Harry Potter 1. Cracks

Night of the Broken Glass

C1: Cracks

[A/N: Kendra Potter, daughter of the late Potters of whom she knows nothing of, runs away from two negligent guardians, only to meet two people that introduce her to her past and future.]

[Disclaimer: I'm borrowing from J.K. Rowling, but I'm borrowing.  She owns most of it, but I own what I make up.  If I use anything she does in the future, sorry.  Don't sue me.]

The rain was as cold as ice as the lone figure out that day ran.  She was drenched, barely able to move the sopping wet clothing she was wearing, but she was too hurt to really realize anything at that moment.

Finally, after secretly leaving and many miles behind her, she sank down on the curb, rucksack soaking through and skateboard next to her.

Ten-year-old—eleven tomorrow on the twelfth of August—Kendra Potter panted for breath, tears streaming from her green eyes and her brown-black hair hanging in her eyes.

"Now what, genius?" she questioned herself suddenly, "I think as far as this and I don't pause once to think about _after_ running away.  Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid…"

She started to rap her forehead with her hands, the full-moon-shaped scars on the backs hidden beneath fingerless gloves.  They were the last remnants of a past long forgotten and to her, best forgotten.  She had been found sitting outside the smoldering wreckage of a house somewhere in the countryside and brought to two people that had wanted to adopt.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…" Kendra sighed and finally stopped rapping her forehead with her knuckles on her 'stupidity' on not thinking past running away, "So what exactly am I supposed to do, now that I've run away from those two that call themselves my guardians?"

She sighed and rested her chin on her hands, elbows on her knees.  The rain was near deafening with the wind and the sky was gun metal gray.  Kendra sat there for a long while, simply staring at the street before her and trying futilely to think of where to go.

And then, rather abruptly, she fell over sideways, fast asleep.

_Tick tock.  Tick tock.  Tick tock._

The ticking of the clock was the only sound in the room.  It was the only thing Kendra's sleep-dulled mind could pick up on.  All she could distinctly remember was that it been very cold and wet, and now it was warm and dry.

Just as abruptly as she had fallen asleep before, something blew very cold air very hard into her ear.  Kendra turned and looked around and found a very strange-looking little man hovering just above her and wearing a ridiculous orange bowtie.  Kendra's green eyes widened at the immediate shock of a person floating in the air, and then at the fact that he had a very wicked-looking grin on his face.  He began to open his mouth when a door somewhere opened.

"Yes, thank you Peeves." a voice said, "I was starting to wonder when Kendra here was going to wake up.  But you can leave now."

"Wolfy!" sneered the little man, sticking out his tongue and zooming backwards and through the wall as he went, "Smelly Wolfy!"

Kendra stared at the spot where the floating man had vanished through the wall until a small weight flopped onto the bed near her feet.  She sat up and looked about—and then yelped in shock.

A woman with surprisingly shaggy gray hair was sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed, smiling with her eyes closed.

"Hello, Miss Kendra Potter." the woman said, "You've been asleep for quite a few hours.  Oh, Happy Birthday."

"…who are you?" Kendra finally managed to speak.

"I'm an orphan with no family ties." the woman continued to smile, "My name's Cecelia, but everyone just calls me Seal.  And I also happen to be the Transfiguration teacher here at Hogwarts."

"And I think I'm still sleeping somewhere out in the rain." Kendra replied very slowly, trying to think.  The door somewhere nearby creaked open again and the two looked towards the person that had just come in.

"Ah, hello." a white-haired man stood there, closing the door behind him, "I see I didn't overdo my Sleeping Charm."

"Hey, Dante!" Seal smiled and laughed a little, "Where've you been all day and night?"

"Diagon Alley." replied the white-haired man, "I found the books and supplies, but she needs to come with me."

"Aw, so soon?" Seal sighed, "She only just woke up."

"And it's a good amount of work to get through Diagon Alley with so many items to purchase at this time of the year." the man answered in the same soft voice as before, "Now, come along, Kendra.

"And no, Seal, you can't come with us." he murmured as Seal started to ask something, "I know it sounds cruel of me, but you get bored very easily and you'd go wandering off somewhere.  I'll have enough trouble explaining everything without having to go looking for you."

"Oh, all right." Seal murmured, "Since you put it that way.  I have to finish up the lesson plan for the seventh years anyway.  Have fun!"

"What's going on?" Kendra questioned as the white-haired man guided her through the hallways of the place they were in, "Where are we?  Who are you?"

"I'm taking you to Diagon Alley in London, we are at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I am Dante Ascarte, professor of the Defense Against the Dark Arts here." the man answered each question in the same order as they were asked, "Now if you follow me, we need to use Floo Powder to travel."

Kendra suddenly felt as if a large weight had struck her in the side of the head.  The terms 'witchcraft,' 'wizardry,' and 'Floo Powder' jumped out at her and added to the weight that made her sway on her feet.

"Witchcraft?" she blinked, "Did you just say witchcraft?"

"Yes, I did." Dante murmured, "You are a witch."

"Yeah, and vampires exist." Kendra muttered sarcastically, "Thanks but I'd—"

"Yes, I do exist.  Why do you mention me?  And why do you question your being a witch when you know of odd things that occurred a while ago when you were little?  You made things vanish, and then reappear, and you have those interesting moon-scars on your hands.  You were orphaned many years ago, ten years ago today.

"These times are still dark for wizards and witches.  Your parents died after defeating the Dark Lord Voldemort, but there still exists another Dark Lord.  He is Anton, and he is the one who killed your parents and gave you those scars.  He is still alive, and he is still trying to find you.  He was the only one that knew you were still alive."

"Still alive?" Kendra breathed, "What do you mean?"

"When your parents were killed, everyone believed you to be dead with your parents.  Anton has been waiting; believing you to never come here as all believed you dead.  He and his followers, the Death Eaters, wreak havoc as they come and go and do what they please.  There are hundreds of Aurors in the Ministry of Magic's service, but so many have been killed that the occupation is losing all interest.

"Now there are more Hunters for hire running about in the streets to combat Anton and his followers.  I am a vampire…hunter.  I have retired to this position to teach others of ways to combat the Dark Ways."

Kendra stood there silent for a long time.  The torch-lit hallway was completely devoid of any sound, save the crackling of the fire on the torches.

"So I'm a witch that's supposedly been dead for ten years and the man that killed my parents is the only one other than you is the only one that knows I'm alive.  We're caught up in a war that's completely secret to people that aren't wizards.  You, an ex-vampire-hunter, took me off the street.  And now I'm at a school that's going to teach me magic."

"I said I was a vampire and a hunter, not a vampire-hunter, but that's the gist of it." Dante replied, looking towards the girl.  Kendra held her chin with one hand, obviously thinking over the whole situation.

"Well, if I'm a witch, I'm a witch." she finally sighed, "And as long as you don't bite me for your evening meal, I'm not scared.  So where are we going?"

The hustle and bustle of the cobbled street was an antithesis to the quiet hallways they had just been in.  Kendra rubbed a bruise on her elbow where something had hit it whilst she traveled via Floo Powder and stared around at the various people that were talking loudly.

She was suddenly yanked sideways by the back of her ash-gray shirt and found it was Dante who'd pulled her through the crowd.  He kept her moving and kept glancing to each side.

"I don't want you to say who you are unless you truly must." he murmured softly, "Speak not your name unless it is to one that is trustworthy.  Do you understand?  Until you are sorted into your House, no one can know your name."

He kept his hand at the base of her neck and top of her back, continuing to look about.  He seemed secretly apprehensive of something, as they went through each of the stores—after a hasty stop at a wizard's bank called Gringotts—and bought the supplies on a list Dante had brought with him.

Robes, potion ingredients, subject texts, and a silent rest after the mass purchasing were what came that day.  Kendra decided not to question why Dante continued to look about as if they were being followed.  Finally, the last thing needed came up—a wand was all they needed and then they could return.

Ollivanders was the name of the wand shop.  The inside was silent, the sound of the outside drowned out somehow.  There were only two people in the shop at that moment—a little old man and a boy of the same age as Kendra.

"So, Mr. Chishio, how does that wand feel?" the old man asked in a quiet voice, a soft smile on his lips.

"It feels perfectly fine, sir." the boy replied, looking at the wand in his hand, "Thank you."

"Not at all." the man waved his hand dismissively, "Ah, Master Ascarte, how nice to see you again."

"Mr. Ollivander." Dante replied, "I have a student here that will be starting this year.  A wand, please."

"May I please introduce you and this young lady to a Mr. Virgil Chishio?" Ollivander murmured, "He too will be starting at Hogwarts this year."

The young boy walked up to Kendra and looked at her through blood-red eyes.  His hair was a strange greenish tint, yet noticeably brown, tied back at his neck and trailing down just beyond his shoulders.  He held out a hand with the same solemn face that Kendra was wearing, and Kendra took it with her gloved hand.

"Master Ascarte, may I speak with you privately?" Ollivander gestured towards the back of the shop and Dante followed, leaving the two children alone.

There was an uneasy silence as the two looked at each other for one moment.

"What is your name?" the boy, Virgil, asked in a soft voice, "You know mine, and I would appreciate knowing yours."

"I'm not entirely free to say." Kendra replied, unsure of what to say at all, "Sorry."

"How's this?" Virgil said in an offering tone, "I'll tell you my real name, and you tell me your name.  I'm Virgil Riddle.  What's your name?"

Pausing for a long moment, Kendra finally answered, "Kendra Potter.  My name is Kendra Potter."

"Well, it was very nice to meet you, Kendra." Virgil smiled a warm smile that reached his blood-red eyes, "I'll see you on the First of September, when the year starts."  With that, he lay down a few Galleons on the counter and left, his wand still in his hand.

Not a minute later, Dante and Mr. Ollivander returned to the front of the store, both looking oddly serious.

"Now, Miss Potter, I wonder what type of wand you might need." Ollivander murmured, "I certainly remember your father's wand.  Holly and phoenix feather.  Eleven inches.  Now let me see…"

He went to wander through the massive rows and columns of boxes.  Kendra stared off into nothing and Dante went to stand by the window in the front of the store.  A soft sound seemed to go off inside her head, making her look up and around.  The sudden thought to move towards a row of wands and draw just one of them free of their place.

Her hand hovered over the wands, moving without her thinking about it, and then grasping one wand, one box in particular.  Kendra pulled the box free of its place and opened it, finding a wand sitting there.  She let her fingers rest on the smooth ash wood for a moment before taking it lightly in her fingers.  A sort of warmth came as the wand rested in her palm.

"Now why don't—oh." Ollivander came back with an armful of boxes, but stopped as he caught sight of Kendra with the wand in her hand.

Kendra didn't listen to Ollivander, but gripped the wand tightly in one hand, feeling something odd causing her to feel angry.  Sparks, gold and red sparks shot from the end of the wand, causing Ollivander to clap loudly.

"Wonderful!" he cried, "Simply wonderful!  But how odd that two people choose their wands at first glance in the same day.  How very odd indeed."

"Who else did that?" Dante questioned.

"The young man who just left." Ollivander answered, "Virgil Chishio."

The wand paid for and everything else bought, Kendra and Dante began back towards the fire that could take them back to Hogwarts.

"Hey, Dante, wait a minute!" a voice called suddenly, making both of them stop.  They turned about and spotted Seal dodging between people, rushing towards them.

"Seal, I thought you were—" Kendra started to say.

"Staying back at the school?" Seal finished, her amber eyes glimmering, "Nah, it was boring.  Besides, I needed to get something.  Um, Dante…"

"What's happened?" Dante asked seriously.  Seal glanced furtively at Kendra, but Kendra noticed.

"What does it have to do with me?" Kendra questioned.  Seal looked at Dante for a long moment and Dante suddenly grabbed Kendra's wrist.

"We need to leave now." he hissed, "Come on."

"What happened?" Kendra asked as they came through the fire.

"Kendra, I went to your home to get the things you would need for the year." Seal admitted, "But…"

"But what?" Kendra continued to ask.  She stared at Seal for a long moment until the gray-haired woman resigned to answering.

"The Death Eaters are searching now." Seal murmured, "  They were trying to find you, and they questioned your guardians.  Unfortunately, you were gone.  So…"

Kendra felt that weight smash into the side of her head and then those next few words did it.

"They're dead."

She fainted.

_—to be continued—_


	2. Slivers

Night of the Broken Glass

C2: Slivers

[A/N: Anyone like?  Anyone?  Please, enjoy it.  Otherwise I won't feel happy.]

[Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his (possibly deceased) friends are property/copyright of J.K. Rowling.  I own my original characters (Kendra, Virgil, Seal, Dante, whoever else…).  Don't steal and don't sue.]

The distant hoot of an owl was the only sound the night gave.  Kendra sat at the edge of the lake on the grounds, staring at the ebony-colored water.  It reflected only the half-moon and the tiny stars overhead.

Kendra curled up tighter as she felt another subtle twang of pain.  It was true that the two people that had been killed by the Death Eaters or whatever they were called were just her guardians.  But…

"They still took care of me." she murmured softly into her arms, sighing unhappily.  She drew her arms tighter around her knees and put her head down, trying to think.

"There ya go." a gruff voice murmured as a heavy overcoat was dumped rather unceremoniously on her head, "Was wonderin' if you were gonna get up soon."

"Excuse me?" Kendra managed to tug the overcoat off, "Who are…you…"

The man who was now sitting next to her was gigantic.  There was no other way to describe it—he was huge.

"Rubeus Hagrid." the giant of a man said, "Keeper o' the keys and grounds 'ere at Hogwarts.  And yer little Kendra.  Saw you once when you was just a little baby in yer mum's arms.  Yer mum and yer dad were the greatest Hogwarts ever saw."

"You knew them?" Kendra asked, "You knew them before they…"  She stopped, unable to say it.

"I knew 'em." Hagrid replied, "Brought yer dad to his Muggle family all those years ago with that gash on his forehead.  Him and yer mum were the best pair I ever saw.  Beat You-Know-Who every time they met him."

"Voldemort or Anton?" Kendra asked weakly, "I don't know the difference."  Hagrid went ghost-white and made an odd grunt.

"I meant Volde…You-Know-Who." Hagrid said again, "T'other one's jes' called Darkness."

"You're scared of saying their names?" Kendra questioned, "Why?"

"Well, You-Know-Who's gone, but Darkness is still out there." Hagrid replied, "But you ought ta know that."

"Thank you, Hagrid, for talking to Kendra." Seal's voice murmured, "But now I need to speak with her."  Seal was striding down the sloping grass and Kendra turned away from her.  Hagrid stood up and dusted off his knees, plucking the discarded overcoat off the ground and starting off.

"G'night, Kendra, Professor Seal." he smiled good-naturedly as he went off.

"Kendra." Seal said in an oddly serious tone, "You need to come with me back up to the castle."

"Why?" Kendra asked bitterly, "More bad news?"

"Don't make me take drastic measures." Seal murmured, "I can walk with you up to the castle, or I can carry you.  You can decide."  Kendra sighed exasperatedly and stood up, dusting off her faded jeans and following the gray-haired woman.

The fire was the only sound in the room as Kendra sat in a chair and Seal stood in front of the fire.

"Dante and I are your guardians now." Seal spoke up finally, "You'll live here with us for the breaks, except you'll live in whatever House you are Sorted into on the first of September.  There are a few things I need to tell you though.

"First off, yes, Dante is a vampire.  He's just over seven hundred years old, but he won't ever bite anyone at Hogwarts.  He can conjure his own blood.  Second, the man you just met, Rubeus Hagrid, is a half-giant.  I don't want you to go and spread that around like it's supposed to be common knowledge.  He's rather sensitive about it.

"Lastly, I am a half-werewolf.  I can transform at will, but I am safe.  I transform at the full moon, but I am still safe.  I tell each and every student of mine this, and Dante tells his students of what he is.  It keeps a mass-panic from happening, if the students know."

"I don't really care about what you are." Kendra murmured, "I would have been happy if a nice person like you were my guardian and we didn't have any special powers."

"Good child." Seal smiled, "You know not to care of lineage or powers.  You know to care for the person.  You will make an excellent witch, just like your mother and father."

As Kendra finally decided to look up at her, Seal continued, "I knew them.  Dante and I were teachers when they were.  I did not know them when they were schoolchildren, unfortunately.  Professor Ron Weasley always said it was puppy love between them.

"Everyone here was hurt grievously when they died.  Even Snape, the old coot.  And they were even more hurt when they believed you dead as well.  Your mother and father had been developing something.  They were making something that had to do with the five elements—fire, water, wind, earth, and lightning.  No one is entirely sure yet, but I want you to know that a form of orb is being kept here this year until the Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, can find an even better place to hide it.

"Most of what I've said you cannot say to any of the other students you meet.  And I hope you kept your word to Dante about not saying your name to anyone else in Diagon Alley today.  Otherwise, it may cause trouble.  Now, on to happier things.  Happy Birthday."

"What?" Kendra blinked slightly, frankly bemused.

"I was at Diagon Alley to get something." Seal turned away from the fire and smiled slightly, seemingly embarrassed, "I got you a birthday present."

Kendra had no time to ask what on earth she could have even thought of when a slightly gray snowy owl flapped in from the open window and landed on the arm of the chair and hooted slightly.

"Owls in the wizarding world are very useful.  They carry mail, packages, newspapers…" Seal explained, "And students here are allowed one, so I just thought you might like one.  Um, did I make you mad?"

Kendra had fallen silent, her hand reached out towards the owl.  Finally, she looked up after a long moment, tears glistening at the edge of her green eyes.

"Thank you." she said in a weak voice, "I've never had such a nice gift."

Seal just smiled.

The next morning, the grounds were covered in a gray mist.  Kendra awoke to that due to some odd circumstance, but found herself standing at the window of the room and staring at the grounds.

