The Hellish Life of Helia Potter

“Nicholas Flamel.” Theo read, his cool voice carried easily.

"Oh, you’re finally finding out about who Flamel is.” Padma beamed, “With all those books you guys went through, it was about time.” 

The golden trio exchanged pained smiled, they still couldn't believe after all that time in the library they found Flamel in a Circe damned chocolate frog card.

Helia did not need any convincing not to go looking for the Mirror of Erised again, she didn’t know if Dumbledore took her threat seriously, but she couldn’t feel the menacing mirror call out to her anymore, so that was a plus. For the rest of the Christmas holidays the invisibility cloak stayed folded at the bottom of her trunk, just in case she got the urge to look for the blasted thing.

“While I’m all for shattering that wretched mirror, mind you, I also never want you within a hundred thousand feet of the bloody thing. ” Sirius piped up, still pissed that the Professors had an enchanted mirror that drive you batshit insane within the same premise as his goddaughter. “I will also play devil’s advocate here.”

Lily looked at Sirius flatly, “I thought you were always that.”

“Stuff it, Evans.”

“Ah-ah!” James wagged his finger at his best mate. “It’s Potter.” He beamed at Lily and Sirius never getting tired of correcting anyone that Lily was his wife now.”

Lily, Sirius and Remus all fondly rolled their eyes, they knew all too well how James was. 

“As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted.” Sirius announced. “Pup, avoiding going out because of the mirror will only hinder you in the long run. It’s best to get back up on the proverbial broomstick and try again. It’ll help, trust me.”

Helia smiled at Sirius, loving how Sirius could find the perfect balance of protectiveness and knowing when to let her fly freely. It seemed he was one of the few people these days that didn’t push her temper trying to control her every move, he could understand where she was coming from.

Helia wished she could forget what she'd seen in the mirror as easily, but she couldn't. She started having nightmares.

“It’ll be okay, Fawn.” James comforted his daughter, kissing her on the forehead. “You have more than you know.”

Helia smiled weakly at her father, she logically knew that she had Sirius, Hermione, Ron, Remus, and the rest of the Weasley’s that cared for her. Along with good friends in Luna, Neville, Padma, and Susan and there sure to be more to come like her two little cousins Hestia and Flora that she could possibly grow close to her. 

However, nothing would be able to replace nor heal the wound left by her parent murder, Sirius was great as a father figure, but she was bitter that she never really had the chance to be just Helia daughter to James and Lily Potter not Helia Potter the Girl-Who-Lived —while her parents died—

Over and over again she dreamed about her parents disappearing in a flash of green light, while a high voice cackled with laughter.

Helia breathed through her nose, slamming her eyes shut as the same visions flashed in her mind clear as day, in much more detail than her eleven-year-old self had to suffer. She had to stop her hands from raising to cover her ears as they rang with the screams of her mother pleading, no need for people to see her acting anymore crazy than they already thought she was.

Draco watched as Helia closed off from the mention of her night terrors, as they dragged her back into the terror that still haunts her steps. Powerless to do anything in the face of ghosts and too cowardly to show he worried and cared for her, for the Heir to the line of Malfoy that claims to be the greatest. He sure didn’t feel any of that greatness.

It was only because her of silencing charm and spelling her curtains to stay closed did she escape walking up her returned roommates.

“You can always wake me up.” Hermione assured, as she pushed her magic to wrap around Helia’s shoulders like a shawl.

“I know, Mione.” Helia smiled at her best friend, “But with Lavender and Parvati it’s better that I silence and magic my curtains shut, so they can’t get to me when I’m in the midst of a nightmare. You know I sometimes end up in fight mode when I wake up, I might end up attacking.”

“We know.” Ron calmed as he saw Helia getting worked up with the possibility of attacking her other roommates when she was trapped in her fight-or-flight response after nightmares. “We came up with the zzz rules for a reason.

“Zzz rules?” Kingsley echoed, confused.

“Rule one before bed always either read a book, do a puzzle or meditate. Rule two never try to wake her it will only led to injury —to Helia or the waker—Rule three calm voices only after waking, Rule four hand holding is fine, but do not constrict movements Rule five all parties are to have mandatory slumber parties twice a week.” Hermione listed off in one breath.

“Slumber parties?” Madam Bones asked.

Ron nodded, “Usually with both Hermione and I, we can get Helia to sleep peacefully or at least tell when a night terror is coming on, so we can prevent them.” 

“But with Ron not being able to go into our dormitory, we make do with finding different slumber party spots.” Helia shrugged, like she was blowing her professors minds by saying she and her friends regularly snuck around the castle after hour for slumber parties of all things.

—not that she could fool Hermione she felt her alarm, despair and exhaustion that Helia tried to hide, why did she think she could hide from her bonded she will never know—

"You see, Dumbledore was right, that mirror could drive you mad," said Ron, when he finally pried what was throwing Helia into a deep mess of depression and paranoia.

“Mr. Weasley is being rational, Miss. Potter you should’ve gone to Madam Pomfrey she would’ve been able to prescribe you something to help.” McGonagall frowned at the stubborn look on her troublesome lioness’s face.

“I don’t take medication, I don’t need it.” Helia blinked at her Head of House, she’s always avoided potions when she could, just like she did with non-magical medicine. “Sides why would I want to spend more time in the hospital wing than I have to?"

McGonagall sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose at the stubborn girl, she need Helia wasn’t avoiding the hospital wing just to spite her but because the girl just didn’t trust anyone to take care of her.

“I still can’t believe you were caught red-hand with a planned weapon to break school property and walked off Scott free.”

Hermione, who came back the day before term started, apparently she had cut her vacation short on the account of all the bad vibes their magical bond was screaming. She was torn between horror at the idea of Helia being out of bed, roaming the school three nights in a row ("If Filch had caught you!"), disappointment that she hadn't at least found out who Nicolas Flamel was, or distraught at mental state she found her best friend in.

“Good Godric, Granger, again with the priorities!” Fred scoffed, teasing the bushy-haired girl. “Make up your mind, are you disappointed at the rule breaking or do you want her to break the rules.”

Hermione huffed as Fred caught Daphne’s hand before she could slap him upside the head, when he saw Hermione’s cinnamon brown eyes flickered to the Ice Princess sitting between him and his brother.

“Fight your own battles, Granger, don’t be dragging her highness into them.” He laughed.

“You’re such a prat, Fred Weasley!” Hermione growled, “I’m allowed to want to keep things by the books, when we were trying to stay under the radar of everyone in school, so they wouldn’t keep us from looking for Nicholas Flamel.”

“Oh, Please. Hermione, love, we literally read how you set a Professor on fire.” George rolled his eyes. “I don’t think that counts as by the books.”

Hermione glared at the twins, “That’s different, I thought he was trying to kill Helia.”

“Give it a rest, you two!” Bill scolded the twins, pulling Hermione back in their seat away from the twins. “You can’t blame her for trying to stick the rules, that’s just how she is, and if she wants to break the rules half the time then that’s her business too.”

“Thank you, Bill.” Hermione smiled at the eldest Weasley sibling, laying a gentle hand on his arm. 

“Sides, Hermione was the one to tell me to look in the restricted section.” Helia piped up, drawing shocked looks.

“I was not!”

“I still have the letter of proof, Mione,” Helia laughed. “Ron, what’s that saying Mione likes to tell us?!”

“I read the rules, before I break them.” Ron said in his best Hermione impression.

“I do not sound like that, Ronald!”

“So, you don’t deny saying that.”

Hermione and Ron hovered a lot more than they ever did before the holiday, Hermione was never far away brushing her hand against Helia’s when reaching for a quill, leaning into her side when they read together, heck Hermione even crawled into bed with her when she had a bad night.

Hermione huffed at the side-eyes she was getting. “I can constantly feel Helia’s emotions, and I could tell something settled in her when I touched her. And I was right, our bond feeds off of our physical connection and since we only see each other as sisters, casual touching was the easiest way to do it.”

“It ain’t a surprise that Granger would be able to touch Potter before anyone else be able to.” Theo hummed. “Their magical bond is a physical binding that constantly pulling them together, on top of Potter clearly being touch-starved it’s a no-brainer.”

“If that was true, then shouldn’t she actively seek touch then?” Astoria asked, naively. It made sense to her if someone was touch-starved than they should reach out of an embrace.

Daphne sighed at her sheltered sister, “That’s not how it works sadly, Ria not everyone has people to safely give them what they need or trust them to be that vulnerable.”

Ron was more careful about touching her but, he had taking to giving her attention in other ways, giving her his scarf when it was especially cold, handing her a cup of hot chocolate at random times, and he even surprised her by cleaning her quidditch gear for her on the nights she was so tired she was about to drop from exhaustion.

“Oh, Ron, Sweetheart.” Mrs. Weasley cooed, a little choked up at how sweet her youngest son was to Helia.

“I always knew he was the one to take the most after Mum.” Charlie whispered to Bill.

“You can’t talk, you baby your dragons, Char.” Bill rolled his eyes

“They are glorious magical creature who deserve all the love and protect.” Charlie huffed. “If anything, I don’t baby them enough.”

“Brother of mine, you’ve brought baby dragon dressed in onesies to Christmas dinner after your first year on the reserves.” Bill deadpanned, still remembering their Mum’s screaming. She never did get those scorch marks out of the sofa, and Percy couldn’t sleep in his own bed without checking under his bed in fear tiny dragons will attack his feet like some sort of demented cat with scales and fire breathing capability.

“They’re practically my kids!” Charlie defended himself, “Are you saying I should’ve kept Mum and Dad away from their first grandkids?!”

“Mum banned them from the burrow, so yes I am.”

“Give it a rest, Bill.” Fred rolled his eyes. “You know he won’t see reason when it comes to dragons.”

“Yeah, he still sends out holiday cards with egg pictures every time new ones come into his care.” George nodded.

Charlie pouted at his brother, “I’m still hurt Mum couldn’t tell her grandkids apart, they were completely different shades. Some Grand-mum she turned out to be.” 

“They were grey and in fire pits, your lucky Mum could even tell what type of dragon eggs they were.” Percy scoffed, he shivered remembering the horrible Christmas Charlie released dragons in their home. He still had scars for Merlin’s sake!

They had almost given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a library book, even though Helia was still sure she'd read the name somewhere.

Both Hermione and Ron facepalmed, of all the time for Helia’s recollection to fail them.

Once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks.

Kingsley winced, in sympathy. “Not much time to make much headway in your search.”

“We were already using all over our breaks to research, we were getting nowhere, so we were trying to look every possible second.” Hermione sighed.

“Tell me about it, we barely sat down to eat during those days.” Ron groaned, as if it wasn’t hard enough to get Helia and Hermione to remember to eat. “We literally were surviving off finger foods.”

Helia had even less time than the other two, because Quidditch practice had started again.

Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits.

George groaned, “I can feel my bones aching just from the memory.”

“Fifth year was worst.” Fred shivered.

"I wonder what kind of training regime he does, my team of slackers never seemed properly worked.” James pouted, eyeing his only old teammate in the room. 

Sirius stared at James with wide eyes. “You’re bleeding insane, James, you worked us to the bone for the four years you were captain!”

“Clearly not well enough with all the whining you guys did to Frankie.” James retorted, dismissing Sirius’s words. “You fellas never went a single practice without complaining, driving Frankie up the walls.”

“Frank had to deal with your Quidditch obsession, that was killing our whole team from the Prewett Twins, Meadows, Bran, myself and Frank.” Sirius argued, clearly having been through this argument a million times before. 

Remus nodded, “Bran threaten to quit quite a lot, if I remember correctly.”

Mr. Weasley snorted, his younger brother Brandelis had a practically used up all his school parchment writing ranting letters to him and their older brother Bedivere about his Captain trying to kill him and how no one could catch fifty golf balls while dodging bludgers every day. He had seriously worried about his brother’s sanity if he continued to play seeker, “Bran may have threatened to quit, but he’d rather milk billywig’s for their slime, and he’s allergic.”

The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic,

“Little did we know, he could get much worse!" said Fred shaking his head.

“So, so worse.” George shivered.

“There, there.” Daphne sarcastic comforted the twins.

“Your highness!” The Twins whined, both lunging at Daphne to cuddle her in between them. “You’d save us from the big bad Wood, won’t you?”

but Helia was on Wood's side.

The Twins turned looks of horror onto Helia. “Corrupted! She’s been corrupted to the dark side!” Fred exclaimed.

“Quick salt and holy water! We need to ward off the sickness!” George cried.

“That’s enough out of you two.” Helia rolled her eyes at the troublemaking twins.

If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the house championship for the first time in seven years. Quite apart from wanting to win, Helia found that she had fewer nightmares when she was tired out after training.

“This was one of the many reasons why we had to come up with the zzz rules.” Ron pointed out, first year was rough in the way they were still figuring out ways to exist together compared to now where now he can’t imagine his life without Helia and Hermione in it.

“Ronnie and Hermione were so worried about Helia-flower driving herself to the point of breaking during practice, they hired our services to report to them when Helia-flower was particularly self-destructive.” Fred chimed in.

“Even though she was Oliver’s favourite player.” George smirked.

Hermione’s cinnamon brown eyes narrowed. “Don’t get me started on Oliver Wood, that man—

The Twins held up their hands warding off Hermione’s anger.

“I didn’t think you were still mad about that k—

George elbowed his twin, to get him to shut up. They might like to tease people, but he’d like to think they weren’t suicidal, thank you very much. And pissing off Hermione fucking Granger, by bring up that incident, was suicide.

Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave the team a bit of bad news. He just gotten very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.

Mrs. Weasley shook her head at her boys, “Boys, you’ll end up breaking your necks if you keep on fooling around on those brooms.”

“Come on, Mum, we’re just having a bit of fun.” Fred coaxed, slouching against Daphne not wanting to be scolded by his mother. Daphne ran her fingers through his hair as his head nuzzled further into her shoulder.

“Honest, we weren’t even that far up Mum, we wouldn’t of been hurt if we took a tumble.” George reassure their Mum.

"Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!"

James looked at Snape, aghast. “Refereeing! You’re refereeing?! When have you ever even played quidditch?!”

“Severus?” Lily asks confused, glancing at her once upon a time best friend. “You hate quidditch, said it was a waste of time.” 

“I don’t care for the sport still, but it was decided that after the last match it was smart to have a more suited person that can spot any curse or jinx watching over the match.” Snape said with a scowl.

George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words.

"Snape's refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud.

Charlie snorted in amusement at that, glancing at his younger brother. "That's what you get for messing about during practice."

“Oh, sod off, Char.” George muttered, sticking his tongue out of his mouth as if he could still taste that mouthful of mud. 

“I’m just saying quidditch is a sport where you need the upmost focus.” Charlie lectured, his siblings all shared long suffering glances if there were two subject Charlie could go on for hours about it was dragons and quidditch. “What would you do if during a match that laid-back approach cost you and your team points, or worse the game! Focus and dedication I’ve been telling the two of you for years now—

 “Yeah, yeah, Charlie. You told us once.”

“Or twice.”

“More like a million.”

The Twins cut him off, tired of the repeat lecture.

“Honestly, your as bad as Oliver.” George muttered to his older brother.

"When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin. " 

“Don’t even try to defend yourself Snape you’ve been shown to be completely unreasonable toward the other houses, especially Gryffindors.” Sirius growled at his old year-mate.

Snape glared at his schoolyard bully, “I still wasn’t trying to kill her.”

“And we believe you.” Remus reassured, ignoring Sirius’s scoff. “However, the team in the book is more than reasonable in being wary of you refereeing when have you ever shown those kids you can be impartial.”

“Who gives a damn about quidditch, there are bigger problems a foot.” Lily hissed, narrowing her emerald eyes at the three of them. “Helia might be attacked again because she’s investigating Flamel and the stone, so I am grateful that Severus is there as extra security.” 

Sirius and Remus bristled at Lily implying that they didn’t care about Helia’s safety. While Snape blinked at the unexpected thank-you.

