Dark Come Soon

“Confringo!” Ramona yelled and sent the spell towards her grandfather, Albus Dumbledore, who easily deflected the spell. Without as much as a word spoken, he sent a spell back at her. She had no idea what it could be because he didn’t say the incantation. “Finite Incantatem!” The spell her grandfather sent was deflected. “Yes!”

She laughed at the triumph of her ‘victory’ which was short lived because then another spell was sent her way and she was too distracted to think of a counter-spell. She was sent backwards and she would have landed on the hard floor of the practice room, but she landed on a mattress that wasn’t there before.

“In a real situation, you would have died, Mona,” her grandfather said gently, but sternly too. “You must learn to concentrate.”

Ramona groaned and stood up from the mattress and with a wave of Dumbledore’s wand the mattress was gone.

“This isn’t what normal people do on their weekends, or vacations, grandpa,” she muttered, but she actually didn’t mind the practice. She could have used the new spell she was learning a few months ago when she was helping Harry Potter rescue his godfather. It had turned out to be a trap and Voldemort almost got to Ramona.

She had faced one the most fearsome dark wizard of her time and she lived.

“We’re not normal,” Dumbledore pointed out.

“I figured that out a long time ago,” she smiled.

“You just have to be ready this time, Mona,” his eyes turned serious and her body still froze at the memory of facing the Dark Lord.

She nodded softly. “I know. I’m getting better, aren’t I?”

He smiled and hugged her. “Of course you are. You learn so quickly which is why I’m not so afraid anymore.”

Ramona hugged him tighter. He was the only family she had. Her parents had died facing Voldemort when she was just a year old. Ramona’s mother had been Dumbledore’s granddaughter which meant he was Ramona’s great-grand father, but she just called him grandpa.

All of their family was gone, except for them. Ramona had no siblings, she and no aunts and no uncles or cousins. Dumbledore was her family. She was the only he had left too, and he wanted her to be prepared for the big battle he predicted would come.

He just wanted her to be ready.

He kissed her forehead. “We should get ready to leave to Hogwarts. We have the meeting with Sybill and her family,” he reminded her.

Ramona and her grandfather lived in an ordinary home. He didn’t spoil her like some people thought. He taught her manners and to be modest. She didn’t brag that she was related to one of the most powerful wizards of the twentieth century.

She didn’t crave power. It made her wonder why in the world the sorting hat put her in Slytherin. She didn’t belong there. She didn’t show off her wealth and her status to others. She didn’t let her last name go to her head.

Ramona retired to her room to shower and change into the dress she got just for the occasion. She bought it at a flea market in the muggle world last week. She didn’t go alone though. Her grandfather sent a body guard with her. He didn’t want to risk her safety.

Voldemort wouldn’t care to expose magic to muggles to get to her, and Dumbledore knew it which is why he feared for Ramona. The quickest and easiest way to hurt him was to hurt her. He wasn’t going to allow that to happen.

Ramona smiled to herself in her reflection. The dress was floral and she accessorized it a nice cardigan and some jewelry. She always wore the same necklace that belonged to her mother. It was a gift on her first day at Hogwarts. She never removed it. It was always around her neck.

She went to her closet and took out her boots. They were her favorite boots and she thought of them as lucky because she wore them when she faced Voldemort a few months ago and survived. It still made her wonder why he let her go. He had her where anyone else would have taken advantage of. She tried not to think about it anymore. It just gave her a headache.

She finished getting ready and looked again to the mirror to fix her hair. She licked over her pierced lip. It was done recently, on her sixteenth birthday. She wanted to do something out of the ordinary and she wanted a piercing for a long time.

Dumbledore disapproved of it, but let her have it anyway. There was those rare moments where he did spoil her.

She met her grandfather at the foyer.

“You look lovely, Mona,” he smiled.

“Thanks.”

“Do you think you can apparate and your own?” he asked with a sly smile.

He taught her how to do it just two weeks ago. She had practiced all around the house every since then. She was supposed to learn it at school, but he decided to teach her on his own.

“I’ve been practicing,” she grinned. “The shield is down in your office, right?”

“Yes.”

