Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: Sirius Black is portrayed by … Theo Theodoridis … because, Sirius is just so damn sexy in my head!
Chapter 3:
Running. If Harry was asked to describe the entirety of his fifteen years of existence, the immediate word on the tip of his tongue would easily be running. As a toddler, when he first developed usage of his limbs and took his very first step, he only had a few years of reprieve before he had to learn how to run. Most toddlers, at the prime of their life, would crawl and then learn a few wobbly baby steps and once they started maturing, running would be utilized for childhood games or for running track, or maybe if one is late for school, or work. Harry on the other hand, had always been a peculiar lad since he began evolving in his deceased mother's womb, and after crawling, he skipped walking and immediately progressed into running; Harry would run to the kitchen to prepare his relatives' meals three times a day, Harry would run outside to maintain the floriculture for his Aunt seeing as it was her pride and joy, and she would continually take credit for his hard labor. Harry Hunting was sadistically created by his fat lump of a cousin where his equally ignoramus friends gladly partook and Harry found himself running on a daily basis, lest he got caught and beaten mercilessly to a pulp. Upon receiving his Hogwarts letter on his eleventh birthday, Harry was forced to run all the way from Privet Drive to a lonely dilapidated shack in the middle of a sea; beginning his education at Hogwarts gave him no respite from running, and Harry found himself running through the many minacious ordeals and adventures with the new addition of his best friends, Ron and Alaska.
Running away from Filch after the subterfuge duel Draco Malfoy deceivingly challenged him to; running away from a Cerberus named Fluffy of all things; running away from the possessed Quirrellmort in the Forbidden Forest; running to Hagrid after discovering the trickery of the dragon egg and then running to McGonagall to inform her of the plot surrounding the Sorcerer's Stone; running to the third floor corridor and under the trapdoor; running through Knockturn Alley to the safety of Diagon Alley; running from the Whomping Willow after Ron crashed the flying car into it; running around the castle blindly in search for the disembodied voice that only he could hear; running to the Slytherin Common Room in the guise of Goyle and then back to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom; running away from Hagrid's pet Acromantula, Aragog and his innumerable children; running to Lockhart to clue him in the location of the fabled Chamber of Secrets, which he admitted, was incredibly foolish of him and Ron; running blindly from a basilisk; running away from Privet Drive after literally blowing up Aunt Marge; running to Hogwarts from Hogsmeade after Malfoy found his head floating in midair; running headfirst into the Whomping Willow to rescue Ron from the Grimm; running to save Sirius from a swarm of dementors; running around with an illegal time-turner to save Sirius and Buckbeak; running away from a werewolf; running back to the Hospital Wing before their allotted time was up after watching Sirius escape towards his freedom; running away from Death Eaters at the Quidditch World Cup; running to meet Sirius in the Gryffindor Common Room on time after discovering the First Task; running away from the nesting Hungarian Horntail lest he became barbecued and eaten whole; running to finally solve the Golden Egg; running to rescue Ron in the Black Lake and from the colony of Merepeople before his allotted hour was up; running to Dumbledore to aid an unhinged Bartemius Crouch Sr. who he left with his best friend's boyfriend, Viktor Krum; running through the maze in the Third Task; running away from Voldemort and his Death Eaters in the graveyard; running from the two rogue dementors that happened to appear in Privet Drive; running to the Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix.
Running. That is all Harry Potter seemed to do and had become extremely efficient in; and currently, Harry Potter was running to Courtroom Ten in the Ministry of Magic to arrive at his Hearing in time despite the fact that he had arrived to the Ministry hours early. Overwhelmed by his surroundings, emerald eyes nervously scoped the room, unable to withhold the gasp that escaped his lips, for the large dungeon was horribly familiar; the walls were made of dark stone, dimly lit by torches; empty benches rose ominously on either side of him and ahead, in the highest benches of all, were many shadowy figures muttering in low voices, the volume increasing when his cautious footsteps resonated. Focusing his gaze to the chair in the center of the room, they turned ablaze with fury upon noting the arms were covered in chains, chains which sprung to life during the Lestranges and Crouch Jr.'s Hearing he bore witness to in Dumbledore's pensieve before the accursed Third Task. When Harry gingerly occupied the aforementioned chair, his eyes narrowed into slits when the chains clinked threateningly and relaxed, not binding him, and he was nauseated. Alaska Gilbert had long ago taken up the mantle as his conscience; the voice in his head; and currently, her mellifluous tone was coated in fury as she theorized his current predicament. Fudge elaborated this farce of a Hearing amongst the entire Wizengamot for mere underage magic, hoping for him to feel inferior and be expelled for speaking the truth; sitting up with renewed confidence he couldn't help but adopt when he held the title as Alaska Gilbert's best friend, Harry didn't allow himself to be intimidated, he kept his cool, even when Dumbledore made a timely appearance in resplendent midnight-blue robes and a perfectly calm expression; despite his ire with the Headmaster, the powerful emotion of hope arose in Harry's chest and he inwardly grinned at the flustered fool, Fudge who looked to be a mixture of resigned and enraged.
Fudge was adamant in not allowing him to speak in his own defense as he bellowed question after question; "You are Harry James Potter, of number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey?" Alaska would have defiantly retorted, 'Like you didn't already know that, unless of course you are currently suffering from amnesia, then I sincerely urge you to quit your profession and admit yourself to St. Mungo's. Harry had only been able to respond with a one-word affirmative, before the blustering idiot stampeded onward, "You received an official warning from the Ministry for using illegal magic three years ago, did you not?" again, Alaska's voice filled with venom flooded the recess of his mind, 'How incompetent can the British Ministry of Magic get? Don't you people have ways of scanning a wizard's magic? If you did, then you would easily find the perpetrator to be a house-elf by the name of Dobby! Another short affirmative from Harry, and before he could defend himself, Fudge rapidly barked out, "And yet, you conjured a Patronus on the night of the second of August? Knowing that you are not permitted to use magic outside school while you are under the age of seventeen?" The stubborn Minister began bellowing about him being in an area full of Muggles and in the close proximity of a Muggle, and Alaska's snarky comments were ringing louder in his head. Just as Harry's explosive temper reached its apex, a witch with a peculiar monocle cut across the simpleton Fudge, impressed beyond words at discovering he could produce a fully-fledged Patronus that took a corporeal form and had been able to do so since the premature age of thirteen.
The Headmaster always enjoyed surprising Harry, almost like a coveted hobby, and that emotion was clearly visible on the bespectacled boy's visage when Mrs. Figg appeared in their midst looking terrified and as batty as ever, inappropriately clad in carpet slippers. Her testimony was spectacular, proving Harry's innocence as it collaborated with his own attestation before Dumbledore had been forced to bring Mrs. Figg in for more proof. Upon her departure, Harry felt hope spring in his chest when he saw that the fair and just Madam Amelia Bones, Head of the DMLE, believed in his innocence, unfortunately, the pig-headed disgrace of a Minister stubbornly claimed him to be a liar; one quality both Harry Potter and Alaska Gilbert had in common, they hated being called a liar! Dumbledore began hinting once again about the rising of Voldemort, and if not him, then somebody from the Ministry ordered a pair of dementors into the alleyway on the second of August, successfully bombarding Fudge into a corner, and then he saw her… a woman who looked to be the perfect outcome of a hag and a giant toad fornicating together; Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister whose voice was fluttery, girlish, high-pitched and really grated on his nerves; if Harry were to be perfectly honest, he had been expecting a deep croak.
It was when Fudge began spouting past grievances of him blowing up his Aunt Marge and causing havoc in Hogwarts, that was frankly none of his business, did Harry finally blow the lid of, unleashing all his suppressed anger and morphing from the meek little savior to the perfect replica of Lily Potter's explosive temper. Harry listened to Alaska's mellifluous voice in his head – his conscience – and defended himself to the pompous Minister firmly in denial and his amphibian Undersecretary; Alaska Gilbert would have never allowed anyone to speak for her, accuse her of being an attention-seeking and insane liar, and keep her head down in the face of multiple aggressors speaking ill about her person, and neither will Harry. It was time he came out of his shell and showed the idiotic British Magical Community that he was not one to be easily trifled with.
