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Fighting Fate | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe, Post-Hogwarts Characters:None Genres: Comedy Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: PG Reviews: 59 Summary: Sequel to Fighting Harry. Fourteen years have passed since Harry Potter defeated Voldemort, and his life is perfect in almost every way. He went on to marry the witch of his dream, become the youngest-ever Head of International Auror affairs, and even have a son who loves flying as much as he does. There's just one problem. And her name is Meridy. Hitcount: Story Total: 42400; Chapter Total: 3088 Author's Notes: Almost finished! This has taken me a really long time...sorry :/ Hope you like this chapter! It is very angsty and drama-filled. |
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As she climbed up the spiral staircase, Meridy had started to work up a good angry feeling again. How dare these students terrorize muggleborns? Bullying them just because they were different, when studies had shown time and time again that muggleborns were just as likely to have large amounts of magic as purebloods. It was obscene. Then the torches began to dim on the tower walls, and fear began to pump in her blood again. She hated the dark. Well, there was a way to deal with that. “Lumos,” she whispered, and the end of her wand lit up just in time to stop her from tripping over a stair. Even with her wand lit up, it was dark as she neared the top of the stair. The torches grew dimmer and dimmer and finally went out entirely as she found herself facing a large oaken door. Should she knock? Or just go in? Meridy took a deep breath. Knocking meant that she was asking permission, and she wasn’t. Not from them. Gathering her courage, she pushed the door open. It was dark inside. For a moment Meridy fought fear, but then she held up her wand, and the light from it shown on the shoes of people around her. She counted them. One, two…six, seven, eight, nine…there were more than three people here. The door clanged shut behind her. “Who goes there?” someone intoned, to her left. “M–Sara,” she said, and her voice quavered after the almost-slip. “Sara Lawson.” “Why do you come here, Sara Lawson?” the voice asked harshly. Meridy held her head up, arrogantly. “Because I think what you’re doing to muggleborns in wrong, and I wanted to tell you so in person.” There was silence, disbelieving silence. And then a spluttered “What?” “You’ve got gall, little first year. I’ll give you that,” a deep voice said. “But we disagree. And you’re about to learn why.” And she heard people shifting, wands being drawn. It was a menacing sound. “Maybe we should talk about this first,” Meridy said. “You can say your side of it, and I’ll say mine.” The curse screeched by her head, scorching her. Meridy’s hand flew to her face, and she felt blood. People moved towards her; she cried “Expelliarmus!” but too late: somebody was already disarming her. Hands grabbed at her. She fought, kicked out, but someone dragged her down. “Petrificus Totalus!” a voice said, but it missed her, and she kept struggling. “Oops, that’s no good. You got Yaxley,” someone said. “Shh!” the deep voice hissed. “No names! Do you want to get us expelled? Now we’ll have to Obliviate her!” Then a Binding Spell hit its mark, and she felt herself freeze, held immobile by magic. “That’s better,” the deep voice said. “That was too easy, you know? That’s why your kind shouldn’t be let in to Hogwarts. You’re weak. Easily disposed of.” Meridy wanted to say that the only reason they had disarmed her so easily was because of the dark, and how outnumbered she was. But her tongue was frozen along with her body, and all she managed was a garbled “Mmph.” Someone kicked her in the side, hard. “Blindfold her,” someone said, and Meridy felt a piece of cloth being tied none-too-gently around her eyes. “There, now bring the lights up.” Meridy saw light at the bottom of her blindfold. “Now bind her hands, and unfreeze her,” the voice instructed. A moment later, someone grabbed her hands and tied them roughly behind her back. Not long after that, the Binding spell was lifted. “That’s better, isn’t it, Mudblood?” some said mockingly. “Don’t call me that,” Meridy said angrily, and tried to stand up. It took her a few tries to manage it. Someone kicked her legs out from under her, making her fall to the stone floor again, hair. “That’s what you are, Mudblood. Dirty blood. Imposter. You don’t really belong here, you know. Why don’t you just leave?” “Oh, she’s going to leave,” someone else said, this one a girl voice. “You’re going to leave first thing in the morning, aren’t you, Sara?” “I’m not,” Meridy said, through gritted teeth. A curse hit her, sharp in the side, and she doubled over. “Ow!” “There’s more where that came from,” a boy’s voice said. You might as well just give in, before we really hurt you. Who knows, we might even kill you. We haven’t killed a Mudblood yet this year.” Chills went down Meridy’s spine. He sounded like he meant it. But she couldn’t give in, because she wasn’t Sara Lawson. “Don’t you lot have something better to do?” she spat. “Drowning yourselves in the lake, maybe?” The blow came at her from behind, and made her topple forward. Unable to catch herself with her hands, she pitched forward until her head hit the stone with a sickening ‘thud.’ The flask of potion flew out of her robes and the sound of breaking glass filled the tower as the stench of the potion filled the air. Robes rustled, and someone bent over as she struggled to sit up. “Polyjuice Potion,” the girl’s voice said, appalled. “This isn’t Sara Lawson.” The deep voice bent down beside her. “Who are you, really?” he demanded, his voice rough as he pulled her to her feet. “Tell me the truth, now, or I swear Salazar I’ll Crucio you.” “My name,” Meridy said faintly, “is Meredith.” And then she fainted. * * * * * “They all fled when I came,” Remus was saying to McGonagall as Professor Hawkins approached. “Tonks and Kingsley are questioning all the upper-year Slytherins now, trying to find out which were late coming to their beds.” “Good,” McGonagall said curtly. “I’ve owled Mad-Eye. I don’t see how it can be avoided, since Travers is legally of age and his accomplices might very well be as well.” Remus nodded, his face strained. “Tonks is going to the other Houses next. She says we can’t afford to overlook any possible suspects, but we don’t have much to go on until Mer-Melissa wakes up.” “I’ve just come from Pomfrey,” Giles said, announcing his presence. “She hasn’t been able to stabilize Melissa. There’s internal bleeding inside her skull, and she’s had to induce a coma until the swelling goes down. Snape’s in there now, trying to assist with his potions.” Well, if he had wanted to cause a sensation, he had gotten it. Remus Lupin turned dead white, and even McGonagall blanched. “If that girl dies…” she murmured, through numb lips. Remus’ eyes were shadowed. “She won’t. Mer–she’s tough. She’ll pull through. She has to.” “Who’s going to tell Harry?” McGonagall asked. It did not at all occur to her that the question was nearly a century younger than she was. It was a valid concern. “We could send him an owl,” Flitwick suggested. “Can you tell something like this through an owl?” McGonagall asked. “Who’s Harry?” Giles Hawkins asked. The other three professors looked at him, startled. It could not be plainer that they had forgotten he was present. “Her father,” McGonagall answered, at last. “According to school papers, Melissa Black’s father is dead,” Giles said, with a bit of a frown. At that moment, the Hospital Wing doors banged open and Snape walked out. In the brief instant that the door was open, Madame Pomfrey was seen worriedly smoothing down the dark hair of a small, motionless figure on a hospital bed. Flitwick hurried in, to see if she could be aided in any way. “Can they be reached within an hour?” Snape demanded, brusquely. “Because if she gets through the next two hours, we’ll be home free.” Remus whirled around, clearly heading to the owlery. “Wait,” Snape said. “If they can’t be reached within the hour…maybe we should wait. What her father doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Would you want to be in Ms. Black’s position when he finds out she was involved in this outrage? He’s as unreasonable as Trelawney when he’s upset. And if she doesn’t recover…chances are that he wouldn’t have gotten here in time anyway.” “He deserves to know,” Remus said, fiercely. “If it was Madeline, I would want to know.” “This isn’t your daughter, Lupin,” Snape said icily. “We’re speaking of–” he broke off, and glanced at Giles. “Melissa.” “Exactly,” Remus returned. “My goddaughter. Her mother will curse me into next century if she’s not told, and Harry…” “Goddaughter?” Giles inquired. “I didn’t know that.” “This is out of our hands,” McGonagall said curtly, ignoring him. “A student has been injured, and she is in still in considerable danger. Regardless of whose daughter she is, we have a duty to inform her parents. Professor Lupin, go to the owlery.” He nodded, and took off at a run. Snape looked exceedingly irritated. “I don’t see what all the fuss is about,” Giles said, slowly. “This is a terrible tragedy, but formalities must be upheld. What’s so different about this girl, that the matter is being debated?” Snape threw him a look of intense dislike. “For the love of magic, man, that’s the oldest child of Harry Potter,” he snapped. “If you want to deal with Potter when he’s in a temper, be my guest. His daughter, who is, incidentally, fighting for her life, certainly doesn’t deserve to have to, seeing as the first thing he’s going to do is tell her exactly how stupid she was. She doesn’t need that, right now.” And he swept back into the Hospital Wing, to sit vigil by the small figure, only his face betraying exactly how worried he was. Giles was thunderstruck. “What?” he whispered. McGonagall sighed. “I hadn’t wanted to say anything, but since Severus mentioned it,” she said. “Melissa Black is, in fact, Meredith Potter. You may well have noticed that she does not seem well adjusted to being in the spotlight. You told me that she hates being used as an example in class.” He nodded, dumbfounded. “Now imagine being Harry Potter’s daughter,” she continued. “Can you see it, all of the reporters and cameras everywhere? She was shy, though she hid it well, and so the wizarding world decided she was surly and uncharismatic. Naturally, she rebelled against taking an active part in such society, which led to her present name-change and estrangement from her father.” “That’s Harry Potter’s daughter,” he forced out, numbly. “I’ve had the oldest child of Harry Potter in my class.” McGonagall smiled, but it was empty. “Yes.” Lupin came hurrying back up. “Done.” “You didn’t send an