December 19th, 1995
Mary sat with her legs dangling over the edge of the astronomy tower, watching as the students walked down the path to Hogsmeade Station. They were all wrapped up in their house scarves and warmest cloaks, huddling together as the wind and ice battered them. She wished that she was down there with them, sitting in a carriage and talking with her friends about their holiday plans.
The gusts of frigid air made her face and hands hurt. Her injuries from the night before were treated the Muggle way. Snape had banned her from all potions and healing spells until further notice, hoping to find a cause behind her most recent illness. Taking a deep breath of the crisp fresh air set her lungs on fire, but it helped to clear her mind.
Soft footsteps sounded on the staircase, but Mary didn't have to turn around to know who it was, the wind brought his scent to her, ink and hay.
"You weren't at the ball last night," Mary said, watching as the smoke from the train drifted further away.
"I'm a little behind on paperwork," Rolf said, sitting next to her and grimacing. "What happened to you?"
"I got into a fight with the grand staircase," Mary said, pulling her sleeves down to cover her bandaged hands. ""It won."
"Are you okay?" He asked, reaching for her hand.
"Fine," Mary said simply, turning to him. "Is there something you need?"
"You're not wearing your ring," Rolf said quietly.
"I don't need a reminder of how much Penny misses you," Mary said, trying to keep her tone neutral.
"Saphira has the necklace now," Rolf said, standing up and holding on to the railing. "I'm really sorry, Mary. I never meant to hurt you."
"Saphira's necklace is in my dresser," Mary said, glaring at him. "It's been there since you took it from her."
"Sirius owled the necklace and ring to me," Rolf said, letting out a small laugh. "He made me see reason. And I made sure Penny had it before I spoke to you last month. She owled last night to let me know that Saphira was wearing it proudly."
Mary pulled the leather strip free from her neck, fumbling with her injured fingers until the ring fell into her bandaged palm. It sat there, the grey of the world around it reflected in the thin band of silver. Mary placed it on her finger, turning the band until she felt Saphira's steady heartbeat.
"She's sleeping," Mary whispered, closing her eyes as another gust of wind whipped through.
"She's safe there," Rolf said. "It's better that she grows accustomed to the sanctuary while she's young."
Mary felt her temper flare. "She should be here with her family. If you don't understand that, then you should rethink your career."
"I see it's too soon to talk." Rolf looked down at his hands and frowned. "I'll leave you be, Mary."
"Goodbye Rolf," Mary said, turning back to look at the empty pathways and the tiny silhouettes of Thestrals in the distance.
"I'm joining the Order today," Rolf said, stopping before he reached the staircase. "Maybe you'll see that I'm serious about working things out."
"Don't join for the wrong reasons," Mary said, reaching for her cane and struggling to stand. "And don't join to prove a point to me. It won't work."
Rolf nodded, walking down the stairs and disappearing through the doorway. Mary made it three steps in that direction before the door opened and a huge black and brown dog barreled toward her, stopping and sitting at her side.
"You must be Bear," Mary said, petting the dog as she slowly made her way down the stairs.
The door opened again and Charlie stood there, looking from Bear to her. "I was wondering where she took off to."
"Who sent you?" Mary gave him a sidelong glance. "Was it Sirius?"
Charlie shrugged. "I volunteered."
"How nice," Mary said, looking at the next spiral staircase. "You'll be late for the Order meeting if you wait for me."
"Then I'll be late," Charlie said, walking at her side. "They hardly need to know that Mei's hatchlings have been moved to their own enclosure."
"I'd like to hear that story," Mary said, grimacing as she leaned further on her cane.
"I'd like to hear the story about how you went from dancing to, well, this," Charlie said, pointing to her numerous injuries.
Mary's shoulders fell. "It's a story of stilettos, staircases, and stomach issues. I'm pretty sure you can connect the dots from there. And if you can't, the happy ending is a hurt ego, bumps, bruises, and broken ribs."
