Domino One

And that goes for everyone: THANK YOU and ENJOY!

CHAPTER ONE: DREAMS, VISIONS, AND EXCEPTIONS

"Twinkle Twinkle, my fears subdue

As I see thee shining through

The night of darkness, night of black.

You shall keep me on my track.

You lead me on till morning’s blue,

But little starling, who’ll lead you?"

"Good morning, Hilde," chimed Albus Dumbledore. He was exactly on time, as expected. But Hilde Anblick couldn’t help but think that it wouldn’t have hurt a thing for him to be a little late- say an hour or two. She hadn’t slept all night- she couldn’t possibly, with Ana in the state that she was in, and the thoughts that plagued her own mind…. But that didn’t mean that she wasn’t exhausted. When Albus Dumbledore promised to arrive at the crack of dawn, as was the present case, Hilde suddenly felt that she could have slept for the rest of her life.

And perhaps it was exhaustion, or nerves, or just everything all at once, but all Hilde managed to say was "Albus-" before she broke down into a restrained sob.

"Oh, come, come now," he said softly as he stepped through the cottage threshold, and led her to the sofa in the immediate living room- a presentable room with a silver glow in the very early morning light. He sat down and faced her, holding both her hands in his old, wrinkly, yet very reassuring own. "It’ll be all right Hilde-"

"Albus, this can’t happen to me twice… I don’t know what I would do if I lost her too…"

"No one is losing anybody," he smiled with such optimism that Hilde’s tears seemed to cease immediately. He had such an aura of power- but more one of peace that the distressed woman’s fears seemed to cease and her thoughts found their words freely.

"Tell me she’s too old. She’s only 15, she’s too old to be just showing signs now…. Omri said that she would start showing signs before she was ten years old," she insisted firmly- an effect amplified by her German accent.

"But if I remember our conversation correctly, she said there have been many- did she tell you how long this has been happening?"

The exhausted mother rested her head in her hands, running her thick brown hair through her fingers. "No. I didn’t ask… I didn’t want to know… the poor girl… such talents bring nothing but trouble…"

"You haven’t told her about the magical arts, then?"

"Omri was the wizard, Albus. I don’t know a thing about magic. I wouldn’t have known where to begin…"

"You did quite well with the fireplace last night!"

"Omri taught me that when we went into hiding…"

There was a moments pause as Dumbledore rested a reassuring hand on the woman’s knee. "It won’t be like that with Ana, Hilde. She’s too young. They won’t be after her-"

"-What. Until she’s older? She won’t be young forever Albus."

"No, indeed she won’t. We can, however, prepare her for the challenges she’ll face in the years to come…"

She sighed. "But she’s too old…"

"Honestly, Hilde. With Omri’s bloodline, were you really expecting nothing to happen?"

She stared out the window at the sun rising over the hilltops. "There was always hope, Albus."

* * * * *

Ana awoke to the serenity of her room. Granted she didn’t wake of natural causes. It was maybe seven in the morning- of course she didn’t wake by natural causes! She was fifteen after all. There were voices coming from downstairs. And Ana had to make the decisions. She could very well have slept the entire day, or at least hidden in the warm shield of her Snoopy bedspread. There’s something about one’s own bed- nothing it won’t comfort, nothing can penetrate the peace it grants. And so Ana was left to her judgement, or perhaps her unknown psychic intuition. For whatever reason, she got up.

Feeling the warm floor beneath her feet, she shifted her weight in such a way as to not make the floorboards creek. Tiptoeing with grace, ease and agility, she approached the top of the staircase, where she listened to the voices floating from the kitchen.

"Would you like some breakfast?" she heard her mother’s voice - it sounded very weighed down. At first, she thought that her mother was speaking to her, but another voice- a man with a British accent answered.

"No no, don’t bother yourself. I had lunch before I came."

‘Lunch?’ Ana frowned in confusion.

"BUT," chimed the voice again, "I believe your daughter would."

"Let her sleep Albus… they’ll still be there when she wakes up, unfortunately."

Ana frowned. The man knew that she was awake - she just seemed to sense it, but she knew for a fact that it was true. How did he do that? And then the voice of her mother, and her father from so many years before echoed through her mind. Magic.

"I’m awake," she said, floating down the staircase in her t-shirt and boxers, her puffy blue slippers hitting each stairs with a dull ‘THUMP.’ She suddenly became aware of her stomach, which was tied in butterflying knots.

The man stood from his place at the large, mahogany dining room table. Folds of a strange deep blue robe fluttered downward heavily as he did so. Ana eyed him suspiciously before glancing to her mother. She almost wished she hadn’t. Her eyes were bloodshot. Apparently the crying didn’t stop at 4 AM, when Ana had finally dozed back off to sleep. Without better option, she turned back to the oddly dressed Englishman, who was rounding the table.

"My, my," smiled Albus, his blue eyes blinking starrily over his tiny spectacles, "you are the precise image of your mother!"

Ana studied him carefully. She was, in fact, the carbon copy of her mother - just two decades younger. But she didn’t find that very relevant at the time. "Who are you?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest uncomfortably.

The old man and her mother exchanged a glance before he answered. "My name is Albus Dumbledore… I knew your father very well. I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I believe that I can assist you with your visions."

Visions. Ana had always thought of them as hallucinations; somehow she only became more defensive. She turned to her mother. "Witchcraft? Wizardry? You want some birthday party magician to solve my psychological disorder?"

