The Forgotten Child

Sorry it has been so long since I updated it is going to be a while on this story. I have set it on a back burner for a moment in order to write Syndil and Sirius's story. I will post that here as it becomes available. Thank you for your patience.

At long Last here it is Chapter 3
*A/N: Remember this is a work in progress and there are parts that are still being worked on. The lines in bold indicate a change in scene and the italics are for thoughts(except for Ann's letter, I needed that to stand out somehow.) Thank you MaeGunn Batt for you suggestions on this story your line near the end has been added. Thank you for you help. Please tell me what you think.

Chapter 3: Betrayal in the Family
Her cries keep coming back;
across the field, lingering
in the withered leaves, the dry,
forgotten places.
~*~Gerald McCarthy~*~At the Crossroads~*~

July 24,1991
"Oh, Karin! She's amazing!" Ann exclaimed. She was eleven. Both Celia and she had gotten their letters from Beauxbatons last week, but today they were celebrating her birthday. Karin and Marc had given her an owl with pale spots and a white face with a brown spot under each eye.

"She's a type of Barn owl," Karin told her with a grin. "You don't see her kind in this part of the world very often. Now you have no excuse not to write home, either of you."

"Yes, Aunt Karin." "Yes, Mum." Ann and Celia said together not meeting Karin's eyes. "She's wonderful! Thank you!" Ann continued.

"Now mine," Celia said handing Ann a very prettily wrapped package. "Jac and I shopped all day to find you just the right one."

Ripping the wrapping to shreds, she found a very old, plainly bound leather book, which she was sure had to be a journal of some sort because all the pages were blank. But why was it such an old one? Ann looked at Celia waiting for the explanation that she knew was coming.

"The place I bought it from said that it's enchanted," Celia said answering her unspoken question. "It will talk to you. So you see, even if we are in different dorms you will still have someone to talk to late at night. I know you were worried about that" Ann was very grateful that Celia didn't mention the dreams she'd been having disturbing as they were to both girls. She really didn't want her mum to worry about her, besides they were just dreams. Her mother thought that the dreams about her father had stopped about three years ago, and they had but only for a few months. She had been having nightmares since early childhood and nothing any one had ever done made them go away. She couldn't see worrying her mother about something she couldn't fix. Ann's dreams now alternated between a mysterious person dying her mother and Paul dying. "This way you have someone to ask advice from at all hours. It will be like asking our mums, or even Paul or Marc for advice."

"Thanks! I think!" Marc and Paul said together sarcastically.

Both girls giggled at their stepfathers' sarcasm. "Thanks," Ann said looking at Celia.

"This gift is from your father and me." Syndil said coming forward with a rather large present "He made me promise to give it to you before you went to Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts? Mum, you mean Beauxbatons, don't you?"

"Of course. I should have said school. When he made me promise, we were sure you would go to Hogwarts. And you would have, had things turned out differently." Syndil struggled not to let her voice crack at this last thought.

As Paul leaned over to comfort Syndil, Ann opened the package on her lap. The box was filled with a silvery gray mass. Ann had an idea what this was, but was still confused. From all the stories she had heard, it was James that had the invisibility cloak. It should be his son, Harry, that got the cloak.

"Your father didn't know I had this cloak until after we had left Hogwarts. He was rather upset at the time, said that their pranks could have been even bigger if they'd had two cloaks. I didn't have the heart to tell him, but that was exactly why I didn't told him about it."

Ann laughed; she could imagine the conversation. "What was it he gave up to get that promise from you?" Ann asked jokingly, knowing her mother she would have made the best of this situation.

"I got to name you," her mother said with a smile. "Trust me, what your father wanted to name you was worse than Antigone. There is no way to shorten Regina." Ann winced and her mother smiled before continuing. "You have to promise me you will use this responsibly. Beauxbatons isn't as tolerant as Hogwarts is."

"Yes Mum," Ann said putting on the cloak and twirling around. She found the fact that she couldn't see her body strangely entertaining.

"Now," Paul said interrupting her twirling. "This won't be nearly as exciting as what your mum gave you, but given what a brilliant girl you are, I think they will be just up your alley."

Curious Ann tore into the package to find three paperback books. "The Lord of Rings?" Ann asked Paul confused.

"They were some of my favorite books growing up. The wizarding world doesn't read enough of the Muggle fiction writers," Paul explained.

"We have one more surprise for everyone, Ann. Come Christmas we are going to have another family member." Syndil said eyeing Ann cautiously. Karin was instantly hugging Syndil. Marc gave Paul a rather hard slap on the back. Ann and Celia's eyes met across the room. Ann wasn't sure what to think, she'd been an only child for eleven years. She had a sisterly relationship with Celia, but that was different, they didn't share parents. Ann realized her mum was staring at her waiting for a reaction.

