A/N: Sorry that I haven't put anything up for a while, but real life called and I had to answer. Please tell me what you think about this story, and what I can do to make it better.

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, don't own it, blah, blah blah.

Chapter 1

The sun burned down on the houses of Little Whinging. Almost every inhabitant had retreated indoors in a desperate attempt to escape the sun. All, that is, except two, though neither of them knew about the other.

One of these people was a thin, but muscled boy, with untameable black hair, green eyes, and an instantly recognisable scar on his forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt. This boy's name was Harry Potter.

Harry sat up against a tree, his eyes closed, though he wasn't asleep. He knew what would happen if he succumbed to the sleep that threatened. The images he would have to relive, the guilt that he had survived, while Cedric had died, the dread of what would happen now that Voldemort had returned.

Suddenly, he heard someone coming up behind him, and he turned round, hand on the wand in his pocket. There stood a short, skinny girl, with soft, long brown hair, and brilliant sapphire blue eyes. She wore denim ¾ lengths and a black t-shirt with the logo, 'I'm not always right, I'm just never wrong'.

She looked down at Harry and said with a half-smile, "So you're the notorious criminal I've heard so much about."

He turned back, and wearily said, "That would be me."

The girl sat down beside him and said, "I know you're not a criminal, anyone who looks at you can see that. And my mum says that one thing you aren't is a criminal."

Harry looked at her confused, "How does your mum know anything about me?"

"Because she's a witch." She replied, as if it was obvious.

"I didn't know about anyone else with magic around here." Harry said.

"That's due to the fact that she doesn't live here. I live with my aunt and uncle...long story, probably tell you at some point...but I see her a few times a week in secret." She answered.

Harry still looked puzzled, but shook his head and said, "All right, but I don't know who you are."



The girl looked at him with a smile and held out her hand. "I'm Zara, and I obviously already know who you are."

At this statement they both laughed and Harry asked, "Can you do magic then? I haven't seen you at Hogwarts."

Zara sobered. "Yes, I can do magic, but my aunt and uncle won't let me go to Hogwarts. Instead my mum teaches me when we meet up."

As she finished, she looked at Harry and said to him, "She's coming tonight if you want to meet her."

Harry thought about this and replied, "Yeah, I'd like to meet her. As long as she doesn't try to kill me. I have enough people trying that as it is."

Smiling, Zara said, "I'll meet you here at 7pm then."

Harry nodded and Zara enquired, "What is Hogwarts like? My mum won't tell me much about it."

"Well, Hogwarts is a huge castle, but to me, it's more like home than this place. Students are sorted into one of four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff or Slytherin. Each house is very different, and each house has its own symbol. Gryffindor is a lion, Ravenclaw is an eagle, Hufflepuff is a badger and Slytherin is a snake. You are sorted into a house based on your abilities and personality. Gryffindor is for the brave, Ravenclaw is for the intelligent, Hufflepuff is for the loyal and fair, and Slytherin is for the cunning. Each house has their own dormitories and common rooms, and these have nicknames. Gryffindor is lion's den, Slytherin is snake pit, Ravenclaw is eagle's nest, and Hufflepuff is badger's den."

Harry stopped there as Zara opened her mouth and asked, "What house are you in?"

Smiling to her, Harry answered, "I'm in Gryffindor."

Nodding Zara said, "One thing my mum did tell me was that she was in Ravenclaw, and my father, Hwho I've never met, was in Slytherin."

"Oh." Was all Harry could get out.

They continued taking about Hogwarts for the next couple of hours, before realising the time and parting ways.

Reaching the house, he gave a tiny sigh of relief. Dudley wasn't home yet. His cousin didn't scare him anymore, but he still preferred to spend as much time away from him as possible.

Going into the kitchen, he made himself a sandwich and a drink of squash, before walking up to his bedroom to think.



As he was eating, he thought of the girl he had met today. Zara was so full of life, and as easy to talk to as Ron or Hermione. She was interested in Hogwarts, and asked so many questions. For some reason, he had found himself talking about his life, his friends, and he had even confessed that he had never gone out with anyone. Yet, when he asked about her home life, she shrugged and quickly turned the conversation away from that subject. Obviously something was wrong, but Harry had been tactful enough not to push her just now.

Harry set the alarm he had managed to fix, so it would go off before 7, took out his school books, and continued the transfiguration essay he had started earlier. He had just finished that when the alarm went off, and he put it under the loose floorboard, before picking up his wand from beside him.

The Dursleys, minus Dudley, were still in the living room, so he slipped out of the door and headed for the park where he had met Zara.

There was no-one there when he arrived, and his hand fell onto his wand. Suddenly there was a noise from above, and he swiftly drew it as a figure jumped from the tree. His heart almost stopped, until he saw that it was Zara, who was laughing at him. As soon as his heart slowed, he joined in as well. He didn't notice how forced that laugh was, or the fire in her eyes.

"So, you ready?" Zara asked.