James winced as his wife offended his best mates, something she used to quite a lot in their younger years back at Hogwarts. He laid a gentle hand on Lily’s arm, “Lily, Sirius and Remus aren’t saying that they’re not worried. If anything, they’re just trying to distract themselves so they won’t fret by discussing other things.”

Lily frowned at James, before taking his word for it. “Sorry, Remus, Sirius.”

Remus nodded, accepting the apology easily, but Sirius only grudgingly nodded.

The rest of the team landed next to George to complain, too.

“How could Madame Hooch agree to this!” Angelina demanded. “Snape refereeing? That her bloody job!”

"It's not my fault," said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us. " 

"When has he’s ever needed an excuse." Fred scoffed.

“That game, Snape fucking penalized Katie for almost flying into to him.” George groused, still pissed about that uncalled-for penalty, and Snape wonders why they were aiming bloody bludgers at his hooked nosed face. “Which was total bullshit, everyone knows referees are supposed to keep an eye on the game and keep out of the way of the players.”

James nodded along with the Twins, understanding their annoyance at a teammate being penalized over something as shitty as that. “I’ve never heard of a player being penalized for flying into a ref before, and I’ve seen a lot of crash’s over the year. There’s no such thing as flying too close in quidditch.”

“A nice, clean game!” Fred mocked. “Snape not going to care! We could hand the quaffle over to the other team and Snape would penalize us!”

“Yeah, Merlin balls Oliver!” George exclaimed. “Snape hates us so much, Freddie and I could probably smack a bludger, and we’ll get a penalty doesn’t matter, that’s our godforsaken job!”

“And what do you know. That’s exactly what happened.” George scoffed, crossing his arms.

Snape glared at the Twins. “You purposely aimed that bludger at me, of course I was going to penalize you, Mr. Weasley.”

“Maybe you should’ve taken it as the hint it was, Professor.” Fred sneered. “Stay out of our matches and out of our way.”

“Fred, George!” Mrs. Weasley scolded, “He was trying to protect Helia.”

The Twins rolled their eyes in sync. Snape might say he was doing everything to protect Helia, but they witnessed and heard too many snide remarks and gaslighting Snape did to Helia to ever trust the man.

Which was all very well, thought Helia, but she knew Hermione was not going to be happy that Snape was going to be near her while she was playing Quidditch. . . She herself was conflicted

“What’s this Hermione’s the one convinced Snape’s the bad guy, while Helia’s conflicted, talk about switch-a-roo.” Susan observed, she knew there was no love-loss between the Trio and Snape, but she always got the feeling Helia was the drive behind it.

Ron snickered, drawing a confused glance from the red haired Hufflepuff girl. “Helia only attacks when provoked she’s pretty happy cruising under the radar, Mione on the other hand holds grudges like nobody’s business and with all the shit Snape gives Helia she can’t stand him.”

“I didn’t think Hermione was like that, she always seemed to…studious to say anything against the Professors.” Susan hummed.

“She likes giving all the Professors the benefit of the doubt until absolutely necessary,” Ron rolled his blue eyes, remembering the Lockheart incident. “However, she takes Helia’s safety very seriously, even when it goes against Helia’s wishes. Then she’s as vicious and stubborn as any Gryffindor.”

“Like Helia is, then.” Susan surmised.

Ron didn’t look like he agreed, as he rocked his hand in a so-so motion. “Eh, sort of, Helia acts more Gryffindor-like in her anger when she’s around a lot of people. She rather’s to be more…private when she’s mad, because she acts more Slytherin-ish as is her nature, but people judge her for it like she’d the second coming of the dark lord.”

because while she suspected the potions master, she also knew there was a high chance of there being someone else completely trying to get their hands on that grubby little package. She knew that her friends didn’t even consider that Snape could not be the culprit, especially act the almost-being-thrown-off-her-jinxed-broom incident thing.

Padma slapped Helia’s shoulder, “Don’t be brushing a freaking murder attempt off, or I swear to Shakti.”

Helia clutched her shoulder, leaning away from the normally gentle girl. “I wasn’t brushing it off, I survived and had to think of the bigger picture that the stone was under threat of being stolen.”

Every turned to Helia with blank looks.

“What?”

“You do have a saving-people-thing.” 

“I believe the technical term is hero’s complex.”

It didn’t really matter too much to her if Snape was trying to kill, well the forbidden forest looked like a mighty fine place to hide a body. Sides quidditch accidents happen all the time, if Snape really was the one to jinx her broom than she could always issue a little karma his way, see how he would like to fall from his broom from the height of 60-80 feet in the open air.   

“Miss. Potter, are you casually planning my death, a murder really?” Snape sighed, pinching his nose. He really didn’t know what to do with this information, on one hand the little brat was planning on murdering him, on the other hand he could admire the well-thought-out plan of you-come-after-me-i’ll-destroy-you.

“I had to take precautions, Professor.” Helia said innocently, with a hand over her heart. “It’s like Padma said, I was just eleven when someone tried to murder me at my last quidditch match. It’s only natural when the main suspect ends up participating, I would take it as a threat, and react accordingly.”

“And in the wake of the fact that I am innocent of the attempt, what will the outcome be when you find yourself murdering the wrong person.” Snape huffed, laying the fact she would be a murder of an innocent if she pulled that little stunt of hers. Not that he was am innocent man by any means.

Helia turned to Hermione to consult with her, “Is it consider murder if you say sorry afterwards?”

Hermione didn’t miss a beat as she stared down the potions master. “Not if you don’t get caught.”

“Do the two of you really have to discuss the murder of my godfather in front of me.” Draco muttered, thou’ his lips twitched up at the two reining Gryffindor princesses acting more like Slytherin royalty.

“Eh, they even discuss murder over breakfast, and people say I have no tact.” Ron shrugged.

“Don’t pretend you haven’t come up with just as many plots as us, Ronald.”

The rest of the team hung back to talk to one another as usual at the end of practice, but Helia headed straight back to the Gryffindor common room, where she found Ron and Hermione playing chess. Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Helia and Ron thought was very good for her.  

Remus chuckled at the pout Hermione was pulling, she really was a bright girl, reminded him a lot of himself and of Lily. “Hermione winning isn’t everything, when your so use to winning it’s easy to become complacent. And if you become content with how things are, it becomes easier to stop learning.”

Hermione looked scandalized at the very thought that she would stop learning, drawing laughs from the attending Marauders. 

“Hecate, it’s like looking at a mini mix of Remus and Lily-pad.” James chuckled, nuzzling his wife.

“That’s Kitten for ya. Brightest witch of her age, I tell you.” Sirius bragged.

Remus finally took pity on the blushing girl. “Okay, okay, calm down you lot. Hermione, I just mean losing gives you drive and purpose. It makes you want to strive to be better and achieve what you previously couldn’t. So don’t let anyone or yourself make you feel bad about losing.”

Hermione beamed at her favourite ex-professor, who was always kind to her. “Thank you, Professor Lupin.”

“Hermione, I think you can call me Remus, by now.”

"Don't talk to me for a moment," said Ron when Helia sat down next to him, "I need to concen -- " He caught sight of Helia's face.  

"What's the matter with you? You look terrible. "

“Thanks for that, Mate." Helia said, sarcastically.

"You're welcome." Ron chirped, cheerfully. 

Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Helia told the other two about Snape's sudden, sinister desire to be a Quidditch referee.  

“Sinister!? There was nothing sinister, I was trying to keep you safe.” Snape said, heatedly.

“We know that now, but it’s your own fault for sneaking about and being so awful to Helia then maybe we wouldn’t of expected you of trying to kill her.” Hermione hissed back at the potions master.

Snape raised an eyebrow at Miss. Granger’s attitude, he didn’t think the little know-it-all had it in her.

"Don't play," said Hermione at once.

"Say you're ill," said Ron.  

Charlie, and the Twins looked at their brother and Hermione, scandalized. “She can’t just not play!” Charlie exclaimed. 

“Why that’s profanity.” Fred gasped.

“Sacrilege.” George agreed with his brothers, clutching at his invisible pearls.

Daphne smirked, pulling George into her embrace. “Hush now, Luv they can’t hurt you now.”

Fred delighted that Daphne easily slipped into their shenanigans, playing it up as he turned to the alluring girl wrapping his arms around her waist leaning into her and his brother’s space. “Your Highness, you should ban them from your royal sight, nor should your delicate ear be attack by such uncouth words.”

“Come off it, Fred, George.” Ron grumbled, fondly.

"Pretend to break your leg," Hermione suggested.  

"Really break your leg," said Ron.  

Tonks burst out laughing, “A little bit overkill, Ron.”

Ron sheepishly shrugged, “I figured a best mate with a broken leg was better than a dead one.”

Percy shook his head at his younger brother. “Ron, honestly we’re a wizarding society, Madam Pomfrey would’ve had it fixed before the match even began.” He lectured. “Sides, I think that a bit counterproductive to keeping Heliantheae safe.”

“We were eleven, Percy.” Ron whined.

"I can't," said Helia. "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all

Lily eyed Helia incredulously, “You think there’s a risk of being killed — and I not saying Severus is trying to kill you — but, you still want to play, just so your team won’t lose the match!”

James winced when Lily turned her glare onto him like he was the one telling their daughter to play. “Your Mum’s right, Fawn, never let yourself be pressure into anything that makes you feel is a risk to your life.” 

Helia shrugged, uncomfortable at the thought of not doing everything in her power to help. “It was fine, I just wanted to play.”

“She has a saving people thing.” Hermione huffed, “She would never willingly sit out when she was able to help.”

“What I want to know is who’s bright idea was it to not have a reserve seeker?! Seeker is one of the most important players to have reserves for, along with the keeper!” Charlie exclaimed, it literally didn’t make sense to the ex-captain and seeker himself.

Fred grimaced, “After the news of Helia being the new seeker for Gryffindor got around, no one would try out for the seeker position.”

“It was as if they thought they’d upset Helia, trying for it or some rot.” George scoffed. “No matter what any of us did, no one would try out.”

not to mention Oliver will kill me the youngest seeker in a century or not. " 

Hermione groaned, “If Oliver thinks he can lay a hand on you, he has another thing coming, I can handle him

The Twins burst out laughing, drawing Hermione’s furious glare to them.

Bill glanced at the Twins confused, “Why are you guys laughing, there’s no doubt in my mind Hermione could handle wizards three times her age with her intelligence.” 

Fred shook with laughter. “Please, Grangers too busy blushing like a maiden when Oliver’s around.”

“Shut your mouth, before I shut it for you, Fred Weasley.” Hermione warned, furiously.

—Ugh you’re too nice Helia why can’t you just think about yourself!” 

“Mione I have no doubt you could put Oliver on his ass, but I want this even with the threat hanging over my head, please trust me.”

At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse.

“My word, Neville sweetheart, who would do this?” Lily asked distraught, it wasn’t fair her godson was a wonderful boy who didn’t deserve to be bullied.

Neville blushed, but didn’t answer as Draco gulped fearfully as his crushes mother looked to be out for blood in her godson’s defence.

He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower.

Everyone fell over laughing except Hermione and Helia, as they both rushed to the timid boy, Hermione easily performed the countercurse.

“Finally read about countercurses, I see.” Snape said snidely.

Hermione sniffed haughtily back at him. “Well you see, Professor, as that material was meant to be taught till the end of the term I believe I was doing quite well in my self studies, don’t you agree.”

Snape looked like he sucked a lemon, because he couldn’t outright snap at Hermione like he usually would when in class in front of other adults. 

Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling.

“Thank you, Hermione, I really appreciate your help.” Neville thanked Hermione shyly.

Hermione flashed a gentle smile to her shy housemate. “You’re welcome, Neville, you don’t deserve what people do to you.” Her voice turned pointed at the end as she eyed Draco shrewdly.

"What happened?" Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit with them.  

"Malfoy," said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on. "

“You did what! To my godson!” Lily shrieked at Draco, looking ready to lunge at the younger boy.

“Mum!”

“Mrs. Potter!” 

Helia and Neville yelled, hoping to stop Lily from attacking Draco.

“No, Neville, Helia that little shit could’ve seriously hurt Neville, why Neville could’ve fallen and crack his head out trying to hop up the stairs trying to get to the common room!” Lily fumed, glaring darkly at Draco, who just bowed his head and took it.

Neville and Helia exchanged glances, unsure how to take the protective rage coming from Lily.

“I am really sorry.” Draco meekly whispered.

Lily scoffed, “If you were really sorry, you would’ve never done it in the first place.”

“Mum, enough.” Helia said firmly. “Draco, Neville, Blaise up, come on.” She called on the three boys, leading the confused and wary boys away from the others. “Please don’t disturb us, these two have somethings they need to talk through, while Blaise and I stand by to intervene if needed.”

Sirius nodded, “Take your time, pup, we’ll wait.” He reassured.

Helia nodded in thanks to her godfather, as she herded the boys to the hallway. “Now you two need to talk things through or everyone is going to be down our throats with their opinions, and we have seven books to go through.”

“Why am I here?” Blaise drawled.

Helia rolled her eyes, “Draco needs someone who knows him well enough that if he gets too uncomfortable or upset who can help him, so you for him and me for Neville.”

“Helia…I don’t know if I can do this.” Neville whispered, nervously.

“Have heart, Nev, you’re braver than you know.” Helia comforted, “Remember I’m not asking you to forgive, but this is the first step to healing. For the both of you.” She said with a soft smile for the two boys. She dragged Blaise farther away so they could still hear, but they weren’t hovering.

Draco swallowed nervously, before croaking out. “I really am sorry.” Flinching when Neville chuckled humourlessly.

“And I really never thought the day would come when I heard that.” Neville mused, pessimistically. 

Draco bristled, but Neville didn’t give him any time to demand what that meant. 

“You make my school life hell for me, Malfoy.” Neville blurted out, looking as if a weight was lifted off his shoulder — and placed straight onto Draco’s— Draco winced, he loved Helia but how insane was she if she thought this was going to be good for the both of them. “Since first year, you had it out for me, making me feel as if I wasn’t good enough to be at Hogwarts. I felt like a failure….nothing more than a squib…and squibs didn’t belong with rest, you made me feel like there was no place for me.” Neville poured his heart out, as he for once stared straight into Draco’s eyes.

Draco felt as if he was stone, he couldn’t move, nor talk his guilt was holding him captive in the face of Longbottom’s pain at his hands.

“Not only me, you make my friends lives hell with your taunts too.” Neville admitted, not one to leave others suffering buried. He took a deep breath, preparing to drop the anvil on to Malfoy. “When you act like that to others and me…I have no trouble believing that you’re related to the woman who tortured my parents to insanity.”

Draco paled significantly, stumbling away from Neville like he was just punched. His chest rapidly raised and fell as he tried to draw breath. “Bl-B-Blaise.” He stuttered reaching out for his friend as he felt his knees starting to buckle under his weight.

Blaise practically flew to his friend’ side, as he wrapped his arm around Draco’s back to help steady him. “It’s alright..I got you, Drago.” He adjusted his grip on Draco until it was just his hand steadying him. Draco never like to be held when he was having an attack, but Blaise, Theo, and Pansy realized he needed a grounding touch or he’ll be lost in his head for hours. So it was compromised that they could only touch him with one hand during an attack.

Draco nodded harshly, but didn’t speak. 

He never could when he was like this. Blaise gently guided Draco’s hand away from his neck where it was beginning to scratch at his neck leaving bright red marks. At least there wasn’t any blood if not stopped he would mindlessly scratch his own skin until it bleed. 

Before he became friends with Blaise and Theo, his own friend was Pansy, but Pansy couldn’t be by his side twenty-four seven though she did try. Draco had no one to draw him out of his attack, it would only be after of hours of panicking would he wake to find his fingers bloody and scratches marred into his pale skin when the pain final woke him from his spiralling.

Blaise turned his irritation upon Longbottom, to give Draco a moment to collect himself.

