Chapter Text
OV-DOE
By the time easter holidays came by, Doe's wand was almost unresponsive. She might as well wave a stick around. The professors kept asking her to practice more, till she could get the hang of it. How could she tell them that she had already performed all these spells perfectly when she had borrowed her father's wand and now her wand refuses to cooperate.
It was not like Doe suspected Ginny completely- she didn't wanted to jump into conclusions without knowing the truth. But the voice in her head kept suggesting how it could be possible.
She sat in the common room, trying a simple lumos and failing.
The tracker was tested a couple of times with Harry’s help and it seemed to work but something felt oddly missing. Doe couldn't find it.
She tried another spell and failed again.
'Hey Doe, what are you doing here?' Neville asked as he entered, followed by Hermione, Ron and Harry.
'Nothing much, really. You got something?' She asked nodded towards the papers they had.
'We are supposed to select the subjects for next year. I still don't know what to choose. It decides our future' Hermione said.
'Oh it was that important? I saw Dean jab his wand at the parchment with his eyes closed and mark whatever it landed on' Doe said.
'He might have taken few hard subjects then. Did you not warn him?' Ron asked.
'I didn't know it was this' Doe replied, 'now that you mentioned, I should have asked him.. What are you guys taking?'.
'I don't know what to take... my family keeps telling me take different subjects, but my father told me to choose what I'm interested in' Neville said.
'Your father is right. Take his advice' Harry said.
'What about you?' Ron asked Harry.
'Me? I'll take the easy ones and get it over with' Harry replied.
'Take them all, Prongslet' Doe suggested.
'I'm not you, Doe' he said.
'You finally admit, I'm the genius?' Doe teased.
'Not happening... I think I'll take care of Magical creatures and divination' Harry said.
'You read my mind, Harry' Ron said.
They both marked down the same subjects. Hermione marked it all while Neville just planned to think about this later.
Doe who had no luck with her wand, just decided to go to dinner along with everyone. She invited her friends who were studying and went to the great hall.
After dinner, Harry rushed out for quidditch practice and Ginny returned to dorm wanting some rest.
By the time the others returned to the common room, Harry looked tense.
'What happened?' Cece asked seeing him.
'His dorm is a mess' Neville answered.
'Isn't it always messy?' Doe asked.
'Not like that. It looks like someone came to rob the place and tore it apart' Harry clarified.
'What was stolen?' Belle asked.
'Nothing important' Harry replied.
'So someone tore the dorm apart but took nothing important? Is this a prank?' Doe asked.
'Did you do this?' Hermione asked her.
'No way! My pranks are more...precise' Doe said, offended.
'I know, its not her' Harry said, 'nevermind, I'll clean it up. You guys should go to bed'.
Doe did not question him further. If nothing important was taken then it seems insignificant. Besides Harry was preparing for the upcoming quidditch match, and he doesn't need any more worries.
Doe couldn't sleep that night anyway so she turned to the tracker. Her roommates fell asleep and it seemed ready for installation so she took it outside.
Doe installed it in few corridors around Hogwarts which should be able to alert danger. When she was done setting it up she saw Mrs Norris around the corner. Being caught by Filch for roaming outside at 2am was not a good idea. Doe ran for it.
In the next corridor, she saw a door which was not there before, but hearing Filch, she just entered.
'Thank you' she muttered to the castle, catching her breathe. It was almost unbelievable that her father and her brother could run for hours with gasping for air while she could barely run for few minutes. Maybe it was because of quidditch training, they can run well, or she was just too lazy to stay fit.
Doe made sure, Filch was gone before walking back to her dorm.
The next day, the whole school was excited for the quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.
'Perfect quidditch conditions!' Wood said enthusiastically during breakfast, 'Harry, buck up there, you need a decent breakfast'.
Clearly Wood's words had no effect on a distracted Harry.
'Are you nervous about the match?' Doe asked him.
'Um..no... why would I be?' He responded.
Doe knew Harry was hiding something, but did not know what. Ron, Hermione and Neville clearly knew what it was, but remained silent.
'Does anyone know where Ginny is?' Belle asked, 'I got her notes'.
'She was still sleeping when I exited the dorm' Doe said. Surprisingly, Doe had woken up early even though she had slept at 3am. It was unbelievable.
