It isn't easy having a last name like Lestrange. Sure, I may be Bellatrix and Rudulphus' daughter, but that doesn't mean I support what they did! I do anything BUT support it, I HATE it that my mother and father were huge Voldemort supporters. The fact that they tortured and murdered countless people just makes me SICK! Atleast I don't live with them any more. When Voldemort's reign ended, and mum was killed and dad was taken to Azkaban, a six month old me was taken in by another wizarding family. It was very gracious of them to adopt me I guess, there were many families that wouldn''t rist me in their household. Though they keep assuring me that I am nothing like my parents. Well, I know I'm not like dad anyway. I used to be allowed to visit him Azkaban once per year, I'm surprised he's still alive after eleven years there, what with those creepy dementors. When I visited, he'd always ramble on about the same thing, about us pures having a right to rule, and me having to avenge my great mother against the Weasly blood-traitors. Sickening, I know. So when I was nine I had just abot had enough of it, when he got to the part about "avenging my great mother" I simply told him outright that my mother wasn't great at all, she was cruel, and wicked, and he was just pathetic, then I spat in his face. He didn't ask for my return the next year.

I hope I'm not like mum either, from what people say she was even worse than dad. The only photo I have of her is her Azkaban file photo (how charming) the mere sight of her face sends shivers down my spine, those heavy-lidded eyes, straggly, unkept black hair and an arrogant smile playing on her thin lips. I try as hard as I can to look the complete opposite to har. See, I'm a Metamrphmagus, I can change my apperance at will. People say it's in my blood somewhere, I think I had a cousin, named Nymphadora or something, who also had that power. Anyway, so I try as hard as possible to look as remotely different from mum as I can. For my first day at Hogwarts, I had to try extra hard. I think I did quite a good job of it, giving myself full lips, high cheekbones and emerald green eyes. I let my hair pour, in shimmering dark gold waves, down to my waist. On september the first, I was satisfied in knowing that noone would be able to look at me and think Bellatrix.

The day I was to board the Hogwarts express for the first time sticks so firmly into my memory it's as if it were just yesterday. An anxious little eleven year old me, tugging along what seemed the biggest school trunk in the whole world. My adopted family – the Petersons – helped me through to platform nine and three quarters (walking through the barrier between platforms nine and ten was incredibly freaky, but cool at the same time!) and I was almost knocked over by what must have been hundreds of students, all pouring in to board the gleaming red steam train. Lugging my suitcase and cage containing my sleeping little dainty black kitten (Layla),into the closest compartment, I flopped down into the window seat, panting. Only when I had gotten my breath back did I noticed that the seat across from me was also occupied. Another fist year by the looks of her, she was about a head shorter than me, quite pale and freckly, with hazel eyes and short, mousy brown hair in stubby little pigtails. I was about to get up, when she quickly spoke,

"No, it's okay, you can sit here!" she gushed, "I need to get the seats in here filled quickly anyway, they're saying a Bellatrix Lestrange's daughter is onboard, I would't want to end up with her or something!" she smiled encourigingly at me, I forced a smile back. Why did it suddenly seem so hot in here?

"I'm Taylor Philips by the way," she grinned, holding her hand out.

I took it, "Amber Gerrard," it was the first name that popped into my head, well, I couldn't exactly tell her I was actually called Jasmine Lestrange now - could I? We shook hands and grinned at eachother, "Is this your first year then?" I prodded.

"Yup! Your's too?"

I nodded, "I've been counting down to this day for ages!"

"I wonder which house we'll be in," Taylor mused, "I know I'm not smart enough for Ravenclaw, and I really hope I don't get Slytherin – they say that's where all the evil wizards go, I'll bet you anything that's what the Lestrange kid gets."

The compartment had suddenly seemed to get hotter again, I was relieved when someone opened the doors, a boy with shaggy brown hair and eletric green eyes, "Sorry, can I sit in here? Everywhere else is is full."

Taylor sighed, "I suppose so."

The boys face fell into a nervous smile, and he took the seat next to me.

"Ted Lupin." we shook hands. Lupin, now where had I hear that before? It was something important...

Taylor seemed to be thinking along the same lines, "Remus Lupin!" she suddenly cried, "Are you his son? He was a member of the Order, wasn't he? And him and his auror wife were..." she trailed off.

"Killed by Voldemort's followers." Ted finished, his voice thick, "Yes, Remus Lupin was my father."

I was shocked. Poor Ted, a moment ago I had been near jelous of his respectable parents, but suddenly I was full of remorse. It made me hate Voldemort, and my parents, more than ever.

Taylor sniffed, "But wasn't Lupin, well, um, you know, a werewolf?"

Ted had suddenly turned bright red, "That wasn't his fault! How can you even think of that when you know he couldn't help it! And even then, he never stopped doing good! He died trying to bring Voldemort down! He was a great man!"

Taylor flushed pink, "Okay, okay." she mumbled. She quickly started nattering away about the sorting ceremony again, but I don't think me, or Ted for that matter, were really listening. I was lost in thought, I knew I'd heard Lupin somewhere else aswel. Remus Lupin... Then it hit me: Remus Lupin was married to Nymphadora Tonks, the Metamrphmagus, my cousin. So if Ted's mum was a Metamrphmagus then that would mean...

"Hey Ted," his head jerked up, "Are you by chance a Metamrphmagus?" oh God that sounded dumb...

His eyes grew suspicious, "Yeah, how did you..."

I struggled to find the right words, "Well Nymphadora Tonks, your mum – right?- she was also one."

This didn't help, instead, Ted just grew more suspicious, "How would you..."