The two adults gave her two very different looks. Her mother stared at her wide-eyed with horror, in between apologetic glances at Dumbledore. He, however, simply smiled. "She has her father’s wit," he chuckled.

"Ana," her mother said very firmly, "sit down." As her daughter did so, looking at her mother with grave concern, Hilde was forced to turn away. Gripping the dishtowel that was in her hand very tightly, she busied herself with a dirty spoon for a moment. But she finally did regain her wits. "You’re not insane, Ana, or anything remotely close to it… you get it…er.. you inherited it from your father."

Ana had heard that mental disorders were quite hereditary. "So there’s where I got it from..."

"Ana, the it you’re referring to isn’t anything bad," replied Dumbledore, trying to help. Ana heard her mother mutter something to the contrary, but Dumbledore continued. "Your father’s bloodline - the Anblick bloodline - has produced some of the most powerful witches and wizards the world has ever seen. And you, my dear, have also been blessed with this gift!"

Ana stared at him blankly. Perhaps it was the apathy that came with the early hours of the morning, but Dumbledore’s point seemed to hit her, and bounce off faster than a super ball on Prozac. Dumbledore, smiling through his thick, white beard, pulled out his wand. "Accio fork," he said, and immediately, the fork at the far end of the table flew his way. He held it toward Ana, who did not make any attempt to take it from him. She just stared, wide and glazed over eyes.

Dumbledore just continued to smile. "There are others like you, Ana. Others who have seen things that other people don’t. Others who have grown up not quite knowing what was wrong with them… But you’re not cursed with insanity, Ana," he chuckled. "You’re blessed with a gift - an extraordinarily rare gift. You have divinitive powers. You’re a seer."

Ana stared at him blankly as her mother set down a mug of tea in front of her. ‘This is nuts…’ she grumbled to herself.

"When your father was a little boy," began her mother as she sat down at the table, "he started seeing things just like you. He was a seer, Ana - he was more than that… but you are starting just like he did…"

Ana looked at her mother, who looked extremely exhausted. Her mother was so grieved that she rarely spoke of her father and for him to be such a central topic was something of substantial consideration. But it all seemed beyond real. "This is all some bizarre dream… some very, very, bizarre dream…" she muttered, shaking her head, her eyes widening with realization.

"Speaking of which," perked up Dumbledore, "Why don’t you tell me about yours. The one you had last night…"

"Albus! She will do no such thing! That can wait!" snapped Hilde fiercely. She turned to her daughter. "You don’t have to talk about it, Ana. You can speak when you’re ready - maybe in a few days."

"Ana…Hilde… Dreams fade with time. In addition, it is vital that you get it off your chest." His voice became softer, and there was an odd glimmer in his eye. "If there was some way for me to take your place, and to just see what you saw, I would do it in a second… But Ana, if I’m going to help you, and I assure you I can, you have to be completely honest with me."

Visions started coming back to Ana…blood, screaming... red eyes… She looked down, hugging her arms across her chest tightly. But she knew it was coming... knew it had to come.

"You can really help me?" she asked heavily, sounding much older than she really was.

"If I cannot, there are many that can…"

Ana exhaled thickly as she raised her head and stared him dead in the eye. "I will tell you, then.

"It was cold- very, very cold. That’s the first thing I remember," she sighed, rubbing her arms with her hands out of nerves and remembrance. "…it was the kind of cold that makes all your hairs on your arms and the back of your neck stand on end…the kind that stabs freezes your lungs when you inhale, and freezes the air when you exhale… I’ve never felt anything like it…"

Ana shook her head, as she remembered the vision, still in awe of it’s power. "And it was dark, very dark.. I was walking through tunnels…." Ana began to have flashbacks as she spoke.

It was more like a tomb, really…a winding, maze-like tomb with odd letters writings on the walls… "persequor", "cruciatus,".. "nex"…

"I couldn’t see, it was so dark… I was holding a torch, or candle… something long and skinny that gave off light…" she shivered… "I couldn’t see five feet in front of me… I couldn’t see anything behind me…And I was walking through these tunnels… I was being followed…"

…Hunted… She could still hear the calm footsteps behind her- even if she ran… they were always right behind her, echoing closer and closer…

"I heard him speaking to me… this terrible voice…"

"So beautiful… You will be mine, Ana… why do you run from me? I won’t hurt you…"

"It was so evil…. And I ran, and ran… but it was always right with me, in the dark… I couldn’t see a thing.." Ana was becoming frantic, and her very, very pale mother placed a hand on Dumbledore’s shoulder. She wanted as much as him to see what set her off- how it ended, but not like this.

"Please, Albus, stop…" But he shook his head and silenced her.

"Please continue, Ana," he coaxed. "What happened then."

" – I, I felt something touch the back of my neck…" she said, stiffening up as if she could feel it…

It was slippery… slimy… It left something that slid down the back of her neck…

"-And……" she paused, to catch her breath, which was coming faster than the color was leaving her already pale face… "I turned around…." She shut her eyes, trying not to see it again, but not succeeding.

He.. IT.. stood there, his red eyes glowing…

"He was covered…doused… with blood.. ev-ery inch of his body……" she grimaced, as she shuddered…. "And He smiled at me… and then he said in this terrible voice, as he leaned in, just inches from my face…" Ana leaned back involuntarily, "YOU WILL BE MINE,"…..