'Not any more. Cece is the only one in the dorm' Belle said, serving herself.
'Fred and George are not here. I think she is with them' Ron guessed.
Doe could feel tension rise in her again. She couldn't think about Ginny, without remembering her suspicions and her wand being cold in her hand. She couldn't understand how she can be honest with this. Asking Ginny about this doesn't sound like a cheerful conversation and if its wrong, then their friendship would crack.
Doe had gotten so lost in her thoughts, that she came back to her senses when the others got up.
'Good luck Prongslet' she said. He smiled at her and left.
'Something on your mind?' Belle asked her.
'Is it that obvious?' Doe asked.
'Yeah... don't worry, you will get better at magic. You know all about it'.
'I know this too- let me show you, give me your wand' Doe asked.
Belle looked confused but handed her wand anyway.
Doe tried a simple Lumos and it lit up.
'You can do it' Belle exclaimed, 'then why couldn't you do this in class?'.
'Its my wand. It refuses to cooperate if I'm dishonest' Doe explained.
'So, your wand doesn't let you lie? Can't you just tell the truth and have it work again?'.
'Thats the problem. I don't know which True or which is false'.
'Oh God... you need to figure it out, can't keep loosing sleep over this'.
'How did you know?'.
'I'm a light sleeper. I know you have been going to bed after midnight for weeks already' Belle said with a knowing look which reminded Doe of her mother, 'can you tell me what this is about? I can help you figure it out'.
'Belle, I appreciate your offer, but I think I should do this. Besides I'll find out eventually. The truth always comes out, remember?'.
'Right... tell that to Skye, who would believe it'.
'Don't bring my Skye into this' Doe said with an exaggerated gasp.
'Okay, you love Skye, I get it.. now, if you are ready, we can go to watch the match' Belle said trying to hide her smile.
Doe agreed to go, but as they were exiting the great hall, the alerter in her pocket beeped. She checked it and it showed danger near the library.
'Belle, I think I need to check something near the library' she said, heading towards there. Belle didn't question her but followed closely.
They arrived near the library but they saw nothing, but the the beeping did not stop. The tracker installed outside the library had turned red but Doe had no clue what it was.
They went in and Doe's heart dropped.
Hermione and Penelope were petrified. She could barely believed it.
'We need to report this' Belle said, her voice already broken.
They informed Madam Pince who asked them to stay in the common room, as they take them to the hospital wing.
Back in the empty common room, Belle began to cry. Doe felt like she had forgotten how to console people.
'Belle, its going to be alright...' Doe said, not even knowing if she herself believed it. Maybe it will, professor Sprout said the mandrakes will be ready and the petrified, can be cured.
'What happened?' Ginny asked, as she came down from the dorm, 'Belle?'.
Belle told her what happened between her tears but Doe herself had a whole war in her mind.
"You could have saved Hermione and Penelope" that voice came up, "you only had to ask her once"
"no, it couldn't have been her..."
"you always wanted to be practical. See the signs- she was not at breakfast table today"
"no, wait-"
"were you really naive enough to believe that she could be with Fred and George?"
"She could have been- she wasn't near the library"
"She was with the monster..."
'NO!' Doe said loudly. The others turned to look at her.
'Doe, its okay, we know you wouldn't want to believe it' Cece was speaking.
When had Cece came?
Doe looked around, to see the common room filling up with students, murmuring about quidditch being canceled because of the attack.
Doe immediately gathered herself, and shut her mind down. She couldn't look at Ginny without loosing it again.
She took a couple of deep breaths and spoke, 'yeah, you are right. They all will be alright. The mandrake draught will be ready and they will be back'.
The others nodded.
That evening McGonagall came to the common room to make an announcement.
'All students will return to their house common rooms by six o' clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities'.
They all listened in silence. She rolled up the parchment and spoke, 'I need hardly add that I have rarely been so distressed. It is likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything about them to come forward'.
After Professor McGonagall left the room, Doe felt even tighter.
'Thats 2 Gryffindors down, not counting a gryffindor ghost, 1 Ravenclaw and 1 Hufflepuff' Lee Jordan said, 'Haven't any of you noticed that the Slytherins are all safe? Isn't it obvious they are behind this?'.