I took a deep breath, there was no way of worming out of this one, "Because she's my cousin."

"But I don't have any aunts, otherwise I'd be living with-"

"Erm, I'm Jasmine Lestrange, Bellatrix Lestrange's daughter." Ted had told the truth about his parents, so I didn't see why I shouldn't. If only I hadn't forgotten Taylor. Her eyes bulged,

"No you're not!" she shrieked, "You're Amber, Amber Gerrard, you told me, you-" realisation dawned on her freckled face, and her eyes bulged, "Please don't kill me!" she screamed, and she bolted out of the compartment, slamming the doors behind her, no doubt to alert the rest of the train.

I don't think I've ever been more embarrest, I felt my cheeks flush beetroot, and I looked nevously across at Ted. Weirdly enough, his eyes weren't filled with the terror I expected, just simple curiosity.

"Thanks for not running." I sighed, eyeing Taylor's empty seat.

Ted shugged, "Well I'm son of a werewolf, you're daughter of a deatheater, I guess I can understand that whole people-judge-to-quickly thing."

"You said it yourself." I sighed, "Your dad was still a good person, both my parents well... weren't."

Ted shook his head, "Still, you don't seem like a bad person to me, just because your parents were bad nuts, it doesn't mean you have to take after them. Plus, you're my aunt."

I snickered, "And you're my creepy little nephew."

Ted poked his tounge out, and screwed up his eyes with a look of immense consentration. To most people it would have seemed strange, but I knew full well what he was about to do, as if on que, his nose quickly shrunk bach into a pig snout.

I laughed, "That's it, two can play at that game!" I screwed up my eyes and felt the familiar tingling feeling for when I was about to morph... I opened my eyes and found my nose so long it touched the other wall of the compartment.

Ted gaped, "You're a Metamrphmagus too?"

I grinned, "Yup, and a pro."

Ted snickered, "We'll see about that."

The atmosphere seemed to ease considerably after that. This was a first Metamorph-battle for both of us, but we were both giving it our absolute best shot, it was probably the most fun I'd ever had. After we were done with noses (I won with a giant hooked nose with massive hairy nostrils) we moved to ears, (we decided on a tie between my bubblegum pink rabbit ears, and Ted's bright purple elephant ears) then hair (Ted was a clear winner there, his rainbow flecked hair grew so long that it filled the entire compartment!) and we were in the middle of seeing who could grow the tallest, when the lunch trolley came in.

We both bought as much as possible, so by the time we'd devoured our truckloads worth of Bertie Botts Beans, Pumpkin Pasties and Chocolate Frogs, we were too stuffed to do anything but laze around on the seats and chatting about Quidditch.

"I've been playing for quite a while now," Ted admitted, "Harry teaches me whenever I visit the Potters."

"You mean you were taught by Harry Potter? The Harry Potter?" I gaped.

Ted chuckled, "Yeah, well, my dad was pretty close to him, oh, and he's my godfather."

As my jaw dropped lower, Ted hurried on, "He's a really good player Harry is, youngest seeker in a century they say, but anyway, he also makes a great coach."

"You lucky!" I mouthed at him, lost for words. Ted laughed and I found my tounge again, "Is it really freaky - flying I mean? I've never really gotten the whole concept of it..."

"Not freaky as much," Ted assured me, "More just a cool feeling. Steering and all's pretty simple, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it quickly."

I nodded, although still unsure.

The conversation elapsed into our favourite quidditch teams, some of the best games we'd watched, and who we thought was going to win this season – us both being big Quidditch watchers. Then Layla started mewing to be let out (having woken up at last) and so I opened her cage door, letting her scamper out onto my lap. She purred when I stroked her inky black fur, and wouldn't stop licking my face while Ted and I started on a game of wizard chess. He was smashing me, and about to take my queen, when the train gave a giant lurch and knocked all the pieces over,

"Score!" I cried, triumphantly, and we both dropped to the ground and started picking the pieces up, (this wasn't helped by Layla, who had taken to chasing the pieces all over the compartment), Ted was about to re-set-up when we heard the screeching sound of the train slowing down – we had arrived.

"Oh shoot!" Ted muttered, "We haven't gotten into our robes yet!"

There was only one thing for it, we had to slip them on over our normal clothes.

"We should probably change our apperances too." Ted considered, pulling a black cloak over his scruffy red t-shirt.

"Yeah," I nodded, kicking my trainers off, "Then Taylor won't recognise me as, well, yeah-" I couldn't bring myself to say Bellatrix Lestrange's daughter. I slipped my school shoes on, scrambled to my feet and screwed my eyes up, imagining coppery ringlets pouring down my back, and my eyes changing to a chocolatey brown. I snapped them open, and looked at Ted, his hair was now in black spikes, and eyes a deep midnight blue.

"Perfect." he grinned, surveying my new apperance.

I nodded, "They won't recognise us now!"

Scooping Layla back into her cage, we quickly joined the crowd of people bustling to get out. It was a relief to be back outside in the fresh air. You couldn't see Hogwarts yet, just a large, glimmering lake.

"Hogwarts is just across there." I heard Ted's voice in my ear.

I nodded, suddenly nervous. Admitedly, I was excited to get into the castle, but the thought of sorting had crept back into my mind. Taylor's voice echoed in my ears, "I really hope I don't get Slytherin – they say that's where all the evil wizards go, I'll bet you anything that's what the Lestrange kid gets."

"Come on, let's get a canoe!" Ted grinned, you could hear excitement ringing in his every word.

I forced a smile, and followed after him, but I was suddenly not so sure if I wanted to get in the castle after all.