“What in the name of Medea are you doing, Longbottom! Yes, Draco bullied you! Yes, he can be a twat, but! That does not give you the right to compare him to Bellatrix Fucking Lestrange!” Blaise raged at Neville, who stared at him in shock as Helia hovered between them, not know what to do. “Do you think you’re the only one with issues, well Draco does as well. He has his Father and Mother to think about, can you even image growing up under the thumb of a man that worshipped the Dark Lord!” Blaise ranted not giving a shit that he was outing Lucius Malfoy as a Death Eater, Draco was his only concern at the moment. 

“Draco gives away everything to live up to his parent’s expectations, there is nothing he wouldn’t do for his family even though his Father would willingly sell him to the dark side for more standing. I’m not trying to dismiss your pain, Longbottom but, if you don’t think every act didn’t hurt Draco as well, you’re dead wrong.” Blaise said seriously, staring Neville down, daring him to try and dismiss Draco’s pain.

Neville stared back at him thoughtfully.

“Blaise.” A red eyed Draco, said exhaustedly, just the name had thousands of hidden meanings behind it. Blaise sighed, but adhered to Draco’s wishes taking a step back to stand by Helia, although he didn’t go no farther. “Look..Neville, I was wrong to make fun of you.” Draco admitted bluntly, though he looked as if a stiff wind would knock him over. “I am sorry, truly. And I can’t take back the years I’ve been cruel to you or your friends like Granger, the Weasley’s, and…Helia, but I am the way I am because this is the way. I was taught to behaviour for the continued survival of my family because that was my only usefulness.” Draco rubbed his eyes roughly, feeling dead tired.

“I am the Heir of Malfoy of the sacred twenty-eight and I was conceived by my parents only to continue their lines and duty to the Dark Lord as he demanded all his inner circle to have heirs so he could have more future followers and as hostages to hold against our parents when they took a step out of line.” Draco announced to the shock of Neville and Helia, Draco didn’t give a fuck about hiding behind the web of lies his parents weaved as a mean to cover their acts from the war it would all come out in the book anyway.

“Wait, he forced Death Eaters to have children!” Helia blurted in shock, forgetting that this was supposed to be a conversation between Draco and Neville.

“My Mother was forced to have a child young not even months into their marriage, you wouldn’t think it when you see her but she has a very frail condition health wise and childbirth is extremely difficult for her. Healers had given my Mother a forty percent chance of surviving, and the babe was given a seventy percent chance of survival if they went through with the pregnancy.” Draco bitterly explain. “The first babe lived for six days the healer said they died from bleeding in the brain, Mother was given no time to grieve her lost before she was pregnant again. The second babe was given even less chance of survival, but Mother was sure they would live…she was sadly mistaken, the babe was born stillborn.” He croaked, thankful when Blaise laid a supportive hand on his shoulder.

“They’re names were Eridani Narcissa and Atria Druella Malfoy, my older sisters I’ve never got to meet. You aren’t the only one who lost Neville we all have, but we all also have circumstances we can’t escape. I just wish mine hadn’t had to be at the cost of other.”

Neville, pale and shaken, took a deep breath as he straightened his posture to look Draco in his eyes. “I can understand protecting yourself, and while you did it in a way I disapprove of, I understand. All I can say is I’m sorry and I forgive you, Draco.” He stuck out his hand, waiting to see if Draco would reach back.

Draco blinked, shocked that Neville would forgive just like that, Blaise gave him a little nudge to snap him out of his daze. With a shaky hand, he reached out and shook Neville hand. “So, we’re good?” He asked for clarification.

Neville nodded with a slight smile, “We’re good.”

Blaise grinned, slapping his hand on Neville’s shoulder, roughly steering Neville out of the hallway away from Draco. “We’ll that’s great, Longbottom, let’s go inform the others and you can tell that Godmother of yours to cool it.”

When they were out of sight Draco heaved a sigh as he slid down the wall his legs to tired to hold his weigh anymore, he curled up against the wall his head thumped against his knees. It never got easier to talk about his sisters.

A gentle touch brushed his hair, startling him to snap his head up, only to be blinded by emerald green. Helia Potter was crouched down in front of him, her bewitching emerald eyes softened when he met them.

“I’m not really sure, that’s how I exactly expected that’s how that was going to go.” She hummed, softly. “However, I think both you and Neville got a lot off your chest and both of you learned to respect each other.”

“Respect might be pushing it.” Draco faked scoffed, but his usual attitude wasn’t in it.

The amused look she gave him told him she noticed. “You’re a better person than you allow others to know, Draco Malfoy.”

“I lived my life thinking it’s better was to be cold, heartless, a complete prat, really.” Draco contemplated. “I didn’t think I was ever going to be allowed into light.”

Helia snorted, to Draco’s surprise. “I’m so tired of everyone’s obsession of Light vs Dark side, why can’t we exist in shades of grey, life would be so much easier.”

“Shades of grey, huh.” Draco echoed, with a smirk. “I think I can get behind that.”

With a delighted laugh Helia stood up, she reached down to help him up, waiting for him to take her hand. Draco blinked at the hand, remembering when he offered his hand to Helia years ago and she rejected him. Funny enough he found himself really wanting to hold her hand, slowly he reached up and grasped the waiting hand. Helia pulled him up til they were standing chest to chest.

There was a split second where he thought she was going to kiss him, but he would happily settle for the embrace she pulled him into.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Draco, they must have been beautiful as their names.” She whispered into his chest.

He closed his eyes as he thought of his sisters as he held the girl of his dreams in his arm. “They were.”

Slowly they parted from their embrace, both redundant to let each other go until only their clasped hands were touching.

“Time to rejoin reality, it seems.” Helia said softly as she tugged him back to the others.

“If we must.” Draco half smiled, when he really wanted to say please-no-stay-here-with-me.

The closer to the others they got, their hands slipped a little farther away til their fingertips brushed one last time before they came into anyone’s line of sight. They didn’t say a word as they silently took their seats, because their the silence said a million words all on its own.

"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!"

Neville shook his head.

"I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.

“Mr. Longbottom, we can not help you if you don’t tell us.” McGonagall sighed at her shy lion, “It’s the Professors jobs to help, you won’t be in trouble for getting help.”

Theo snorted, at the naivety of the Gryffindor head of house. Did she really expect the Slytherin’s not to react if Longbottom went crying to the Professors every time Draco picked on him. Slytherins weren’t ones for camaraderie, but alliances were common and even though most people thought Draco bought people. He won his alliances fair and square.

Longbottom could’ve easily been blacklisted if Draco truly felt like it, and he had a feeling if Longbottom squealed to the Professors, causing Draco’s parents to be notified. Well, Draco would skip the schoolboy bullying to straight up trying to destroy Longbottom. His friend did have quite the temper when threatened.

“Oh, Please, Minnie what kid is going to go crying to a Professor, the poor kid who be shunned by his own housemate and targeted by the others.” Sirius rolled his eyes, at his old head of house.

Remus winced at the hard stare down McGonagall and Sirius were having, sometimes he wonders why he puts up with him, but then the old dog goes and shows his loyalty, and it all makes sense again. “Sirius is sadly right, Professor McGonagall. If Neville indeed as they say ‘tattle’ to you and the rest of the Professors, the bullying would’ve increased and likely worsen to the extreme.”

Helia nodded, “Back at my non-magical elementary school there was a saying everyone took seriously…Snitches get stitches.”

“What does quidditch have to do with not tattling to the Professors?” Padma asked, confused at the sudden turn of topics.

Helia facepalmed, she forgot sometimes how separate the non-magical and Wizarding worlds were. “Not golden snitches, but snitches as in tattletales. It means if you open your mouth, you’re going to be sent to the hospital wing in need of medical attention.

Some of the adults blanched when the kids all nodded in understanding of that logic.

"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier. "

"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked out.

Draco winced, but before he could so much open his mouth, Neville spoke up.

“We forgave each other, Draco, no need to fussy over what is forgiven.” Neville comforted, loosening the guilty grip on Draco’s heart.

Helia sighed, she remembered although times she wished for someone to step in for her when Dudley and his little gang hunted her down, spewing foul words at her and beating her into the ground.

“I wish we were there to protect you, Fawn.” James sniffed, blinking back tears at the injustice and abuse his precious daughter faced because they were too egotistical to run from Voldemort. “Those damn bastards never should’ve laid on finger on you.” Jame’s grief was echoed by the roaring and crashing fall of his magic.

Helia’s own magic frosted and froze at the grief her father felt on her behalf. “I can’t say I was happy, loved or safe with the Dursleys, Dad, but I am who I am because of how I lived. And the way I am, can keep my friends safe with all the trouble that finds us, so don’t morn what could’ve been that why were here, right? To change.”

James sniffed, as he pulled Helia into his embrace.

Eventually she learned how to stand up for herself, fight her own battles because she realized no one would help her. It was a hard and painful lesson, but she wouldn’t be herself without it.

“You have to defend yourself, Neville.” Helia tried to motivate him.

Neville looked at her, beseechingly. “I’m not like you, Helia.” He said. “I can’t hold my ground against him, like you.” 

“Neville, Sweetheart, you don’t have to be brave like Helia.” Lily admonished, gently. “What Helia wants is for you to find your own strength, your own brand of bravery. Not as Helia, but as Neville.”

Neville sniffed back the tears, “I don’t really know how to be brave as Neville, but I think I’d like to learn.”

Lily beamed at the determined look in his grey-blue eyes he inherited from his mother, her best friend. “That sounds extremely brave, Sweetheart.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Potter.”

“Ah, ah.” Lily wagged her finger at Neville. “No Mrs. Potter nonsense, call me Auntie. Alice is more of a sister to me than Petunia’s ever been.”

Neville blushed bright red, as he mumbled, “Yes, Auntie.”

Helia shook her head. “Listen Neville, I learn to take care of myself and put myself above fear of the people who tried to enforce their will onto me. I had to make myself believe I was worth more than my oppressors. There’s not always going to be someone there to defend you or know the countercurse, don’t wait for a hero…be your own.

“But I can’t.” Neville said pitifully. 

Helia sighed, digging through her pockets and pulled out a Chocolate Frog, the very last one from the box Hermione had given her for Christmas. She gave it to Neville, who looked as though he might cry.

Neville hid his red face in his hands, did he really have to be such a crybaby.

Padma smiled softly at the shy Gryffindor, she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “There’s no shame in being overwhelmed by kindness when it’s been so long since you last had it, Neville.”

Neville smiled weekly at Padma, his ears flushing when his thoughts trailed to how her dark eyes seemed to hold the stars in their depths. “Thank you Padma, it’s hard when you, yourself, doesn’t even understand why you were sorted in a house that doesn’t suit.” A soft tanned hand grasped his clenched hand, he looked up to meet the kind starry eyes of Padma.

“Neville a sorting hat can not define you, people are ever-changing and growing, we as humans can’t possibly stay the same our whole lives. If every year you place the sorting hat on your head could find yourself in a different house.” Padma said, “We find ourselves through our actions and choices, no hat, Shakti, destiny nor fate can make them for you. You want to be brave, only you have the choice to act brave. Find what you want to be brave for, and I believe you’ll find being brave much easier than you ever thought.”

Neville’s grey-blue eyes shined with tears and hope at the heartfelt words. “Do you really think I can be brave like Helia and my other housemates.”

“Silly, Neville.” Padma giggled, as she raised a hand to his cheek. “I believe you’ll be the bravest of them all.”

“It doesn’t matter if The Sorting Hat, Fate, you or Hecate herself chose you for Gryffindor, it’s the acts that display what we want to be. You want to be brave? Be brave and fight back, or else they’re gonna treat you like a doormat the rest of your life. I know you Neville, if you put your mind to it, you can do anything I believe you can. But I’m not the one that matters in this you are…you have to believe in yourself, you have to make the choice, the first step. For what it counts for, I think being brave even in the mass of fear is the most courageous thing. 

Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog.

"Thanks, Helia. . . I think I'll go to bed. . . D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?"

As Neville walked away, Helia looked at the Famous Wizard card.  

"Dumbledore again," she said, "He was the first one I ever--"

She gasped. She stared at the back of the card.

“Finally the famous Helia Potter memory kicks in.” Ron teased, amused that it took Helia who usually had no trouble recalling a wide variety of random information she had stored in her head, so long to remember where she heard of Flamel.

Helia winced good-naturally at the ribbing, “I know, I know, but come on, Ron. Little eleven-year-old me had a lot of emotions to work through that day, with finally leaving the Dursleys, going off into the Wizarding world alone, and of course meeting my first friends as well. Flamel didn’t seem as important at the time.”

Both Ron, Hermione, Neville blushed at the sweet smile Helia shot them, while the Twins snickered behind their hands, Merlin butter wouldn’t melt in Helia-flower’s mouth.

Blaise smirked at the deceptively delicate expression on Helia’s face as she batted her eyelashes and smiled. Oh, so sweetly at her friends. He still couldn’t get over how many manipulative plays she uses, for a so-called Chosen One, defended of all that is good, kind, and light.

Then she looked up at Ron and Hermione.

"I've found him!" she whispered. "I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here -- listen to this:  

'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945,

 for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood,

and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!" 

Ginny turned to a sheepish Helia, and fondly exasperated Hermione and Ron, with an incredible look of disbelief on her face. “Your telling me that the three of you spent your every waking moments in the library when not in class, going as far to sneak into the Restricted Section. Only to find it on a bloody chocolate frog card?!”

Helia scratched at her neck, avoiding looking Ginny in the eyes as her cheeks grew flushed in her embarrassment. “Look I was eleven, I didn’t really think at the time a damn card I got from a treat was going to be helpful, alright.” Helia defended herself. “Story of my life, thou’ should’ve known with my luck.”

James patted his daughter’s head, sympathetically. “I know the feeling, Fawn, the cursed Potter luck hits like a bludger to the face.”

Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework.  

"Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Helia and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks

Tonks eyed Hermione, amused at the almost spaz-like behaviour from the normally studious girl. “You’re more…excitable than you led most to believe, Hermione.”

Helia and Ron snorted at the thought that Hermione was anything, but excitable. Hermione was one of the most passionate people they knew, she was also easily riled up if she found something to research or defend.

“Trust us, Hermione is definitely the most ‘excitable’ between the three of us.” Ron informed. “Where Helia would run off and go get pulled into some plot or scheme—

“Or Ron who likes to go off and find a cozy place to relax, Mione’s one for running off when a sudden thought pops into her head forcing her to go on a research binge.” Helia added, on the same wavelength as Ron.

Hermione just huffed, with a smile on her lips. Her magic danced at how well her best friends knew her.

before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms.  

"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading. "

"Light ?" said Ron,

Madam Bones observed Hermione, “It seems to be a miracle from the Witch of Endor herself that you weren’t in Ravenclaw,  how Rowena must be rolling in her grave at not having you in her house.

“Hermione might be the brightest witch of her age, but she’s all Gryffindor  in her actions.” Helia smirked, linking her arm with Hermione’s.

“No where I’d rather be.” Hermione beamed as she leaned into Helia.

It was clear to everyone it wasn’t Gryffindor that had Hermione’s loyalty, but her bond mate Helia that keep her happy where she was.

but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself.

“My etiquette teacher would be having kneazels.” Susan winced, Lady Wilfrieda Flint was not one to stand any unsightly behaviour in her world it was prim and proper, gentlemen and gentle ladies. She really didn’t want to be in the same room if she ever met the golden trio.

“You get use to it.” Neville shrugged, he sat by Hermione a lot when he wasn’t sitting by Helia and Hermione muttered to herself a lot when she was trying to figure something out.

“Do I really mutter out loud?” Hermione asked, looking to Ron and Helia.

“Ummm, …yes, I believe so.” They both nodded, but they had to think it over.

“Yeah, now that I think about it you do talk when studying, but it never really bothered me.” Helia shrugged, why would Hermione’s muttering bother her. She barely even notices it now.

“Wow.” Ginny drawled, “You three need to send time with others, instead of just the three of you.”

“Come on, Gin, don’t harp on them.” Bill waved off his little sister. “It’s perfectly normal for them to be used to each other’s quirks after all these years. Sides, I think the mutters Hermione makes are quite cute.” He directed the compliment towards Hermione with a winning smile.