"Ouch," Charlie winced. "Okay, so Mei's hatchlings burned all of the bamboo in her enclosure, so we had to spell them to sleep so we could move them, except Mei didn't want to go with her younglings, she basically turned her back and went into her cave."
Mary let out a painful laugh. "They really buggered it up with their mum."
"Speaking of," Charlie said, sending a crooked grin her way. "With all of the chaos, I never had the chance to thank you for my birthday party."
"You put out the fire in the kitchen." Mary smiled, but it felt hollow. "That's thanks enough. And you're family, Charlie. This is what we do."
"And you really came through with getting Bill's wedding ready," Charlie continued. "Mum's going to be livid about that, by the way. Ginny too."
"They'll never know." Mary shook her head and smirked. "I owled Myron about Sirius' and Remus' weddings. Hired Colin for it too. I had nothing to do with Bill and Fleur joining the festivities."
"I'm just curious how you got Minister Bones to officiate the wedding for her ex-boyfriend," Charlie said, an inquiring look on his face.
"I can be cunning," Mary said with a laugh. "But I actually swore on my Firebolt that I'd attempt to inform her if I was going to do anything 'Potterish'."
"That'd be enough for me," Charlie said, opening the door. "Did you know there's a Floo to the Entrance Hall in this next storeroom?"
"Let's go," Mary said, following Charlie and Bear into the cramped storeroom.
Charlie blew the dust off of the pot of Floo powder and promptly sneezed. "Go together?"
"Will Bear travel with us?" Mary asked, looking at the pup that was watching them expectantly.
Charlie let out a sigh. "She won't be happy about it."
Mary reached down and ran her hand down Bear's face. "Sleep, precious girl."
Bear yawned and laid down, closing her eyes. Charlie picked her up like a baby holding her as he stepped into the Floo. Mary stepped in too, stiffening when Charlie put his free hand around her.
"Entrance Hall!" Mary called out, letting the green fire twist and turn them before spitting them out.
Mary stepped away from him, turning and running her hand over Bear's face. "She should be fine now."
Charlie set Bear down and watched as she spun in a circle, letting out a bark before darting after a tabby cat. "She's usually out of sorts for hours after any kind of sleeping spell. Was it somnus?"
"My weird wandless version," Mary said, listening as Bear tore through the castle. "It worked great on Saphira when she was especially restless."
Charlie's expression darkened. "How is she?"
Mary fiddled with the ring on her finger. "She's adjusting to life at the sanctuary."
Charlie caught her movement, his gaze lingering on her hand. "So you accepted?"
Mary opened her mouth to speak, but was rudely interrupted by Remus.
"Everyone's waiting on you two," he said, moving to Mary's side to lend a helping hand. "I told you not to wander too far from the hall, Mary Jane."
Charlie walked into the Great Hall without another word, leaving Mary behind with conflicted feelings. If she didn't know better, she'd believe Charlie was jealous of Rolf. But that didn't make any sense at all. Charlie was always the one to keep her in check, making sure that lines weren't crossed. He didn't reciprocate her feelings. It was something that she was trying to accept.
As her luck would have it, the only free chair was next to Charlie and across from Rolf. To make matters worse, the entire Order went silent, waiting until she slowly made it to her seat, before they continued speaking. 'Wotcher, I'm Mary Potter, resident trainwreck. Oh, this recent set of grievous injuries? I'm still figuring out how to use stairs. Let me tell you my plan to defeat Voldemort.' She thought. That wouldn't inspire confidence at all.
Mac pursed her lips and frowned at the interruption, tapping at a scroll on the table. "As I was saying, there are currently six remaining targets in the case of the Sacred Twenty-Eight massacre. It's my recommendation that Ollivander be taken to an Order safehouse, as he's the only target that is still in public view."
Sturgis Podmore snorted in derision. "If Voldemort's aiming to clear out the Sacred Twenty-Eight, he needs to clean his own house. Half of his Death Eaters are on that list."
