AN: Hey guys, here is the next chapter for you all to enjoy. I am sorry that the updates took as long as they did, writers' block is a huge pain, and working full time also puts a huge damper on time for writing. I also had to scrap the first draft for Chapter 8 but I finally have this ready for you guys, so enjoy.
Twenty minutes later, Artemis stood and placed a hand upon her young huntress's shoulder. "Come, my dear, it's time to return to my tent."
Nervously, Abby stood before hesitantly making her way back towards her Lady's tent with Artemis following right behind. Looking around, Abby noticed how Percy was quietly leaning against Lady Artemis's tent, while both Bianca and Zoe made their way towards them.
The group of five soon found themselves back inside the tent, waiting patiently for Abby to start with her story after she gathered her thoughts.
"Abby my dear, do you want me to give the others a quick overview of what we discussed before we entered the camp?" Artemis asked the young hybrid.
"No milady, as much as I would like you to, I don't think we will have enough time for that," Abby said apologetically.
"But Abby, we still have 7 hours to go before Lord Apollo arrives," Percy explained softly.
"Yes, I know Percy, but I would like to go over my second year and possibly my third year at Hogwarts before Lord Apollo arrives," Abby said regretfully. "Also, I want you guys to get some sleep, I don't want your health to suffer because of me."
"I think that is a wise choice Abby, I for one would like to get Bianca and Abby settled before we are forced to go to Camp Half-Blood. Abby can tell us about her first year when we have more time." Zoe stated sternly.
Percy pouted ever so slightly. "Okay, fine I will accept that, I am just curious about Abby and all the adventures she endured in her first year at school. Also, finding out that there is another hidden world out there that isn't connected to the godly world is kinda fascinating."
Smiling slightly at Percy, Abby softly stated. "I would agree to an extent that the magical world can be fascinating, but the world itself is so backwards in time that it isn't funny."
"What do you mean?" Bianca asked, confused.
"The Wizarding World is still stuck in the Victorian Area, where marriage and slave contracts still exist. They also believe that us mortals aren't capable of advancing in any way. To them, we are just savages, incapable of harming them at all." Abby explained with disgust.
"Oh wow, really?" Bianca said in shock.
"Yes, and things aren't getting any better there, only worse," Abby said sadly. "But I will get back to that later."
"Well anyway," Abby said as she finally took one deep breath. "It was at the end of my first year that Dumbledore informed me that I would be going back to Privet Drive even after I begged him to let me stay. He truly believed that Privet Drive was the safest place for me to stay."
"I gathered that it wasn't the safest place for you to be?" Zoe asked in concern, moving closer to Abby.
"You gathered that correctly, but Dumbledore didn't heed my concerns as such I was forced to return to the place that is in essence hell on earth," Abby explained bitterly. "To my relatives, I am nothing but a slave, a freak to do whatever they want with. This was conditioned into me from a very young age, as such, I still believe myself as a freak and that I deserved everything they did to me."
"What, no!" The group exclaimed in disbelieving shock.
Standing up, Artemis quickly moved in front of Abby before crouching down.
"You are not a freak!" Artemis said sternly, lifting Abby's chin to look into the young hybrids' eyes. "You are a damaged young lady, who grew up in a very unhealthy situation, but you are also so strong, brave and so very gifted, someone that I am so proud to have part of the hunt."
Zoe and Bianca quickly moved next to Abby and slowly drew the young hybrid into a hug from both sides, needing to comfort the young girl who truly believed that she was nothing but a freak.
"You are wrong by that, Abby," Percy said softly. "You did not deserve whatever happened to you and you're anything but a freak, that much I can tell."
"We will change that mindset of yours, Abby," Bianca said firmly. "We will remind you every day of the rest of your life that you are a wonderful, gifted, strong, and brave young lady who is now part of a true family that will always be there for you whenever you need it."
"We know that this will be difficult to believe at first, but that will not stop us to be there for you every day of our lives, you are no longer alone," Zoe said softly, rubbing small comforting circles upon Abby's back.
This comfort and softly stated words were the first true comfort that Abby ever experienced, causing the walls around her heart and emotions to crack. Abby slowly allowed herself to surrender to her emotions causing harsh sobs to wrack through her body, something Abby never allowed to happen before.
"Oh, gods Abby, I've got you," Artemis said softly, quickly drawing the sobbing girl into her arms.
~~~~~~
Abby rested her head against her Lady's shoulder, unable to speak as the moon goddess gently rocked her. Lady Artemis could honestly say that she has never seen any of her girls like this, not even her younger girls that had much the same upbringing as the young hybrid. The moon goddess desperately wanted to take the pain and heartache her young huntress was feeling away but was unsure how.
Soon Abby's harsh sobs slowed just enough for her to gather herself enough to speak. Once Abby looked up and into her goddesses' eyes, Lady Artemis could see a multitude of emotions swirling within the young hybrids' beautiful amber golden eyes which were shocking in itself. There was the presence of gratefulness, but beneath it was the ever-presence of loneliness, sadness, and hatred for oneself burning more fiercely than any other emotion.
"Talk to me, little one," Artemis said softly, while she slowly ran her fingers through the young hybrids' hair, trying to calm Abby down.
"I am so sorry, I usually don't break down like this," Abby said, looking down in shame. "Everything just became too much to handle at the moment."