Hermione smiled thankfully at Bill, if not a bit bashful. “It seems like you have a quirk yourself, Bill.” Hermione giggled, tracing the smudged ink runes written across his forearms and back of his hands. “Best be careful not to unconsciously push any magic in them.

It was now Bill’s turn to blush.

At last she found what she was looking for.  

"I knew it! I knew it! Look -- read that, there. " 

She pushed the book toward them, and Helia and Ron read:

The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher 's Stone,

a legendary substance with astonishing powers.

The stone will transform any metal into pure gold.

It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal. 

There have been many reports of the Philosopher 's Stone over the centuries,

but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel,

the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel,

 who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year,

enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).

“Six hundred and sixty-five years imagine the knowledge collected over the years.” Hermione swooned at the thought.

Ron waved Hermione off playfully, “Knowledge, smawledge. I’d take the turning any metal into gold thou’.”

“Immorality for Hermione and turning metal into gold for Ron, what about you Heli?” Luna asked curiously, but Helia could see the knowing tilt to her lips.

Helia scoffed, surprising everyone, but her friends at her unhidden disdain. “Why would I want to live forever? The life I will live is enough for me, I don’t need hundreds of years of existence added onto it.”

“Can you really say you’ll live a full enough life to be satisfied when your time comes, Helia?” Kingsley questioned.

Helia shrugged, uncaringly. “I don’t know when my life would be full, as you say, but some people live more in twenty years than others do in eighty. It’s not the time that matters, but how we use it.”

Kingsley and Madam Bones share a glance, “You’re more sentimental than I thought you’d be, Miss. Potter. Your words are older than your looks.” Madam Bones said, her golden eyes piercing in Helia.

Helia’s eyebrows furrowed, she really couldn’t tell if Susan’s Aunt was complementing her or insulting her. “I’ve been through enough to know a longer life isn’t always a better one, and I refuse to destroy myself in a wasted quest for immortality just for a petty fear of death.” Helia declared, refusing to even think about following in Tom’s obsessive footsteps to live forever — flight from death, no she would gladly walk into death’s arms if the need rose, she was not Tom Riddle no matter what anyone said— “It would be tiring to live forever.”

Tonks blinked at Helia in disbelief, under her lime green fringe. “Tired?! What’s there to be tired of?”

Helia stared Tonks down for that incredibly naïve question. “The struggle, of losing everyone that matters to you, of watching everything you care for turn to dust. If you live long enough, the one certainty you can count one is that you’ll end up alone.”

“Some would call that a price worth paying.” Dumbledore mused.

Helia bristled, knowing he was referring to Tom. “Is it?”

No one had anything to say after that.

“Well?” Hermione asked, when Helia and Ron had finished reading. “Aren’t you going to say something?”

“Oh I’m sorry, are we allowed to speak now?” Ron asked, sarcastically.

Helia’s thoughts were racing, as Hermione smacked Ron.

“You don’t have to hit me all the time, you know, woman.” Ron complained.

Hermione shot him a pointed stare, “Yes, Ronald, I do.”

“This is it, this is what the dog is guarding. A stone that can transform any metal into gold, not only that but to making a person immortal as well.”

So whoever was after the Stone wanted immorality and a way to themselves very rich was a nice bonus. What would Snape want with immortality, she couldn’t see him wanting to teach potions for all eternity when he acted like it was such a burden already. So if it was Snape then he was nothing but the middleman maybe even the fall man. 

Snape blinked, shocked, “You really think that blundering fool was smart enough to frame me for his theft?” He scoffed.

Helia nodded seriously. “You forget he had a parasite with him at all times whispering in his ear, they could frame you quite easily.”

Snape paled at the reminder that the dark lord himself was sitting next to him all those years ago underneath a bleeding turban.

"See?" said Hermione.”I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!"

Bill glared daggers at Dumbledore.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Weasley.” Dumbledore asked, serenely.

Bill gritted his teeth, “That’s Curse Breaker Weasley, Dumbledore. What I want from you is what in Merlin’s name we’re you thinking taking the stone from Gringotts, where you could’ve simply paid a fee for a higher security vault and even a sentry to guard it twenty-four seven. Instead of I don’t know? Taking it to a school full of children that could be used as hostages or ‘accidentally’ come across it and hurt themselves.”

“Do not fear the stone was hidden and guarded when it was under my control.” Dumbledore soothed.

Bill was not impressed, “You mean like the mirror of erised was, please tell me the stone isn’t just sitting in some abandoned classroom for fuck sakes.”

"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry," said Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"

The next morning in Defense Against the Dark Arts, while copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites,

Padma perked up knowing the answer. “Powdered silver and dittany, right. Professor Lupin?” She turned to their old Defense Against The Dark Arts, Professor.

Remus winced, at the casual announcement of his condition. “It stops the bleeding, yes.”

Helia rolled her eyes, “Oh please, it may stop the bleeding, but only after it burns and boils the skin and ‘contaminated’ blood like bloody acid.” Helia scoffed, the back of her shoulder ached just thinking of the hours it took to heal her shoulder.

Remus flinched, at the reminded that his carelessness almost killed the girl he thought as his niece or worse infected her to live the very curse that plagued him since his childhood. “Cub—Helia I’m sorry -I-I—I never meant to…..I should’ve, my potion….”

Helia winced at being called cub by someone else, even if that someone was Remus, who she considered family. “Remus, it’s fine. I was healed, you were trying to protect me and that why you forgot to take your potion because of me.” She reassured him, like she did a thousand times before.

“I never wanted to hurt you, Helia, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Remus wheezed through panicked breaths. Helia cuddled up against him, hoping that bullying her way close to him will help him calm down.

Remus gripped her tight against his chest, breathing in her calm scent unconsciously. His hand clawed at her shoulder that was forever marked by his failure.

Sirius leaned into Remus’s space to help comfort him, he and Helia both often found themselves comforting Remus like this since the incident two years ago, either together or alone when the other wasn’t available. When Helia was in her classes and when Sirius was on the run, are such examples. “It’s okay, Remus. Helia’s fine, the bleeding stopped, and it’s all healed up.” Sirius soothed, he gently pried Remus’s hand away from Helia’s shoulder.

With a enquiring look to Helia for permission, his hand hovered over her shoulder, they never tried this with others watching them, and he didn’t want his pup feeling uncomfortable.

Helia nodded, she didn’t give a damn that people could see her scars, never did. However, Remus didn’t like that he had hurt her under the moon’s influence, but it helped for him to see that the wounds had closed up. So, he wouldn’t be picturing her in the hospital wing having her wounds slowly closed by the painful mixture of silver and distant.

Sirius pulled her the back of her jumper down allowing her shoulder to pop out barring her scars to the room, Lily gasped at seeing the four large claw marks running down her daughter’s shoulder disappearing under her jumper.

“Remus, Helia.” James sighed, hurting for both his best friend and daughter. He knew Remus dreaded the full moon, afraid that one day he’ll slip, and really hurt someone like he was hurt as a kid by Greyback. It didn’t help Remus at all that the one he hurt was Helia, their little Fawn, Remus swore at her birth that he would never hurt her. Sirius and he both tried to reassure Remus he would never, but Remus was a stubborn bastard when he wanted to be.

Remus whined, hearing James’s voice. “James, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean too…I swore I’d-

James was quick to crowded Remus, along with Sirius and Helia. He gripped Remus’s shoulder, “Remus, mate no, I know you tried. Between you and Sirius, there’s still no one else I’d trust with our Fawn’s safety.” He dropped at kiss on top of Helia’s head, and reached up to cup Remus’s cheek, so he could see the seriousness in his eyes.

Remus nodded, despondently blinking back his tears. His hand ran over the scars left on Helia one more time, before pulling her jumper back up, covering the top of the scars. He knew the scars traveled down to the bottom of her rib cage, Helia wasn’t shy in showing them off, by no means he remembered the pictures of her in her Yule Ball dress last year.

He almost had a heart attack when the moving picture of Helia dancing with that long haired blonde boy spun to reveal her bareback, framing her scars for anyone to see. But he had also felt his heart grow for his honorary niece at the little note she slipped in with the pictures.

‘Remus, I have never been afraid to bare my scars because I have survived them. But these scars aren’t a badge I wear because I survived, rather they show me the lengths my Uncle Moony is willing to suffer to save me. Maybe we can both grow to love our scars together.

Love Helia.’

He dropped one last kiss to his cub’s head of messy curls, breathing in her scent of sharp ozone, warm buttery lemon, fresh air, and a flowery pine scent.

Helia, Hermione, Ron were still discussing what they'd do with a Philosopher 's Stone if they had one. It wasn't until Ron said he'd buy his own Quidditch team —Cough – Chudley Cannons – Cough—that Helia remembered about Snape and the coming match. 

"I'm going to play," she told Ron and Hermione. "If I don't, all the Slytherins will think I'm just too scared to face Snape. I'll show them. . . it'll really wipe the smiles off their faces if we win. "

“Ugh, you’re just like your father.” Lily complained, rubbing her temple feeling a headache coming on,  why was her family so willing to risk their safety for a bleeding game.

James and Helia turned to her with the same doe eyed look, just in different colours.

“But Lily-flower if you don’t give it your all, what’s the point.”

“It’s the matter of the principle, Mum.”

Lily just facepalmed, much to the confusion of her Husband and daughter.

"Just as long as we're not wiping you off the field," said Hermione.

“Aww Mione, at that time I only almost fell off my broom once.” Helia whined, playfully. “And can you really blame me for that one, the bleeding broom was hexed.”

Hermione pincer the bridge of her nose, giving the impression that they have had this conversation many times before. “Helia I don’t blame you for the jinxed broom, what I blame is your goddamn danger magnet you got for trouble. It does not help you want to play the most dangerous sport I’ve ever seen.”

Ron sighed, “Mate, I love quidditch as much as any person, but you do get yourself into mishaps in games.”

“Where’s the faith, guys!?”

“Oh, we have faith.”

“Yeah, faith that you’ll find trouble.”

“I keep telling you trouble finds me!” Helia exclaimed.

As the match drew nearer, however, Helia became more and more restless whether she was excited or nervous she didn’t know, whatever she told Ron and Hermione. The rest of the team wasn't too calm, either. The twins stopped harassing Snape in the lead up to the game—much to Oliver’s relief—they even paused all their pranks.

“You’re lucky we respect our team too, much to risk letting them down.” Fred muttered, hatefully.

“Aww, Darlings, aren’t you two just the sweetest for doing that.” Daphne cooed, teasingly. Her thumb brushed along Fred’s cheekbone, “Darling, those warm syrupy eyes are much too pretty when lit by your mischievous joy, to worry over insignificant people.”

Fred blushed, at the compliment. Speechless for the first time in a long time.

George smirked at his flustered twin, something shifted in his bright copper brown eyes that darkened them to a smoky hickory when he met Daphne’s icy blue pools.

His lashes lowered, hiding them from view as he took Daphne’s hand in his and raised it. “You know just what to say, your Highness.” He whispered across her hand, Daphne felt a shiver run up her spin as George’s lips brushed slowly, softly, over her knuckles.

George watched as those iced blue pools melted into oceans as a light filled them, he kept his eyes on her face as he turned her hand over and touched his lips to her wrist. Smiling when a cut-off quiet whimper escaped the Ice Queen.

The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the house championship was wonderful, no one had done it for seven years, but would they be allowed to, with such a biased referee? 

“Hmm, against a bias referee that would call penalties for the littlest of things?” James wondered, thinking of how he would order his team against the two opponents—the team they were playing against and the referee— “I would have to rely on our seeker to end the game as quick as they could and the keeper to guard against any penalty shots, beaters would have to be really careful they’ll be the easiest to target penalties at. Chasers can’t hold the quaffle for more than five seconds less chance of getting a penalty called.” He rambled his strategy, seeing how the game would play out in his head.

Helia didn't know whether she was imagining it or not, but she seemed to keep running into Snape wherever she went. At times, she even wondered whether Snape was following her, trying to catch her on his own.

The twins gritted their teeth, Snape stalking Helia through her first year never sat well with them. Snape was waiting with bated breath for Helia to mess up, so he could bring the axe down on her neck with the sick glee he got from making Helia’s life miserable.

Snape may not stalk Helia as bad as he did in that first year, but he still took every chance to inconvenience Helia. And that never flew well with them, there wouldn’t be as many pranks on the snake house if their head of house would pull his head out of his arse.

Lily narrowed her eyes at her childhood friend, “Severus, I know, you’re trying to protect Helia, however—

“Don’t fucking stalk the girl!” Moody barked, to the surprise of everyone.

Snape sneered at the Auror, “I was doing my job in watching over Potter, Mad-eye, it’s called constant vigilance.” He said snidely.

Moody growled at Snape, “Potter has done no wrong, except taking on the responsibility of fixing Hogwarts staff incapability of protecting its students.”

Dumbledore frowned, sadly. “Alastor, my old friend. All of my staff and I’ve done is to try to protect our students.”

Moody scoffed. “Done a right shit job, is what I’m hearing.”

“Haven’t you ever heard of the saying. Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.” Tonks huffed.

Potions lessons were turning into a sort of weekly torture, Snape was so horrible to Helia.

Sirius snarled, he didn’t give a damn if Lily was grateful that Snape was ‘protecting’ Helia. He did not think all the bullying and torment Snape puts his pup through was worth his ‘protection’. “Some Professor, you turned out to be Snape.” He scoffed, mockingly. “After all those years of holding a grudge on us you’re just willing to take it out on anyone, now even a little girl, our Helia.”

Snape glared hatefully at Sirius, “A grudge?! Black you tried to have me killed, I’m entitled to any grudge I bloody well like!”

Sirius pointed at Snape furiously, “A grudge against me, sure, fine. Want a grudge against James for bullying you as kids, okay, or a grudge against Remus for never doing anything to stop us, yeah fine.” He narrowed his silver-grey eyes, gritting his teeth. “But you had no right to hold any of that against Helia, or have you never heard of a child should never bare the weight of their parent’s sins.”

Could Snape possibly know they'd found out about the Philosopher 's Stone? Helia didn't see how he could -- yet she sometimes had the horrible feeling that Snape could read minds.

“Are you just being paranoid? Or was it an actual sense?” Percy asked, curiously. His thirst for knowledge overwriting his uneasy of being in his family’s and Helia’s presence.

Helia eyed Percy amused. “In a sense, I can easily sense the magic in everyone like their element affinity. Although not just that, I can tell when people have the skill or when they’re guarding their mind with occlumency and when they’re trying to use legilimency on myself it’s a little tougher to tell when it’s used on others.”

Helia knew, when they wished her good luck outside the locker rooms the next afternoon, that Ron and Hermione were wondering whether they'd ever see her alive again.

Ginny eyed her brother and Hermione incredulously. “Baba Yaga’s great nose! Are you all that pessimistic?!”

“Don’t judge my lifestyle.” Helia grumbled.

“It’s not pessimism, it’s our duty to consider every variable when your friends with Helia ‘danger magnet’ Potter.” Hermione defended Ron and herself.

“Hey!” Helia yelped. “Fair, but hey.”

This wasn't what you'd call comforting.

She was lacing up her boots when two hands landed on her shoulders, startling her, drawing her eyes to looking into a pair of warm chocolate gaze that was Oliver. He was kneeling in front of her with a serious if a little anxious on his handsome face.

“Wow.” Blaise mused. “I didn’t think crazy quidditch obsessed, Oliver Wood, would take your fancy.”

Helia’s face burned hot from the force of her blushing cheeks. “I did not fancy Oliver!”

Blaise’s husky laugh burst from his lips, at the heated denial from the usually unflappable girl. Even Theo shook with silent laughter.

“Come now, Potter. Don’t be shy aren’t we supposed to be building friendships with this experience. Friends share.” Blaise drawled.

“Wood is quite different from what I thought your interest were.” Theo chuckled at Draco’s sour expression and Helia’s embarrassed one. He loved when his kærasti got others worked up, it was always so entertaining to watch.

Hermione giggled at her best friend’s flustered state. “Actually, if you take in what really appeals to Helia it’s not a surprise.”