Her mother rounded the table, and wrapped her arms around her. But Dumbledore studied her carefully. "There’s more… am I mistaken?"

Hilde groaned. "Albus, do we really need the details? Don’t you get the picture?"

Dumbledore looked at Ana.

She rocked back and fourth in her mother’s arms, as if someone were resetting a dislocated shoulder, or a broken bone, and she just needed something to hang on to. "He kissed me…" she continued…

The blood from his body ran into her mouth…

"And then…." She leaned into her mother’s hug a little closer… "He said, YOU’RE HEAD WILL LOOK GOOD RIGHT NEXT TO HIS…."

"Whose?" asked Dumbledore, frowning.

"He raised his arm into the light, and it was holding something…." She said, now sobbing… "It was a human head….

Dangling from bloody, white-blonde hair.. It’s blue eyes and mouth open in dead horror..

Ana could barely make out the last words. "It.. was….. Daddy…"

* * * * *

Hilde Anblick brought a cup of tea out to Albus on the front porch. A full day had passed since he first came, and now he was here a second time. This time he would not leave alone. Out on the Anblick’s lawn sat a rolled up newspaper. The Daily Prophet. As the dawn light crept over the hilltops, it looked like the beginnings of a perfectly normal day.

* * * * *

Ana sat on her bed wearily, looking around her room. ‘It looks so odd…’ she sighed to herself, seeing her empty closet, some pictures… books… thrown into a chest. She still couldn’t believe she was going to go to some boarding school in the UK. Maybe it was still skepticism (or just plain denial), but the existence of magic just didn’t seem like the most important thing on her list.

‘This is all just some very, very bizarre dream…’ she tried to convince herself. It wasn’t working. Sighing, she gave her stuffed frog, Schubi, a last squeeze before stepping downstairs. She could hear her mother and Dumbledore speaking through the screen door.

"But the term has already started…"

"Only by a week!"

"But she’s, what, five years behind?"

"Only four."

"Oh," she snipped. "I’m glad to hear that it’s only four. Albus, this is not a good idea…I don’t like this one bit!"

Ana smiled, despite herself. ‘Mom’s gonna miss me,’ she grinned. But she felt the pain in her stomach. She would miss her too…

"Hilde," Dumbledore sighed, "first of all, she must go. She’s a seer. Since she’s an Anblick… the chances are exponentially larger that she’s not just a seer, but a True Seer- a Guardian, just like Omri. That can’t be left ignored. Besides having a possible catastrophic effect on the entire World if left untrained, think of your daughter. Undoubtedly, the Circle already has their eyes on her, and where the Circle looks, the Caucus resistance is right behind…" his voice softened, "… And then there’s Voldemort…" Ana noted that he moved on quickly, despite her curiosity about who this Voldemort was, anyways…

"Honestly, Hilde… where would you want your daughter? With them, or under the protection of Hogwarts?"

"…Hogwarts won’t protect her forever…"

"No, it won’t. But she’ll learn her values there. She’ll be able to figure out her moves from there. And she’ll learn the magical arts. You certainly don’t want any of them teaching her that…"

Ana sighed as she listened. None of this seemed to make sense to her. She didn’t really know it, she was too overwhelmed… but she was not just nervous, but scared out of her wits.

Dumbledore continued from outside. "And, on top of all of these things, Ana needs to be with others who will understand her…" he said this gently, and Ana could almost see the look on her mother’s face. "That vision, Hilde… Heaven knows how long she’s been seeing things like this. We need to get them under control…"

Visions. The thought of them being something wonderful - a blessing even - made her sick. And Dumbledore had explained to hear that it was a very rare gift indeed. She doubted anyone would understand her, even at Hogbab’s School of Wizardry… or whatever the name was. She picked at her nails nervously.

The silence on the porch told her that her mother had run out of arguments. She could hear the clunking of the rocking of the rocking chairs, and the soft tick of the clock on the wall. She was going to miss this place… but a head appearing in the doorway distracted her from this thought.

"Ah, Ana. Ready, then?" smiled Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. Ana nodded firmly, smiling nervously, as she stepped out of the door. "Did you leave your window open like I asked?" he inquired.

"…Yeah.." She nodded, frowning slightly. But she then understood why, as Dumbledore pulled out his wand, and summoned her trunk out of her second-story bedroom window, through the air, to the ground gently.

Ana, mouth open slightly in shock, turned to give her mother a disturbed look. But her mother just shook her head, smiling slightly. "Omri used to drive me crazy with that kind of stuff…" But then Hilde saw Ana, who’s face had turned to one of sheer nerves. To anyone else, her face would have looked blank. But Hilde knew. "Oh, Ana," she sighed, taking her in her arms tightly, "my little Liebe… what am I going to do with you… You be good…" she reminded her, her own voice heavy, "and remember that all this is for the best, even if you don’t understand right now." She seemed to be trying to convince herself as well.

Ana hugged her mother tighter as she felt tears burning on the back of her eyes. "I’m so scared," she whispered, as Dumbledore pretended not to listen.

"Ohhh, Liebe, I know you are," she stroked the back of her head softly, "I know. But this has to happen. We’ll see each other again soon, don’t worry."

"A whole school year, though… and what if I’m no good at this… magic stuff…"

"You will be, Ana, I promise. And even if you think you’re failing, and doing terrible… Remember: you’re an Anblick, Ana. They have done it all. You will too. And no matter what you do or do not do," she said, rocking her gently in a twisting motion, allowing her daughter to hide her head in her shoulder, "I will always, always be proud of you and love you more than anything else in this world."