"That's great, Mum," Ann couldn't put a damper on this moment for her mum, especially not for such a selfish reason as the one going through her mind. "Come on, guys." Ann said changing the subject. "Remember you said we could try that new cafe around the corner." Busy grabbing her cloak off the wall by the door Ann missed her mothers thoughtful look. After a moment Syndil merely shrugged and grabbing her cloak followed out of the house, the rest of the family followed her lead.

~ * ~

December 1991

"I'm so glad we were put in the same dorm room," Ann told Celia as they sat in the carriage on their way home for Christmas. "As great as that diary is, I still haven't been able to catch her up on my life history. So there are some details of my dreams that she doesn't catch. She should be caught up in a few more months though, but it still isn't the same." Ann gave a small sigh and looked out of the window she was sitting by.

"It looks nothing like our mums' stories, does it?" Celia said forgetting important details in her rush to change the subject.

"That is because they went to Hogwarts, remember?" Ann said rolling her eyes.

"Well, no wonder then!" Celia exclaimed a little too enthusiastically. Not meeting Ann's gaze, she scratched her head and muttered, embarrassed to have forgotten something so obvious. "I had forgotten about that little detail." Ann knew what Celia was doing and loved her for it.

The rest of the journey traveled by in a blur. They spent the train ride home playing Exploding Snap and complaining about boys with the other girl from their dorm room, Susanne, who had joined them when they got on the train.

Marc picked them up at the train station and they traveled home by portkey where Paul was making dinner and Syndil and Karin were sitting in front of the fireplace gossiping and drinking tea.

~ * ~

December 22, 1991, about 1:30AM.

"Ann."

Ann was awakened from her uncomfortable sleep in an overstuffed chair in the living room. Paul was grinning from ear to ear. Anyone from France's Department of International Magical Cooperation wouldn't recognize the Head of their department. He looked almost giddy.

"He's here, Ann! You have a brother. Come and meet him." With that, Ann and her step-father went upstairs, careful not to wake any of the St Claire's as they slept where they had sat. "His name is Alexander James," Paul told her as they entered her mother's room.

The first thing she thought on seeing her new brother was that no one would pick them out as siblings. While Ann looked like her mother in every way, except for her eyes; little A.J. looked like his father not that that was a bad thing. Paul was a good-looking man; regal with a proud Roman nose and luxurious brown hair that any girl, Ann included, would have killed for.

Leaning over and using one finger to push down the blanket wrapped snugly around him, Ann lost her heart to the small bundle as his tiny hand curled around her finger for the first time. Then and there, Ann promised to protect him with her life. But then, she was being dramatic again, believing in dark dreams that would never come true.

It was some time before Ann pulled herself away from watching her new brother sleep. By then, Paul had already gone back downstairs to brag about his son to the rest of the family as he called them. Ann thought it amazing; that Paul could still call Marc family after all of the disagreements they'd had in the past, but then neither of them knew that she had any idea that they shared a mutual dislike for each other. Both loved their wives very much and worked very hard to maintain a charade of civility

~ * ~

June 1995

Ann sat at the small table by her bed and finished the letter that she was writing to her mother. Just one of a long string of nasty letters she had sent this year.

These letters had started when Ann had discovered at the beginning of last year that her father was alive and free, sort of. None of the newspapers would be interested about his welfare, unless it was to report that he had been found dead.

Ann had been very unhappy when her mother had married Paul St Peire almost six years ago, firmly believing that her father was alive and well. But she had eventually come to accept that he was probably dead. Then a few months later, she had read in Le Quotidien Prophete, that Sirius Black, her father, had escaped from the wizards' prison, Azkaban. This revelation had made Ann furious with her mother for having caused her to give up on her father. It had also once again putting a strain on the mother and daughter relationship, much to Syndil's dismay.


Mom,
I can't believe that the school year has gone by so fast, but then when you don't want to go somewhere, the time before you have to go tends to fly.
My train arrives in Paris at 3:30pm on June 30th. It will be fine if you just let Marc come and get us. I know how busy you are with your Husband! I wouldn't want to interfere with your happiness. Heaven knows, no one else has, not even Dad.
You're Daughter,
Antigone Black

Finishing the letter Ann gave it to her owl, Galadriel, and watched her fly out the window with it.

"I can't believe it," Ann said to Celia as she closed the lid of her school trunk and tried to banish the thoughts of her mother. "Four years gone. We only have three left. I only wish they would have let fourth years into the Triwizard Tournament. Just think, we could have seen England."

"Ann, you know that Aunt Syndil wouldn't have let you go. She wouldn't even consider a vacation there last summer," Celia said rolling her eyes. "But you know, four years gone also means we have O.W.L.'s next year. I am not looking forward to those. Do you think my mum would let me spend the summer with you and little Alex?"

"I don't know. Our mums aren't exactly on speaking terms right now, remember," Ann said with a shake of her head. "Besides I would much rather come to your house this summer. I miss when we used to live together."