Determined emerald orbs focused solely on the flustering Minister who was adamantly ignoring him and spitting out claptrap, Harry channeled his inner Alaska and bellowed in an authoritative tone, "Excuse me! Since I am the one on stand being discredited by you, Minister, I suppose it is only fair that I actually speak for myself before the verdict, don't you think?" Complete and utter silence met his announcement, and he could have sworn he heard Dumbledore chuckle lowly from beside him; rendered speechless, a subtly smiling Amelia Bones spoke up for Fudge; "First of all Minister, you accused me of lying about the two rogue dementors, we can easily and swiftly solve this conundrum by perusing through the records for the name of the Ministry Official that ordered them to attack me, since you claim you have no dementors outside Ministry control. Since this is not of your jurisdiction, then Madam Bones, as Head of the DMLE will make a full inquiry over why the two rogues attacked without authorization. End of subject! NEXT topic in hand; Minister, you declare that my Patronus was cast in plain view of a Muggle, that Muggle you speak of, Minister, was my blood-related cousin, Dudley Dursley and only Dudley Dursley, who already has knowledge of the Wizarding World and of me being a wizard, therefore, your accusation is null and void, since I performed magic in front of an aware Muggle. NEXT, you prosecute me for performing the Hovering Charm three years ago, proof that the British Ministry of Magic is lax in their safety, incompetent, and inattentive regarding misdemeanors and the citizens they are supposed to be in charge of. Why, all it would take was the scanning of the magical residue and you would see perfectly clear that it was wandless spell-casting of a house-elf and not my magical signature… thus, the Ministry under your rule is neglectful regarding safety measures for those living in a Muggle Habitat. What if it was some maniac coming to kill me? You would immediately place the blame of me instead of the genuine perpetrator," Harry was too riled up, unable to pause for breath and he was inwardly reveling in the myriad of dumbfounded and aghast expressions aimed toward his person. "NEXT Minister, the 'cock-and-bull' excuse for blowing up my Aunt Marge before my third year of schooling; it was accidental magic I had absolutely NO control over my actions since I was being bullied and my anger took hold of my emotions, blinding me into a rage and activating my magic. You however, kindly did not press any charges? Why, esteemed Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot? Because Minister Fudge heralded me as the savior, the 'Boy-Who-Lived' never mind the fact that you all worship me for the death of my parents and becoming an orphan. How kind of you. Minister Fudge wanted to suck up to me and manipulate me to his side and see him as a caring uncle to aid his popularity and next election as Minister of Magic. Now however, he is a coward, stuck in denial and wish to make me a scapegoat because you cannot admit the truth that is glaring at you. No, Minister, I am not a liar, I am not an attention-seeking brat who revels in fame, and I promise you, you will come to regret the vilification on my person and the colorful smear campaign you started. Mark my words, one day you will all apologize profusely for your accusations and for alienating me, and I will NOT come to your aid when the truth becomes publicly known. You will be known as the Minister who destroyed the nation, and I will be smiling in the background, watching you all drown for backing up the pompous, greedy and cowardly alleged Minister."
Damn that felt good!
.*.
The second one of the Hogwarts owls perched onto Alaska's windowsill with the booklist, the brunette beauty's heart began to race a mile a minute and a high-pitched squeal escaped her lips when the scarlet and gold prefect badge fell into her palm. Make no mistake, Alaska reveled in pranking and causing mischief, but the honor of becoming a prefect had been in her bucket list and she felt pride consume her at her triumph. Descending the staircase two at a time with the badge clasped tightly in her hand, wild chocolate brown orbs met the congregated group of her family, all of them staring at her in utter bewilderment which quickly transformed into squeals of joy and prideful applause. Sirius, who had been a constant welcomed visitor in the Gilbert Residence due to his relationship status with Aunt Jenna, let out a bark-like laughter, claiming her to be a mixture of the Marauders and Lily Potter with her addiction to mischief and respect toward authority figures, and she promised the lively Marauder and godfather of her male best friend that she would use her prefect status to create havoc unpunished, much to the amusement of everyone but her mother who had pursed her lips in reproach.
Turning a blind eye and a deaf ear at the transparent celebration planning, Sirius escorted Alaska as she flooed to Grimmauld Place, both of them excited in the prospect of Harry being the male Gryffindor Prefect. Alaska immediately dashed up the stairs and barged into the shared bedroom of Harry and Ron's and collided into a dumbstruck Harry, embracing him in a suffocating hug, her doe-eyes widening more than possible at the scarlet and gold badge limply clasped in his hand. "I knew it, Harry! I got the other prefect badge!" she exclaimed, brandishing the identical badge in his face. The unanimous chuckles of Fred and George had her taking in her surroundings, and a scowl appeared on her flawless visage when Harry pressed the badge to Ron and the terror twins laughingly informed her that Ron was the Gryffindor Prefect. Uncaring over common courtesy or hurting her abrasive friend's feelings, Alaska's jaw dropped and she violently tucked a coiled curl behind her ear, "What? But… how, I mean, are you sure?"
The flabbergasted expression on Ron's mien morphed into one of utmost defiance and he turned as red as his flaming hair in response to the twins uproarious laughter and Alaska's unspoken allegation. Alaska wasn't a cold-hearted and frigid bitch; the otherworldly brunette was compassionate and a heart as full as the Earth, but she was blessed with a myriad of coveted attributes, such as bold, strong-willed, charismatic, fiercely protective, intellectual, practical, perceptive, energetic, and the most important of all, brutally honest. Alaska congratulated Ron, but she wasn't about to sugar-coat the prestigious title he gained, for Ronald Weasley did not under any circumstance, deserve that badge or the esteemed position as a fifth-year prefect. Harry Potter did! Ron was stubborn, immensely lazy, bigoted, a slouch and a slob, unapproachable and had major anger issues, and to top it all off, his grades were abysmal. So what the freaking hell, was Professor McGonagall thinking when she elected Ronald pig-headed Weasley to be the male fifth year prefect? Heck, Neville deserved the badge more than her ginger companion did.
Mrs. Weasley went into a prideful, banshee-shrieking Mama-Bear mode as she suffocated the still red-faced Ron in a hug, his face lost somewhere in between Molly's large bosoms and they both ignored the chuckling terror twins, the gaping Alaska, and the rendered speechless Harry as they began debating over the present he deserved. One after another, the flaming redheads departed the room, leaving behind a stifling silence in their wake; Alaska slowly whipped around, determined to properly analyze her best friend's actual reaction and was deeply unimpressed when his mien twisted into a painfully forced smile and he adamantly stared at anything but her. "Well done, Sky. Brilliant. Prefect. Great." Placing both hands firmly on her hips, she fixated him with a 'don't bullshit me' glare and snapped out, "Oh, cut the crap, Harry! We both know that Ron didn't deserve the badge. Heck, his own siblings know that, even Molly expected you to get it. So don't you dare act all macho toward me and suffer in silence."
Adopting the expression of a deer caught in the headlights, Harry slowly let loose a couple of genuine chuckles and tightly embraced the slender brunette, "Thanks, Sky," he whispered, his voice slightly choked with emotions. Alaska closed her eyes and let out a sad exhalation of breath, it was painstakingly obvious to her that Harry wanted to follow his mother's footsteps by being a prefect, and in a method to cheer him up, Alaska smirked, "You know, Har-Har, your Dad wasn't a prefect, but he was Head Boy. I'm sure two years from now you'll bag that badge." It was heart-warming to see his face light up, radiating with joy and his emeralds shine with hope and Alaska mentally patted herself on the back before she grabbed his hand and yanked him outside, "C'mon, Har-Har. Uncle Alan is taking me shopping at Liberty Lane for the school supplies, how about you come with and we'll throw in Padfoot and Jenna into the mix."
Suffice to say, Harry lit up like a Christmas tree at the prospect of getting to spend an entire afternoon outside with his godfather, while Ron was green with envy as he watched them leave and Molly pursed her lips in disappointment; of course the overbearing mother of seven tried, keyword tried, to stop them, but Alaska, who had been silently and unanimously elected to be the person to refute Molly's incessant claims and put her in her place, vehemently informed her that Minister Alan Jefferson and Sirius Black were both hers and Harry's magical guardians, and that she had absolutely no right to butt into their affairs and forbid them to leave.
.*.
