A Lupin, A Black and An Evans.
The first word on Peter since he escaped comes at the end of May. Regulus has been clearing Grimmauld Place with an ecstatic Kreacher and mildly horrified Snow family. Apparently the movement in the old house is spotted and Pettigrew breaks in to bring Regulus a summons from the Dark Lord, who gets closer to the truth than Dumbledore. He's there now and Hope's waiting on his letter to know if her plan was successful or if she saved Reg only to get him killed fourteen hears later.
Still Hope is dying of excitement, sure she's been working under Albus' nose for years but this is her first big play. Everything she's done has been reactionary or minor. Pettigrew and Sirius was her biggest move and all it's really done is give Padfoot a little longer to recover from his time in Azkaban and Pettigrew had Longer to find and prepare for his Master's return. The broken locket is burning a whole in her pocket. It was hidden beneath the floorboards in Lilily's potions room along with everything she found on Horcruxes, transference magic and a letter to Severus Hope's been waiting for the right time to give him.
"My Lady. you're attracting the wrackspurts." An almost harmonic Irish lilt tells her and Hope blinks up out of her thoughts.
"And everyone else apparently. How can I help you Luna?" Hope mutters the first part to herself.
"My father has a package for you," she says and gives her an antique oak jewellery box. The etchings decorating the box seem to be a field of wildflowers surrounding the large reddish orange stoneset into the wood. Carved into the stone in rose gold lettering is a name. Hope.
"I don't understand why your Father would give me this, where did he get it?" Hope doesn't sound confused, she sound terrified because this is hers. She knows it Oak is one of the goddess Brigid's sacred plants Brigid being the Goddess whose children became the Speaker of Fate. Same as the red stone which now that Hope looks closer is a Red Agate.
"A man gave it to him, said He'd meet the owner one day and recognise her Aura. He recognised you when you had the Interview before break. We won't tell My Lady. Daddy says our family has always been friends of the Fae." She says as though it's the simplest thing in the world. Maybe for Luna it is. Still, Aura reading, a mystery man that knows her identity.
"Who was the man she got it from?"
"He didn't say. But father said he had the brightest Aura he's ever seen. Like yours." The rest of the second year Slytherclaw class files in as the bell rings and Luna sits down without another word next to Ginny. Hope puts the box inher desk and stands to look at the class doing her best to hide just how shaken she is.
"Who wants to present their bloodline assignment first."
Harry's class is the last of the day and they're working on prep for their summer assignments. A camping trip, muggle style of course. The Quidditch World Cup being the perfect opportunity to do so, or rather the days before. The groups were bigger for this assignment. Three groups of mixed Slytherins and gryffindors. Harry and Ron are a given, and Harry gestures to Nevill. The first Slytherin to saunter over to their table is Blaize, then Pansy Parkinson drags Draco over to the table and turns to Harry.
"You live in the Potter Country Estate." It isn't a question and Harry looks confused as to why she's talking to him.
"Yeah, but it's under fidelius. We're camping in the woods near Ron's." He deflects quickly and Pansy's eyebrows raise.
"Why?"
"Peter Pettigrew, Voldemort. You understand people are constantly trying to kill me, yeah?" He huffs running his hands through his hair Hope see's Draco follow the movement then blush into his copy of little women.
"So dramatic. You do have a country house, yes, and a castle in India. How many more estate's do you own?" She interrogates and Hope tries to bite back a laugh.
"We're supposed to be organising a camping trip." Neville reminds them quietly, surprising himself by speaking up but picking up on how uncomfortable Harry is.
"I hardly see what this is testing." Ron argues as he looks at the lists of food you can bring.
"I think it's more about teaching than testing. Wizards rely on magic too much and tend to overlook simple answers Evans is forcing us back to bare basics. I assume there will also be Lord of the Flies on next year's book list." Malfoy explains to raised eyebrows all around. "What, I like to read you think Granger is the only one who's ever set foot in a library?"
"I think it's the Muggle books that are surprising. Where do you even get them with your Dad?" Neville asks as kindly as possible.
"The Weasley twins band." Blaize answers for him and turns them back to the topic at hand. They just work on the assignment for the rest of the class but Draco and Pansy keep passing each other notes. When the class files out Harry stays back with Ron clearly waiting for something.
"It's almost June." Harry reminds Hope as though she's forgotten something and she grins pulling out the book from her desk along with the box from the Lovegoods.
"The prisoner of Azkaban. There's almost nothing the same but go for your life." She says handing the third book to the boys.
"What's with the box?"
"Luna Lovegood gave it to me. She said a powerful wizard gave it to her father for safekeeping and that it's mine."
"What's inside?" Ron asks and Hope shrugs. One way to find out. The box looked locked but as soon as Hope tries to open it her thumb is but on the latch and it opens.
It's a jewellery box exactly as expected filled with antique jewels that are almost medieval along with two small golden keys attached to a letter.
Evanna
If memory serves you've only learnt the truth of your past recently. Our mother was supposed to teach you the way of the Speaker but as always. If you want something done right we have to do it ourselves.The keys are to Gringotts vaults one and three. The Jewels are made to be enchanted as the last of the Tuathe De Danann you can do so much more than simple shapeshifting. You'll find instructions and memories in the vaults so you no longer have to rely on Severus to protect our Hero. Give Harry my Love.
Lady Evanna Hope, Speaker of Fate and Bard of Camelot. The boys are trying on the jewels while Hope reads the familiar handwriting. It's not exact, Hope doesn't actually know the Calligraphy used yet. That answers what Hope will be doing while Harry's camping then.