"Ann you are going to have to forgive your Mum eventually, he was in there for twelve years you have to admit that those creatures could seriously play with your mind given twelve years to work at it. Anyway, I miss us living together too, but when Aunt Syndil got married, there just wasn't enough room. That house could barely hold the six it had, let alone seven. Personally, I think both of our mums were glad for a little space between them."

"Yeah, they do seem to be better friends now that we are in different houses. Well, we had better go down to dinner," Ann said, tired of discussing her Mum she cut the conversation short. "Think, we have two months to put up with our mums' cooking. I mean at least your mum's a passable cook, mine burns anything she attempts. You would think her passable talent at Potions would transfer over to preparing meals, but no." Now it was Ann's turn to roll her eyes. "Anyway, we had better enjoy this. Two months." She left the room muttering to herself about the injustices of people being able to brew potions but not boil water to save their own lives.

Jac was waiting for them as they came to the entrance of the Dinning Hall. Ann watched as Celia's whole face lit up. Ann still didn't get it. She didn't like Jac or Marc any more now that she had seven years ago. Ann nodded politely to Jac and continued into the Great Hall without missing a step. Celia knew how Ann felt about Jac, and apparently Jac felt the same way about her, but both were civil to each other in order to keep Celia happy. This was promising to be a long night.

~ * ~

The next day (about 3:25PM) Paris train station.

"Jac," They all heard Marc's voice where they had congregated after getting off the train. "We have an appointment in Paris. Karin and Syndil will be along shortly for you, girls."

Ann didn't like what she was seeing. Marc seemed very nervous, anxious to be away. Why hadn't they all come up together, even if they had to separate in Paris? As Marc and Jac quickly walked away from them, Celia looked over at Ann and it was obvious that they had both come to the same conclusion.

"Right," Ann said taking charge as usual. "It looks like you and I have another train to catch."

"Lovely," Celia said with disgust. "That's exactly how I wanted to finish this day, with another long train ride. Well, we had better go and see about the tickets."
"How much do we have? I only hope it's enough. I don't want to try the portkey charm. With my luck, I'll get thrown out of school for underage wizardry."

~ * ~

"I can't believe we caught that train. I guess having a family member in the ministry can pay off after all. I'll never say another bad thing about Paul ever again." Ann stated with relief as they took their seats on the train to Rouen. The young witch at the ticket booth had known full well who Ann's stepfather was. She had assured the girls she would see things taken care of and had given them both tickets on the next train. "You'll have to hurry, though, Cherie. The train is on the other side of the station." Of course, Ann had thought, where else would it be today? Celia and Ann took off running and only just made it in time to catch the train.

Celia nodded in agreement. "We would have been stranded in Paris if we had missed this train. Didn't she say the next train didn't leave until tomorrow morning?"

"What was up with Marc?" Ann asked, not wanting to think about being stuck in Paris over night without a Sickle to their names. Ann may not like Marc much, but she had gotten to know him pretty well, and his behavior this afternoon was anything but normal.

"Who knows? I just want to be home and see that everything's alright and that you're reacting again. Like last summer, remember?" Celia asked pointedly.

Ann cringed. Celia still hadn't let that drop. Ann wasn't sure why she had been so sure that someone was hurt or in trouble, but she had felt it so strongly that she couldn't ignore it. Much the same as she was feeling now, except that this was stronger. There was no sense of danger, just this terrible sense of dread and weight in her stomach. She agreed full heartedly with Celia because all she wanted to do was hold her little brother and assure herself that these feelings were just her imagination. Ann very carefully ignored Celia's question and asked one of her own. "How about a game of Chess to pass the time?"

The look on Celia's face said that she noticed the change of topic but decided to ignore it. "Sure." She replied that was all, and Ann barely kept from groaning. She knew that the subject was far from closed.

~ * ~

About 1 hour later that same day (about 4:30)

"That's odd," Celia whispered in a shocked tone. "Mum never leaves the door unwarded, even when she is home. Not with what's been going on lately." Both girls were surprised when a simple Alohamora had opened the front door to the St. Claire Residence.

They stepped in the front door, keeping their wands out, just in case. Ann stood a moment just listening, nothing looked or felt out of place, nothing to explain the building sense of panic in her. Just as she reached this conclusion, she felt an impact at about waist level.

"Annie!!!" Ann immediately recognized her little brother's voice and saw that he was crying. AJ was hard enough to deal with calm, but upset was another matter. Mum was the only one who had ever been able to get him to stop crying.

"AJ, where is Mummy?" Ann asked him softly.

"Home." Was all he said.

This is what is causing this great since of panic in me. Ann realized suddenly.

"Come on, little mate." She said. "Let's go and see what Mummy's doing."

"No." Alex said suddenly and refused to budge another inch. "Bad things at home, Auntie Karin said not to come back," he said with his lower lip trembling.

"I know," Ann said, "but where is my brave little wolf of a brother? Mummy needs our help. Are we going to run away?"

