CHAPTER 14

2 September 1992 - Professor Snape's Quarters, 6:37AM

"Well. That was sufficiently disturbing." Lily rolled her eyes hard as she removed her head from the Pensieve. Unfortunately, she couldn't disagree. They'd spent the last hour reviewing Jim and Ron's memories of their attack at Platform 9, and the perturbing memories produced more questions than answers.

"It was… unnerving to see them that way. Possessed with that level of…rage." A shudder ran through the witch as long-repressed traumatic memories of her own physical abuse at the hands of her loathsome magic-hating parents rose to her mind. A deep breath pushed those thoughts away before she spoke once more. "Whichever…elf some Death Eater sent after my son nearly succeeded in getting him and his best friend killed." She began furiously pacing as a seated Severus watched, rhythmically tapping her wand against her thigh in her usual manner of dispelling nervous energy. Though her tone was as placid as could be, her eyes blazed in righteous maternal fury at the audacity of it all.

"Indeed," responded Severus quietly. "While I've always believed that elven magic is sorely underestimated within magical society, to see the depths of its power used in such a poignantly violent way…" He blinked before taking a hefty sip of his lavender and honey tea.

"And that wasn't even the most disturbing thing. The elf not only used muggles to attack Jim and Ron, he or she then…healed them. Then dumped them in a flying magical car - damn near breaking the Statute of Secrecy - and set them off to Hogwarts. It doesn't make a bit of sense!" Lily groaned in frustration before tossing herself in a heap next to Severus, who huffed in amusement at her antics.

"Well of course it doesn't make sense; why on earth would an elf attempt to save the very life of the one he or she had been sent to kill? That defies the very logic of the attack. And I can't imagine the Death Eater that sent the elf to do his or her bidding would give such contradictory orders." Severus took a brief sip of his tea before his eyes lightly widened. "Unless-"

"Unless there are two elves involved!" Lily jumped up and resumed her pacing. "Think about it Sev; one elf is sent on a kill mission, and the other is sent on rescue! Harry mentioned that he felt some powerful concussion force that knocked the Grindylows away before he blacked out. Our review of his memory confirms that. Jim and Ron blacked out before they could witness whatever interfering force rescued them from the muggles so that won't show in the pensieve, but I'd bet galleons that it was another elf that rescued them. The same elf." She paused suddenly, brows furrowed in confusion. "But…but that doesn't make any sense. Why on earth would the same Death Eater send two elves to perform opposite tasks?"

"I would postulate then," replied Severus, "that it's two separate Death Eaters working to bring forth their own interpretation of their master's will. One may believe it's his or her duty to kill the Boy-Who-Lived for their master, the other believes that said killing is a…privilege only reserved for the Dark Lord." Severus paused and took a sip of his tea as Lily stared contemplatively. "Or, potentially, a Death Eater and a… non-Death Eater. Perhaps an unknown ally of ours who knows of the Death Eater's plan, and is attempting to stop it?"

"Maybe…" Lily trailed off speculatively. "Or knowing our luck, it's a two Death Eater household and both are at odds with each other." Both friends snorted in unison at such a wild prospect, though they were Slytherin enough to not dismiss such a possibility.

"And you've discovered nothing new from the evidence gathered at the Baxters?" Severus scoffed before responding:

"No, despite your continued asking and our multiple examinations of the Grindylows, soil, and water samples, I have not made any new discoveries that would allow us to ascertain which elf is running amuck attempting to murder your sons. Poor Bismuth was almost reduced to tears when I asked her to sniff the little beasties for the umpteenth time." Lily snickered, before quickly apologizing for offending him and his beloved Potions assistant elf. Severus merely rolled his eyes before handing her a steaming cup of tea.

"We need to end this. Whomever is setting…all of this in motion, we need to find them and stop them." She gripped Severus' free hand tightly, reassured as he held her grip just as fiercely. "Both of my sons have almost died-" she choked suddenly. "I…I can't lose my sons, I just can't. I could never live with myself if I let something-" Severus quickly banished his tea cup before drawing his teary best friend into a firm hug.

"No harm shall befall your sons so long as we draw breath Lily, I need you to believe that." Lily nodded through her sniffles at his calm yet firm tone. "Despite Dumbledore's previous best efforts, Hogwarts is the safest place for them, especially with us here to watch over them. While I believe that Harry's Slytherin sensibilities make him a much more capable candidate when it comes to self-preservation (Lily snorted), Jim does have you. Thanks to Lord Potter's largesse (he rolled his eyes), you're now able to correspond with your child as you always should have been. He'll finally get the Occlumency he so desperately needs." Lily laughed tearfully, thanking Severus for being such a good friend.