John Gilbert was covertly a proud father; there were many moments when he hated assuming the role as Alaska and Elena's uncles when they were both extraordinary girls, but inwardly, he knew that Grayson and Miranda adopting the prominent role as their biological parents was for the best – not for him; no, John Gilbert could care less about his own happiness. It was best for his beautiful, vibrant twin daughters and he would rather have his heart ripped out than destroy their lives and future happiness. Alaska and Elena had a younger brother, two loving parents, a wonderful and stable home life and a plethora of true friends; his older daughter engaged in many adventures and was included in a remarkable world filled with magic; everything John hoped for in their lives, happened; they were happy, and there was nothing more important to him than their happiness. Unfortunately, there was a large obstacle standing in their way, a hurdle none but him, Isobel and Katherine were cognizant of. Sooner or later, vampires, werewolves and Servants of Nature would be lining up to snatch up his girls as a sacrifice for Klaus, and John was at his wits end. Grayson and Miranda were obviously enlightened of the danger the twins were in due to them both being Petrova doppelgängers, but John decided to forgo telling them about the Sun and Moon Ritual after Mikael nearly kidnapped his extroverted and energetic daughter, Alaska, seeing as Miranda couldn't take any more bad news. Grayson gave him permission to do whatever he possibly could to protect them and John spent more than a decade searching for means of protecting them.
Yes, he adopted the role of a vampire hunter, and had easily eradicated a few rogue vampires that kill for fun, but upon discovering the Magical World, John started to slowly change his beliefs and his mindset especially after meeting and befriending Alan Jefferson; John would only decimate the vampires that proved to be an exposure risk and that were cold-blooded murderers. The vampire hunter actually found himself befriending a few compassionate vampires, a feat he never thought possible upon learning the family history in his youth. Original vampires on the other hand, were impossible to kill; they were immune to wood, they could resist the toxic effects of vervain, and were over twenty times faster and stronger than regular vampires. Perusing through Jonathan Gilbert's many journals and overlooking the many ramblings, John hit jackpot when he discovered a weakness that could be used against them; a silver dagger dipped in the ashes of the White Oak Tree; problem is, John had no inkling of where he could find one, and even if he did, it would be a miraculous feat if he could stab them directly in the heart with his entire body intact. Isobel claimed she wanted to help save their daughters, but John was no fool, despite his undying love for Isobel, he knew that she wanted no part in Alaska and Elena's lives, and the sudden change collaborated with the manipulative, merciless Katherine's arrival.
Isobel and Katherine were obviously working together and had their own agenda that included his daughters and the Sun and Moon Ritual. Unbeknownst to Alaska, she inherited her cunningness from him, her biological father; John easily played the part of the lovestruck fool, easily molded and manipulated, and in exchange was given endless information he needed to save them; John entered a partnership with the two manipulative, heartless Petrovas and behind their backs, he entered a genuine one with Alan since they both had a mutual goal in saving the twins' lives; Alan already began aiding him by teaching Alaska, Elena and Jeremy mind-magic; according to the wizard, Occlumency could be taught to squibs and non-magicals, and protecting their mind would later make them immune to compulsion.
Watching his daughter laugh with her friends, John's lips twitched into a fond smile; they had all congregated at Grimmauld Place in celebration for Alaska and Ronald becoming prefects, and despite the fact that his vibrant girl would be disembarking the next day to Hogwarts, John couldn't allow himself to mourn her departure at seeing her face alight with utmost delight and excitement. While one twin was safely ensconced in the other world, John would only have to worry about Elena, but thankfully, she was an introvert and unlike her spirited twin, preferred the comforts of home and Mystic Grill and therefore, wouldn't find herself facing danger, allowing him to breathe easily. Sensing somebody approaching him, John turned around and found himself facing the weather-beaten, war-veteran, Alastor Moody who had been imprisoned in his trunk for nine months, according to Alaska. With a grunt, the vigilant wizard addressed him, "Your niece is very impressive. I didn't have the honor of teaching her last year due to that bastard Crouch," he growled angrily, and John tried to the best of his ability to focus on his real eye, "But I heard many praises from that Death Eater scum. I've worked a couple of times with Jefferson and his brother in the field… if you're willing, I wouldn't mind taking Alaska in as my protégé and teach her defensive and offensive magic. Sirius already gave me his approval regarding Potter's training."
The combined emotion of shock and pride etched itself onto John's handsome visage, "Why are you asking me? You should be getting permission from Gray and Miranda." The scarred lips twisted into a smirk that looked more like a grimace and in all honesty, made his marred face look even more frightening and John watched him take a mouthful from his flask before he uttered, "I heard from Jefferson that you would be the best one to ask seeing as you are more involved in the supernatural. So, what do you say?" To protect his daughters, John Gilbert would do anything; Alan was already teaching Alaska a variety of magical education that isn't offered at Hogwarts, and already began training her, Elena and Jeremy Occlumency, having the esteemed war-veteran into the fold would be useful, and so, with a smirk, John gave Alastor Moody his approval; Grayson and Miranda would be overjoyed with the extra help and hopefully, when Klaus came to collect, he would meet his demise… one could only hope.
.*.
Luna Lovegood was an odd individual. Even for a witch she was a very peculiar girl and differed immensely from her peers. She had always been an adventurous child, constantly attached to her best friend's hip who happened to also be her neighbor, Ginny Weasley. The two girls were practically glued to one another, and in their youth, they created their very own tree-house where they spent most of their time in, dreaming of their future and when they would finally enter the great halls of Hogwarts. Ginny, unsurprisingly was adamant in getting sorted into Gryffindor like her siblings, parents and deceased uncles, and grandfathers, while Luna was excited for Ravenclaw, the House for the brains and wits, as well as the house both her parents had been sorted into. Yes, Luna Lovegood had always been a happy child, with a pure heart, a compassionate personality, optimistic by nature, and an animated dream for adventures; she had the best friend anyone could ask for, and two doting parents that were undeniably proud of her.
Unfortunately, her life spiraled downwards one ominous day after Luna hurriedly clambered down from the tree-house after hearing a loud explosion resonating from the Potion's room, and only the distinctive sound of the tiny pitter-pattering of nine-year-old Luna Lovegood's bare feet could be heard when she walked in on her mother's dead form splayed out on the ground; almond-shaped silvery-grey eyes Luna inherited that usually gazed at her with fond adoration and tender love, now gazed back at her blankly, lacking any signs of life. Little Luna found herself oddly devoid from tears, instead of wailing heart-wrenching sobs, she collapsed onto the ground, cradled her mother's head onto her tiny lap and remained eye-contact until nightfall, unmoving; that was the scene her father, Xenophilius Lovegood walked in on upon returning from his office in Diagon Alley where he had been revising the next edition of the Quibbler. The childish happy blonde wholly changed after that day; upon returning from Pandora Lovegood's funeral, Luna became a hermit, seeking solitude in her room and depriving herself from human-contact, even her best friend, Ginny who was constantly turned away by a mourning father stating that his daughter preferred to be left alone.
Xenophilius started to become slightly unhinged after the death of his beloved wife, his anchor Pandora, and Luna began to take after her father; instead of dreaming up adventures, Luna began imagining fabled creatures that do not exist. The death of Pandora activated Luna's innate gift of foresight, and upon unearthing her mother's journal, discovered it to be an inherited trait. Pandora Lovegood was a Seer, and in turn, Luna inherited the certain trait; Seers were usually coveted by a fair few for nefarious purposes, or ridiculed by the mass, therefore, little Luna purposely gave off an aura of distinct dottiness which in turn had her a constant target for bullies and given the spiteful moniker of Loony, and incessantly spoke of mystical creatures to disguise her visions. Luna had long ago given up the dream of belonging like she did before in her youth; during her first year at Hogwarts, Luna engulfed herself in an optimistic bubble and watched from the sidelines as her once best friend Ginny got sucked into the possession of a dark artifact and then later on befriended many students from their year while she remained a recluse, bullied incessantly by her housemates.
Ensconced in her usual compartment in the train, Luna buried herself in the latest edition of the Quibbler and tried to banish her fear of returning to the castle when suddenly, the compartment door slid open and she hid her surprise behind her mask of dottiness at seeing Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom and Ginny Weasley join her. An odd yet welcoming change in her routine, seeing as everyone preferred to remain without a compartment instead of joining hers. Concentrating on the runic crossword puzzle, Luna eavesdropped on their conversation, a sad smile on her face when she thought of what the old Luna would have done; the Luna before her mother's death would have immediately included herself in the conversation and made fast friends with them. The compartment slid open again, and her eyes bulged at the newcomers, the rude and crass Ronald Weasley, and the charismatic and famous American Muggleborn, Alaska Gilbert, who she yearned to befriend ever since her first year.