Ron nodded, “Instead of looks or gender, Helia’s attracted to…”

“Quidditch players.” Hermione and Ron chorused, breaking out in laughter.

Draco blinked, dazed. “Quidditch players? Really?”

Hermione nodded, “Yeah, she has a thing for quidditch players. Oliver, Charlie, Higgs, Warrington, Chang, Cedric, and even Viktor, every person who catches her eye is always a quidditch player.”

Blaise eyed Draco’s stealthy fist pump.

“Blaise, I’m a quidditch player.” Draco whispered excitedly.

Susan stared incredulously at Hermione, “Charlie?! As is him?” She pointed at a sheepish Charlie.

“There’s nothing wrong with liking Charlie.” Helia frowned, completely shameless in her old crush on Charlie, that tempered down to a familial relationship over time.

“Of course not.” Susan waved off. “What I’m worried about is your two crazies teaming up.”

“It’s actually worse now.” Ron deadpanned. “Before she was kind of quiet around him, now that she figured she feels more for Charlie as a sibling it’s chaos.”

Bill nodded, heaving a sigh. “Yeah, they’re not dumb, but together they’re dumbasses.”

“Bill! Don’t call your brother and Helia that!” Mrs. Weasley scolded.

“It’s true Mum!” Bill defended himself. “I seriously don’t know how two intelligent people can clearly and easily grasp something is a bad idea. But together the chaotic level goes through the roof, easily dropping their intelligence to dumbass level where they decided to do it anyway.”

Charlie grinned, shrugging. “Can you really say it was a bad idea?”

“Yes!” His siblings exclaimed.

“Helia’s still shy with her pasted crush on Oliver, because of how much respect she has for him.” Hermione, fondly rolled her eyes.

Charlie made a face at Hermione, “That sounds like your saying Helia has no respect for me.”

Helia put on a serious face on, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Charlie….I love you.”

“But that’s not respect!” Charlie screeched, much to the delight of his siblings.

“It going to be a tough one, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff don’t usually have Snape’s favour.” Oliver stated. “However, we all know he really hates us, so he’s gonna be gunning for us and unjustly favouring the Hufflepuff team. So I need you to catch the snitch as quick as you can, before he has too much opportunity to do any of that, alright?”

Helia quirked a smile. “Whatever you say, Captain.”

Oliver grinned at her, drawing a light blush on her cheeks. “That’s my seeker.” He said with a pleased nod,

“Blushing in the face of our esteemed captain, are we?” Fred grinned, teasingly at Helia.

“My, my Helia we didn’t know you were interested like that, we would’ve said something on your behalf.” George joked.

“Sadly, it seems our captain’s fancy leans more to Gr—

The Twins were shut up by two sting hexes sent by Helia and Hermione.

before rushing off to stop the twins from riling Angelina up.

Ron and Hermione, meanwhile, had found a place in the stands next to Neville, who couldn't understand why they looked so grim and worried, or why they had both brought their wands to the match.

“Never leave without your wand, Longbottom!” Moody boomed, making Neville flinch away from the old Auror. “Constant Vigilance!”

“Yes, Yes, we heard you a thousand times already, old man.” Tonks waved off her mentor. “Give the kid a break, he was eleven.”

Moody rounded on to his troublesome apprentice. “You think death eaters are gonna give him a break when they come after him, I think not. Nymphadora. You should know better by now.”

Tonks hair flickered red, but was tempered by the dark look Moody fixed her.

Little did Helia know that Ron and Hermione had been secretly practicing the Leg-Locker Curse. They'd gotten the idea from Malfoy using it on Neville, and were ready to use it on Snape if he showed any sign of wanting to hurt Helia.

Snape turned to Ron and Hermione with a dark look on his face, “Are you trying to kill me, it’s mostly likely I would’ve fallen if you hit me with a spell in the air, maybe even broken my neck.”

“He’s right, Mr. Weasley, Miss. Granger, it is extremely dangerous to even contemplate throwing spells around, especially at people who are on a broomstick.” McGonagall scolded her lions.

Ron glared mulishly at his professor, knowing Hermione didn’t like speaking against their professors, but she would if needed. “We were worried about Helia, she could’ve died in her first quidditch game. It was only fitting that Snape who we thought was the culprit met the end he was going to give Helia.”

“It came down to Helia or Professor Snape, we chose Helia.” Hermione defended.

“You guys.” Helia whispered softly, touched by her friends dedication to protect her.

Ron’s ears blushed red, “After that first match there was no way we could let you shoulder all that, we got your back, mate.”

Hermione nodded, grasping Helia’s hand. “We want to protect you too, Helia.”

Helia sniffed, overwhelmed by the love of her friends. She didn’t know what she would do without them, didn’t want to ever know that feeling.

"Now, don't forget, it's Locomotor Mortis," Hermione muttered as Ron slipped his wand up his sleeve. 

"I know," Ron snapped. "Don't nag.” 

“I’m sorry, Mione I know you were only worried about Helia.” Ron apologized.

“It’s okay, Ron, I know I nag, sides you were worried about Helia too.” Hermione brushed it off.

Back in the locker room, Wood reassured Helia one last time.

“Remember early capture of the snitch, before Snape can favour Hufflepuff too much. You’re the best seeker I have ever seen Potter, so this game will be up to you, we can only hold off Snape for so long before he goes into the kill. So your opponent isn’t Hufflepuff you’re up against Snape, so you have to beat him at his own game.”

"The whole school's out there!" said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door. "Even -- blimey -- Dumbledore's come to watch!"

"Dumbledore?" she said, walking to the door to make sure. Fred was right. There was no mistaking that silver beard.

Helia let out a small sigh of relief, She was safe. While she felt she could handle Snape if it came to it, the extra security of having Dumbledore watch was a small comfort, even though the headmaster himself was on her to-be-watched list.

She couldn’t see Snape being stupid enough to try something in front of his boss, was incredibly slim.

Helia shook her head at her own naivety, Dumbledore may have a leash on Snape, but in no way did he try to curb any of Snape’s bitter and angry behaviour against his students. She also kicked herself for even having an inkling of faith in Dumbledore having her safety in his thoughts, the old coot wouldn’t even blink if she was tied to the stake burning—even though he was the one to have built the stake and lit the match.

For whatever reason Snape looked as if someone pissed in his cheerio’s, which was a little angrier than his regular behaviour, something that Ron noticed, too.

"I've never seen Snape look so mean," he told Hermione. "Look -- they're off. Ouch!" 

Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head. It was Malfoy.

"Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there. " 

Draco winced, Salazar, he was such a brat.

“Why are you in the Gryffindor stands?” Astoria asked innocently, much to the amusement of her sister, who cackled at the grimace on Draco’s face.

“He was trying to get Potter’s attention.” Theo deadpanned, much to Draco’s horror.

“Theo!” Draco exclaimed.

“It’s true you get really antsy when you can’t have Potter’s attention on you, you haven’t seen her since before Christmas break.” Theo shrugged, spilling his friend’s secrets ruthlessly.

“He’s right, Drake, I’m surprised you lasted til that quidditch match.” Blaise smirked, at Draco’s flustered state. “You certainly don’t have that level of control anymore.”

“I hate you both.”

Malfoy grinned broadly at Crabbe and Goyle.

"Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on her broom this time? Anyone want a bet? What about you, Weasley?"

“Wanna bet how long it takes for Ron to snap?” Susan asked Daphne, to her surprise.

“Please, that’s a fool’s bet, Bones. Weasley ain’t know for his restraint on that red-hot temper of his.” Daphne smirked, knowing the girl was going to defend the youngest Weasley brother honour.

Susan frowned at Daphne, protectively. “Ron’s really been trying to rein in his temper, he just needs someone to have faith in him.”

“That may or may not be true now, Bones.” Daphne rolled her ice blue eyes, “You can’t say the same for little bitty first year Weasley, though.”

Ron didn't answer; Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley had hit a Bludger at him.

“Someone’s frustrated.” Daphne giggled, leaning into George’s side.

“It’s the old bat’s fault.” George grumbled, causally putting his arm around Daphne like it was second nature for her to be in his personal space. “He should’ve minded his own damn business instead of sticking that hooked-nosed of his into our quidditch matches.”

“Georgie is right, your highness.” Fred sang with a cruel twist on his grin. “Helia wasn’t the only one to notice Snape trailing after her when she was just a little firstie, the game just gave us the way to express our disapproval in a different way then our usual pranks.” He glared daggers at the potions master, as he absently played with Daphne’s blonde, silky locks.

Snape felt a shiver run down his spine, as the Weasley twins stared at him from their seat with the oldest Greengrass girl. “I was watching over her.” He sneered.

They both eyed him incredibly. “Really, all we heard was a bitter old man breathing down the back of a little girl’s neck waiting for her to mess up.” Fred scoffed.

“You might not want Helia to die, but you’ll take any opportunity to make her life miserable.” George argued. “It would be best if you left Helia alone.”

Snape gritted his teeth, he knew playing the game of double —sometime, triple— agent meant he had to take the blame, but it was a pain when he was being truthful and no one believed him.

Hermione, who had all her fingers crossed in her lap, was squinting fixedly at Helia, who was circling the game like a hawk, looking for the Snitch. 

"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents,

“I don’t want an apology.” Helia warned, seeing the guilt all over Draco’s face, and the glare on her families faces. “We both decided to forgive our past actions, and I know we can’t erase the guilt or hurt so easily. So take a breath, it’s okay, you know better now, and I know you will shine in this grey-grey world.” Helia smiled at Draco.

That smile acted like a torch held against his skin, he felt faint with the heat and yet transfixed by the glowing allure of it. He was so gone on this girl that it wasn’t even funny.

then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money -- you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains. "

Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Malfoy.

"I'm worth more than you, Malfoy," he stammered. 

“That’s it, Sweetheart, you tell him.” Lily nodded, sternly.

Much to Neville’s shy embarrassment.

“Mum, please.” Helia heaved a sigh. “We all settled up, please keep the remarks to minimum.”

“I’m just telling my godson to have a backbone, Helia.” Lily waved her daughter off.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle howled with laughter, but Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, "You tell him, Neville. "

"Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something. "

Ron's nerves were already stretched to the breaking point with anxiety about Helia.

"I'm warning you, Malfoy -- one more word--"

"Ronald Weasley, please for the love of Circe.” Mrs. Weasley begged, rubbing her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. “Do not do what I think you’re going to do.”

“Listen to your mother.” Mr. Weasley sighed, wondering why they had so many kids in the first place.

"Ron!" said Hermione suddenly, "Helia--"

"What? Where?"

Helia had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, as Helia streaked toward the ground like a bullet.

“I swear, you’re gonna give me a heart attack by the end of these books.” Lily gasped

“Sorry, Mum.” Helia said sheepishly.

"You're in luck, Weasley, Potter's obviously spotted some money on the ground!" said Malfoy.

Ron snapped. Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Ron was on top of him, wrestling him to the ground.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley both closed their eyes as if in pain, why was it always their children.

Neville hesitated, then clambered over the back of his seat to help.

“That’s my brother!” Ginny screamed jumping on Ron excitedly. “I knew there was fighter in there somewhere brother.”

“Get off of me, Gin!” Ron complained with a grin on his face.

“Fire breathing horntails, Ron! How come you didn’t ever write to me, you fought Malfoy, I would’ve sent you something nice for doing that service.” Charlie boomed, laughing his head off.

“Merlin, Ron.” Bill blinked at his youngest brother in shock.

“Go, Ron!” The Twins cheered, Ginny joined in happily.

Percy tried to scowl, but his lips twitched up against his will.

“Boys, Ginny!” Mrs. Weasley scolded.

“Come on Mum, you heard what he said let us live in this joy.” George said.

“Yeah, you should be happy we don’t want to beat up the little ferret for his past slights against our family.” Fred added.

"Come on, Helia!" Hermione screamed, leaping onto her seat to watch as Helia sped straight at Snape -- she didn't even notice Malfoy and Ron rolling around under her seat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that was Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle.

“You really didn’t notice the full on brawl going on behind you.” Bill chuckled.

Hermione blushed, “Hey, that concentration is what going to allow me to pass my OWLs with all outstanding.”

Bill grinned, his dark blue eyes staring in to hers, “No doubts here.”

“That’s nice and all Mione, but we would’ve appreciated some help.” Ron interrupting whatever weird moment thing Hermione and his older brother were having. “I mean, leaving poor Neville to take on Crabbe and Goyle all on his lonesome.”

Neville stared bug-eyed at Ron, he was so not get in between an argument with Hermione and Ron. He wasn’t daft, thank you very much.

Hermione rolled her eyes, huffing. “You won, didn’t you. Besides, Ronald you were the one too busy rolling all over the ground with Malfoy.”

Ron scrunched up his nose, in disgust. “Don’t say it like that, Mione.”

Draco gagged in the background.

Up in the air, Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches -- the next second, Helia had pulled out of the dive, her arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in her hand. 

“Yes! Yes! That is my girl!” Cried James, jumping up from his seat. “Take that Snape, nothing can stop a Potter!” He pulled Helia up from her seat, kissing her cheeks and forehead. “Merlin, Fawn, you’re so amazing.”

Helia giggled through the smacking kisses and tight hugs,  “Thanks Dad, feeling the love alright.”

“Kid I’m your father, trying to comprehend how much I love you would be like trying to visualize the size of the universe.” James sighed happily in her unruly hair, hugging her extra tight at the quite sniffles that escaped her.

“Just how long was that match?!” Sirius demanded, wanting to know.

Helia pulled herself from her father, discreetly wiping her eyes. “Umm, about five minutes, maybe a little less.”

“Seven hells, Pup.”

“That’s our girl, Siri!” James cheered.

The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly.

“I, for one, certainly didn’t catch a snitch in five minutes.” Charlie breathed in awe.

Hermione beamed at Charlie, still to this day could feel the pride, and joy Helia felt through their bond. “It was the quickest match to be won since 1855.”

Charlie shook his head in amazed disbelief. “Merlin, that’s Helia for you.”

"Ron! Ron! Where are you?

“I was busy kicking Malfoy’s arse, give a break.” Ron sang teasingly, knowing Draco wouldn’t let it slide.

Draco whipped around furiously, “What the bleeding hell are you blabbing about Weasley, that fight must have rattled your tiny brain because I clearly remember you coming out of that fight with a rather nasty bloody nose.”

“But Malfoy wasn’t it you who hobbled of to the hospital wing for a little black eye.” Ron snickered.

Draco growled ready to brawl it out with Ron right there and then if not for the tight right Theo had on him.

The game's over! Helia's won! We've won! Gryffindor is in the lead!" shrieked Hermione, dancing up and down on her seat and hugging Parvati Patil in the row in front.

The Twins stared at Hermione like they’ve never seen her before. “Since when do you get excited over quidditch?” Fred asked, confused, looking at her like she was a changing.

“Yeah, weren’t you the one who pretty much bit off Ollie’s head after he bragged about how many times he got hit in the head and congratulated Helia on her first?” George pointed out.

Ron chuckled, slapping his knee, to this day the look on Wood’s face stile cracked him up. “Oliver Wood, it’s nothing to be proud of having your brain slowly turning to mush with all the whacks you’ve taken! I will not have you corrupting Helia with your nonsense! Head contusions are no joke and have serious consequences, they could even end up as severe traumatic brain injuries! Which for pea brain quidditch obsessed morons like you could leave a person permanently impaired, in a coma or worse!” Ron quoted Hermione’s rant by heart. “Merlin, Mione you’re brilliant.”

Hermione blushed red at her best friend’s praise, but loved how he listened to her to remember what she said two years ago. “Thank you, Ron, and Oliver had it coming, concussions are a serious medical condition! Dizziness, depression, insomnia, memory loss, and a boatload of other symptoms could linger for months, even years and not forget repeated impacts to the head that were as severe in the moment of the injury could lead to C.T.E. later in life.” She huffed, worked up just from the memory.

“C.T.E.?” Astoria asked Hermione curiously.

