When Lightning Struck

Chapter 2 - On to Hogwarts

Part 5 - To King's Cross Station

When Meega woke the next morning it was early- again- though she was perpetually not a particularly early riser, but rarely slept past nine. She brushed out her hair, tying it up in a ponytail, and slipped into her school robes and a black dust cloak - a few Muggles dressed that way, anyway. She hadn't been able to, really, or she probably would have. She left her hat in her trunk, though. She really didn't see why they had to wear Muggle clothes, anyway, as they wouldn't know what it meant.

Meega went to wake up Mione but almost ran into her on the way to her room. She was carrying a bucket of feathers that she'd gotten somewhere and a fan. Meega eyed it suspiciously then started giggling. "It's a good thing I woke up first!"

The girls went down to breakfast and weren't particularly surprised to see most of the Weasley family there. It seemed they had decided to have Harry join them at the Leaky Cauldron since they couldn't have him stay over at the Burrow that summer. Meega and Mione took a table near them for breakfast.

About half way through the meal Oliver showed up again. The girls noticed him at the same time, and a single glance at Mione's face forced Meega to bite her lip to keep from letting out the laughter that was shaking her. The look on her face was absolutely priceless. Too bad she didn't have a camera.

Hermione, who had just finished her breakfast, got up after a short exchange and joined them. She gave Mione an odd look and Meega started laughing out loud. After a moment she'd managed to stop and smoothed an innocent, unruffled expression over her features, her topaz eyes twinkling behind her glasses with more than firelight. Hermione gave her a withering look, then spied the book tucked away near her.

"Star Wars?"

Meega smiled mischievously. "Both of us are Muggleborn and my dad was really big on Star Wars, Star Trek, and just about anything Science Fiction or Fantasy. It rubbed off on my siblings and me. I've been trying to find this book for ages."

"Really? I watched Star Wars before I got my letter, but it lost what little hold it had over me soon after."

Meega nodded empathetically. "I used to read a series about a boy who found out he was a wizard on his eleventh birthday and that rescued him from the people who had raised him." She pointedly ignored Mione's incredulous look. "It lost its allure recently." Well, that wasn't exactly a lie. Who needed to read Harry Potter when they were going to Hogwarts? Though it would be fun to have the books with her...

Hermione nodded. "How are you two getting to King's Cross?"

Meega held out a hand to silence Mione and said, "I was just going to get us a taxi, I suppose."

Hermione snorted. "Easier said then done. Oliver's taking the six of us, but we can fit two more if you want to come with us."

Meega heaved a sigh of relief. "That would be great. If you can handle a small menagerie, that is."

Hermione looked confused. "There's only the two of you."

Meega smiled in a very feline fashion. "I've found what seems to be a loophole, so I've got a cat, a puppy, and a raven, and Mione has decided to break the rules from the start. She's bringing an owl and a cat."

Hermione looked disapproving. "I don't see how you can just disregard the rules like that!"

"I'm not," Meega pointed out. "I'm just bending them to fit my purposes. Mione's the one who shatters them."

Mione glared at her best friend. "See if I ever speak to you again."

"Oh, come off it," Meega said with a grin. She turned to Hermione. "I give her half an hour before she thinks of something she has to tell me." Mione looked faintly insulted, but, sure enough, she had taken up conversation with Meega again before the half hour was up.

Meega somehow ended up in the front seat with the other three girls in the middle and the four boys smashed in the back. Sirius was curled up on the floorboard at her feet, Bageria had draped herself over Meega's shoulders, and Nevermore was preening himself on the perch in his cage, which was between the front two seats. Oliver was a good driver and managed to keep a light conversation going despite the fact that Meega's defensively shy personality was coming back into play. He asked her politely about her animals, told her about Quidditch from a view she'd never been exposed to before, and chatted about the Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers he'd had. The "jinx" apparently had come into play seven years ago, when Quirrell had gone off to get first hand experience. When asked he told her that his favorite had been Professor Lupin, which didn't surprise her at all. Before long they had arrived at the station.

Part 6 - Why Nine and Three Quarters?

The group quickly made their way to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. It was interesting, coming out of the Muggle station with its new trains into a Wizarding platform with an old steam engine. This would be Meega's first time on a train- unless you counted the one at the zoo. That wasn't the same thing at all. She'd also been on elephant and camel rides at the zoo when she was very young... San Antonio until she was two, then they moved and would go to the Henry-Doorley. They moved again when she was six and they rarely went to the zoo, and when they did it was the Kansas City Zoo, but hadn't made it to the Saint Louis yet. She'd have to go to some around here over the summer. Why in the world was she thinking about zoos?