Seal was still sleeping it seemed, so there wasn't any reason for Dante to be up and about, Kendra reasoned with herself.  Of course, that notion was blown away as Dante appeared on the grounds, striding silently and with some purpose.

He stopped a few meters from the castle and stood completely still.  It was as if he was just standing out there to think.  Suddenly, a sword was in his hand, arm outstretched completely.  Kendra stared.  It had happened faster than the blink of an eye.  She couldn't see it.  She didn't see the movement at all, much less hear the sword being drawn from the sheath suddenly at his belt.

The sheath remained at his side completely throughout the training he put himself through, placed between his black robes and the belt.  He moved seamlessly, without any flaw.

_I said I was a vampire and a hunter…_  His words rang in her head suddenly.  Kendra sighed and continued to watch her guardian battle an invisible enemy.

"The students arrive tonight?" Kendra questioned, looking up from reading one of the texts she had gotten at Diagon Alley, "And the term starts tomorrow?"

"Yes." Dante replied as he polished one of his many swords, Seal somehow sleeping on the floor nearby, "Seal will greet them at the front doors.  I want you to wait in the shadows until there is a large group of first-years.  Then, slip into the group and follow them into the Great Hall and wait to be sorted.  Don't say who you are if anyone asks."

—Several Hours Later—

The Great Hall was alight with noise and the light of candles as Kendra crept by it, heading for the front doors, where Seal stood waiting.  Kendra stood off to the side of the doors, waiting to be hidden by the doors and shadows and then slip into the group as just another faceless first-year.

Three knocks came and Seal opened the massive doors, sending Kendra into shadows.

"The firs' years, Professor Seal." Hagrid's voice came from the other side of the doors.

"Thanks, Hagrid." Seal replied, "Come along now."

The nervous looking students filed in, following Seal as she strode towards the Great Hall.  A large group finally managed to get inside and Kendra slipped in unnoticed.  Or so she thought, when a voice whispered in her ear.

"How pleasant to see you again, Kendra." Virgil Riddle's voice whispered so only she could hear.

There was no time to react to Virgil's appearance as Seal had led them to a chamber off to the side of the Great Hall.

"Welcome." Seal smirked sideways, "As you all know, this is Hogwarts.  I know you're hungry—I can hear your stomachs—and I'll try to make this as quick as I can.  Before you can take a seat and eat something, you'll be sorted into your Houses.  Your House will be your brethren here at Hogwarts.  You'll have classes with them, eat at the House table with them, and live with them in the common room and dormitory of your House.

"The four Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.  No House is greater than the others.  All positive actions will earn your House points, but all rule-breaking will take points away.  When the year ends, the points will be added up, and whichever House has the most points wins the House Cup.

"The Sorting will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school.  I'll come back when everything is ready."  With that, she strode off and into the Great Hall.

Kendra finally got a chance to turn and look at Virgil, who was still standing behind her.

"So have you been staying here with Professors Seal and Ascarte?" Virgil murmured so only Kendra could hear as the other first-years jabbered nervously.

"Yes, I have." Kendra replied, "Why do you ask?"

Virgil just smiled a little smile, his crimson eyes glinting.  Kendra felt an odd presence, as if someone was staring at her.  She turned and saw a particularly short person in the shadows, staring at her with one eye.  The most immediate thought was to ask the person who they were, but Seal's return prevented that.

"Get in a line, and follow me." Seal beckoned with a finger.  The first-years shuffled quickly into a line and walked into the Great Hall after Seal.  Kendra looked up to the bewitched ceiling of the Great Hall, not wanting to look at any of the other students just yet.

Seal stopped them in front of a four-legged stool with a ragged, ripped, and moldy pointed wizard's hat.  Each first-year stared apprehensively at it, as if wondering if they had to pull a rabbit from it.  Kendra simply looked at it, as Virgil did on her right and the short person from the shadows on her left.

The hat twitched, and a rip by the brim opened wide and the hat began to sing.

(A/C: I'm **not** writing a song.  Go to a few minutes later.)

The Great Hall rang with applause as the Sorting Hat fell silent again.

"When I call your name, come up here and put the hat on." Seal said rather absent-mindedly as she looked over a long roll of parchment, "Then go to the proper table.  Ansolo, Garrett!"

A boy with auburn hair swept forwards and sat down on the stool, putting the hat on.

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat cried.  The Slytherin table cheered and clapped as the boy swaggered over to them, looking pleased.

"Aragen, Rachel!"  A blonde girl who had an irritatingly superior look on her face stepped forwards.

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted again.  The Slytherin table clapped again and the girl walked off with a little grin.

Kendra ignored the hat's shouting and scanned the High table.  Dante was sitting there, watching the students and occasionally glancing at her.  A man with flaming red hair sat next to him, clapping happily as "Bale, Jason!" was made a Gryffindor.  Hagrid, the groundskeeper, was there as well, clapping merrily at every student.  Further along the table sat a pale-looking man with black hair, black eyes, and a generally unhappy look on his face.  He glanced once at her and paused for a long second.

"Chishio, Virgil!" Seal's voice suddenly brought Kendra out of her thoughts.  Virgil gave Kendra a grin as he strode up to the stool and put the hat on.  It took a longer time than most of the other students for the hat to decide, but it shouted:

"GRYFFINDOR!"  Virgil grinned as the Gryffindor table cheered and the red-haired man at the High Table hooted.

Time passed and Kendra soon was staring off into nothing.  A boy with the curious last name of 'Malfoy' was made a Slytherin when the hat had barely touched his head.

Seal began to call people with the last name starting with 'p'.  Kendra listened, but felt a weight drop into her stomach.  Anxiety was starting to form in her mind as each name called meant she would be called sooner.  Finally, Seal paused for a moment.

"Potter, Kendra!"

Whispering like rustling leaves filled the hall.

"But she's dead!"  "No way!"  "The Potters are dead, aren't they?"

Kendra stepped forwards with her head down, worried now as every person in the hall, including most of the teachers, were craning their necks to look at her.  She sat down and put the hat on, suddenly losing sight of the hall as the hat dropped over her eyes.

"I've been wondering if I'd ever see another Potter." a voice in her ear whispered, "Now where to put you?  Plenty of courage and talent…good mind…and a strong will to show that you are worthy.  Now where shall I put you?"

Kendra remained silent, her throat tight, but thought, _Where did my parents go?  Should I go there too?_

"You could do well in any House, but with a person like you, it'd better be…GRYFFINDOR!"

The last word echoed in the silence of the Great Hall.  Then pandemonium ensued from the Gryffindor table.  Everyone was cheering, stamping their feet, and clapping.  Kendra walked rather stiffly to the Gryffindor table after taking the hat off and sat down next to Virgil, who had been keeping a space.  Most people at the table waved, grinning at her, but some were whispering about her appearance.

The rest of the first-years were sorted quickly.  Kendra waited, watching the short person that had been watching her.  They wore a hooded cloak, not showing their face.  Sooner or later, there were three people left, a black-haired boy, a brown-haired girl, and the cloak-wearer.

"Vario, Jace!"  The black-haired boy nervously went up.  He sat down and put the hat on.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted.  The boy scampered off, then scampered back to give the hat back whilst the Hall laughed.

"Walker, Toorima!"  The cloak-wearer walked forwards, pushing back the hood of the cloak and sitting down.  The cloak-wearer was a girl with strangely light _blue_ hair and an eye patch over one eye.  Her face had a scar over her left cheek, but she didn't seem to care about the odd looks she was getting.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted a few seconds later.  The girl walked over to the table and sat opposite from Kendra, looking down at the table.

The last girl was sorted off into Ravenclaw and Seal took the Sorting Hat away.  The professor in the center of the High Table stood up and everyone fell silent.  Kendra stared at the silver-haired man, knowing who he was.  Albus Dumbledore; the man who allowed Seal and Dante to become her guardians.  She had seen him whilst wandering through the hallways.

"Welcome to another new year here at Hogwarts!" he said jovially, "I hope you all have an enjoyable year, and an enjoyable feast.  Thank you."  He sat back down.

"He's an interesting man." Virgil smiled, "I'm glad he's still headmaster."  The plates on the table were suddenly piled with food.  The students began to eat and talk, the hall buzzing.

"So, you really aren't dead." a low voice murmured.  Kendra looked up to see the blue-haired girl staring at her again.

"No, I'm alive." Kendra murmured, trying to not get into a conversation that involved debating her existence.

"Every person in the magical world thought you were dead." the girl continued to speak to her, "I thought so, until I saw your face.  Your father had the same color eyes you do.  But I'll keep my mouth shut if you want me to."

"Well, I'd just appreciate if you didn't keep saying that I'm supposed to be dead." Kendra replied, "Otherwise, I don't mind if you talk."  The blue-haired girl's silver eye widened a bit in confusion.

"Toorima." Virgil spoke up, "That's an interesting name, especially since it means phantom killer."

"My father's an Auror." Toorima muttered, "He thought it'd be a good name if I followed in his footsteps."  There was a suddenly shuffling as two people were moved forcefully from their seats and two red-haired girls sat down beside Kendra and Toorima.

"So you're Kendra Potter." the girl next to Kendra grinned, "Name's Erika Weasley.  That's my sister, Lisa.  Pleased to meet you."

"Weasley?" Toorima remarked, "As in the Weasley prank toys you see in joke shops?  And as in the teacher sitting at the High Table?"

"Yep!" Lisa replied, slapping Toorima on the shoulder, "Nice to meet you, ah…"

"Toorima Walker." Toorima replied, "Just call me Rima."

"Nice to meet you then, Rima!" Lisa laughed, "And that's our dad up there!"

"So, Kendra, where exactly have you been hiding all these years?" Erika ventured to ask as the food turned to desserts, "How was living with Muggles for ten years?"

"Don't really care." Kendra sighed, "I don't live with them anymore."

"Right." Erika nodded, "Oy, Nick, come over here and meet the Potter kid!"  At that, a ghost that been floating around at the end of the Gryffindor table glided up to them and bowed.

"Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, at your services." he spoke rather elegantly, "Ah, hello again, Weasleys!  Cause any havoc over the summer?"

"Sure did, Nick." Lisa laughed, "Made our dad wonder if we're copies of our uncles."

"New Gryffindors, I see." the ghost looked at Kendra, Virgil, and Rima, "Hope you keep out of trouble more than our friends here!"

"Hey, Nick, do that thing with your head!" Erika laughed, "Come on!  Every Gryffindor needs to see why the Gryffindor ghost is called Nearly Headless Nick!"

Although it seemed that Nick was peeved, he tugged hard on his left ear and his head fell over as if on a hinge.  He smiled at the stunned faces of most the Gryffindor first-years and flipped his head back on.

The food disappeared from the plates entirely as Professor Dumbledore stood up again.

"A few start-of-term notices, I think, before we head off to bed." he said, "First years should note that the forest on our grounds is forbidden, as should all other students.  Mr. Filch, our caretaker, wishes to remind all of you that magic is not to be used in the corridors between classes.

"One last thing.  The dungeon at the end of the Potions hallway is off-limits to everyone, unless you wish to never eat another treacle tart again."  Rima gave a short, harsh laugh.

"Now, off to bed you go!" Dumbledore smiled, "Off you trot!"

"I can't believe we get to stay in the same dormitory as you!" a girl with light brown hair squealed eagerly, advancing on Kendra with her hands clasped before her chest in awe.  Kendra backed away nervously, Rima chuckling as the three other girls in the dorm fawned over Kendra.

"All right now, I think our celebrity friend has had enough of that for one night." Rima finally decided to be nice, "And I'm sure every is tired."

To punctuate her point, the three girls yawned.  They looked sheepishly at each other, and soon, the lights were extinguished and everyone was asleep.

Kendra walked through the mist at the edge of the lake, staring at the still water with a smile on her face.  She shuffled through the leaves placidly and looked up to the moon.

_To her horror, the moon and stars were gone, replaced by glinting blood red eyes.  Inside her head, a deep rumbling voice said:_

_"Again, I must face a Potter.  Ironic, isn't it?"_

_"Ironic that it will end the same way!"  Kendra whipped around to see yet another pair of crimson eyes staring out from the darkness.  Kendra barely heard the sound of a sword being drawn, but felt it rush by her, aimed upward, and turned around again, to see it bury itself deep between the two red eyes in the sky.  _

_A horrible roar of pain resounded inside her head, and the scars on her hands began to burn.  Then, something even stranger happened, as another eye, this time vertical, opened itself up around the sword, and then pulled it into itself, swallowing the sword whole._

_"Strange and ironic…isn't it?"_

Kendra awoke with a start, the dream fully remembered, and the scars on her hands faintly burning.  It wasn't until many hours later that she finally fell back asleep.

_—to be continued—_


	3. Fragments

Night of the Broken Glass

C3: Fragments

[A/N: Poor Kendra.  I'm not letting her nights be restful.  Oh well.  Enjoy, I guess.]

[Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the original stuff for Harry Potter, but I own whoever and whatever I make up.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

"Nightmares?"

Kendra looked up from staring at the table to see Rima sitting across from her and Virgil sitting next to her.

"What?" she questioned, not sure of what exactly Rima had asked.

"You look like you didn't sleep at all last night." Virgil replied, "We asked if it was nightmares."

"I can't remember my dreams." Kendra lied, "But it might have been a nightmare.  Do you have nightmares?"

"Yes." Rima replied, "Everyone has a nightmare sometime in their life.  By the way, while you were staring so avidly at an invisible spot on the table, we got our schedules.  Double Potions with the Slytherins first off."

"Well, they look like a friendly bunch!" Alison Longbottom smiled, speaking truthfully.  Kendra, Virgil, and Rima cast a glance towards the Slytherin table, where most of the Slytherins sat with a scowl on their faces.

"Friendly?" Virgil murmured, "I've seen raging manticores looking more friendly.  Come on.  I heard the Potions Master takes points away if you're late."

As they strode into the dungeon where Potions was to be taught, they were greeted with two people already standing there.  One of the boys had purple hair, the other, silver-blonde.

"Kendra Potter, Toorima Walker, and Virgil Chishio." the purple-haired boy murmured, "I am Lex Talionis.  How pleasant to meet you."

He turned and grinned, holding out a hand to Kendra.  Kendra eyed him apprehensively, spotting rather pronounced canine teeth and glinting crimson eyes—the same color as Dante and Virgil's eyes.

"You're a Slytherin, aren't you?" she questioned, not taking his hand, "I don't remember seeing you at the Sorting."

"Well, you seemed far more interested in staring off at an invisible spot." Lex replied, "But you seem like an interesting person to be friends with.  What do you say?"

Kendra eyed his hand nervously, and then sighed softly.  She kept her hands at her sides, looking away.  Lex's grin faltered, and then vanished into a sneer.

"Brat child." he hissed, "You best see the error of your ways."

"I choose the people I'm friends with as I wish." Kendra replied sternly, "And I don't particularly want to be friends with you."  Lex's sneer grew even darker and he reached inside his pocket.  At that moment, however, the rest of the class filed in, followed immediately after by the black-haired man from the High Table Kendra had seen.

"Enough." he murmured in a soft voice.  His voice was full of what seemed like malice, and it was enough to keep the entire class silent without much effort.

"I am Professor Snape." he continued, "I will be teaching you the subtle art of potion-making.  Whilst there are no loud bangs and repeating of silly words, I doubt highly that you will enjoy this class as much as your others.

"However, the craft of creating the perfect potion is exact.  It is an art of its own.  I can teach you to brew glory, bottle fame, and even stopper death.  Now, to see which of you is here, and to see who is skipping out of class on their first day…"

He took the parchment roll with their names on it, calling each name as he read it and waiting for a confirmation of presence.  Very quickly, he came to Kendra's name.

"So, another famous Potter enters my classroom?" he looked up from the list with a vindictive smile, "Tell me, Potter.  Are you as great of a dunderhead as your father was all those years ago?"  Kendra felt a twinge of pain and rage, but kept her mouth closed.

"What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" he questioned with the same mocking smile.

"A powerful sleeping potion, if I can remember." Kendra replied thoughtfully, "I don't remember the name of it though, sir."

"What is the purpose of a bezoar?" Snape tried to stump her again.

"A stone that saves you from certain poisons, isn't it?" Kendra took as much joy in stunning the teacher as he did trying to embarrass her.

"Very good, Potter." Snape said without meaning it, "Your father had to rely on your mother to save his skin when I asked him this.  I see you don't have to rely on that puppy-dog of a boy that follows _you_ everywhere."

The Slytherins laughed as Virgil lowered his gaze, looking hurt at the taunt.  Kendra had her face lowered, her hands clenched tightly on her knees, and her teeth gritted.

"…don't ever talk about my parents that way." she hissed, "Don't you ever talk about them like they were some pathetic duo."

The room was silent now.  The Slytherins were glaring at Kendra for being disrespectful.  The Gryffindors were looking anxious.  Many of them knew of Professor Snape, and how he took to disrespect.

"Fifteen points from Gryffindor." he snapped, "The next time you speak to me in such a manner, it will be a detention."  Kendra was about to say something in return, but Rima put her hand over her mouth warningly.

"Don't say anything else unless you want to be gutting worms for two hours." Rima whispered, "Getting a detention from him means doing something very unpleasant for a long while."

"I won't say anything if—" Kendra was cut off as Rima put her hand over her mouth again.

"I _said_ don't say anything."

The rest of the week was fairly tame next to the unfortunate incident in Potions Tuesday morning.

Professors Longbottom, Binns, and Gehrn taught Herbology, History of Magic, and Astronomy.  Charms was taught by a tall, red-haired wizard by the name of Professor Weasley.  He had greeted Kendra with a smile when he had reached her name at the roll call.

Seal was very interesting when teaching.  She had a serious and stern side, but an exceedingly playful side as well.  The most interesting situation Kendra had ever witnessed occurred the first class she had with Seal.

Someone had the idea to ask Seal what her name had meant.