"He's not wiping out everyone on the list," Mary said confidently. "He's taking out blood traitor families that would stand in the way of his plans. It also serves the purpose of fear mongering. More and more wizarding families are evacuating the UK because of his random attacks. More fear, less resistance."
The scroll was passed down and Mary listened to the opinions of those in the order as she read the names on the list. Sirius was target number one, both for being a blood traitor and harbouring her and Neville under the same roof. Ollivander was likely safe, unless Voldemort had a sudden need for a wandmaker. Slughorn was safe enough as long as he stayed in Hogwarts. Kingsley's house was well-warded like Grimmauld Place. To Mary's knowledge, the newest wards put the Weasley's home under the Fidelius and made it Unplottable.
The final name on the list - Felix Rosier - set off a few alarm bells, wondering if the name matched the young man in Ministry robes that sat across from Tonks.
"The Dursleys are still in their safehouse and are doing quite well," Miss Figg said, even though the Dursleys were an unnecessary topic.
"Thank you, Arabella," Dumbledore said, turning to Snape. "Have we any information on young Draco?"
Snape nodded. "Narcissa has taken him and fled the country. I do believe she fears for his life as he was set to take the Dark Mark upon his sixteenth birthday."
"Vinda's harsh obliviation - mixed with the concussion hex - is a brutal combination even though it's not deadly," Mac said, looking down at her hands. "I doubt any of the children will ever recover their memories."
"Is there any news on her whereabouts?" Mad-eye asked, looking around the room with his magical eye and stopping on Mary. "It's fair enough to say that she could be in this very room with us and we wouldn't know."
Aunt Minnie elbowed him hard in the ribs. "That's Mary, you buffoon."
"You were the lead Auror on Vinda's case," Moody said, winking at Mary, as he turned to Mac. "How'd it feel to know that she'd been with you the entire time? Was there an inquiry?"
Mac was nonplussed by the question. "It was a shock to know that she'd been with us. A violation, really. But Vinda's smart. She passed all of the animagus spells and acted as a normal cat. Yes, there was an inquiry, but I passed that test twice. With Veritaserum."
Shocked gasps echoed through the room as Mac continued. "Standing before you is proof enough that they found both myself and my son innocent of colluding with Vinda. It's still my main goal to apprehend her."
Mary withheld her own thoughts and misgivings as to why Mac was unable to apprehend Vinda and instead focused on the half-shrouded face of Felix. There was an odd unnatural pallor to his skin that unnerved and intrigued her. As though he felt her gaze, Felix turned to her, smirking and lifting an eyebrow. Mary rolled her eyes and let out a sigh, knowing she'd been caught.
"And where do we stand with Lady Serena?" Dumbledore asked Felix.
"She's using the Dark Lord as an excuse to gather her army," Felix said, tapping his pale fingers on the table. "They're answering her call in droves that intimidate even I."
"How many?" Mary asked, not knowing if she wanted to know the answer.
"Nearly three thousand," Felix said, his unearthly blue eyes meeting her green. "They are gathering, but not all of them will answer the call. They're old and simply here for the drama of it all."
"Can we get them on our side?" Mac asked, placing her palms on the table. "At present the Ministry has five hundred trained Aurors and another one hundred and fifty that might be willing to fight. Our numbers will be our downfall."
"Ami has sent pleas for help to every Ministry and Aurors office in the world," Sirius said, shaking his head. "We need every able body we can get."
"Have the bint call them back!" Elphias Doge shouted. "We can take care of our own without involving outsiders!"
"Hush you old duffer," Tonks spat, rolling her eyes as she toyed with her wand. "You can't say shite, considering you can't make it to the loo without help. Who's going to lug your old arse onto the battlefield, eh?"
"That is quite enough, Miss Tonks," Dumbledore said, holding up a hand.
"It's Mrs. Lupin," Tonks shot back.
