July 29th, 1994

"Come to the kitchen, kiddo." Sirius sighed, pulling Mary's focus away from her summer essay on Cheering Charms. "We need to talk."

Even if his tone hadn't clued her in to the ominousness of the situation, then Remus' distraught and pained glances would have told her that she wasn't going to like what she heard. Sirius looked ragged, his eyes had dark circles under them and his hair hung limply around his pale face.

"What's going on?" Mary stopped at the table looking from one godfather to the other, her heart pounding as she waited to hear the worst news. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," Remus answered quickly, cutting a sharp look at Sirius that Mary didn't miss. "There are just a few issues that we need to address. But before we get into that, we need you to swear here and now that what we say stays a secret. It's imperative that you not tell anyone else what we speak about today."

"I can't agree to that unless I know what this is about," Mary told them firmly. "I love you both, and trust you with my life, but I can't agree to keep a secret that could cost me even more."

Sirius leaned forward, his hands clasped in front of himself so tightly that she could see the white in his knuckles. "Have you ever wondered why Voldemort has a twisted fascination with you? Why are you targeted more than anyone else? Why do you bear that scar and are the only one that has ever survived the Killing Curse?"

"Sirius!" Remus hissed angrily. "We were supposed to ease into it!"

Mary breathed a sigh of relief and stood up with a laugh. "You two have nothing to worry about. I already know that it's him or me. I also know that he's not quite dead yet. Like me, he's just too stubborn to die."

The need to sit back down and tell them everything burned through her like an unquenchable fire. It was consuming all of her will-power, that aching need to have someone who would have her back and help her through the trials that she would have to face. She wanted to relieve herself of the burden and go about having a normal life for as long as she could.

I can't. She swallowed down the urge like the worst medicine. It'd only put them in more danger.

"But there's a prophecy!" Sirius ground out, looking as though he was at the end of his rope. "Two actually."

"Don't!" Mary hissed, walking around the table, eyes blazing as she stared up at him. "Don't tell me what it says. I really don't want to know."

"You have to know!" Sirius argued, grasping her shoulders. "How else will you prepare?"

How prepared do you have to be to die?

"He's going to come back." Mary stood her ground. "But I'm going to do everything in my power to stop him. I don't need to know anymore. What do you want me to say? That I'll stand idly by and let others die to protect me. I've been dealing with Voldemort since I was a first year and I'm not about to let him start dictating the way I live my life. I'll kill him or die trying."

"Stop." Remus put his arms around her and pulled her into a strong hug. "You're not going to get anywhere near him whether he comes back or not. I won't let you."

"You can't stop Fate, Moony," Mary whispered, flashes of his pale lifeless body lying in the Great Hall with the rest of the dead flashing before her eyes. "No matter how much you want to."

"Read this." Sirius pushed a piece of parchment toward her, revealing two thin paragraphs written in loopy handwriting that looked vaguely familiar.

Thinking that they had finally put Grimmauld Place under the Fidelius Charm and Sirius wanted her in on the secret, Mary pulled it to her. The words seemed to burn into her mind and she couldn't force herself to look away if she tried. The prophecies had not changed, which was an immense relief, but still seeing the words in front of her came as a shock. Nerves on edge, she flicked her wrist and called her wand to her hand, setting the parchment alight with a single spell, then banished the ashes with another.

Sirius stepped forward and grasped her hands. "I'm so sorry, kiddo. You may not want to know, but I can't let you walk around not realising the danger you could be in. As such, we'll be moving to Grimmauld Place until we can be sure that the danger is gone."

Mary looked around the small flat with a pained expression. "But this is our home."

"We'll come back." Remus assured her. "There's just too much traffic in the Alley. No matter what protections we put on this place, there is still a chance someone will see us come in or out. It's best if we stay somewhere more secluded."

Sirius grimaced. "Dobby will be taking our things there later today."

"So soon?" She asked with narrowed eyes. "Why now? There's been no sign of Voldemort for over two years."

Remus put a warm hand on her arm. "That's what Dumbledore is worried about. It's been so quiet recently that we believe he is up to something."

Wormtail is still in Azkaban. Mary tried to align the changes she made that should have changed the future. But Barty Jr. is out and in hiding.

There was nothing she could do to stop the escaped Death Eater, but she could take out as many Horcruxes as she could get her hands on before he found and tried to revive Voldemort. All she needed was to study her journals and figure out exactly where the Resurrection Stone was, then she'd be one step closer in destroying the Horcrux in it.