"Hey now, don't do that," Zoe said sternly. "It is okay to cry every once in a while, healthy even. But if I am correct, you have suppressed your emotions for far too long, and this is probably the first time you allowed yourself to feel your own emotions, allowing yourself to finally let go."
"Zoe is correct," Bianca said softly. "You suppressed your emotions for far too long, I am just glad that we are here to help you through this."
"It's okay to break down once in a while, especially with everything you went through so far Abby, healthy even. But I know that this will be difficult for you to accept, that you can be vulnerable around us, but do not worry, we will always be there for you, whenever you need us." Artemis murmured.
Percy gazed upon the group in wonder, never before had he seen such a closely knitted family in the godly world, while this was something new to him. Percy truly wished to join and experience this family unit even if it meant turning from male to female.
"Will you be okay to continue with your story?" Percy asked softly, not wanting to break up this sweet moment, but also wanting to remind the group why they were there in the first place.
"Yeah... I will be okay," Abby whispered, slowly moving out of her lady's comfortable embrace, unable to take any comfort while reliving her life before the hunt. "As I was saying, I was once again forced to return to the Dursleys and Privet Drive. It might have been the summer holidays, but to my relatives, it was another chance to remind me that I am nothing but a slave and punching bag to use whenever and for whatever they dream of, in other words, it was a normal summer."
"Hang on, what does that mean?" Percy asked, concerned.
"On a normal day in the Dursley household, I am forced to do every single chore that they come up with, be it cooking, cleaning or gardening. I am to do everything before my uncle gets home from work. Once he is home, he would go around and inspect my work. If he is satisfied with what I did, he will leave me alone. If he isn't then I will be beaten and will spend the night in pain, which happens more often than I would like. But that is, unfortunately, a normal day with the Dursleys."
"Hang on, they beat you?!" Bianca exclaimed in horror.
"Yeah," Abby said shakily. "My uncle more so than the others."
"That is just wrong, why would anyone harm their young?" Percy asked in confused horror.
"I would never come to understand why my uncle did what he did, or why he was the way he was," Abby murmured, looking off and into the blazing fire before continuing. "Anyway, it was the evening of my twelve birthday that everything changed."
"It was like any other day, nothing out of the norm. That is until I returned to my room for the night that things turned for the worst. There inside my room was a strange creature, this creature was apparently what you would call a house elf. He came to warn me not to go back to Hogwarts. But this was something I could not do, why would I stay in a house with relatives that would do anything to harm me? I politely informed him that staying away from Hogwarts was not an option, but the elf did not like that as such, he wreaked havoc in the kitchen while the Dursleys were hosting a dinner party. This infuriated them as the elf just ruined the only chance for my uncle to receive the promotion he was working for all year." Abby said bitterly.
"Oh, gods..." Zoe whispered. "Please tell me that your relatives didn't blame you for this?"
"Of course, they blamed me!" Abby exclaimed in a strained voice. "The elf went out and destroyed any chance I had to leave this place. My uncle couldn't kill the elf for what it had done, so I am the obvious choice to punish."
"Please tell me that your punishment wasn't too bad," Bianca said with concern and hope.
"Well, I can't recall everything my uncle did, but I was beaten until I was unconscious. After the beating, I was chained to my bed and left there for the rest of the summer holidays," Abby murmured, looking pained.
"Oh gods, please tell me that they at least fed you and let you out to use the bathroom freely?" Percy asked in concern.
"Of course not," Abby snorted in derision. "To my relatives, I was nothing but a freak, I was lucky enough to be let out once a day while my uncle was at work, as for food I only received something to eat every second day which I had to share with my poor owl, we were being starved and there was nothing I could do."
"Oh, gods!" Zoe exclaimed. "Please tell me that they are dead or will be dead soon. They cannot live after the damages they caused you."
"I can confirm that my uncle died a few months ago, as for my aunt, well to my knowledge she is still alive, but I am unclear if she truly received any punishments as my old headmaster indicated in the letter I received from him. I cannot say I trust the headmaster after all he is the reason I was left with my relatives in the first place."
"At least one of the monsters is dead," Percy said. "We will need to see about the other monster as I believe monsters like your relatives should not exist."
"We will need to investigate the ongoing problems surrounding your upbringing when things are more calmed, I think after the Winter Solstice would be best." Lady Artemis said, calmly.
"Yeah, well anyway," Abby continued, looking slightly uncomfortable at what she did to her uncle and the upcoming investigation surrounding her abuse and what she had to endure. "I was lucky enough that my friend Ron Weasley with the help from his older twin brothers arrived at Privet Drive a week after the incident with the house-elf. The three boys arrived with their father's flying car."
"Wait, your friends' father had a flying car? Also, what did the three boys do when they saw your condition?" Bianca asked.
"Ah, yes. Mr Weasley always found the non-magicals fascinating, so when he found an old car, he decided to experiment, and this allowed it to become a flying car." Abby explained. "The boys were both horrified and shocked at my haggard condition, Fred quickly released Hedwig and me from our chained state, George went and retrieved my school belongings downstairs and Ron packed everything else I needed, before helping me into the car."
