The morning breeze blew through the open window. The wind's peaceful whistling sound echoing through the room. A tan owl approached and entered through the window quickly. It screeched as it landed on its post. A young girl gazed up at the owl, her hazelnut hair blowing back as the wind picked up once more. She smiled and stood up from her bed, soon reaching where the owl stood. She sighed as she grabbed the letter from its foot. Slowly reading it to herself. Disappointment flashed through her hazel eyes as she scanned the letter. She looked over at the owl as she finished reading it "They're going to be late for dinner again." She sighed and threw the letter on the table with anger. She hated being alone for dinner. She combed her fingers through her hair and smiled over towards the owl.
"Well looks like it's just you and me." She picked up a treat and fed him. It quickly picked up the treat and swallowed it with ease. It screeched once again as the girl stroked its feathers. The owl's blue eyes looked up at her and then back out the window. She rolled her eyes and softly smiled "Oh alright go on!" With that the owl flew out quickly. The girl looked outside and gave another sigh before going back to her comfortable spot on her bed where she laid reading but she couldn't help herself; other thoughts occupied her mind at the moment.
Living a lie wasn't the easiest thing in the world to do for Nava but she managed. She lived her life only knowing one thing, and that was her name, Nava Digory Smith. Her middle name, which was her original last name, really didn't hit any memories in her past. At birth, her adopted parents, the Smiths, raised Nava. They took her in and took care of her as their own child. That's all she has known about her life especially since her wizarding adopted family prevented her form attending school. Nava was homeschooled and only met one other family when she was 8 years old, the Malfoy's.
As far as Nava knew she was of a pureblood family but of course everyone was to only know her as Nava D. Smith, a simple but well-mannered pureblood. It of course annoyed her at times, only because she felt that there was more to her life than she really knew. The Malfoy's were a high profiled family, wealthy and of course pureblood. They had one child but he seemed different from them. She knew the Malfoy child only well enough to say hello. Which was the first and last time they saw each other but that was all the communication they ever had. In fact, he was the only person her age that she knew.
She still remembered that very day, seeing the small pale blonde figure hiding behind his mother's leg. Nava walked out from behind her own parents and smiled at the boy. He was the only kid she knew and she was excited to meet him. His mother nudged him towards her. He looked up at his mother as if looking for certainty in her eyes then looked back at Nava and walked over towards her. She curtsied for him and he bowed back. They both looked at each other and smiled. She remembers his grey eyes till this day, and has never forgotten them.
Finally, nine years have passed since the day she met the Malfoy boy. She still continued to be homeschooled by her Auror parents whose Ministry jobs kept them constantly busy. All she had was her wand and the simple pleasure of the mansion's library to herself. She, of course, had to teach herself everything she needed to know. Every now and then her parents would come in a help her grasp a concept but most of the time they left her alone when she read.
She was quite surprised that she was learning more than she would have at school. It's only been recently that her parents have been handing her books on Dark Arts and Defenses against them. Nava simply didn't understand why. She heard the Dark Arts weren't well looked upon but she didn't pay to much attention to it. She was so used to reading what she pleased but her parent's forced her to read up on everything they continued to give her. She listened to them and continued mastering everything she could.
Days passed and she was continuously reading, as she always did. She flipped a page and was about to start reading when her silence was disturbed. She could hear some sort of muffled sound and looked around. It was coming from the kitchen, as she walked closer she could see what was going on. Her parents were fighting in the kitchen about some sort of threat. Her mother was crying and her father was trying to comfort her. Nava didn't quite understand what was going on. She walked into the kitchen intruding in her parent's privacy. She was confused and she wasn't going to hide it, "What's wrong?" Her parents glanced at one another before looking back towards her. Her mother was the first to try and explain after brushing a blonde strand of hair that covered her blue eyes, "It's time you attended school Nava" Her hazel eyes darted from her mother and father's faces looking for some sort of expression to tell her it was all a joke but she didn't see a thread of denial. Nava was in shock, why? Why now?
The days that followed were the days that her parents spent the most time with her. She didn't understand why they had but she went along with what she could guess. Her mother and father pulled her aside one night while packing her trunk for school and held her hand. She looked up at them with a calm expression.
"Nava, we love you so much never forget that my darling, ok?" Her mother's voice filled her with such sadness that Nava could only nod in response. Her father then looked at her.
"There is a reason we have to send you away, but what ever you do never let anyone make you believe that we were bad understood? We have only loved you" His words were reassuring to her. Nava still didn't understand what was going on so she interrupted them.