"Mary?" Remus knelt down in front of her, grasping her hands and prying them off the chair's arms. "You okay?"

The arm of the oak chair had curved marks etched into the wood where her nails had dug into the grain. Her nails were broken and bloody where splinters had embedded under the soft flesh. A small gasp left her lips as the sharp bite of pain finally registered in her mind, shaking her from her daze.

"I screwed up by leaving the Blood Wards at the Dursleys', didn't I?" Mary looked down and the bright red drops that were splattered on the pristine floor. "I would have been out of the way and well hidden. You both would have been safer. I was selfish and wrong to leave there."

"No." Remus grasped the sides of her face and forced her to focus on him. "You were not safe or cared for there. And if I hear you talk like that again, you'll be grounded for the summer."

"But-" Mary tried to argue, but the sandy haired man shook his head, his amber eyes blazing.

"We'll take your wands and you'll be forced to spend the summer cleaning and doing your chores like a Muggle." Sirius threatened with a huff.

Mary baulked at his stance. "Why the hell would that bother me? Actually, all you'd have to do is lock me in my room and it'd be like being back at the Dursleys."

Remus sighed in resignation. "We're not taking anything from you, Mary Jane. All we want is for you to be safe and happy. You'll be more than welcome to visit your friends and let them visit. We can come back here by Floo or Portkey anytime you need a break."

"Promise?" Mary looked from one guardian to the other. "I can even use the Floo?"

"Whenever you want." Sirius replied quickly. "If you're going to visit a friend all we ask is that you leave us a note or tell us before you go."

The two were constantly leaving the house for hours at a time while on different missions for Dumbledore. Not to mention that they would be gone overnight during Moony's monthly time. Having access to both the Floo and Knight Bus would help her immensely in tracking down the Stone, while not being in the Alley would be an added security that she wasn't being watched by either side.

"Okay." Mary shrugged quickly. "I'm in."

"That's our girl." Sirius patted her on the back. "Knew you'd listen to reason."

Mary smiled tightly and stood up. "I'm just going to go pack."

"Here." Remus pressed a small wooden box into her hand. "Inside this is a Portkey to your room in Grimmauld Place. If there's ever an emergency just say; "Crazy House" and it will take you straight there."

"Will it take me to the crazy house or just my room?" She asked quickly, lifting the lid and looking down at the bronze medallion.

Sirius laughed loudly, the stress lines on his face breaking as his smile pulled them away. "It's one in the same, kiddo."

Remus shook his head in exasperation and sighed. "Keep it on you at all times."

Mary quickly hugged them both. "I'll attach it to the inside of my wand holster so I never forget it."

As she walked back to her room, a plan had already started forming in her mind. Sirius had the full legal right to the Black Family Vaults and while Bellatrix was technically a Lestrange, her personal vault was well in Sirius' grasp. Figuring out how to get him to give her access to the Vault would be something that she'd have to think about, but it wasn't going to be as difficult for her to steal that Horcrux as it was for Harry. It was the Resurrection Stone and Nagini that posed to be the most challenging Horcruxes, but she was sure that she could get at least one of them destroyed before the end of summer.

Looking at the map of the UK that was pinned to the wall above her desk, she pushed a bright red pin into the spot that pointed out Little Hangleton. Voldemort was there, more than likely with help, biding his time until he could be resurrected into a new body. There was no way that she could stop his resurrection, but she could make his supposed immortality a lot shorter.

Like Harry, she'd spent the past few years striving and fighting to keep the Dark Lord from regaining his power over the Wizarding World. She'd almost died the night she faced Quirrell. She'd almost died going against the basilisk and sixteen year old Tom Riddle. But she swore then and there that she would not die until Voldemort was mortal once again. While the thought of dying seemed morbid to most, she knew that the sacrifice would be easier for her if she knew that her friends and family would be safe.

They were what mattered most to her.

Already Mary could see the way that the changes she made were affecting the future. Sirius was safe and free. Buckbeak was alive and happy with Hagrid. Wormtail was in Azkaban alongside Umbridge. Fudge had been disgraced and banned from the country. But it wasn't safe enough yet.

It was in those times of peace and seeming tranquillity that she would sit on her bed and practise her Occlumency. It was a skill that had helped her immensely since she 'd been bitten by Moony. The calming techniques had helped her channel the sudden bursts of rage and aggression that threatened to creep up when she felt intimidated or irritated. It was also a skill she would need to perfect before she met Voldemort head on. Not to mention that the thought of either Snape or Dumbledore catching a glimpse of what she knew freaked her out. They'd probably Obliviate her.

