little parasite off his back so then he could turn his attention to more important matters.

Dumbledore sighed as he realised Fudge was, once again, going to make another political jab at him for not being able to fight the war properly, and in a sense Dumbledore could well understand and appreciate that, seeing as how he'd made a monumental mistake years ago when Voldemort attacked the Potters, but Fudge kept poking and prodding him, and Dumbledore was starting to lose his patience with the man. Fudge seemed to think politics was the answer to everything, even war. Politics wasn't going to bring Ursula Potter into the war, was it? Politics wasn't going to destroy Lord Voldemort and his band of animals, was it? Dumbledore had decided his policy of forgiveness was no longer going to work, but he was so set in his ways it was too difficult for him to manage it. Dumbledore sighed, and this time put his head in his hands, closing his eyes as he did.

He could feel his considerable years on top of his shoulders, and no amount of magic could stop the aging process of wizards, and it didn't help matters he was a very old wizard who was fighting a war with a violent enemy. Every one had their limits, and Dumbledore was finding those limits coming closer and closer, and he was sure that he'd long passed the point where he shouldn't duel long ago. He knew that he was no longer as agile as he'd used to be, which was why he limited his presence on the frontlines, although when he did go it was always when he had taken mild strengthening draughts. Dumbledore grimaced, there was a time when he'd had a near unbeatable magical strength, and scum like Lucius Malfoy - how he'd wished he'd pushed for the dementors kiss for that one, it would save him from the grief the slippery bastard put him and his light side allies through - how he hated getting old, and the recent problems didn't help matters, in fact it made the old wizard wish he could just retire there and then, the problems were so disturbing. It had been a week since Lily Potter had been attacked by Ursula Potter, and in that time Dumbledore had been trying to convince himself, another problem with getting old, that she wasn't the violent monster she was starting to appear as, but it did no use.

Lily Potter had been found unconscious with a noose around her neck, her hands and feet bound, and those were not good signs. The only consolation was that Ursula hadn't hurt her, even when she had her mother in her power. The worst of it was the knowledge Ursula knew about him and the Order spying on her and her businesses. Clearly she was paranoid enough to want to know everything about her company, and who was working for her. From a business perspective it made a lot of good sense, especially in an industry. Dumbledore had been hoping to use the knowledge that Ursula had built a technology company from nothing to think out a plan to persuade her to return to the magical world. He was sure that she was a witch, that her powers were untrained, but there had been no sign of her in the Hogwarts roster for students due to attend the school. That mystified Dumbledore, and he recalled too vividly that Ursula's magic had been incredibly low when it had been the highest of the twins when he'd tested them when they were infants. What had happened?

There were a number of questions about the incident that didn't make sense to Dumbledore. He wasn't sure if any of the Order had picked them up yet. How did Ursula know where the Potter cottage was, and how did she find a way of getting through the wards? Dumbledore knew the Potters had been careful with how they laid down those wards, and he knew getting through them wasn't an easy feat. After Voldemort's attack, they had been more cautious, and they'd carefully improved upon the wards to a point where Dumbledore himself would need to work hard what they were.

Dumbledore sighed wearily, cursing himself for so many things. Lily had been right about Samantha Granger, though Dumbledore himself couldn't see that his actions had harmed his cause. In his mind, Ursula shouldn't have known about the elder Granger.

Samantha Granger had never been taken with him, and his image, unlike her cousin, Hermione. Samantha and Hermione Granger had a lot in common, looks, brains and abilities, but Hermione believed wholeheartedly in authority figures, a laughable and very stupid thing, but useful in Dumbledore's eyes, since he could ask the girl to come into his office and he could do whatever he liked with her because in her narrow view of the world he was Albus Dumbledore, and if he asked her too have sex with him then she would do it. Samantha Granger had never liked or trusted him, and she had proven she'd been sorted into Ravenclaw for a good reason. It was thought that being in Ravenclaw meant you loved books, but Dumbledore knew that some Ravenclaws weren't just into reading, they were into observing other people. Luna Lovegood, strange as she was, was well into the background of the school to observe people, the way people treated her meant no one could see her observing and memorising others.

Samantha Granger was the same, and Dumbledore knew that those who observed in the school noticed a lot of things about him and others. Samantha Granger had noticed that the headmaster had pretty much cut off all ties to the running of the school. It was true enough.

When Dumbledore had become headmaster when Dippet retired, he'd stopped teaching so then he could focus on other matters, but that did not mean his eye on the students didn't probe into different corners of the castle.

