T W E N T Y - F O U R
The Secret of Two

"Pandora." Professor Dumbledore held the bridge of his nose with the tips of fingers. "Is there any particular reason why you failed all but two of your O.W.L.S.?" He questioned, causing my eyes to widen at this information.

"I passed two of them!" I yelped in excitement. "Which ones?" I eagerly asked, being silenced by a glare very unlike him.

"History and Care of Magical Creatures." He told me my two best subjects. "Though it doesn't matter because you need to pass all of them in order to move on to sixth and seventh year." My mouth popped open at that, me scratching the back of my head.

"Really?" I meekly questioned, causing Dumbledore to stand.

"Yes, really!" He rose his voice a bit, before taking a calming breath. "Pandora, I understand you are not here to study magic, but you are here to change Tom Riddle and you can't do that if you are kicked out." He told me, placing his hands on his hips.

Nodding, I looked to him. "About that..." I trailed off causing him to raise his brows. "Well there's been a slight change of plans." I smiled, pulling on the dress shirt of my uniform.

"Go on." Albus sat back down, looking to me in a newfound curiosity.

"Ever heard of a soul-bounder?" And with that sentence I explained everything to Dumbledore.

From how Tom was my soul-bounder, to why I couldn't change too much because of fate, and even to how I was going to leave Tom in seventh year and come back after he dies as Voldemort. That was the plan, and I could only hope for the best.

"Well, I must say that is a very intriguing plan." He muttered, before shaking his head. "No matter! In order to do that you must be allowed to return for the next year." He held up what I could see as my failed O.W.L.S.

"Yeah." I muttered, blushing bright red.

"Good thing you got straight O's for both your History and Care of Magical Creatures exams, and just barely managed to pass the others." Dumbledore smiled, a twinkle in his eye causing me to frown in confusion.

"But, I thought you said-?" I stopped myself upon his winking form.

With a wave of his wand, my bad scores immediately changed to just percentage I needed to pass and move on to the next to years of Hogwarts.

"Thank you, Professor." I shouted, jumping over the desk crushing him in a hug.

With a laugh Dumbledore, hugged me back before I pulled away.

"Pandora," He started looking serious. "I can't do something like this again, so next year I need you to at least make an attempt with your classes. Please." I sighed, but nodded.

"Okay." I nodded, begrudgingly agreeing to it.

"And if you need any help, remember my door is always open." He told me with a twinkle in his eye.

With a grin, I looked to him. "I know." Blinking my right eye in a wink, I immediately teleported miles away from the Hogwarts.

The last thing I saw was Dumbledore's shocked face, before the golden chaos surrounding me and I felt like I was flying. It only lasted a second, for within the next I stood in the middle of the Antarctic.

Standing on the ice in the freezing cold wearing just my uniform wasn't exactly comfortable. However, I ignored the feeling watching the Aurora Borealis, or as most people know it; the Northern lights.

Allowing my wings to make a comeback, I stretch them far as they expanded from my back. I smiled when the cold wind hit the spiritual matter my wings were made out of, causing the feathers to ruffle.

My dad and I used to come down here and watch the lights for hours on end. Standing there, in the arctic I thought about a lot of things. However, my main thought was where this six months had lead me.

I knew from the start that like Martin Luther King Jr. himself had said, 'Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.'

I wanted to tell myself that I had gifted Tom with all the love that I could, but that would be a lie. Yes, I had moments where I may have shown that I cared for him, which I did, but I didn't push it far enough.

In my short sixteen years of life, I had only cared about three people. Balthazar, Alexius, and my father. Now, it was time to open that number. For right at this very moment, there were seven people I cared about.

In my head I made a list of all the people I truly cared about. Balthazar, Alexius, my father, Albus Dumbledore, Lavender Rowle, Walter McQuillon, and Tom Riddle. Yes, seven people I cared deeply for.

I wished more than anything I could make that eight people. I tried telling myself that I loved my mother, which I did. However, it wasn't in any normal way. She died in the midst of my birth, I don't even think she got to hold me; my birth killed her that fast.

