Chapter 1: Ben's Picture

Hope sighed and slouched in her chair as she swung her feetf forward and back. Her headmaster had left to call her parents and she'd been in his office for the past hour. He had lectured her for the most part, but here and there, he'd throw in many threats of expulsion.

She hadn't meant to do anything but the headmaster had coldly reminded her this was her third offense of severe misbehavior. Of course, it wasn't her fault. Being a young witch with no magical training, she couldn't really do anything but try to control her temper.

This time, one of her classmates was bullying her so she had accidentally turned her into a duck when the bully had cornered her in the girls' bathroom. The headmaster didn't realize this and therefore was punishing her with a forty-eight hour suspension for setting a living animal loose in the school.

Suddenly, the office door opened and Headmaster Davidson walked into the room, looking quite frustrated, followed by her father. Hope observed his casual muggle clothes, half-wishing he'd shown up in his robes just to freak out Headmaster Davidson.

"Mr. Potter, please take a seat," he said curtly, gesturing at the only other seat in his office, next to Hope. She looked up at her Dad and was surprised to see that he looked rather amused. He sat down, glancing at Hope. She could have sworn he winked at her but he sobered quickly and turned his attention to Mr. Davidson.

"Mr. Potter we have decided to give your daughter a two-day suspension for her behaviour, considering that this is her third offense. First she threw a plate of food at one of her peers," Hope winced slightly. That wasn't entirely true. Her temper had gotten away from her when Natalie Rendavis called her a snotty, spoiled brat.

"The second was for being out of bounds," he said, ticking the offense off on his fingers. Hope rolled her eyes; Okay, that was her own fault, but it was only because she hadn't eaten lunch since she had to finish a report and therefore had sneaked into the cafeteria kitchen to get food.

"And the third was for setting a live animal into the school, leaving us at risk for animal cruelty charges."

"I assume this goes on her permanent record?" Harry asked seriously, glancing at Hope with a serious expression. Hope chanced a sideways look at her father when he'd turned back and worriedly noted that he no longer seemed amused. Hope supposed her father being angry with her wouldn't be nearly as bad as what her mother would say.

"Oh, yes, I'm afraid so. Miss Potter, we will see you back at school in forty-eight hours time. I'm also to inform the both of you that another offense like this willearn Miss Potter an expulsion from this school and all schools in England."

Hope stood up, tears shining behind her eyes. Wait until her mother heard about this! Her father got up and apologized to the headmaster as Hope left the office to go collect her things to go home. She hung her head on the walk home, praying that she wouldn't run into any of her classmates, who would no doubt tease her endlessly for the punishment.

She returned to the front doors in five minutes time, to see her father waiting for her. He led her outside in silence and then finally broke the silence with a chuckle, a boyish grin on his face.

"Hope, you could have done better than a duck. You've got Potter blood... maybe a little more creativity?"

Hope gaped at her father, shocked. "Dad, I broke the law!" A smile tugged at her lips, but she didn't dare let it show since she still felt ashamed of herself. "Mum will hex me into next week!"

He put his arm around his daughter's shoulder, still grinning. "Don't worry, Hope. I cast a memory charm on him to forget adding it to your permanent record. You'll go back to school in a few days. I had no idea that duck was caused by you, but the accidental magic reversal squad already covered you up on that one."

Hope groaned and adjusted her backpack as they headed down the street toward the park where he could disapparate with her safely out of sight. "Dad, I'm sick of not being able to control it."

Harry nodded and hugged her to him. "Don't worry, angel. It's not forever, you know. And I used to get in trouble allthe time when I was your age, remember? It's normal."

Hope didn't say anything to this. Normal. Sometimes she wished she was.

...

Benjamin Potter looked up from his drawing as his sister and father apparated into the house. He looked back down and picked up a red crayon to continue colouring his picture.

"Hello Jack!" Harry greeted his son teasingly, ruffling his already messy hair as he passed.

"Daddy, my name is Ben not Jack!" Ben moaned, scribbling on his paper and then picking up the black crayon.

