Deveraux's School for Magical Beings

Chapter Eleven

                                                                     ~Harry Potter~

I headed downstairs, Freya, Atlas, and several others following behind me while Severus stayed in the room with Emilia, pulling potions out of his pockets and giving them to her. 

I tapped the woman who ran the orphanage on the shoulder and stated coldly, "I'll be taking them all with me, ma'am. I need to fill out the paperwork. Please escort me to your office so I can do so."

She squeaked, "All of them?? But I'll be shut down! You can't take all of them!"

Stepping closer, I lowered my glamour again, having pulled it back up on the stairs, and hissed, "Watch me! You've been mistreating all of them-if I leak it to the papers, you'd be shut down anyways! Now show me where to fill out the paper work!"

She let out a shriek, stepping back fearfully at the sight of my fully extended wings, my claws and scale covered arms, as well as the scales I could feel inching up my neck and chest. I hissed again, and she cowered away before shouting, "Alright! Alright! I'll give you the paperwork to fill out!! Follow me!"

Iris gently tugged on my arm and asked quietly, "Harry, I know you said you wanted to take them all in, but perhaps...Could Nathaniel and and I adopt her? Nathaniel felt an immediate bond with her, and she has a similar gift." 

I turned, seeing a little girl with a pair of shiny blue-black wings cradled against Nathaniel's chest, seemingly perfectly content to never move again, her black eyes resting carefully on my person. I smiled slightly, "Of course, Iris. She looks like she would never rather go anywhere else."

Nathaniel chuckled, "That's true. Little Maggie here, she felt the bond as soon as I stepped in the door, and has been clinging to me ever since. Something else, Harry, to think about is whether or not you'll be giving everyone your last name or allowing them to choose their own."

Freya laid a gentle hand on my shoulder, "I believe most of us would enjoy having the same name, Harry. We've always acted as a family, most of us not getting adopted. We simply age out at seventeen-no real life skills to keep us afloat."

I turned, seeing all of the children gathered behind us, and I asked, "I know none of you know me-I hope to change that of course, but would you like to have my last name, truly become a part of my family?" A wave of nods, and a grin slid across my face.

I turned back to Nathaniel and stated, "There's the answer."

Behind us, the door opened and a ragged looking Blaise stepped inside, almost collapsing, and I darted over, catching him around the waist before he could fall, and stated, "Your sister is safe. Severus is upstairs with her. I'm going to get her out of here. What happened to you, Zabini?"

He shook his head, "Mother-I fought her. When she got back and tried using the imperius on me to make me behave. I managed to flee, but I nearly splinched myself several times. I only knew the name of the orphanage because I'd heard Mother mention it, and I knew Pansy had several siblings here. It's the only way I found it. Potter-Potter what happened to you??"

I chuckled at the horror in his voice and stated, "I was given an inheritance by Lady Magic herself. I'm a dragonette faerie. Faerie through my mother's side, of course-we think she was a changeling."

He chuckled, "Well, that gets you out of being Dumbledore's little puppet then, I suppose."

Smiling slightly, I admitted, "Yes, yes it does. It also gets me out of the war, which I'll always be grateful for. I also want to thank you for standing up for your sister-you're a good brother."

He nodded, leaning heavily on my side, and stated tiredly, "She's my sister-my blood. I raised her basically from infancy. She was always a mistake in our mother's eyes-she didn't realise she was pregnant until it was to far along to abort. I raised her-I fed her, clothed her with my inheritance from my father, and I still buy her supplies with my inheritance."

I set him in a chair and stated, "Emilia is lucky to have you, Blaise. You're more than welcome to come and stay with me as well-Emilia will be."
A slight smile spread across his face before he shook his head, "Emilia will be safer if I don't. Mother will never let this rest-I'm her only heir and she will never let me go. She'd hunt me down anywhere I go. You don't know what she's like-what she'd do to you if she found out you were hiding me from her."
The group of children made a path through for Emilia, who was being held up by Severus, and Blaise immediately rushed to her side, completely ignoring his own state. "Emilia! Are you okay??"
She burst into tears, wrapping her arms around him in return, and sobbed, "Blaise you came! You came back for me!"
Blaise pressed a kiss to her forehead and reassured her, "Of course I did, Em. You're my sister, and I love you. If Potter hadn't come I'd planned to take you away from here but I think you'll be safer with him than me right now. I fought Mother, and I'm sure she's tracking me right now."
Severus laid a hand on Blaise's shoulder and stated calmly, "If she comes, we will deal with her. Tell me, Blaise, are you of age? Are you seventeen?" At Blaise's nod, he smiled slightly and stated,  "How would you feel about coming to live with us? There will be many of us, but as you were one of my slytherins I feel I can trust you with the truth of my family. The wards that are being put up will keep her out, Blaise, and even if they don't, I would defend you from her."
I nodded, "I would too, and I still have some pretty wicked abilities I haven't tried out. Between us, we could keep you safe."
Blaise looked down at Emilia for a moment before he looked between Severus and I and nodded, hugging his sister tight to him afterward.
Severus nodded, "Its settled then. Harry, I believe you have a mountain of paperwork to fill out. Please get started."