"Hello. I'm Alaska, what's your name?" Luna found herself tongue-tied for a moment, startled over the fact that the Alaska Gilbert was instigating conversation with her on her own accord. Smiling uncertainly, and praying to Circe that she wasn't being pranked, Luna airily replied in her usual dreamy voice, "Luna Lovegood. I know who you are Alaska Gilbert, you don't need to introduce yourself." Instead of the gorgeous brunette being offended or weirded out by her, her plump, petal-shaped lips curled into a friendly grin and she reached out for her necklace of butterbeer caps. "Cool. You have a unique style. I like it. So, you're a Ravenclaw, huh, tell me about it." Deciding to test the outgoing girl, Luna idiosyncratically sang out, "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure… Ravenclaw is nice, Alaska Gilbert, but it is unfortunately infested with nargles." Much to Luna's concealed shock, Alaska's lips widened into a genuine smile, displaying a full set of pearly white teeth and her enthralling chocolate brown orbs shone with mirth; the rude Weasley boy and much to her dejection, Ginny, both burst out into uproarious laughter and just as she despondently began to bury her head into the Quibbler, the American Muggleborn threw them a lethal glare, all amusement vanishing from her otherworldly features, "Hey! Don't be rude! It's not nice to laugh at people!" with one last glare toward them, aided by Harry Potter, she turned back to her with her utmost attention, "Tell me about Nargles, I haven't heard about them before."
Exuberant at the probability of garnering a friend in the charismatic brunette, Luna placed the Quibbler aside, lost the dreamy quality in her tone, and ecstatically informed her, "They are little things that float around the air and mostly infect mistletoes, but they are also mischievous thieves. My necklace keeps them away." Luna knew that Alaska Gilbert was merely humoring her, but all the same, she was ecstatic with the genuine kindness her aura was radiating when she said, "Really? I'll have to make myself a necklace of butterbeer corks too in case those nasty buggers attack me, huh?" she smiled, and just as Luna was about to giddily reply, she got sucked into a vision, causing her face to slacken and her silvery-grey eyes to protrude more than ever possible; crimson splattered everywhere; bloodbaths; fire; tragedy and despair; hardships; perilous paths and lastly… death. Alaska Gilbert in all her beautiful glory, looking a few years older lay immobile on a sandy terrain, her beautiful doe-like chocolate brown eyes that were usually shining with mirth and many expressive emotions, were glassy and utterly devoid of life… Alaska Gilbert was dead!
"Hey, Luna, you kinda spaced out. Are you okay?"
Blinking repeatedly, Luna gazed horror-struck at the girl whose death she had just seen; she knew she looked even more eccentric than ever, but Luna didn't care; the kind, compassionate, energetic and lively girl she yearned to befriend had a desolate and bleak future that would inevitably end with her death, and Luna had no inkling of how to stop it from happening. Burying her head back into her Quibbler, Luna dreamily replied, "Did you know, Alaska Gilbert, that you are surrounded by Crupulus Scumulgabubblers? You should have it checked out; they are proved to be very dangerous." Silence filled the compartment, effectively ending the brief conversation between them, but Luna Lovegood didn't care, she desperately wanted her mother, she needed her mother's advice, because the lonely recluse had absolutely no idea of how she would go about in saving the American Muggleborn's life.
.*.
Alaska's first week at Hogwarts was an absolute nightmare! Not only was Ron made a prefect, but Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, much to her chagrin. Ron continued to slack off, throwing all their prefect duties on Alaska's shoulder while he lounged about lazily, stuffing his face with food and playing incessant games of chess with anyone who had free time in the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry, bless the dude, tried calming her down, to no avail; Alaska was a hairsbreadth away from complaining to McGonagall and demanding to know what on earth she had been thinking when she elected Ron to be the fifth-year Gryffindor Prefect. Alas, if only Ron was her only dilemma, no, you see, Draco and Pansy were abusing their privilege and prefect status; the week had barely came to fruition and already Alaska witnessed the two bullies reduce countless of first and second years into tears, and Alaska Gilbert has had enough!
An hour before the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class with the simpering amphibian was to take place, Alaska stormed down to the dungeons looking like a witch on a mission, and after courteously knocking twice on the door of her most hated Professor, she barged inside in a flurry of robes, her coiled curls crackling with her volatile magic and her fists clenched, a few pink splotches could be seen materializing on her flawless olive complexion. Severus Snape lazily lifted his greasy head from the dunderheads' inanely written homework, and his vacant onyx orbs widened diminutively at the sight of the gorgeous brunette in a raging temper and unbidden, he had a painful flashback of his dearly departed Lily, for the redhead had the same expression on her face whenever she was in an explosive temper. Once the brunette stood on the opposite end of his desk, he silkily drawled out, "Yes, Ms. Gilbert?" During her entire tirade, Snape kept his face peculiarly blank, waiting until she reached her limit.
"Professor, with all due respect, I do not know what you were thinking when you made Malfoy and Parkinson prefects, but their behavior ever since the Hogwarts Express had been appalling! They are bullies! Nothing but bullies, spouting out their pureblood propaganda bullshit, and ya know, usually I turn a blind eye when their crude words are directed at me, but when they reduce a plethora of first and second years to tears, that I cannot ignore. Sir," she added respectively, blowing away a few strands that fell onto her face, "Both of them have been strutting around the castle like they were named the freaking President of the United States or the next Merlin for Christ's Sakes! As their Head of House, I thought you might be curious to know of their deplorable behavior. I know you show disdain toward those from the other Houses, but I know you must somewhat care for their well-being otherwise you wouldn't be a Professor here or a … spy," she whispered lowly, "You know what was the deciding factor that had me coming to you to complain? Malfoy docked ten points from Benny Crane, a first year Hufflepuff, and you wanna know why? I'll tell you, Malfoy said, and I quote, 'Ten points from Hufflepuff. You are a Mudblood and I am your superior! Never look at me again.' It's-, its bull, professor, and I'm sorry, but it cannot continue, you cannot allow Malfoy and Parkinson to go on this way. They are not above the rules!"
To say that Severus Snape was stupefied would be a gross understatement. He was furious at his chosen prefects' behavior and gobsmacked at the apoplectic anger radiating from Gilbert and he was immediately reminded of the day in Grimmauld Place when she gave a huge dressing down to the overbearing Molly Weasley. Alaska Gilbert departed from the dungeons after Snape promised to speak to them – like that would do any good to those bigoted bastards – and entered the Defense Classroom in the nick of time, angrily settling herself on Harry's right and slamming her textbook on the table, ignoring the curious eyes burning the back of her skull. Hogwarts was really testing Alaska's patience, for the second the simpering toad displayed her course aims on the board, the brunette was about to implode. Of course, Alaska being Alaska, she confronted Umbridge about her course aims and unintentionally opened up a huge can of worms as the entire class began probing her with incessant questions and disagreements.
They weren't allowed to use defensive spells. Forget about bloody Voldemort, how in the hell were they supposed to learn by only reading a sham of a book that a seven-year-old could write and succeed in life?!
Glaring at Umbridge as she called Cedric's death a 'tragic accident' Alaska was seriously entertaining thoughts of murder or torture, really, she wasn't picky. That … whatever she is, Alaska seriously doubted her to be human, she looked like she botched up a transfiguration incantation and turned herself into a humanoid amphibian in pink for crying out loud! Once Harry was sent off with a disgustingly pink parchment to McGonagall, the amphibian gazed at her with a saccharine smile, "Yes, my dear. Is there anything else you want to add?" Chocolate orbs narrowed; I know what you're doing you hag! That bitch was trying to trick her into also getting a detention; the cunning Gilbert twin returned a saccharine smile of her own with added gusto and said, "Oh no, Professor Umbridge. Merely interested in your teaching technique, you see, my magical guardian, Alan Jefferson, asked me to summarize my lessons and he would be very interested in your lacking as a Defense Instructor." If the color drained out of the toad's flabby face, Alaska made no comment; instead, she sent her an evil smirk and opened her textbook without sparing her a second glance. Dolores Umbridge will rue the day she decided to come to Hogwarts, and with the backing of the formidable American Minister of Magic, that amphibian will find herself out of a job in due time.