I guess it would just need to stay at the number seven.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I thought about all the different places I traveled to over the years. All the different names, alias, and 'families' I lied about.

In the sixteen hundreds I was Rebekah Edinson, to the seventeen hundreds I was Didyme Pierce, during the eighteen hundreds I was Elizabeth Collins, now here I was in the nineteen hundreds. I was Mary Pines and; of course, the wonderful Rhiannon Lightly.

So many identities, yet only one is real. Pandora Claire, a name that I rarely use when traveling. It was sad, I was supposed to remain under the radar and yet Didyme Pierce had enemies everywhere in the seventeen hundreds.

However, Rebekah Edinson was considered a saint back in the sixteen hundreds. I knew I couldn't stay hidden forever, eventually the truth would come out. Another Nephilim lived, and it was the daughter of an archangel. One day I would truly be running, running from Heaven, from Hell, from almost everyone.

It was just what was destined to happen, but I would enjoy the freedom I had at the moment.

I thought about Tom Riddle, I thought about what would happen when he found out the truth. When he figured out I was a Nephilim, a creature with power beyond her own comprehension. I shook my head at the thought, who freaking even thought of that? Voldemort and a human-angel hyrbrid?

Scoffing at my own mind, I looked up at the lights one last time—a smile adorning my lips. With a sigh I teleported back to Hogwarts.

Now, I have no clue what I was thinking. What was going through my mind the moment I told myself to teleport back into my dorm room; during the middle of the freaking day!

When the swirling golden chaos ended, and I was standing just at the foot of my bed I let out a breath of relief. However, the second I heard the sound of a book hitting the floor my heart stopped and slowly I turned around.

Sitting on her bed, mouth agape eyes wide in shock was Lavender. The book she was previously reading lay abandoned on the floor, her hands shaking as she looked to something behind me. Furrowing my brows, I turned around to try and find whatever Lavender was looking at.

"Shit." I cussed, forgetting my wings were still out as they knocked over multiple stuff with me moving.

The dorm room was definitely not big enough for my huge wings to be out in the open, I couldn't even open them all way; they had to stay bent so I didn't crack the ceiling. It occurred to me that my wings were probably what Lavender was staring at so shocked.

"Oh fuck." I cursed again, running my hands through my hair in panic.

I debated what to do. I could erase her memory, which seemed like my only option currently. However, I really didn't want to do that to Lavender, she was my friend.

Facing her shocked form, she watched my wings at a loss for words. Holding my hand out about to take away her memory of this, I was stopped by the single sentence she uttered.

"I won't tell anyone, honestly." She said, much to my shock.

She didn't even know what this was, and she was offering to keep the secret? I put my hand down, sighing in defeat. I wouldn't be able to wipe her memory, I just couldn't bring myself to do that to a friend. It was my own stupid mistake for getting caught, I wouldn't punish Lavender for my own failure.

"We should probably talk." I put my wings away, Lavender watching in amazement as they faded into nothingness.

~

"So, you're an archangel Nephilim, from the year 2016?" I nodded at that, her looking to me in a complete new light. "You actually have power beyond even your own comprehension, your daily 'job' is time-traveling, your father and mother are dead and you're being raised by your uncle Balthazar who's also an angel, you're best friend practically brother is an Antichrist who's attending school here with you next year, and the only reason you're attending Hogwarts pretending to be a witch is so you can convince your psychotic soul-bounder not kill so many." I nodded coughing awkwardly.

"Yep, that about sums it up." We were sitting across from each other on Lavender's bed as she took everything in.

"Woah." She breathed, obviously still in shock. "That explains a lot though, like why the Boggart couldn't transform and why you don't understand school very well. You've never been to a magic school." She said softly, looking to me with a small smile. "If it's worth anything, I think you're doing better than anyone else would in your shoes."

I smiled reaching over pulling her in a hug, which she eagerly returned. Sitting back down, she smiled at me.