“Chronic traumatic encephalopathy also know as C.T.E. It is a progressive brain condition that's thought to be caused by repeated blows to the head and repeated episodes of concussion. It's mostly associated with contact sports like America football, boxing and sadly quidditch.” Hermione explained, to the younger girl.

“Wait a tick!” Padma exclaimed, rounding on Hermione and Helia startling the two girls. “The bond!”

Helia and Hermione share a look, before turning back to Padma.

“You said you constantly feel Helia’s emotions, right, but that’s not quite it, is it?” Padma grilled, making Helia’s hackles rising at the poking at hers and Hermione’s bond.

Hermione’s magic was quick to soothe the irritated crackling of Helia’s magic with its warmth. “Our bond has a lot of layers and quirks.”

“You influence each other, your emotions, and magic are so tied that you guys literally change each other’s emotions by forces to match who’s having the stranger emotions.” Padma rationalized, not realizing it sounded like she was calling out Helia and or Hermione for using their bond to control their bonded without the other’s consent.

Helia’s anger flared and flashed like lightning in her eyes, her magic clapping and snapping wanting to burst out of her body to fry Padma for instigating she would control Hermione without consent. She could feel Hermione’s raging magic like a wildfire under her skin.

“Padma.” The danger in Helia’s tone shocked the Ravenclaw, she never had to face Helia’s anger before, not aimed at her anyway. “Your insulting Hermione and I, watch your wording when you talk about our bond. Our bond is very dear to the both of us and I won’t have anyone, not even friends, suggesting that we would betray each other by using our bond to manipulate the other.”

Padma froze like a deer in the face of a snarling wolf. “Helia — Hermione I- I never meant—“

“See to you don’t.” Hermione hissed, causing the Ravenclaw to flinch away from her venomous tone. Hermione dug her nails into Helia’s arm, daring anyone to rip her bonded away from her. “I told you all before we share everything, magic and emotions are normal for bonded. I can’t make Helia feel mad without myself being mad first, we can’t manipulate each other like that even if we could, we would never.”

Helia jumped off her broom, a foot from the ground. She couldn't believe it. She'd done it -- the game was over; it had barely lasted five minutes. As Gryffindors came spilling onto the field, she saw Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped

“The little shit almost gave me a heart attack.” Snape hissed, “I didn’t even notice her coming for me until the last second, and even than it was just a red blurring flying full speed right at me.”

“I wasn’t aiming at you, I was trying to catch the snitch as fast as I could.” Defended herself, but the mischievous lit in her voice betrayed her.

Snape rolled his dark eyes at Helia. “You’re telling me you really had to be that close to me to catch that snitch, and you didn’t do it hoping to knock me off my broom.” He crossed his arms, staring Helia down.

“Helia, wouldn’t do that, Severus.” Lily assured her old friend, “Right, Helia?”

Helia avoided her mother’s eyes.

“Helia?

Helia’s shoulders shook with silent laughter.

“Helia Potter! How could you?!” Her mother gasped.

“That’s my seeker!” Oliver cried as he pulled her into his chest lifting her straight off her feet spinning her around as he was passed around to her teammates, everyone cheering and crying in joy.

James beamed as he jumped up to twirl Helia around excitedly, reading her team’s excitement was infectious. “Fawn! You’re brilliant, you won the whole game practically by yourself!”

Helia laughed as her dad rambled on, she soaked in his attention.

The Hufflepuff seeker came up to her, she waved her team off when they straighten at their opponent’s approach

Remus frown, “What do they want? They didn’t give you a hard time for ending the game, so fast, did they?” He fretted, his eyes a flashing gold.

Helia let out a light scoff, oh, please, like Cedric could ever do anything to scare her. “Nah, he was just being a boy.”

Her Dad, Remus and Sirius shot her wide eyes, not liking how that sounded.

they reluctantly headed off to the locker room without her.

“Why did you leave her, you know she’s going to get into trouble?!” Susan laminated, pinching the bridge of her nose.

The twins shot her incredible looks. “Do you really think, Helia would allow us to stay?” Fred demanded. “She would’ve been pissed at us and then the first chance she got she would’ve sought out Diggory herself.”

“It’s best to let Helia do her own thing, and let her come to you when she’s ready.” George sighed.

The seeker was a tall boy with windswept brown hair, his grey eyes shined as he smiled at her. “It seems the rumours weren’t exaggerated, that was some flying Potter.” He said, with an easygoing smile on his handsome face —she heard Angelina, Katie and Alicia gushing over him in the locker room before along with Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs and Ravenclaw Beater Duncan Inglebee,

Draco clenched his teeth, not to speak Ill of the dead, however what did that bastard Diggory think he was doing flirting with Helia who was only in her first year. He could hear the condescending attitude, under his charming act, he didn’t think he would be able to stand hearing Helia fall for his act.

“Calm down, Drake.” Blaise whispered, squeezing his mate’s shoulder. “Potter ain’t the type to be dazzled by someone’s nice boy act, she’d sooner punch them in the nose.”

Blaise was right, Helia barely showed any romantic interest in anyone in their years at Hogwarts, Hell, most people thought the Golden Trio were a couple just because they were the only people Helia spent a measurable amount of time with. He thought of the surprise flirting she teased him with through the reading, and felt a bloom of hope growing in his chest.

but she couldn’t remember his first name something Ric — 

“Thanks.” Helia said, dryly.

The boy blinked at her, surprised that she was flustered or blushing at his ‘compliments’.

Snickers were heard at how deadpan Helia was in face of flirtation.

“That’s right, pup, shut them down fast and without mercy.” Sirius approved. “I know those types good for nothing they’re just looking to stroke their own ego.”

“You mean like you, when we were at Hogwarts.” Lily deadpanned.

Sirius bristled, “Just because I liked chasing witches when I was younger, doesn’t mean I want some cocky little shit sniffing around my goddaughter.”

“We should fly together sometime, you can use my broomstick since you don’t have your own, I would love to show you some tricks.” He shot another smile at her, she supposed other people would find him charming, but his flirtatious and hidden innuendos made her weary of him.

“Innuendos?!” Astoria gasped, scandalized. “As in…sexual”

Helia shrugged, Cedric got better over the years, once he got it hammered in his head she wasn’t the slightest bit interested in him. But, he was someone she was happy to fly against and someone she reluctantly found funny — if just for the reactions his flirtatious nature go from others—

Kill the spare, Voldemort ordered the death of Cedric, a quidditch adversary, a schoolmate, a kind of friend when he wasn’t being a smarmy asshole. However, spare was not something anyone would describe Cedric Diggory as, he certainly wasn’t meant to die for something as ridiculous as that.

“He was a character.” She said lightly.

“She doesn’t need someone she trumped in less than ten minutes showing her anything, Diggory.” A rough voice called out from behind her. She turned to look over her shoulder to see Marcus Flint stalking up to them until he was towering over her, but his hazel-green eyes stared daggers at the Hufflepuff seeker.

“Frændi Marcus to the rescue again, I’m surprised he’s showing his interest in you that quick. Publicly, at least.” Theo observed, he knew his cousin didn’t care for hidden motives or politics, but he was still Heir of house Flint and a Slytherin.

“Marcus doesn’t care to beat around the bush, he’d rather just face it head on.” Helia agreed, “He’s someone I trust, because I know him as well as he knows me. Sides, Marcus can never stay out of it when he sees anyone older than me trying something, the damn teddy bear.”

Theo turned to Helia in shock, Marcus Flint, his cousin a….teddy bear unbelievable. Sure his patronus was a grisly bear, but that didn’t quite make one think teddy bear when it came to Marcus.

A thought suddenly popped in his head, Helia said, her and Marcus study together, and he knew his cousin was desperate to get his exams up from Trolls and Poors to graduate. So if he and Helia were studying together, it leads to believe Helia helped his cousin graduate. If he remembered correctly the rumour of that year, Helia had learned the patronus charm that year to combat her problems with the dementors roaming the school.

Did Helia really help Marcus learn the Patronus charm? What did his cousin give her for that favour?

“Flint didn’t know you would show up after all that howling you did when Potter caught the snitch besting your team.” Diggory said snidely, his perfect smile brittling in the face of the Slytherin captain.

Draco winced, Marcus would not like Diggory bringing up what happened on the field back up. For all of Marcus’s love of the sport, he wasn’t one to take the game off the pitch, and couldn’t stand when others tried to start something with him over a match. A fact he learned pretty fast from his upperclassman.

“The season ain’t over yet we still have a chance of winning the cup, when we beat you in the ground in two weeks, Diggory. At least Potter actually is a challenge in the game, unlike you. All you did was sit on your broom smiling at all the ladies in the stands.” Flint challenged, his bulk hovering over her as the two boys postured and growled like two alpha wolves clashing.

“What makes you think you’re going to beat us?” Diggory asked.

Theo snorted, “Oh, Please, Marcus trounced them easily, Diggory didn’t stand a chance.”

Helia nodded, “Yeah that match was brutal, really put in perspective how dirty quidditch could get without getting called out by Hooch.”

Flint’s face darken, as his magic sparked off him in electrical sparks. She realized he must have the same element affinity as her. “We’re going to win, because there’s not going to be a seeker to catch the snitch because I’m going to set a mark on you. I really don’t think you’ll last long, Diggory.”

Diggory paled at the threat, Helia didn’t know what marking meant in a quidditch game, but from the Hufflepuff seeker’s face it wasn’t good.

James sucked in a breath through his teeth, “Fuck a mark, Geez I wish I could say that’s harsh, but the kid was flirty with my Fawn, so I’m going to have to route for Slytherin.”

“Really?!” Lily asked shocked.

“It’s take no prisoners when they come for our daughter, Lily!” James declared hotly, “Sides if some rough and tough kid wants to take my Fawn under their wings to keep the vultures off her, who am I to disagree!”

Helia smiled at hearing her father’s approval for Marcus, she wondered how that approval will hold when he finds out Marcus was the one to set her up with her Yule Ball date.

“So why don’t you run off with your tail between your legs, and leave the little Gryffindor seeker alone.” Flint growled.

Both Helia and Flint watched as Diggory walked off in a kerfuffle, Helia turned to face the older boy.

 “Why’d you do that?” Helia asked, confused.

“Diggory is a sordid bastard that likes to hide behind his ‘charming pretty boy’ act, I wouldn’t trust him as far as you could throw him, which ain’t much.” Flint grumbled, his dark eyebrows furrowed as he stared down at her.

“Oh, wow.” Susan blinked, shocked, “He really is looking out for you.”

Helia nodded, like Susan was being particularly slow on the uptake. “Like I said, Marcus and I have a good understanding of each other.” While she’d like to sing Marcus’s praise to everyone, she also didn’t want to over say anything that could make their relationship something to use against each other. They both went to great care to hide the full extent of their relationship.

“I wasn’t going to take him up on his offer.” Helia frowned. 

Flint leaned over her urgently. “You better not, you’ll find Slytherin ain’t the only house with shady characters in their ranks. At lease with the snakes you know where you stand.”

Helia blinked up at him blankly, he had his point, but she wondered why he thought that she didn’t already know this. “I’ll watch myself.” 

“Good.” Flint nodded.

“Flint should be careful, or he might make you swoon over him.” Tonks teased Helia, only to cackle at the down right disgusted look on her face.

“Marcus is good-looking, but no.” Helia denied, shuddering. “Just no.”

“By the way, what does being marked mean in quidditch?” Helia asked, curiously.

“It means that the marked player is targeted by all the opposite team’s players until that player is taken out of the game in any means necessary.” Flint explained. “You were marked during our match, you know.”

“I was!?” Helia asked, surprised.

“You were!?” James exclaimed, shocked. “Never in my time on the Gryffindor team has a second year been marked on my team, Bran wasn’t marked until his third year, even the damn Slytherin’s held to that courtesy! You were a bloody first year!”

The Twins groaned in agreement. “Tell us about it, it’s why Oliver wanted Helia-Flower stick with a birds-eye view of the game.” Fred commented, much to Helia shock.

“What!”

“Oh, yes. Oliver’s spy overheard the Slytherin team was marking you, so he wanted to take precautions.” George mentioned, ignoring the wide eyes of Helia’s disbelief. “Not that it did much in the face of a jinxed broomstick.”

“Never mind that, why didn’t any of you tell me I was marked?!” Helia sputtered.

The Twins deadpanned, “Helia you were a nervous wreak without the knowledge.”

“Why would we make it worse by telling you.”

Helia growled at the Twins, mimicking strangling them.

Draco’s lips twitched at how cute Helia’s rage was, before what the Twins said pinged. “Spy! What spy?!”

Fred snorted, “Please, like your team doesn’t have spies, Malfoy.”

“Yeah, our spy master is someone who can blend into any group without drawing suspicion to himself.” George bragged.

“It’s Lee Jordan, the Quidditch commentator and the Twin’s best friend.” Helia said, dryly, much to the Twin’s outcry.

“Mmm not to the extent that Diggory will face, but if you went after the snitch we decided that you’d be blocked. Couldn’t let a little first year thinking that we’d go easy on her just because she’s the youngest player, after all.” Flint grinned. “Didn’t expect that bullshit with your broom though or that trick with the snitch.”

“You were trying to scare me.” Helia realized.

“Scare you?!” Lily blurted out, “Did they really try to scare you from playing quidditch? Why I ought to!”

Remus held up a hand to calm Lily. “Lily, chill, it’s pretty common in quidditch for the other teams to haze the rookies.” His many years of watching Sirius and James on the pitch and his years as a quidditch commentary taught him that.

James nodded along with Remus, “It’s really just to shuffle out the players that can’t handle the heat, nothing wrong with it.”

“And what?! You just drop them if they can’t handle other players targeting them.” Lily demanded.

James looked at Lily like she was crazy, “Noooo, we switch them to reserve player until we train them up a bit to handle being in a game full time.”

Sirius rolled his eyes at Lily’s quick judgment, “It took a lot for James to kick someone off the team, Evans. Take Audrey, for instance, the bastard deserved what he got.”

“You and James hexed his head to grow twice its original size!” Lily shrieked.

“Get off your high horse, Evans, that creep was peeping on the female quidditch players. All of us not just the Gryffindor team went after him for that, so get your facts checked before you start your shrieking.” Sirius growled.

“Ok guys, let’s cool it, okay?” James tried to defuse the situation.

Flint shrugged his shoulders, “Figured if you couldn’t handle the heat than you weren’t meant to be on the pitch. Didn’t really work out like that, though.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Helia deadpanned, only to burst out into laughter at the shocked look on Flint’s face at her cursing. “What you expect I’m nothing but sunshine and daisies, fragile as spun sugar and all that crap. Did you not witness me cursing out Malfoy in the first month of the year?”

Flint gaped at her, shaking his head.

“Is that why Frændi Marcus ask for my memories of that day?!” Theo blinked, “So he could see your smack down on Drake.”

Draco deadpanned at Theo, “You gave Flint your memories to review in a pensieve, without knowing what he wanted with them.”

Theo shrugged, uncaringly, “Frændi Marcus always has something going on, and it’s not unusual for him to ask for my memories, so he can see if I spotted anything amiss that he did not see himself. Side can’t blame him for wanting to see that spectacular moment.”

“Why am I friends with you?” Draco sighed.

“I, too, ask myself that question about you, all the time.” Theo sassed.

She patted his chest, “Too bad you missed it, my house told me it was quite the scene. Well this was enlightening, see you around Flint.”

“Yeah, See you, Potter.”

“What I don’t get though was why Diggory though I would need to use his broomstick, why I have my Nimbus?” Helia wondered out loud, jumping when Flint sputtered, turning beat red.

“He – I – well you see – he meant - Don’t you have to go meet your team or something!” Flint exclaimed, rushing off in a fluster.

James, Sirius, and Remus started at Helia horrified.

“He didn’t mean anything!”

“Share is caring, that’s the Hufflepuff way! No nefarious reasoning at all!”

“Take his broom and shove it up his arse!”

The panicked denial, flustered and angry responses yelled out in the room.

Helia blinked at her Father and Uncles, bemusedly. “You guys know I was just teasing Marcus, right? I would have to be blind and deaf not to know what Cedric was suggesting.”