"Mother what's going on?" She looked at them waiting for an answer.
Her mother softly smiled but it soon faded, "Nava bad things are going to happen and I need you to go to Hogwarts and learn my dear, learn all you can take in, because the way we are going right now things aren't looking good" Her mother wiped the tear that had fallen from her eyes. This was a lot for Nava to take in but she nodded. Before she could get up from her mother and fathers embrace her father looked her in the eyes and spoke once more, "One other thing, you must be very cautious keep your guard up and remember your training dear." Nava looked at them remembering the constant days her parents have spent with her showing her how to duel and nodded her head.
The next day her parents took her to Platform 9 and ¾ and she was on her way with her broomstick, owl and wand at hand, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She boarded the train and entered a cart that seemed to be the last one free and sat down. She grabbed a book out of her bag and began to read. Her parents never allowed her out of the house much and they never had any newspapers delivered so Nava never knew much about news in the wizarding world. Nava sat in her chair and curled into a ball waiting for the rest of the students to board the train. She sat in the corner looking around her and peacefully let her hazelnut hair come out of her bun and rest on her shoulders. Feeling comfortable she then went back to reading her book.
She was soon interrupted by a knock on her compartment door; a girl with red hair and freckles followed by a girl with blonde hair and an expression of pure calmness entered the room.
"Are these seats taken?" The red head asked. Nava just shook her head, since the lack of communication with people her own age she was not sure how to respond. The girls didn't take notice to Nava's lack of communication and talked among themselves for a while. Nava could see through the corner of her eye that the red head continued to glance over at her. It seemed as though she was expecting her to introduce herself. Taking the liberty onto herself, she put her hand out. "I'm Ginny Weasley, nice to meet you!" Nava glanced at her hand then back at her.
"Nava." She replied and shook her hand. The blonde then spoke.
"What a pretty name, I'm Luna, Luna Lovegood." Nava just gave a glance and nodded.
"Nice to meet you." Then she went back to looking out the window. She could tell the two girls were kind of offended of her apparent unfriendliness. The train then began to move slowly departing from the station, all the parents were waving to their children and then they were all gone in a blast from the engines smoke. Nava looked back towards her book and tried to tune out the talking between the two girls.
Soon yet again, their room opened up.
"Anything from the trolley my dears?" The trolley lady asked. Nava glanced at all the sweets and her stomach growled. Ginny stood up and walked towards it, Nava soon followed with galleons in her hand. While Ginny was buying some treats a pale blonde boy approached the trolley for some treats as well.
"Weasley, I'm surprised you could even afford anything at all" he sneered at her.
"Oh shove it Malfoy" Ginny sneered back at him.
Wait… Malfoy? Nava knew that name and she knew it well. The boy.
Ginny walked back in the compartment with a chocolate frog in her hand and Nava walked towards the trolley. Malfoy was picking out what he wanted and Nava glanced at the trolley as well. Could it be? He paid for the treats and glanced over at her. It looked as though as he recognized her because he didn't say a word did a double take and walked away. Nava just bought herself a chocolate frog and glanced at the boy once more before entering the compartment.
The train ride to Hogwarts was quite long but Nava enjoyed watching the scenery and her book kept her company. It seemed as though days have passed but only hours later they arrived. Ginny and Luna both said goodbye to Nava and walked out the door. Nava didn't want to get out quite yet, taking a deep breath she couldn't believe it but she was nervous. She shook it off when the students no longer came through and she began to walk out book in hand. The whole train seemed barren, walking quietly Nava felt somewhat calm. Without the buzz of noise, kids yelling, or whispering to each other, it seemed easier to think to herself about what her parents had told her. She was walking down the train when she tripped over something in the middle of the hall. Falling Nava looked around, but saw nothing. She started patting the ground what ever it was it was big. Then she felt it and tried to pull it but a cloth came off the reveal a boy. He was stunned, she then reversed the spell and he stood up. His nose was bleeding; Nava grabbed one of her handkerchiefs and passed it to him.
"Thanks" he replied. Nava then looked at him confused.
"How did this happen to you?" He glanced at her.
"It was Malfoy but I'm alright" Nava looked shocked, Malfoy? It couldn't have been the same Malfoy boy she met when she was 8 because he was kind, this must be some other boy. She half-smiled at him and stood up giving him a hand to stand up. He smiled back still gripping his nose with the handkerchief. He then looked at her again,
"How come I haven't seen you before?"