Harry grinned and looked around the house. "Where's Mummy?"

Ben continued to colour and didn't look up as he answered very conversationally: "Upstairs cleaning my walls."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "And why is she cleaning your walls?"

"Because I drawed all over them," Ben answered matter-of-factly.

Hope rolled her eyes at her brother and went to go hang up her coat. Unlike her brother, she looked more like her mother with long, wavy red locks and freckles on her nose. Benjamin Potter was only five and he looked like their father. He was a small little thing with messy dark brown hair and round green eyes.

Ben, it was said jokingly, had inherited the Weasley temper. He was a very independent child and liked to try things on his own. While Hope's accidental magic seemed to gain more negative attention than Ben's 'adorable spell-casting,' Hope felt that Ben's habits of 'explosive' spells should earn him punishment.

There were footsteps on the stairs as Ginny came down. Her mother was pretty and nearly as famous as their dad, simply for being his wife. She was in the magazines a lot but neither she or Ben was necessarily allowed to see the pictures, but neither of them really knew why. Sometimes Hope would sneak peaks at magazines at shops to see the paparazzi making a ridiculous deal out of her parents' marriage.

"Hope's suspended for transfiguring some girl into a duck," Hope heard her father tell her mother with an amused tone. Hope doubted that her mother would find it as funny.

There was a pause and then: "Hope!" Her mother called.

Hope sighed and walked into the dining room where Ginny was pouring herself a cup of tea when she looked up at her daughter sternly.

"Hope, please explain what happened today?"

Hope hesitated. "I accidentally turned a girl into a duck because she was going to stuff my head down a toilet or hit me or something. They don't ever leave me alone. They tease me for being a freak..." She pulled herself miserably into a chair across the table from her mother and put her head in her hands.

"You're almost through with muggle school," Harry reminded her gently as he sat next to Ginny.

Her mother sighed. "Oh, dear. Harry, have you called the Ministry to have damage control done?"

Harry shook his head no, telling her it had been taken care of before the headmaster had even called him.

"Sweetheart, you know you can't let those girls get to you every time," Ginny reprimanded her wearily. "Just because Dad has got Ministry connections doesn't mean we should be assigning you your own crew of magical reversal workers."

"I know, Mum. The girl cornered me... I panicked."

Ginny stirred cream into her tea and nodded. "I know. Just... try not to transfigure muggles anymore. You'll be at Hogwarts soon enough."

"I'm sorry, Mum. I wish I could control it."

Ginny smiled at her daughter's honest guiltiness in her wish. "All kids feel the way you do when these things happen."

"It happens when your parents are just so incredibly talented," Harry interjected lightly, making Ginny laugh aloud and the tension to melt away. When her dad slid an arm around mum's waist, Hope knew it was a good time to make her exit.

She left the kitchen to go sit beside her brother at the table, where she had spotted a plate of cookies. Plopping herself next to him, she snatched a cookie off the plate and looked at her brother's drawing with a frown.

"What's that supposed to be?" She asked in a rather disgusted tone.

Ben looked annoyed and scrunched his nose. "I don't know… I dreamed about it last night, Hope."

Hope continued to stare at the picture. Although it looked like a lot was squiggles and scribbled lines, some of it was a little disturbing. There was this tall person-like blotch coloured black, with an arm out to a smaller green squiggled figure who seemed to be crying. Then there were lots of multi-coloured lines shooting about the page.

Hope shook her head, trying not to think about it. It was probably nothing. Still… she knew there was something going on in Britain. She glanced down at her right arm… staring at the scar that had been taking a permanent residence on her arm. It usually just came and went with her fiery moods, but not anymore. It was strange, and she still didn't truly understand the scar's meaning. Her parents had just told her that it had happened because of rare magic between her father and herself and it had replicated the scar on her father's forehead.