"No." AJ's voice only trembled a little, but from that tremble, Ann realized that running away was exactly what he wanted to do. Ann didn't blame him, but she wasn't about to let him out of her sight right now. Somehow, Ann was sure that AJ wouldn't take kindly to being alone again just now. They way things stood, he’d probably need therapy for years.


"Well, I guess we had better get going then." Celia said. "Why couldn't you be wrong again?" Celia asked quietly so that AJ couldn't hear.

Ann just shrugged as she headed out of the door.


A/N:*evil cackle at the cliff hanger ending* The author is distracted with other plot bunnies and won't be working on it until said plot bunny is finished. *still busy beating plot bunnies off with a stick in desperate attempt to be able to finish one of her stories.*

Here is the first installment.


AN: Required Reading, The Harry Potter series. If you haven’t read them you will likely be lost in this story.

The Forgotten Child

Chapter 1: Come What May
In a time of secret wooing / Today prepares tomorrows pain
Left knows not what right is doing/ My heart is torn asunder

In a time of furtive sighs / Sweet hellos and sad goodbyes
Half-truths told and entire lies / My conscience echoes thunder

In a time when kingdoms come, / Joy is brief as summer’s fun.
Happiness it’s race has run, / Then pain stalks in to plunder.
~*~Maya Angelou~*~ In A Time~*~

June 1978

Syndil kept scanning the crowd. Sirius had promised to be here. He must have been held up by with his parents or maybe even out with the Marauders. This was, after all, the Marauders last night at Hogwarts. Still he had promised and she was getting more than a little annoyed, not to mention board. It seemed like forever since she had been able to spot Sirius’s tall head above the crowd.

Syndil spotted James Potter coming towards her with his girlfriend Lily Evans. Well, there went the theory of the Marauders closing prank. James with his invisibility cloak inevitably would have been right at the center of any prank.

“I hope you’re not too mad at me.” Sirius’ voice came from behind her with such sincere pleading, that she couldn’t really bare to yell at him.

“You do have a lot a lot to make up for,” she said with a mysterious little smile hoping to make him wonder just what he would have to do.

“I didn’t think the Potters would ever let me go. Picture after picture and a three minute conversation with Dumbledore in between each one.” He tried so hard to look miserable that she had to laugh.

“What has he done now and why weren’t the rest of us in on it?” James asked finally reaching them.

“Why do you want to know?” Lily asked in an exasperated voice. “You will just get into trouble with him and you didn’t get to have the fun of plotting the prank.”

“What makes you think I won’t get into trouble without knowing about it? The Marauders have been a team for seven years. We hardly ever prank on our own.” James informed her importantly.

“Excellent! Are we pranking after all?” The small group turned to see Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew walking up to them.

Syndil saw Sirius get the glint in his eye that meant he had mischief in mind. “The only thing he has done,” she said quickly hoping to avoid trouble; that was all that could follow with so little plotting time. “. . . is kept me waiting forever!”

Remus shot Sirius a glare and said gallantly, “Never fear, fair lady. I shall beat him senseless for thee.”

Sirius snorted loudly, “You can always try, Moony.”

Syndil laughed and turned as there were others coming to congratulate the group and ask them exactly what they would be doing in the wizarding world.

Two hours later, Sirius touched her shoulder and asked, “Can we get out of here? There is something I want to show you and we’ll miss it if we don’t hurry.”

~ * ~


“Oh, Sirius! It’s beautiful!” Syndil gazed in absolute amazement, as the stars seemed to shimmer into nothingness right in front of her. They were so close that she would swear she could reach out and catch one in her palm.

“Yes, Beautiful!” Sirius said but he was not looking at the meteor shower over the lake... He reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out a small black velvet box.

“I know you think we should wait,” he began looking very nervous, “but I have known you for seven years and we have been dating for the last two. I know I have a tendency to be a stupid git and I tend to do things without thinking them through but I cannot imagine my life without you and what’s more, I do not want to. Syndil, will you marry me?” His face was agonizingly hopeful in the moonlight as he opened the box to reveal the most exquisite ring she had ever seen.

Unable to speak, she kissed him and gave him the most brilliant smile she could. He returned the smile as he slipped the ring on her finger with the stars falling all around them.

~ * ~


July 31, 1980,

Sirius read the letter in his hand aloud and turned to smile at his wife where she sat playing with their one-week-old daughter; Antigone.

“Now will you can stop worrying? She has been admitted to Hogwarts just like everyone said she would be.” Syndil smiled lovingly at her husband. “Although, I don’t know how you can doubt it after she threw that rattle at the back of your head last night.”

Just then another owl came in the window. Sirius took the letter and gave it a dish of water. “James and Lily had a boy,” He said after reading the letter. “They’ve named him Harry and want me to be his Godfather.” He did a very bad impression of a Muggle movie they saw once about six years ago on summer holiday. “Do you think I’ll fit the part?”