"Well, I suppose we'll find ourselves a compartment," Meega said a little wistfully. Hermione was really nice despite her stiff nature.

Hermione whispered something to Harry, who gave the girls a level gaze and nodded. "Why don't you sit with us?" Hermione asked.

Meega hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Thank you," she said warily, her theoretical shell coming up again. The eight students tucked away their trunks and piled into a compartment along with the three owls, three cats, the puppy, and the raven just before the train left.

Nevermore was easily as annoyed by Pigwidgeon as Hedwig was, but somehow less dignified. Obviously less dignified, really, as he was snapping at him through the bars of the cage. Meega giggled, then produced a square of black cloth from somewhere and covered the tiny owl's cage. "Somehow, I don't think Nevermore would appreciate having to listen to the little guy all the way to Hogwarts." She poked her fingers between the bars to stroke his soft head as he settled, his eyes closing to slits. "Sweet, isn't he?" She pretended not to notice Ron looking at her as though she was crazy.

Bageria leapt onto Meega's shoulder and meowed. The girl laughed at the young cat's antics and nuzzled her pet. "You're sweet, too." She set down the cat in her seat. "Now, where's Sirius?" She looked around, then spotted the little ball of black fur under a seat. "Ah-ha!" She dove under the chair and emerged a moment later with her puppy. She returned to her seat, shifting Bageria to sit down with the sleepy puppy. "Mione, do you have Siamie and what's-his-name - Sir Uric van Licktenstine?"

"Yes, Mia," her friend answered slightly sarcastically. As always Meega ignored her friend's sarcasm.

Sirius stretched and yawned on her lap, then turned over and snuggled into her before going back to sleep. Meega giggled and stroked the puppy's long shaggy black fur. "You'd think that he'd know we were going somewhere and wake up," she said fondly. "Cute, though."

Hermione, Ron, and Harry had to go to their Prefect meeting, and Fred and George started setting up a trap for them when they came back. The lunch trolly came while they were gone, and when they returned a sudden shower drenched them, but they dried off as quickly. In the same moment Oliver had entered the compartment with a pretty girl of about seventeen with long blond hair and blue eyes.

"Now that I've found her, I think I'll tell you all that I'm teaching seventh year Defense Against the Dark Arts and kind of overseeing the rest of the years."

"Who's going to teach the rest of us?" Ron asked.

"Me," the girl said with a small smile. "I can't really teach the seventh years since I am one and some less...um...mature... students would have problems learning from someone in their own form. Oh, and my name's..." She paused as though unsure of her name.

"Go ahead and tell them," said Oliver grinning widely as if teasing her about something. She glared at him with her blue eyes creeping more toward a stormy gray shade, though still definitely blue. When his grin only grew wider she gave a sigh of defeat and quickly spat out a string of seemingly nonsensical syllables that sounded as if they were in a foreign tongue.

"Huh?" asked Ron intelligently. An embarrassed blush was turning her cheeks a pretty shade of rose, but she repeated her self more slowly.

"Xochiquetzal Ixchel Nymph Morrigan Eros. A bit of a mouthful, isn't it?" she said apologetically. With a shake of her head she continued, "You can call me Nymph, or I guess Morrigan so long as you don't get it mixed up with the name Morgan. Though I suppose during class I should have you call me Ms. Eros." The last was said with a look of disgust. "Maybe not. So what are your names?"

Meega nodded politely when it was her turn. "My name is Meega Kyl-Derc, this," she indicated the sleeping puppy in her lap, "is Sirius, the cat is Bageria, and the raven is Nevermore." Her posture dared anyone to challenge her about her abundance of pets. No one did.

"Very beautiful." Nymph said, stroking the raven's sleek black head with one finger and looking at the bird in fascination. "I like birds," she said gravely as if explaining something.

"See," Oliver said. "That wasn't so hard. They didn't laugh or anything. I told you they wouldn't."

"So you did." She turned a pair of wide and innocent blue eyes on Oliver in a look of adoration that appeared so quickly as to be obviously fake. "And I wouldn't have done it for anyone but you Ollie," she said in mock awe. Then she gave him a mischievous grin and quickly threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek before leaving the compartment in a way that was somewhere between flouncing, floating, and dancing.