"This was the first time any of the Weasley boys encountered someone that was abused, as such they were unsure how to help and punish those who harmed one, they saw as a little sister," Abby said with a fond smile at the thought of her big brothers. "Once we arrived at the Weasley home, the three tried to tell their mother about my abuse but she did not believe them, believing that they were playing a prank."
"Wait, why would their mother believe they are playing a prank over abuse?" Percy asked bewildered.
"The twins are the pranksters in the family, as such their mother never takes anything they say seriously. It is the same with Ron, he is the sixth son and to his mother, this is just a way for him to stand out from his other brothers." Abby explained looking pained at the Weasley matriarchs' treatment of her sons.
"But doesn't that hurt their feelings? If their mother only believes that they are doing this to look for attention or to have a laugh?" Bianca asked, shocked.
"Yes, it does, quite a bit actually," Abby answered. "But they have accepted it, at least they know that their mother loves them to a point of smothering them. They just decided to keep things like this to themselves and started to find different ways to help me with the abuse I endure with the Dursleys, they are extremely protective of me."
"Didn't the boy's behaviour overwhelm you? I don't think an abused child would have an easy time with people caring about them." Zoe said having observed some of the other's behaviours of her younger sisters that grew up abused before joining the hunt.
"At first I was overwhelmed," Abby said with a nod. "But they were very subtle with their behaviour, trying not to draw any attention to themselves or me. It took time for me to accept that there was someone who wanted to protect me, but I love them, they were one of the first who showed me that my relatives were wrong and that I am cared for."
"I would love to meet them one day," Percy said softly. "But for now, why don't you continue with your story."
"Okay, well as I said, I was a little bit overwhelmed with the Weasley clan and how they treated each other, but this was the first loving environment I encountered, and I love it. It showed me that there is love in the world, not just hatred, pain or loathing." Abby explained with a peaceful expression on her face. "It was the last week of the summer holiday that the Weasley matriarch decided that it was time that we collect our supplies for the upcoming school year. During this trip, I ran into two awful men that later became a bane to my existence."
Looking pained at the idea of either man, Abby continued her tale with a weary sigh. "The first man I ran into is a well-known author named Gilderoy Lockhart, he is arrogant, narcissistic and only cares for his fame. The moment he saw me between the crowd, he decided it would be wise to grab me and use my unwanted fame to increase his own. This of course caused Ron and I to take an instant dislike of the man; however, the man then went and informed us and the rest of the crowd that he was appointed as the next Defense Against the Dark arts teacher at Hogwarts that year."
"So, this man was a bad teacher?" Percy inquired, confused.
"In my whole Hogwarts life, I only had two Defense teachers that had any talent in teaching; one of them was a Death Eater and the other a werewolf; however, Lockhart was not either of them." The young Potter explained.
"How bad was this man?" Bianca asked in concern.
"He was one of the worst, but anyway, the second man I met was Lucius Malfoy, father of young Draco Malfoy, a known bully who loved to target my friends and I. Furthermore, Lucius is part of Lord Voldemort's followers, a Death Eater. He would do anything to destroy my reputation before killing me in revenge for what I did to his master."
"Hold on, you mentioned this Lord Voldemort fellow before. Is he the same sadistic monster that is out to kill you?" Zoe inquired, concerned.
"Ah, yes...Lord Voldemort is one of the most vicious Dark Lords in recent history. I don't quite know why he is after me, but I am known as The Girl Who Lived for a reason. It was Halloween night of 1994 that this monster came after my family and me. He killed my mom and dad before he tried to kill me, but something stumped him that night. His magic backfired and stripped his soul from his body leaving him powerless until a few months ago. He is once again after me for some odd reason and the Headmaster refused to tell me why." Abby explained looking pained at what this monster has done.
"So, no one ever bothered to inform you why that monster is after you?" Bianca asked, shocked.
"No, I did ask the Headmaster once at the end of my first year, but according to him I am too young to know, and I should leave this to the grownups and just enjoy my childhood." The young Potter stated in frustration.
"What childhood?! Does your Headmaster mean a childhood full of pain, abuse and hatred?" Zoe exclaimed in righteous anger.
"Zoe, calm down," Artemis said sternly. "First, I don't think this is something we can fix right now; however, if we do not find out within the next few months why this monster is after you Abby, then I suggest we get your godfather to help."
"I agree with Lady Artemis in this regard," Percy murmured. "Why don't you continue with your story, we can worry about why this monster is after you later."
"If you are sure," Abby conceded. "So, it was finally time for us to return to Hogwarts, it was September the first. The Weasleys and I were running late which was a usual recurrence with the Weasley clan. Once we finally arrived at King Cross Station, we noticed that we only had about 3 minutes to board the train, which was fine, but we truly needed to hurry."
Looking off into the fire, Abby moved ahead with her story. "Unfortunately, we are required to go through a magical gateway that is located between platforms nine and ten. This is the entrance to the platform of the Hogwarts Express. Therefore, Percy, Fred and George went first, followed closely by Ginny, Mr, and Mrs Weasley, leaving Ron and I for last."
"The moment Ron and I wanted to enter the portal, we found our way blocked, preventing us from entering and boarding the train."
"Wait what. What stopped you from boarding the train?" Zoe asked, bewildered.
"At the time, we didn't know. I only figured out what and how the portal was blocked a few months after the school term began." Abby explained to her bewildered lieutenant.
"You missed the train, didn't you?" Bianca asked in concern.