Mary thought about Harry's world and how Voldemort targeted the school, forcing the children to fight and die. That wouldn't happen if she could help it.
"My kind are drawn by intrigue and power," Felix said, his eyes still boring into hers as though he had read her thoughts. "I can take you to meet with them."
"Mary is neither part of the Ministry or the Order," Dumbledore interjected. "She is merely here on an observational level. If it is required to meet with your kind, then I will gladly do so."
"I have twenty werewolves that are willing to join the fight, if it comes to it," Remus spoke up, holding a hand on Tonks' arm. "The others are either with Fenris, or they want no part in it."
"The goblins are firm in their stance in staying out of wizarding affairs," Bill said. "I haven't stopped trying though."
Mary knew the last part was meant for her and nodded her head in acknowledgement. Not being able to get their approval to get the Cup put a huge wrinkle in her plans, but it wasn't the end of the world. Ignoring the feeling that she was being stared at, Mary let herself zone out as she listened to Mac's reports on the Dementors and Lethifolds. That was, until the door creaked open and everyone went silent, turning their heads and watching as a drunken Sybill Trelawney stepped into the room.
"Am I late for the staff meet-" She began to cough, holding onto the door.
"It is not, my dear," Dumbledore started. "If you-"
Trelawney coughed loudly, holding onto the door. "On the seventh day of the seventh month, the Chosen One will fall. Equals will meet on the field of battle. Hell's fire will reign, purifying the earth once more. Tears of the fathers will flow as one. Brothers and lovers will unite for one last time. On the seventh day of the seventh month, the Chosen One will fall!"
Silence echoed through the room.
"Cheers!" Mary stood carefully, lifting her glass with her heart hammering against her ribs. "Tom and I have finally set a date!"
There was a cacophony of shouts and benches scraping against the stone floor, but Mary paid it no mind as she stood, leaning heavily on her cane. There was a harsh ringing in her ears as the Earth seemed to tilt sideways, but she moved forward, one agonising step at a time until she was at the door.
"Do you need some water, professor?" Mary asked. "Or maybe some more sherry?"
"Oh, Miss Potter, is this the staff meeting?" Professor Trelawney blinked at her. "Are you a professor now?"
"No, professor," Mary said. "I think you're supposed to be in the staff room."
"Thank you, Miss Potter. I fear my third eye has been foggy as of late," Professor Trelawney said, letting the door to the Great Hall close behind her.
Mary turned, hearing the loud whooshing of blood pumping in her ears, to see that the Order meeting had erupted into chaos.
"Potter's ready for the fight," Mad-eye said, stomping his staff on the floor.
"There won't be a damned fight!" Sirius spat, leaning across the table with his wand drawn.
"We'll take her out of the country," Remus said as Tonks nodded her head. "Mary will not face him!"
"It's her destiny!" Hestia Jones shouted at them.
"Potter will not be anywhere near him," Snape said, pointing his wand at Hestia. "I will make sure of it!"
Aunt Minnie put a hand on his arm. "Severus, this is not helping."
"I am not going to let her die, Minerva!" Snape hissed. "I refuse!"
"Stop," Mary said calmly, lifting her hand to the lot of them.
Magic answered her command, leaving everyone in the room unable to speak or move. They were frozen in place by her well placed spell. Leaning on her cane, Mary shuffled to the end of the table, looking into the shocked eyes of the people that were supposed to be the spearhead in the war against Voldemort.
"I've lived with the guilt of Voldemort's resurrection for months," Mary said, slowly walking around the room. "I wasn't strong enough to stop his rebirth. I wasn't strong enough to kill him. I didn't have everything I needed. The blood of every person he's killed since that moment is on my hands. It's on me. I won't deny that. And each day that goes on and each person that he kills, the weight on my shoulders grows heavier."
