Chapter 17

I was having my morning tea with Pansy and Daphne as Blaise dropped the magazine into my lap. Draco and Theo were quick to join him, on either side with their arms crossed as they tentatively waited for my reaction. They showed no remembrance of what happened last night. Maybe their duty of being Aces overshadowed it.

I didn't care.

"What's this?" I asked him, eyebrows furrowing.

They only nodded to the magazine.

HARRY POTTER SPEAKS OUT AT LAST: THE TRUTH ABOUT HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED AND THE NIGHT I SAW HIM RETURN.

I slouched in my seat, "You've got to be shitting me…"

"Go to the highlighted paragraph," Draco said then spat out his words. "You'll want to find out what your dearest brother said about you."

I did and gasped at exactly what was written.

"My sister, Viktoria, she's only a few hours younger than me, born on August 1st instead of July 31st. She was never attacked by You-Know-Who. She doesn't understand the importance of telling the public about him. I've told her all about the Wixen world, even before she realised she's a Witch too. We thought she was a Squib for so long, her Magic isn't that powerful either. She's really useless at it. She's still new to this world, she has no clue about anything I've been through besides what I've told her. She doesn't even think I should publish this or even be having this interview…"

"You're sparking pissed, dear," Silver said next to me, looking at me with the same fondness he always had. Warm smiled under the hood.

I took a deep breath, putting my cup down slowly before addressing Daphne and Pansy, "If you'd excuse me."

"Where are you going?" Pansy looked up from her cup of tea.

I stood up and dusted my skirt off, a smile plastered onto my face. "To kill my idiot of a brother."

She did an unladylike snort, turning to Daphne, "This is something I need to see."

I didn't care that they all followed me. I went through the dungeons like storm. I didn't even need to shove people out of my way. My patience was at its limit and I wanted to break something. I was full of rage, feeling it bubble up in me, simmering just under my skin. I had to find him and give him a stern word of what exactly I was thinking.

Once my hand was on Harry's collar, I pulled him off the Gryffindor bench, making him fall to the ground.

"Viktoria!" Granger gasped. "What are you doing?"

"Stay out of this, Granger," I snapped, throwing the magazine into his face. It was rude, unsightly to do this but I had to. He couldn't think I was someone he could bully or insult into silence anymore. "What the fuck is this interview? You lied in it."

"I didn't lie about him coming back," he said loudly, making sure people could hear him. "I never lied about that."

He thought he could get all of Hogwarts behind him if they heard. If he wanted to involve the school, then I could too.

"You might have not lied about him," I watched him stand up, and I stepped closer. "But you used my name. You called me weak. Useless." I lowered my voice. "Do you think you're any better than our aunt and uncle by saying that?"

The three Aces shared a look which I had to ignore right now.

"Well, it's true, isn't it?"

"Is it?"

He glared at me, his own voice low as he said it.

"You don't know anything about Magic. You're no better than a Squib."

I never expected him, my brother of all people to say it, let alone spit it into my face. Then I realised.

They were all the same.

Pureblood, Halfblood, Muggleborn.

It didn't matter where you were in the status, you would always think someone was below you. There would always be hatred and fear. If that was going to be the case, I would give him a reason to hate and fear me.

I told him the cold hard truth.

"The only reason you're alive is because Mum got herself killed to save you," I slowly said, knowing the words I wanted to say for years. I let him hear the reasons why I started to hate my own brother. "You are the reason our parents are dead. Voldemort was after you. He came to kill you. Not me. You can't help it but you are the reason we never had parents, and you are the reason why Petunia and Vernon abuse me. Your Magic, your special abilities, they're useless when you can't even protect your own family. Do you consider yourself powerful? Do you consider yourself strong? Do you think that because you have Magic it makes you special?"

Weasley stood up, face almost red, "That's way too far, Viktoria."

"Not when it's true, Weasley," I almost laughed at his audacity. "Not when I've been starved because I was blamed."

Something shattered behind me. I turned to see Daphne's horrified face, staring at me as her tea cup clattered to the ground. She had brought the tea cup with her and smashed it.

I didn't care for her shock. I didn't care for anyone's. If he was going to even dare question my character, I'd make sure everyone knew what kind of person he was to me.

He was lost for words and all I could do was stare into his eyes, mirrors of my own with emerald flashing back at me. Two different sides of a war, going for the same goal. I didn't even know if my goal even aligned with either side.

"What makes Magic special is what you do something with it, and you've done nothing," I told him, meaning every word I said. "I will not let my Magic go to waste. I refuse to be like you."

I could see something shatter in his eyes. It was exactly what I wanted to happen. I wanted him to feel the pain I felt whenever he thought he was better than me. I needed him to know what I always felt when he downplayed my achievements for his Magical ones.

I turned my back to him, looking into the faces of my two friends and the three Aces. Their grim expression told of their complete shock at my words. As if on my glance, they hid it with proud stares. Theo was smirking and Blaise tried not to smile.

I felt the warning on the back of my neck, my instincts telling me something was wrong, that something was going to attack me.

"Harry, no!" Granger's voice was full of fear.