James plugged his ears screaming, “LaLaLaLaLa — I can’t hear you, my daughter has no concept of non-platonic relationships —LaLaLaLaLa!”

Remus had a pained grimace on his face, at the knowledge that Helia wasn’t as naïve as he hoped or was in blissful denial of.

Sirius still held firm to his earlier statement of shoving that broom so far up Diggory’s arse he would be able to taste wood.

Helia watched he go amused, he didn’t really think she was that naïve that she didn’t get what Diggory was insinuating at, did he? He was surprisingly easy to fluster for such an intimidating boy, now that she thought about it, a lot of Hogwarts students were that way.

Hermione nodded, “Wizards and Witches are actually more conservative than Muggles are.”

“Yeah the non-magical world is no picnic either but leads ahead of the Wizarding World in certain areas.” Helia said. “While other things are more open in the Wizarding World, than the non-magical world.”

Daphne snorted, “You really think the Muggles are a head of us in anything?”

Helia and Hermione shot her a warning look.

“First Greengrass have you even stepped one foot out in the Muggle-side of the world, because it sure doesn’t sound like it, Second those Muggles have come out with some amazing things all without the help of magic.” Hermione stopped Daphne’s narcissism in its tracks. “They’ve sent people to the moon, they achieved birthing children without having to have sexual intercourse, they’ve built machines to drive the roads, fly the sky, float on the sea and dive underneath it too as well as devices to communicate from a thousand of miles away within seconds.”

Helia leaned in closer to Daphne with a hard look in her emerald eyes. “You know what else the non-magical people built? Guns that can critically injured you or kill you before you could blink, Nuclear Weapons that can wipe out cities— during World War Two they were used, to kill over 210,000 people and that was just two of those weapons that did all that damage. Non-magical people are nothing to turn your nose up at, nor are they beneath your feet like how you people treat non-human magical beings.”

Daphne blinked rapidly at how easily Helia talked about the Muggles capability to kill them if they wanted to —if they ever found about the magical world—

“We have treaties with the different races, Miss. Potter, we do not look down on them.” Madam Bones spoke up, drawings ire away from Daphne.

Helia scoffed at the naïve statement from the stern woman. “That statue that’s smack dab in the middle of the Ministry, what’s it called again?”

Madam Bones blinked, thrown from the out of blue question, not seeing her Niece’s wince. Susan already knew where Helia was going with bring up the statue, she remembered the look on Helia’s face when she first saw the ‘great’ statue.

“The Fountain of Magical Brethren, it represents the harmony of the wizard world.” Madam Bones answered.

“Some equality, that is, with the non-humans all gazing up adoringly at the wizard and witch.” Helia said snidely. “I really don’t think you know the definition of harmony if that’s what it looks like to you, Madam Bones.”

Madam Bones had nothing to say in the face of that.

“It is not we who are violent.” Helia muttered, rolling her eyes as if her own words annoyed her.

Dumbledore paled at hearing those words coming from her lips.

“Gellert Grindelwald.” Luna acknowledged.

“Hmm.” Helia nodded, “It’s who they remind me of, Riddle is nothing but a little cult leader in the face of him, but they both thought they’re idea of the Magical World to be the right and only way. And all that opposed it, should be expunged.”

“Helia.” Ron warned, gently, knowing she was pissing off a lot of people.

“She’s right, Ronald.” Hermione hissed. “Every side to a war has said it, most only trying to release themselves from guilt, blame, or they just plain believe they have the right to subject themselves over someone else.”

“Equals and harmony really don’t exist in this world.” Helia sighed.

 --  Helia felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up into Dumbledore's smiling face.

"Well done," said Dumbledore quietly, so that only Helia could hear. "Nice to see you haven't been brooding about that mirror. . . been keeping busy. . . excellent. . . "

Her mood was so elated that even the mention of the cursed mirror didn’t temper it,

Lily narrowed her emerald eyes at Dumbledore, “You knew Helia was suffering under the mirror’s effects, why would you mention it in front of her?!” She hissed. “Are you trying to make her have a relapse?!”

“I only wanted —

Lily held up a hand, cutting Dumbledore off ruthlessly. “I don’t care what you wanted, my daughter isn’t a toy for you to play with. You best hope my daughter doesn’t come in contact with that mirror, Dumbledore, or you aren’t going to like the consequences.”

James and Helia watched their wife and mother cut down the leader of the light down faster than a zouwu on the hunt.

“Mum’s badass.” Helia muttered to her Dad.

“Why’d you think I chased her for seven years, and then married her.”

as she passed Snape on her way to the locker room he spat bitterly on the ground.

She couldn’t hold it in. “Not a sore sport now are we, Professor?” She asked innocently, with a sharp grin on her face.

Lily slapped a palm on to her forehead, heaving a heavy sigh. Severus would not take well to her daughter acting like her father straight to his face, but at the same time, Helia wouldn’t have it out for Severus is he didn’t carry his grudge for James onto their daughter. “…..Helia, please.”

Helia crossed her arms mulishly, “I don’t see why I have to be the bigger person all the time, I’m allowed to be petty when he’s breathing down my next waiting for a moment to swoop in to drive the knife deeper.”

Lily watched the dark glare that came over her childhood friend’s face, and the familiar stubborn scowl on her daughter’s. One moment they seem almost on the same page, but then something pops up and then they’re taking shots at each other. “I know it’s hard, but being the bigger person is better for you in the long run.”

Helia slouched away from her Mum’s pleading gaze, a dark barking voice bleed the tension out of her shoulders.

“She doesn’t have to do anything, for no one, Evans.” Sirius growled, he knew Helia didn’t want anyone fighting or judging anyone. But he simply couldn’t stand for anyone —not even Lily Evans-Potter— forcing his Pup into something she wasn’t comfortable doing.

Lily frowned that same haughty look she always used to give him and James when they were back in school. “I just wanted her—”

“Exactly you want, not her!” Sirius pointed out furious. “She’s allowed to be mad at someone treating her unfairly.”

Remus avoided looking into Lily’s eyes as he quietly agreed with Sirius that Helia being the was unfair and unhealthy for her. “Not calling out someone’s faults because you understand where their coming from. Pushing aside constant disrespect because you want to keep the peace or pushing down your pain, so the other person can live with less guilt. That’s not being the bigger person Lily, that’s suppression and Godric’s knows Helia’s had enough of that in her life.”

Helia smiled brittlely, at Remus and Sirius, thankful they would stand up for her even to her own Mum—their old friend they missed so much—

Petty she knew, but she couldn’t help it he deserved it for intentionally stalking her for the past week. She didn’t like people in her business.

“Ten points from Gryffindor, get out of my sight, Potter.” He sneered.

With a smirk painted on her lips she took off laughing, to meet up with the team:

The Marauders all winced, sharing a look. Snape wasn’t going to take that sitting down, not when Helia was acting like a little mini James.

Gryffindors running to lift her onto their shoulders; Ron and Hermione in the distance, jumping up and down, Ron cheering through a heavy nosebleed.

Mrs. Weasley winced at hearing that her youngest son had a bloody nose, trying to breathe through the urge to yell at Ron for fighting and getting hurt.

Mr. Weasley rubbed his wife’s arm in comfort.

As the crowed all trickled off to celebrate in the common room, Helia was blissful happy. She couldn't ever remember feeling happier. She'd really done something to be proud of now -- no one could say she was just a famous name any more.

“You don’t have to prove to others that you have value, Pup.” Sirius frowned, “That’s one thing no one can ever take away from you, as long as you remember to value yourself.”

Helia huffed, frustrated. “It was hard at first to block out the wizarding world’s views and expectations they chained me with, I guess I just needed to actually do something by my own merits to feel right with myself.”

Blaise gazed at her in interest, “You think being the ‘Girl-who-lived’ as being chained?” His lips quirked as if he found that quite hilarious. “People practically worship the ground you walk on for that.”

Helia’s eyes glared thunderously at him. “Can you even tell me what the bloody fuck I did at fifteen-months-old? Because I sure as hell don’t know shit.” Her dangerous glared cut to the old coot of a headmaster, Dumbledore like always kept quiet with a twinkle in his blue eyes.

Blaise held up his hands in surrender, with a smirk on his face.

The evening air had never smelled so sweet. 

Ron recounted his and Neville’s fight against Draco, She grinned to herself, pleased that Neville finally made the first step in believing in himself. Of course, she’d probably have to help Neville gain a bit more experience in fighting, can’t have him ending up in the hospital wing with a concussion every time.

“Did you ever end up giving those lessons?” Kingsley asked curiously.

“You bet I did.” Helia nodded seriously.

“Sadly.” Neville groaned. “Every two weeks, for three hours through the whole school year.”

Helia shoved Neville’s shoulder, “Stop your bellyaching, Nev, it’s not as rough as you’re making it out to be. At least now, you don’t end up in the hospital wing with a concussion after a fistfight.”

“And it took me how long to learn!” Neville whined playfully.

Helia scoffed, “Please you’re a better student, then others for sure. All you need is more confidence in yourself.”

“So you keep telling me.”

“If I keep telling you, then you better smarten up and listen, then.”

“You should’ve seen it, Helia! It was bloody brilliant!” Ron crowed, through his still bleeding nose.

“I bet, hey I gotta put my broom away you guys can go on a head, get Ron’s nose check out before we join the party.” Helia said.

“I’m good walking on my own, Hermione should go with you. It’s getting dark better in numbers and all that.” Ron denied, waving off both girl’s worries.

“Oh, Ron, Darling.” Mrs. Weasley swooned at her son’s rare bout of gentlemanly manners. “It’s nice of you to be worried about the girls, but don’t forget your hurt.”

Ron eyed his Mum wearily, “Ya think she forgot she was talking to a book?”

“Sometime I can never tell with Mum.” Ginny muttered back.

“Fine, but if we find out you skipped out on going to the hospital wing Ronald Weasley, so help me.” Hermione threatened, poking Ron in one of his bruises to prove how serious she was.

“I got it, woman, no need to nag.”

“Someone has to, or you won’t get anything done, Ronald Weasley.” Hermione mockingly glared at Ron.

“You’ve met my family, and you think I don’t get nagged enough?!”

“Clearly not if I have to step up and do it as well.” Hermione sassed back.

Helia and Hermione waved goodbye to Ron, before hurrying down the wet grassy hill down to the broom shed.

“Your happy.” Hermione observed, with a soft smile. Watching Helia practically skip down the slippery hill, humming to herself. 

Helia paused for a moment, before turning to her best friend with a blinding grin. “Mmm, I am. I’ve overcome the challenges ahead of me, I helped my team win what we thought was going to be a complete nightmare. So yes, I’m really happy.”

Charlie winced with a deep frown on his face, “You two make it sound like it’s so rare for Helia to be happy.” He turned to Helia with a pleading look in his brown eyes, to say the girl who was a little sister to him in everything but blood wasn’t as unhappy as the books were making it seem. “I mean, you’re happy with us, aren’t you?”

Helia’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, “I’m getting better every time I’m around you guys, it’s just with the way I grew up alone with people who couldn’t give a shit about me even if you paid them. It was hard to be happy or even find things to be happy about, Char, you gotta understand being alone is more painful than being hurt.” She admitted, scratching restlessly at her neck, quickly stopping before she made herself bleed, knowing if she didn’t catch the habit she would keep doing it. “I’d get so damn lonely as a kid, still do really, that it would just overwhelm me. I could be gardening, reading in class or hiding out in the park then bam! It’s like I can’t help it or stop it, I’m alone as I’ve always been, never knowing any different, but it still hurts like hell.”

Hermione grasped Helia hand saying the quote Helia like and practically lived by. “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

Helia hummed, nodding. “Learned to breathe through it and keep on walking, working, living. It wasn’t til Hogwarts, Ron, and Hermione I learned to make things nice for myself, when I still found myself sad and lonely even with friends that wouldn’t let me be alone.”

Charlie’s lip wobbled as he tried to keep from grabbing Helia and sobbing into her shirt over the injustice, Helia had to learn no one would come and save her, no one will come riding on a white horse and take all her worries away. Helia had to save herself, a little girl had to make her own home, take care of her own health with no parents to soothe her sick away, she had to do the work herself and learn how to be happy with nothing and how to make happiness out of nothing.

“It was hard to learn Char, and I’m still learning how to, a good book that always calm me down, a plan to follow even when I can’t see the end, a few good people I try to treat right and who do the same for me. Learning, is all you can do, so it’s what I do.” Helia reassured.

“I’m glad, seems like things are looking up, finding Flamel and now winning quidditch games.” Hermione said.

“Yeah, we have to come up with a plan.” Helia said as she locked her broom away. “Let’s go meet up with Ron. I’m sure he’s starving by now, I could go with a cup of hot chocolate and some s’mores.”

“Why’d do, I get the feeling you’d go for the sweets first before you guys try to plan to stop a heist for the bleedin’ philosopher stone.” Blaise drawled, raising an eyebrow at Helia.

Not one to judged for her sweet tooth, she stared back at Blaise “One can hardly do anything productive when one knows there are s’mores and hot chocolate to be had.”

Blaise scoffed when he saw Theo nodding out the corner of his eye, his amante had a large sweet tooth that he could be easily swayed with something Pansy, Millie, Daphne and even little Phacelia took advantage of from time to time when they wanted something from his stoic amante.

“Helia all that sugar! Think of your teeth!” Hermione cried. 

“Aw come on, Mione I think I deserve something sweet after today. I promise to brush my teeth extra long.”

“You make it sound like I’m your mother.” Hermione complained, as the two girls burst out into giggles, turning to starting their trek back up to the castle. The setting sun framed the castle in a beautiful red glow.

Helia grabbed Hermione, suddenly backing her against the broom shed, covering her mouth. “Shh someone’s here.” She whispered, they both peered around the shed.

A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. The girl’s merriment faded as they watched. Helia recognized the figure's prowling walk. Snape, sneaking into the forest while everyone else was at dinner -- what was going on?

Hermione pulled Helia’s hand off her mouth. “Professor Snape? What is he doing?” She said with a suspicious glint in her cinnamon brown eyes.

“Really.” Snape deadpanned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You two followed us, didn’t you.” He didn’t even need to look at the girls faces to tell that they did.

“Hey, we were on high alert and then there you are acting all suspicious like, practically asking to be followed if you asked me.” Helia sniffed haughtily, sounding just like Hermione.

“Is it really to much too ask for you to stay put.” McGonagall sighed.

“Yes.”

“We’re gonna find out.” Helia hissed, as she unlocked her Nimbus Two Thousand jumping onto her broom holding a hand out to Hermione to climb on. “Let’s go, Mione.”

Hermione paled as she realized I wanted her to get on a broom, when she swore she’d never get on one again after the disastrous flying lessons. “Do I really have to, can’t we just walk.” She whined fearfully.

“You really don’t like flying, huh?” Bill observed.

Hermione blushed, looking up at Bill nervously. “No I really don’t, well that’s not true, I can fly the Muggle way just fine. I believe the high possibility of falling to my death off a stick with no safety measures is one of the main reasons why.”

“Fair.” Bill agreed.

“Mione if we follow-on foot there’s no way we’d catch up with him, not to mention how hard it is to stay silent in the forest. Easy to step on a branch or some leaves and the  we’ll give away our position. If we’re in the air we’d have the advantage of stealth and silence, were going to lose him, let’s go.” Helia reasoned, giving Hermione a look that said hop-on-already.

“All fair and reasonable reasons for taking the broom, stealth is need when tailing a suspect.” Tonks said.

Padma frowned, “You guys both knew the silencing spell, why didn’t you use it?”

“If we silenced ourselves we wouldn’t be able to warn each other if something went wrong, and just because we’re silenced doesn’t mean if we broke a branch or stepped into some undergrowth that it wouldn’t of been heard.” Hermione explained, “There’s just no why to silence everything in the forest while keeping out of Snape’s sight while being in range to hear him.”

Hermione whimpered as she climbed on behind Helia, stifling a scream as Helia kicked off. Gliding silently over the castle she saw Snape enter the forest at a run. She followed.