Bringing Samantha Granger into the picture had been difficult, the girl surprised that Dumbledore had wanted to speak to her. They'd never before spoken to each other when Samantha had attended Hogwarts, so she was surprised she was being summoned to Dumbledore then. Dumbledore had started by putting Samantha at ease, asking her how she was, that sort of thing. Samantha had cut to the chase, Dumbledore had wanted to see her and not have a mundane conversation with her.

Dumbledore remembered the meeting..

FLASHBACK.

Samantha Granger, dressed in neat muggle attire, sat down in front of Dumbledore's desk. She was nervous, she'd expected to see Dumbledore for some reason, and she had no idea she would be meeting the Potters. Samantha didn't know the family that well, but she was aware of the Boy Who lived legend.

Dumbledore smiled benevolently, his face in its usual grandfatherly mask. " Ah, Samantha. Welcome back to Hogwarts."

Sam quirked an eyebrow, " Headmaster."

" How are you, and how is your time in the muggle world going? I was saddened to hear you'd left the magical world when you graduated." Dumbledore asked, looking concerned.

" You're a bit late for concern, headmaster," Samantha retorted, clearly losing her patience. " If you'd truly been concerned about me, then you could've stoppped the pureblood bigots from making sure I was not hired when I started looking for work. I spent a year looking, but all I got was the same thing, ' you're a mudblood, we don't hire mudbloods.' My parents weren't happy, they'd spent a fortune ensuring my education, only to see it wasted. I had to move abroad to find work in the muggle world, and catch up with my education."

Dumbledore sighed, wishing he hadn't been so obtuse to bring the subject up. " I am sorry for that." He tried.

" Too late for apologies. Can you please get to the point of why I'm here?" Samantha asked, starting to get suspicious about why she was here. " I don't suppose you spend your time calling in Hogwarts students you and the magical world on the whole have let down by giving them an education, only to find that education's worthless."

" Hogwarts is the greatest magical school in the world," Dumbledore protested.

Samantha sighed. She was not in the mood to find out why Dumbledore wanted to find out how she was doing. If the Potters were not in the room then she wouldn't be suspicious. She nodded in their direction, " What are the Potters doing here?"

Dumbledore leant back in his throne like seat. " They are the reason you have been called." He sighed. " Are you aware that Darren Potter is not the boy who lived?"

The question was so startling, so unexpected, Samantha thought she was hearing things. Darren Potter, not the boy who lived? The magical world had waited for years for the boy wonder to arrive at Hogwarts, but the news was unbelievable. Samantha, from her cynical and muggle raised point of view, couldn't understand what was so special about the boy herself, and how he survived a curse that should mean certain death.

Dumbledore carried on. " The Potters had two children, a boy and a girl. The boy, naturally, is Darren, but the girl, Ursula, was left with an orphanage when it was decided that she would prove to be a liability."

Samantha turned a furious gaze to the Potters, who were looking like they were on the verge of breaking down. " You abandoned your child, for him?" She pointed at the old wizard. " Who are you to make that decision? Is this what you do to families as Leader of the Light," she sneered the word Light from her lips, " you make families abandon their children because they don't fulfill your idea of a savior?"

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed in anger. " I did what I thought was right."

" Abandoning a child, yeah I can see how that's right. But what does this have to do with me?" Then Samantha connected the dots, and her eyes widened. " Ursula? Ursula's the girl who lived?"

" Yes. It took us a while to find her. I read the muggle papers more than anyone, and I found this." Dumbledore handed her a paper. Samanatha recognised it, it was the opening of the Wasp Industries building three years before. Samanatha looked at Lily, then back at Ursula. The two were practically identical, except that Ursulas eyes were practically souless.

The penny dropped.

" You want me to spy on her, don't you?" Samantha looked at the Potters and Dumbledore in disgust. " You want me to spy on her when all you could do is talk to her like a civilised person."

Lily's tears were falling faster, and Samantha got the impression Mrs Potter didn't like this idea anymore than she herself did.

" Please, Samantha," Lily tried. " We need to know her."

" Then talk to her."

" We don't know how." James interjected, getting angry that this girl wasn't falling into line. " What're we supposed to do, knock on her door and say to her, oh sorry Ursula, we're your parents, the same parents who abandoned you because you weren't the girl who lived. Yes, that would go down a treat."

Samantha shook her head. " No, I wont do it."

" We'll pay you."

" No amount of money will make me betray her."