"Yes, we did," The young Potter said with a wince. "But we did eventually end up at Hogwarts. The method we used was not ideal and could have been away for the Headmaster to expel us from school and could have also seriously harmed us; however, we only received detention and a letter to our family of what we did."
"What method did you use to arrive at school? Also, why would you do something that can expel you from the only safe haven you have from your abusive relatives?" Percy asked, shocked.
"Percy, what you need to understand is Ron was my first friend that is my age. He is the first person to show me a semblance of kindness, something I never experienced with my relatives. Hermione, my other friend, only came later in my first year. Therefore, I will always have a little bit more loyalty towards Ron than Hermione. As such, I will do everything in my power not to lose that friendship," Abby explained with a sad smile.
"Anyway, it was Ron's idea that we use his father's flying car to follow the train until we finally reach Hogwarts. Back then, I was very naive on how magic works as well as the laws involved, it is only in my third year that I fully started to self-study the laws in the Wizarding World."
"You said you received a detention and a letter to your relatives, but how much trouble did you truly get into?" Artemis asked, looking concerned.
"It wasn't as bad as you believe, milady," Abby murmured with a slight smile. "Yes, we both received detention as well as a letter to our families or relatives, explaining what we did. However, Ron's punishment was a little bit worse by his mother sending him a howler the next morning after the incident, she used this howler to express her anger and disappointment at what we did, and before you ask, a howler is a lot like a video message, except you only hear the voice. My relatives did not care about how I ended up at Hogwarts, I believe they were more disappointed that we didn't crash, to be honest."
"Wait what, do your relatives honestly wish for your death? Who in their right mind would ever wish for the death of their niece?" Percy asked in disgusted horror.
"You will find, Percy, that I never could figure out what went on in my relatives' mind, if I did then just maybe I would have been safe growing up in the Dursley household," Abby said with a forced smile.
"Hey now, you do not have to keep a brave face, not anymore and not about this," Artemis murmured, wanting so desperately to draw the young hybrid once again into her arms; however, she could sense that doing just that would cause young Abby unneeded distress.
Looking down shyly, "I will try to let my guard down around you all, but it will take time and patience."
"We will always be there for you, Abby, so don't ever forget that," Bianca said gently. "So, what happened after you arrived at Hogwarts with the flying car?"
"Well, let's see. The flight itself was rather boring and the landing was very messy, but we did end up at Hogwarts eventually. We ended up with some scrapes and bruises from the landing itself and unfortunately for Ron, his wand broke in the landing but other than that we were fine." Abby explained before looking at her owl apologetically. "I did anger Hedwig with this method of travel, and she did refuse to speak or acknowledge me for two months, but I did eventually wear her down by apologizing to her every morning."
"After the landing, Ron and I were met by Professor Snape, who took us to his office and sent for Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore. However, with the waiting came a lecture from Professor Snape regarding how we broke about a dozen rules. After the lecture, Professor McGonagall went ahead by giving us the detentions and explaining how she would write to our families on what we had done before sending us off to be checked by the school nurse. So, in other words, we had quite an eventful first day back at Hogwarts."
"Everything was peaceful and quiet at school until Halloween," Abby sighed wearily. "It was during one of my last detentions that I heard a very odd and disturbing voice, the voice chilled me to the bone. I can still remember it; like it was yesterday when the voice said, 'Come...come to me...let me rip you...let me tear you...let me kill you.' And what made things worse, apparently only I could hear it."
"Wait, why is it that only you could hear this voice?" Zoe asked, confused, just as Hedwig started to nuzzle Abby's cheek in comfort.
"At that time, I was very unsure why I could hear this voice, I did not think to mention this to my teachers nor my friends. I did not want anyone to believe me to be insane and hearing voices is one of the first signs of insanity even in the Wizarding World."
"Well anyway, moving on. It was an hour into the Halloween feast, something I refused to attend, that I heard the voice once again. But this time I had Ron and Hermione with me, we were attending Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday party, something I promised to support after all he is the ghost of Gryffindor."
"Hang on, what exactly is a deathday party and why would you celebrate it?" Percy asked, highly confused.
"A deathday party is a birthday party but for ghosts, they celebrate the day they died. It is highly depressing but for magical ghosts, it is quite an honour to be part of such an event." Abby clarified to the confused boy.
"We did not stay longer than 30 minutes, not with all the other ghosts there, their combined presents caused the room to be unbelievably frigid, preventing us from attending the event for long. It was on the way back that I heard the voice once again. Whatever or whoever the voice belonged to, it was out to kill. I, unfortunately, had to follow the voice needing to see and understand why only I could hear it. Ron and Hermione both followed behind, confused on why I was going in the opposite direction than that of the common room, but this was their silent way of expressing their support as I explained to them why I was following a voice only I could hear." Abby said with a weary smile.
The three demi-gods and one goddess all gave a slight smile as they listened to young Abby's story as they eagerly listened for more of the tale.
"It was when we reached a deserted corridor on the second floor of the castle that things went from bad to worse. There in front of us was a message shining on the wall ahead of us. We approached it slowly, unsure what it said as we tried to see through the darkness." The young hybrid sighs softly.
