Ruby and Emerald: Year One

Prologue

On the stone steps of a majestic castle a small bundle of cloth appeared and started wriggling around, sudden piercing cries emitted from the bundle drawing two men to investigate the sudden noise, one a dark haired man with a large slightly crooked nose with sallow coloured skin and the other an older grandfatherly looking man with long white hair, a beard to match, and half moon spectacles perched on the tip of his nose hiding twinkling blue eyes.

"What in Merlin's name is a child doing here Albus?" The dark haired man sneered down at the moving bundle of cloth on the step below him.

"I do not know Severus, how is a child here is a better question." Albus stroked his long beard, peering down at the child with a half smile on his face.

"Someone must have left it here, there is no possible way that a mere baby made it through the wards." Severus crossed his arms and glared at the child.

"Albus? What is going on here?" A woman strode out of the doors the steps led to, a white nurses hat and uniform on her.

"Poppy my dear, we just arrived as well." Severus snorted under his breath.

"Who would have left a child here?" Poppy reached down to pick up the child and all three stepped back as the cries of the child became deafening.

"I wouldn't try that again if I were you." Severus glared at the nurse as he held a hand over each of his ears. "Albus put a silencing spell over the brat won't you!?" Albus pulled a long stick out of his robes and flicked it at the child, frowning when nothing seemed to happen.

"It appears as though I can not." He peered down at the child once more, curiosity brimming in his eyes as he slid the stick back into his robes.

"What is going on here!?! I am trying to get some work done around here!" A stern looking woman marched down the steps, deep green robes on with her black hair in a severe bun on the back of her head.

"Minerva, there's a child! At Hogwarts!" Poppy turned towards the other woman as she came to a stop before the child, narrowing her eyes at Albus.

"And why did you not try to quiet the babe?" She barked out, ignoring the warning from the other three as she reached down and deftly lifted the child into her arms.

"Well, we were previously unable to pick the child up. Seems as though the child chose you." Albus' voice rang in the sudden silence, a bright twinkle in his blue eyes.

"I tried to pick the child up and it's screams became louder, Albus tried a silencing charm and nothing happened!" Poppy walked closer to the child in Minerva's arms, pulling the cloth back from it's face.

"It's a wee lass Poppy, what do you mean nothing happened?" She rocked the child slowly in her arms as she glared at Albus.

"Exactly that, the spell didn't work on the child." Severus sneered at the girl.

"She seems to have chosen you Minerva, now the question is will you take her or reject her?" The twinkling in his eyes got brighter as Minerva let one of the child's hands curl around one of her bony fingers with a small smile on her face.

"She needs a mother it seems." She murmured with another smile.

"Then it is decided, you can raise her here at Hogwarts. I will have a room added as a nursery, Poppy can fetch any items you can't transfigure if she isn't busy?"The nurse nodded and bustled back into the school.

"Very well Albus, I will raise the lass. Good day Severus." She nodded at the two men and followed Poppy into the castle.

"Albus," Severus stared at him with a blank face. "How did the girl even get through the wards?" Albus shrugged with a smile, his eyes maddeningly twinkling like always.