Harry Potter and the Unlikely Gryffindor

\'Save me...\'

Severus swept his eyes around his lab, watching the shadows dance in the candlelight. The knife in his hand frozen in mid-slice. Sweeping the voice from his mind, Snape continued chopping the Ginger root. He made sure to keep the slices between 1 and 1-1/2 centimeters in width before scooping it up with the pewter knife and letting it drop soundlessly in the cauldron. The liquid shone like a pearl before it returned to the color of sunshine. He picked up a frozen Ashwinder egg, putting his wand up to it to break it open.

\'Save me...\'

Severus raised his head, something was not right. Not only was he brewing a potion he had never heard the recipe for, but he was back in his old lab in Hogwarts. He put the egg down, turning the fire off under the cauldron. Stepping around the tables, Snape slowly crept to the door. Reaching out, he pushed the door open, an ice cold wind hitting his face.

Suddenly, he was in the Forbidden Forest, surrounded by Magnolia trees in full bloom even though it was cold enough to freeze the air in his lungs. Each leaf looked as though it could have been a toad stool, the coarse foliage whispering in the wind. Vaguely, Serverus could hear the voice of a woman, choking with tears.

As he walked into the stand of Magnolia, he could hear her voice clearly on the scented breeze, desperate and afraid. As Serverus stepped beyond the last group of trees, he could see a gentle hill, topped by three trees.

Two Ebony trees, their branches brushing against each other in the chill wind. And between the two, a Yew tree, its branches reaching out to choke the two trees beside it. He could hear the woman\'s voice clearly now, his heart aching at the sorrowful moan. As he ascended the hill, his eyes came to focus on the Yew tree, white as a ghost in the chill of the night.

\'Help me...\'

Severus could not fathom how, but the voice was coming from one of the trees. Rounding the hill, he came to the other side of the three trees. The sight burnt itself into his mind as he stood frozen on the frozen ground.

In the left hand Ebony tree, hung Hera, seemingly crucified to the Ebony, her arms and hands held to the branches by the Yew. Her wrists and ankles oozing dark blood, making the bark of the tree glisten. To the other Ebony, hung himself, crucified in the same manner, his eyes staring at nothing.

The Yew, whose branches seemed to grow as Serverus watched, fed off of the blood spilled by the two. Around the tree, the ground was alive with movement. Heads and tails of serpents curling around each other in a ball of ecstasy around the body of a man. Stepping closer, Severus saw a bit of chocolate in the man\'s hand, his thin face frozen in agony. A particularly large snake poked its head out of the gash at Remus\' throat, its gray eyes on Severus as it slithered out of the corpse, its silver body glistening with fresh blood.

Before Severus could react, the snake was around him, squeezing the air out of his lungs. Watching him with its steel gaze. Snape could not find his voice, nor his wand as he struggled to free himself from the beast. As his vision tunneled into nothingness, he could hear Hera\'s sorrowed cry as a thin Yew branch wrapped around her throat.


Hera\'s eyes snapped open, her arms shooting out to catch the edges of the bed she was sleeping in. Her mind struggled to piece together the events of the last few days, but all she could come up with was a dark blur filled with the smell of sulfur and ozone.

xxx

Suddenly, hands reached out from both sides of the bed, taking her by the shoulders and pushing her back down to the bed as a small bottle was placed at her lips. \"Drink.\" She was ordered, the liquid poured down her throat without waiting for her response.

It burned like cheap whiskey, trailing fire down to her belly where it traveled to her limbs and brain, making her vision fuzz over for a moment before returning to normal. Then, just as quickly, the hands were gone. The room was empty except for her mother, who was dabbing Hera\'s forehead with a wet cloth.

Confusing thoughts swirled in her mind, wrapped in the smoke and incense that had filled her senses for the last three days. For some reason, she could remember very little of the family that had raised her. Did she have three brothers or four? How many aunts tried to style her hair at Christmas time? What did her mother\'s pecan pie taste like?

Hera\'s eyes brimmed over with tears. Even though she had no recollection of her true past, she felt an incredible sense of loss, making her chest feel like a hollow void. Lucinda offered no comfort as she sat there, idly dabbing her head with the rag as though this were part of her duty.