Syndil laughed and let him put Ann in her crib. Life was good.

~ * ~


Nov. 1, 1981, about 4:30AM.

Syndil sat on the living room floor playing with her daughter Antigone, who was now wide awake and showed no signs of going back to sleep any time soon. Hearing footsteps on walkway and knowing that they were not Sirius’s, she shoved Ann behind the couch whispering, “It’s time to play hide and seek, Ann. Don’t come out until Mummy comes for you.”

She stood up as the door shattered. She turned to see a black-cloaked man wearing the dull metal mask of a Death-Eater. “Everything is ruined!” he stated and she recognized his voice as he threw his first punch. Why he wasn’t hexing her? Everyone knew that hexes could cause a lot more, not only discomfort but damage. She could only conclude that he did not want her to be able to get to her wand. When every single part of her was bruised, he drew out his wand to finish the job. However, before he could even open his mouth, he froze and listened for something. A look of absolute terror overcame his face and he disapparated.

Syndil stood there for a moment without moving, but knew that she could remain so for long. What if someone else came to and tried to finish what this last one had started. But where would she go. Sirius and she had finally gotten permission and were going to decide on some where to portkey to in an emergency when Sirius returned.

Suddenly, she knew the last place that anyone would look for her. Karin, her best friend at Hogwarts, was living in France at the moment... Karin had married, a man of her fathers choosing, shortly after Syndil and Sirius were married. Syndil thought privately that Karin had done it to make up for being put in Ravenclaw, instead of Slytherin like the rest of her family had been for as long as anyone could remember. Karin and Jean Luc, her husband, hadn’t gotten along at all from the letters that Syndil had received from her old friend. A few months ago Karin’s husband had disappeared with a young witch from his department at the Ministry. Karin had been left to raise her one-year-old daughter on her own.

While thinking about all this, she picked up her daughter’s favorite toy—an impossibly large plush black dog that Sirius had bought for Ann last month saying that it would remind her of her father. Syndil had not found it at all funny. Particularly when he had taught her to call the thing Paddy. Setting the toy on a small end table by the couch she raised her wand and said "Portus the stuffed animal trembled glowing a strange blue. After it quivered to a stop she picked it up and waved iit in front of her daughter, once Ann wrapped her small hands around it Syndil counted to three, her only thought as she felt the familiar tug of the portkey was that she would have to send an owl to Sirius when they arrived there.

~ * ~

Rouen, France, about 8AM the next day.

“I really appreciate this,” Syndil told Karin as they sat in her kitchen over a plate of begets and a pot of good English tea. Karin had never been able to develop a taste for coffee and when Jean Luc had left her, she quit trying. Celia, Karin’s daughter, and Antigone sat in a playpen nearby playing together happily. Antigone was blissfully ignorant of the things that had taken place. At that moment an owl flew in with The Daily Prophet. Syndil was shocked when she read the front-page articles.

15-month-old Harry Potter Slays You-Know-Who
13 Dead-- Ministry blames Sirius Black

Syndil couldn’t believe what she was reading. Sirius would never have done anything like that; he adored little Harry almost as much as he did his Ann as he called her. James and he had been practically inseparable since they met on the train to Hogwarts when they were eleven years old. Syndil knew that he had been afraid that it was too obvious for James and Lily to pick him as there secret keeper. The only thing that Syndil could think of was that he must have changed the secret keeper and kept quiet about it. She didn’t like that thought any better because it meant that either Remus or Peter had betrayed them all. While a lot of people would have quickly put the blame at Remus’ feet because of what he was, Syndil knew that could ever hope to meet. She hated to think what he was going through right now. Knowing Remus, he would find a way to place the blame squarely on himself. “Everything is ruined!” The phrase replayed through her mind. That voice was the key, but she didn’t dare go and consult with Remus. She was afraid of the slight chance that the traitor really was Remus and he would finish what he started a few hours ago.

Syndil was scared, not to mention distraught and furious. If it had just been her, she would have gone instantly to Sirius’s aide—but little Antigone. She wouldn’t risk her daughter’s welfare. The article said that Sirius had been sent to Azkaban without a trial. Syndil wept because she knew that there was nothing she could say to the Wizengamot or anyone at the Ministry of Magic that would undo what had happened. They would probably say that she had been involved with it, and then her daughter would be all alone—just like little Harry Potter. She knew that was the last thing that Sirius would want. He wouldn’t want their little Ann to lose both of her parents when she’s still so young.

Syndil and Karin both looked up as Celia started to whimper. ”Sounds like some little girls are about ready for their N-A-P-S.” Karin spelled. Celia had apparently taken to saying “uh-huh” whenever she heard the word “nap” a trait that would no doubt quickly pick up on soon. They would then have two girls yelling “UH-HUH” at the top of their lungs.