"There between two windows shimmered a sentence in blood-red lettering stating, 'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, Beware.' The message in itself was frightening enough especially for three twelve-year old's but what made matters so much worse was the caretakers' cat hanging by its tail from the torch's bracket right next to the shimmering words. The old cat was as stiff as a board and her eyes were wide open, staring off in space." Abby murmured with a shutter.
"Oh, my gods! Please tell me that the cat isn't dead?" Bianca asked, dread shining through her eyes.
"At the time, I didn't know, but I hoped that Mrs Norris was still alive. I might not have liked the cat very much, but I would never wish death upon anything or anyone." Abby explained softly. "Unfortunately, we could not stay at the current scene. After all, everyone would likely blame me for what happened to the cat."
"You couldn't get away from the scene in time, could you?" Zoe asked, worriedly.
Looking pained, Abby answered. "Unfortunately, you would be correct Zoe, it was too late for us to leave. The feast had just ended, and every student was on their way back to their common rooms when the students spotted the three of us in the middle of the corridor nearest to the scene of the crime. Their happy chatter quickly came to a screeching halt when they saw the cat hanging from the light bracket unmoving followed by the message in red."
"Oh dear," Bianca sighed. "This is bad."
"You would be correct, Bianca," Abby murmured. "This year was shaping into a year of terror and fright, no one knew that it was a possibility for someone or something to attack them and harm them in the same way Mrs Norris was harmed; however, they quickly learned otherwise. The students were extremely shocked at the sight before them but of course, Draco was not. He had to give his two cents worth by stating 'Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next mudbloods!' as he stood in front of the crowd, grinning broadly at the sight before him."
"Oh dear," Artemis sighed. "This incident will be the catalyst that the students will use to lay blame at your feet for the dangers they will experience that year, isn't it?"
"Not at first," Abby sighed. "But as the school year progressed and the dangers became more dire, things quickly changed."
"I am truly sorry to hear how your whole school blamed you for this year of terror and fright," Percy murmured before his expression settled upon confusion. "But what does mudblood mean?"
"Thank you, Percy. I truly appreciate the sentiment, but it is not needed. I am more than used to it." Abby murmured. "However, let me get back to explaining what Mudblood means."
"Wait, before you explain," Zoe said, interrupting anything Abby was about to say. "I do not like that you have accepted the way these people treat you, it is wrong, and we will need to fix that. I do not want you ever to believe that you are not worthy."
"I ah... thank you?" Abby asked more than said, unsure of what to do with that statement, after all, thinking that she was worthy of something, or someone is not something Abby was used to.
"Ah, we will work on your self-worth, little one. But for now, why don't you go ahead with your explanations." Lady Artemis said, looking sad at the idea of how little self-worth her new huntress has.
"If you wish, milady," Abby murmured. "A mudblood is a foul name for someone who is born as a muggle-born, or how I prefer to see them as first-generation magicals. Some witches and wizards believe themselves above the first gens, these magicals are known as purebloods and they are the ones who would use this foul word against the first gens, the word itself means dirty blood and the pureblood hate it when those with dirty blood infect their perfect world."
Percy nodded with understanding before indicating for Abby to begin again with her story.
"Moments after Draco's statement, Argus Filch arrived, he was the first member of the staff to arrive at the scene of the crime. Mr Filch was attracted by the shouting of Draco. It took him a few moments to get through all the surrounding students, but once he saw the cat, Mr Filch fell back in horror as he clutched at his heart."
"Why is he acting like this?" Bianca asked, confused.
"The cat that was currently hanging upon the light bracket was his cat," Abby explained to the confused girl.
"Oh, well now I understand the horror," Bianca said, looking sheepish. "You may continue with your story."
"Meanwhile, Mr Filch's horror quickly turned to anger the moment he saw Ron, Hermione and me closer to his cat than any other students. This of course was a clear indication to Mr Filch that we were the guilty parties to what happened to his cat."
With a weary sigh, Abby continued. "In his anger, Mr Filch grabbed me by my robe before shaking me violently while screaming that I had killed his cat. You should know that a child that grew up in an abusive environment would not take such confrontations like this lightly. By now, I was shaking like a leaf as I tried to retreat from the caretaker's strong grip."
Hedwig quickly flew down from the tent's rafters, within moments, Hedwig was nuzzling herself into Abby's chest hoping to calm the slow rise of panic Abby was feeling. Hedwig could sense quite clearly just how difficult it is for her hatchling to relive her life before they joined the hunt.
"The teachers had yet to arrive, and by now I was slowly becoming catatonic as I tried with everything in me to stay in the present and not go into a full-blown panic attack. I was lucky though, the rest of the staff finally arrived, and Dumbledore quickly got the caretakers of my person, which allowed me to get control of my emotions and surroundings."
"Were you able to prevent a panic attack?" Zoe asked, concerned.
"Yes, thank the gods. It was a close call, but I was able to calm myself." Abby murmured. "Anyway, Professor Dumbledore requested that the students return to their common rooms before requesting that Ron, Hermione and I stay behind."
"Wait, is he blaming you three for what happened?" Percy asked, perplexed.
"What, oh no. He knew we had nothing to do with this, we were the first on the scene as such we were the first witnesses that could shed some light on what happened." Abby explained to the perplexed boy.