"I love you too, mom," she said, holding back the lump in her throat.

"I know," she sighed. "I know." She looked up at Dumbledore, who had resorted to watching the scene fondly. She gave him a small nod. "You take care of my daughter. I will hold you personally responsible for her well being… Muggle or not, I will take you down if anything happens to her…"

Dumbledore smiled, "I’ll take that into consideration."

Taking a deep breath, she pushed her daughter away gently, avoiding looking at her red, teary face. "Go on now," she said. "Go bring me that newspaper on the grass…"

Ana looked to where her mother pointed to a perfectly tied newspaper, sitting in the middle of the lawn. Ana frowned slightly, but went over, and bent down to pick it up. And as she did so, she heard her mother’s farewell. "Take Care, Ana. Stars be kind…." And with a sharp tug at her naval… Ana saw everything begin to spin rapidly out of control.

"Take Care, Hilde. I’ll send an owl the instant I get her settled in."

"So long, and good luck. Oh- And Albus… Thank you."

He nodded, his eyes sparkling, as he Disapparated, leaving Hilde deserted on her hillside.

It didn’t take her long to feel completely alone. She wondered what on earth she was going to do without Ana… She spent a long time looking at the house- which suddenly looked a thousand times duller and dimmer without her daughter’s presence. Sighing, she approached the house, but was interrupted by voices behind her.

"Excuse me, Ma’am, Are you Mrs. Hilde Anblick?"

She turned around- she hadn’t noticed anyone coming up the hill. There were three men dressed in long black robes. She felt the hairs raise on the back of her neck. "Yes?"

"We’re looking for your daughter, Ana Anblick."

Hilde backed up against the railing of the porch. "Who are you?"

Cruel smirks played on their faces, especially the silent one in back.

"We’re… old friend’s of Omri’s…." they chuckled darkly.

Hilde’s eyes widened, as she gasped. It didn’t take her more than a second to turn and start sprinting down the hill… How did they find us… They can’t take Ana… Suddenly she felt her whole body go stiff, and she felt herself hovering over the ground back to the men, who were now laughing with open cruelty. The quite one in back came up to her, and eyed her up, smirking. He ran a skinny, knobby finger over her face, playing gently with her hair. Finally he spoke.

"Tell me, does she look like you?"

Hilde didn’t answer. Take care of her Albus….

Suddenly his fingers wrapped tightly around her hair as he yanked it downward sharply. "WHERE IS THE GIRL?"

Hilde smiled weakly. "It’s too late, Tom Riddle, Dumbledore already has her." And she closed her eyes, as the dark lord killed her, leaving a dark mark over the small house in Maine.

* * * * *

Ana landed on the gray, cobblestone with a resounding ‘THUD’. It didn’t take long for her to attract attention, either.

"Good Heavens! Are you all right?" A young woman with fire-red hair approached her, quickly followed by a red-haired man, who eyed her up suspiciously.

"A little young for Disapparating, aren’t we?"

"Oh, honestly, Arthur, help her up." Sighing, he reached down, to help her up. Ana stared at his odd attire- it was much like Dumbledore’s, except it was green, and slightly shabbier. She accepted his hand, without any other option.

"Oh, and don’t forget your newspaper," chimed the woman as she bent down to pick it up. But an amused voice from behind her stopped her.

"Don’t touch that, Molly, you may not appreciate the consequences. It’s a portkey."

Molly immediately recoiled, seeing Dumbledore not too far off. "Professor! What a pleasant surprise!"

Arthur reached forward to shake his hand. "What brings you to the Alley? Don’t you have a school to look after?"

"Minerva has it under control, I’m sure. I just stepped out to assist a new student," he said, smiling and extending a hand to a very nervous and frazzled Ana Anblick. "What about you two?"

The two exchanged a smile before Molly answered. "We’re shopping for baby clothes," she beamed.

Dumbledore burst into a bright smile. "For you two? Well congratulations, indeed! When’s it due?"

"She’s due in April," replied Molly.

"She?" inquired Arthur.

"I have this gut feeling it’s a girl," she replied dreamily. "I can see it just like when I was little… three or four little girls running around the Burrow… Wouldn’t that be lovely Arthur?"

Arthur paled slightly, but cleared his throat. "Yes… of course dear." Ana almost smiled.

Dumbledore just smiled. "Well congratulations again, to the both of you, I can think of no other two people more suited for and deserving of happiness."

Molly looked very touched, to the point where her eyes glistened. Arthur just shook his hand. "Good day to you Professor." And at that, the two walked off.

Dumbledore turned to Ana, who was turning slowly, looking at the busy marketplace in front of her. It looked exactly like Disneyland. Okay, so she hadn’t been there, but she imagined that Disneyland looked very much like this, if not slightly less extravagant. Stores lined the street, which appeared only to consist of people- no cars. Shops with cauldrons in the windows… brooms… eyeballs… robes… everything that seemed to be a witch’s necessity. She had her suspicions of where she was, judging by the accents, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it.

"Where am I," she asked, still looking around.

"Diagon Alley," smiled Dumbledore. "It’s a little corner of London only known to witches and wizards.

‘London…’ she almost laughed to herself almost plainly. ‘Of course. Where else would I be?’ "And that newspaper," she asked, still feeling slightly woozy, "that got me here?"