Putting recent events out of mind Syndil went to pick up her daughter. As Syndil picked Ann up, Syndil noticed that Antigone had been sitting on one of Celia’s toys. Celia immediately stopped whimpering, scooped up the toy with a small coo and a huge smile, and continued playing happily. Ann gave her mother a sheepish smile and laid her head on her shoulder. Syndil knew immediately that her daughter had been teasing Celia, but Celia had shown that she would not put up with it. Chuckling, she looked over at Karin and shrugged while putting Ann back into the playpen.

~ * ~

Nov. 15, about 8PM

Syndil plopped herself wearily down of her bed. Ann had started clinging to the stuffed dog her father had given her—quite a feat seeing as the dog was almost as big as she was. When anyone would try to take it away from her, she would start to scream for “her Paddy”—a name she had formally only used for the stuffed dog. Now, much to Sirius’ annoyance, because of some mutual friends she had started to call Sirius that as well around the end of September.

Syndil was getting very worried Ann seemed to withdraw a little more each day. It was taking longer and longer to get Ann to go to sleep at night. More times than Syndil cared to count Ann would come up to her and hold up the stuffed dog and ask “Paddy?”

Syndil knew that Ann was confused but apart from asking for her paddy several times a day she didn’t seem too affected by the whole thing. Syndil was almost jealous of her own daughter and how nonchalantly she seemed to be taking the whole thing. She felt bad that she wished Ann would take it harder, anything would be better then having to deal with her own pain.

Chapter 2: A Disturbing Premonition
My dream of you came quickly and was gone.
Vanished with the dawn’s pink light.
When North and South are at peace,
We will have each other again.
~*~Xuan Moi~*~ Departure~*~
~*~Translated by Thanh T. Mguyen and Bruce Weigl


August 1987

Ann and Celia sat upstairs in the room they shared listening to their favorite muggle station on the wireless blare out the latest hit by Duran Duran “We can’t pass up the opportunity,” Ann said to Celia careful not to be heard over the wireless.

“Are you sure?” Celia asked. “Mum was very angry about the last prank we pulled.”

“Ohhhh! She was just upset because it was aimed at her precious Marc. I really don’t get what she likes about him. I mean if she had to like a boy, did she have to make it one that was so . . . so . . . so . . . creepy.” Both girls being only seven still had an air of innocence that would usually fool anyone. Anyone, that is except their mothers and now Aunt Karin’s new boyfriend, Marc. Neither girl liked him very much. There were no words to describe why, he just didn’t feel right. The man just gave Ann the creeps.

“I’m never going to understand why grown-ups like boys. I mean they’re gross!” Celia made a gagging sound and stuck out her tongue. “I thought Mum was smarter than all that.”

“I heard my Mum calling him a lazy git the other day. Your mum didn’t like it at all. I never heard them argue like that before.” Ann shuddered with the memory. She was always afraid when Mum and Aunt Karin argued that she and her mum would end up leaving, then she couldn’t be with Celia.

There was a soft knock at the door and Syndil came into the room. “Time for bed, girls. You have a big day tomorrow.” Both girls scrambled into bed as Syndil turned off the wireless.

“Tell us a story, Aunt Syndil.” Celia pleaded from her bed.

“Yeah. Tell us one about Dad,” Ann put in eagerly.

“You girls need to go to sleep.” Seeing the way Ann’s face fell Syndil gave in rather quickly. “Tell you—tomorrow I’ll tell you about the Marauders’ parting gift for Severus Snape.” Kissing both girls on the forehead, she smiled at them and put out the candle as she left the room.

~ * ~


“I can’t believe it.” Ann was nearly speechless. . “How dare he get us into trouble. Ann was convinced that Jacques St. Claire, a boy in Celia and her class, had planted a live snake in the teacher’s desk undetected. Then when the creature had been discovered, Jacques innocently informed the teacher that it had been the girls who had placed it there.” Celia and Ann found it impossible to keep a straight face during any prank—especially if it wasn’t their own—the teacher had found it only too easy to believe “sweet little Jac’s accusations.” Ann fumed.

“We were planning something just like that after lunch.” Celia pointed out.

“That’s not the point, Celia, and you know it.” They were sitting in the back of the bus that was taking them home talking in English because very few French children spoke fluent English at this age. The girls were pretty sure that even if they were being listened to, they wouldn’t be understood. “The point is, he has completely destroyed our record. Now in order to get it back, we’ll have to pretend to be the perfect little angels. Our mum’s haven’t believed that for years.”

“Yeah, and who’s fault is it that we lost our ‘little angel’ status?” Celia retorted raising an eyebrow.

“Speak for yourself. My mum still calls me her ‘little Angel.’”

Celia threw Ann a disbelieving look and said. “It isn’t the same thing Ann, Aunt Syndil calls you her ‘little Fallen angel.’”.

“Brat!” Ann replied glaring at her friend.