So Mary spent the next few weeks secluded in Grimmauld Place, secretly planning and scheming the best way to take out Voldemort and his Death Eaters. And while planning it all out was simple, actually finding the time to do more research was proving to be far more taxing than she liked.

"Mary Jane?" Remus knocked, then opened her door. "Sirius is waiting for you."

Mary looked at her watch and winced at the time. It was almost nine thirty in the morning and her godfather had expected her on the duelling platform at nine. She quickly opened her desk drawer and placed her newly made portkey - fashioned to be a replica of the one Sirius had made - inside and locked the drawer.

"Oops." She grimaced, pulling on her duelling robes. "Got lost while reading."

"Happens to the best of us." Remus laughed, patting her shoulder. "Don't let Padfoot give you too much grief, he overslept and just made it outside ten minutes ago."

"Thanks, Moony!" Mary yelled back as she scrambled down the stairs.

Like every other morning since she'd moved into the Black family home, Sirius was waiting for her out in what used to be a small garden, covered in dead overgrown shrubbery and weeds, that was now a beautiful haven. Thick plush hedges surrounded the stone wall - thanks to Neville – and concrete paving stones led up to a highly polished wooden platform that was spelled with every safety and containment spell that Sirius and Remus could think of.

"You slept in," Mary stated, alerting Sirius to her presence. "I was up hours ago."

Sirius baulked and flicked his wrist, calling his wand into his hand. "You were not."

"Was too!" Mary argued lightly. "When you didn't show I figured I'd get started on next year's textbooks."

Her godfather coughed loudly and shuddered at her admission. "Enough of that. I haven't had tea yet and you're talking about schoolwork."

"Expelliarmus." Mary cast quickly, only to see that her spell bounced off Sirius' shield.

Sirius backed away and sent a bright red spell at her that she quickly dodged by diving to the ground and sending a leg-locker at him. He tripped but countered the spell and responded with a full body bind that she shielded herself from just in the nick of time.

"Incarcerous." Sirius hissed, his wand held high over his head.

Mary dropped to the ground, letting the spell soar over her head and cast both a stunning charm and binding hex in quick succession.

Moony laughed from the doorway and clapped as Mary leaned over Sirius' still form. "I'm starved. What's for breakfast?"

"My ego." Sirius shook his head and shuddered when Mary released the spells and pulled him to his feet. "Neat trick, kid."

July 31st 1994

Mary woke from an odd dream that she couldn't remember, groaning when she rolled over only to get a face full of brilliant sunshine. She knew that she had closed the curtains the night before, but somehow they had been pulled back while she slept. With a groan of pure misery she pulled the covers off and stood, eyes still tightly closed.

She found the dresser in record time and dug through the pile of socks until her hands came into contact with the small vial. She pulled the stopper and quickly emptied the contents into her mouth and swallowed. A wave of mint assaulted her nose and as the Invigoration draught went into effect, quickly waking her from her stupor.

The late nights and constant doses of energy potions were taking their toll and she knew it, but there wasn't much she could do about it. She'd spent most of the night combing through the Black Family library looking for a way to get around the wards that she might encounter at the Gaunt shack, but so far all she'd accomplished was learning a few Dark and extremely dangerous spells.

Mary quickly showered and dressed and made her way downstairs to where the kitchen was still dark and cool and set into her work. Half an hour later she had a large breakfast ready and piping hot, when Sirius and Remus emerged from their bedrooms.

"Mary!" Sirius looked at her in confusion. "What are you doing up?"

"Making breakfast," she said with a raised brow. "Dobby and Kreacher aren't up yet."

"But it's your birthday." Remus intoned quietly.

"It's just another day." Mary shrugged, wondering what she had done wrong to make them look at her like she was some kind of freak.

Remus stepped forward and took the pan of bangers from her hand. "Go sit down and eat. It's your birthday and we wanted to spoil you."

Mary chuckled at the look on their faces. "Seriously?"

Remus smacked his forehead. "You really didn't just say that, did you?"

"Of course she did." Sirius smirked widely. "Birthdays are Sirius business."

"I retract my statement." Mary deadpanned at her godfather's horrible pun.

"You both suck." Sirius moped.

Sirius and Remus had both taken long drags of their tea when Mary responded. "I've just turned fourteen. I don't suck at all."

Tea sprayed from both of the elder Marauders' mouths as Mary smirked and finished her breakfast.