Mary took in a deep breath and let it out, looking into Dumbledore's eyes for a moment before looking away. "Tom and I have a date now. Which means I need your help. I need to hone my skills. I need to learn everything you can teach me in the next seven months. He's strong. So strong that I don't even know how I'm considered a threat. I won't survive our final battle. I've always known that. I don't intend to survive it. I never have. But I can promise you that he won't survive it either."
"I wish I could stand here and tell you that I'm not scared. I can't. I'm petrified. I don't want to die. But I also can't live knowing that I could've stopped it. At this point, I've come too far to stop. I have killed, lied, and stolen to ensure that I won't be the only one that dies on that day. And I will continue to do whatever it takes to save lives. So you can either help me or stand aside."
Mary flicked her wrist and they were released from her spell. Without waiting for a response, she left the Great Hall and placed a five minute locking spell on the door. That would give her just enough time to get away.
She went straight to Remus' quarters, gathered her belongings, and took the Floo to Grimmauld Place. She wanted to hex something. Her hands shook as she shoved her clothes into her dresser, she felt nauseous as she stripped off the warm jumper, staring at her scarred arms in the mirror. The person in the reflection was tired, dark circles under eyes that were filled to the brim with tears. Mary hated that person.
A loud laugh sounded from the floor below and Mary took in a deep breath. She could spend the next seven months hiding away and fearing her own death, or she could get out and actually live. That's how she found Daphne, Neville, and Finn in the media room playing Exploding Snap on the floor, laughing when Neville pulled out a card and set the deck ablaze.
Mary stepped into the room, earning their attention. "Mind if I join?"
Neville grinned, shaking his head as he shuffled and dealt the cards. "I hope you have better luck than I do."
Mary picked up her hand, counting the cards. "Lucky number 7. Let's try not to get burnt."
It wasn't until Mary's spell hit him that Sirius truly understood just how strong she was. He looked to his left, seeing that even Dumbledore himself was immobile, unable to break free from the hold she had on them.
Panic flooded through his veins as she spoke. He had failed as a parent. She never came to him with her fears. She didn't tell him how scared she was. Mary just fought. As a person that had difficulties talking about their emotions, he should have seen the signs. He should have known.
Sirius sat down heavily in his chair and turned his gaze to Dumbledore. The head of the Order was doing nothing to stop the arguments in the room. The Leader of the Light sat in his chair, head in his hands, looking every bit as heartbroken as Sirius felt. That didn't earn him any sympathy. Not in Sirius' book.
"We 'ave to find 'er," Hagrid cried, blowing his nose into a massive handkerchief. "She's gotta be scared outta 'er mind."
Bill stared at the map, then looked up. "She's not at Hogwarts."
"No," Rolf breathed, face pale and wand in his hand. "She's in no condition to face him."
Sirius turned the ring on his finger. "Mary's safe. She's at home."
"I'll talk to her," Rolf said, looking at the door with a broken expression.
"Leave her alone for now," Mac said, patting his arm. "Give her a few days to adjust."
Rolf nodded, his eyes wide as he scrambled to gather his books and leave. Sirius watched him go and resisted the urge to hex him for the heartbreak he put Mary through.
Remus gripped his shoulder. "How do we handle this?"
"Let her have the night," Sirius said, standing up and pushing his chair to the side. "We'll have a talk with her tomorrow."
Sirius felt Mac's presence before he saw her, letting out a breath as she leaned her head on his shoulder. He wanted to lie and say he was okay, but he couldn't. He wanted to tell her to leave and give him some space, but he couldn't because he loved her. He needed her to tell him that everything would be okay. But she wouldn't lie to him. He knew that. So she didn't say anything and neither did he.
"I'll be home in a few hours," Sirius said, letting go of Mac's hand as he left the Great Hall with Remus.
That's how they ended up sitting on the couch in Snape's quarters, drinking a glass of Quintin Black with their former enemy. No words were spoken, they just sat there with their thoughts spinning over the same conundrum. Twice they did everything in their power to stop prophecies about Mary from coming true. Twice they had failed. What were their chances of getting it right the third time?