Celia gave a huge triumphant smile as the bus came to a stop. “Come on, this is our stop.” With that she skipped off toward the front of the bus, leaving Ann to follow..

~ * ~


“Celia? Ann? Is that you girls?” Celia and Ann were greeted by Karin Moonvale’s voice. “Come in here. There is someone I want you to meet.”

Both girls stopped cold in the doorway. “You!” they said as one. Standing in the middle of their parlor with Aunt Karin and Marc was Jacques.

“Wonderful!” Aunt Karin exclaimed, “You three have already met. I really hope you will be good friends. Well, why don’t you girls go up and show Jac your toys. Have fun.” She finished and slipped into the kitchen with Marc.

Ann and Celia glared at Jac and folded their arms over their chests.

“Look,” Jac began, “I don’t like this any more than you do, but maybe working together we can end this and keep my Dad from making a huge mistake.”

“Your Dad making a mistake?” Celia’s voice was deceptively soft, “I’d say it was my Mum making the mistake. The only good thing your Dad has is his money.”

Seeing that he wasn’t getting anywhere, Jac decided to change tactics. Sighing he said, “I meant that they don’t have much in common. I don’t think that they’d be happy together. Maybe if we work together we might be able to keep them both from making a mistake.”

This git had ruined their perfect record. The teachers had suspected them as the cause of several pranks, but had never been able to prove. But this idiot had walked in and gotten them into trouble for something that wasn’t even theirs. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been so bad if it had at least been original. And now, he wanted their help! However, working with Jacques could have its benefits.

“Seems to me,” Ann said slowly, “that if we’re going to make this work the best thing we can do is go on hating each other.”

“Exactly. And make sure everyone knows it,” Celia added never taking her eyes off Jac. Celia happened to be very fond of playing jokes on people she just didn’t like getting caught, but then who did?. It was an entirely new experience to get in trouble without doing anything wrong in the first place.

Both girls deciding simultaneously that the conversation was over, stuck their noses in the air, walked up to their room, shut the door in his face, and locked it behind them. Jac’s attempts to persuade them to come out only elicited another bout of giggles.

~ * ~

July 2, 1989

“Hey how about a game of exploding Snap?” Celia asked. Getting no response, she sighed and changed tactics. “Come on! I remember now why we never come to the park. Every time you see other kids with their fathers you get into a huff that lasts for days.” After being stuck in the house all day yesterday due to rain, they had decided to go and wander around the park by their home for several hours. Things had taken a decided turn towards boring, when they had passed the first playground. Fathers were playing with their kids, some in the sand box and some coaxing the very young to go down the slide on their own for the first time.

“I can’t help it. All I can get Mum to tell me about him, besides the marauder stories, is that it would have been kinder for the ministry to just kill him outright.” Ann was busy inspecting the ground right in front of her. It was always hard to watch other children with their fathers, a fact that Celia used to understand. It seemed to Ann that after becoming friends with Jac, Celia had lost a good deal of her perspective about a lot of things. Suddenly Marc was one of her favorite people and Celia would defend him as vehemently as Aunt Karin would.

Celia was angry, “I’m going home. You’re no fun like this.” With that, she stormed off in the direction of their house.

Ann gave no outward sign that she had even heard her friends’, outburst merely continued walking as if nothing had happened.

Ann circled the small park several times before returning home. All she wanted to do was slip off to her room and stare at the small wedding picture of her parents, but didn’t want to talk to anyone, not even Celia.. Her mother had always carried it with her until Ann had asked about her father for the first time when she was five years old. Syndil had then gave the small picture to her daughter; the edges of the picture were now well worn from handling. Ann didn’t understand why they didn’t return home after the Dark Lord had been defeated, but all her mother would say was that there were still those who were faithful to him. They would want to hurt Syndil because she knew that Ann’s dad hadn’t done what the Ministry accused him of.

Ann felt that if there should be something more to it than that. Her dad was in a horrible place and he shouldn’t be left there simply because someone might want to hurt them.

~ * ~

The same day several hours later.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Ann shouted at her mother. They had never agreed when her mum had started dating again about a year ago. Ann admitted that Paul, her mum’s current beau, wasn’t a bad guy, but he wasn’t and never would be her father. “My dad isn’t dead! You can’t re-marry when you’re still married!” Ann had been appalled when her mum had called her into their parlor to tell her that she had agreed to marry Paul.

“Ann,” Syndil started slowly, clearly expecting her daughter’s temper not to let her finish. Still, Ann wanted to hear how her mother could rationalize this betrayal. “People don’t last very long in Azkaban, particularly the innocent ones. Many go mad and die within the first few years. Your Father will have been there for eight years in November. I doubt that he is
still alive.”

“Mum, if people believe he did all those horrible things wouldn’t there be some notice of his death. I know you and Aunt Karin subscribe to the Daily Prophet. Shouldn’t you be absolutely sure before you do something like this?”