"Seal?" the Gryffindor boy had asked, "You mean like one of those aquatic dogs that bounce balls on their noses?"  There was a nervous ripple of laughter in the classroom, but Seal just smiled.

"No." she replied, "Seal as in a magical seal that will be keeping your mouth closed if you don't shut it now and listen."  There was much more laughter from the class at that.

Dante was serious all the time, but was the perfect candidate for the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.  He explained some of the more refined details about creatures that the texts had left out.  He also made a point to mention that all "Dark" creatures weren't always Dark.  He for example, wasn't Dark.

But everybody in first year agreed that thus far, Dueling, taught by Professor Arcanorum, was most interesting.  He told them that the Dueling class had been added only recently, due to some complaints that students didn't know how to defend themselves if ever in a wizard duel.  Professor Arcanorum hadn't taught them many spells, but he was still the most interesting teacher yet.

That was until the next week, when flying lessons started.  Eager grins spread rapidly through the Gryffindor common room at the news, save Kendra.

"I would have thought you would enjoy riding a broomstick more than anyone else." Rima remarked faintly as she and Kendra played a game of wizard's chess and Virgil watched, "Your father was supposed to have been the greatest Quidditch player England ever saw."

"Yippy skippy." Kendra murmured as one of her pawns beat one of Rima's pawns off the board, "I don't think that way."

"Why not?" Rima questioned, "I've seen you sitting at the window at night with that board at your side."

"Skateboard." Kendra replied, trying to see a single safe move, "It's a skateboard, and you stand on it.  Broomsticks, you sit on."

"That doesn't mean you can't make your own style." Virgil offered, reaching over and moving Kendra's knight, "Checkmate, Rima."

"I've told you to not help her." Rima muttered, "Now knock it off!"

—Next Wednesday—

The Gryffindors were waiting out on the field for the teacher to arrive when, much to their dismay, the Slytherins appeared.  Most people sighed mutinously and groaned angrily.

Very soon after that, Professor Weasley came running down the field, his face shining with excitement.

"All right." he called through the field, "Everyone stand at a broomstick and hold out your right hand.  When you've done that, say 'Up!'"

The air was soon filled with the shouts of "Up!"  Some brooms leapt straight into the student's hand, but some didn't move at all.  Eventually, by command or just bending down and picking it up, each student was holding onto a broom.  Professor Weasley was striding up the rows of students, correcting grips and showing them the proper way to be on a broom without slipping and cracking their necks.

The muttering sounds of eager students (Kendra not among them) was soon broken as the sharp sound of wood against wood was heard.  Professor Weasley whirled around to see a Gryffindor and a Slytherin using the brooms as staffs and dueling.

"Both of you, knock it off!" he roared angrily, advancing on them.  The Gryffindor headed his word, but the Slytherin took advantage and cracked the broom over the Gryffindor's head.  The broom shattered and the Gryffindor boy fell over, knocked out and blood coming from broken skin.

"Thirty points from Slytherin!" Professor Weasley shouted in a rage, "Detention too!  You come with me, and the rest of you drop those brooms or I'll make sure you'll never even see a Quidditch match!"  He conjured a stretcher and lifted the unconscious Gryffindor onto it.  He snagged the Slytherin by the back of his robes and marched away, obviously in a complete rage.

"What a pathetic excuse for a teacher." Lex Talionis muttered, "Can't even keep two kids in line."  Kendra rolled her eyes at the Slytherin boy, who was standing behind her.  She then suddenly felt something being drawn out of her pocket.

"Talionis, give me my wand, or I swear—" Kendra turned about and held out her hand.

"Or what?" Talionis sneered, grinning just a little, "You'll call your puppy-boy on me?"  Virgil's eyes twitched, but he refused to make any remark of it.

"Give me it." Kendra ordered again.  Talionis held it out tauntingly and Kendra—feeling very stupid—swiped at it.  Talionis, however, leapt backwards and onto the broom in his other hand, and took off.  Kendra, feeling rage boiling up inside her, grabbed the nearest broom and got ready to take off.

"Oy, Kendra." Rima called.  Kendra turned and caught the broom Rima threw to her.

"Take a better broom." Virgil smirked, "And remember.  Make your own style, if you want."  Kendra thought at that and looked at the broom clutched in her hand.  Grinning, she dropped it and stood on the handle, as if she would a skateboard.

_Up_. she commanded mentally, and the broom rose to her thought.  It was no more difficult than riding her old skateboard.  Everybody let out sounds of pure awe and astonishment as Kendra rose from the ground flawlessly.  Talionis looked stunned and angry, Kendra's wand clutched in his hand.

"Now, are you going to give me back my wand, or what?" Kendra stood with her arms crossed, grinning.

"Take it, brat child." Talionis chuckled, turning his back on her, "If you can."  He threw it as hard as he could towards the castle.  Kendra shot past him, her arms outstretched for balance.  The wand was falling slightly as it flew alongside the wall.  Kendra leaned sideways more and more until she was horizontal, gripping the broom with her feet.  She reached out and grabbed the wand seconds before it smashed into another wall.

Kendra pulled back on the broom until it was pointing vertical and went up the wall.  Soon after, she turned completely around and fell back towards the ground.  The landing was smooth with no problems at all, except one.

That problem was standing in the midst of the class, his arms crossed and his ears as red as his hair.

Professor Weasley looked very mad.

_—to be continued—_


	4. Shards

Night of the Broken Glass

C4: Shards

[A/N: Professor Weasley looks very mad indeed.]

[Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the original Harry Potter stuff.  I own whatever and whoever I make up.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

"Oh my." Rima murmured, "He got back from the hospital wing rather quickly."  Professor Weasley advanced on Kendra, his ears as red as his hair.

"What in _God's_ name…" he could barely speak from his rage, "You could have broken your neck…killed yourself…and you weren't even riding the broom right!"

"Professor, Talionis took her wand!" the Gryffindors protested, "And he was riding on a broom too!"

Professor Weasley's eyes seemed to show a little less anger, but he still grabbed Kendra's wrist.  Kendra gave Virgil and Rima a look that clearly said "I'm-going-to-die," but they just grinned and waved.

"Seal, d'you mind if I steal Ward for a minute?" Professor Weasley poked his head into the Transfiguration classroom, "I have a little problem."

Kendra felt a very large weight drop into her stomach.  Shuffling footsteps came towards the door and a well-built girl with raven-black hair came out of the room, looking sleepy and bemused.

"Ward, Kendra, come on." Professor Weasley jerked his finger, suddenly smiling.  He led them straight to his deserted Charms classroom and turned to each of them, smiling broadly.

"At the risk of sounding like Professor McGonagall, Ward, I found you a new Seeker." he chuckled.  Kendra's eyebrows jerked up in shock as the raven-haired girl looked faintly happy, and Professor Weasley grinned.

"Like her father, isn't it?" the girl yawned, "How real."

"Real?" Professor Weasley blinked.

"I meant weird." the girl shook her head, "Weird, it is."

"Um, Professor, I'd really rather…" Kendra muttered.

"It really is just like your dad." Professor Weasley laughed, "This exact same thing happened to him when we were going to school that while ago."

"Professor, I don't want…"

"You'll be perfect." Professor Weasley insisted.

"…I don't want to."

"Kendra?"

Kendra glanced up from staring out the window in the Gryffindor common room to see Virgil.  He sank down on the floor next to her and glanced out the window.

"It's just about five." he murmured, looking back at her, "And you haven't said a word since you came back from talking to Weasley."

"They want me to be on the Quidditch team for Gryffindor." Kendra said in a low, scratchy voice, "But I really don't want to be there.  So Professor Weasley wants me to come down to the Quidditch field at seven."

"That just sucks, doesn't it?" Virgil sighed, "So are you going to go?"

"I have to or I get a detention or two for being a dimwit on a broomstick."

"Well, you could go down there." Virgil looked out to the setting sun, "And you could just do what he asks of you to see if you really don't want to play for Gryffindor.  If you don't, I guess you won't.  But if you do think it's just a bit of fun, maybe you should play.  I'll shoo now.  You probably need to think."

He stood, dusting off his black jeans, and started away towards the fire.

"Virgil?" Kendra murmured before he could get very far away, "Do you and Rima want to come down and watch?"

Virgil smiled and replied, "Sure.  We'd love to come and cheer you on."

At seven, the three Gryffindors made their way down to the field, where they spotted a person flying twenty feet overhead, and a person throwing a overlarge red ball at them from the ground.

"You've got much better timing than your father and I did." Professor Weasley was the one on the ground, "We rarely had a day where we weren't late for something."

The person flying overhead shot down to land on the ground.  It was the girl with the raven-black hair from earlier in the day, looking much more awake than before.

"Now, Kendra, I want you to do exactly what you did before." Professor Weasley turned to a box at his feet, kicking it open, "But do it on this broom."  He handed her a sleek broom with the words 'Lightning Bolt' at the top.

"The Lightning Bolt." Rima sighed a bit, smirking, "Successor to the famed Firebolt of many teams.  Released only recently.  Quite expensive, too."

"For an Auror's daughter, you sure know a lot about different things." Professor Weasley raised his eyebrows a bit as he handed Kendra the broom.  Kendra stared at the broom in her hand apprehensively, as if not wanting to have anything to do with it.

Virgil nudged her with a finger in her back.  Kendra groaned vaguely and dropped the broom to the ground.  She stood on the handle and began to think to get it in the air.

Before she thought anything at all, the broom leapt off the ground a few feet.  Feeling something like a great deal of excitement, Kendra simply thought of moving forwards and the broom shot straight ahead.  It responded exactly to her thoughts, even when she decided to scare the folks on the ground by doing a roll and loop one after the other.

"Wicked!" Professor Weasley whooped, "Kendra, I'm going to let out the Golden Snitch!  Look for a little gold ball with wings!"  He kicked another box at his feet and something shot as a blur from it.

Kendra glanced towards them and spotted the gold ball hovering around Virgil's head before it zipped away.  She went after it, not really knowing where it went, but spotted it soon after as it tried to hide by skimming the grass.  Kendra rolled over and stayed hanging upside down, hand out, and grabbed the Snitch.

"I counted about thirteen seconds." the black-haired girl smiled as Kendra landed by them a few seconds later, "I'd say you're on the team, if you want to be."

"…was my father really such a great person?" Kendra asked nervously, "On the team?"

"Won every game he was in." Professor Weasley smiled, "He stopped playing for a while after you were born, to spend time with you.  Then…"

"Guess I'm on the team then." Kendra shrugged her shoulders with an unsure grin, "If I'm actually good."

"Good doesn't even begin to describe it." Rima smiled sideways, her voice half-mocking and half-praising.  Kendra smiled a bit more at that and started to hand the broom back to Professor Weasley.  He refused with a smile, pressing it back into her chest with a smile.

"I can't take this if it's so expensive." she objected, "Professor—"

"Call me Ron, all right?" Professor Weasley smiled wearily, "I knew your mum and dad.  They were my best friends here.  I technically inherited your parent's vault in Gringotts, but I never felt right about using any of the money your parents earned.  However, your dad left a large amount of money from his Quidditch days, and it only seemed right to at least use it for something good.  Think of it as a very belated ten-year's worth of birthday presents, OK?"

Kendra looked at him for a long while, the broom clutched in her hand.  She let out a breath and looked to the ground, her eyes looking for something.

"Could you tell me about my parents?"

Ron's fire-colored eyebrows lifted into his hairline.  Then he smiled slightly, chuckling softly in his throat.

"Sure." he replied, "Come on with me.  The rest of you can go on and get back to Gryffindor common room.  Go on now."  The others went off towards the castle, Virgil casting a glance over his shoulder.

"Let me see…" Ron groaned as he sank into a chair in his office, "Your mum and dad.  Where to begin?"

Kendra sat down opposite him, glancing around the office.  It had a bookcase holding a number of texts, but the walls were more coated with posters of moving wizards throwing the large red ball at each other and black balls shooting at them.  One wizard in particular was hovering above the game, looking around.  His hair was black as pitch, his eyes emerald green, and a lightning scar was carved on his head.  Kendra felt a pang.

"That's your dad." Ron smiled, "The one with the black hair.  He was the best Seeker England ever had."

"What were my mother and father like?"

"Smart." Ron listed the qualities, "Brave.  Powerful, of course.  And they were the best pair the wizarding world had ever seen.  Most people—not counting Malfoy, the Death Eaters, and You-Know-Who—liked Harry and Hermione.  They were almost leaders in the war against You-Know-Who and Darkness.

"Course, Darkness is still around.  But he'll be defeated sooner or later.  I really miss your mum and dad."

"Did you know them long?"

"Yeah.  All seven years here at Hogwarts.  Knew your mum when she worked at the Ministry of Magic.  She was about to be the next Minister, she was.  Knew your dad when he was on England's team.  Everyone was envious 'cause I scraped good seats for my daughters and me."

"So how did they die?"

Ron looked abashed and shocked.  Kendra stood with her back to him, her hand splayed over the poster with her father on it.

"The Killing Curse, Avada Kedavra." he replied after a pregnant pause, "No marks, no traces, just gone.  Darkness did that, supposedly, after You-Know-Who was killed.  Harry finally beat You-Know-Who, but…it kind of got him killed."

Kendra stood stock-still, a ringing coming to her ears.  Something was coming back to her, and she didn't want it to come back.  She turned and bolted from Ron's office, running towards Gryffindor Tower.

The common room was vacant.  The only sound was the sound of the fire crackling.  Kendra sat at the window she had been before, staring out at the blackened sky.  It looked like rain.

A sudden, unsure step came onto her leg.  She looked down to see a little black kitten trying to crawl onto her lap.  It was too little and slipped from her leg, tumbling back on the floor.  Kendra picked the kitten up carefully and cradled it near her chest.  It purred and nuzzled up against her, closing its red eyes contently.

"Tac, did you sneak out here—oh." Virgil came down the stairs from the boy's dormitory and spotted Kendra, "Are you all right?"

"Is he yours?" Kendra questioned, her voice quavering, "He's friendly."

"Not to most people." Virgil smiled and walked over, sitting himself down next to her, "But he seems to really like you."

"Tac's his name?" Kendra scratched the kitten under his chin, "That's an interesting name."

"Cat, spelled backwards." Virgil chuckled slightly, "He's a goofy little thing that just likes to be out here.  I don't let him because he's just a kitten."

"He'd be all right." she lifted the cat to look him in the eye, "He looks smart enough."

"I know." Virgil replied, "He's smart enough to trick the others in my dormitory to let him out.  But he's still a kitten."

There was a very long pause, minutes long, until either of them said anything.

"Are you really all right?"

"No.  I can hear screaming now.  I can see a light, a scream cut short, and someone laughing.  I don't know who's laughing and who's screaming.  But that's the only thing I can hear, even if I hear you talking.  I can't hear anything else…"

She lowered her head and sniffed, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to stream from her eyes.  Virgil shifted closer to her and put his arm around her shoulders.  She turned to his shoulder and cried silently, her shoulders shaking from her silent sobs.

"Kendra, I think you had better get to bed." Virgil chuckled a bit, trying to make her cheer up, "A person with tear-reddened eyes isn't very happy in the morning unless they get some rest."  Kendra let a laugh break through, a weak smile on her face.

"I'll even let Tac sleep with you tonight.  Now, will you go to bed?" he asked not in an exasperated tone, but in meaning.  Kendra didn't move and didn't respond, but felt a point poke lightly into her side.

Her green eyes slid shut and she was asleep.

_—to be continued—_


	5. Splinter

Night of the Broken Glass

C5: Splinter

[A/N: Hoo boy.]

[Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the original stuff.  I own my own stuff.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

_"Strange and ironic…isn't it?"_

Kendra sat up with a gasp, clutching at her chest and sweat on her forehead.

"I thought you had been lying."

Kendra looked about and saw Rima sitting at the foot of the bed she had, frowning at her and wearing general clothing.

"It's Saturday, if you wanted to know." Rima sighed, "Virgil brought you up here last night because you had fallen asleep while he hugged you."  Kendra just buried her head in her hands, trying to forget the nightmare that had happened again.  It had been worse though.  The screaming and laughing was there, making it far worse than ever.

"If you had told me about those nightmares in the first place, I could have maybe procured some sleeping potion.  Nightmares aren't very bad unless they keep happening.  And they're about past best left untouched.  Here."

Rima gave Kendra a glass of water and sat down beside her.  Kendra put it on the bedside table and gave a long wavering sigh.  Rima stared at her meaningfully with her silver eye.  The long silence was broken by a loud meowing sound.  Tac tumbled down from Kendra's pillow and crawled over to her, looking up at her questioningly.

"And I think Virgil would like his kitten back." Rima nodded at the cat, "By the way, I need to talk to you.  I'll let you freshen up a bit.  Just knock at the door.  I'll be waiting outside."

She stood up and left the dormitory, closing the door with a soft click behind her.  Kendra stared at the door wearily for a long while, and then stood.  She dressed and again sat at a window, staring out at the rain that had started as she slept.

"I took the time and your absolute silence as signal." Rima was suddenly standing inside the room, "I need to tell you that you didn't fall asleep.  That fast of sleep and deepness is only achieved by a charm.  However, it was not a dreamless charm, as a potion would give.  That is why you had another nightmare, as you have been having for quite some time now.

"So tell me, are the nightmares of a lost past?  You never want to remember them."

"Who wants to remember nightmares?" Kendra replied, "And I don't think my dreams are any of your business."

"And you don't even want to know who put the charm on you last night." Rima said, "Well, if you don't care and just want to be left with nightmares…goodbye."

The door opened and closed with a sound click.  Tac mewled pitifully, unhappily.

Rima seemed to almost vanish that day.  The rain was loud against the castle walls, and the only sound that could combat it was the usual noise in the Gryffindor common room.

"Hey, Kendra, Ward told us." Erika and Lisa Weasley had swamped through the crowd to find Kendra sitting at the window once again, "We'll be on the team with you."