Dumbledore tried again, and he tried his hardest not to sound too desperate. If he sounded it then Samantha would just dig her heels in deeper.

" I will use my influence to help you find work in the magical world."

Samantha shook her head. " Your too late. I'm happy in the muggle world."

" Then I shall expell your cousin." Dumbledore announced, and Samantha was glad to see that she wasn't the only one to look uncomfortable with this. Lily and James were stunned Dumbledore would need to go that far.

Samantha tried to be confident. " You wouldn't?" She was sure it was a bluff.

Dumbledore picked up a hefty file, and Samanatha could see the name Hermione Granger stamped on it. The file looked like it could fill a couple of very thick textbooks. Her heart sank, he wasn't bluffing, but then she was sure that Dumbledore had simply taken the file cover and filled it with paper. Dumbledore didn't end there, as if reading her thoughts, he opened the file and handed some papers over to Samantha. She read them with increasing anger and heartache. She knew if Dumbledore expelled Hermione then the reason would get out. Her. She would be responsible, and her parents and Aunt Emma and Uncle Dan would make her life hell.

Samantha swallowed, " Ursula Potter is paranoid. She seems to know when spies and saboteurs are around. How am I supposed to spy on her?"

Pleased this arrogant girl was in his team at last, Dumbledore said to her. " No, you misunderstand. Your not going to rifle through her papers. We want you to keep an eye on her, and report back with Fawkes, my phoenix."

FLASHBACK ENDS.

Dumbledore knew that his plans had been rushed, but at the time he honestly had no idea what else he could've done. He glanced up at his phoenix, and was stunned. Fawkes looked like he was on the point of collapse, sawying almost drunkenly, his normally glossy scarlet and golden plummage looked faded and dull. Then Dumbledore became aware that there was something wrong with his magic. He couldn't feel it anymore. He felt, powerless, and his body, usually having magic circulating through him that he knew occured through his mastery with magic.

" Now, your phoenix succumbed to the effect of the dampening field faster than you did. I've been perfecting it for a while. Lily Potter didn't even notice the effects, but you, you seem to have been more aware of it than my useless mother." A female voice said from behind him, a shadowy form moving past him. Dumbledore was so weak he couldn't move as well as before, but he had the ability to glance up, and he saw the face of Ursula Potter. She looked like a colder version of Lily, and Dumbledore's heart clenched on the lack of soul or expression in the gaze of the girl.

" Ursula..."

She sneered at him. " Albus Dumbledore. Don't be so surprised, I've been watching you for ages." Arrogantly, the girl jumped into a chair opposite him.

" You'll die soon," she told him, and the blunt coldness frightened the old man. When he tried to speak she spoke over him, not even giving him a chance to say a word to her. " I've already told my mother, but I've been observing you long enough to realise that you like sitting in your own little world, so arrogant in believing that you can do whatever you want and whenever you want. I'm here to prove to you that I am a threat."

Whipping her hand into her belt, Dumbledore's eyes widened when he saw the snub nosed weapon in her hand. There was a flash of light, and part of the wall close to Dumbledore's head exploded into fragments of rock and plaster. Ursula smirked at him, and held up the weapon so then he got a good look at it. " A plasma cannon. With this I could put a hole in your torso, so big that your arms, legs and head are separated from the rest of your body."

Dumbledore gasped out, feeling his strength leak out of him. " Why?" He gurgled.

" Why not? You and my parents abandoned me, all because I can't do magic." When Dumbledore's eyes shot open, Ursula showed her surprise. " You mean you didn't know? I can't do magic, you're wasting your time."

Ursula let that sink in before she attacked Dumbledore before the old man could even blink. On reflex the old man tried to take out his wand, but she swatted the stick out his hand and threw him back into his seat so he was looking up at her as she loomed over him. Dumbledore watched in growing dread as Ursula Potter held something up and squirted a liquid into his face...

" Albus, Albus! Wake Up!"

Dumbledore groaned as he woke up, thinking and praying that what had happened had been nothing more than a hideous dream. When his eyes focused on Minerva's concerned face, and around the office he knew it had not been a dream. The room had been torn to shreds, the portraits had been incinerated, only the frames existed where the canvas was now burnt out holes. The instruments and the cabinet where he kept the pensieve had been wrecked and their debris were cluttered all over the floor. The worst of it was Fawkes. Dumbledore's horrified gaze rested on the Phoenix. The once beautfiul bird was a pile of ash, and a tiny and ugly creature was moaning on the perch table.