.*.
It was nearing the second week of the students return to Hogwarts and Minerva McGonagall was entertaining her fellow Professors, Snape, Flitwick and Sprout with a bottle of Firewhiskey in a rare occasion of celebration. Why are they celebrating? Somebody had taken the liberty in making Dolores Umbridge's life in Hogwarts a living hell, so to speak. The culprits were highly assumed to be Fred and George Weasley, led by the vindictive and igneous American Muggleborn, Alaska Gilbert. Although they had no substantial proof, it was glaringly obvious; Severus Snape's entire year of being targeted with pranks after he exposed Remus Lupin to be a werewolf and ousted him was nothing in comparison to the ten days of constant pranking Umbridge had been pursued with.
"I knew it was her all along last year," Severus groused out, his onyx orbs flashing angrily as he knocked back his drink and refilled his glass. Filius smirked at him, "Oh, come now, Severus. Are you saying we should punish them for targeting Dolores?" The other three Head of Houses stared at the capricious Potions Professor with knowing eyes as he grudgingly spat out, "Of course not! That… woman deserves what's coming for her and more, I just wish I had enough proof to land Gilbert in detention for incessantly pranking me last year!"
Minerva shook her head fondly; Alaska Gilbert was the reincarnation of the Marauders (the traitorous Pettigrew axed from the group of miscreants, of course). The American Muggleborn was a genius, respected authority and a scholastic student just like Remus Lupin, though she had a mischievous streak and a vindictive personality that could overthrow Sirius Black and James Potter and make them look like amateurs at their best. Alaska Gilbert made the Marauders and the Weasley twins look reasonable, she didn't just find trouble; Alaska Gilbert pulled out a treasure map for it and went hunting. Her American lion cub may be the pride and joy of Hogwarts, but she was the bane of her Professors and all authority figures; that girl never got caught! When that fraudulent fool, Gilderoy Lockhart brought Cornish Pixies into the classroom, one had been found demolishing Severus' classroom, wreaking havoc and turning everything upside down; the Gilbert girl was ingenious, for even though there was no eye-witnesses, she looked incredibly smug for the entirety of a week after that event. Minerva speculated that Alaska immobilized a Cornish pixie and shoved it into a specimen jar from a shelf in the back of the room, added an air hole to the lid, and tucked it into her bag before setting it loose in Snape's classroom as a detour from the Great Hall, that way, they would all assume the offending Pixie escaped from the open window in the Defense classroom and into the dungeons. Quite a clever girl.
Dolores Umbridge had been given absolutely no reprieve and had been transformed into a complete mockery; most of the Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson had to be cancelled due to Dolores' inability to attend and last night, during dinner, the second she took a sip from her pumpkin juice, her whole form was transfigured into a ginormous toad, an excellent collaboration of Transfiguration and Potions, and Minerva and Severus were grudgingly impressed by the intricate spell-work infused in the demeaning prank. Dolores was reduced into a sketchy and nervous person, she would constantly look over her shoulder and sniff her food for anything laced, waving her wand for any magical residue before she touched an object. Alaska Gilbert succeeded in creating an individual more paranoid than Alastor Moody, a feat that was supposedly impossible, and yet, the school year had barely even started.
Raising her glass in the air, Minerva toasted, "To Alaska Gilbert and the Weasley twins!"
"To Alaska Gilbert and the Weasley twins!" the other three intoned, albeit Severus did begrudgingly.
.*.
When Alaska returned to Mystic Falls for the summer, the Quartet Best Friends made a pact to take up jogging and a variation of exercises to stay in shape, remain healthy and to quote Caroline verbatim, "To have sexy rocking bodies by Junior Year!" Every morning, Alaska, Elena, Caroline and Bonnie met up in front of the Grill and ran laps around town, and before Alaska left for Hogwarts, she promised them she wouldn't slack off and continue with the strict regimen every day. Two weeks into her morning routine she began attracting the attention of her housemates and a few Badgers and Eagles. Harry immediately complied and joined his best friend, and they were soon followed by Neville, Lavender, Parvati, and the entire Quidditch team – Angelina Johnson, who was elected the new Captain and seriously stole Oliver Wood's spirit, being the most outspoken one. A month later, Luna Lovegood joined, followed by Padma Patil, Susan Bones, Ernie MacMillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Hannah Abbott. Ron grumpily chose to sleep in and continued to laze about aimlessly and would meet up with them during breakfast where he would grate on her nerves as he announced her exercise routine to be nothing but a 'bloody waste of time'… the lazy sod.
In all actuality, the fitness group Alaska unintentionally assembled was anything but a waste of time. Running laps every morning would give you more endurance and a larger magical core, which would allow you to last much longer in a fight; this in particular enticed Harry the most. With Voldemort and his Death Munchers constantly after his blood, having more stamina in a fight and a larger and more potent magical core would be an immense aiding factor. While Alaska ran four laps around the lake, the others had amassed to two laps since they joined in late and the American Muggleborn started during the first days of the summer holiday; Alaska speculated that in another two months, the latecomers would increase from two laps to four, while she would surmount to six laps. The result of Alaska's utter devotion to her exercise regimen had her beginning to feel her body take drastic changes in terms of strength and conditioning. Their workouts included a routine of a hundred push-ups, two hundred sit-ups and then, a hundred meter sprints. Alaska ensured to mix up the order in which they did these work-outs, splitting them up so that they could get through them without hitting muscle failure, which according to YouTube and a few healthy magazines, would be a riddling bitch and quite painful.
Caroline's brilliant epiphany may have stemmed from hogging the remote control and watching too much of her latest addiction, Entertainment News, with the result of remaining in shape and developing a hot body before college, but for the Magical Community, it would be a beneficial aiding factor in the upcoming war that Voldemort was surely preparing for and the inevitable carnage.
.*.
Either the amphibian hag was plain stupid, or outright suicidal, Alaska didn't know, nor did she particularly care; the only thought reverberating through the lively brunette's head was getting Umbridge's deformed head on a silver platter. It initially began with Harry defying the pink toad's indignant claims on whether or not Voldemort had returned, before it surmounted to the simpering bitch making a mockery of Cedric's death and Harry's rash hotheadedness reared its ugly head, continuously landing him in detention. Harry was swamped for the first fortnight back attending detentions and despite Alaska's suspicions, she instantly believed him when he informed her that all she had him do was write lines until curfew until pliancy was ingrained in his head. The gorgeous brunette was ashamed to admit that she barely paid much attention to the obvious lie her best friend sold her due to her hectic schedule; with the many assigned homework in preparation for the O.W.L. examination, the creating and safe testing of Weasleys Wizard Wheezes prank items with Fred and George, and on top of all that, the pranking vendetta she initiated on the pink toad, Alaska was up to her eyeballs with diversions she never noticed Ron's pitiful grimaces and palpable anger whenever Harry returned from detention, clutching his writing hand in pain.
But Harry should have known he could never keep a secret for too long from Alaska Gilbert, she would always inevitable find out the truth, especially when it came to her brother in all but blood. A month into the start of term, the fitness group were tiredly running laps around the lake while Alaska was concluding her sit-ups when all of a sudden, Harry plumped down onto the ground beside her, greedily guzzling water the house-elves set aside from them – ordered by Dobby, the blissfully hyperactive and eccentric elf that had a huge and unhealthy adulating crush on the Great Harry Potter. Observant chocolate orbs narrowed in on Harry's right hand as it clasped the water bottle firmly, and with the aid of the glinting sunrays that shone upon his hand, doe-eyes widened perceptibly, and her plump lips dropped down in repulsive shock, for glaring right at her where gruesome words carved into his flesh, I must not tell lies, in Harry's distinctive handwriting. Barely giving the bespectacled boy time to brush the moment away, Alaska grabbed onto the offending hand with a surprisingly firm grip, her whole arm trembling with rage as she hissed out, "Harry. What. Is. That?!"