Kendra didn't really hear what they said, trying to forget the memory of the nightmare.  Rima had been right.  It seemed the Auror's daughter knew far more than she seemed to ever let on.

"Good morning." Virgil stood beside her, "It seems you didn't make Rima very happy."

"Well, she should stop trying to play the part of dream-reader." Kendra replied bitterly, her eyes narrowing, "I'm sick of her trying that."

"Well, I advise you go and talk to her." Virgil patted her on the head, "She's a good person to be a friend with.  Besides, you aren't really mad at her, are you?"  Kendra lowered her head with a sigh, staring at the rain with a somber look.

"She's in the library."  Kendra sighed again and stood up.

The library wasn't spared the sound of pounding rain as Kendra searched for Rima.  Almost ready to give up, Kendra sat down at one of the randomly placed tables and put her head down.  Someone's hand suddenly poked her in the head.

Kendra looked up—and nearly screamed.  A hand was floating there in midair, completely unattached to anything.  She turned white as a sheet and let out a short whimper.

"I owed you that." Rima's voice said as the hand moved away and pulled at something, "For being such a brat child this morning."  The hand tugged, and Rima appeared out of nowhere.  Kendra felt her heart getting back on its normal pace, and stared at Rima for a very long time.

"An Invisibility Cloak." the one-eyed girl explained, "My father decided to give me it before I came here.  He's always been one for sarcasm."

"Rima…I'm…" Kendra kept her eyes from meeting Rima's.

"I know." Rima rolled her eye, "You're sorry about being grumpy.  It really doesn't matter to me about it.  I just wanted to help you stop having nightmares."

"What do you have nightmares about?"

Rima stared thoughtfully out at nothing and then replied, "That one night, with my mother, and my eye.  The side effects of being an Auror's daughter."  Kendra was quiet, studying the scar on her friend's face and the patch over her eye.

"I hear screams, and someone laughing at the screams.  I see red eyes, and someone talking about fate.  I see a sword, another eye, and someone always says 'Strange and ironic, isn't it'."

"First thing, I'd advise against taking Divination in your third year." Rima smirked a bit, "The teacher there would probably be predicting your death every three minutes.  Second, that type of dream only comes around if you can sense something coming.  It's a sort of puzzle-premonition.  You can acquire a special potion or charm that will give you a dreamless sleep.  I can teach you it, if you want."

"For being quiet every day in class, you certainly know a lot more than anyone I've ever met."

The training part of being on the Quidditch team had come around.  Ward—called Raven by whoever was on the team—was much more aware on the field than anywhere else.

The three Chasers (the ones who scored with the Quaffle) were the fourth years Raven, and Erika and Lisa Weasley.  The two Beaters (the guys with the clubs and Bludgers) were two fourth years.  One was Catherine Gray and the other was Jason Tyron.  The Keeper was a second year named Stephen Renard.

And then there was Kendra, the Seeker.

"All right, I know that last year was a bit of a bad year." Raven yawned, "We had a very…uncooperative Keeper and a chronically missing Seeker.  Both have been kicked off.  However, Stephen here promises to always do what he needs to, to be the Keeper."  Stephen nodded furiously, his broom clutched tightly.

"And of course, our purely secret weapon has already shown me what kind of talent she has." Raven looked towards Kendra with a sleepy grin, "Do you want to show them, Kendra?"  Kendra tossed the broom in her hands to the ground and stepped onto it.

The part of the team that hadn't seen Kendra yesterday was stunned.  Kendra flew through the air seamlessly, feeling as if the dream's memory and the laughter from the nightmare were being dragged away as the wind whipped by her.  It was wonderful to fly.

Raven released the Snitch and Kendra could see it move through the air.  It was in her hand before ten seconds had passed.

The team on the ground was ecstatic.  The Weasley girls were hugging each and shrieking with insane laughter and Catherine and Jason were dancing.  Raven had fallen asleep standing up, while Stephen was trying to wake her with a large grin.

Kendra smiled too.

Halloween morning on Friday was one of the best mornings Hogwarts had seen.  The rain had stopped from over the weekend and the castle was filled with the wonderful smell of baking pumpkin, bread, and other good food.

To make things rather interesting, Professor Arcanorum had finally decided to start teaching how to duel.  The first and foremost spell used in duels was the Disarming Charm, to get the opponent's wand away from them and win with ease.

He paired them off in his spacious classroom and ordered them to only disarm.

Kendra looked at the teacher with an unsure glance, and then stared at Rima.  Rima stared right back, seemingly ready.

"Bow!" Professor Arcanorum called, "Now, on three!  One…two…three!"  Kendra's wand was pointed straight at Rima almost before he had finished saying three.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Kendra half-shouted.  A burst of red light escaped the end of her wand and struck Rima in the chest.  The other Gryffindor went flying backwards, flipped over, and landed with her feet on the wall.  She jumped back to the ground and ran to her dropped wand, holding it up and just about to say something.  Her free hand came up and pushed her wand down, to keep from saying or doing anything.

"Reflex." she said in a strained voice, "Sorry, Kendra."

The rest of the class, however, was a bit chaotic.  Some first-years had shouted the wrong charm or spell, and there were a few ashen-faced people flat on their backs.  Virgil on the other hand, had disarmed Richard Heir and was holding his wand just out of reach.  Kendra and Rima laughed.

The Halloween Feast was just as good as the Welcoming Feast.  Large pumpkins (courtesy of Hagrid) were placed around the Great Hall and Seal had quite a bit of fun by scaring many students by changing into a wolf right in the middle of the hall.

The deserts had just popped up onto the golden plates when Professor Arcanorum strode swiftly into the room without many people looking at him.  He went up to the High Table and muttered something to Dumbledore.  Rima stood up and walked away as Dumbledore stood.

"Prefects, please escort your first-years back to your dormitories!" Dumbledore called, not seeing Rima slip out the door, "I will send word with the heads of your houses soon!"

The students left the Great Hall with plenty of whispering about what had happened.

"Virgil, where did Rima go to?" Kendra whispered as the Gryffindors were shunted along towards the Tower, "She needs to know."

Virgil looked around and then pulled Kendra aside into a shadowy corner behind a statue.

"She knows something." he spoke in a low whisper, "I saw her watch Arcanorum say something to Dumbledore.  She must have read his lips.  She went left from the Great Hall, down the way of the Potions dungeons."

"So are we going to follow her or what?" Kendra started out towards the Great Hall, "Come on!"

The two ran as quietly and as quickly as they could past the hall and towards the dungeons.  The torches that lit the hallways had gone out and it was nearly pitch black.

"_Lumos._" the two lit their wands as they came near the Potions hall.  The Potions hall, however, was lit with a brilliant blue light as they came nearer and they turned a corner.

Rima was off her feet, hanging on the wall by one hand.  A spike of what looked like electricity was stabbed through her left hand to the wall and was holding her up.  But…Rima was also standing on the ground, pointing a wand at the Rima on the wall.

"I see you finally got here." the Rima on the ground said, "Go and find the teachers."

"Kendra, Virgil, that's not me!" the Rima on the wall shouted, "It's an elemental-mirror!"

"You're the mirror." the Rima on the ground snapped, "Go and get the teachers!"

"It's a lightning elemental-mirror!" the other Rima yelled, "Don't let it touch you!"  She let out a yell of pain as her other hand was stabbed through to the wall.  The Rima on the ground advanced, keeping her wand raised.

"Well, that shut you up." the Rima sneered, "Now go and get the teachers!"

Kendra raised her wand and shouted, "_Expelliarmus!_"  The Rima on the ground was blown backwards, something shifted behind her, and she slammed against the wall.  A loud cracking sound echoed in the hall and the two electric spikes in Rima's hands vanished.  She fell five feet onto her knees and cringed.

The torches were suddenly relit as footsteps sounded.  Seal, Dante, and Snape were running down the hallway.

"What in the hell are you doing down here?!" Seal grabbed Kendra by the shoulders and shook her, "Why weren't you back at Gryffindor Tower?!"

"Rima, she—" Kendra pointed at Rima, who was staring at her bloody hands.

"A elemental-mirror of lightning!" Dante suddenly cried as he examined the unconscious Rima at the end of the hall, "You managed to break it?"

"I think the question is, how did you know which to attack?" Snape hissed, "Those two look exactly alike."

"A mirror reflects the exact same thing, but it's oppositely shown.  Rima's eye patch and scar were flipped." Kendra smiled a bit, "I remembered that Professor Ascarte said to always look for a flipped detail if going up against an elemental-mirror."

"I should punish you for disobeying Professor Dumbledore so badly," Seal shook Kendra by the shoulders again, "but you did manage to save your friend.  Just take twenty points to Gryffindor, get back to the Tower, and don't do it again."

The feast continued in the common room, and everyone was noisy and without care again.  Kendra, Virgil, and Rima ate in a corner by themselves (Rima with difficulty due to bandages on her electrically-burnt hands) and Virgil finally brought up a question.

"Why'd you go running off just before we had to go back to the Tower?"

"I read Arcanorum's lips." Rima replied, "He said that an elemental-mirror was in the Potions hallway, and that he was going to go and get rid of it.  Those things hurt a lot to get hit by, so that's why Dumbledore sent you back.  But the funny thing is, Arcanorum never showed up."

"Does it matter that I saw something trying to force its way into the last door in the hall?" Kendra questioned, "Because I'm sure it does."

"What do you mean?" Virgil questioned, "Someone tried to get into the room Dumbledore specifically told us to stay away from on pain of death?"

"Yes." Kendra replied, "And from what I really saw, he had red eyes."

"Let me see." Rima put up a hand thoughtfully, "I count about…four people that could, would, or would want to get into that room for any odd reason.  Virgil and Dante Ascarte are out of the question, because you came after me.  That twit, Talionis, is a good thought, but the last one…if that was him, I'm now freaked out to have been so close to Darkness."

"Wait a minute." Kendra said, "He couldn't have gotten in here without someone noticing something.  And the person I saw was a lot bigger than Talionis.

"And my scars still hurt."

Virgil and Rima stared at her for a very long time.

"The only other known time that something like that happened was with…" Rima's eye was wide; beads of sweat forming from fear.

"With your father, when Voldemort was near." Virgil murmured, "But Voldemort is gone, and the only one left is Darkness."

The three fell silent at that, suddenly filled with foreboding.  Kendra stared at her hands, the moon-scars attracting her sight.  The three were completely silent, the noise of the common room ignored.

The next morning, as Kendra stood ready on the Quidditch Field, the scars on her hands burned.

_—to be continued—_


	6. Smashed

Night of the Broken Glass

C6: Smashed

[A/N: The first Quidditch match of the year has finally come!  And Darkness is following…]

[Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the original stuff.  I own whoever and whatever I make up.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

Kendra stared at her hands as they burned suddenly.  The night before, she learned that scars like hers and her father's would give some sort of warning against the person that had scarred them.

Darkness…

Ron gave a hard blast on his whistle and the brooms rose.  Kendra snapped to attention and the game began.

"And Ward takes the Quaffle for Gryffindor!" the commentator, James Jordan (the infamous son of Lee Jordan) shouted through the microphone, "To one of the Weasley girls, to the other!  A pass intercepted by Stone of Slytherin!  Speedily taken towards the goal—oh the Bludger just hit him in the back!  Painful, but he drops the Quaffle!"

Kendra flew around the field a few times, trying to ignore the burning in her hands.  It was making her hands twitch uncontrollably, and she was starting to wonder how catch the Snitch with her hands like that.

She slowed, looking about for the Snitch as Raven threw the Quaffle in for a goal.  A Bludger came pelting towards her and she leapt off the broom for a moment.  The Bludger flew harmlessly by, narrowly missing her legs.

"Go on and find that Snitch!" Catherine Gray shot by and hit the Bludger in the other direction towards the Slytherin Chaser with the Quaffle, "Go on now!"

Kendra looked about, seeing only the glint of gold watches in the crowd and the Slytherins.  It was close to impossible to see any gold glinting with all those watches…

A thought came to her.  The Slytherins had worn gold watches to throw her off.  A cheap tactic, but quite effective.  Kendra frowned angrily.

Virgil and Rima sat in the crowd, keeping their eyes on Kendra.  The news of her scars burning as her father's had long ago had come as a disturbing thing.

A wolf's head suddenly poked out beside Virgil's legs.  It looked up towards Kendra, and then turned into Seal.

"Sorry I was late." she pulled herself out from between the benches and sat beside the two, "Pressing matters."

"Right." Rima muttered, "Your hair is ruffled."  Seal looked at her gray hair and laughed a bit, and then looked back towards the match.

"Kendra's hands are twitching a lot." she sighed, "I hope nothing's wrong."

The crowd let out a gasp as Kendra rolled over in midair and sped towards something, the Slytherin Seeker Nathan Tehran following behind.  The game went on, as Gryffindor scoring another goal.

"And the Seekers have seen the Snitch!" Jordan shouted, "But Potter has a better position to take the Snitch!  And she nearly—that was deliberate!"

A Slytherin Beater had come around and grabbed Kendra's broom by the tail.  Kendra jerked to an almighty halt and was nearly thrown from the broom.

"Penalty to Gryffindor!" Ron shouted, "Take your shot!"  One of his daughters put the goal away easily, making the points thirty to zero.

Kendra had gotten back to her feet and was looking for the Snitch again.  With a scowl, she reasoned that staying still while the Snitch flew around the field wasn't going to be a good thing.

And then the Lightning Bolt jerked.  She looked at it as it bucked under her feet and threw her upwards.  She managed to keep her feet on it, but only for a few seconds.  She swiped at it with one of her severely pained hands, but it jerked away and a whistling filled her ears.

"Kendra!" Seal shouted at the top of her lungs as the Gryffindor crowd rose as one in shock.  Rima stared in utter shock, and Virgil's expression became dark.

Kendra stared as the sky fell back and grew larger and the whistling in her ears grew louder.  The jerking mad broomstick in the sky suddenly became still, and then fell towards her.  Kendra swiped at it again as it got to her reach, and caught it.

It stopped falling, stopping Kendra and wrenching something in her shoulder.  However, Kendra noticed something that no one else did once more.  She ordered the broom forwards, to move, and it jerked to move.  She held onto the broom with just one hand, skimming the ground and holding out her other hand.  The burning in her hands grew even worse, but at the moment it became almost unbearable, she grabbed the Golden Snitch.

The air was ringing was cheers as Kendra let go of the broomstick and fell to the ground, laying there sprawled out and smiling.

"That's just wonderful." Seal remarked sarcastically, "So your scars started hurting when?"

"The first night in Gryffindor Tower." Kendra replied, rubbing her shoulder (recently popped back into place by Madam Pomfrey) ruefully, "It's stopped now, but it happened all through the match."

"Oh yay." Seal sighed, "Just like your father.  The exact same thing happened in his first Quidditch match.  The being thrown off his broom part."

"So what does that mean exactly?" Rima questioned, "If her scars were caused by Darkness—"

"Please call him Anton." Seal muttered, "Being scared of him just popping up at the mention of his name is really rather dimwitted."

"If they were caused by Anton, then wouldn't they be a warning for him?" Rima finished.

"It would certainly seem so." Seal replied, "But I hope it isn't."

The Quidditch match was well celebrated by the Gryffindors for a good long while.  Winter had come before any of them had stopped being happy over the win.

Hogwarts was covered in many feet of snow by mid-December, and everyone was getting ready for the holiday.  Despite the cheer that the break was bringing on, it was somewhat stunted by the chill filling the castle.  Castles weren't exactly the best places to live in the winter, but Virgil and Rima had signed up to stay at Hogwarts for the break.

The last Potions class before the holiday was a bit bad.  Many people unintentionally burned themselves and others by sitting too close to their caldrons, and Snape was in a fairly sour mood when he was teaching them.

And of course, the very bad thing happened just as Kendra was picking up a fragile vial of dragon's blood.

Professor Arcanorum poked his head into the room and Snape walked towards him.  Kendra's hands burned suddenly and she dropped the vial.  The next immediate thought she had was fifty points from Gryffindor and a week's worth of detention from Snape.

The vial stopped a few inches from the ground and hovered there.  Virgil had his wand out discreetly and had it pointed at the vial.  He looked at her and raised his wand.  The vial floated upwards from the ground and landed without a sound on the table.

Kendra stared at Virgil for a moment.  They had learned the Levitation Charm before Halloween, but he had used it without the vial being still on something and without words.  It was near impossible for a first-year to do.

The bell chimed and the class began to clear out for lunch.

"Virgil, how did you do that?" Kendra questioned as they sat playing each other in wizard's chess.  The day had ended and they were out onto break.

"Do what?" Virgil asked in reply as one of his pawns wrestled one of Kendra's off of the board.

"Use the Levitating Charm without saying anything." she replied while looking for a safe spot to move.

"I've been practicing." he replied simply as he took a bishop.

"Even Ron has to say something." she sighed, frustrated with the game, "What makes you so special that you don't have to use words?"

"You try." he grabbed one of the beaten pieces and held it up over the table, "Get out your wand and see if you can do it without words."

Kendra pulled her wand from her pocket and looked around the common room.  No one but Rima was there, and she was reading a book while listening to some music player.  Virgil waited for a moment, and then let go of the chess piece.  It fell and Kendra pointed her wand at it, thinking of the concept and incantation of the charm.  Abruptly, it stopped falling a few centimeters from the table and hovered there.

"See?" Virgil smirked, "It's not that hard.  Why don't you try that in the first charms lesson after break?  We'll probably learn something new."

"All right." Kendra put the piece onto the table.  She looked sideways at the board and finally spotted something.

"Checkmate." she smiled.

Christmas morning was a very nice morning.  Kendra awoke to a gentle shaking on her shoulder and Rima smiling at her.

"Come on." Rima said, "Virgil asked if we could open our presents in the common room together."