Great Hall, 7:47AM

Amy quietly chewed on her omelet, doing her best to focus on her breakfast. It had been a rather surreal experience waking up surrounded by Gryffindor reds and golds instead of Slytherin greens and grays. Her dormmates Saffron Brown and Noel Cragg had all given her a wide berth, eyes wide in fright and distrust. Lisa Cullen and Eloise Midgen hadn't been too far behind, briefly mumbling their hellos before scampering to the bathroom. Not for the umpteenth time since the Sorting Feast, Amy wondered if she'd made a terrible mistake in letting the damnable Hat convince her to go to Gryffindor.

"Excited for your first day?" Amy looked up Hermione's question, smiling in spite of herself at the older witch's enthusiasm. Seated next to her was Neville Longbottom, who (to Amy's shock) had been very nice and polite to her as well. But Neville was nice and kind to mostly everyone, so she wasn't willing to read too much into it. Seated next to Neville were Pavarti Patil and Lavender Brown, both of whom had merely grimaced at her when their eyes had locked, before the older witches started giggling and gossiping with each other (no doubt about her). Amy barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes before addressing Hermione:

"Excited enough I guess. I've done most of my reading, so I shouldn't have any issue with answering the Professors' questions. Though I'm still confused as to how Year with the Yeti is supposed to help with the firstie DADA curriculum."

"Oh don't even get me started on that nonsensical tripe!" And with that, Hermione launched into a rather winded rant regarding Gilderoy Lockhart's absolute lack of professional qualification, inability to divorce fiction from reality, heavy-handed vanity, and the absolute madness of the Hogwarts Governors board hiring the poncy peacock in the first place! Unbeknownst to her, Neville and Amy exchanged amused glances at her spirited chewing out of the new DADA professor. That Hermione greatly disapproved of the man was mildly putting it.

Happening to look over at the Slytherin table, Amy locked eyes with Greg. The poor boy had massive bags under his eyes, and far more pale than normal. He kept gesturing his head - with little to no subtlety - towards the entrance doors, signaling that he wanted to speak with her privately.

"Would you excuse me for a second Hermione?" causing the witch to pause mid-rant. "It looks like Greg needs to speak to me." Hermione frowned.

"Are you going to be alright?" Neville asked in concern. Amy froze for a bit, before nodding with a small smile.

"I'll be fine Neville, thanks." And with that, Amy gulped down her juice and grabbed her backpack, dreading the inevitable.

"What were you thinking?! I mean seriously Amy, what were you thinking?!"Amy watched in frustration as an agitated Greg paced near the entrance of the abandoned classroom he'd practically dragged her in.

"Well, I was thinking that-"

"You couldn't possibly have been thinking! Because if you were, you'd be in Slytherin where you belong!"

"Well if you could just let me get a-"

"I know you weren't thinking about me, because if you were, you would have honored your promise and joined me in Slytherin, but nooooooo, that would have been too much like right for Amy Wilkes!"

"Well I'll have you know that I-"

"Do you know what could happen to you in the Lions' Den?! You're the bloody Toymaker's daughter!"

"GREGORY GRIFFITH GOYLE JR WILL YOU SHUT UP!" The Slytherin jumped at her loud voice, eyes wide in shock. Amy never yelled, especially not at him. Noticing her enraged expression, Greg realized his last statement may have taken it a step too far.

"Thank you for finally being quiet." Greg gulped nervously. "As I was trying to say, I'd initially intended to go to Slytherin." Greg attempted to interrupt, but went quiet at Amy's harsh glare. "However, the Hat…well…the Hat gave me a choice."

Greg looked away for a few moments before he spoke in a much more measured manner. "What did the Hat say to you?"

She hesitated. Part of her felt that her conversation with the Hat was personal. But another, bigger part of her wanted some understanding from the one person she truly considered her family. So she told him.

"'Are you truly brave Amy? Or do you want everyone else to think that you're brave?' Asked me if I really wanted to go to Slytherin because it's what everyone expected of me. Or," she paused to take a deep breath, "Or if I wanted to do something just for me, be myself and choose for myself, outside of my father's legacy and everyone else's expectations. Yours included." That last statement was mumbled as Amy looked downward, not wanting to see the expression of disappointment on her adoptive brother's face. A few more awkward moments passed.