Silence enveloped them as they finished the meal. Mary made a point to chuckle every time Sirius took a bite, making him twitch each time. Remus looked from one to the other, probably wondering what Mary had planned.

"I'll get the dishes." Mary stood and gathered the plates.

Halfway to the sink the Floo erupted in green flames. A tall thin figure emerged, revealing Professor McGonagall in her tartan green robes.

"Minnie!" Sirius erupted gleefully. "I knew you couldn't go another day without seeing me!"

McGonagall pursed her lips and put her chin in the air. "Shut it, Black. I'm here to take Mary shopping for her school supplies."

Sirius turned to Mary and stuck his tongue out teasingly. "Shopping."

"I'll get you a pretty pink bow, Snuggly." Mary patted his shoulder as she pulled her cloak on. "I know how much you love them"

Remus chuckled into his hand and Mary smirked at him. "I'll get you one too, Moony."

"Have fun, kiddo." Sirius waved from his chair.

She waved back while she threw the Floo powder into the fireplace and let the whoosh of green flames surround her. "Diagon Alley!"

As stern as McGonagall was when they were at Hogwarts, she was actually quite fun to be around. Her calm and vast knowledge about the ins and outs of shopping in the small magical town made the experience far more bearable. While Mary was very wealthy and had more than enough to buy her items at full price, McGonagall quickly taught her that the shopkeepers were more than happy to sell items in bulk at a far cheaper price. This was demonstrated as they walked through the aisles of Slug & Jiggers.

"Get double the amount on your list." McGonagall advised her quietly. "You'll get a decent discount and the ingredients will last you quite a while."

Taking her professor's advice, Mary did just that, but added ingredients to her basket as she found that the temptation of brewing different things was too much to ignore. She needed Healing Potions and a plethora of different helpful brews that weren't on the class list. And the only way to have them on hand without drawing unnecessary attention would be to brew them herself.

McGonagall lifted a brow at her as Mary put two vials of armadillo bile in her basket. "That is not on the list, Mary."

Mary shrugged. "I need to prank Sirius at least once a week or he gets irritable."

"I see," McGonagall said, her mouth twitching as though she was trying to hide a smile. "You might need more Bulbadox Powder to really teach him a lesson."

Shock ran through her as she looked up at her professor. "Do I even want to know?"

McGonagall shook her head. "All I can say is that they picked the wrong professor for their prank. Absolutely no one wanted to see Ogg, the old Groundskeeper, strip down while scratching his sides in the Great Hall. Just the look of shock on their faces gave away their guilt."

"Yikes." Mary winced and shook her head. "Rookie mistakes."

McGonagall peered at her over the rim of her glasses. "I better not hear of any pranks in Gryffindor tower this year."

"Never." Mary smiled innocently.

McGonagall grinned in amusement as she watched Mary pile more ingredients into her basket. They left the Alley hours later, arms heavily laden with bags of clothing and supplies for the upcoming term. McGonagall, once again, gave Mary her supply list in advance, giving Mary a headstart in her classes. It was something that she was grateful for. Schoolwork was about the only normal part of her life and while it was not always fun, there was always the chance to learn skills that she could use in her tasks.

"Here we are." McGonagall said when they Floo'ed back to Grimmauld place a few hours later.

Mary set her shrunken bags down on the kitchen table, looking around for any sign of either of her godfathers, she turned to see Professor McGonagall digging through her tartan handbag.

"They must be upstairs." Mary walked out of the kitchen and down the long hallway. The large house was eerily silent, setting her nerves on edge as she went from room to room, searching for them.

"Dobby?" Mary called out. "Kreacher?"

Neither answered, cluing her in that something was amiss.

"Professor," Mary said when she walked back into the kitchen. "No one's home."

But the kitchen was empty. She hadn't heard the Floo and assumed that McGonagall was going to at least say goodbye before leaving.

A soft pop startled her so bad that she stumbled into a chair, knocking it over. Using the heavy oak table, she pulled herself up and saw the bright red feather and small scroll sitting in the middle of the fruit bowl.

"Fawkes?" Mary picked up the feather and twirled it between her fingers while opening the scroll with her right hand.

Dumbledore's thin loopy writing flowed over the scrap of parchment.

You're needed at the Weasley residence as soon as possible. -A.D.

The letter fell softly onto the table while Mary quickly pulled a set of duelling robes off the hook and made sure that both of her wands and knife were easily accessible. If she needed to fight, she'd be ready. There was no way she could let anything happen to her family. That in mind, she grabbed another handful of Floo powder and dashed back into the fireplace.