The presents were an exceptionally fun part of the morning.  Because nobody had wish lists, they had gotten each other gifts on what they thought was a good idea.  Virgil received a book from Rima about Dark Arts—his favorite subject—and (as Kendra blushed a very light pink) a book of music for a flute.

"You've heard me playing when everyone's gone to bed?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow in shock.  Kendra nodded sheepishly as Rima stared at her, smirking.

Rima received a book of history of Aurors from Virgil and small necklace with a tiny character hanging from it from Kendra.  The character read 'Toorima', to anyone that could conveniently read Japanese.

Kendra received _Hogwarts, a Revised History_ from Rima.  As she flipped through the pages, she noticed one picture in particular.  It was a picture of a tall sixteen-year-old boy with untidy black hair, a sixteen-year-old girl with bushy brown hair, and what looked to be a sixteen-year-old Ron Weasley.

"Harry Potter," Rima pointed to the black-haired boy, who waved back genially, "and Hermione Granger.  Your mum and dad.  I thought you'd like to have at least one picture, even if it's in a book."  Kendra was speechless, but it was obvious to understand how she felt about it.

Virgil—oddly—gave her a book of music as she had to him.  Kendra looked at him oddly, but he just smiled in return.

The rest of most the day was spent playing in the snow and being at peace, admiring the snowy castle and grounds.  The Weasley girls and their father were seen running around the grounds having a snowball fight.  Ron was more pasted in snow than Erika and Lisa were.

The Christmas banquet was wonderful.  Glimmering lights hung around the dozen perfect pine trees, occasionally flitting out to the tables to prove themselves to be little imps and to steal a bit of food.  Wizard crackers were all around the tables, letting off bangs loud as cannons.

Christmas that year was very…pleasant.

"So why did you get me that book?" Kendra asked as the day shifted to night and the other Gryffindors had gone to bed.

"Dante and Seal asked me if I could play the part of gift-giver." Virgil replied, "Seal got you this—" He handed her a violin "—And Dante told me to give you this."

Virgil handed Kendra a carefully wrapped box and then stood up.

"From what I can guess, I think I should let you be alone for a while.  Have a good rest.  Merry Christmas."

He stood up and strode up the stairs to the boy's dormitories.  Kendra stared after him for a moment and then set to the task of opening the gift.

Three things lay inside the box: a piece of parchment with writing on it, a piece of ragged parchment, and a silver-colored cloak.  The writing on the first piece of parchment read:

Kendra, these items used to belong to your mother and father.  The cloak is an Invisibility Cloak.  The other is a map devised by your grandfather.  Tap the parchment and say "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" and it will show you the entirety of Hogwarts.  Wipe it clean with the words "Mischief managed" and it will become blank.  I'm giving these to you for two reasons.  Dumbledore told me to.  Seal was the one that managed to convince me.  Use these in the proper way, or I'll personally come in the middle of the night to take them back.  Merry Christmas, Dante Ascarte.

Kendra smiled serenely and lifted the Cloak from the box, looking at it carefully.  It felt as soft and smooth as silk, lighter than a feather.  As it covered her hands, everything vanished.  It did exactly as one thought it would.

Kendra smiled more broadly, picked the items up, and headed up to the girl's dormitory.

The courtyard was lit with bright sunlight.  It wasn't the courtyard of Hogwarts.  It was some other grand castle in a place that seemed blurred to the sight.

_Kendra looked about, seeing the sky above strangely yellow and red, pulsing and swirling around the blood-red sun.  It was…eerie.  She sat down at the edge of a large fountain and looked down into the water._

_In the reflection, Kendra saw the sky begin to pulse rapidly and she straightened up.  Four people had appeared, three on her left and one on her right._

_Virgil, Rima, and a white-haired woman with a sinister-looking weapon on her back stood on Kendra's left, and a tall man stood on her right._

_"Hello again, Kendra." the man said, his crimson-colored eyes glinting, "We haven't seen each other in ten years.  How've you been?"_

_His eyes caused Kendra's throat to tighten.  She remembered that deep voice from somewhere, somewhere very far back in her mind._

_"Do not try to side with her!" Rima said, "Kendra, he's—"  She let out a shout as she was blown backwards into a wall, crushing the stone back from the hard blow.  She fell to the ground, bloody and not moving._

_"Silly little child." the man lowered a hand back into his robes, hiding the wand in the cloak-like garment covering his shoulders, "Auror's children never make much sense, do they, Kendra?"  He was pushed back by some sort of spell, but didn't fall._

_"Kendra, don't fall for anything!" Virgil looked enraged, "He's An—"  He too was blown backwards, landing alongside Rima, bloody and not moving._

_"The worthless and undeserving son of my mentor." the raven-haired man sighed, "He shouldn't have so much power.  Tell me Kendra, do you trust the Riddle boy?  The son of the first Dark Lord?"_

_The woman was standing before the man now, her huge blade clashed against a narrow blade the man held.  Her lightning-blue eyes were locked on the man's crimson eyes._

_"Be silent, Anton." the woman said in a soft voice, "You have no right to try and speak to this child.  Now DIE!"_

_The man, Anton, forced the woman backwards, but she slashed from a distance and a bolt of electricity flashed from the end of the sword.  Anton deflected it, and raised his wand again.  The woman was struck with a spell and landed a few feet away, bleeding from multiple gashes and not moving._

_"Make a choice, Kendra." Anton turned to Kendra, "Don't waste your life like these fools did.  I can make every dream of yours come true, if you fight alongside me.  The Dark Lord Anton rewards all those that help him."_

_He lifted his wand, pointing it at the three lying on the ground._

"Don't waste your life like your mother and father did." Anton smiled a smile darker than any shadows as he looked at her with red eyes, another vertical eye opening between his other eyes.

And then Kendra woke up.  The dormitory was silent, moonlight streaming in through a window and glinting off the tears streaming down Kendra's face.

_—to be continued—_


	7. Breaker

Night of the Broken Glass

C7: Breaker

[A/N: That wasn't a good dream.]

[Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the original stuff. I own whoever and whatever I make up. Don't steal and don't sue.]

"Voldemort, or You-Know-Who as he is more commonly known, was originally a bright young man from Hogwarts known as Tom Marvolo Riddle. After graduating, Riddle left to study the Dark Arts on his own, and underwent many changes. After many years, he reemerged from places unknown as the Dark Lord Voldemort. He was defeated by Harry and Hermione Potter, and left the next Dark Lord, Anton, behind to continue his reign of terror. Nothing more is known about the Dark Lord."

Kendra read the passage in the Dark Arts book over and over, trying to not see the name 'Riddle'. Tom Marvolo Riddle. Virgil Riddle. The two were related. Virgil, her friend, her best friend, was the son of the Dark Lord Voldemort.

Kendra put her hands over her eyes, trying not to think about it. It almost seemed reasonable. His eyes were the same infamous color as Voldemort's, and the same as Anton's. Virgil was incredibly powerful, and Kendra had the strangest feeling that he had something to do with her broom at the Quidditch match. Whether it was the broom throwing her off or it was the broom coming back to her, she didn't know.

The dream came back to her mind and she saw Anton as he smiled and his third eye opened. She shut her eyes, clenching them shut and trying not to see him smiling.

The library was very quiet.

Virgil walked down the hall quickly, his feet tapping loudly. He glanced into the rooms he passed, seeing nothing at all. Virgil turned a corner, still looking.

Kendra appeared from thin air and held the Invisibility Cloak in her hands. She looked down the hall, as if waiting to see if Virgil—who seemed rather all-knowing to her—would double back and find her. He didn't.

Kendra sighed a bit and slipped back under the cloak. She walked away silently, and went outside.

The snow was newly fallen, untouched by anything. Kendra stood still for a moment, just looking at the white blanket over the ground. Something in her eyes burned and tears slid down her face.

"I'm getting so sick of crying." she muttered aloud. She was still and silent for a few long moments.

Something flicked back the hood of her cloak and she was suddenly looking at Seal.

"I thought I smelled you crying." Seal muttered, putting her hands on her hips and bending a little to look at Kendra better, "But this time you hadn't been sleeping. What's—"

Kendra bolted.

"—wrong." Seal put a hand up to her forehead, sighing, "Never mind. I really wasn't up for a chase this early on Boxing Day of all days, but since you're being silly…"

Kendra ran, knowing full well that there wasn't any way she could outrun Seal. Despite everything that she knew, Kendra still ran, wanting to get away from everything.

An undecided movement made her run flat out into the forest and she soon paused by a tree. She rubbed at her face harshly to get the tears away, but only succeeded in making the tears flow faster.

__

Stupid fool! she thought to herself, _Stop crying! Don't think about any stupid dreams! Anton couldn't be anywhere near here!_

__

…And yet, I saw him.

"STUPEFY!"

Seal padded through the snow, the nose of her wolf form twitching as she sniffed for her young ward. Tears, heated blood, and the soft scent of the emotion of despair were the scents filling the air. Another smell, that of evil and anger, was close to Kendra, and was moving in faster.

Seal broke into a run, leaping up into a tree and shifting back into a human. She leapt from branch to branch, finally spotting Kendra sprawled on the ground and a cloaked figure walking towards her, wand raised.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Seal jumped from the tree and pulled out her wand, "IMPEDMENTIA!" The cloaked figure dodged the spell and ran towards the deeper parts of the forest.

"GET BACK HERE!" Seal yelled, starting after the cloaked person. Her foot nudged Kendra's and she froze immediately. The half-werewolf sighed with a slow, sad smile. Taking care of Kendra—who was quite possibly freezing—was more important than catching any prey.

Seal scooped Kendra up in her arms and walked towards the castle, watching Kendra's unchanging expression.

"So you haven't seen Kendra at all today?" Virgil asked in a desperate tone. Seal shook her head, leaning against the doorway of her classroom.

"OK." Virgil sighed, "If you do see her, tell her that Rima and I are worried, all right?" Seal nodded, and Virgil went off towards Gryffindor Tower. As the first-year vanished around a corner, Seal turned around into the classroom and went to a window. She opened it, climbed out onto the castle walls, closed the window again, and climbed up the walls.

An open window was a few feet higher than the classroom and Seal climbed through it. The room was quiet, save the clock in the corner's ticking. Seal walked to the bed, where Kendra lay. She sat down next to the girl and sighed, glancing at Kendra. The teacher put her wand to the student's chest and muttered, "_Ennervate._" Kendra's eyes slowly opened, but she made no move to get up or even look around.

"You honestly can't help but get yourself into a bad spot." the teacher murmured, "It seems to be a trait that runs deep in your family. I wonder if I should let you stay Stunned for a little while. You certainly seemed to be upset when I found you standing outside. I really wonder why you were crying."

Seal breathed in deeply, sniffing a bit, and then smiled.

"I remember that scent." she murmured, "Dante had it on him when I first met him. The scent of a supposedly Dark creature. I have it on me, but that's only because I have a bad habit of hugging my dear Dante whenever I can. But I can smell it on you for some reason. And it smells like…Virgil? Why on earth would you have Virgil's scent on you?"

"Seal, his name is Virgil Riddle." Kendra murmured, her green eyes dull with pain, "He's Tom Riddle's son."

Seal sneezed and rubbed at her nose.

"Well that's a strange thing." the teacher sniffed a bit.

"That my best friend is the son of Voldemort?" Kendra questioned.

"I think I have a cold." Seal sniffed again. Kendra sat up, looking angry.

"Did you hear a word that I said?" she asked sharply, "I said—"

"Virgil's name is Virgil—ACHOO! —Riddle." Seal sneezed yet again, "What's the matter? Are you upset because he's a supposedly Dark wizard?"

"I never said he was!" Kendra replied, "I just…"

"Too much information to take in at one time, right?" Seal questioned, "But you know what?"

"What?" Kendra asked back, weakly, looking down at her lap.

"He was the one that made your broom go back to you."

Virgil was sitting in the common room, staring at the fire. His face was solemn, lined with worry. Someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Rima, I've looked everywhere." he sighed, "Even Seal doesn't know where Kendra is."

The person behind him held his flute before him and he looked over his shoulder. A very weary-looking Kendra was standing there, smiling a bit and holding the violin she had received the day before.

"Do you think you can play teacher?" Kendra questioned, "I'm not sure how to play an instrument."

"No more problems?" Virgil questioned, worried.

"Does it look like I've got any worries on my mind?" Kendra asked in reply.

"Oh yes, quite a few, in fact." Rima stood at the base of the spiral stairway to the girl's dormitories, a guitar on her back, "But honestly, why make yourself upset over Virgil's name again?"

"How'd you—" Kendra slapped a hand over her own mouth to shut herself up.

Rima laughed and said, "Virgil told me his name and asked me if I thought that was the reason you had snuck away in the middle of the night. Did you know that you nearly screamed in your sleep last night?"

"N-no." Kendra stuttered, "How would you know?"

"Watched you." Rima murmured, walking over and sitting down on the floor, "Sat by you. Put my hand over your mouth so you wouldn't scream out loud. When do you think you would have screamed?"

"Rima." Virgil said warningly, "Let's not discuss nightmares on Boxing Day." Rima snickered a bit and started to tune the guitar. The three friends settled down on the floor and started to teach each other.

As New Year's passed and the month faded to February, the school became crowded and excited as word of another Quidditch match came around.

"OK, we're up against Hufflepuff this time around." Raven yawned one practice, "I know that they aren't that great with their Chasers or their Seeker, but their Beaters are even more crazy than Catherine and Jason. They're more famous for breaking bones than Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and us combined. Kendra, I want you to be careful. The way you ride a broomstick is an easy way for them to hit you."

Kendra nodded shortly, unconsciously shifting her legs about. Getting her shin broken didn't seem like a great thing to do. The only thought she had for a long time that night was how on earth to keep from getting every bone in her body broken.

"Raven, Thomas, shake!" The two captains gripped hands and shook. "Mount your brooms!" The players stood ready. "On my whistle! Three, two, one!" The whistle blew, and the players rose into the air.

"And the Quaffle is taken by Raven of Gryffindor!" James Jordan called through the megaphone, "Watch it! Bludger, hit by Ivan Gregori of Hufflepuff, narrowly misses her head! Quaffle is taken by Roger Thomas of Hufflepuff, but blocked by Stephen Renard!"

Kendra stared around the field, wondering where the Snitch was hiding that time. She ducked slightly as a Bludger went shooting by her head.

"Watch it there, Kendra! Bludger goes right by her head!"

__

Thanks for stating the obvious. Kendra mused to herself as she flew forwards.

The game quickly turned to a standoff. The Hufflepuff Beaters were too good to allow the Gryffindor team to score, and Stephen was too fast for the Hufflepuffs to score.

"They'll be playing into the night if someone doesn't catch the Snitch." Rima murmured from the stands, raising an eyebrow, "Where is the little bugger?"

"Hiding in a very good place." Virgil replied, sitting next to the blue-haired girl, "Just wait. Kendra will find it."

Back in the air, Kendra crouched down to avoid the Bludger (which had been aimed at her head again) and spotted gold. She saw the Snitch hovering underneath one of the Gryffindor goal posts. Kendra grinned and started towards it.

"Kendra's seen the Snitch!" Jordan shouted, "Go for it, girl!"

At the Gryffindor end of the field, Ian and Ivan Gregori of Hufflepuff waited. They cast each other glances and grinned. As Kendra flew level with them, they swung their clubs at the passing Bludgers.

"WATCH IT, POTTER!"

Kendra glanced up from the Snitch at the shout. She saw the Bludgers coming on either side and blinked once. And then she grinned…

…And rolled over.

Ian and Ivan stared in horror; they had completely forgotten that Kendra could do that. The Bludgers crashed into each other harmlessly as Kendra flew underneath and ricocheted off each other. They slammed into Ian and Ivan and sent them reeling head-over-heels backwards.

Kendra straightened up, raised both hands, and swung up through the goalpost, Snitch in one hand and gripping the goal's edge with the other.

The crowd screamed with approval. Not only was the dodging excellent, but the finish was just…just…

Well, Kendra didn't care what the finish was. She just smiled.

As the Gryffindors celebrated in the common room, she, Rima, and Virgil were sitting by themselves in the courtyard.

"So, Miss Seeker, what would you like to play?" Virgil questioned with a bit of a sarcastic smirk. Kendra nudged him on the shoulder playfully as Rima snickered. The Potter girl sighed happily as she flipped through the music book, looking for something.

"This." she finally decided, showing the two.

"Ouch." Rima sighed, "Beethoven's hard with a guitar, but since you won the match, all right."

The friends fine-tuned their instruments and started to play "Coral's" fourth movement.

Overhead, the sun was shining.

__

—to be continued—


	8. Breaking

Night of the Broken Glass 

C8: Breaking

[A/N: They played nice music last time.  Enjoy!]

[Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the original concept and characters, but I'm borrowing that.  However, I do own my own original stuff.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

_"It's been a while, Virgil."_

_Virgil stared at the large man at the opposite side of the courtyard under the pulsing red and yellow sky.  His raven hair was shimmering in the red sunlight and his crimson eyes glinted._

_"So how are you faring with the Potter girl?  I hope you're helping your father's successor."_

_"If you're asking me to get Kendra for you, I won't do it." Virgil replied, glaring hard at the man, "Sorry, Anton, but I never said I was going to help you at any time."_

_"Presumptuous brat!" Anton snarled, "I would have thought that the **true** son of Voldemort would stay with his father's allies!"_

_Virgil stood his ground, listening to what Anton spoke.  His name was Riddle, and his father…_

_"Yes, I am my father's son!" he replied, "But I am not Voldemort's son!"_

"If you are my master's son, you will eventually bring hell to your friends." Anton said in a warning tone, "Don't forget that."  Anton's third eye glinted angrily in the red sunlight.

"But I still see hell in your eyes…just like your father had in his."