'Lee, the Slytherin house has no muggleborns in it' Doe said, feeling exhausted.
'And the monster seems to be attacking only muggleborns' Cece said, in a broken voice.
'You don't have to be scared. With the new rules, the monster cannot attack anyone' Harry said.
'Did you see Hermione?' Belle asked.
'Yes...Professor McGonagall asked us if a mirror she was holding meant anything' Ron said.
'A mirror?' Cece asked, 'she didn't even have a mirror'.
'Could be Penelope's mirror' Belle guessed.
'Percy is in shock' George told them as he came, 'Penelope Clearwater was Ravenclaw prefect. I don't think he thought the monster would dare attack a prefect'.
Doe went to her dorm room, not wanting to hear any more of the chamber or the monster. She took out her wand and continued trying simple charms but to no avail.
By the time the others came to bed, it was almost midnight. They reminded Doe to go to bed again. She told them she would but continued trying her wand.
Their breathing evened out but Doe's tension kept raising. Every time her wand did not respond, she felt more dejected.
Slowly the voice in her mind returned-
"You can't avoid the truth- even your wand is punishing you for it"
"I don't know the truth" she thought weakly.
"You could know if you ask- you could have asked her"
Doe dropped her wand, and grabbed a pen. Maybe working on something actually productive would stop her from thinking.
"You could have saved Hermione and Penelope" the voice said again. Her hands shook- but Doe had no response this time. Her vision blurred, but the voice did not stop.
"If only you stopped messing around- was the prank on Lockhart that important that you paused the tracker?"
"Ginny was happy that time".
"So you do believe- you kept her happy to avoid her attacking anyone-"
"NO!" She screamed internally and in a second the pen in her hand had turned to ash. She looked down in horror.
How did she burn something down without a wand? She could burn Hogwarts at this rate.
Doe stood up abruptly at that thought. She couldn't burn the place she loved. She could barely hear the castle magic or see anything properly.
Doe couldn't be here- not until she could stop burning items.
She took off her bracelet, left it on the table to avoid burning it, and left the dorm silently. The common room was empty. She found someone's quill on the floor and picked it up to put it on the table, but it turned to ash in a heartbeat.
Doe panicked again. Leaving the dorm was not enough. She could still burn the place.
So Doe ran. She left the Gryffindor tower, not bothering to check for Filch, she ran out. The main entrance was locked so Doe jumped through the window and ran outside.
As Doe ran past the Hogsmeade, she saw the stretch of mountains. She went ahead. On her way up, she accidentally touched a leaf which turned into ash.
The worse thought struck her- this could start a forest fire.
She ran forward again, not caring to stop even when her legs shook. At the end, nature stopped her. She was at a cliff.
The rocks atleast couldn't burn, unlike the forest behind her.
'Oh Merlin, what is wrong with me?' She asked herself. But had no answer.
Maybe something was really wrong with her.
"Yes, you were the problem all along" the voice said.
'NO!' Doe screamed and the next second she was standing in the middle of fire. The fire formed a circle around her, with flames raising above her waist. The fire created by her, had now trapped her.
"What a mess of emotions" the voice taunted.
Doe realised the voice was now twisting the truth. That was the reason she was here in this condition. She had to distract herself from that.
She turned to see Hogwarts, which looked magnificent as ever. Harry was probably asleep, or upto no good.
The sky was lit with stars and a half moon. Doe spotted the Canis Major, where Sirius shone as bright as ever. She spotted Leo, where Regulus was always bright. The Lupus constellation was known as the wolf, but for Doe, it would always be her Godfather, Moony. Maybe her family could be a good Anchor for her.
Doe remembered her father- who had changed because of the war, but never truly let it define him, or let his children forget his childhood memories. He could tell a million stories of mischief and at the same time, the stories of the war, ensuring it wouldn't ruin the mood.
She thought of her mother- who knows how to command a room full of adults to behave and care for everyone at the same time. How, even in war, safety was her priority.
She remembered Moony- who never let his furry little problem draw the limits when it comes to fun and responsibilities. He served in the war and raised Doe, both in his amazing style.
She could hear Regulus- comment dryly at everything but would never admit the huge love he has for them. How he was wanted by both the sides of the war, but ended up on the right one with his brother.