She closed her eyes and concentrated She felt the air leave her lungs for a second and then she gasped and opened her eyes. She was standing in the office.

Dumbledore appeared next to her. “You did great, dear.”

“That was amazing!” she giggled.

“No time to gloat. We must meet Sybill and her family.”

“I still can’t believe Professor Trelawney had a child,” she muttered as she followed her grandfather out of the office. “I’ve known her a long time and I didn’t know anything about it!”

Dumbledore chuckled. “I believe that was up to her to tell you.”

“She’s one of my favorite teachers. I think it should have been mentioned a couple of times.”

“I didn’t know she was one of your favorite teachers,” he chuckled.

“She’s eccentric.”

“That’s probably the nicest way I’ve heard people describe her.”

“She’s a good person. She means well and I don’t mind her paranoia.”

“It’s not paranoia. It’s fear. Her visions have her on edge.”

“And her daughter has the gift, too, right?” Ramona concluded. “It’s why she’s transferring from Los Angeles. No one in their right mind leaves Los Angeles.”

“Ah, I almost forgot Los Angeles is where you want to continue your education.”

Ramona giggled. “That’s one way of putting it. You know music is my passion and where else can I start of a band if not Los Angeles?”

“England has given the States great artists.”

“But I want away from here for a while,” she said. “You understand, right?”

They stopped outside of Trelawney’s office where they were going to have dinner with her daughter Alexandra and ex-husband Andres.

“I understand but you have to know that you’re not doing anything until this time passes,” he warned her.

“I know which is why you’ve been gone to all those ‘trips’ lately,” she said. “I know what you’re doing.”

He raised an eyebrow, amused by her courage.

“And what is that?” he asked.

“You’re finding a way to defeat Voldemort.”

“You know better than me that I’m not meant to defeat him--”

“Yeah, it’s Harry. I just don’t know how. It’s too much pressure for a kid.”

Dumbledore laughed and once again placed a kiss on her forehead where it had creased in worry.

“Let’s discuss this later,” he said.

She blew a raspberry and he only laughed and shook his head.

Dumbledore knocked on the door and it was opened by Professor Trelawney. A big smile appeared on her face.

“Dumbledores!” she exclaimed happily. “Come on in, go on.”

Dumbledore shook her hand and Ramona hugged her.

“Hello, Professor,” she smiled. “It’s going to be a pleasure to have you back.”

“Even if I’m sharing my class?” she asked bitterly.

Ramona laughed. “Firenze was wonderful and I’m sure with the two of you combined there are going to be a lot more kids interested Divination.”

Professor Trelawney scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“You know Firenze can’t go back to the woods. He’s been banished for helping us last year,” Ramona reminded her. “If it wasn’t for him, Divination probably would have been cancelled. Umbridge wasn’t a big fan of the class.”

“That spiteful woman,” Trelawney muttered. The her expression changed like she had remembered something. “I’m sorry. I must introduce you to Alexandra and Andres.”

They went to her office which had been arranged with a table for five people. Ramona was introduced to Andres, the ex-husband. He was handsome for an older man and he had an accent that told her he was Hispanic.

Alexandra was the daughter and she had short hair, but it looked really nice on her. She could see some of the features from the Professor, like the eyes.

“I’m Ramona, but you can call me Mona,” she introduced herself.

“Alexandra, but Alex is fine.”

They sat down and the adults started to discuss adult things.

Ramona turned to Alexandra.

“So, have you ever been to a boarding school?”

Alexandra shook her head. “No. This is going to be new to me.”

“This will became home very quickly,” Ramona grinned. “The people here become family and we look after each other.”

“I heard last year was very dark for the school,” Alexandra said.

“It was, but we made it through like a family. We stuck together and we took back our school,” she laughed at the memory of the Weasley boys flying in brooms. “My grandpa told me about your visions.”

Her eyes widened.

“Don’t worry. I overheard him talk about you with the Professor,” Ramona said. “I’m just clearing the air so you don’t have to pretend. I want to be friends and if you ever need anything, you can always come to me.”

The dinner went fine and then Dumbledore suggested to Ramona to take Alexandra on a tour of the school while the adults discussed more things about the arrangement.