"Lockhart, the brown-nosing fool that he was, suggested that we use his office after all it was the closest to the scene of the crime." A thoroughly disgusted Abby said. "Moments after we arrived, Dumbledore quickly ignored everything going on around him while examining the frozen stiff cat. Ron, Hermione, and I exchanged a tense glance as we situated ourselves upon the desk chairs, wondering just how we will be able to help in this situation. We were also wondering why it's always us that gets caught in situations like this."
Lady Artemis could see just how much the retelling of her story was affecting young Abby and she was very unsure how to comfort her. Feeling helpless and unsure was a feeling that the goddess never needed to worry about, but she pressed on hoping to find a way to help and comfort her young charge.
Taking a short moment, Abby proceeded with her story. "While Professor Dumbledore inspected the frozen animal, Professor Lockhart was making very outlandish suggestions causing Mr Filch to sob as he slumped down in the chair near the desk. I could not help but feel sorry for the man. But I was afraid; if the headmaster truly believed what Mr Filch said about me being the cause for his cats' condition, then surely, I would likely be expelled from the place that I by now saw as home. Furthermore, the thought that a second-year student can be capable of such dark magic was disconcerting. This thought alone caused my panic emotions to rise once again, if not for Ron and Hermione being there, I would have had a full-on panic attack while the teachers were busy with their examination of the cat."
"Abby, my dear. I need you to take a deep breath and try to calm down for me real quick." Lady Artemis said urgently, feeling the unbearable pressure of wild magic swirling around the tent. "Your magic is surging my dear, and I know you don't want to harm anyone by accident."
"I...ah...s...s...sorry," Abby stuttered, as she quickly drew her magic back into herself looking horrified at the mere thought of harming her newfound family.
Zoe did not like the look of horror upon her new sister's face, as such she slowly moved over towards Abby before slowly drawing young Abby upon her lap, holding the girl loosely in case Abby would rather move out from the embrace. But Abby did not move, no she slowly laid her head upon Zoe's chest taking comfort from the strong heartbeat of the older huntress.
"Are you okay, little one?" Lady Artemis questioned, looking upon the scene in fondness.
"Y...y...yes. S...s...sorry." Abby stuttered once more.
"Hey, don't sweat it," Percy said with a wave. "Your emotions are connected to your magic, it's much the same as us demigods. Our emotions are connected to our parents' domains, for example when I get upset so do the seas and water. I am not so sure about the others as it differs for everyone. But your control over wild magic is quite awe-inspiring, but at least I now know that I am not the only one to watch my emotions."
Nodding shyly, Abby turned towards Zoe to ask something she never asked before, something that took more courage than what she was used to.
"Zoe, can you please keep holding me like this?" Abby asked shyly. "The sound of your heartbeat is calming and very soothing."
"Of course, little cub, I would be honoured," Zoe murmured, as she slowly ran her fingers through her younger, broken sisters' hair.
"Will you be okay to continue with your story?" Bianca asked, concerned.
"Yeah, I should be fine, thank you for asking," Abby said shyly before resuming her tale.
"Dumbledore quickly stopped whatever nonsense Lockhart was spouting when he stated that the cat was not dead, just petrified. Of course, Mr Filch once again tried to blame this on me but Dumbledore quickly shot that down by stating no second-year student will ever be capable of such dark magic. The headmaster then asked our whereabouts as he had noticed that we did not join the Halloween feast. We of course explained to the teachers that we attended Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party, we were on our way back to the dorms when we came upon the scene after that Dumbledore sent us on our way to our dorms."
"You did not tell your teachers that you could hear this voice that led you to this scene, did you?" Bianca asked, concerned.
"No, hearing voices no one can hear isn't a good thing even in the wizarding world. I am already being watched left and right, I did not want anyone to think that I was insane as well." Abby murmured.
"Every student and staff were worried about the Chamber and what dangers it had within, and I felt my panic emotions rise, and I was fluctuating between calm and panic, I had to do something to settle my emotions, so Hermione, Ron and I decided to learn more about the Chamber and its history. We were able to learn that the Chamber was opened about 50 years ago and a young student was killed, however, what killed her, we were unsure of." Abby sighed, nuzzling further into Zoe's hold.
"The first attack on a student happened the night after my first match of quidditch that year. I was harmed in the match and had to stay overnight in the hospital wing when the professors brought in Colin Creevey, a huge fanboy that was obsessed with me. That night was also the night I found out about who and why the gateway to the train was closed. It was the same house-elf that caused havoc with my relatives all those months ago, he also tried to have the bludgers attack me, wanting to harm me just enough to be sent back to the Dursleys where he believed that I would be safe."
"Why is this elf so obsessed with you and your safety, yet he keeps placing you in danger, to begin with?" Percy asked, confused at the house elves' methods.
"I don't know," Abby said softly. "I just know the masters he worked for caused him to become slightly insane. But anyway, a few weeks later, Professor Lockhart decided to create a duelling club. It was during the first meeting that I accidentally let slip to the whole school that I can speak to snakes in a language called Parseltongue, the language of snakes. This ability frightened the other students, making them believe that I was the Heir of Slytherin and the responsible one for opening the chamber. Of course, I had to come under more suspicion when I stumbled upon the petrified bodies of Justin Finch-Fletchley and Nearly Headless Nick."
"The students blamed you for all these attacks, did they not?" Lady Artemis asked, wanting to confirm her suspicions.