Something had happened over the time she was out. Something had changed, all be it subtly. The warmth she had perceived only a few days ago seemed to have bled off, replaced by cool acquiescence of duty.

But as soon as she had acknowledged that something was amiss, the door to her bedroom opened, and he stepped through again, taking those thoughts and snuffing them out of existence. The sense of loss she was feeling was washed away, replaced by that molten silk flowing through her veins, heating her until Hera felt she would burst into flames. Her heart seemed to thunder in her chest, and she knew without knowing that her wedding day would be on the next sunrise.

Draco seemed to float into the room, carried in by confidence and a dark miasma that flowed around him like a dark aura. What ever warmth she had thought was lacking, was more than made up for with the heat in his gaze. He reached out with one hand encased in a soft white glove, and ran his thumb lovingly across her cheek, sending a shiver through her body.

All she knew was that if he suddenly disappeared, Hera felt like she would rather jump out of the window than face the chill that would surely consume her. \"You are well,\" he asked, smiling as she answered with a nod, her crystalline eyes focused on his stormy gray. \"It would simply not do to have my bride unwell on her wedding day. I would simply hate it if you were not able to enjoy yourself,\"

Those words filled her to exploding, wrapping her mind in silver tendrils of promise. Whispering to her of all the things that were to come. Some setting her cheeks to blushing with the mere thought of them. His hand left her cheek, his finger tips sliding down her neck before departing her body entirely, as though to encourage those thoughts.

\"I shall be awaiting the morrow with bated breath,\" and with those last words, he was gone, carried out by that dark aura that seemed to harbor every wonderful dream she could conjure.

xxx

Dear Mr and Mrs Thomas

I am writing to request your presence at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Something has happened regarding your daughter, Hera, though I regret I must explain matters face to face with you. To be quite frank, you would not believe me otherwise. Do not worry about transportation, as you will be traveling via Port-key. Mr and Mrs Mathers will instruct you in its use. I will request your presence for several days to see to it this matter is cleared up.

Please understand that any delay will further complicate matters, since mid-terms are fast approaching.

Sincerely yours;

MinervaMcGonagall
Headmistress of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry


Cecilia looked at her husband, concern evident on her face. Both she and Jerold knew the kind of trouble their youngest daughter could get herself into. Her late night escapades at the Razor-blade Kiss were something of legend within the Thomas family.

Even when Hera had no intention of doing anything untoward, things would happen. At first Cecilia and Jerold were frightened at their daughter\'s abilities, but they came to accept them as part of who Hera was. Including the silver hair that set her apart from every other child.

Cecilia could remember when Hera was young. The child was plagued by nightmares that would leave her screaming so, that the light bulbs in her bedroom would burst. It wasn\'t until she was much older that she was able to articulate exactly what had happened before she and Jerold had adopted her. And what she revealed curdled Cecilia\'s blood in her veins.

Hera was much too young, at the time, to understand why these things had happened. It wasn\'t until a few months ago, when Cecilia had brought the matter of the letters up with Theresa Mathers that she understood.

Hera was a Witch, a powerful one at that. Her family had existed since before Christ, and had been \'Pure Blood\' for all that time. Cecilia didn\'t know what to make of the term \'Pure of blood\', but Theresa explained that it meant that everyone in the family was a Wizard or Witch, and they did not marry outside of Wizarding society. Not even Muggle born, or half-bloods.

This struck both her and Jerold as quite prejudiced, even racist. But Theresa explained that such things were accepted in Wizarding society. Sometimes all that stood in the way of middle and lower class, was a single muggle relative.

Cecilia\'s distress is what had prompted Theresa to recommend that Hera stay at the Weasley house, since they were one of the more tolerant families. Plus, Hera would more than pay her way by shocking Mr. Weasley with alternative Muggle society.

Cecilia smiled as she answered the door, finding Theresa standing there. The two women embraced, greeting one another, Theresa getting down to explaining the use of a Port-key. It was quite easy, actually. Just touch it and it would take you to a predisposed place, which in this case would be Hogwarts.

Soon they were packed and they stood in their living room, staring at the small gargoyle statue sitting on their kitchen table. Theresa pulled out a long looking stick, carved intricately with strange symbols. She tapped the gargoyle twice, incanting \'Portus\', as her wand touched the third time. The gargoyle seemed to glow blue for a moment, trembling on the table before falling silent once more.