Mary stepped out of the Floo, wand in hand, ready to hex any enemy in her way.

"SURPRISE!" A chorus of voices yelled as fireworks exploded in front of her face.

A shake of her head cleared the spots from her vision, revealing the laughing faces of the entire Weasley family – minus Percy – including Bill and Charlie, Sirius, Remus, Professor McGonagall, and a plethora of her friends. Healer Tonks stood to the side with her husband Ted and their daughter. They were all standing around the table, laughing at the way her wand and hand dropped to her side as she realised that the only threat was Mrs. Weasley and Hagrid's hugs. A large feast of her favourite dishes covered the long table while a huge cake in the shape of a Golden Snitch floated above the guest. The surrounding surfaces had been cleared and covered with brightly wrapped presents.

Her breath caught in her throat and she had to pinch her leg to stop the tears from pooling in her eyes.

"Hairy Mary." Fred wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Were you really going to hex us for throwing you a party?"

George appeared at her other side. "You shouldn't hex anyone until you open your gifts. It's just bad form otherwise."

Ron pulled her away from his brothers, rolling his eyes as he guided her to the table full of presents. "It's a Weasley family tradition to open gifts before we eat. So get to it."

"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley hissed while everyone else laughed loudly.

Mary felt like she'd been put in the spotlight and couldn't help the twinge of self-consciousness as everyone stared at her, waiting for her to open her gifts. While she was touched and thankful that they were kind enough to make her birthday so special, she inwardly longed to be in her little bedroom, talking to Hedwig in peace and solitude.

The last of the sellotape broke loose and fell to the ground as Mary sat there holding a box full of brand new cassette tapes, each showing colourful pictures of Muggle music artists. Her smile was so bright that it hurt her cheeks, she'd been begging for a trip into the Muggle world for just this reason, she needed new tunes.

"Here." Mr. Weasley carefully placed a large box on the table in front of her. "Open this one next."

Mary smiled kindly and set the box of tapes on the table and quickly worked on unwrapping the new gift. Her face fell when she saw the brand new boombox sitting there in front of her. Such a nice gift was extremely expensive and she wasn't quite sure if she was willing to accept it.

"Don't you like it, dear?" Mrs. Weasley walked forward, rubbing her hands together nervously. "The Muggle at the store said that it was the newest model."

"It's too much." Mary choked out, hoping that she wasn't offending them. "It's wonderful, but really, it's too nice."

"It's from all of us." Hermione stepped up, hugging Mary quickly.

Mary laughed then tackled the Weasley parents into a hug. "Thank you."

"Oh!" Mr. Weasley blushed bright red, reminding Mary of Ron. "It was nothing, Mary. It was great fun to play with."

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley admonished her husband, her cheeks flushed. "You shouldn't be tinkering with Muggle things."

Mary leaned closer to Charlie and Bill in confusion. "What am I missing?"

Charlie laughed and crossed his arms smugly. "Dad's charmed it to work just fine around magic. Took him almost a month, but he finally got it."

"Bloody hell," she whispered, her hands holding the side of the box protectively.

Bill chuckled and patted her hard on the back. "Hurry up opening these gifts. That cake isn't going to eat itself."

Mary glanced at the mouthwatering cake and quickly went through each present, taking just enough time to thank those responsible. All through cutting the cake, her attention was split and she felt torn on what to do.

"Go ahead, dear." Mrs. Weasley encouraged her as though she knew what Mary was thinking. "Music would be most welcome."

Mary smiled and pulled the Boombox and collection of tapes out of their boxes and put a tape in. Almost immediately, loud music and a thrumming bass line reverberated throughout the orchard, filling the night with the most glorious sound. Bill and Ginny were dancing, as were many others. Mary felt a pang of bittersweet sadness when she saw Remus and Tonks poking fun at Sirius who'd just been pranked by the twins. Ted and Aunt Andy - as she'd demanded to be called-, sat together with Mr. And Mrs. Weasley shared bottles of butterbeer, while the rest of her friends and teachers milled about getting more food or talking.

Mary danced by herself, simply enjoying the music, until a hand tapped her shoulder. Mary spun around, knocking the drink out of Charlie's hand and spilling it down the front of his white t-shirt.

"I'm so sorry!" Mary started, waving her wand to vanish the mess. "I'll get you more punch."

"It's fine." Charlie held out his hand. "Would you care to dance?"

"I'd love to!" Mary laughed as the song changed into something more upbeat.

For the first real birthday party she'd ever had, she'd say it turned out pretty great.

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