The Aces moved faster than I thought possible. Three wands were pointed at Harry's throat before someone reached for me. A hand grasped my waist, shifting me to Draco's other side. Blaise held a hand to my arm, trying to move me even further away.

Harry was forced to jerk his chin up, feeling it press into his jugular.

"Try it," Theo dared him, unblinking as he tilted his head slightly. "Say your spell. You'll be on the ground before you can think it."

The High Table shook as McGonagall stood up, silencing the whole room. Everyone's attention was on us. I felt it on my skin, their eyes burrowing in to figure out exactly what was happening.

"Lower your wand this instant," she shouted. "Or you will face expulsion."

"Expulsion? Potter raised his wand first!" Theo shouted back calmly, eyes still on Harry. "Viktoria turned her back and he raised his wand against her. We're making sure he doesn't do something he will regret."

"Lower it, Mr Nott," she insisted, coming around the table and stalking towards us.

They took their time lowering their wands, watching Harry's every move. My brother, while ever the idiot he was, wasn't going to attack when a teacher was in eyesight of it. They were just making sure.

Draco's lip curled up, "You don't get to threaten one of ours, Potter."

Harry stiffened, "She isn't one of yours."

Blaise's hand tightened a little on my arm.

"She's more ours than she is yours," he put all his Malfoy arrogance into it.

Harry took a step forward.

"Careful…" Silver hissed into his ear.

He froze, unable to comprehend seeing the reaper-like ghost next to him. Then it disappeared.

He turned, eyes flickered between the Aces, then landing on me before glaring at Draco, "She's my sister."

My words were the cold truth, "You call me your sister but you let me starve at home."

Harry scrunched up his nose. "You didn't starve—"

"I was malnourished when I came to Hogwarts," I wanted to spit in his face. "I was wearing Petunia's old hand-me-downs. I even wore yours because I couldn't fit into anything. You have a cushy seat with good food for the last four years. I was eating scraps while you were here."

Harry's face flushed with anger as people whispered around in the great hall, hushed voices echoing what I just said to the rest of the school. Rumours would spread soon enough and everyone would know.

I really didn't care.

"I wouldn't let you be treated like that,"

"You never let anythin—"

"You're my sister!" he raised his wand again, this time for Blaise as he was the one between us. Blaise shoved him back with a laugh.

The laugh the Pureblood let out was cold and humiliating, the type someone who knew something you didn't, the type where they would mock you for not knowing. Blaise had the laugh down to the tilt of the head at the end, smirking at Harry.

"You stupid boy. You raised your wand against a Witch, against your own sister. You lost the right to speak of her as such as soon as you decided to harm her. One more attempt and you would relinquish any right you have to the line."

"I'm a Potter before she is," Harry spit back. "I was born first. I'm heir."

"Then, Magic will decide. You raised your Magic against your sister, unarmed and unprepared," he shook his head. Pity that you're not a Pureblood."

He rolled his eyes, "Why's that?"

"Because then," Theo grinned, watching McGonagall almost reaching their position in the great hall. "We would have a right to duel you. You brought dishonour on your family by trying to strike a female of your blood."

"We protect our own," Draco's words were firm. "A name means nothing when there's no power behind it."

Blaise's head dipped in agreement as he looped an arm over my shoulders, leaning in so our faces were close but he still spoke to Harry.

"And she holds all of it in the Potter name."

He steered me away as Pansy and Daphne followed us, escorting me out of the great hall and to the beginning of the stairs to the dungeons. He kept an eye out for anyone following us before nodding.

"Go back to the common room," he ordered glaring at any passing students who stared for too long. They scurried away quicker than rats. "Keep safe. Both of them will be agitated and the sooner you're safe, the better."

I shifted my feet, feeling almost ashamed that other people were brought into this mess. I didn't care that they knew but I wanted to know why they become so angry. So I asked.

Blaise shared a look with Pansy and Daphne.

"We'll tell her," Pansy said and he left at that. She turned back to me, tugging on my arm.

)()()(

We lounged in the common room, empty save for us. Everyone was still upstairs, milling over what just happened as Pansy and Daphne were explaining over tea.

"You'd be surprise to think how protective Purebloods are of their girls," Pansy tapped a newly manicured nail against the porcelain cup. "It's been a theory for years. Magic runs stronger in female lines. A daughter will always be more powerful than a son, even though the latter can continue the family name."

"Maiden, Mother, Crone," Daphne said as if it was a mantra. "To achieve. To create. To guide. Dawn. Day. Dusk. That's our way of life as Wixen, moreso as Witches. The way of life is to grow, to live, and to die. To use your Magic, to encourage it, and let it settle back in the earth when it is time."

Pansy continued, "Purebloods see this as a way to honour Magic. It comes from the earth and the only ones able to create and carry it are women. For generations, we were oppressed but recently they saw our worth. Our mothers are powerful people in their own right, even if they let their husbands take the credit. We will be the next generation of Magic, of power. What your brother did was unforgivable."

She paused to sip. I did the same, letting the warmth of the tea take over.