Dumbledore just smiled, as always, as he lead her through the streets. He explained the whole wizard transportation methods, starting with the portkey. And as he mentioned something about traveling by something called the floo network, Ana found herself standing in front of a creepy shop: Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C..

 

A wand… of course… sighed Ana to herself, shaking her head with overwhelmed apathy.

Stepping into the store, they were immediately met with a creepy, silver-eyed man, who glanced from Dumbledore to Ana sporadically. Ana wanted to avoid looking at him, but her wariness of him told her to keep an eye open.

The man didn’t even stop for introductions and greetings. "I was most startled by your owl, Albus," he began in his raspy, aged voice. "I didn’t realize, he had a daughter." At this, he turned his full attention to Ana, staring deep into her eyes, and examining her, his face just inches from her. Ana moved back slightly. He gave Dumbledore a questioning glance, although he never really removed his eyes from Ana. "This is her? She looks nothing like him."

Ana glanced up at Dumbledore, a small frown playing nicely off her annoyed eyes. Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled back at her as he answered, "No, she inherits her looks from her mother. Probably fortunate for her, don’t you think?" he chuckled. "Ana, this is Mr. Ollivander, the owner of the shop."

Ana just nodded in comprehension. She just couldn’t find words to speak to him.

After a few more moments of being under the careful study of those creepy, silver eyes, Ana was led into a room with thousands of tiny wood boxes which lined the walls from floor to ceiling.

"Left handed?" asked Ollivander, rummaging through his desk drawer.

"No, Right," corrected Ana, still looking around.

Mr. Ollivander, looked up, intrigue playing on his brow. But he shook his head, found the tape measure, and set it to work. Ana watched as it floated magically through the air and started measuring her arm, fingers, hand, ear lobes, etc., while Mr. Ollivander exited momentarily, and came back with a small pile of wooden boxes. They had obviously been pulled aside.

"Enough," he muttered to the tape measure, which immediately wound itself into a ball, and rested on the desk. "Take this one," he said handing her a wand. "Redwood, phoenix feather, 9 inches… rather springy. Wave it around then."

Ana glanced at the wand in her hand dubiously and waved it around. Nothing happened.

Snatching it out of her hand, he went to the next box. "Redwood, phoenix feather, 11 and ¼ inches. Rather coarse."

Again, nothing happened. Ana looked at Dumbledore with concern, who simply smiled reassuringly.

Nothing happened for the rest of the wands in the pile either- not for the Redwood, dragon heart string, 10 ½ inches, not for the Redwood, phoenix feather, 7 inches, and not for the Redwood, dragon heart string, 9 inches. Mr. Ollivander had reached the end of the pile. An odd expression came over his face, as he studied Ana for a moment.

"Perhaps you should move away from the Redwood," suggested Dumbledore gently.

Mr. Ollivander did not appreciate his help. "Albus, every single Anblick that has bought a wand from this company has had a wand from the same Redwood tree, with either a phoenix feather, or a dragon heart string core. Every single one. And every single one has been left handed! This girl is every exception to the rule…" he cleared his throat uncomfortably. "..Are you sure she’s…-"

"-I’m quite sure she has magical blood," he nodded. "Every rule has an exception."

Ana shifted nervously. ‘What makes him so sure?’

Mr. Ollivander sighed. "An exception to the rule…" he turned to study the walls of boxes. Ana watched with growing nerves as his eyes froze on one particular box. "I wonder…" he muttered to himself as he tapped his mouth with his finger wonderingly. Tentatively, he went and pulled it out and set it the box on the table. Opening it, Ana nearly gasped. It was beautiful. The light of the candles around them reflected off it’s nearly pearly white color. Ana knew before she tried it out that this was the one.

"White Ash, core from the tail of a unicorn, 10 ¾ inches. Rather pliable."

Ana smiled, and took it into her hand. Her hand and arm immediately felt warm, and waving the wand around, a mixture of blue and silver sparks shot across the room. She beamed, as did Dumbledore, but Mr. Ollivander, just frowned, confused, and wrapped up the wand for her. Dumbledore reached into the pouch of glittering gold coins that Hilde had given him, and paid him.

Ana, spirits significantly lifted by the experience, grinned as she left the store, carrying her new wand. "So what makes this wand special?"

Dumbledore raised an amused eyebrow. "Wand makers categorize woods into different categories, Ana, and each wood has an opposite. White Ash, it would appear, seems to be the contrast to Redwood."

"The exception to the rule?" she asked.

"It would appear that you are," he nodded.

* * * * *

"POTTER! I KNOW YOU’RE HERE UNDER THAT DAMN INVISIBILITY CLOAK!" snarled a very menacing Severus Snape as he bounded into the Slytherin Common Room wearing bright pink feathered robes. Tiny blinking lights of every color blinked in unison with the message across the front: "Sexy Sevvie." The Slytherins shrieked with laughter.

James Potter, along with Sirius, was indeed in the room, doubled over with laughter. Lily, who had also been dragged along had her hands clasped tightly over the two boys’ mouths, as visions of her life and of future expulsion flashed before her eyes.

"Shut up!" she hissed. "Do you want us to get caught?" The three jumped out of the way as Snape bounded past them arms outstretched.