“I’m actually thankful you follow from the air, Fawn.” James confessed, much to Lily’s horror.

“James Potter! Do not encourage our daughter to go chasing dangerous people in the bloody forbidden forest! There’s giant man-eating spiders that could swallow our daughter whole, at that age!”

Helia apparently still never learn when to not open her mouth because what did come out was. “Oh you mean the Acromantulas, don’t worry, I didn’t come across them till my second year. Where we were headed after Snape was nowhere near where their colonies were nesting.”

Her parents started at her in horrified shock.

“Are you taking back that whole can’t-lock-our-daughter-in-a-tower-for-her-own-safety thing you vetoed when she was a babe?” James asked his wife casually.

“In fact, I’ll start work on the tower as soon as we’re done with these book.” Lily chirped, with a crazed smile on her lips.

Helia could only lean into Sirius for protection from her overprotective parents.

The trees were so thick, Helia couldn't see where Snape had gone. She flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees Hermione clinging fearfully onto her until finally she heard voices. She glided them toward the voices and landed noiselessly in a towering beech tree. —much to Hermione’s distress—

She helped Hermione off the broom and had her clutching the tree, so she could climb carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to her broomstick, trying to see through the leaves.

“I’m surprised you didn’t know you were being watched, Severus.” Dumbledore mused, smoothing a hand down his beard.

Snape threw a withering glare at the Headmaster, he didn’t even bother in dignifying that with a response.

Below, in a shadowy clearing, stood Snape, but he wasn't alone. Quirrell was there, too. Helia couldn't make out the look on his face, but he was stuttering worse than ever. Helia strained to catch what they were saying.

". . . d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus. . . "

"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," said Snape, his voice icy. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Philosopher 's Stone, after all. "

Helia leaned forward. Quirrell was mumbling something. Snape interrupted him.

"Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?" 

Astoria glanced nervously at her Head of House. “I can see why they found him suspicious.” She whispered to Ginny.

“I don’t think the old dungeon bat knows how to act as anything else.” Ginny nodded. “He probably figured it went with his whole aesthetic.” 

"B-b-but Severus, I--"

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," said Snape, taking a step toward him. 

"I-I don't know what you--"

"You know perfectly well what I mean. "

An owl hooted loudly, and Helia saw Hermione jump in fear releasing her death grip on the tree. Helia’s heart stopped as she watched Hermione slip from the tree branch, a scream lodged in her throat.

“Seven’s Hell, Hermione, are you alright?!” Bill turned to Hermione with concern plain on his face. “You didn’t break anything, did you?”

Hermione blushed under the concern, waving it off. “I was fine Bill, I was with Helia after all, she would never allow me to be harmed if she was there to prevent it.”

Helia couldn’t help but wince remembering all the times she had failed to shield friends away from danger, instead unwilling dragging them straight towards it.

Thinking quickly she jumped off her branch falling after Hermione, grabbing onto Hermione’s waist she flipped her broom underneath them, so she was sitting on the broom sidesaddle with Hermione curled up in her lap. She steadied them on the broom with her lower body weight one arm wrapped around Hermione, the other steered the broom back to the tree this time keeping Hermione clutched to her side.

Sirius gaped at Helia and Hermione, his racing from hearing the danger the both of them almost found themselves in. “Merlin’s balls! Pup, Kitten! The two of you are gonna turn my hair white, not saying I couldn’t pull it off but, jeeze give me a break!”

Both girls looked towards Sirius with innocent looks, while Ron had a smug look on his face.

Sirius pointed at Ron, with a faux stern expression. “Hey Kid, you ain’t much better with taking care of yourself either.” He glanced down at Ron’s leg, remembering when the kid had tried everything in his power to protect Helia and Hermione with a broken leg.

“Thank Merlin, Helia is such a natural on a broom, or that could’ve gone very differently.” Neville sighed in relief.

“They wouldn’t have been in danger if they just kept to their own business. They were children, if they had concerns they should’ve come to the adults and left it at that.” McGonagall hissed.

Helia rounded onto her Head of House furiously. “We came to an adult, but were turned away because we’re just children who didn’t know anything and we’re dismissed without help because adults are always right and children should be silent.” She sneered, “In case you’ve forgotten, that adult was you, Professor.”

McGonagall stiffened at the hateful tone of Helia’s voice, but she had nobody to blame but herself.

Her blood stopped rushing in her ears just in time to hear Snape say, " -- your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting. "

"B-but I d-d-don't--"

"Very well," Snape cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie. "

“Damn, you couldn’t hear their conversation.” Tonks hissed.

“Yeah, I was a little too busy trying to make sure Hermione didn’t break her neck.” Helia drawled, “It sure would have made our first year easier if we could’ve heard that conversation.”

“Yes, it would be convenient if you could have heard all of the conversation you were eavesdropping on.” Snape scoffed. “Maybe then you would’ve stayed out of it, as I was not ,and I repeat not trying to steal the stone.”

Sirius rolled his eyes at Snape. “Oh please, Snape even if the Pup heard you threatening Quirrell, she still would’ve been suspicious of you. I mean, it’s like you go out of your way to sound suspicious.”

Snape sneered at Sirius, “Yes, Black, I go out of my way to draw the suspicions of nosy Gryffindor brats for entertainment.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me.” Hermione muttered to Helia and Ron.

He threw his cloak over his head and strode out of the clearing.

Draco looked at his godfather incredibly, “Uncle Severus, it really is no wonder why they would assume it was you trying to steal the stone.”

Snape furrowed his eyebrows at Draco, in a what-do-mean way.

Blaise cleared it up for him. “He means, your acting sketchy as hell.”

It was almost dark now, but Helia could see Quirrell, standing quite still as though he was petrified.

"Helia, Hermione, where have you been ?" Ron asked. “You should’ve seen the black eye Malfoy is supporting courtesy of yours truly, Madam Pomfrey ain’t happy with me but whatever! Neville’s is out cold, but she said he’d be alright - -talk about showing Slytherin! Come on everyone’s waiting for you in the common room, we're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens.  

“Do you Gryffindor really party that much, I mean all houses have their celebrations, but you guys seem to take it to extreme levels.” Kingsley mused. “I hear your two names a lot, with pilfering and partying.” He looked at the twins, pointedly.

Percy snorted, “They have been doing that for house parties since their first party.”

“Yeah, I mean, they showed up to the party with a bunch of stuff, and been the kings of thieving and hosting since.” Charlie chuckled. “Along with their friend Lee Jordan.”

George pouted at his older brothers, his eyes lighting up at Percy’s amused tone at his and Fred’s antics. It’s been a long time since his brother had anything to say to or about them that wasn’t a lecture. “We just like to party, enjoy our-hard earned spoils and if we walk over some rules during the night it’s a good night.”

"Never mind that now," said Helia breathlessly, dragging a still shaken Hermione with her. "Let's find an empty room, you wait 'til you hear this. . . "

Padma blinked, “Wow, you really do get tunnel vision, don’t you.” She observed the sheepish look on Helia’s face. “Did you even hear what Ron was saying about Neville being unconscious?”

Helia scratched the back of her neck abashedly. “I heard him, I just had other things to worry about first—not that Neville isn’t important, because he is.” She fidgeted and cringed at how her words were coming out. “Neville was safe in the care of Madam Pomfrey, while we just had learned we really were up against two adversities that are contending for the stone. And that needed to be addressed promptly.”

Neville laid a reassuring hand on Helia’s arm. “Helia, it’s fine. I know what you mean sides you were there when I woke up, so no one can say you don’t care.” He knew Helia took it very hard when people implicated that she didn’t care for people. Which he didn’t know how anyone could look at Helia and not Immediately tell how caring and kind she was.

She made sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them, then told Ron what she and Hermione seen and heard.

Madam Bones observed the golden trio inquiringly, “I know, my Susan said the three of you are close, no hesitation to fill in each other do you really not keep anything from each other.”

Ron rolled his blue eyes, “it’s not like we know everything about each other, but we know enough and trust each other.”

“We still fight, disagree, or even need breaks from each other’s company.” Hermione divulged.

“It sounds like they’re working together.” Ron sighed.

“I know we all thought Snape was somehow involved, but Professor Quirrell! I didn’t think he would be in on it.” Hermione said, nervously chewing on her lip.

“You mean nobody thought he has the stones, the man can barely teach his own class, let alone try to steal the philosopher’s stone from underneath Dumbledore’s nose.” Ron scoffed.

Charlie frowned, he remembered when Quirrell was the Muggle Studies Professor. The man was no means brave, but he was alway sure of his knowledge, if not a little condescending about it. 

Fred and George did say that Quirrell had come back traumatized and wrong from his research adventures. Ron was right, Quirrell wasn’t a man to have the guts to go against someone like Dumbledore or even Snape for a chance of a power stone like the philosopher stone.

So what made him want to turn against the school and steal from underneath Dumbledore’s nose. Was it a switch of loyalties or was it forced loyalties under the distress of potion drugging, unforgivables, or worse.

Helia nodded, although she knew something didn’t add up with the DADA’s Professor from Halloween, she got where Ron was coming from. “Quirrell is definitely in on it.” 

Moody raised a scarred eyebrow, “You’re more sure of Quirrell involvement in the heist, but you unconsciously doubt Snape’s hand in it.”

Susan perked up, “You picked up on that too, Uncle Moody? I noticed that while she’s willing to fight Professor Snape to protect herself and her friends, but she seems to be trying to talk herself out of blaming Professor Snape.” 

 Helia huffed, “I never had a grudge on Snape, I just dished back exactly what was given to me.”

Ron shrugged, “That’s true, Helia didn’t really form an opinion until multiple interactions with Snape breathing down her neck picking at every flaw she did and barking at others for nothing more than belonging to another house. I suppose me and Hermione didn’t help because we couldn’t find in our hearts to say a kind word about the adult who goes out of his way to torment our best friend.”

All Snape heard was he had dug his own grave with his treatment of Helia.

Hermione looked conflicted, “Are we sure? It sounds more like Snape was forcing him into it to me.”

Helia shrugged, “Could be, however there’s something wrong with him Snape was just threatening him for his help. It was like he was trying to warn him off, whether it was to get him to keep quiet or if Quirrell is trying to get the stone before Snape does. All I know is we can’t trust either.”

Mrs. Weasley nervously picked at her nails, if the kids were right then, that put them in Hogwarts with two less professors to protect them and may actually hurt them if they meddled in whatever nefarious plot for the stone. 

Why were her children — blood or adopted — always found themselves in the midst of trouble?

Hermione paced in front of the desk, worrying her lower lip. “That remark on Quirrell’s hocus-pocus, I think that means there’s more guarding the Stone than just Fluffy.”

“So what? You think Snape can’t get past Quirrell’s trap?” Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.

Draco snorted, there was no way that his Uncle Severus couldn’t unravel any spell, charm, enchantment placed in front of him. The day Uncle Severus needs the help of a bumbling fool like Quirrell would be a cold day in hell.

“There’s no way Snape can’t get past something Quirrell made or cast, what could his trap be?” Helia wondered, she had a hard time believing Quirrell could outsmart Snape. “The Troll! It came from the Trap door right? So Trolls must be Quirrell’s trap and, he was the one to release on as a distraction to get the stone.”

“Trolls?!” Padma exclaimed, “How’d you figure Professor Quirrell’s trap is trolls? I mean, we all saw him drop in a dead faint when he came busting into the Great Hall screaming about them.”

Helia scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Oh, please, that ‘faint’ was so faked I’m surprised anyone fell for it.”

Padma eyed Helia curiously. “You do know you can fall forwards when you faint, right?”

“That’s not why I know he faked fainting, but can you really believe Quirrell who has a ‘affinity’ for trolls would come screaming to the whole school when he, himself, was the one to bring them into the school.” Helia explained, “Why couldn’t he use the same method he used to bring them, hence he used the ‘escape’ as a distraction that would keep all the Professors and students away while supposedly passed out Quirrell could try to get past the other teachers traps.”

Padma looked as if she got slapped in the face. “Just like Professor Snape, who you saw heading the opposite way of the other professors—and I’m not saying you were after the stone professor.” She said quickly when she saw the look on Snape’s face. “Quite the opposite really, you were warning Professor Quirrell off, weren’t you?”

The look on Snape’s face was well-what-else-was-I-supposed-to-be-doing.

“So Quirrell wanted the stone for himself, Snape realizes his partner is trying to double-cross him, so he goes to the Forbidden Corridor instead of going with the other Professors trying to stop Quirrell from getting the stone before he, himself, can get it.” Ron theorized.

“They probably fought distracting them from Fluffy, leading Snape getting bit.” Hermione nodded.

“So let’s assume all the Professors each have some sort of spell, trick or trap guarding the stone. That means two of the people who where supposed to protect it are trying to steal it, they could’ve sabotage their own traps or even the other Professors.” Helia speculated, rubbing her temple.

“Should we inform Professor Dumbledore now? He’ll know what to do, surely.” Hermione suggested.

Ron shook his head. “There’s no way they’ll believe us a couple of first year Gryffindor pointing a finger at Snape, they’ll probably just take it as a prank or us trying to get him sacked and than who’s going to believe poor stuttering Quirrell who have the guts when he jumps at his own shadow.” 

“So what? We have to protect the stone on both sides, with Snape and Quirrell gunning for it and no one willing to believe us?” Hermione asked in alarm.

“You guys were really ready to fight off two grown wizards by yourselves just for some stone?” Susan asked, alarmed at how much danger they were willing to place themselves into.

Ron blinked at Susan in confusion, “We weren’t protecting the stone so much as keeping it out of our enemies hands.”

“An enemy whose identity you three weren’t even aware of?! That enemy you mean!” Percy exclaimed.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at Percy, “Exactly we didn’t know quite who or how many we were up against, so it was rational to assume that everyone was to be treated with suspicion.”

Moody nodded approvingly, to the disapproval of madam bones.

“You can’t just cast guilt onto everyone, the law states that everyone has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat.” Madam Bones frowned.

“We did prove it, besides I take another proverb very seriously, and it’s de omnibus dubitandum.” Helia snarled slightly. “Very helpful in keeping us alive through the years.”

“And we were never straight up planning to fight, anyone in a fair fight we knew we would lose.” Hermione informed. “We planned for different contingencies, while in mind we had to buy time for the professors to be informed the stone was currently in mortal danger.”

The adults looked as if they didn’t believe a word the trio were saying.

“If we take our eyes off either one of the for even a minute….” Helia trailed off.

"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron.

“Do you three really assign yourselves protectors of a magic stone just because the professors were too incompetent of doing it right?” Theo deadpanned. “Must you really meddle in everything?”

Ron points to Helia “She just can’t help herself, for Merlin’s sake she just does it automatically without thought.”

Blaise frowned, flickering his green eyes from Ron to Helia and back. “Really? From these book’s view it seems she does nothing without thought.”

Helia looked away from the curious glances while Hermione and Ron shared fond looks on their best friend’s behalf. “It’s true Helia’s a thinker and is most definitely one of the smartest people we know, but when it comes to action and helping people she just….moves.”

“Yes, in one of the many rants of Helia not taking her safety seriously in those moments her defence is her body moved on its own before she could think.” Hermione nodded.

Blaise cast a wary glance at Helia, “That most certainly will lead you to trouble in the future, Potter.”

“You say it like it hasn’t already.” Helia sighed, “Really everything thing I do,trouble is the most common result out of it.”

“And you say you don’t go looking for trouble!”

“I don’t!” Helia denies, “It finds me, I told you guys a million times already!”

“And we still don’t believe you.” Ron teased.

“Please tell me were there even one year that the three of you were safe and happy?!” Lily begged.

The golden trio shared guilty looks before turned to shake their heads at Helia’s stressed out Mum.

Lily whined before slamming her head into a throw pillow to muffle her frustrated screaming.

“You’re gonna turn your Mum’s hair grey by the end of this, Fawn.” James wearily laughed.

“Sorry.”

“Let’s just read the next chapter before I have a heart attack.” Lily muttered.