Virgil's crimson eyes snapped open.  They slid slowly over and glanced at the window.  It was still a bit dark out, but the dream was too vivid for him to sleep.  Virgil yawned a very cat-like yawn and sat up, rubbing at his eyes.  He turned around and spotted Tac snoozing on his pillow peacefully.

"You little sneak." Virgil smirked, "You were on my ankles when I fell asleep."  Tac opened one red eye, yawned, and closed his eye again.

The Riddle boy stretched and slid from his bed quietly, as not to wake the others.  He dressed quickly, intending to wait down in the common room for Kendra or Rima to waken.  Which, he reflected, could take a very long time on a Sunday.  With that thought in mind, he scooped Tac up off the pillow, grabbed a book he had been reading the night before, and went down the stairs.

He stopped short at the base of the stairs, seeing one person in particular in the room.

"Kendra, why are you up so early?" he questioned as he strode over, Tac in his arms.

"Peeves is a real jerk, did you know that?" Kendra muttered with a sarcastic smile, "Blew in my ear around four-fifty."  Virgil covered his mouth, but still snickered a bit.

"Well, if you'd like, we could just wander around the grounds." he offered, "It's better than waiting for our late-sleeping friend to wake up."  Kendra smiled and stood up, nodding.

A crow cawed loudly in the still air of the morning.  There was little movement in the early hours of the morning, save the nocturnal beasts and creatures.  The sun was only beginning to rise over the edge of the horizon and the fog hanging low over the ground was turning a dull crimson.

"So are you worried at all about exams?" Kendra asked.

"No." Virgil replied, "I'm only worried at how far Snape will be.  To you, especially."

"You think he'll be unfair?" Kendra blinked in question, "Why's that?"

"He seems the type." Virgil smiled a bit.

The sun was now a half-circle, rising slowly.  It glimmered on the lake as a cool breeze rippled the water.  A leaf fluttered down from a tree and dropped to the water's surface.  The fog was starting to fade faster with the arrival of sunlight, and another breeze, quite cold, rippled the water even more.

"Have you had any other dreams?"

Kendra looked at Virgil in question.  She hadn't expected any questions about dreams.  She hadn't actually expected many questions.

"Not exactly." she replied, "Only fragments of a throbbing red sky."

"Say that again?" he inquired.

"Well, there's not much of a way to describe it…" she murmured, "Maybe this works."  She crouched down, picked up a rock, and tossed it into the lake.  The ripples were large, pulsing outwards in large rings.

"Kind of like that?" Virgil questioned, "What an odd sky."

The two watched as the ripples calmed.  The rising sun glinted brightly on the lake's surface and the wind picked up again.

"You!  Potter!"

The two looked up to see Lex Talionis walking towards them, his face expressionless.  He turned to Kendra, and his crimson eyes glinted.

"That little wolf guardian of yours is looking for you." he murmured, smirking, "I advise you go."

Kendra glanced at Virgil once, but he simply shrugged.  With that, Kendra strode past Talionis.  Talionis turned to watch her walk away, and the two first-year boys stood there.

"Seal hasn't been looking for Kendra, has she?"

Talionis smirked and sniggered.  Virgil frowned at him and slid a hand inside his pocket, fingering his wand.

"Of course not." Talionis turned around with his wand in hand, "_Helbolt!_"

Virgil had no time to draw his wand before the spell hit him.  He was thrown backwards off his feet and slammed into a tree.

"Why in the name of your father would I help a pathetic creature like her?" Talionis waved his free hand, a sneer marring his face, "What do you think I am?  A Mudblood?"

Virgil slowly lifted his head as he drew ragged breath.  He tried to move his hand to draw his wand, but his throat tightened and he froze.

"A curse that stops your breathing." Talionis grinned, "If you fight it, it gets worse."

Virgil grit his teeth, but didn't move.  The grip in his throat lessened a bit and he stared at Talionis.

"Why did you mention my father?" he said in a choked tone, "You don't even know who he is."

"The late Dark Lord?" Talionis questioned, "Who doesn't know who he is?"

"What are you talking about?" Virgil tried desperately to get enough air, "My father—"

"Was Tom Marvolo Riddle." Talionis finished, "Otherwise known as Lord Voldemort."

"You're insane!" Virgil snapped, "Voldemort wasn't my father!"

"Such a poor liar." Talionis shook his head, "_Noxsen!_"  Virgil's head snapped backwards and when he opened his eyes again, he couldn't see.

"Talionis!" Virgil snarled, closing his eyes and rubbing at them, "What are you doing?"

"The first rule of battle." Talionis said, but from where, Virgil couldn't tell, "I'm incapacitating my opponent."

"What are you talking about?" Virgil questioned.

"Like I said, this is a battle.  You refuse to believe your lineage, so I shall **make** you believe it!  _Memorando!_"

Virgil screamed as a burning red light filled his mind, and witnessed his past.  Tom Marvolo Riddle, the infamous Lord Voldemort, standing over his mother, as she gave birth to a child with crimson eyes, just like his, screamed as he saw Voldemort reciting forbidden incantations over the child, the father and son's eyes glowing in the darkness in the room.

He saw the father place one of the rarest and most powerful stones known to the wizarding world, a bloodstone, carved to look like an eye, turned vertically, on the child's forehead, and watched it be absorbed into the skin.  His screams nearly reached the castle.

"This is the past you cannot run away from.  This is your legacy, Virgil Riddle!" Talionis began to laugh maniacally, and raised his wand again, "Now you shall see what a **true** dark wizard can do!  Prepare to have your mind reduced to splinters!"

Kendra was walking through the hallways, dodging around students as they passed her.  Where was Seal?

"Kendra, what exactly are you doing?" Dante had stepped out from a classroom, "What's the matter?"

"That Slytherin boy, Talionis, told me that Seal was looking for me." Kendra replied, "Do you know where she is?"

"Seal is asleep." Dante murmured, "Were you with somebody when Talionis came to you?"

Sweat stood out on Virgil's forehead, and his heart slowed to a stop as he prepared himself for the curse about to hit him.  Talionis was grinning, his face contorted in a rictus of both hatred and ecstasy.  He pointed the wand at Virgil, and, as a terrifying red light began to flow from the tip, it split in half, and the split continued up the wand, to his hand, where the split finally stopped at the junction of his hand and wrist.

This time it was Talionis screaming, as he clutched his hand to his chest, trying to stop the bleeding, and looking around feverishly, trying to see who had robbed him of his victory.  Then, out of the woods surrounding the courtyard, Dante emerged, wagging his finger at Talionis.  The sun was behind gray clouds.

"No, no, no, we don't attack other students, Mr. Talionis.  This is going to cost Slytherin a few points in the house cup, eh?" asked the vampire, "Shall I tell Dumbledore of this, or shall I just make you take the exams with no wand and one hand?  Decisions, decisions.  Get to the hospital wing, boy."

Talionis spat at Dante's feet, turned, and ran back towards the castle.

"He looks even more unhappy than you." Rima murmured as she glanced across the Gryffindor common room, "And all because of something Talionis did?"  Kendra nodded, staring at Virgil, who sat alone at a window.

"And then Dante cut his wand and his wand hand in half." Rima said thoughtfully, "That's a good technique.  Well, go talk to him."

"Rima, I—" Kendra protested.

"Talk to him." Rima ordered, scratching something down on a piece of parchment for something, "I'm sure he'd rather have you cheer him up than to sit around and mope."

"Rima, I'm no good at that." Kendra sighed, her eyes glistening, "Virgil's the one that cheers people up."

"Shut up and go talk to him." Rima said again, her voice taking on a darkened edge, "This is the last time I'll say it."

Kendra looked at Rima questioningly, but Rima didn't turn around to face her.  What the other girl had said made Kendra pause.  She looked back at Virgil and let out a soft sigh.  Kendra stood up, walked over to Virgil, and sat down opposite him.

"I'm sorry." Virgil said before Kendra thought of a word, "I shouldn't even ask your forgiveness."

"What in the world for?" she asked, truly and frankly bemused.

"For being the son of Voldemort." Virgil said in a rushed voice, "For being here.  For causing so much trouble and pain.  For—"  He stopped speaking as Kendra leaned to him and wrapped her arms around him firmly.  She put her forehead against his shoulder and let out a wavering sigh.

"I don't care who your father was." she said in a muffled voice, "I only care about what you do now.  I want you to stop worrying about your past.  Just take it.  Stop worrying and take it.  Please.  I don't want you to be so sad like this.  Please."

Virgil blinked at looked down at Kendra.  His heart hurt.

_When my mother told me the truth, I pushed everything back down._ he thought to himself, _I didn't want to accept being the son of such an evil man.  I thought that if I didn't remind myself of it, I wouldn't turn into a Dark Lord like him.  But, maybe…if I hadn't been so scared…I wouldn't have had to make Kendra and Rima suffer like this._

He carefully moved his arms from his sides and returned the hug to Kendra.  He smiled a bit for the first time in many hours.

"OK, Kendra." he murmured, "I will.  But tomorrow's the start of exams.  We had better get a good night's rest."

Kendra nodded against his shoulder, and Virgil just chuckled a bit at that.

On the other side of the room, Rima had finished whatever she had been writing.  She read over it as the ink dried slowly.  She read one line in particular:

_I fear that something wicked this way comes._

_—to be continued—_


	9. Lightning Glass

Night of the Broken Glass

C9: Lightning Glass

[A/N: Oh boy.  Ooooooooh boy.]

[Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the original stuff.  I own whatever and whoever I create.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

The seasons were changing from spring to summer and the students of Hogwarts were all severely tempted.  It always seemed that the school gave exams in the best weather.

"Have you been sleeping at all this week, Kendra?" Rima questioned as they left Seal's classroom.  They had been made to turn a piece of parchment into a blank journal.  Points added if the journal had some sort of design, but very few points were given if the journal fell apart.  Some people had set the parchment on fire by accident.

"Very little." Kendra replied wearily, "I think I have exam nerves."

"Bah." Virgil waved his hand, "I think you've been having dreams and not telling us."

"No, I'm more worried about my marks." Kendra retorted, "And I haven't had any really odd dreams that would keep me awake."

"Well, Dante's exam is our last, and he's right after Snape." Rima muttered as they headed for the dungeons, "So two more tests, and then you can nap.  How's that sound?"

"Methinks I need my wits about me for these ones." Kendra smirked, "But that sounds quite good."  As they started in the room for the Potions exam, Kendra paused.  The forbidden door at the very end of the hall…was ajar.

"Oy, Kendra, come on." Virgil tugged at her elbow.  Kendra blinked and looked at him, and then looked back.  The door was closed.  She shook her head and walked into the room, thinking that she really needed a good, long nap.

"Let me think…" Virgil muttered, casting his mind around, "Red Caps, kappas, and…  What was the other one?"

"Hyolens." Rima replied, "Nasty swarming bugs that enjoy reeking havoc, remember?"

"I remember absolutely everything for the exam, and then it goes straight out of my head." Virgil sighed, "That's so weird."

Rima smirked a bit and looked towards the lake.  As was custom at Hogwarts, students had nothing else to do for an entire week until the exams were graded.  The trio had changed into more comfortable clothing and was now sitting around a tree by the lake.  Kendra was fast asleep, her head on Virgil's shoulder.

"What is it with her and putting her head on your shoulder?" Rima questioned, "Whenever I see you two, she's always got her head on your shoulder."

"Maybe I'm just comfortable." Virgil snickered a bit.

_Her footsteps seemed to echo loudly in the empty hallway.  The door at the very end was open just a little, but it wasn't supposed to be._

_She walked to the door and pushed it open.  A throbbing red sky and a woman with white hair greeted her._

_The woman nodded her head slightly and turned towards the rest of the room.  It was the courtyard, and the woman had the weapon on her back._

_The white-haired woman turned to look at her with lightning-blue eyes…_

Kendra woke up abruptly, sitting bolt upright.  Rima and Virgil jumped at her sudden awakening, and were even more shocked when Kendra got up and starting running back towards the castle.

"Kendra, wait a minute!" the two called after her as they lay chase, "What's wrong?"  Kendra continued to run as fast as she could towards Gryffindor Tower.  She was running down the corridor that the Fat Lady resided in when Virgil and Rima burst out from behind a tapestry in front of her.  Kendra tried to get around them, but Rima jumped in front of her.

With surprising strength for such a little person, Rima put her hands on Kendra's shoulders and stopped her from running any farther.

"You aren't moving one more step until you tell us what's wrong." Rima growled angrily, "Now tell us!"

"Someone's in the room!" Kendra strained against Rima's hold, but couldn't budge an inch, "Someone opened the door and is in there!  I saw it!"

"You saw it where?" Virgil asked.

"In my dream!" Kendra replied, "I have to get my Invisibility Cloak and get down there!"  Rima suddenly let go of her shoulders and let her run.  She did, and promptly tripped over Rima's outstretched foot.

"Listen, Kendra." Rima crouched down and looked at Kendra seriously, "I believe you, and I'm going to let you go.  However, there's not a chance on a cold day in Hades that I'd let you go without us.  Get your Invisibility Cloak quickly, and we'll go see if anything's amiss down there."

As Kendra rushed off, Virgil asked, "Why are you doing this?"

"I believe some dreams more than I believe the spoken word of other people." Rima replied simply, "She has odd dreams, but they seem to be premonitions.  And up to now, they've been pretty accurate.  I believe her, and I want to see if anything has happened.

"If something has…I think we've got more than just a problem on our hands."

The trio moved quietly down the hall towards the forbidden door.  It _was_ open.  They did the only thing they could think of: they went inside.

A mirror, ten feet tall and resting on golden feet, was the only thing inside the circular room.  It reflected the three as they pulled the cloak off, and it reflected their confused faces.

"What is this?" Virgil questioned in a soft voice, "I thought Dumbledore would have had some sort of trap laid for anyone who tried to get in here."

"I don't know." Rima replied in a whisper, "I don't have any idea of what would be in here."

Kendra walked slowly forwards, the cloak slipping from between her fingers to the ground.  She went to the mirror and looked at the frame.  At the very top, the words "Egat en Shadeaux" were carved.  On the right side of the frame, something had been scratched in with a knife.  It read "HP2".

"H-P squared?" Virgil questioned as he saw the thing, "What's that mean?"

"Two h's and two p's." Kendra murmured, "Harry Potter and Hermione Potter."  There was a very uneasy silence.

"Well, there isn't anything really wrong except the door's open." Virgil broke the quiet, "We should leave and—"

He couldn't finish his sentence because a clawed hand had burst out of the mirror and pulled the Riddle boy into it.  Two more hands grabbed Kendra and Rima and pulled them through the mirror.  The Invisibility Cloak lay forgotten on the ground near the door.

"Ouch." Virgil and Kendra said in unison, "What just happened?"

"Get up!" Rima snapped, "Now!  Both of you!"  Kendra and Virgil slowly got to their feet and saw Rima already up and looking tense.

"Rima, do you know where we are?" Kendra asked as they stood, "What's the matter?"

"Be quiet!" the blue-haired girl hissed in reply, "There's at least twenty of them already."

"Of what?" Virgil questioned.

"Imps." Rima murmured, "Fire imps, the little buggers."  Kendra and Virgil exchanged looks; they saw no such thing.

"Listen, I know that you don't see anything." the blue-haired girl whispered, "But I can hear them.  They're outside this room, clinging on the wall.  They want to destroy anything that comes in here or is near that mirror without permission.  See that door?"  Kendra and Virgil nodded in reply.  "Run to that door as fast as you can.  I'm going to draw them to me."

Before they could do anything, Rima had darted forwards and lifted her hand.  As they watched, Rima's hand swiftly changed into a brick, and then into her hand grasping the brick.  She hurled it to the ground as hard as she could, and a loud banging sound echoed in the chamber.

All at once, creatures with crimson skin, claws, and very pronounced fangs swarmed in from the windows.  They rushed at the source of the sound and straight at Rima.  Rima pointed at the door with a wide, silver eye shining with fear.

Immediately, Kendra lifted her foot to go towards Rima, but Virgil grabbed her round the waist and started dragging her towards the door.  One of the creatures noticed them and broke away, jumping and landing in front of them.  It leered at them and stood up from its natural crouch, slowly opening its mouth.

A black flash collided with the imp and both of them went flying to the wall.  Rima stood holding a long, black, twin-pronged lance in her hands, pinning the imp between the prongs.

"Didn't you hear me?" she shouted with fear in her eye, "I said run!  Get out of here now!"

Virgil nodded quickly and dragged Kendra faster to the door.  He pulled the door open, got both of them through, and slammed it shut before the imps could get out.

"Why did you do that?" Kendra whispered weakly, her hands over her face, "Why did you leave her behind like that?"

"Kendra, she told me to." Virgil said, not able to look at Kendra, "She…she…"

"She's going to die, isn't she?" Kendra asked with a harsh break in her voice.

"Rima's a shapeshifter.  I don't know of many ways for a shapeshifter to die." Virgil finished, "But I don't know why she made us run out here."

"To get out of the danger." Kendra said with another break in her voice, "To keep us safe."

"Then how do we leave?"

The corridor was silent for a long, long while.

Night had fallen in the world the three had come from, and not many had noticed the missing trio.  Of course, one half-breed had been sniffing around in questioning wonder.

But there was very little to look for.

Virgil and Kendra had found their way out of the castle and into its courtyard.  There was little else they could do except see where they were.

The sky was pulsing red, casting blood-red light over the ground.  A large and ornate fountain sat in the very center of the courtyard, covered in ivy and flowing with pure, clear water that didn't reflect the red.  Virgil stared at the sky as Kendra walked to the fountain and watched the water flow.

"I have absolutely no clue where we are." Virgil concluded with a sigh, "What do you think, Kendra?"

Kendra stared at the water, but murmured, "Egat en Shadeaux.  That has to mean something."

Virgil didn't answer.  Kendra looked up from the water, and found that Virgil had vanished.

"Virgil!" Kendra said in shock, taking a few steps forwards, "Virgil, don't play games right now!  Don't scare me like this!  Please."