"I'm new to Hogwarts." She said while they both began walking to exit the train.
"Well its brilliant here, where did you attend before?" He glanced back at her.
"I didn't attend another school, my parents taught me and so to be honest, this is all very new to me." She wasn't sure how to act but kept a stern expression, she wasn't sure who to trust.
"Well you will enjoy it, oh by the way I'm Harry Potter." Sticking out his hand.
"Nava." She just nodded slightly smirking and shook his hand, "Well you must know a lot about this place Harry, do you mind telling me where to find the Headmaster? I was told to attend to him before I go to the great hall."
"Oh yeah definitely." He seemed quite confident and Nave found that she enjoyed having a conversation with other people.
She looked back toward Harry's face a realized the bruise on his nose it was definitely broken and she couldn't let him just stay in pain and stopped him from walking any further.
"Here let me fix your nose." She slightly pulled his hand away from his nose and glanced into his eyes for a second. They looked cold yet calming like the sea. Shaking out of her thoughts she spoke, "Episkey" A crack signaled that his nose was back in place. Harry winced in pain and reached for his nose.
"Thanks again." He said while wiping his nose for anymore excess blood.
They continued to talk all the way till they reached the Headmasters office.
Dumbledore was waiting right outside the entrance when he noticed Harry and Nava walking towards him.
"Ah Miss Smith, I see you have met Harry" Nava smiled softly.
"Yes I have; thanks to him I found my way to you Headmaster, so what is it that you needed me for?"
"This way." He walked up the stairs and Nava and Harry followed. As they approached his office Nava saw many people that she had read about on the walls surrounding his desk, Godric Gryffindor, and all the house heads were on the wall among many others. "Miss Smith, so tell me how your experience of being homeschooled was?" Nava looked around towards harry who was making himself comfortable on a chair,
"I learned a lot Headmaster, my adopted parents… I mean my parentswere in the Ministry and taught me as much as they could." She began to feel uncomfortable. She could see what felt like a thousand eyes staring down at her from every portrait on the wall. She wasn't used to having so much attention on her.
"Ah I see, so you were adopted then, still no idea who your true parents are?" The Headmaster's blue eyes seemed very kind and curious about her life, it made her feel somewhat secure.
"Well, although I was homeschooled, I was never allowed outside and we had no post, so to be honest I have no idea why they sent me. All they told me was something bad was going to happen and they needed to send me away, Headmaster. I'm not quite sure what they meant."
His eyes glanced at harry, "So you are to tell me you have no idea about what is happening right now?"
"No sir, I can't say I do." She felt slightly disappointed in herself, she usually knew everything.
"Do you know who this boy is?" Dumbledore spoke pointing towards Harry.
She glanced quite confused, after all harry was just a simple boy right?
"That's Harry, sir but why does it matter?"
Harry looked somewhat dumbstruck, almost coughing on a cracker that he was eating. He then caught Dumbledore's sight with wide eyes and he then spoke again.
"Ah well Miss Smith, you have a lot to catch up on, I see you will be starting your final year according to record you are already 17 so you are allowed to use magic." Nava tuned out slightly, noticing a picture on the wall of a young boy, walking towards it she noticed the lettering under his picture 'In memory of Cedric Digory, a true hero at heart.' Nava's heart plummeted, he had her last name. All she could hear was the thumping of her heart in her chest; it began to beat faster in shock that the boy, who ever he was, was dead.
"Miss Smith?" Dumbledore spoke once more but Nava couldn't move, she was in shock. Without thought Nava grabbed his picture off the wall, and turned to the two men whom were concerned with the expression on her face. She whispered.
"His name…"
"Nava?" Harry responded, noticing the way she looked at the picture. She looked up at Dumbledore walking toward his desk and placing the picture upon it.
"What happened to him sir?" She looked up at his face trying to look for an answer even if no words came out but Dumbledore kept his calm composure.
"That is young Cedric Digory, he was murdered last year by a very dark wizard." He gave her a concerned look, "Why is that you ask Miss Smith?"
Nava's world was spinning, could this be why her parents sent her here?
"Sir, I'm not quite sure how to say this, but, my middle name is Digory, it represents my true last name, before I was adopted." She looked back up at him with shock. Harry's face turned white, both he and Dumbledore were in shock. She picked up the picture once more, could this boy be someone close to her? Could he be someone that was part of her real family?