“Ann, I know more about this than you do. You’re just going to have to accept that. Eight years, Ann, I doubt that things could ever go back to the way they were before. Even if he was alive and released tomorrow, he wouldn’t be the man I married. Azkaban changes people.” Syndil seemed to shiver violently as she finished.

Ann couldn’t believe what she was hearing, her mum had no real reason so she had copped out. “I never thought you were one to give up.” She stated coldly and stormed out of the room.

It wasn’t until years later when she was reading her mother’s diary and going through her papers that Ann discovered that her mother had indeed divorced her father before she married Paul.

~ * ~


“Ann?” Celia tentatively poked her head in the room. When nothing came flying at her, she went all the way into the room. Ann was laying face down on her bed with the only picture of her parents on the pillow beside her. “Do you want to talk?”

Ann shook her head without lifting it from the pillow. “I really think we should.” Celia said sitting down on the bed beside Ann. Ann looked up at Celia with tears in her eyes.

“She’s given up on him, Ce.” Ann said brokenly, her distress was made even more obvious by her using that nickname. She only used it when she was truly upset, “She’s completely given up. I think she gave up years ago. I don’t know if I even believe this story of someone wanting to keep us from talking.” Ann’s voice solidified as rage took over covering the hurt; but after eight years with Ann, Celia saw right through it “I mean wouldn’t they have kept looking for us?”

“Ann, my mum’s told me stories she heard about Azkaban. I guess her father had to go there a couple of times. He came back all sick and pasty looking. He was only there for a couple of hours. She says they have the most awful guards. They suck the happiness out of a place.”

“HOW DARE YOU!” Ann sat up glaring at her friend. “How dare you come in here and defend her.”

“Can’t you even admit your mum might be right? Ann!” Celia cut Ann off, as it appeared she was going to cut in again. “I’m not saying she is right, just that, isn’t it possible that she might be? I thought you liked Paul?”

“I do like Paul, but he isn’t my dad. Celia, don’t you see it doesn’t matter that she may be right. She doesn’t know for sure. For all she knows, he could be alive. That’s what should matter—but apparently doesn’t.”

“Ann,” Celia began, but she was cut off.

“Just go away, please. I just want to be alone for awhile.” Ann’s voice broke on the last end. Celia knew that she wouldn’t want an audience. Ann looked awful when she cried. She closed the door quietly behind her and shook her head at her mum and Syndil, who were waiting just outside the door. Celia left to walk around the park where she would be free from the pressure to try talk to Ann again.

Great, Celia thought to herself as she walked slowly to the park. Now she’s got me depressed.

~ * ~

“I’m not going down there.” Ann said stubbornly. It had been three months and Ann’s opinion about the wedding hadn’t changed one little bit. She was content most of the time, except when someone mentioned her mum or Paul, who was now officially, as of a few hours ago, her Stepfather. “I had to be at the wedding, but I refuse to celebrate it. Mum knows how I feel about this. I went to the wedding to make Mum happy, not to approve of it and to go to the party would appear to support it. You go celebrate—dance with Jac. I’m going to get some of the homework done I’ve missed today. Who knows, maybe I’ll even start writing on that report that is due in two weeks.”

Celia gave up and quietly left the room. She had spent the last three months trying to get Ann to patch things up with her mother, but Ann had this idea that she wouldn’t let go of. Celia shrugged and turned to go back down to the party. Just because Ann was being a wet blanket didn’t mean that she couldn’t have fun herself.

Ann heard the door close behind Celia and sighed. Looking down at the picture in her hands she said, “I want to be glad that she is happy. I mean, she’s been miserable for so long. But to be truly happy for her, I have to believe that you’re dead and I just can’t do that, not even for her. Why can’t anyone understand that? You know, sometimes I think she doesn’t even want to know if you are still alive. I think it is because it would ruin all her pretty plans.” Ann let out a sob and flung herself across her bed. She cried until she fell into a fitful sleep filled with nightmares.


There were two men, both beckoned to her, one she didn’t recognize but the other, even though hollow cheeked and dirty, was certainly her father. Then there was a third man and a flash of brilliant green light. When the light faded, the only thing that remained was a life-sized version of her favorite toy ‘Paddy’. Suddenly with a small whimper everything disappeared and she was left alone in the dark feeling this horrible sense of panic. Something was stalking her.

Ann woke up to the sound of her own scream and groaned, she wished she would stop having that dream. Glancing at the clock and then looking at Celia’s bed she realized that Celia must still be celebrating. It was getting close to their bed time so she would be upstairs soon.

Hearing Celia on the stairs, Ann pretended to be asleep so she wouldn’t have to answer any questions or listen to how great the party was or how she should make peace with her mother. Honestly, Celia was beginning to sound a bit like a broken record. It wasn’t until long after Celia had fallen asleep that Ann was able to doze off again. Thankfully, this time she didn’t dream.

This will be the new home of my Story tittled The Forgotten Child