Chapter Eight,Hogwarts

Previously on The Tales of the Lady of the Forest:

"Has it come?" Morgause and Neville asked excitedly as they bounded into the dining room almost vibrating with their excitement.
"Oh good morning to you both too." Frank scoffed playfully.
"Don't tease them Frank." Alice reprimanded, slapping him playfully on the shoulder. "I bet you were just as excited as they are."

"He was." Archie and Augusta added, smirking at their grownup son who spluttered at them muttering 'betrayal' dramatically causing them to roll their eyes at his dramatics but there was a smile upon their lips. If it weren't for the Potters and Cassiopeia Black they would never have gotten the chance to see their son act so carefree with his friends or his wife again. Nor would they have gotten to see what a wonderful father to Neville he had grown to be.

"Here you go baby, Neville." Sirius smiled, kissing his daughter on the forehead and ruffling Neville's hair as he handed them their letters which they both eagerly tore into. Their eyes darting rapidly over the parchment it was almost comical.
"WE'RE GOING TO HOGWARTS!!!! WE'RE GOING TO HOGWARTS!!!!" Morgause and Neville screeched happily, clasping hands as they jumped up and down their voices almost rising to an unbearable din, but their family didn't mind too much. They were just happy to see them so happy and excited. To be children after all they had been through in their young lives.

"Daddy, Papa! Uncle Reggie! We got into Hogwarts! Look Grandad, Granny! Grandpa!" Morgause cried, running over to the table waving the letter as Neville did the same at the other end.
"Well done cub we're all so proud of you." Remus praised, enveloping her in a big hug that she readily returned. He was so happy and beyond grateful that Sirius and the Potters had given him another chance otherwise he would never have gotten to see this kind little girl flourish the way he had, and he had sworn that day nearly ten years ago when Sirius met with him, that he would never ever let them nor Morgause down again.

"Now come and eat." Lyle coached with a proud smile on his face.
"And I'll help you pen a reply back to Headmistress McGonagall before yours and Neville's party." Regulus added. "We also need to tell her about your three Familiars." He looked over to the ten-year-old Nemean lion that sat in the corner eating his own food, the Runespoor snake around her neck that was also ten years old and had grown to a medium sized snake and the snowy owl.
"Okay. Thank you Uncle Reggie." Morgause beamed as she tucked into her breakfast feeding some food to her snake as she chatted happily to her family. She may not know her Mum and Dad, but she knew they loved her as she remembered that night and her mother and father had told her so, and her family she has now had proven how much they loved, protected and supported her. And that was enough. She looked forward to this next chapter at Hogwarts although she was extremely nervous but also excited.

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Chapter Eight, Hogwarts

September 1st brought much excitement that crisp morning, the beginning of fall making the early mornings in Scotland chilly. But that did nothing to stop the excitement that boiled within Morgause and Neville like a potion about to explode. While their family sat slumped tiredly over their cups filled with either coffee or tea, the two preteens were wide awake talking excitedly about what awaited them at Hogwarts. They didn't care that much about having to Floo to London just to take the Express backup to Scotland as they knew it was a once in a lifetime experience, plus they got to see their other friends on the train.

Augusta and Archie Longbottom smiled over at their grandson chatting away with Morgause Potter-Black while across the table sat their son Frank – who was talking to Regulus, Sirius and Remus - and his wife, Alice was sat beside him talking to Roxanne and Lyle Evans, Lily Potter's parents. Both Augusta and Archie knew they owed everything to their best friend, Fleamont Potter and Cassiopeia Black for returning their son and daughter-in-law to them, for healing them and could never repay that debt .
"Stop." Fleamont said simply, turning from where he and Mia were talking to his brother and Dorea, as if he knew what his friends were thinking. "Archie, Aggie, you don't owe me anything. And I know Cassie has told you the same as well."

Knowing they couldn't argue with him as Monty was stubborn and they have been friends since they were eleven and all in school together. Instead they would return the debt by making that House Longbottom would always ally itself with Houses Potter and Black; however, looking over at Neville they could already see that there would be no doubt that their Houses would remain allied with each other with how close Morgause and Neville were you would think they were siblings. Carrying on a tradition that would now be on its third generation: where a Potter goes, so too would a Longbottom. It started with Archie and Fleamont, then Algie and Charlus, then Frank and James, and now the same could be said for Neville and Morgause.