They all sat and stared at Oliver for a moment as his ears turned a shade of red to rival the Weasleys' hair. Some one broke the silence with a cough.

"Uh... well then, that's your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Oliver said to cover his blushing. "She's a nice girl and very good at that subject, even if she does seem a bit... odd."

Then Oliver settled in with Harry and the Weasley boys, leaving Ginny and Hermione chatting together. Meega took out a pad of paper and started doodling, halfway listening to the boys chatter about Quidditch. Oliver, apparently, was going to help train the new captain and the new Keeper, and Ron was going to try out for Keeper. Meega grinned: he'd be disappointed in that if she could use her broom properly. She would be the new Keeper, not Ron. Mione, of course, would want to be a Seeker. Too bad Harry already had the position. She wouldn't change her mind and be Keeper, because she was busy talking to the other two girls.

Then Meega looked at her paper, realized what she had drawn, and started giggling. It was Platform Nine and Three Quarters, complete with the Hogwarts Express. Except there was a banner over the engine that read:

Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business.

Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony, and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git.

Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a professor.

Mr. Wormtail bids Professor Snape a good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball.

She'd done a fairly good job of recreating the handwriting, too, in her opinion. A professional forger would do a lot better, but it was fairly good. And it had a nice border.

Drawn by her giggles, Mione peeked at her picture, read the banner, and started sniggering. She was soon joined by the other two girls, who both started laughing.

"I don't know, but it's got to be funny if Hermione's laughing," Meega heard Ron say, and then he suddenly swiped the picture. He glanced over it, saw the banner, started laughing, and passed it to Oliver. Oliver started laughing and passed it to one of the twins, who passed it in turn to the other, and then it was passed to Harry.

Meega stopped giggling as he read the banner, then gave her an odd look. "When did you meet Snape?"

"You mean there is one?" Meega asked innocently.

Harry nodded. "There was also a group at Hogwarts that went by the names Moony, Prongs, Padfoot, and Wormtail."

"Oh," Meega said softly. She really hoped she hadn't slipped too badly. "I was just drawing and listening to you all talk. Maybe someone mentioned them."

"Perhaps," Harry said. It was clear he didn't believe her.

"So," she said brightly, "why is it Platform Nine and Three Quarters? Why not Nine and a Half?"

Ron shrugged and Harry looked blank. Fred and George had their heads together and had recovered the picture, and Oliver had just left. Mione and Ginny looked faintly interested, but it was Hermione who answered, of course.

"I don't know," she said slowly. "It's right between platforms nine and ten, so why is it three quarters?"

"My point exactly," Meega said. She slipped off to Fred and George. "I'll just take this back. We wouldn't want the real Snape getting his hands on it, now would we?"

"Yes, we would," one twin said.

"No, we wouldn't," Meega repeated. If it wasn't that Harry would be the top suspect, she might be tempted. "One would hope that he's not as bad as he's made out to be in this. Though the only one that comments on his teaching ability is Mr. Padfoot's."

As the words came out of her mouth Padfoot bounded into the compartment and the puppy in Meega's arms woke up and wriggled out of her arms.

Part 7 - Sirius and Sirius

"Sirius, sit!" Meega's attempt to halt her pup's progress towards the much larger dog failed horribly. It did, however, cause Sirius Black to stop mid bound and fall back on his haunches. Meega sighed as her little ball of fluff continued to bounce over to the other dog and attempt to get it playing. Suddenly she gave out a trill which was followed by a series of clicks. Little Sirius stopped playing and hurried happily back to Meega, who scooped him up immediately. "Sirius," she told the puppy, "you are supposed to sit when I tell you to. You are not allowed to jump to the floor from this high. You'll hurt something." She placed her puppy on the floor. "Now you can go play with Mr. Black if he doesn't mind." She looked at the "dog" quizzically. "That does seem to fit... but so does Padfoot... maybe even Snuffles. Or Onyx or Blackout or Grim." She smiled, remembering a fanfic she'd read that involved Chocolate Frog Famous Wizard Cards of Harry... one had had Sirius in his Animagus form with baby Harry. "Not a babysitter, though." Sirius was playing nicely with the little puppy, being careful not to hurt the little one. "Well, maybe. That's just-"

"Don't say it," Mione advised.

"Of course," Meega agreed. "Don't you think he looks like a Grim, though?"

Mione nodded, grinning.