Emerald orbs widened and he knew he was caught; Harry tried to shrug it off, but during their four years of friendship and partaking dangerous adventures at the end of every year, Alaska could easily read her best friend like a book. Apparently Harry dismissed Ron's incessant urging to confide in Alaska, his flimsy excuse was that he didn't want to anger her even more and land herself in detention, but what set her off was when Harry stubbornly said that he wasn't going to allow Umbridge to win. "Harry James Potter! 'Not going to allow her to win?' This isn't a battle of wits, or survival of the fittest! She's carving your hand open like somebody would gut a freaking fish! Blood Quills are illegal, Harry. Uncle Alan told me all about them, they are Trade A illegal goods in the Black Market, Harry, and they are only legally used at Gringotts and permitted Ministry Officials for the signing of documents and binding contracts! Continuously writing with the Blood Quill can make you anemic, and not only that, but if that toad forced you to write, 'I cannot tell lies' then you'd have entered a binding contract and if you ever speak falsehoods you will either die or lose your magic. Anyone caught with an unpermitted Blood Quill could end up imprisoned for five to twenty years, Harry Potter, especially for forcing it onto a minor! Uncle Alan will have a fit if when he finds out, and before you argue with me Harry James Potter, did you ever think, just, pause to think that Umbridge could be torturing other students with that medieval detention of hers?!"
Harry paled considerably at that; his morality crippled him and he never once thought that his stubbornness in keeping it a secret had her getting away with torturing other students, never mind the fact that the many points listed off in Alaska's heated diatribe nauseated him. And to think, if he wrote cannot instead of must not, he'd be worse than dead. That night, ignoring the smug grin from Ron, he was given a Murtlap Essence treatment from the gorgeous brunette while she wrote an angry missive to Alan Jefferson, and Harry wondered for the umpteenth time that night, why he ever entertained the brilliant idea of keeping the toad's detentions a secret from Alaska. She always knew what to do. Always! However, things took a horrible turn as the term proceeded, Alan had yet to reply Alaska's missive, and the toad was appointed the first-ever High Inquisitor of Hogwarts; unsurprisingly, the vendetta against Umbridge increased tenfold and it was a common occurrence to hear her deafening screech resonating around the castle due to being the victim of yet, another ingenious prank.
.*.
Alan Isaac Jefferson, American Minister of Magic, was fuming. It had been months since he vowed to exempt Sirius Black from the false allegations and the permission of the horrid fate, the Dementor's Kiss, but there was too much red tape from his British counterpart. Despite him being the American Minister and in charge of the entire United States of America, as well as the American Representative of the ICW, he couldn't just allow Sirius to waltz into the Ministry, give him the appropriate dosage of Veritaserum and liberate him. There were many meetings and papers and negotiations that needed to take place and the greedy son-of-a-bitch, Fudge was buried deep in the pockets of Lucius Malfoy and blinded by his high position in the British Community to do what was right instead of what was easy. Of course, Alan courteously instigated a summit with Amelia Bones, Head of the DMLE who had an outstanding reputation for being fair, yet strict, and was never one to sweep any form of scandal under the rug. Upon discovering Sirius Black was never administered a trial before the Wizengamot and his wand had never been scanned for incanted spells before throwing him into a high-guarded cell in Azkaban, she deeply resembled an angry nesting dragon and promised to look into arranging a trial for the innocent fugitive. Nevertheless, Alan didn't hold much faith for the British Ministry, excluding Amelia's determination, and continued to abolish the red tape on his end. By the summer, Sirius Orion Black would be a free man; at least an American Citizen if worse comes to worse.
If only he only had the problems of Sirius' trial waging a war in his mind. No. Alan received a missive from Alaska a couple of days ago, and its content were unsettling, enough to blind him into a rage. Blood Quills! What sort of monster administers blood quills to underage students as a form of punishment? What in Agrippa's name is Dumbledore doing in that school? How could he be so blind over the fact that a Professor in his school was tormenting students under his protection? Alan Jefferson disliked Dolores Jane Umbridge with a passion, in fact, the only person able to stand prolonged moments in close proximity of that hag, was the ineptly incompetent fool, Cornelius Fudge. Unfortunately, Umbridge was not on American soil, and Alan's hands were tied, but that did not mean he couldn't relay this disturbing piece of evidence to the person in charge with the ability to administer punishment. The only saving grace, was that Alaska had yet to receive a detention due to the Minister and his sidekick toad's fear of aggravating him due to his esteemed title as her Magical Guardian, but the Boy-Who-Lived? Never mind the fact that he hated his fame, but when the resurrection of Voldemort was out in the open and the foolish British Magical Community discovered Harry Potter had been vilified for uttering the truth, it would be a miracle if the boy decided to save their asses and defeat Voldemort – which still mind-boggled Alan… who would dare put such a heavy burden on a child's shoulder? And why was Dumbledore so adamant in allowing Harry Potter to face the Darkest Wizard to ever walk their shores?
Letting out a loud exhalation, Alan put pen to paper – unlike the medieval, stagnant British Community, they evolved alongside the Muggles and preferred the usage of fountain pens and lined papers – and jotted down a courteous, yet incensed letter of complaint to Madam Amelia Bones regarding Dolores Umbridge.
.*.
Discrimination against Slytherin was infamous in the prestigious castle; every September 1st, when the nervous group of first years disembarked on the Hogwarts Express, it was the only time they were freely able to establish alliances and be treated by others in regards to their personality, and not the House the Sorting Hat sorted them into. Some children, like Daphne Greengrass already expected the inevitable of being alienated by her peers and judged unfairly since she always knew from the youthful age of seven, that she was a shoe-in for the Snake Pit. For that specific reason, Daphne never bothered to waste her time by making friends on her first train ride; instead, the golden-haired, blue-eyed eleven-year-old, donned on her icy façade and huddled in a compartment with her best friend and family friend, Tracey Davis, who despite being a half-blood, was also a shoe-in for Slytherin. Unlike Daphne, her brunette best friend was warm and friendly and had an excessively hyper persona; where Daphne would frighten away the bullies and the gold-diggers with her harsh persona, Tracey would draw in the sweet ones with no agenda, and when the blonde and the brunette got sorted into Slytherin, they found a kinship with the Italian Pureblood, Blaise Zabini and the son of a known Death Eater, Theodore Nott who was a huge contradiction to his blood-thirsty father.
The attributes of cunning, sly and ambition were phenomenal traits that most people would kill for; however, since the rising of the Dark Lord and with him being the Heir of Slytherin, they started to become looked down upon for the three coveted attributes. Wizards and Witches were bigoted and judged them unfairly for the sole purpose of having green embroidery on the customary black uniform of Hogwarts. Once you were sorted into the Snake Pit, it was a unanimous decision by the rest of their peers that they were dark supporters and Death Eaters in training, and for that reason, the four Slytherins stuck together in solidarity and found a deep-rooted friendship with one another. Looking at Draco Malfoy and his goons, and that simpering girlfriend of his, Pansy Parkinson, Daphne realized that they gave Slytherins a bad name and they were the sole reason for their year's alienation.
There was one surprising anomaly by the name of Alaska Gilbert, the American Muggleborn who caused a huge hubbub in the British Community; from the age of eleven, Daphne could clearly see that Gilbert would grow up to be a stunning beauty – more than she already was, her features were otherworldly and for that reason, Daphne felt the stirring of jealousy whenever she laid eyes upon her; Blaise who ignored the many adulating gold-diggers was entranced by the brunette and he never even held a sliver of conversation with her, the teachers adored and praised her, she was the smartest witch of the year, topping everyone with outstanding grades, the denizens of the castle loved her and gravitated toward her, and worst of all, she had the backing of the American Ministry, her Magical Guardian being the formidable Minister of Magic himself, who her father Cyrus Greengrass was close friends with.
Envy transformed to fondness when the American spitfire came to her aid during their third year; the Parkinsons had been badgering the Malfoys to formulate a marriage contract between Draco and Pansy ever since the Dark Lord's downfall that Halloween Night at Godric's Hollow, but Narcissa Malfoy despised the Parkinsons and rejected their copious offers. For that reason, Lucius began hounding Cyrus Greengrass to devise a marriage contract between either her or her younger sister by two years, Astoria. The Greengrass family had always been firmly neutral throughout the many Dark Lords that arose, such as Grindelwald and Voldemort, and Cyrus would never force his daughters to the fate of wedding and birthing and joining their family with the arrogant and disturbingly dark Malfoys. One day after Care of Magical Creatures lesson, thirteen-year-old Daphne found herself retuning to the castle alone and Pansy, envious over the contract debacle, began harassing her with her sidekick, Millicent Bulstrode who shared a daunting resemblance to Crabbe and Goyle. Alaska Gilbert, who had a budding friendship with Hagrid was aiding him in the care of the unicorn foals and heard the commotion and to the Ice-Queen's surprise, stood by her side and bulldozed Parkinson and Bulstrode away with her cold-cutting words and large repertoire of pranking spells. Suspicion arose in the Ice-Queen's noggin over the American Muggleborn's underhanded agenda, but the beauty merely shrugged and sent her a mega-watt smile, stating she had no interest in the asinine dogma and that she never believed Slytherins to be evil, she even went as far as confessing that she could have been a Slytherin as well as Harry Potter!