"Settle down, Sevvie," cooed a very attractive sixth year from the corner. She got up, and started mock playing with some of the pink feathers. "I kind of like you in feathers," she grinned wickedly, as the entire Slytherin Common Room hooted and rang with cat calls. Steam seemed to come from Snape’s ears as he shoved her out of the way, onto the sofa. Snapping out his wand, he returned his robes to their normal black color (and texture), and turned to the sixth year darkly.

"Give me one reason, Bernice, and I swear, I’ll do it," he smiled with sheer evil as he bent over her, his face and wand just inches from hers.

"OOOO, SNAPE’S GETTING FEISTY!" called another sixth year.

Sirius ducked from Lily’s hand. "GET A ROOM YOU TWO!" he chimed in from under the cloak. No one seemed to notice the mysterious voice.

Snape’s eyes were livid as he glared at the laughing common room With an indignant snort, he burst up the passage to the boys dormitory.

It took a while for the common room to calm down. No one seemed to notice Berenice slip out of the common room slowly, holding the portrait open just long enough for James, Sirius and Lily to duck out.

"When do I get my payment?" she whispered immediately upon closing the portrait.

"Next week sometime," said James vaguely from under the cloak. "We’ll let you know, we promise." He was still laughing from the whole situation, and from what they promised her.

"Why not this week?" she demanded, traces of her well-hidden accent peaking through.

"He’s not feeling well. Let him get better," replied Sirius, also chuckling at their promise.

"Oh, let me see him now!" she begged. "I know a way to make him feel better…"

Lily rolled her eyes as she viewed Berenice’s glossy lower lip jut out poutingly as she straightened up in a way that made her chest stick out. "I’ll bet you do!" she snorted.

"C’mon, let’s go," James the peace-keeper said, shoving her and Sirius forward. "NEXT WEEK," he hissed back to Berenice with finality.

* * * * *

Ana tumbled out of the floo network coughing from soot, and woozy from the ride. Rolling across the floor, she found herself sprawled out on a stone floor, looking up at the stars. But something was wrong with the sky- it was different. She didn’t even notice Dumbledore until he popped his head over her view nearly six feet taller from her ground-zero position.

"And how do you like the floo network?" he chimed.

Ana glared up at him, unmoving. "Don’t you people use CARS?" she grumbled, rubbing her head.

"Only when we’re around Muggles," shrugged the old man simply. He extended a hand to her, which she took and stood up. She found herself in a gigantic room with five large tables. Big, bright banners spanned across the wall, and in between them, huge room-sized mirrors and windows. "Welcome to Hogwarts!" Dumbledore smiled at Ana looked around with wide-eyed wonder, wearing a grin of genuine amazement. She didn’t even look like that when she had seen various forms of magic that day.

"It’s beautiful," she sighed, going up in front of the red banner, displaying a griffin. She heard Dumbledore mentioning something about school houses. Out of the corner of her mind, she heard the words "Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw." But she was more interested in the large banner displayed before her.

The red was brighter than a ruby in sunlight, and it wove in and out of the swirling border, and into the picture forming vines, which surrounded the Golden Griffin. It seemed to glitter in the candled chandelier light. And as she stared at it, she seemed to get absorbed into it. The red vines reached out, floating downward off the banner, surrounding her gently, and flowing through her hands. As the red vines brushed softly against her face, Ana almost thought she could feel the warmth. She had never had this kind of vision before, and she smiled contentedly as it called to her.. "Ana…. Ana…….."

Sirius ducked from Lily’s hand. "GET A ROOM YOU TWO!" he chimed in from under the cloak. No one seemed to notice the mysterious voice.

Snape’s eyes were livid as he glared at the laughing common room With an indignant snort, he burst up the passage to the boys dormitory.

It took a while for the common room to calm down. No one seemed to notice Berenice slip out of the common room slowly, holding the portrait open just long enough for James, Sirius and Lily to duck out.

"When do I get my payment?" she whispered immediately upon closing the portrait.

"Next week sometime," said James vaguely from under the cloak. "We’ll let you know, we promise." He was still laughing from the whole situation, and from what they promised her.

"Why not this week?" she demanded, traces of her well-hidden accent peaking through.

"He’s not feeling well. Let him get better," replied Sirius, also chuckling at their promise.

"Oh, let me see him now!" she begged. "I know a way to make him feel better…"

Lily rolled her eyes as she viewed Berenice’s glossy lower lip jut out poutingly as she straightened up in a way that made her chest stick out. "I’ll bet you do!" she snorted.

"C’mon, let’s go," James the peace-keeper said, shoving her and Sirius forward. "NEXT WEEK," he hissed back to Berenice with finality.

 

Ana blinked, startled. The colors were gone, and the room was exactly the same as it was before. Dumbledore stared at her, with blue, knowing eyes. "Come on, then, lets get you sorted." He extended his hand to a torn and tattered wizards hat, which rested on a stool in front of what appeared to be the main table. Ana, still startled, approached it nervously. "Put it on, there you are." Dumbledore coaxed her. No sooner had she done so, when she heard a squeaky voice in her right ear.

"Oooo, yet another Anblick!"

‘There’s been many?´ Ana asked herself curiously. She had heard it been mentioned that the Anblicks were a long line… Ana just didn’t know how many came to Hogbabs…or Hogwarts.. whatever. The hat appeared to be able to read her mind.

"Why yes, dozens have come before you, young Ana…" it hissed into her left ear. "Let’s have a look now… Oooo, what fire you have! Surely Slytherin, like the rest…. OR I see intellect… great intellect… a Ravenclaw, maybe? …Oh, but what’s this? You’ve just had a vision?"