"Sweetheart." Monty turned to his granddaughter who offered him a wide, sweet smile.
"Yes, Grandad?" Morgause asked, finishing off the rest of her orange juice.
"If you ever feel that you're having trouble hiding your attributes, I want you to promise me that you will find either your Papa, Uncle Frank, or even your grandparents and they will take you into the forest. Under no circumstances do I want you to go into the forest alone." Fleamont said sternly.
"That goes for you too, Nev." Alice told her son sternly, a warning look in her eyes.

"I promise." Neville and Morgause promised together.
"Very well." Remus nodded. "Hurry up and finish your drinks and get ready. We have to leave soon." Immediately both Morgause and Neville lost some of their excitement only to be replaced with fear and worry. Knowing what was troubling their children, Sirius and Frank got up from their seats and knelt before their children taking their hands within their larger ones. Both men proceeded to reassure their children.
"Princess," Sirius whispered, brushing a strand of hair back behind her ear tenderly. "No matter what House you are Sorted into we will all be incredibly proud of you as that will be the House you're meant to be in and the House for you." He pressed a kiss to her forehead before he started to tickle her, his smile widening as her sweet laughs filled the family dining room.

"O-okay st-stop." Morgause gasped between her laughs as tears fell down her cheeks, but a wide smile stretched across her lips with her emerald-silver eyes gleaming happily which is what Sirius had wanted. "I love you Daddy."
"I love you too, Dal." Sirius smiled, standing up before he ruffled her hair, getting a squark of protest from his daughter making them all laugh as she hurriedly tried to fix her hair. "Come on, let's go fix your hair and make sure you have everything packed for you, Hedwig, Ceres and Belenus." He held his hand out to his daughter who jumped from her chair, taking his hand. If Sirius was trying to make the most of the time they had left together and was delighted she still took his hand despite being eleven now, nobody said anything.

"Nev, let's go make sure you have everything as well." Alice requested, draining the last of her tea. She knew how forgetful she had been at eleven and knew that her son took after her in that regard, but thankfully he wasn't as bad as she had been.
"Okay Mum." Neville agreed happily. "I need to get Aengus in his crate too and that's always a fight." He laughed.
"Too truer words, son." Frank agreed with a laugh, returning to his seat for another coffee now that his son was feeling reassured and would have his mother to help him double check his trunk. The first time he had visited the Sanctuary here on the grounds of Potter manor with Morgause when the pair were five, the fiery little silver Kneazle kitten, and only male kitten in the litter, instantly became Neville's Familiar.

Throughout the years of gaining the fiery kitten and Morgause's friendship, and regaining his parents, had helped Neville with his confidence. And soon the painfully shy boy was no more, and he shone with confidence and was happier and more settled within himself. The pair could either be seen in the Sanctuary or the Greenhouses with little Luna Lovegood, or he was cheering her on when she was flying with the Weasley twins, Draco and Blaise. Or the pair, along with the Weasley twins, Daphne, Luna, Draco, Blaise and Theo often got up to mischief pulling innocent pranks on either them or each other. All of them seemed to be happier when they were all together; and that was all they could ask as parents was their child's happiness.

***

-Platform 9 ¾ -

The minute Morgause and Neville arrived on the platform – their uniforms immediately cleansed of soot by Mia – Ceres wrapped around Morgause's left wrist while clutching onto Hedwig's and Belenus' cages, Neville clutching on to Aengus' cage were filled with a sudden sadness as it suddenly dawned on them that they would be away from the majority of their family for far six months give or take two weeks in the Yule holidays.
"It's going to be okay, Morgan." Mia reassured her granddaughter. "Whenever you or Neville want to talk just send Hedwig to us."

"Or...we could talk face to face with this." Sirius announced holding out a small rectangle mirror that Morgause recognised instantly from all the stories her Daddy and Papa had told her.
"Your Two-Way Mirror!!" Morgause exclaimed; eyes wide. "Really?" She reached for it before she hesitated and lowered her hand.
"Of course, sweetheart. This one belonged to your Daddy James, and he would have wanted you to have it." Sirius reassured her, pulling her in for a hug. He tried to keep as calm as possible as he knew her gift of Empathy would be heightened with the packed platform. "Whenever either of you feel homesick just call my name and I can easily Floo call Alice if Neville wants to talk to her. Or even Augusta and Archie."