Ever since that day, the Gryffindor and the Slytherin bonded over an amicable friendship, mostly from afar and would congregate together in the library with Tracey, Blaise and Theo, sometimes joined by Harry Potter, for a studying session despite the meaningless rivalry between their Houses. So, when Alaska Gilbert approached Daphne, informing her of the secret Defense group she and Harry were formulating, the Ice-Queen wasn't surprised, but extremely touched over her clandestine friend's thoughtfulness. With the parting warning of maintaining it a secret from Umbridge and those firmly planted on her side, Daphne, Astoria, Tracey, Blaise and Theo found themselves assembled with the other Houses in a curious room called the Room of Requirement; naturally, there were a few outspoken against them, the leader predictably being Ronald Weasley, but they were overruled by a fair many, especially when they were facing the other end of Alaska Gilbert's wrath. Susan Bones was actually a family friend of the Greengrass Family and when the Head of the DMLE's niece spoke up for them, the grumbling aggressors finally kept their mouths shut.
Dumbledore's Army, the DA, not only helped prepare themselves for the upcoming war and their O.W.L examination, but it helped promote House Unity, and for the first time in years, the five Slytherins felt like they belonged. All thanks to Alaska Gilbert, the charismatic American Muggleborn.
.*.
They were doomed; those three words continued to echo in Alaska's mind as her shrewd eyes took in the matted hair with congealed blood, the left eye reduced to a puffy slit amid a mass of purple and black bruises, and the many bleeding cuts on their friendly half-giant's face, while she listened to the engrossed tale of his journey to the giants alongside Olympe Maxime, the Headmistress of Beauxbatons. They were doomed! Why were they doomed? …Because the Death Eaters managed to assemble the giants to Voldemort's side by murdering the Gurg who was actually entertaining thoughts of siding with the light. Growing up in the picturesque town of Mystic Falls, Alaska never believed that fabled giants actually existed, and then McGonagall showed up one day, garbed in eccentric clothing that controverted deeply with the idyllic denizens dressed in twenty-first century clothing, and her whole world turned upside down.
While Alaska, Harry and Ron probed Hagrid for the painstaking gritty details revolving his visit with the giants, Alaska's thoughts drifted to her loved ones; her mother would be beginning the preparation for dinner, her father would be finishing his shift at the hospital, Elena would probably be at the Grill with her boyfriend Matt and Jeremy would be finishing up his homework. Caroline was most probably hanging out with Bonnie at Sheila's or at the Grill, and even the every-annoying Tyler Lockwood was probably nailing some slutty bimbo in his manor. Jenna was either at Whitmore College or at Grimmauld, ignoring Sirius' babbling as she tried to complete her presentation or whatever project her teachers assigned. Uncle John was god-knows-where doing whatever work he usually does in New York or California or somewhere nice and normal. And Alaska? Alaska was in a fabled world, sitting with her best friends in a half-giant's hut, watching Fang slobber all over Harry's trousers and listening to the horrifying depiction of murderous Gurgs and cold-blooded Death Eaters. … And for the first time since she was nearly bludgeoned to death by a rogue mountain troll at Halloween, Alaska Gilbert wanted to go home; she wanted to get sucked into the warm and familiar embrace of her doting mother and mirthful father, she wanted to plan pranks with her baby brother who had always looked up to her first and foremost, she wanted to hang out at the Grill as the Quartet, and she wanted to attend boring high school with her twin sister.
Alaska Gilbert was terrified, but looking at the boy she adopted as her brother, her resolve grew firm. Come hell or high water, she would remain by Harry's side and protect him from Voldemort's evil machinations, even though all she wanted was to hide in the sanctuary of her room at Mystic Falls and pretend that giants and Dark Lords don't exist.
.*.
For many centuries a plethora of supernatural creatures consisting of vampires, werewolves, and even a fair few Servants of Nature searched high and low for a human Petrova Doppelgänger in their desperate hopes of breaking the Sun and Moon Curse; vampires were desperate to roam around under the sunlight and werewolves were determined to rid themselves of the agony of their monthly transformation and never be rendered a servant to the full moon. The rare Servants of Natures who befriended or were enamored with a certain vampire or werewolf, would chant a myriad of spells, tweak the locator spell and hope to achieve the location of a human doppelgänger. Unfortunately, the birth of a Petrova doppelgänger was a rare occurrence and they didn't spring up every few years, but every five centuries, give or take a couple of decades. The true origins of the famed Sun and Moon Curse was classified, and only a particular number of individuals in existence knew that the recorded folklore surrounding the specific ritual was all an elaborate hoax, fabricated centuries ago in various different cultures by the cursed individual for the sole purpose of ensuring that the involved species would be on the lookout for a long-lost moonstone and the infrequent Petrova doppelgänger.
There were thousands of vampires scattered around the world, and although they knew nothing of the hidden Magical World, Kings Cross Station was a different story completely; after four years of a young girl who bore a great resemblance to the original Petrova doppelgänger resurging intermittently, a group of vampires started to stake the Station out and they came to a unified conclusion after comparing results, that a human doppelgänger would arrive at Kings Cross six times throughout the year, disembarking a train they never knew since she vanished from their peripheral vision and appeared spontaneously. What the group of vampires did know however, was that the young doppelgänger approached Platforms nine and ten before her inexplicable disappearance. Their orders were simple, if a human Petrova doppelgänger emerges, do not allow her to leave their sight, grab her, keep her unconscious, and under no circumstances was she to be harmed otherwise there would be hell to pay.
It was Kevin's shift in keeping watch over the two platforms two days before Christmas Eve and upon hearing a loud contagious giggle, he flashed over to a pillar and remained deftly hidden under the shadows, his green eyes piercing the vivacious brunette and watching as she bodily threw herself into the arms of a beaming man with sapphire eyes and sandy blonde hair, his jovial chuckles blending in with the mellifluous ones of the doppelgänger. A sinister grin curled on Kevin's lips, green eyes never once wavering from the doppelgänger's form, a hungry expression materializing on his plain features. It would be too easy to flash over to them, snap the man's neck and grab the doppelgänger without any witnesses, and just as Kevin was about to pounce, a dreamy voice infiltrated his hearing and he found himself gaping at the dotty little blonde that stood facing him; she was a tiny thing really, the top of her head barely reaching his waist and yet, something about her unnerved him, the knowing gleam in those protruding silvery-grey eyes sent shivers down his spine, and her words radiated with an ominous quality.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she cocked her head to the side, silvery-grey orbs focusing on a point behind him, confusing Kevin immensely when she suddenly snapped her attention back to him, solemn eyes boring right through his soul, "Death awaits you. All it takes is one step forward…"she drifted off and suddenly smiled as an older man who bore a great resemblance to her but with wild stringy silver hair and crazed blue eyes, "Luna darling, it's time to go home. I am sorry if my daughter was a bother, Mister." Kevin merely nodded, open-mouthed, she wasn't the first loony he overheard in this station; ignoring the father-daughter reunion, Kevin's green orbs began scouring for the doppelgänger before the unwelcome interruption, when the little girl spoke up again, "I was just telling him about the nargles, daddy. It's okay, Mister, they're gone now."
What the hell is a nargle? Looking up to see the little doppelgänger and the man gone, Kevin flashed over to his coven to relay the news of her appearance, unable to shake off the forbidding feeling that consumed him; he had a strange feeling that the dotty blonde saved his life and that the 'nargles' was an odd reference to his impending death she spoke off. But that can't be it… can it?
.*.