"Who are they from?" Harry asks, trying on a small golden circlet.
"Me. Apparently I'm the Bard of Camelot. Or I will be when we achieve your destiny." Hope says with a laugh as she folds the letter.
"So you're leaving me?" Harry's voice is quiet and fearful. Oh shit, this was not how she wanted this conversation to start.
"Oh, Hero, not until you're all grown up and don't need me anymore. That's what the Speaker of Fate is. I look after the Hero until they achieve their destiny, but once they have, I'm sent to the next Hero." Hope says taking his hand when there's a knock at the door. Remus looks between them and the box on her desk with a raised eyebrow.
"We've been summoned to the Headmaster's office Evans." Remus sounds odd using Lily's name for Hope but not if you aren't looking.
"Both of us? I'm gonna have to kick Sev's ass aren't I?"
"He was in the Staff room with me when I was called and swore it's nothing to do with him." Remus disagrees and Hope raises an eyebrow. Hope puts her future or past selves jewels back into the box that seals itself again and stands up. With a hug for Harry and a hair ruffle for Ron, Hope follows Moony to the Headmasters office.
"Remus, Petunia. Glad you could join me." Dumbledore smiles as he gestures them into the room where Sirius is waiting.
"Huh, A Lupin, A Black and An Evans. We call Potter in and it's a Marauders revamp." Hope comments taking the seat next to Sirius.
"Lily wasn't a Marauder." Sirius laughs and Hope waves a hand dismissively.
"She posthumously took Pettigrew's place. As Harry did James. Am I wrong?"
"Now is hardly the time Evans." Remus chuckles as he takes the third seat." Dumbledore ignores Hope's random babbling.
"Today I received a Job application for the Defence Against the Dark Arts Position next year. An application from a dead man."
"Really? Well don't leave us in suspense." Hope lies through her teeth and Dumbledore can see it. Not that she planned on lying to him effectively. Him knowing this is her plan but not being able to prove it is half the fun.
"Regulus Black came to see me an hour ago, not a day over Nineteen. You wouldn't know anything about that would you, Petunia?"
"Regulus Black? Sirius's little brother. I thought he died before Nineteen eighty. How on earth did he get here?" Sirius I biting the inside of his cheek
"He claims he was working on a portkey through time to escape the death eaters. Apparently in December of Nineteen seventy nine he lost a duel to the elder Mr Black and the prototype was set off, he awoke in his Home this new year." Dumbledore gives Petunia the public story and she struggles to keep a straight face. Remus has his eyebrows raised but said nothing while Sirius is failing spectacularly at holding in his laughter.
"That is incredible, but I fail to see how it affects me? Sirius and Remus of course. Especially if He's after Remus's job." She replies and Dumbledore looks close to snapping like Michael Gambon when Harry's name comes out of the Goblet of fire.
"Sirius has already confirmed Regulus' story of his disappearance after their duel. However his memory is only of what was told to him by Lily and James Potter after rescuing him from Grimmauld Place. He seems to have had his memory erase of the entire month of December that year." Dumbledore continues and Padfoot sends Hope a wink while Remus clears his throat.
"Are you accusing Evans of something? She's an impressive woman no doubt but time travel? A little beyond even her abilities don't you think?" Remus lies smoothly and Hope is impressed. She's a terrible liar. Even with all the secrets she keeps she's always had half truth to ground herself. The rest a story of how it could have been. Straight in the eye falsehoods. Harder. Not for Remus though apparently.
"I've learnt when it comes to Miss Evans nothing can stop her getting what she wants. Given the impressive loyalty she's inspired in a select number of students, I have cause to wonder what she's inspired them to create." Dumbledore hits the nail on the head. "Not to mention your interest in Harper Snow who was born the same month."
"Because Harper is my daughter. We did a blood test with Severus he'll confirm it. I didn't know, or maybe I found out when she was born and that was what was erased but she's mine. Lyra Black I'm instating her inheritance soon." Sirius Chimes in his lines and Hope just has to trust Severus to follow along with their plan despite what happened. It's been months though, if he was going to rat them out he would have done it by now.
"You aren't going to tell me the truth are you?" Albus sighs and gives them the same look Minnie gives Harry. It's annoyance yes but there's something approving in it.
"The truth about what? Regulus coming back is a miracle and we can't abandon him to a time he knows nothing about. Of course we'll need to find Remus a new job, but being replaced is far better than being outed and forced to quit. What about History of Magic. Professor Binns is well past retiring age. You wouldn't even have to tell him he's been replaced. Just moving the Classroom would suffice. He wouldn't notice since kids would probably still go in for naps." Hope suggests and Remus acts like he's considering it the first time and hasn't had the entire syllabus mapped out since Nineteen eighty two.
"Are you truly demanding a change in staffing when you're clearly lying to me?" Dumbledore is still eerily calm but if direct Magic worked on Hope she'd be fearing for her life. It doesn't however so she just smiles.
"Just making a suggestion, Professor. It'll be a busy year come September. What with the Triwizard tournament. I doubt the students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would be pressed by the class students refer to as nap time or study hall." Hope argues her point without breaking from her and Albus' stare off.
"Whatever you're planning. I can be of help." Albus implores but Hope just smiles.
"If you want to help make the necessary staffing changes." Hope pulls the destroyed locket out of her pocket and puts it onto his desk still not breaking eye contact. Then with a winning smile and a wave to her housemates Hope sees herself out.