A hand fell on her shoulder and she let out a relieved sigh as she turned around.  However, when she saw whose hand was on her shoulder, she nearly fainted.

"Why, hello, Kendra." Anton, the Dark Lord Anton, said with a wicked smile.

"Trial ends…right around…here." Seal sniffed the air a bit more and stood in front of the open door.  She blinked and then her jaw dropped.

"Oh bloody…" she muttered before she turned and bolted back up the hallway.

"Now, Kendra, there's no reason to be frightened of me." Anton said genially as he and Kendra walked down a corridor, "You seem to be preoccupied with other thoughts.  What bothers you?"

"What did you do with Virgil?" Kendra questioned, "Where is he?"  As she spoke, she tried to move her arm even an inch, but was frozen except to walk beside the Dark Lord.

"He is simply with your dear friend, Rima." Anton replied, "They are facing a multitude of water and fire demons."

"Rima said they were just fire imps!" Kendra turned her head to look at the Dark Lord, "What did you do?"

"I added a little fun to their lives." Anton smirked, "But honestly, Kendra, why do you fear me?"

"Are you going to kill me?" Kendra questioned, "Where are you taking me?"

"To show you the fruits of your parents' labor." Anton replied, "They used the world of the Shadeaux, this world, to accumulate the powers of the five elementals.  I'm going to show you the one that I know is only a little while away from here.  The Lightning Stone."

He snapped his fingers as they came to a door, and it creaked open.  Inside was a semi-circular room with a window facing the courtyard as the far wall.  A pedestal sat in the very center of the room with an orb on it.  The stone was blue as lightning with actual lightning crackling inside it.

_Kendra._ a voice whispered inside her head.  Kendra nearly jumped as she felt feeling and strength starting to return to her entire body, but kept still.  Anton stared with a hungry gaze.

"That stone holds the power to summon the lightning elemental." he said in a low growl, "But it will not allow itself to be touched by me.  It has a _will_, and I hate creatures with a will against me."

"Then why are you showing me this?" Kendra asked as she let her fingers flex very slowly, "What am I supposed to do about it?"

"Nothing, for the moment." Anton answered, "However, if you join forces with me, we will simply destroy these elementals.  If you do not join me, then you die along with the rest of those who resist me."

"What makes you think that I'll ever work with you?" Kendra didn't dare look at him with contempt in her eyes, "Why do you think that?"

"Because you'll do it, or you'll die." he replied with a sharp glare, "What do you say?"

"I say that you're mental!" Kendra took this one chance in a billion and ran towards the stone, hoping against the darkness that the stone…

_Take it!_

"_DAMETIO!_"

The next thing Kendra felt was fear.  And pain.  The area behind her, around her, turned into an explosion and threw her towards the window.  Her hand hit the stone and knocked it from the pedestal.  The explosion blew the window out into the courtyard and threw Kendra straight into the fountain.

Burns, bruises, cuts, everything seemed to not matter as Kendra sat up from the water.  The Lightning Stone was just before the fountain, and Kendra scrambled to grab it.

"You pathetic child." Anton said as he jumped deftly from the balcony room and raised his wand, "You dare refuse my one and only offer?"

"I won't let you hurt anyone else!" Kendra strained against the pressure the magic placed on her and reached towards the Lightning Stone.  Her fingertips touched it and she strained even more.  Blood flowed from the corner of her mouth as the pressure increased even more, but her fingers twitched again.  The stone rolled at her just enough.

_TAKE IT!!_

As soon as her fingers closed around the hard stone, Kendra felt as though something was wrong.  A second, sneering, dark-hearted presence pushed her mind back further into the recesses of her subconscious.

"_Finally_…"

Anton stared as the young Potter girl stood up, his spell repelled with ease.  She looked at him, all the injuries on her fading quickly, and her eyes the blue color of lightning.

"I've waited so very, very long for a body of my own to possess." Kendra said in a voice that was not hers, "It's wonderful to feel this again!"

"You!" Anton growled, "Who in the bloody hell are you?!"  Kendra—not Kendra—laughed in a darkest tone possible.

"I?" the new creature laughed, "I am the dark knight of lightning!  I am Plasma!"

"You are dead!" Anton shouted, "_AVADA KEDAVRA!_"

But before his crimson eyes, Kendra's body vanished into lightning and shot from the spot she was standing.  The spell of death hit the wall and cracked it, but Kendra hadn't been touched.  Instead, she reappeared a few meters to the side, looking very different.  She was at least two feet taller with white hair and lightning-blue eyes.  A huge blade was held on her back by some odd force and her clothing had changed to robes resembling lightning; white with blue edges.

"Fool." Plasma said in a soft voice, "There isn't a cold day in Pyro's home that you'll hit me with any of those spells."  She raised a hand and the sword flew obediently into her palm.

"Now die."

All at once she had slashed at him and a tiny cut had appeared on his cheek.  Blue blood slid from the wound and he leapt away, drawing a katana from his waist.

"I'll kill you!" he roared angrily, swinging his sword at Plasma.  Her arm received a deep gash, but it mended as she leapt a distance away.  The blade on the sword snapped from the long hilt and turned into a scythe.  Plasma grasped the hilt and swung hard and fast.

Anton dodged the attack, but only just.  His robes split at his chest, but not to show his skin.  He smirked as he closed his eyes.

"You've taken the girl's body, haven't you?" he questioned, "You've possessed her completely."

"And why do you care?" Plasma asked in reply, "You only want the same thing I want of her."

"I want her strength, dear elemental, not her body." Anton opened his eyes, including the third in his forehead, "However, I am not searching for a battle with you.  I want to finish my discussion with Kendra.  Farewell…for now."

With that, he vanished.

_You've beaten Anton.  Get out of my head!_

"How about, no, human?" Plasma strode through the halls, clearly knowing where to go, "I'm not taking orders from a pathetic creature such as you."

_Who are you?  How do you know this place so well?_

"Name's Plasma." Plasma replied, "The dark knight of lightning, and the person who is complete control of your body.  Now shut up so I can find that bloody mirror."

_You know about the mirror?_

"Know about it?" Plasma kept checking the rooms, "I helped create it, this castle, and Shadeaux itself."

_What?_

"This world, everything in it, was created by the five elementals." Plasma began to explain, "We wanted to have a place of solitude where the more powerful magic creatures could live without fear of disgusting low-breeds and Muggles who would hunt and fear them.  However, we decided that the entrances would be very few, and we would decide on who knew of Shadeaux.

"It seems, however, that we had few decent choices.  Certain vampires and their clans, some were-demons, and shapeshifters were allowed, but very few were deemed worthy.  My fellow elementals grew very angry with me because I was often the final word in which creatures were allowed into Shadeaux.  Pyro, especially.  He wanted all creatures other than wizards—even the lowliest of the non-humans—to be allowed into Shadeaux as a safe haven.

"Pathetically disgusting creatures that they were, I had to disagree.  And so we argued for a long time.  My rage was—and still is—too overpowering for just an argument.  I decided that if they wanted more creatures to enter Shadeaux, then I would destroy the unworthy ones.  However, they decreed that if I was going to do such an atrocity, then I would have to be relinquished of my powers.

"And so they all sacrificed their bodies so I, bound eternally to my brethren and everything that befalls them, would also lose mine.  But now that you so foolishly listened to what I told you, I have a new, young body gifted with my immortality, and my plans will now be set forwards again."

_No!  You can't do that with my body!  I won't let you hurt people like that!  Please don't!  Please!_

"Oh shut up." Plasma snarled, "I've waited five millennia for my revenge on my brethren, and I won't let a mere human stop me."

_NO!  I'M NOT GOING TO BEG ANYMORE!  THIS IS MY BODY, AND YOU WILL NOT HARM ANY PERSON USING IT!_

Plasma stopped walking and clutched at her temples.  Everything was pounding in her skull; Kendra was fighting her with every fiber of her mind and soul.  She stumbled sideways and electricity crackled around her hands and head.

"You arrogant human!" Plasma growled, "What do you think you're doing?!"

_I'm taking my body back, and you aren't going to stop me!_

Plasma let out a scream of rage and pain, but her head snapped back, and when it slumped forwards again, one eye was lightning-blue and the other was emerald green.

"You can hear me, right?" Kendra's voice asked from her own mouth.

"You filthy human." Plasma's voice emerged again, "How dare you—AGH!"

"Listen up, Plasma!" Kendra forced her mind forwards more in the body, "I'm going to let you stay in my body because I don't know how to get rid of you, and I need your strength.  My friends are in the room with the mirror, and we're all going to go back home together, whether you like it or not.  Now come on."

An electric charge ran through the air beneath her feet and lifted her from the ground.  Fast as lightning she flew down the hallway, and she hoped that everything was still all right.

"And you're absolutely sure that they went through that mirror?" Dante questioned as he followed Seal down the hallway, "If they did, then…"

"Then we might be in a whole lot of trouble." Seal finished.  They rushed into the room, wands raised, and stopped almost instantly.

"I was wondering if anyone was going to notice us missing." Kendra was sitting against the mirror, her blue and green eyes half-closed, "You kind of missed all the action back in Shadeaux, but it wasn't that great.  If you don't mind, professors, I'm going to sleep now."

With that, her head slumped forwards on her chest, and Kendra was fast asleep.

The windows of the hospital wing were open and a bird was sitting on the ledge, piping its sweet little song.

"Hello, little bird." Kendra said as she sat up in the bed by the window with the bird, "Have you come to wake the school?"  The little bird let out a tweet and Kendra lifted her finger towards it.  With a bit of hesitation, the bird fluttered to rest on her finger with another tweet.

"I see you have." Kendra smiled a bit, her different colored eyes glinting from the sunlight, "And I thank you for the beautiful song you sing me now.  How wonderful that you can do so."  The bird turned its head and tweeted again.

Two low groans came from the two beds beside Kendra.  Virgil and Rima had awoken and were sitting up, looking at her in question.

"Kendra, what happened?" Virgil groaned, "The last thing I remember is seeing…"

"Anton's gone for the while." Kendra said in a calm voice, smiling vaguely, "He won't be back.  Don't worry about him, and rest for a while, OK?"

Virgil and Rima looked at each other in wonderment, but lay back down and watched their friend listen to the little bird.  Outside, the sky was turning dark with thunderclouds.

"A beautiful song before a thunderstorm."

_—to be continued—_


	10. Restore

Night of the Broken Glass

C10: Restore

[A/N: Wow.  One whole year.]

[Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the original stuff, so I'm just borrowing.  However, I do own the stuff I make up.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

It had been raining nonstop ever since Kendra, Rima, and Virgil had returned from Shadeaux.  The sky was black as coal in the enchanted ceiling and rain was threatening to overflow the lake.

"You're not scared of playing the Quidditch final in this gale?" Virgil asked one evening as they sat together and ate.

"Not at all." Kendra replied, "There isn't a reason to be scared of a bit of rain."

A bolt of lightning arced across the sky and thunder rumbled loud enough to drown out every sound in the Great Hall.

"I'd say it's more that a bit of rain." Rima murmured, her eye staring at the ceiling, "You should be careful."  Kendra, however, didn't listen.  She heard what her friend had said, but was listening more intently to the voice in her mind.

Almost abruptly, she stood up and walked away from the Gryffindor table, her hands folded inside the sleeves of her robes in front of her.  Virgil and Rima stared after her.

"You're causing this blasted storm, aren't you?" Kendra murmured as she stared out the window.

_No, it's just a normal storm.  Of course I'm doing it, you idiot._

"So are you trying to scare me into letting you take me over again?"

_Yes._

"Well, it won't work.  I'm not frightened."

Sooner or later, pathetic human, you will be frightened.  You will be frightened indeed.

The next few practices the Gryffindor team had were all more difficult than any others due to many factors.  The weather was continuing to worsen, and the team continued to worry about their Seeker.

Kendra had been quite quiet ever since returning from Shadeaux, but for reasons only she knew.

She remained alone in her free time, staring out at the harsh rain and lightning.  There was a glint of worry in her eyes to those who saw her, and as though she was thinking hard about something.

"Potter, stop."

Kendra paused in the hallway but didn't turn around.  She knew whose voice it was.

"What now, Talionis?" she asked, "I'm not in the mood to talk to you."

"You're even more subdued than usual." Talionis walked towards her, "What's wrong with you?"

_Good God, this kid is annoying.  Let me blast him with electricity!_

"Shut up." Kendra murmured quietly.  Talionis jerked back, a bit stunned.

"What did you say to me?" he shouted.  He did not see Kendra's eyes turn instantly to lightning blue and the devilish grin on her face.

"I said to shut up." she said, "What do you think I said, you disgusting Mudblood?"

"WHAT?!" Talionis screamed at the top of his lungs.

"I know what you are." she said in a slow, taunting voice, "I can smell it from here.  The disgusting smell of human blood mixed with yours is very strong."

"How dare you!" Talionis shouted, drawing his new wand in his uninjured left hand.  Kendra looked over her shoulder with a grin, her eyes closed, waving a little bit.  Then she ran the rest of the hall faster than Talionis could react and vanished around a corner.  Talionis glared after her, his red eyes angry.

Kendra stopped at the marble staircase in the entrance hall and sank down on a step.  She drew deep shaking breaths and clutched at her temples.  Her eyes were blue and green again.  Kendra was in control again.

_You stupid brat!  I could have gotten him to attack!_

"What would that accomplish?" Kendra snarled into her hands, "You blasted elemental!  Don't try to do that again!"

"Kendra, who are you talking to?"  Kendra's head snapped up and she slowly turned around.  Seal stood behind her, looking a bit confused.

"Seal, I…I…" Kendra stuttered, her dual colored eyes widening, "I wasn't…"  Seal hopped down the five steps between them and grabbed Kendra's wrist, tugging her to her feet.  Soon they were up the stairs and walking down another hallway.  Kendra kept her head down, shaking badly.  Never had she seen Seal so serious before.

"Pepper Imp!" Seal suddenly said.  Kendra glanced up to see a very ugly gargoyle statue hop away from its place to reveal a door in the wall.  Seal opened the doorway and beckoned Kendra inside.  They were at the base of a stairway that was moving slowly upwards, and Seal tugged her onto the first step.

Up and up the two went, higher and higher still.  Kendra continued to keep her head down, shaking and frightened.

_Now you're in trouble.  You'd better start praying, kid._

Kendra bit her lip and clenched her hands.  They had arrived at the top of the stairway, where another door stood in front of them.  Seal knocked a bit, and, to Kendra's pure horror, Dumbledore's voice answered, "Come in."  Seal opened the door, pushed Kendra inside, and closed the door again.

Kendra stared at the room.  It was huge, circular, with pictures of sleeping people all around the walls.  Old heads of the school.  A beautiful red, yellow, and orange bird sat on a perch, head slumped just a bit and its eyes closed in slumber.

"Hello, Kendra." Dumbledore murmured, sitting at his desk, "Please, sit down."  Feeling rather numb and having to ignore Plasma's taunting voice in her mind, Kendra walked to the chair opposite Dumbledore on the other side of his desk and sat.

"I have been looking for you." Dumbledore murmured, "But you have managed to elude Seal up until now.  Do you know why I've been seeking you?"

"To talk to me about something, right?" Kendra said in a soft, fearful voice.

"Yes." Dumbledore nodded, "I need to know what happened when you were pulled through that mirror."

"I saw Anton." she replied after a moment's pause, "I found out Rima's a shapeshifter, and she and Virgil nearly died."

"Yes, they told me." he nodded, "But what happened to you?"

Kendra's hands tightened on her knees and she stared at the scars on her hands.  The fingerless gloves from a year ago were gone; she disliked them now and didn't wear them anymore.

"What happened?" he tried again gently.

"There was a stone." Kendra said, her voice shaking now, "The Lightning Stone.  It's in me now."

Dumbledore let out a deep sigh and stood, walking to the window.  He looked out to the storm and turned back around.

"Your mother and father, before they died, came into possession of the mirror." he murmured, "They went through it and discovered the Lightning Stone inside the castle.  They began to research the elementals, to see if they could summon them up against Anton and Voldemort.  Unfortunately, they died before learning what the Lightning Stone really was.  Tell me, Kendra, do you know?"

Kendra had gone completely silent.  A devilish grin spread on her face, and her eyes turned blue again.

"Very simple, old fool." Plasma's voice emerged, "The Lightning Stone was the thing that contained me until this little fool took hold of it!"  Dumbledore's expression did not change.  He simply looked into Plasma's blue eyes.

"I am not in total control of this body yet, as you can see by my diminished height and stature." Plasma waved a hand at Kendra's body nonchalantly, "But when I am, I will find the other Stones of the Elements, and destroy them—"

The body lurched forwards and clutched at its temples.  Its eyes were blue and green; Kendra had taken control again.

"Plasma's possessed me." she said, her voice breaking, "I can't control her at all!"

"Then perhaps, you should both search for a compromise."  Kendra looked up at the elderly headmaster.  His back was to her again and he was looking to the storm.

"I cannot keep the elemental inside you under control." he said in a soft voice, "Thus far, the only reason it has not overtaken you completely is because you won't allow it.  It all depends on whether or not you give up and let it win."

The room was silent, save the sheets of rain and the rolling thunder.  Kendra stared at her knees again, trying to think at all.

"The Quidditch final is tomorrow, isn't it?" Dumbledore suddenly sounded rather cheerful, "What an interesting game that will be.  You may go, Kendra."

Kendra stood up and started for the door.  She paused when Dumbledore said, "Good luck."

"You're all right then?"

Kendra blinked and looked up to Raven.  The team captain was looking unusually awake and alert, seemingly nervous of the match.

"Yes." Kendra nodded in reply, "I'm not worried about a bit of rain and thunder."

_Oh yes you are.  I can feel your heart pounding much faster.  You don't want to lose, do you?_

Kendra didn't reply and watched Raven and Thomas Neil of Ravenclaw shake hands.