"I…I'm not mad at you Amy." Greg suddenly sounded exhausted, leaning back against the closed classroom door. "I mean, I was mad earlier. Really mad." Amy cringed as she kept her eyes down. "But…but more so really really worried." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry for the way I said it earlier but it is true. You are the Toymaker's daughter, and there are gonna be people who'll…who'll make trouble for you because of that. I don't want anything to happen to you, Amy. You're…you're the only little sister I've got."

Amy's eyes grew misty before she launched herself at Greg, startling the boy before he started laughing at her antics, hugging her just as tight.

"I know Greg, you're the only big brother I've got. And I know my last name will give me some issues…already has and-"

"Wait what?! Someone's been bothering you? Who is it?" Amy chuckled at his 'protective big brother mode' tone, causing him to frown.

"Nothing I can't take care of Greg. Besides, I've got Hermione and Longbottom on my side." Greg's brows shot up at that. "Well, I'm pretty certain about Hermione, not too certain about Longbottom though. But he's a nice enough wizard, and Hermione likes him, so that works for me." Greg looked at her curiously for a few moments, before nodding in acquiescence. Suddenly, his expression grew tight as though a terrible thought occurred to him.

"If Father asks you about your Sorting - and he will - tell him that you got Sorted into Gryffindor to scope out the mugglebo- mudbloods." His nose wrinkled as though he'd smelt something nasty when uttering that particular slur.

"I most certainly will not!" Amy looked completely scandalized but Greg was not so easily assuaged.

"Listen to me Amy; you have to make sure Father believes you. He'll ask, and you have to make him believe that you got Sorted into Gryffindor as part of some…twisted revenge plan to honor your father's legacy."

"I will not do-"

"Listen Amy!" Greg's eyes glinted with an almost mad intensity, startling Amy out of her anger. "Whatever happens, make sure that Father believes you. You have to make him believe you. Promise me." Amy stared at Greg, gauging the fervor in his expression. While many were quick to dismiss Gregory Goyle Sr. as a corpulent dullard, the man had a keen propensity for greed and cruelty. While he'd never laid a finger on Amy (he still very much feared the Wilkes name), he did see it fit to…punish Greg for his moments of perceived disobedience. Amy held back a shudder.

"Alright Greg, I'll do just that if Sr. asks." Relief shone in Greg's eyes.

Lady's Parlor - Kolumbiko Estate, 2:11PM

Seraphina sat in front of a massive gilded vanity mirror in her private parlor, staring appreciatively at her reflection as she waved her wand - 10 ½ inch baobab with unicorn hair - over her head, watching in satisfaction as her dark locks braided themselves and twisted up into elaborate buns. She'd received a letter from Eurus about her Sorting into Slytherin along with her friend Luna Lovegood. Seraphina had been surprised at that, since Lovegoods historically went to Ravenclaw. But she was pleased for her daughter's happiness. Despite Eurus' naturally bubbly and charming nature she didn't make friends very easily, finding most children entirely too dull, unintelligent, and completely undeserving of her precious time.

However, the most shocking bit of news in her daughter's letter had been Amaryllis Wilkes becoming a Gryffindor. Seraphina had assumed the Toymaker's daughter - raised by the Dark Lord's sympathizers - would inevitably end up in Slytherin. 'It's nice to be proven wrong every once in a while.'

A soft chime sounded in the room just as Seraphina completed her task. Gracefully standing, she made her way over to a highly decorated panel of wood on the east wall. A quick spell later, she entered her highly warded private office and sat behind her massive desk. Pressing a unique set of grooves on the left underside of her desk, she watched as the desk's center turned into mercury-like glass. A few beats later, Lady Cyra's warm visage appeared.

"Hello Sera dear."

"Hi Teta, it's good to see you."

"Glad to be seen." The two witches discussed a myriad of mundane topics before getting to the heart of their discussion.

"An Ethergazer…" Cyra's voice drifted in wonder. "A rarity in our world, fabled to have been blessed by the hand of Heka herself when she and other gods of olde walked the sacred lands of Kemet and beyond."

"Indeed, blessed to see beyond the realms that lie adjacent to our own Reality." Seraphina paused. "And…if it is to be believed, into the realms beyond that." Unbidden, a portentous shiver crawled up her spine.

"Yes, and it seems the Lovegood girl has displayed all the markers, though the names of creatures she can see differ vastly from those we know."