‘Umm..yeah.. I guess it was a vision…’ There was that word again. Vision.

"You sound just like your father when he came here… unsure of yourself.. not knowing what is expected of you.. What was it that you saw? Gryffindor banner welcoming you?"

"I would hardly call it a welcome..."

"Oh, Ana, remember this one rule of your talent (-And what a gift of talent it is!-) You must never ignore fate. You have fire for Slytherin," it switched to her left ear, "passiveness and a good nature for Hufflepuff," it switched back to her right ear, "and grand intellect for Ravenclaw. I would see these houses for you before Gryffindor, but if fate has shown you the way, I will not interrupt-"

Ana however, would interrupt. ‘Wait! I mean-‘

"-No, young Anblick, definitely GRYFFINDOR!"

She listened to the sound of it echo through the great hall before she lifted the hat off her head slowly, it dragging some of her dark brown hair over her face. The first thing she met was Dumbledore’s beaming blue eyes. "All right then, Gryffindor!" he smiled. "Yet another surprise! Most of the Anblicks have been Slytherins." He led her to two plates by the Gryffindor table that Ana was sure were not there a moment ago.

"My father too?"

Dumbledore nodded as they sat. Ana nearly jumped back up as a massive serving of food that appeared suddenly before her. "Unreal…" she muttered. ‘Seriously… this must be some sort of warped dream… -vision!..whatever they are…’ she continued to say to herself. But never had a vision tasted so good.

* * * * *

Remus sat on the pitch black floor panting miserably. ‘God, it hurts…’ he groaned, shuddering involuntarily, only aggravating the pain more. Rolling down towards the floor, he rested his burning face on the cold wood, not worrying that it was dirty and covered with dust and wood splinters from chair that he chewed on from time to time. Every bone in his body was screaming out in crackling pain. Tears ran down his face. It was times like this that he was happy that James, Remus, and Peter weren’t there with him. It was times like this that he just wanted to cry, and be alone in the dark, where no one was watching, and where he could just be alone. Alone. That’s exactly what he was, and what he always would be. And this was not the thought he needed as the moon came back out from behind the clouds.

The fine people of Hogsmeade, perhaps on their way for a butterbeer on the chilly September night, wrapped themselves a little tighter in their cloaks as a bloodcurdling cry sounded from the Shrieking Shack, just down the road.

* * * * *

If Ana had hoped to enjoy her meal in silence, she was quite wrong. Dumbledore went over everything from rules, to her schedule, to American cookies (oreos, to be precise), to commercial psychics. Ana found Dumbledore to be an odd, old man, but also a mysterious source of comfort. This past weekend had been quite the ordeal for Ana but as she sat there with him, everything seemed to be quite normal. She always noticed people’s eyes first, and in Dumbledore’s case, she found reassurance. She felt at home.

‘Home…’ Ana sighed. She wondered what her mother was up too…

"Well, I think that’s about everything," sighed the Headmaster. "It’s getting pretty late indeed, so I think I will show you to your dormitory." Ana glanced at her watch, which was still set to American time.

‘5:30 pm’. Lousy portkey-lag.

They walked swiftly through the winding corridor, passing waving and chattering portraits. Ana was becoming quite dizzy and disoriented when all of a sudden, he stopped. They stood in what appeared to be a perfectly normal hallway considering the circumstances.

"What-"

But Dumbledore held up a hand to silence her. At first Ana didn’t know what was going on. Then she heard it. Scratching- yes- definitely some sort of uneven shuffling or scratching. Then there were whispers.

"You know, he’s going to kill you when he finds out!" hissed a girl’s voice. It was from somewhere around the bend of the corridor.

"Naw.. he’s not the killing type," said a playful young male’s voice.

"Not yet, anyway," retorted the female.

"Besides, he needs the female attention!" laughed the boy’s voice.

"Oh give it a remmmph-"

The girl’s voice was suddenly muffled. It sounded like whatever was the source of the voices had rounded the corner. But Ana didn’t see anything.

"Ah, Miss Evans, Mr. Black… and Mr. Potter, I believe," said Dumbledore. Ana still didn’t see anything.

"How did you know I was here?" asked a different boy’s voice. "I haven’t spoken since we left the-"

"-Shut up, James!" hissed the first boy’s voice.

"You’re cloak, Mr. Potter," said Dumbledore. Ana could see his eyes twinkling, even in the dim candlelit corridor.

"Pownt frr Dumbldr…" came the muffled female voice.

"You can take your hand off her mouth, James, he knows we’re here."

"But I kind of like her quiet, don’t you, -OW! Crikes, Lil, I was just joking.. didn’t have to bite me," he whimpered dramatically.

Ana just squinted from Dumbledore to the dark, open hallway.

Dumbledore continued. "I presume you were all on your way back to the common room, as it is… Ah yes…fifteen minutes past curfew?"

"Absolutely!" promised the less playful sounding male’s voice.

"Good, then you can take Miss Anblick with you."

"WHAT?" piped up Ana urgently, freaking out.

"They’re from Gryffindor, and your luggage should be waiting for you in your room. Oh, and your owl, Sergei should already be in the Owlry. I believe you are in Miss Evans’s room. She’s a fifth year as well."

"Well, but-"

"Is that all right with you three?"

"No problem!" piped up the girl’s voice.