Then there was her father. He was volunteering a lot of his time at the Ministry, helping the Aurors get organized and there was even some talk about joining up with them again. Hope hadn't dared to ask about it though. Her mother hated the idea and the one time that she didask if her father was going to be an Auror again, her parents had argued for the remainder of the day. He played professional Quidditch now, under Oliver Wood, his old Gryffindor captain for Puddlemere United.

Harry suddenly appeared and snatched a cookie off the plate. Ben looked up from his picture and tugged at his father's sleeve.

"Daddy, can you make my picture move?" Ben asked, setting down an orange crayon. Harry nodded, swallowing and pulling out his wand and absently tapping the picture as he pulled the latest issue of the Daily Prophettowards himself.

Hope frowned and watched the picture. The black blotch was moving around, trying to reach for the small figure who kept dodging it. The colourful lines were flashing and shooting around the page, making the scene with the black blotch and the small figure almost invisible.

"Ben what is it supposed to be?" Hope repeated in irritation.

Ben hopped off his seat with his picture with a shrug. "I don't know Ho-pey. It's a picture."

"Don't call me that," she snapped absently, selecting another cookie as her brother walked away, pondering over the drawing some more. Her mother walked into the room and huffed angrily, her hands on her hips.

"Benjamin! Come clean up these crayons!" She called impatiently. "I just finished with your walls, young man." Harry started to chuckle when Ginny turned on him and pulled the paper lower so she could look at him in the eyes. "And you... Harry, you're boots were filthy when you came in and you left them on the rug again. The poor house elves must spend half their time cleaning up after you."

Before Hope could get yelled at too, she departed from her mother's wrath and went upstairs, wondering why a little boy's picture was so disturbing to her.

...

Drew gazed sleepily into the fire, allowing the dancing flames to hypnotize her. The room was dark with tall shadows on the walls. When the door opened, she twisted around to see Draco Malfoy being forced into the room by two men.

She stood gracefully, her long robes billowing beyond her as she walked over to him. He glared at her, his cold blue eyes narrowing with fury as he was released and he stood taller.

"What is it you want?" He asked nastily. "It isn't necessary to have me dragged here like a felon."

"You've been ignoring me, Draco." Drew said silkily, signaling to the other two men to leave. "I don't like to be ignored."

Draco let out an angry breath of air."Cut the bullshit. What is it that you want?" Draco snapped. "You've been owling me constantly, sending messengers..."

Drew paused, her dark eyes full of promise. "It wouldn't be necessary if you made yourself available to the world, Draco."

Draco said nothing for a moment, hatred etched on every line of his face. "You drag me here so I can play guessing games?"

"No, I had you dragged here because I need your help. You know the circumstances… you're father was one of the best and he's gone thanks to Potter. We need to put the Dark Lord's final plan into action, Draco. You've got reasons just as much as I do."

Draco folded his arms. "And I also know that a woman such as yourself would benefit much better than giving up, rather than engaging in foolish activity that Potter will have you sentenced to death for!"

"Coward," Drew scoffed, folding her arms. "Potter hasn't sentenced you to death. Proves that all I'd need to do is grovel on my knees and donate a sizable amount to the Ministry."

"How dare you-" Draco made a move to step forward but Drew's wand was suddenly in her hand and she tutted and brandished it at him.

"Don't be a fool, Malfoy. Help me and I'll make it worth your while. All we need to do is kill Potter and take his daughter's powers to complete the spell. The Dark Lord will rise again and you'll be free from public humiliation."

"You weren't even around for the war! Why should I take orders from you?"

Drew leaned against the wall. "Because I've already got the support of others and you are a washed out rat, Malfoy. I want you to help me because of your knowledge of Potter."

Draco pursed his lips and stared at her furiously. She extended her hand toward him. "Do we have a deal?"

Draco shook her hand with reluctance. "Disappoint me, Drew… and you'll certainly regret it."

She laughed at his threat. "Good. I'll be in touch, Draco."

Draco muttered a curse under his breath at the thought of seeing her again and disapparated. Drew simply smiled, winding a lock of hair around her finger as she sat back down in front of the fire.

Things were finally going her way.