With a nod of encouragement from Theresa, Mr., and Mrs. Thomas held onto their luggage as they both put their hands on the gargoyle, the room falling out of existence in a shimmer of blue lightening.

xxx

Hermione tried not to laugh when Harry stuffed an entire sandwich into his mouth, his cheeks bulging like a chipmunks as he chewed, making the most obnoxious sounds she had ever heard. She had to admit though, that she would probably do the same if she had spent three days thrashing around with nothing to eat.

But after this, where would they go? They had been so desperate to rescue Hera that they had not thought of any contingency plans. It was no different than usual, really. They never had a backup plan other than to go rushing in, wands raised. Now that she really thought about it, it seemed pretty silly, almost like they had perfect direction.

\"Of course!\" Hermione exclaimed, rolling her eyes at her own ignorance. \"How could I be so dense,\" she hissed as she got up from beside Ron and Harry and walking over to a clear area, bare of vegetation.

\"Harry, when is Hermione ever dense?\" Ron asked, shrugging with his friend as they watched Hermione etching something into the stone with the tip of her wand. The two busied themselves with their rations, both stuffing their faces with the sandwiches.

Hermione was finished nearly an hour later, her hands and wand covered in rock dust.

\"Ron, Harry,\" she beckoned, crooking her finger for them to come to where she was standing. \"Remember when McGonagall said that we were like the cardinal directions,\" she asked, rolling her eyes when both boys looked at each other in confusion. \"She was talking about us representing one of the four directions: North, South, East, and West. That is why Tetrids work so well, they\'re like a complete circuit.\"

Ron listened, his head tilting to the left just slightly. \"Thats wonderful and all, Hermione. But how do we know which direction we are?\"

Hermione, pursed her lips, putting her thumb and forefinger to her head in her classic thinking pose. Then she started walking around the compass carved out of the rock, repeating the names of each direction until she stopped, her feet on the point for East. \"I think this is where I belong, since I\'m the oldest.\" She said, looking up at the other two. \"Walk around until you find a place that feels right.\"

Ron and Harry looked at each other, shrugged and started walking around the compass, stopping at nearly the same time. Harry was standing at North, Ron at South. Hermione nodded, holding out her wand in the palm of her hand. \"That would mean that Hera is West, stop laughing Harry. This is not the Wizard of Oz.\" Hermione chided, rolling her eyes when Harry just grinned.

\"She is evil, Hermione. Bloody funny, but evil,\" Hermione gave Ron a nasty look, rolling her eyes again.

\"Anyway, I figure we could use this like the \'Point Me\' charm. But instead of finding true north, we would be finding Hera,\" Hermione looked around at the other two, almost as though for approval.

\"Aw, bloody hell, Harry. It\'s crazy enough to actually work.\" Ron said as he took out his wand, laying it in the palm of his hand. Harry shook his head as he did the same.

\"Ok...what now?\" Good question, Hermione thought, chewing the inside of her cheek, thinking about the last time she had seen Hera. She had been throwing snowballs so hard she was knocking boys down left and right.

Ron laughed mentally when he remembered Hera shoving a snowball down his shirt. It had melted, nearly freezing his arse to his pants.

Harry thought of how Hera had saved him from a rather nasty death by using the Levitation charm to literally toss him across Hogsmead and into the Three Broomsticks. Thinking back, Harry was sure it was quite hilarious to see him flying though the air without a broom, screaming like a little girl.

Almost at once, the three wands began to quiver in their hands, the movement getting stronger as thoughts of their missing friend became stronger. Harry\'s moved first, literally lifting out of his hand, swinging to the east-north-east, the others following, pointing in the same direction.

\"That\'s where we go from here, I guess.\" Harry said, looking back at his friends, seeing his determination reflected on their faces. \"Alright, no matter how far?\" He asked, looking back at Hermione and Ron, putting his wand in the center. Ron and Hermione did the same, touching the tips of their wands to Harry\'s in the middle of the circle.

\"No matter how far.\" They echoed, their eyes drifting back toward the east-north-east. They were wondering, not for the first time, what would be waiting for them. Both when they got to Hera, and when, or if, they got back.