owl, did you?” she asked, with a bit of a sigh in her voice. Remus gave her a look. Of course he would have quicker ways to communicate with his best friend’s son than by owl. “Well, in that case, you’d better go and meet him and Ginny in Hogsmeade,” she said. “They’ll need to be Disillusioned, at any rate. I won’t have them disturbing the student body.” “Or Meridy’s cover,” he added, and took off again. She shook her head. Marauders. More trouble than they were worth, half the time. “I trust you’ll keep your silence,” she told Giles, severely. “Unless the worst should happen. We here at Hogwarts learned long ago to stay out of Harry Potter’s relationships, for he doesn’t take kindly to having them meddled in, and as he arranged this one, with Meredith’s help, none of the staff will interfere with it. Am I clear?” Giles nodded. * * * * * Approximately twenty-three minutes later, Giles Hawkins became acquainted with the knowledge of exactly why Snape and McGonagall had hesitated to owl Harry Potter. The knowledge came about the moment that Remus Lupin came dashing up the staircases, as if there was something very dangerous chasing him. There was something very dangerous about, only it was in front of him, and he was trying to keep up with it. A split second later, the Disillusionment Charm was lifted, and Harry Potter appeared. Giles was astounded. He hadn’t even felt the magic in the air, much less a person’s presence! He had wondered for years about the wizarding world’s greatest living hero. Harry Potter was a legend. There were children named after him. Hospitals dedicated to him. Books written about him. Harry Potter turned out to be just a man, after all. But such a man! His power was rollicking off of him in waves, and every step he took was filled with purpose and intention. Giles unconsciously stepped back. Harry Potter stalked up to Snape, his famous unruly hair standing on end and his famous emerald eyes snapping. “Move,” he commanded, and Giles realized that Snape was standing in front of the door. It was a mark of respect for Snape that the younger man bothered to ask at all. “No one’s allowed in,” Snape told him, curtly. “For the next hour. Poppy’s trying a bit of complicated charm work with Flitwick and it would be disastrous if they got distracted.” Harry glared at him. “If you’re making that up–” he began. “And why would I do that?” Severus asked, and Giles wondered how he dared. “Meredith is seriously ill. I’ve made at least one serious mistake in my lifetime, and I’m not about to make another by standing between you and your daughter now.” Convinced of this logic, Harry started pacing. “Why the hell am I only now being told that a group of riotous older students nearly killed her?” he spat. “How is she? What exactly happened? When this is over with, we’re going to be talking about a lot of things. Such as how it happened that my daughter was with those goons for nearly ten minutes before anyone arrived to help–or why they were running amok anyway.” McGonagall winced, visibly. Giles didn’t blame her. The anger that the famed wizard was exuding was overpowering, and his every motion seemed to crackle with electricity. He suddenly understood where Melissa–Meredith?–had gotten her strong magical aura. “Calm yourself,” Severus snapped back. “Blowing yourself into a temper isn’t going to help Meridy. Where’s Ginevra?” The question effectively distracted him. “Getting Hermione, and taking Michael, Lee, and Genevieve to Molly,” he said. “She should be here any minute.” “Good,” Snape said. “Meredith will want her mother, when she wakes up.” Harry relaxed, just an iota. “Yes,” he said. “Yes, I’m sure she will. And Merlin help the soul who gets in Ginny’s way coming here.” Snape’s mouth twisted. He seemed to be in agreement. Two minutes later, Ginny showed up, her eyes red from weeping. “I had to hex Filch, coming up. He tried to convince me to wait by your office, Professor.” McGonagall put a comforting arm around the red-haired mother. “I’m sure it will be all right, Mrs. Potter,” she said. “Meridy’s strong.” Minutes went by–much more than the hour that Severus had originally allocated. He left his post by the door only once, to get Ginny a Calming Draught, though his eyes flickered up to Harry, who was pacing like an angry lion in a cage, when he handed it to her. Ginny understood. “Here. I’ll take half, and you take half,” she said shakily to her husband. “Love, you’re wearing a hole in the floor.” “I’m fine,” Harry said stubbornly. Snape swished his cloak. “I am going to join Tonks in questioning my House,” he said at last. “Call me back immediately if there is news.” And he swept off down the corridor. Harry looked after him a long moment, clearly wanting to join him, but he looked back towards the hospital door and his mouth tightened. He sat down on a bench. Wordlessly, Ginny passed him the Calming Draught. He downed it. Another hour passed–possibly the longest of Harry’s life. Then Flitwick came out of the Hospital Wing, and he shot to his feet. “Madame Pomfrey has stopped the bleeding, and the swelling is receding,” the Charms professor said without preamble. “It might be a few days before she wakes up, but she should wake up, once all the swelling goes down.” Ginny let out a cry of thankfulness; Harry sank back down onto the bench, relief washing over him like a healing summer’s rain. |
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