Christmas that year was a joyous event, despite the fact that Arthur Weasley was bitten by Voldemort's venomous snake, Nagini and that the Weasleys were spending their Yule at St. Mungo's. Sirius and Harry were spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in typical Mystic Falls style. The Lockwoods as usual, orchestrated a lavish Christmas Ball in their manor where the entire town would join in the celebrations filled with ballroom dancing, choral music, champagne and a scrumptious buffet. Jenna enjoyed prancing around and proudly introducing Sirius to the jealous woman, for Sirius Black was a great catch and had devilishly handsome looks that spoke of nobility and wealth, and much to the young generation's surprise, the ex-Casanova had eyes for nobody but Jenna, who was glowing under his intense attention; in fact, a betting pool was created by Harry, Alaska and Elena over when Sirius would finally pop the question and become a married man, a feat that was miraculous for the Marauder who had always been the most vocal and hell-bent in remaining single for all of eternity.
Alaska was stunned and rendered speechless when her loving and famous boyfriend, Viktor Krum made a short appearance before he had to return to Bulgaria to spend the holiday with his family, and she appreciated his arrival, especially when Tyler Lockwood's pitch black orbs widened in fear and he kept his distance, he was obviously intimidated by Viktor's hulking and looming stance. Tyler had been spreading rumors around town for a year now, insisting that Alaska was pining after him and that by summer he would 'nail' her, and with Viktor's sudden presence, the rumors were finally put to rest and Tyler was avoiding the couple completely. Christmas Day was an eventful affair, the entire Gilbert clan (including Jenna), Harry and Sirius exchanged presents and were later visited by Alan Jefferson, his wife, Ava and three children Gary, Willow and Crystal for a festive lunch; under the indignant urging of Alaska, Harry confided in Alan in regards to the disturbing vision he had of Nagini biting Arthur, and the look of horror on the American Minister's face didn't go unnoticed, but he put Harry's fears to rest, adamantly stating that he was in no means possessed by Voldemort, but it must be something pertaining his scar, and that he should look into studying Occlumency in case Voldemort used the unfathomable connection for sinister means.
They made sure to visit the ever-loving Arthur Weasley at St. Mungo's before they were to return to Hogwarts where they made the disturbing discovery of Neville's parents spending a lifetime in a Ward due to insanity from prolonged suffering under the Cruciatus Curse. Unfortunately, the joyous holiday ended with a horrible bang when Snape visited the Gilbert Residence the day before they were to return to Hogwarts under the orders of Dumbledore to teach Harry Occlumency; an issue that incensed Sirius but unfortunately could not refute.
.*.
In the middle of the North Sea, a foolproof fortress was situated on an island, home to evil and highly dangerous wizards and witches, infested with the foul creatures called dementors, living shrouds who reveled in sucking out every and all happiness and causing great suffering to those near them. Tortured cries permeated the air on a daily basis; some of the prisoners became unhinged and fully embraced insanity to survive their hellish lifetime stint until Death finally came to collect. Some prisoners however, had no care for Death, but were merely biding their time, patiently waiting for their Lord to liberate them.
In cell two-hundred-and-thirty, a disheveled skeletal figure of a man remained huddled in the corner; wavy blonde hair were matted with grime and dirt and after fifteen years now looked black due to all the muck that came from dwelling in the unhygienic fortress. Heart-piercing blue eyes lacked its customary luster and were now dull and vacant as he buried his personality into the recess of his mind, adamant in not losing his sanity to the prolonged exposure of dementors. Prisoner number two-hundred-and-thirty was a prodigy in the mind-arts of Legilimency and especially Occlumency, therefore, it was easy for him to immerse his intellectual acumen and barricade the essence of his sanity behind the infallible defenses he created twenty years ago; every day, he would go through the exhausting and unremitting ritual of recapitulating his name, origins and everything about his life since exiting his mother's womb, and once the ingeminated characterizations of himself were thankfully not lost in his tormented stint, he would move on to reciting the ingredients and concoctions of potion-making, all the family spells and secrets his parents informed him of, and lastly, every single spell and incantation from his large repertoire. Prisoner number two-hundred-and-thirty had never been grateful for his father's strict insistence for him to learn Occlumency until he got captured and thrown into Azkaban, for the mind-arts kept him sane, and allowed him to remember every single memory of his thirty-five years of existence.
Dull blue eyes flickered with a sliver of life as the maniacal cackling of Bellatrix Lestrange, who he had been unlucky enough to reside in the cell in front of, echoed around him, like clockwork, but this time, an unprecedented incidence occurred, prompting the deadened emotion to vanish from the previously heart-throbbing blue orbs, replaced by confusion. Usually, when Bellatrix cackled, the human guards bellowed for a dementor to pass by her cell and effectively shut her up – something most of the prisoners agreed with wholeheartedly since the deranged woman grated on their nerves, but today … today there was absolutely no dementor and the icy atmosphere coupled with the despair that followed their presence, was absent. Limbs shakily started to move, and blue orbs concentrated on his Dark Mark; oh, he felt it blacken and thrum with potent power a while back, signaling the return of his Lord, and he knew that the Dark Lord would liberate him from his unknown years of hell; despite the fact that he was oblivious to how much time had passed, prisoner two-hundred-and-thirty knew that it was years, maybe even a decade-
BANG! BOOM! BOOM! BANG! CRASH!
The fortress exploded and he shakily shielded his head from the fallen debris scattered all around. Bellatrix's cackle amplified tenfold and she began muttering adulating words regarding their Lord. Blue eyes widened as the fresh breeze hit his face for the first time in Merlin knows how long; he could smell the salty air and slowly, he pushed forward the cell door, a sinister grin curling on his gaunt features when it opened without a hitch. Stepping forward, blue met red snakelike slits and a weak hand was perched on his shoulder; he found himself staring for the first time in years at the face of his best friend. Dark chuckles filtered the air as the Dark Lord led them toward their liberation and away from the bloodshed of Azkaban he left in his wake.
Antonin Dolohov could finally smell his freedom!
A/N: Wow! There you have it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!? XD
(1)Okay, to start off with my rambling: I honestly hated the fact that Harry Potter was so meek and compliant and obedient in regards to everything. I mean, seriously?! Seriously! His mother is Lily Evans, who has an explosive temper, stands up for herself and actually garnered the respect of Voldemort that he asked her to join him THREE times. James Potter may have been arrogant, but he was smart and a Marauder and spoke his mind and outspoken. Yeah, Harry had a horrible upbringing, but I hated the fact that he allowed everyone to step all over him. Ron was a lazy git, only interested in food, Quidditch and Chess, and Hermione was a bookworm, know-it-all who bossed him around and mothered him continuously along with Molly Weasley. I believe that Alaska and the Mystic Falls Gang would bring out the inner Harry where he has attributes of himself, Lily and James and I showed it in the scene with his Hearing. (2) I apologize if a few of my Readers are bored with the portrayal of minor characters, but I want my story to be different and to mold TVD and Harry Potter universe. Since I summarized the first four years of Hogwarts, I am trying to portray other POVs that would be crucial to the development of my story. (3) Did you like the portrayal of Luna Lovegood & Daphne Greengrass? Luna will especially play a huge role in the future chapters. (4) To those who want to see the takedown of Umbridge, don't you worry ;) there are more scenes with her next chapter! LOL! MUAHAHA! (5) Watching TVD, I honestly see the Petrova doppelgängers very enticing to others, I mean, even their enemies end up falling in love with them at some point despite the fact that they are trying to kill them, and they have exceptionally good luck. In my story, people cannot help but to gravitate towards Alaska and Elena, and therefore, many individuals want to know them, befriend them, protect them, etc… you get my gist. ;) (6) The person portraying Antonin Dolohov is a surprise for next chapter! XD along with Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange! ;) Don't kill me…
I have two polls for my Dear Faithful Readers: FIRST: Harry Potter; should he become the Master of Death? This poll will remain until The Deathly Hallows. SECOND: Ronald Weasley; should he remain part of the Golden Trio? Or should they have a falling out? I have a plot for the story for both answers, so let me know by the end of next chapter! It's very important. THIRD: Regarding the death of characters; I already decided on Sirius' fate (it's a surprise), but I'm still unsure over Fred Weasley, the poll is still going until the Deathly Hallows, so let me know. FOURTH: Should Harry be paired off with Ginny?
Next chapter: finally the Death Eaters are free! We will see insight on them after leaving Azkaban and also, the Battle of the DOM! AAH! I am so excited and CANNOT wait!
R&R.