"You would be correct, Milady. The students also conveniently forgot that one of my best friends is a first-gen and that my mother was also a first-gen, why they believed that I was capable of attacking first gen will always be a mystery to me." Abby murmured, confirming her Lady's suspicions.
"Did your teachers stop any of the students and their blame game?" Zoe murmured, as she felt how tensed her young sister had become.
"No, the teachers did not care enough to stop the blame or curses I was receiving from the students, they believed that I am old enough to handle this abuse," Abby murmured pained at what she had to endure throughout her second school year.
"Oh, I cannot believe how irresponsible the teachers are, they all need to be either brought up for neglect charges and or fired," Zoe murmured, rubbing her young sisters back in comfort.
"Yeah, well the teachers are so used to the way they handled things in the past that they would prefer not to change," Abby explained sadly. "But anyway, Hermione and Ron were determined to catch the culprit and clear my name, as such Hermione and Ron dragged me into brewing a potion called Polyjuice. The potion allowed us to assume the bodies of Slytherin students and question Malfoy on the Chamber after all both Ron and Hermione believed that he was somehow involved with the Chamber and attacks. But we found out that Malfoy was not involved with anything to do with the Chamber, he is just a naturally awful person."
Sighing contently as she felt Zoe slowly move her hand up and into her wild hair, Abby quietly continued her story. "There were no more attacks for a while. Just before Valentine's Day, I found a very important Diary which I later found out was part of the cause for the Chamber and the attacks. The diary was found in the ladies' room that is haunted by a girl named Moaning Myrtle. I could sense dark magic upon the diary but was unsure what it was, so I wrote in the diary and the thing responded to my writings. I quickly decided to open a dialogue where I meet a young Tom Riddle, a boy who accused Hagrid of opening the Chamber of Secrets 50 years ago."
"Okay, Abigail can you stop right there for a second?" Lady Artemis asked. "I want to know, why did you write in the diary when you felt the darkness upon it?"
"I know what I did was wrong, Milady, but things were getting worse at school, and I was becoming desperate. I just wanted things to stop." Abby whispered looking down at her hands.
"Okay, Abby I understand. Just in the future do not ever place your life in unjust danger." Lady Artemis sighed softly hating the desponded response she just received from her young charge.
"Yes, Milady," Abby whispered before proceeding with the tale. "A few days later, Hermione and a Ravenclaw girl were mysteriously petrified causing Ron and I to venture out the castle to question Hagrid about the Chamber 50 years ago. However, before we could question him, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge and Lucius Malfoy removed Dumbledore and Hagrid from Hogwarts. As they led Hagrid away from the school, he instructed Ron and me to follow the spiders to get the answers we seek. He knew that we were under my father's invisibility cloak."
"You are about to do something stupid and dangerous again, aren't you?" Lady Artemis sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"A..ah, y...y...yes, Milady." Abby stuttered, subdued. "It was several nights after Hagrid and Dumbledore were removed from the school that Ron and I sneaked into the Forbidden Forest to follow the spiders. We quickly discovered the monster who killed the girl 50 years ago was not a spider, but something all spiders fear. The girls' body was found in the bathroom and Hagrid was innocent of anything to do with the Chamber. We were almost killed by all the giant spiders but got lucky when the car we drove to school arrived and rescued us. It was while we escaped, that we decided that Moaning Myrtle had to be the girl that the monster killed all those years ago."
"I do not like that you placed your life in danger like that, Abby. But it is in the past so I will not hold it against you, but please try not to give me too many heart attacks before you complete all your school years." Zoe whispered as she held Abby more tightly.
"I am sorry, I don't like to place my life in danger like this, but I felt like I had to. If I didn't then someone less likely to survive will endure what would cause them to break. Hermione said that I have a saving people thing going on around me, so I do have the habit of protecting those who cannot protect themselves." Abby murmured to the worried huntress before proceeding with her story.
"A week after the forest incident, Ron and I discovered a piece of paper with a description of a basilisk on it in Hermione's frozen hand. I quickly concluded that the basilisk was the monster within the Chamber of Secrets. It made sense after all the monster was a snake, and I was the only one that we know of that could hear and understand snakes, also I was the only one that could hear something just before any attack. We decided to go to the teachers about everything we learned; but before we could, the teachers announced that Ginny Weasley was taken into the Chamber of Secrets with a message stating that her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever. Ron begs me to go with him and help save his sister from this monster and whoever the true culprit was. We decided to take Lockhart with us, after all, he is the defence teacher and should have the qualifications to help. We found the professor trying to run, as such Ron and I forced the coward, that he is, to go with us and down into the Chamber and the secret entrance. The entrance just happened to be in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom; the place she died. The entrance led us to an underground chamber, it was there that Lockhart tried to curse us in revenge, but luckily for us, it backfired. Unfortunately, this caused a cave-in, separating me from Ron and the injured professor."
With a sigh, Abby stood from the comfortable embrace and went over to gaze into the brazier. "I had asked Ron to try to make an opening for us to return while I went down ahead to find Ginny and bring her back; hopefully alive and well. It took me a few moments to find the true entrance to the Chamber of Secrets but once I did, it was the moment I found Ginny's still body and the boy from the diary Tom Riddle. We quickly started to exchange words, where I finally found out that Tom was a younger, saner version of Voldemort. Yet he was still very much evil as he was the one to enchant and possess Ginny through the diary. I knew I had to stop this monster, but I was alone and knew very little magic that would help in this incident as such I called out to Hogwarts for help, sensing the castle will always help those in need, the magic of the school sends a pulse out which called to the Headmasters phoenix and the schools sorting hat. The magical bird quickly arrived with the hat in its talons in hopes to help one of its favourite students."