Sirius Black picked up Sirius Meega's puppy by the scruff of his neck and pranced over to Meega, Fred, and George like a proud father dog, then set down the little fur ball at Meega's feet. Meega grinned and knelt down to scratch his ears and give him a hug, then scooped up little Sirius. Padfoot stuck his head in the circle to look at the picture, then made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. He looked at Harry, who nodded towards Meega, who pasted an expression on her face that said, "No, Mr. Padfoot, I did not write that."

Mione, however, had done some quick thinking. "It's a shame that more people don't trust Professor Dumbledore," she said idly. "If he says that Sirius Black is innocent, then he is. If he says that Voldemort is back, then he is."

Meega gave her friend a quick grateful smile. "It's not like he has any reason to lie about it," she said nonchalantly. "If Voldemort wasn't back no one would want to say he is! And wasn't he close to the Potters? He wouldn't want Black going free if he had betrayed them!"

"I wonder why he was laughing when the Magical Law Enforcement arrived."

"For Peter Pettigrew to be alive he'd have to out smart Black, somehow, especially if he really was trying to kill him. That's perfectly feasible assuming that Black knew that Peter had been the Potter's Secret Keeper. From what I've been able to pick up Sirius Black was very loyal to his friends and Peter Pettigrew wasn't particularly intelligent or powerful. I'd laugh too, at the sheer irony of the situation!" She stretched and the loose sleeves of her robes fell, revealing her forearms. Mione got the message and pushed up her sleeves casually. Meega settled in her seat to make it clear that she had no intention of leaving.

Sirius Black, who had been sitting by Harry, shook off his godson's hand and trotted forward to lay his nose on Meega's leg by little Sirius's head and started off on a string of barks, yips, and growls. Little Sirius listened intently, then answered. The two dogs conversed for a while, and then Padfoot nodded, took a few steps back, and transformed. Meega managed to bite back a smile and look surprised, but she had a feeling that Mione's gasp was genuine.

Sirius, however, picked up the pad of paper with the picture and handed it to Meega. "I believe this is yours."

"Yes," Meega said levelly.

Sirius smiled. "It's very good- especially the banner."

Meega smiled back nervously.

Sirius, however, didn't notice. Meega's puppy had jumped off her lap and was running circles around his legs, jumping up on him and barking happily.

"I think Sirius has found himself a playmate," Meega said lamely.

Sirius laughed and scooped up the little puppy then scooted over to a corner with Harry. Between the distance and the puppy punctuating the conversation with barks Meega, who was the closest, could only make out tiny bits.

"... news about..." (Bark!)

"No. Harry..."

"... just do nothing."

(Bark! Bark!) "... nothing we can..."

"... Peter Pettigrew?"

"... less than..." (Bark! Growl! Bark!)

"... sure... safe..."

"Of... (Growl!)... not your fault."

"Whose..."

"No one... just Voldemort (Yip!) and... Eaters. If... Wormtail!" (Bark! Growl! Yip!)

Hiding a smile Meega stopped listening and pulled The Eye of the World out of her trunk.

Part 8 - Hogwarts... and the Wheel of Time

When they arrived at Hogwarts everyone filed slowly out of the compartment and out onto the boarding platform. "Firs' years an' transfer students this way!" called a very... large... voice that Meega had no trouble identifying as Hagrid's.

"Hello Hagrid," Harry said, echoed by the others. "This is Meega and Mione. They're two of the new transfer students."

"Aye." He smiled brightly at the two girls who were rather unimpressed by Hagrid's size... or, at least, Meega was. She was ignoring Mione for all practical purposes to resisting the temptation to start whispering to her. "An' have you met your Defense teacher yet?"

The groups stood shuffling their feet trying not to be the one to answer that question. Ron lost. "Well, yes, but she seems a little... off... if you know what I mean."

Hagrid raised a huge bushy eyebrow in surprise. "Off? Well I met her when she came to get aquatinted with Hogwarts durin' the summer and she's not crazy. That's for sure. She's a bright girl. Might even be a match for our Hermione. But now you'd better run along and find those carriages. Your new friends can find a boat." With that Hagrid turned and started shouting directions to the first years and the few transfer students who were milling about.

Meega and Mione slipped into a boat together, but realized immediately afterwards that the boat was already occupied by Morrigan. She sat perfectly still at the opposite end of the boat with the hood of her cloak pulled up so that she would have been invisible if the hood hadn't been in danger of falling off. She was staring at the sky, her right index finger slowly tapping the tip of her nose. Sirius, now returned to the form of a big black dog, slipped into the boat as well and pretended to be her pet as it appeared that she hadn't brought one. Her left hand reached out and absent-mindedly began scratching him behind the ear and Bageria, who had refused to give up her perch on Meega's shoulder, started purring more loudly.