"Good then! See you in the morning, Ana!" Dumbledore said as he turned and walked off.

"WAIT!" she called after him, but the shapeless voice interrupted.

"So, Miss Anblick, what brings you to Hogwarts?"

Ana snatched out her brand new wand as she back all the way against the wall. "Who are you!? Wh-What

are you!" she squinted, but saw nothing but shadows. "I have a wand! I know how to use it!"

There was a moment’s pause. "But you’re holding it upside down!"

"And you’re a fifth year?"

The observant female voice popped up. "An American at Hogwarts? Anyway, I personally am a human being. But the other two can be animals."

"Literally," grunted one of them, although Ana couldn’t tell which. She started to feel a bit more confident as she whipped her wand around to the correct grip.

"And so you’re invisible…. Because?"

"Oh, right!" realized Lily as she grabbed the cloak and yanked it off. Ana jumped back to see three students her age appear out of no where. Actually, she was so startled that she tripped back over her own feet and stumbled down with a ‘CRASH’.

"You okay?" laughed a rather charming looking boy with curly, messy black hair.

"Fine," muttered Ana, jumping back up to her feet.

Lily eyed her suspiciously. "This is an invisibility cloak," she explained gently.

"C’mon, don’t they have them in the States?" asked the same charming boy, still chuckling slightly over her fall.

"Err.. yeah.. well, I guess.."

There was an awkward pause before the boy with messy hair and glasses held out his hand toward the empty corridor. "Well, Miss Anblick, ready to see Gryffindor?"

"Ana," she corrected him. "And sure, I’m ready." She highly doubted that she was.

"I’m James, this is Lily, and the weirdo at the end is Sirius." Ana gave them all a nervous wave as she followed them at a very short distance.

"Why aren’t you at Salem?" Lily inquired, as if she had been holding the question in.

"Uh.. Salem?"

"Yeah.. one of the American schools of magic?" answered Sirius in one of his bright intellectual moments.

"Oh…" answered Ana, thinking rapidly. "It.. uh.. was too far from home!" She only realized after her comment with the British teenagers just how stupid that sounded. "..uh, It’s kind of an exchange," she muttered with finality.

They seemed to accept this answer, although they still seemed confused. Ana was kind of confused herself. There’s an American school? Why did I have to come here? Lost in thought, she almost ran into Sirius, who with the rest of the gang, had stopped at a dead end. "Where are we?"

"The door to Gryffindor Tower. The password is Gibberygoo." Instantly, the portrait flew open, and a small hallway led to a brightly lit common room. As the four of them stepped in, the chattering students suddenly stopped and stared at the newcomer. Ana could almost hear the whispers of Who is that? and Is she new? Lily, sensing this, tried to smooth it over.

"Sirius has that effect on people," she grinned.

"Yeah," grinned James. "They all stand and gawk in horror, asking themselves, "Ewww… That Sirius Black… hate to see what his parents look like…"

"OR," frowned Sirius, playfully, "They’re thinking, MMMMMMMM, MMMMMMM! That Sirius Black can just lug his sweet ass over here an’ gimme some sugar!"

Some girls in the corner giggled, and even Lily and James cracked a snicker. Ana managed a smile.

This is all just some bizarre dream… she promised herself.

* * * * *

Dumbledore yawned as he glided into to McGonagall’s office.

"Ahh, Albus, you’re back," she said upon seeing him. Her eyes narrowed seriously. "How did it go?"

Dumbledore nodded, as she offered him some tea, and he sank into one of her office chairs. "Very well. I think we’ll be seeing some interesting things out of Miss Anblick."

The witch looked at him carefully. "You think she’s really a Guardian?"

He shrugged vaguely. "We can’t possibly say anything yet. She has her first lesson with Professor Pyrre tomorrow."

The woman snorted. "That woman couldn’t tell crystal balls from Quaffles. Tell me what you learned. Dumbledore nodded, as he sipped his tea. "Oh, and before I forget, you got quite a few owls today. They look important." She placed three scrolls of parchment on the desk, which he reached over to examine.

One of them was on glossy, silver paper. The message was written in swirly, purple ink.

 

Dear Headmaster Albus Dumbledore,

I hope this letter finds you well. I have some business to discuss with you and I will be arriving at your school sometime tomorrow morning. Your stars say you don’t have any appointments at that time. ‘Til then!

Stars be Kind,

Kezia Doppelle

*Guardian*

 

Dumbledore smiled at this, as if it were expected. And if he was expecting this, the next letter did surely not surprise him. Just opening it to see who it was from, he spotted the name Charles Crouch at the bottom.

He looked up at McGonagall, who was monitoring the situation carefully. "Well, we have a Guardian, we have the Caucus Resistance… Who are we missing?" he inquired, holding up the last, mysterious scroll- a formal, profession, businesslike white parchment.

"Well, we know it’s not You-Know-Who," shrugged McGonagall.

He smiled and opened the letter, but the smile quickly died away.

"It’s from the American Ministry…" he muttered, blinking down through the letter through his glimmering spectacles. After a moment, his sparkling eyes closed, as he let his hand and his letter drop to his lap.

"Good Heavens," he sighed wearily and grieved, shaking his lowered head.

"What is it, Albus?"

He removed his his spectacles, and pinched the corners of his eyes. This was the first time McGonagall had seen him even remotely close to tears. "A murder has occurred… Don’t be so sure the letter wasn’t from Voldemort…."