"It would seem so," replied Seraphina. "I believe nargles - the beings reflective of all thought processes - are equivalent to ibisiras, and wrackspurts - the beings of powerful negative emotions - are equivalent to sethoiros. An occlumens' ibisiras possess a specific pattern unique to that individual. Mine apparently resemble an upside down ice-cream cone." The two witches laughed at that image. "Sethoiros, on the other hand, are chaotic beings that spring into existence if an individual is in a pique of anger or bewilderment. She's mentioned other creatures called fury-flies, gulping plimpies, dabberblimps, and something else called…weetimorousbeasties?" Cyra frowned in complete confusion. "Naturally, I am not certain of their equivalents, but I endeavor to research their counterparts once I return to Al Ghayb." Cyra smiled approvingly.

"Excellent, the sooner we are aware of the depth of her abilities, the better." Seraphina nodded dutifully, but not entirely convincingly. "Is something else the matter dear?"

"I…" The younger witch fiddled with her wand, something she only did when nervous. "I haven't told Eurus about the significance of the Lovegood child's abilities. I am…ashamed to admit that I have been eavesdropping on their conversations to learn more about the girl's talents, though she is rather forthcoming." She chuckled nervously, looking guilty. "Eurus knows nothing of this. She thinks the creatures Luna can see are just undiscovered beings others will eventually learn to see for themselves. I…I understand my duties to the family and my profession, but I am loath to lie or mislead my daughter. You know what it's like for her to make friends." Cyra nodded understandingly. Eurus was the baby of the family in every sense of the word, especially since she'd posed a very difficult pregnancy for Seraphina. The witch had experienced quite a few medical emergencies whilst carrying her, confined to bed rest halfway through her pregnancy.

"Indeed I do Sera. Little Eurus has always found most children entirely too dimwitted and linear for her liking, in spite of her rather charismatic personality." Seraphina nodded, her mother-in-law echoing her earlier thoughts. "But…Dol and Dopaktar have always known great affinity for each other, intellectually and otherwise." A few moments passed before Cyra spoke once more:

"As it stands, we do not interfere with their friendship. They cherish each other greatly, and I believe it will best serve our purpose to allow Eurus to go on as she has. It is fortuitous that she and Luna are both in Slytherin. Shagr will benefit greatly from their counsel to claim and control the basalt throne of the Immortal Seven-Faced Paar'zheal. That is immutable." Though still feeling guilty, Seraphina nodded in agreement.

"And what of Al Ghayb teta?" The Unseen, the North African Ministry's equivalent of the Unspeakables. She was a high-ranking member of their Creatures Division, specifically dealing with High Magical Beings. The nature of her oaths required that knowledge of an Ethergazer's existence was made known to Command.

"Thankfully, bureaucratic red tape works well in our favor. The oaths require that an Ethergazer be sequestered only when he or she is domiciled within the recognized North African Magical Territories. Since Luna is a British-born witch living in Britain and attending a British magical school, we are not required to do so." Seraphina nodded, visibly impressed. "I may be retired dear, but I still know all of Al Ghayb's rules like the back of my hand." The two witches shared a quick laugh.

"It is curious that she has not yet been Sequestered by the British Unspeakables. Granted I know nothing of the specific name they call Ethergazers, but I would imagine she would have been taken the moment she manifested her tremendous abilities." Cyra snorted contemptuously.

"Of course she hasn't been, considering she's the granddaughter of the Voice of the Unspeakables." Seraphina's eyes widened, not aware of that particular tidbit. "I am not certain how he was able to circumvent the demand of his oaths, but somehow he succeeded. 'Rules for thee but not for me', as is standard with the British." Cyra paused to take a sip of water. "Though I can't say I blame his hypocrisy entirely, considering the last British Ethergazer ended up murdered for her efforts!"

Gryffindor Boys Dorm - 8:43PM

Ron Weasley was having a very bad day. Actually, he was having two very bad days, but it seemed (miraculously enough) that the second day was going worse than the first.

He'd been humiliated during breakfast by his mother's Howler, basically calling him an idiot for stealing his father's car to get to school on time, an action he hadn't even remembered doing. Somehow, he and his best friend had been attacked by insane muggles and they'd somehow barely escaped with their lives. And that was all after being blocked from accessing Platform 9 ¾. But in spite of him and Jim explaining the situation to Dumbledore, Lord Potter, Professor Snape, and Jim's mum, no one had believed them, at least not enough to stave off Molly Weasley's natural overreaction. Ron furiously wiped at his eyes. He refused to cry any more than he had the night before in the Hospital Wing.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Ginny had somehow gotten herself Sorted into Slytherin! No doubt lured in there by Harry bloody Potter and his bloody galleons and his bloody sneaky-snakey ways! That the little goodwill he felt for Harry helping him reunite with Jim was no more went without saying.