"Thank you Daddy." Morgause sniffled, gently setting Hedwig and Belenus' cages down – to their protests if the yowls and barks of her lion cub and owl were anything to go by – she threw her arms around her Dad, hugging him tightly.
"Thank you Uncle Sirius." Neville said, hugging him once Morgause pulled back.
"You're welcome." Sirius smiled, waving off the grateful looks on his friends,' Augusta's and Archie's faces. "Now, let's go find you a compartment." Just as he said that they could see Fred and George running up to them with wide grins on their faces.
"Hi –"

"We already have a compartment –"
"- Blaise, Draco, Theo and Daphne have already set their things in there too."
"They are just saying goodbye to their parents."
"We thought we'd come to you, so Ron doesn't find you –"
"He's too obsessed with the idea of the whole Girl Who Lived –"
"- even though we have tried to talk him out of it and even resorted to pranking him –"
"Trying to make him see sense."
"But it's useless he thinks, despite all we've told him that he'll marry Morgan."
"We will keep her away from her as best we can."

"We promise, Morgan." Fred and George said seriously, stopping their twin-speak to pull Morgause in for a tight hug so they could all see how serious they were. They have known the twins long enough that they could easily follow their twin-speak and could easily tell when they were joking and when they were serious, which they were as their eyes darkened with anger and their eyebrows puckered.
"I'll talk to Arthur, Sirius." Regulus promised.
"Thank you Reggie." Sirius nodded gratefully to his brother, he was so glad he had him back and they could get their relationship back. "Princess, I don't want you to worry about Ronald, we'll deal with it.

I just want you to have a good term, make new friends and try your best; that is all we want from you. I love you, Always. And remember no matter what House you're Sorted into we will always be incredibly proud of you and so will James and Lily."
"Okay Daddy." Morgause agreed, hugging her father tightly before she picked up the cages carrying her Nemean Lion cub and Siberian owl while her Runespoor was around her wrist, hissing agitated at the worry pouring off of Morgause.

While Remus and Frank put their trunks in the compartment Fred and George showed them too with Regulus following behind so he could cast a complicated ward on the compartment, so they weren't disturbed by people who only cared about her so-called fame.

"I'll let you out on the train." She promised her cub and owl as she climbed onto the train hanging out of the window on the door so she could wave goodbye to her family when the whistle blew. "I love you too, Daddy. I love all of you." She waved to her family with a smile on her face, the nerves bleeding away into excitement as the grey of London faded away, slowly changing into beautiful rolling, green hills of the countryside as they made the journey north. A new journey awaited them.

***

-Hogwarts –

"Neville Longbottom!" the new Deputy Headmistress Flora Fortescue, and Neville's maternal grandmother called loudly.
"Good luck Nev." Morgause wished, squeezing Neville's hand, a blinding smile on her lips. Their other friends Draco Malfoy, Theo Nott and Blaise Zabini wished him luck as well from where they stood around them. Neville offered them a happy but slightly shaky smile as he made his way through the crowd at the base of the steps of the dais where the teacher's table sat.

Neville sat on the stool for nearing five minutes when the Sorting Hat finally called out,
"HUFFLEPUFF!!!" Instantly Morgause, Draco, Blaise, Theo, Daphne Greengrass (who already sat at the Slytherin table), Fred and George (who sat at the Gryffindor table) joined the cheers of the table clad in robes with a golden yellow trim.

As the crowd of first years waiting to be sorted slowly trickled into smaller numbers, Morgause could feel her nerves rising especially as Draco and Theo joined Daphne in Slytherin, but she still cheered loudly for them along with Neville, Fred, and George. Until finally, her name was called:
"Morgause Potter-Black!" Professor Fortescue called, causing whispers to spread throughout the Hall as if it were abuzz with insects. However, when Headmistress Minerva McGonagall got to her feet with a glare on her face everyone immediately quietened down without her even needing to say a word. If what her Daddy and Papa said was true then Headmistress McGonagall was stern but fair.

With that thought resonating within her brain her eyes seemed to seek her Papa out without conscious effort on her part, but a soft reassuring smile from Remus was enough to encourage her to block out everyone's emotions – an immense effort as she was an Empath – and make her way up to the stool. As she sat down she saw people craning their necks trying to gain a look at her before the hat fell over her eyes. She sat there for a moment wondering what was going to happen when a voice in her mind startled her.

'Don't be frightened, dear child. It's just me, the Sorting Hat.' The voice of the Hat said. 'Now, let's see. Hmm, difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. A great love of knowledge and a bibliophile. You're loyal to those you love, fiercely loyal in fact. Despite the losses you've faced already in your young life. I am sorry, dear child.' The Hat said, making Morgause tense but nodded, still trying to block out everyone's emotions.

