To Live History

Chapter 1- Again, Again

Le-Annette-- her electric blue eyes hidden by the hood of the long black cloak she wore-- stepped out of the muggle taxi. The hem of her long, plain black dress came down well passed her feet to the cement of the sidewalk as she did so. She turned and paid the driver, who then proceeded to drive away. She turned and looked up at the building that announced itself as King's Cross. The bags she carried with here had been placed out on the curb before she had exited the cab. She had managed to pack all the things she would need into four, medium sized bags. Being the immortal creature that she was, she lifted them easily and toted them inside the train station.

Inside, the place was lit with bright florescent lights. The stations only occupants were the conductors and the nighttime commuters. Le-Annette quickly found a trolley, loaded her bags onto it, and found an empty bench to seat herself at. It was at least thirty to thirty-five minutes until her train was due to arrive, and it would arrive unseen by the non-magic folk that sat around her.

She removed the cloak to reveal her long, black hair that flowed freely tonight, instead of being bound in a braid as she usually did it. Her pale features seemed intensified by the lighting of the station, so much so that the shock of her pale hands and face caused some of the commuters to stare at her for a few moments. The dress she wore could now fully be seen. It possessed long sleeves and had no decoration on it. The only thing that could be counted as decoration was the black leather belt that pulled the dress together at her waist to show her tapered figure. Her boots, black of course, made a slight scraping noise as she moved to cross her legs at the ankles.

She now stared at the barrier between platforms Nine and Ten. That was the entrance to platform Nine and Three Quarters, which would take her to the scarlet steam engine that was the Hogwarts Express.

She had gotten a call from Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, at the beginning of the summer stating that her descendant Hermione Granger, and her friends Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Remus Lupin, and Severus Snape would be coming to stay with her until near the start of the next school term. Albus had also requested that she return to Hogwarts, her school of so long ago, to be a professor once more. He wanted her to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. At first, she had declined. Then, after spending the summer with Hermione and her friends and sharing so many secrets of her past with them, she wrote to Albus to see if the position was still available. It was. She had taken a muggle plane from America to her native England, and now she sat her, waiting for the train to take her...home.

Then suddenly, she heard something. A cry. A cry for help. She looked at her fellow commuters. None of them appeared to have heard anything. She knew then that it must have been her supernatural, her vampire hearing that had picked up on the cry. She knew the voice that pleaded for mercy. She leapt to her feet, and, so quickly that nobody-- witch nor wizard nor muggle-- could've seen, she enchanted her luggage with an anti-theft charm and was out the station doors. A rain was coming. It was already misting, Le-Annette could feel it on her face. She didn't care. She used her hearing to focus in on the cry for help.

"Leave me alone! How could you do this?" it cried. She knew who it was.

Draco Malfoy, one of her descendants, was in trouble. With her preternatural speed, she headed toward the cry. She soon found herself at the end of a dark alley. At the opposite end, a dead end, were three undistinguishable figures, and through them, Le-Annette could make out a fourth, smaller figure. Draco.

"Don't," he muttered. His voice was tired. They must've gotten to him and roughed him up before he was able to run.

"Draco, Draco, such a disappointment," said another voice Le-Annette knew, but had not heard in such a long time.

This was Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy, speaking to his son. It became clear to Le-Annette what was going on. The three figures were Death Eaters, followers of another of Le-Annette's descendants, Lord Voldemort, and they were going to torture and kill Draco.

"Did you think you could run and tell Dumbledore all about what Daddy did and what the Dark Lord's plans were and not pay the price, little one?" Lucius taunted again.

Le-Annette pulled out her wand. Not including the moment before this when she had enchanted her luggage, this would be the first time in centuries since she had last used her wand to defend herself...or others, as the case may be. Lucius raised his arm, but before he could speak a spell, Le-Annette had him.

"Stupefy!" she cried.

The spell's aim was true. Lucius fell to the ground, stiff as a board and unconscious. Draco's eyes widened to see that he had been saved by someone. The other two Death Eaters turned to face Le-Annette. They were weaker, Le-Annette's vampire senses allowed her to know.

"Lumos," she whispered, lighting up her face. She bore her fangs and hissed at them. "Get away!" she growled in guttural tones.

These two didn't need telling twice. Two pops were heard, and they had gone. Disapparated away. Draco got to his feet. Avoiding the stunned figure of his father, he made his way closer to Le-Annette.

"Le-Annette?" he asked, almost unwilling to believe it.

A tall, platinum haired boy of about seventeen, Draco was shaking with the shock of what had just happened. His face was bruised and cut, and the sleeves and legs of his robes were ripped. Cuts shown through those tears.

"Yes, Draco, it's me. Are you alright?" she asked, beckoning him closer.

He all but ran to her. "Aunt Le-Annette, what are you doing here? I'm so glad to see you! Bloody hell, I thought I was done for," he said without breath. She led the beaten boy back to the bench in the station. They still had a good fifteen minutes before the train arrived.

"I'm teaching at Hogwarts. What are you doing here? I was under the impression that the school term had already started," she said.

"No, we're not due to catch the train until tomorrow. But you're teaching at Hogwarts, that's great! Hermione will be so happy! Does she know?"

"No, but, Draco, what was all that about? They found out about you spilling the beans on them?"

"Yes, Father...Lucius was angry. He tortured me under Cruciatus. When he stopped to taunt me, I apparated. I passed the test only days before. I appeared about a mile north of that alley you found me in. Lucius called up some of his buddies within the Death Eater ranks and tracked me somehow. They trapped me in the alley...and then you showed up."

"Lucky think I did," Le-Annette said in amazement.

"Yes."

"Well, you can't go home. I won't send you there in that condition. You're coming with me tonight to Hogwarts. Besides, I'll need someone to make sure that someone doesn't accidentally open the blinds on the windows in the day when I'm asleep. We'll send for you're things tomorrow night. I'm sure the Order will be more than willing to help you out,"

Le-Annette stood and checked her watch. She put her cloak back on grabbed a hold of the trolley.

"Train's here. Let's go, Draco," she said.

"But, Le-Annette," he protested suddenly, "what about Lucius?"

"I'm sure Dumbledore's sent someone the news of his attack on you by now," she said, guiding him over to the barrier.

"Dumbledore?"

"Yes...honestly, it only takes the man five minutes to figure out what is happening miles away. I don't know how he does it, but he does. Now, come on, we've got a train to catch."