Suddenly she turned, almost sloshing water into the boat. Her hood fled its precarious perch and settled around her shoulders and her pale hair reflected the moonlight so that it glowed like a halo around her. Her eyes were wild, like a deer or feral cat whose eyes plainly tell you that they are completely free but also that they are not particularly dangerous unless you do something particularly stupid. "I must tell you something. It is very important that you hear this, though at the moment I do not know why." In that moment she looked so like a moonlit goddess that the two eagerly awaited her words, whatever they might be. She leaned forward conspiratorially, drawing the other girls forward as well with her urgent secretiveness. Then she whispered in a voice as grave as if pronouncing death and barely audible over the lapping of the waves on the side of the little boat. "I am not what I seem." She paused a moment, then in all seriousness said, "I am the Dragon Reborn." Morrigan let her words sink in before turning slowly forward again, her left hand returning to scratching a now slightly confused big black dog. Her right hand pulled the hood back up, further than before so that her face was hidden in shadow and then rested in her lap as her gaze returned to the stars.

Meega and Mione just sat there for a moment, completely stunned. That had to be the last thing Meega had expected! Well, it probably took second place to "I am Lord Voldemort."

"The what?!" Mione finally whispered to Meega.

"The Dragon Reborn." Meega replied automatically, trying to figure out what had just happened and why a witch knew about the Wheel of Time. "You know, from the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan." Mione shook her head, but Meega was still trying to sort things through and didn't notice. Finally, she gave up and decided to have a bit of fun. "I didn't think that the Wheel allowed False Dragons after the Dragon was truly reborn," she said in a whisper loud enough for the girl to hear. Ignoring Mione's blank look she continued in a musing tone at a normal volume. "Of course, having a female False Dragon would only add to poor Rand's women troubles." She gave an amused grin. "Not that having a woman and another man in his head helps."

That got Morrigan's attention. She turned a carefully blank look on Meega over her shoulder. "The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills," she said cryptically, an oddly mysterious glint in her eye.

The students arrived at the Castle and were taken through the corridors by Professor McGonagall to the room off of the Great Hall where she gave her normal speech. Then she slipped off into the great hall, presumably to see if they were ready for the students yet. While she was gone, Peeves decided to make an appearance. He swooped down through the students, cackling. The students in his path shrieked and ducked out of the way as quickly as they could. He pulled up directly over the center of the crowd. "Ickle beasties come to learn magic?" Peeves laughed and made a rude noise. "No rain this year. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Ickle firstie beasties look so sweet soaked." Peeves attempted to look thoughtful for a moment before pulling out a pair of water balloons and smiling evilly. "Peeves help!" He launched the balloons into the crowd, catching a pair of first years in the face, then continued tossing water balloons.

"Objection!" Meega half-shrieked over the discord as she dodged a balloon. "I'm not a first year and it's too cold for a water fight!" Peeves ignored her and continued throwing balloons.

One nearly hit her and broke on Mione, spraying her with water and causing her to scream. "That water is blasted cold!"

"Peeves!" cried a voice. He stopped short in front of a tall, dark cloaked figure. "I hear that a few years ago one of the teachers stood up to you. Leave now if you do not want the incident repeated." It was Morrigan - completely calm and completely dry. Peeves shrieked in anger as much at her defiance and dryness as at the reminder of Professor Lupin. He launched seven or eight larger than average balloons at her and she started to raise her wand.

Meega had had enough. She knew wandless magic as a result of the Death/Coma Gate and she used it to change the course of the balloons. "Take that!" she yelled after him as he tried to outdistance the balloons, shaking her fist at him.

Morrigan raised an eyebrow at Meega, then raised her wand the rest of the way and dried hall and students with a few well chosen words. Then Morrigan turned to one of the first students to be hit and handed him a few tissues to stop the nosebleed he'd gotten. Next she handed another to a girl who had been crying and put her arm comfortingly around the first year's shoulders while she calmed down.

"She's bonkers," whispered Meega to Mione. Mione agreed, staring at her newly dried robes. Meega had avoided getting wet at all. Then Professor McGonagall came back and led them into the great hall, having no idea what had just happened.