"He threatened you," she said plainly. "He was supposed to protect you but he tried to hurt you. He called you his sister and yet tried to lay a hand on you. He's asking to have his Magic be judged. If family can decide to hurt one of us, then Magic can decide if they is worthy of it. Your mother died for your brother, letting him live is honouring it, even if you want to kill him."

Daphne waved a hand. The teapot appeared again and poured us renewed drinks.

"The boys won't kill him," Daphne stated. "He's lucky he wasn't a Pureblood because they would challenge him to a duel. Wouldn't that be a sight?"

Pansy laughed. "It wouldn't be a long duel, would it? Not even one against one."

"Oh, how pitiful it would be!" Daphne put her cup down, turning to me. "So, during Ostara, my parents are doing this event. You've been invited so we have to go down to London to go shopping. We need dresses and you need an outfit befitting your status."

"My status?"

"You're the last blood of your family," Pansy said as if it was a fact. "You're the last girl. Oh, this Ostara will be interesting with you in the loop. It's going to be such an interesting year now that you're here."

I didn't know how becoming a spy for Dumbledore was supposed to be an interesting year for them, but they didn't know. I wouldn't matter after everything else.

)()()(

I spent the night simmering away, anger under my skin as I tried to work out any frustrations I had with my brother. Nothing worked. I couldn't let go of the fact he said those things about me. Even with my status with Pansy and Daphne improving, I couldn't help but feel like I was losing my place in my brother's life.

I couldn't keep thinking about that. I had to understand that I was creating a place within Pureblood society and Death Eater ranks. I was a child solider, trained over months to deceive and manipulate. Dumbledore wanted a convincing spy, he wouldn't even realise what I would do for my brother.

Luckily, that night was a Monday night which meant I had a session with Snape that evening. I prepared myself by dressing in slacks and shirt, keeping my sleeves rolled up before tossing on a robe. Heading up to the Room of Requirement, I found the room empty of life.

It had been set up, of course. It looked ever like a trashed ballroom party, with tables thrown on the ground, chairs toppled over, vases broken, flowers drying out in puddles. Almost instantly I knew what was going on, and as I realised, dummies appeared from either side, wands raised.

I had to dodge each spell thrown at me, getting behind toppled table for coverage.

"Are you kidding me?" I almost shouted over the table edge. "I didn't remember this being in the curriculum."

I slid my right hand down my left wrist, feeling the wand appear in my best hand as I flicked my arm out.

Shield up, I left my cover, keeping watch on the dummies that tried to take me. Disarming them didn't work, wands stuck to their hands as they sent sharp stringing spells at me. They were painful but wouldn't do any damage. After weeks of training with Snape, we had found out that pain was a motivator for me, my anger rising with it, so the strength of my Magic did too.

I kept my shield up but I felt the tingle of pain on my feet as they were out of range. Instead of disarming spells that didn't work, I had to be more aggressive, sending small amounts of fire to their chests until they disintegrated. Others had fire resistance so I had to freeze and then shatter them to stop working.

When all the dummies were destroyed, I realised they were, by inscription of the letter P in their chest plates, only practise dummies. They were annoying enough for me to realise that Snape underestimated my ability, or perhaps he was testing me. I didn't know, but I would when the next dummy appeared from the ground.

It was a hefty weight, looking much more intimidating that the previous ones with a Death Eater-like mask already on its face, and clothing like their robes. With the hood up, it looked like every other Death Eater uniform. Wand hand out and ready to attack. I barely had time to think before it sent a warning shot to me.

Snape was nowhere to be seen but he most likely was still watching, like a cloaked bat. I could imagine him hanging upside down with red eyes like he had before, a fang peaking out of the curl of his lip.

I had to stand my ground and get up. I couldn't hide behind a shield all my life. There was no way I could live like that, protected by something out of my control. I needed to be able to fight for myself.

I kept my wand in my hand, knowing I would be most powerful with it instead of just strong enough to survive without it. I sent up a shield barrier just in case, slashing my wand down in the motions of the spell.

The dummy shot spell after complicated spell at me, shattering my shield after only a few hits. When a spell hit me, it didn't just sting, it burned. Tiny fireballs were being cast at me at tremendous speeds, each having to be manually thrown back to the caster.

Between dodging each fireball and sending them back, I had to come up with a counter spell. The easiest would be just to send water back but these were fireballs, with a higher concentration of Magic fire in the middle.

I had to send a thick vine of water to the wand, sending an echo of freezing charm on the summoned water, covering their hand in water and freezing it. I could shatter it after, so that was what I did.

But instead of simply covering his hand, I froze his whole dummy body with ice before sending a sharp crackle spell to shatter it. It turned to dust before my eyes.

"Is that it?" I asked the room, wanting to know where Snape was going to come from.

"No," I jumped out of my skin, turning around to find him looking down his hooked nose at me. "You'll be studying the art of a forgotten ability. With only two individuals knowing how to acquire this form, you would be the third and youngest to ever master it. You will not be leaving Hogwarts this year without mastering the ability."

I crossed my arms, "What ability we talking about?"

"Unsupported flight," he said. "Or the shadow form."

That sounded interesting.