"Yeah." Harry replied, and Zara led him beyond the limits and towards an unused area.

There, Zara dragged him towards a short figure, who was already standing, waiting. He realised the figure was female, and also that she had her wand out. Harry had misgivings, before she put her wand away, and started walking over to them.

When they had gotten close enough to see the woman, Harry gasped. She looked like an older version of Zara. The same eyes, nose, mouth, and the same sense of warmth that surrounded her.

Just before she reached her mother, Zara let go of Harry's arm and bounded over to be engulfed in a hug. He watched this interaction with sadness. He had never been hugged like that, not that he could remember.

Zara stepped back and said, "Mum, this is Harry Potter. We met this afternoon, and as he is the only wizard anywhere near here, I thought he should come."

The woman had given a start when she heard Harry's name, but quickly recovered to say, "I'm pleased to meet you."

"I'm pleased to meet you to ma'am." Harry replied.



She frowned at him and told him, "Call me Emma. I knew your parents, so you can call me by my name."

"You knew my parents." Harry wondered.

"Yes, your mum was one of my best friends at school, and I worked with your dad as an auror, before they went into hiding." Emma answered, and turned away from them, casting a large, invisible bubble around the area.

"It's a shield against the ministry knowing we're doing magic." Zara explained.

With that, the lessons began. They started with Emma shooting the two of them questions about different topics, such as charms, potions, transfiguration and history of magic. Then they continued with the practical. Harry was surprised to learn that Zara was around the same level as he was. She was better at potions and transfiguration, while he was better at charms.

Finally they got onto the DADA practical. Zara went first against her mother in a duel, and Harry was shocked to see that Emma was going fully against her. The duel didn't last for long, and Emma came out with a definite win. She told her daughter what she was doing wrong, and what she could do better, before turning to Harry.

"You wonder why I did not go easy on Zara?" she said, and he nodded. "Would a dark wizard go easy on you? No, he wouldn't, so neither will I."

Seeing the logic to it, Harry took up position opposite her. Out of nowhere, a hex came at him, and he managed to dodge. He realised it had come from Emma. The duel had begun.

He hit out with a basic stunner, and while she was blocking it, he shot out with an accio to get her wand.

"Protego!" Emma shouted as the spell hurled towards her.

The battle lasted a long time with spells flying furiously back and forth, no-one getting the upper hand. The two dodged, ducked and blocked in attempts to keep out of the line of fire.

Suddenly, as Harry side-stepped a spell, his ankle gave way and he stumbled. The next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground, with Zara and Emma standing over him. He must have been stunned.

Pushing himself up from the ground, Emma looked at him with respect and said, "That is the most matched I've been in a long while. I've never met anyone your age so skilled at duelling, not even...well done anyway."



Taking that as high praise, Harry smiled, and Emma continued. "Well, I think that is enough for this evening."

With that, she took down the shield, and Harry took that to mean he was excused. Believing that Zara would be walking back with him, he waited, but she turned to him and said, "I'll catch up with you Harry."

He nodded and began walking away. When he had reached a point where he was out of sight, he took out his invisibility cloak, put it on, and made his way back. He knew this was wrong, but he couldn't help it. He could tell that something was wrong with Zara.

"...I've just had enough of Uncle Sam and Aunt Rebecca. They don't care what happens to me, not since Ross died. Please let me come and live with you. You keep offering, and I want to go with you." He heard Zara say desperately.

"Yes you can come and live with me, but I'm starting to teach at Hogwarts this year, so you'll be attending. That means meeting your father, and it could put you in danger if Lord Voldemort knows about you." Emma replied after thinking for a minute.

Harry couldn't help but stop at that. Her father was a teacher at Hogwarts. If anyone knew about it Zara could be in danger from Voldemort. That would mean that he is either a deatheater or a spy, as he knew from his visions of Voldemort that the children of deatheaters had to become deatheaters themselves. That left one person, as far as he knew, Snape. He let out a gasp.

"Harry, you can take off the invisibility cloak now." Emma said, and he reluctantly did so.

"I know that it was wrong," Harry began explaining, "but I knew something was up."

"From that gasp, I'm guessing that you believe you know who Zara's father is." She replied sternly.

"Yes. " Harry said, looking down. "It's Professor Snape."

Emma nodded sadly, and Zara, who had been quiet all this time, spoke. "I don't know about anyone else, but I know I'm tired just now, and that this conversation is for another time."

The others nodded, and goodbyes took place. Emma gave Zara a bag of what seemed to be potion ingredients, and said, "I'll speak to your aunt and uncle, and tell you of the arrangements by owl."

Zara nodded and the two teenagers made their way back. When they reached their meeting place, Zara said, "I'll see you here tomorrow at 10."

She gave him a hug, before running off in the direction of her house.



Harry felt weird after that hug. It hadn't felt like the hugs he got from Hermione or Mrs Weasley, but he liked it.

With a smile on his face, he walked quickly back towards Privet Drive.