_Answer me!_

"Shut up." Kendra murmured as the whistle was blown, and the match began.

All at once, the storm seemed to worsen on an exponential scale.  Umbrellas and awnings in the crowd were whipped away in the wind and the rain poured down as though from a waterfall in the sky.

Kendra crouched low on the broom, keeping the wind moving over her and not blowing her clear off.

"What are you doing?" she questioned as a Bludger flew underneath her.

_I'm trying to blow you off your broom.  What's it seem like?_

"If I die, then so do you!"

_Elementals don't die.  You might die.  I don't really know what'll happen to your mind.  However, I will be in complete control of your body._

"You stupid elemental!" Kendra dodged another player as she searched for the Snitch, "I'll finish this match before you have the chance!"

_Go ahead and try._

The storm grew even worse than before.  Every other sound than the wind was muted in its power, and the rain grew to such a peak, that Kendra couldn't see her feet beneath her.

"Plasma, I'm not trying to control you!" Kendra shouted to hear herself, "I didn't want your power and I don't want it now!  If you want to have a body, possess someone else!"

But it was Plasma who was being silent now.  The storm continued to worsen with the rage in Plasma's side of the two minds.  Kendra had stopped moving, crouching on the broomstick and shielding her eyes from hail that was raining down now.

"Plasma, I'm serious!" Kendra said, "I didn't mean to trap you in my mind!  I'll let you go the first chance you shout at me!  Stop this, or everyone here will be hurt!"

_And you think I care?_

"I don't!  Just stop!"

_No._

Kendra opened her mouth, but closed it again.  Illuminated by a flash of lightning, gold glinted just below her.  The Snitch was right beneath her.  In a second, she made a choice on what to do.

"If you're serious about not being able to die, then I'll fight for my body till the very end after I wake up!" she yelled.  She kicked the broom down with her foot and leapt off.

_You stupid human!_

Kendra fell closer and closer to the Snitch, her arms outstretched.  Her fingers closed around the gold ball…

_DIE!_

In the second her hands grasped the Snitch, lightning struck again.  It hit the Snitch and everything felt like cold fire.  Plasma was laughing loudly, and when the lightning was done, Kendra was blown backwards through the air.

Vaguely, she felt hitting the ground and feeling the rain stop almost instantly.  She saw, blurred, steam floating off her skin and the sun peeking out from behind the clouds.  She gripped the Snitch even harder and smiled a bit.

"Plasma, I'm not dead yet." she said in a scratchy voice.  No reply.  Kendra laughed, coughed a bit, and looked up at the bluing sky.

"That felt weird." she murmured, "I bet you're pretty mad, right?  Anyway, have fun for the few minutes I let you have my body when we wake up."

People were streaming onto the field; the teams and Professor Weasley were rushing towards her.  Someone yelled that Kendra had the Snitch—Gryffindor had won.

"That's great." Kendra whispered.  Then her eyes closed and her head lolled to one side.  She was smiling.

"Stupid bloody kid.  Stupid, stupid kid."

Kendra's eyes opened and she was sitting beneath the red pulsing sky of Shadeaux.

"Am I dreaming?" she wondered, "Or am I here?"

"It's a mindscape." Plasma's voice sighed from beside her.  Kendra whipped around to look at Plasma.  Plasma looked as tired and worn out as Kendra felt.  She wore a black long-sleeved shirt and black jeans—completely different from before.

"What's a mindscape?" Kendra questioned.

"Ever hear of the place in your head?" Plasma muttered, looking up to the red sky, "Well, this is ours.  I'm talking to you now because we're _both_ unconscious.  Stupid kid."  She smacked Kendra in the back of the head swiftly.

"What was that for?" Kendra sat up straight and rubbed her head.

"When I hit you with that lightning, we both were knocked out!" Plasma snapped in reply, "Stupid kid!"

"And whose bloody fault is that?" Kendra shouted angrily, "You're the one who tried to kill me with that lightning!"  The two glared at each other, and then looked away.

"Let's call a temporary truce, all right?" Plasma muttered ruefully, "I'm not in much of a mood to burn my new body to a crisp."

"It's my body." Kendra said in a peeved voice, "But fine.  And this means you don't try to kill me or try to take my body over."  They turned to face each other, and Plasma grinned an impish grin.

"A truce with a possessed soul, I believe, gives me the ability to cast my astral form." she snickered, "So if you're bothering me, I can leave for a while."

She let out a laugh and pushed Kendra to the side towards the fountain.  Kendra, in turn, grabbed Plasma's sleeve and tugged her with her.  Both landed in the water with a splash.  Plasma raised a fist, but Kendra held out a hand.

"Truce, remember?" the Potter girl smiled slightly.  Plasma blinked at her, but put her fist down and shook Kendra's hand.

"Truce."

Kendra's eyes snapped open and she sat up quickly.  She had to remember that this was the waking world now, not her mindscape.  She was also in the hospital wing.

"Why am I here?" she asked aloud immediately, but for no reason.

"Kendra, you were hit by lightning." Virgil's voice said.  Kendra jerked her head up to look around; the Gryffindor team, Rima, and Virgil were standing around the bed and completely soaked.

"Oh, right." Kendra blinked, "I forgot about that."

_In the name of Deus, would you stop?  Don't scare the silly humans._

"Well, I'm all right now." Kendra smiled and laughed, "And we won the Quidditch Cup.  Don't look like I'm dead!"  At that, the Gryffindor team remembered the win and let out a cheer.  Drawn by the loud cheering, Madam Pomfrey came down to the large group of people.  She ordered the team out to 'let Kendra get some rest', but let Virgil and Rima stay.

"Well, I'd have to say that was a pretty odd match." Kendra said sheepishly, "I probably shouldn't have jumped off my broom like that."  Virgil and Rima made no response, looking at her with a wary stare.

"What?" Kendra questioned, "Is my hair standing on end or something?"

"Yes." both of her friends said in unison.  Kendra blinked in shock.  Rima held up her hand, which turned into a form of a mirror.  Kendra blinked again as she saw her reflection and poked at her hair.  It lay flat on her head for just a second, but sprang back up immediately and let out a short blue spark.  It had turned white with blue tips, standing up with static electricity.

"Well isn't _that_ odd?" Kendra laughed.  Rima and Virgil just stared at her for a moment, and then started to laugh too.  It seemed too funny to them to ask why it was changed.

"I guess we'll see you September first then."

The Hogwarts Express was due to leave.  Everything was packed and loaded onto the train and the students were clambering on.

"How about you come over some time during the break?" Virgil questioned, "Both of you."

"Certainly." Rima nodded with a smirk.

"Sure!" Kendra winked and gave him a thumbs-up, "Why not?"  The whistle sounded on the train and the students were almost all on.  Rima and Virgil climbed in and hung out the door a minute.

"I'll send you an owl!" Virgil grinned.  From his head, Tac let out a meow and waved a paw—literally.

"Tac does that sometimes." Virgil laughed at Kendra's dropped jaw, "See you over the summer."  The train started to pull away and Virgil and Rima waved goodbye.

Kendra waved goodbye as well, her dual-colored eyes glinting in the summer light.  As the train rounded the bend and vanished, Kendra turned around and headed back up towards the castle.

"Well, this is the most interesting place I've ever been in my life." she murmured softly.

_Believe me, kid, it'll only get more interesting._  Kendra smirked a bit and looked up to the blue sky.

It would get very interesting indeed.

_—End Year One: To Be Continued Next Year—_


	11. Faces of a Mirror

Night of the Broken Glass

Side Story: Faces of A Mirror

[A/N: Plasma's take on how she got stuck with Kendra, and what happened before it all happened.  Enjoy.]

[Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the original stuff.  I own whatever I write/create.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

Where did it all go wrong?

Maybe that's just a little harsh.  Having the little kid as a way to get around isn't that bad.  She's interesting to talk to, and hearing her laugh is pretty nice.  I shock people that bother her to get her snickering the rest of the day.

No, I don't hate her.  She just bugs me sometimes because she won't let me destroy that Talionis boy.  Or give Snape a good shock when he needs one.  She keeps saying something about being fair to everyone, or something like that.

In any case, I suppose what I meant was what happened before I met Kendra.

Introductions are most likely in order.  I am Plasma, supreme elemental of lightning.  All other elementals, such as a lightning-mirror, are beneath me and obey anything I say.  When I wasn't imprisoned in the Lightning Orb.

The very beginning of the story is billions of years ago.  When sentient life began to emerge on this planet, magic was truly 'born' as humans would put it.  The small magical beasts were the first things to appear with normal creatures, such as bats and insects.

Magical beasts evolved much more rapidly than normal creatures.  Man evolved from monkeys over a time of millions of years, whereas dragons evolved from their tiny single-cell forms to their large, fire-breathing species in the short time of around two thousand years.

However, with this development, it seemed as though the pending human race would be wiped off the face of the Earth without a trace.

I was watching when the first dragons ripped the evolving simians to shreds.

Have I mentioned that the five supreme elementals are entirely immortal?  Rather simple to deduce, isn't it?

That's beyond the point, however.  As I said, I was watching at the futile attempts the half-man, half-ape race tried to stop the dragons and vampires and such.

However, there was always a small group of simians that managed to get away faster and kept on living.  They were the first wizards and witches.  They were not among the ranks of Merlin and Ptolemy, but had the beginnings of magic flowing in their blood.

At this time where humans were prey and fairies flew without care, we elementals were in physical form.  There were five of us, and we represented the things future humans would appear to look like.  None of us were eldest, though some of us were more mature or just preferred to not play as much.

My brethren consisted of Pyro, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus.  Deus and Deia, our masters and creators, gave us our names, telling us that the humans that would come to be would use these words to describe what came from our powers.

The person in my brethren that was closest and furthest from me was Pyro, the supreme elemental of fire.  He and I were considering strongest and oldest to our brothers and sisters, because we rarely engaged in play or things like that.  Humans could never match his elegance and beauty, and I was just the same.

We crafted the same weapons as the times grew more violent, and we still use the same one to this day.  His flame-red hair was long, just as mine was, and even our style of dress was alike.  His red-bodied and yellow-edged robes were a match to my white and blue.

However, we were at opposite ends of a long stretch that was our beliefs.

Pyro was adamant in his arguments that the evolving apes should be defended, and that the magical beasts had to be stopped in their human-feasting ways.

I was against my brother, saying that if the humans were to survive, they should be able to without our strength.

However, it was a majority against me—four to one—that decided that humans were to be protected.  And since Deus and Deia had given us the sense to follow what the majority said, I followed what my brethren had voted on.

Over the millennia, I grew more and more irritated with humans and their superiority complex.  It seemed they fancied themselves the supreme beings on the earth; stronger than the wicked basilisk, and trying to defy even the gods.

No creature is better or equal to the gods.  Deus and Deia are the supreme beings in the world, creating both darkness and light to make a balance in the world.  We elementals were created as a lower level of ruling, to keep the balance intact, and to make sure that magic and mortal never destroyed the other.

Time passed, and the humans began to populate the planet.  It was around this time that my brethren and I noticed that the more unfortunate of creatures could not help but be hunted and destroyed.  Vampires, werewolves, and shapeshifters were being slaughtered by mortal and magic alike.  And rumors began to travel across the planet, telling of five magic beings that controlled the elements and would grant a wish if captured.

The first part of the rumors was true, but I would kill any creature that dared to try and 'capture' me.

In any case, even I was worried about the clans of creatures that were being hunted, and now even we elementals were being searched for.

It was my brother Ventus that suggested the best solution to the problem.  He had the idea of creating a world that could be reached, but only through special portals that only magic could pass through.

Ventus created the idea of Shadeaux.  It was an intricate plan, but would require much work.  All five of us set to work, carefully combining our powers to create the land, water, air, fire, and lightning the world needed to be almost the same as Earth.  We had finished our world for the dying species.

The only thing left was to create a portal to Shadeaux.  It was the innocent little Aqua that suggested mirrors to be the entrance.

Shadeaux was finished.

We went to every clan of vampire, werewolf, and shapeshifter to tell them of this place were they could live in peace.  However, we had already agreed on a few things.

There would be no more than five mirrors in the world—one for each elemental to 'claim as their own'.  No one had a specific portal, nor did we act as tollbooth-watchmen.  The acceptance of a clan into Shadeaux was another thing we had to agree upon.

Every shapeshifter clan was almost unanimously voted in.  They were all of noble actions and ways.  They would even help keep peace in their new home.

As we came to the vampires and werewolves, we began to argue and disagree more.  There were certain clans that I found unacceptable—they would only cause trouble and damage this world we were offering them.

Most often my brothers Ventus and Pyro would disagree with my sisters Aqua and Terra.  I was put in the middle, but I never cared.  I often agreed with the two that said not to allow the clans.  I had helped create this world, and I did not want unworthy creatures destroying the balance in it.

Pyro was always on the side that wanted the creatures allowed.  As he put it, I was like a little selfish child that had built something and didn't want anyone else touching it.  And I always replied that he could go to his hot home.

With these continuing arguments, Pyro and I grew further and further apart.  He began saying that all magical beasts and creatures should be allowed to live in Shadeaux.  He even wanted certain wizard officials to be allowed to see Shadeaux.

And this—as Kendra puts it—is where I went mental.

I hated the fact that my brother wanted such creatures to be allowed.  It was not because I hated everything or thought I was superior.  It was because I believed that allowing all these creatures that had been at war with each other before to live in another place would only cause more pain and suffering for others.  I had seen enough of this warring, and I decided to make it end.

To many, including my brothers and sisters, it seemed as though I had gone completely mad.  I was going to go through the world, destroying the creatures that I found unworthy to live in a world of peace.

Now I look back on it, as I tell Kendra this story, I agree with my brethren.  I…

With this plan I had, my brothers and sisters had no other choice.

Deus and Deia had said to us as they sent us out to protect balance and harmony these words:

All perils that befall your family shall happen to you.  You may disagree, or quarrel, but when one is hurt, all of you are hurt.  And when one sacrifices, all of you sacrifice.

My brethren knew that the only way to possibly stop me was to imprison my powers to a place that I could not escape from.

My brothers and sisters gathered with each other and agreed on the only way.  The final step in stopping me was to sacrifice their bodies and put all of their being into stones that couldn't be broken from within.

It worked.  We were all trapped inside the elemental stones, unable to get out, and no one knew what had happened.

I think I went mad a few times in the five thousands years that followed.  I was insane with rage, screaming to nothingness to be let out.  But nothing would happen.  Silence began to overcome me in the last few centuries, but every so often, I would cast a weak astral search to find a wizard or witch with suitable power to see the dreams I would cast.

Kendra Potter was the one that finally heard my screaming.

I tricked her with dreams of the Dark Lord Anton and convinced her to go looking in the forbidden room the headmaster of Hogwarts had stored one of the mirrors to Shadeaux.  The traps the old man lay were only enough to hinder Kendra's shapeshifter friend.  Anton himself led Kendra to me, and I suppose that one of these days, Kendra and I will have to deal with this man who defies my masters.

When Kendra took hold of the Lightning Orb, the stone was absorbed into her body, and my soul and power was released into her.  The fast possession was too much for the young human to handle, and I overpowered her soul.

Anton tried to kill us, but I moved us.  My new body was quick and spry, just as my body had been all those thousand of years ago.  I had not my beauty or stature, but I had a body, and that was what mattered to me.

The Dark Lord fled, not wanting to battle, but negotiate with Kendra.  As the coward vanished, I started towards the place the mirror was.

Kendra was annoying to me when I first met her.  She asked me who and what I was, and told me to leave her body.  If I could have a body of my own, I would have.  Unfortunately, if I were to leave, I would be stuck in that damnable stone again.

Until my brothers and sisters acquired their own body-mates, I would be caught inside the orb.  However, if they all became body-mates with other humans, we could recreate our bodies and become the supreme elementals again.

But Kendra wouldn't take no for an answer.  She fought as valiantly as she could, and managed to gain control of our body.  She had to give me partial control because she couldn't force me into total submission.

As we returned to the room the mirror was in, she was frightened for her friends.  The boy was unconscious from the attacks of the water and fire imps, and the girl was having extreme trouble fending all of them off, even if she was a shapeshifter.

I'm not sure what happened, but it seemed to me that Kendra tapped into my power out of fear and hope.  Lightning destroyed all of the imps, and Kendra pulled her two friends back through the mirror.

Both of her friends were unconscious when we appeared from the mirror.  Kendra just lay back against the frame of the mirror, greeted her teachers when they found her, and fell asleep.

This little human was strong in soul.  She kept me from completely controlling our body, but I managed to slip past her once in a while.  As the time passed, there came word and thought of the finals of the Hogwarts Quidditch tournament.  I was in a fit of rage, eager to destroy Kendra's presence inside our body.  I gathered my energies to create a maelstrom of unheard of proportions.  The rain turned the field beneath the broomsticks to a sea of mud, and the wind was equal to a hurricane.

Kendra screamed to me to stop, to just agree to a compromise.  But my rage was still in full bloom.  I wanted her soul destroyed so I could…

As Kendra leapt from her broom to capture the Snitch, I caused lightning to strike the golden ball.  Because we had to share one body, when our body passed out, we would both fall into that darkness.

Our mindscape was the only place I could talk to Kendra when we were unconscious.  We came to a truce, and there was a turning point in my emotions.

When I tried to shove the human into the fountain in our mindscape, she pulled me in with her.  I was about to strike her for being a brat, but she only smiled and held out a hand to seal the truce.  I took her hand and shook.

At some point in time, I began pondering.  I agreed with my brothers and sisters when I thought about it.  I was angry with myself about trying to do something that an insane villain would do.  I was angry with myself about being so childish.

I want my brothers and sisters back.  I want to see my masters again.

I just want them back.

_—to be continued—_


End file.

Harry Potter, Adventure, Drama