Looking back to the group, Abby explained with a very haunted expression. "Tom taunted me when he saw the hat and the bird before he summoned the basilisk. The Basilisk was huge, about 70ft long and 15ft wide, also I could not look at this snake directly, no one could. Looking into the beasts' eyes could cause instant death to everyone, and this is where every student that was attacked got lucky, they all saw the beasts' eyes through a reflection causing them to be petrified. But I had to kill this beast and the direct sight was needed as such, Fawkes, the phoenix attacked the beast with its talons allowing it to puncture the beasts' eyes, while the hat produced a sword that was left within for those with a pure heart and brave souls, the hat went so far and suggest that I use it to kill the beast. I took the suggestion from the hat to heart as such I used the sword and with some difficulty kill the giant snake. Unfortunately, I was bitten in the process, and the venom of a basilisk is one of the deadliest out there, there isn't any anti-venom. The pain of the venom was excruciating but I worked through it, as I stabbed the fang that was left in my arm after I dealt the killing blow to the basilisk, through the diary, destroying it and Tom that was connected to the diary. Ginny woke up a moment after the destruction of the diary while Fawkes was busy crying tears into my wound which happened to neutralize the venom of the beast and healed any wounds I received in the fight."
"How close were you to death?" Lady Artemis asked, concerned.
"The venom of a basilisk bit is the deadliest in existence, it works through a human body in less than a minute. The only cure to the venom is the tears of a phoenix, so if the phoenix wasn't there, I would have been dead before I could have requested help." Abby explained to her concerned lady.
"Oh gods, we could have lost you before we got the chance to meet you?" Bianca whispered in horror.
"True," Abby conceded. "But I survived even if the chances were against me."
"So, what happened further, are we almost done with your second year?" Zoe asked, concerned, at the idea that there could be any more danger for her young sister.
"Well, there isn't much left. Um...Ginny and I quietly walked back towards Ron and the injured professor. Ron was able to make a hole just big enough for us to squeeze through. Once we're together, Fawkes helped us by flying us up and back to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, from there we went to Professor McGonagall's office where we were met by the headmaster and Mr and Mrs Weasley. I quickly explain to the adults what happened in the Chamber before the Headmaster requested for Ginny, Ron, and Lockhart to be checked by the healer while I stayed behind for a bit. It was after the extra staff and students left before Dumbledore explained to me about the connection I have with Voldemort, apparently, I received some of the monsters' abilities when he killed my parents. According to him, this was why I could talk and understand snakes, anyway we talked a bit before Lucius Malfoy stormed into the office with the same house elf that had caused me so much pain throughout the year. I somehow ended up tricking Malfoy into freeing the elf with a sock; the only way to free an elf is when the master gives them clothes. Malfoy was angry when he noticed what I tricked him into doing, he tried to harm me, but the elf stopped him rather violently. I finally requested Dobby the elf to never try to save me again after all I don't think he knows the difference between safe and dangerous. Soon after everything that had happened that night, I finally decided to go down to the infirmary for a check-up and a dreamless sleep potion. The petrified students were revived a few days after the closure of the Chamber and finally, two weeks later school holiday began once more."
"Oh god, your second year was worse than your first year!" Artemis exclaimed.
"Yes, I believe the calmest school year I had was my third, to be honest," Abby explained tiredly.
"Thank you, Abby. It was a huge honour to sit in and listen to your life before the hunt and before meeting us." Percy said softly before looking at the watch on his wrist. "Oh wow, it's 2 am now and Lord Apollo will be here just before 7 am, should we get some sleep, or do you wish to continue with your third year?"
"Sleep I think," Zoe said. "Let us work through everything we heard tonight before we move on to the next year."
"I agree with Zoe, I for one need to process everything I heard tonight, and I want to be well-rested before we arrive at the camp tomorrow," Bianca murmured.
"Okay so this is what's going to happen," Artemis said, gaining everyone's attention. "First, Zoe, you take Bianca and Abby and set a tent up for them, they will share. Second, Percy, you will need to go back to your campers and get them to get some rest. I could have taken you all to the camp now, but I want all of you to rest up and we all had an emotional few hours, so a break would be refreshing."
Nodding, everyone got up to leave, while Abby gathered the last bit of her courage and drew her new Lady into a hug. "I just want to say thank you for allowing me to join the hunt and that you listened to my life story even if it was merely my first and second year at school."
"You are most welcome," The Moon Goddess said, slightly shocked. "Now go, get some rest. I will see all of you tomorrow morning before I leave for my solo hunt."
With that, Abby nodded before she moved to her two sisters and left the tent for much-needed sleep. The group left Lady Artemis, leaving the goddess to her thoughts on Abby and how to help her new charge to finally experience life in a loving family.
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AN: So there you have it guys, I hoped you enjoy it. Please leave a review, I would like to hear your thoughts. I do want to say sorry once again for the long wait, I will try to work on my time management when posting the next chapter.