"Well next school-year I'll be sure to help you a lot more, I'm sure you'll find it much easier when you have someone watching your back."With the smile on her face, I knew I could trust her.

She looked to me with a large smile, before something like recognition flashed before her eyes.

"Hey, do you think you could heal this scar?" She questioned, shoving her wrist my way.

Looking at the thin white line which ran up the length of her wrist, I quickly pressed my hand to it. She looked confused for a second, before I pulled my hand away.

"It's healed." I smiled, watching her shocked face as she looked at her flawless wrist.

"Thank you." She laughed, jumping on me and pulling me in a hug.

As we pulled away for the second time, she shook her head. "This seriously explains so much." She sighed, "Like why you're so great with History or why it's like you can talk to Karoline." She was referring to the unicorn.

"Actually..." I coughed. "I can talk to her. Unicorns can talk to anyone, but they only choose to do it with angels. Me being half angel-" Lavender cut me off.

"Karoline talks to you!" She exclaimed causing me to shrug.

"Yeah, through the head." I said casually. "Man, I can't wait for you to meet Alexius." I laughed at the thought, still extremely excited for him to be with me next year.

"I don't get that." She said in confusion, making furrow my brows.

"Get what?" I questioned almost unsure.

"You and Alexius, you say you two are best friends; practically siblings. However, he's a demon-human hybrid, the exact opposite of you. Shouldn't you two be like mortal enemies or something?" She asked, causing me to burst with laughter.

"Well, opposites attract." I shrugged, making her giggle a bit.

"Maybe, we should tell Dumbledore about you knowing." I told her causing her to nod.

"You're right, we leave for summer tomorrow. This will be our only time." And with that the two of us ran to Dumbledore, me eager to tell him of the new ally on our side.

~

Dumbledore watched us with raised brows, chuckling at our eagerness.

"So, next year Hogwarts has both a Nephilim and Antichrist attending?" Dumbledore smiled, amused.

"Yep." I popped the P, Lavender looking just plain amazed at the world she had been introduce to.

"Two secrets being kept within these walls now. Best be careful; Pandora, you don't want this getting out to everyone." Dumbledore warned, taking a lemon drop and eating it. "Especially, Mr. Riddle."

"Pandora?" Lavender looked to me confused as I realized I never actually told her about my real name.

With a breath, I turned to face her. "Pandora Claire, at your service." She was surprised, but shook my hand for entertainment.

"Pandora, huh. That is one extraordinary name." She smiled. "I like it."

"Well, girls I'm sure you two should pack as the train leaves first thing tomorrow morning. I'll see you at the beginning of September, of course." He expressed with a twinkle in his eye. "I'm sure you have your own transportation sorted, Pandora." He was curious to know how I was getting home.

"Why, I'll be taking the train of course." I smiled at the confusion in both Lavender and Dumbledore's gaze. "Then of course when everyone gets off at the station, I'm sure no one will notice a random sixteen year old girl's disappearance in a crowd of parents welcoming their children home. Or, I could always go through to the restroom, no one will notice the empty stall." I shrugged, causing them both to nod.

"Okay, but please be care Pandora." Dumbledore warned, bidding me off.

"Yeah, and if you need to you can always come home with me and transport from my bedroom." Lavender smiled, as we bid Dumbledore goodbye for the summer leaving.

"Thank you, Lavender." I put an arm across her shoulder. "But I truly doubt I'll be needing it."

————
author note:

Hey guys! So I've been seeing a lot of comments on Tom being able to read Lavender's mind and I decided that I will go ahead and elaborate a little more on that. Basically (even though she might act it) Pandora is not an idiot. Remember she is a cosmic entity with an understanding far beyond any human, she just enjoys playing the role of reckless stupid human. However, she truly is aware and has a better understanding than most would ever assume. Therefore, if Tom ever decides to read Lavender's mind, Pandora WILL know. Pandora can also inadvertently block out certain memories in Lavender's mind so no one (unless they're powerful enough) can read them. Pandora is a goddess with mind games and tricks, I do wish I had been more clear about that in the actual story. But yeah, now you know.