Then, he'd had to contend with the Twins' accosting and threatening him for even thinking to speak badly about Ginny's Sorting. He'd barely been able to get a word in edgewise, having to listen to the two stupid idiots do their stupid twin-speak while they made stupid cruel threats. He'd barely resisted the urge to physically attack the two asshats, knowing he'd lose tremendously due to their greater size and better magical ability. Humiliated once more, Ron had fled the Two Terrors in tears.

To add insult to injury he'd run into Ginny, who'd had the nerve to cry when he'd been the one who'd suffered! The two had devolved into a screaming match, before he'd had to once more flee when the enraged witchling had flung a spell in his face. "Probably some dark magic jinx Harry bloody Potter taught her."

Groaning in frustration, he abandoned his attempts to sleep and made his way over to his adjoining desk to do some homework, ignoring Seamus and Dean's frowns. Normally he wouldn't have bothered, but he'd endeavored to do better this year. As much as he hated to admit it, Harry bloody Potter had made a good point when he'd stayed over at the Burrow; if Jim was meant to survive whatever insane prophecy claimed he'd defeat the Dark Lord, then it fell to Ron to make sure his best friend stayed alive long enough to do it. He'd practiced quite a bit for the rest of the summer, even asking a shocked Percy to demonstrate some of the first-year DADA spells for him so he could learn. Reading the spells had left him frustrated as always, but Percy - to Ron's shock - had been kind and patient enough to help him. A good thing too, since it helped Ron tremendously defend himself and Jim against the crazed violent muggles.

Settling comfortably, he reached for his cauldron to remove his Potions text. Satisfied, he made to set the cauldron down when he noticed something curious at its bottom. Tipping it over, he was surprised to see a quill float out to land on the desk. It was rather beautiful; almost 11 inches in length with a dichotomous blend of pearlescent white and ink-black for its vane. The deep brown rachis was a curiously sinuous shape, tapering off into a wickedly sharp end point that resembled an animal claw made of a strangely luminescent silver that gleamed in the warm light of the room. It bore strange markings that Ron couldn't quite identify, though that did little to detract from the object's impressive beauty.

Taking hold of the quill, Ron felt a strange sensation flutter across his mind, dulling his instinctual trepidation and subtly urging him to take a piece of parchment and begin writing. Now, if Ron had possessed any modicum of Occlumency or psychic protection, he would have recognized that strange flutter as a component of a very powerful Compulsion emanating from a very dark object designed to ensnare and enslave his mind and will. If he'd been less frustrated, less angry, less rightfully upset, he may have still been to recognize the obvious threat the deceptively alluring object posed.

But alas, neither was the case for young Ron Weasley. Taking a blank piece of parchment, Ron immediately and eagerly began scribbling his name, only to let out a gasp of pain. No words had appeared on the parchment, but his name had appeared on the back of his hand, cut into his skin as though traced there by a scalpel. The young wizard started in alarm and instinctively made to toss the quill away from his person. But that strange flutter - this time much stronger - danced across his mind once more, culling his natural instinct as it burrowed deeper into his mind. A beat later, Ron felt his worries and fear fade away into less than a dull roar, beat back into the deepest recesses of his mind as another slowly settled within the empty space. With a tranquil smile, Ron continued writing other things, completely oblivious as strange markings carved themselves into his skin and healed, over and over and over again.

Within the confines of his rather roomy cage in Percy Weasley's room, Scabbers gave a series of twitches, as though dreaming. Nestled deep within the sanctuary of the animal's mind was that of Rex Norvegicus, slowly rousing from his pained slumber when he sensed the presence of a young and delightfully malleable mind. An amalgamation of foolhardiness, deep insecurity, and a low-burning flame of repressed rage. "...Excellent…"

AN 1: Dol, Dopaktar, and Shagr are the Zoroastrian equivalents of Aquarius, Gemini, and Leo respectively. Aquarius and Gemini do share great astrological affinity, shown in Luna and Eurus' friendship so far.

AN 2: The concept of Heliopathy in PoS is fascinating, especially with the far-reaching implications of Pandora Lovegood potentially eliminating an entire branch of very obscure and rather dangerous magic. In AD, we escape that by heliopathy being recognized by different names/concepts (i.e. Ethergazer) that are analogous to the presumed British versions. Unlike in PoS, it is assumed in AD that Saul Croaker pulled some strings to ensure Luna wouldn't be Conscripted.

AN 3: For casting, I'm thinking Fifi Hart (Downton Abbey) as Amy Wilkes.