She can never forget Sirius- who could joke about anything, knowing how unfair the war had treated him. Who would ensure smiles on everyone's face with elegance.
She finally thought about Harry- how he had the whole school hating him, yet managed to turn it around just by being who he was.
Doe knew her family could anchor her, the fire had reduced to above her knee, but family was incomplete without her Elena. Doe didn't know much about her, but few things she could know for sure were that Elena would be the strongest witch out there- even the smartest one yet manage to play it down. She would be gentle with her words unlike Doe who comments dryly and honestly. Elena would be like a torch to guide through the darkness.
Doe sat in her circle of fire, thinking about how Elena would be if she were hear.
'Magic can be controlled through stability, Diana' came a voice behind her. Professor Dumbledore had manged to find her.
'I'm sorry Professor. I burnt few things to ashes and was scared of damaging more' Doe said, remembering she is way out of Hogwarts during curfew.
'You do not owe me an apology' he said, oddly calm, 'I would say, you rather owe it to your brother. He was worried when you were not in Hogwarts'.
Doe immediately realised that Harry might have checked the marauders map. She had even left her bracelet back in her dorm, hoping not be found. Doe was wondering why she did something so stupid.
'Your magic is unique and strong, Diana' Dumbledore said, 'I noticed it when you first entered the school. Turns out, you did inherit your twin sister's magic too. So harnessing the magic meant for two bodies in one, can only be achieved through stability and a calm mind'.
Doe was too stunned to speak. She had no idea Elena had given her magic to Doe. She looked at her hands which were not shaking as badly as before.
This instability was caused by her own suspicions, anger and probably sadness.
'Professor...I'll try' she said finally.
'And when you succeed, you will be free from the boundry locking you' he said gesturing towards the fire, before walking away towards the forest.
Doe didn't know how this would work, but she had read that stability and calm mind where the things achieved through meditation.
She sat there and gave it a try. It was new- hard even, the voice in her mind kept coming up again, but Doe did not open her eyes till her mind was clear.
Gradually it did happen- that voice died away. She was able to clear her mind and calm it down. She could hear her heartbeat and for the first time she noticed a faint second pulse in her magic.
Professor Dumbledore was right- Elena's magic was alive in her, meaning Doe was never alone to begin with.
And when Doe opened her eyes again, she saw the fire gone, and the beauty of the sunrise.
She climbed down the mountain and met Dumbledore there.
'Congratulations, Diana' he said with a smile.
'Thank you for helping, Professor' she said.
'Hogwarts awaits you' he said, and noticing her confused face, he added, 'I believe I won't be able to join you back to Hogwarts yet. You see, I was suspended by the governors last night'.
'Suspended? But professor the chamber is open and you can't leave now- you will return, right?' She said, walking with him towards Hogsmeade.
'I will be asked to return very soon' he said before disapparating in front of Hogs head.
Doe smiled to herself and ran towards the school. She managed to sneak in without anyone noticing. The castle felt hollow without the headmaster- felt more unguarded.
She reached the potrait hole, when she met Harry.
'You can't scare me like that' he said.
'Yeah, I understood' she replied.
'I was lucky that I was able to ask Professor Dumbledore, before he was suspended-' Harry stopped abruptly.
'Prongslet, how did you know that?'.
'I heard from other professors' he said. Harry was clearly lying, but Doe didn't push.
'What happened?' He asked finally when they were in the common room.
'I burnt some things in my hand. So I ran away. Got trapped by my own fire. Professor Dumbledore found me. He gave few suggestions about how to control. It worked and I was able to return' Doe said. She couldn't explain the whole truth to him. She would do it when the time is right. There was silence for a moment.
'You warned me not to take it off, but you did' he said. It took a second for Doe to realise, he was referring to the bracelet.
'Yeah- I got scared that I would burn people too so I removed it- Didn't wanted to be found'.
'If you want to relax, you can go for a fly. Take my broomstick if you want' he said, 'I can permit just this once though'.
'You know, I'll use this opportunity to its fullest Prongslet'.
Harry shook his head, but Doe just smiled at him before going to her dorm. Thankfully her roommates were asleep, so Doe snuck into her bed and fell asleep, listening to the castle magic humming slowly.