'There's talent, oh yes. Such talent indeed. I have never seen someone so young with so much power and so many gifts and abilities... you're an Empath, a Lady of the Forest among others, only one has passed through these Halls before you. And a thirst to prove yourself, my dear girl you are a tricky one.' The Hat exclaimed seemingly shocked.
'I don't mind where I go as I know you will know best.' Morgause thought.
'I see.' murmured the Hat. 'Gryffindor is out as all of the brash emotions will overload you...hmm Slytherin would be good, but it is not the perfect fit, neither is Ravenclaw...neither of them would help you perfectly with your abilities and that is what you need. I know.... Better be....'
"HUFFLEPUFF!!"

Once again, the Hufflepuff cheered loudly for their new student, along with her friends in Slytherin and Gryffindor. However there were some who didn't seem to agree with that answer if their faces were anything to go by, but it was not their decision and the Sorting Hat's decision is final. With that proclamation Morgause took the Hat off of her head handing it back to Professor Fortescue before she made her way to the Hufflepuff table that sat on the right side of the Great Hall in between Slytherin and Ravenclaw with Gryffindor on the far left, and sat in the space Neville and Susan Bones had made for her in between them.

As she sat down, she looked up at the teacher's table, her eyes locking with her Grandpa Lyle, Nanny Roxanne, Papa and Uncle Frank who both beamed at her and Neville easing the tightness in her chest. And if the sudden relaxing slump of his shoulders then Neville had been worried too, despite all that had been said that morning. It was then that Ceres decided to pop her three heads from her sleeve, three tongues flicking in the air startling the two pompous boys in front of her, Susan and Neville who were thankfully used to this with how long they had been friends. Susan visited just not as much as the others, but the two girls swore on the boat that they would fix that.

'They smell like idiots.' Ceres hissed, flicking her middle head towards the two pompous boys in front of her causing Morgause to let out a little giggle.
'They do seem very idiotic. Look at their faces.' Morgause hissed back to the horror of the two boys.
'Such fools are poor Dal are stuck with.' The first head commiserated, with a sad shake of her head.
'But if they try anything to hurt you, I won't be afraid to bite them.' the third head hissed warningly, only calming down when Morgause stroked her head with a finger.

"What did they say?" Neville whispered, he knew Ceres had a wicked but dry sense of humour and he was not disappointed when Morgause told him and Susan as both of them had to stifle their laughter as the Sorting was still going on. However, the two boys seemed to be getting angrier and angrier the more Ceres and Morgause hissed to each other, something that Neville and Susan seemed to find amusement in.

"SHE'S A DARK WITCH!!!!" The two boys screeched, jumping from their seats in horror and anger interrupting the Sorting.
"Messers MacMillan and Smith sit down this instant and stop interrupting the Sorting with your abhorrent behaviour!" Headmistress McGonagall ordered, climbing from her own cherry wood seat (the same that all of the teachers were sitting on. She had sold the golden chair to the goblins when she became Headmistress and started fixing and righting all of the wrongs Dumbledore had committed within this school and to its students).

"SHE HAS A SNAKE!!!"
"I am fully aware she has a Runespoor as it is one of her Familiars and therefore if you have listened to your lessons you were taught as child then she can bring them here. Same for anyone else who has been lucky enough to find their Familiar or Familiars." Headmistress McGonagall drawled, her lips in a tight line showing her displeasure. "Now sit down! Oh, congratulations you are the first students to gain a detention before the Sorting is even over.

Tomorrow afternoon. Now, apologise to Miss Potter-Black, and everyone else for disrupting the Sorting and sit. Down!" She stared at them until she followed through with her orders. "Apologies Professor Fortescue, please continue." Headmistress McGonagall apologised returning to her seat with a sigh. "I didn't even have this problem with the Marauders." She grumbled, those near her stifled their laughs while staring at a bashful Remus and Frank. They knew they were troublemakers during school pulling pranks in school with James and Sirius with the traitor following them around all of the time.

Some often used to think that the traitor was the fourth Marauder but actually the fourth Marauder was Frank Longbottom with his Animagus form of a brown grizzly bear nicknamed Koda. They didn't pull any pranks that hurt anyone or caused any lasting damage, it was just to make everyone laugh and ease the tension within the school to take everyone's mind off the war that was brewing outside of the castle's walls. And it seemed that the rest of the Marauders 2.0 had finally entered the school. It would certainly be an interesting school year if nothing else.

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Author's note: DO NOT ask me to update in any way shape or form. There are other ways of telling me what you thought of this.

Morgause's familiars:

The Runespoor hatchling: Ceres

The Snowy Siberian Owl: Hedwig

The Nemean Lion cub: Belenus