Chapter One

'Chaos was spinning around her as she ran through the dark woods after him. She knew she needed to keep up to him but also stay hidden in the shadows. If she wasn't careful she would end up in the hospital again and who wanted to spend their 11th birthday in the hospital. But more than just being in the hospital they would send her away again. As she crouched behind the bush looking at the big white moon the hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she felt someone, something breathing on her. She didn't need to turn around to know it was him. It was her godfather, no in this moment he was not her godfather, he was a werewolf and he was ready to fight her. Opening her mouth to scream and nothing came out.'

She jolted up in her bed dripping with sweat, she had been dreaming, more like a nightmare but nevertheless it was not real. She must have screamed because in a moment a half dressed and rather disheveled looking Remus Lupin was beside her.

"Isobel, are you alright?" he asked as he approached her pulling on his slippers.

She nodded and pulled her hair to side, "Just another bad dream, I am sorry to have woken you."

"Let me guess, you were trying to protect me again and you were hurt and they sent you away again? Isobel, you have no need to worry anymore, this potion really is helping and I will not let them take you. That is why we are hiding. I know how scared you were to be placed in that Muggle Orphanage and treated as a mad girl. I will not let that happen if it takes all that I am, I made a promise to your parents and now, on the eve of your birthday I make a promise to you my dear Isobel Noir, I will never let harm come to you." He sat on the side of her bed and pulled the tiny child in close. He knew he could possibly never keep that promise but soon she would be with her own people, out of hiding and in a world of her own and that was what she needed.

Isobel laid back down and her godfather left the room. She knew he was right, he had been a father to her over the past 10 years and he never had meant for anything to happen. Her parents knew that there was potential danger when they named him Isobel's godfather. And when the inevitable happened and they were gone, Remus did not want to step up into this role but he did. They had been through a lot and were always on the move. Remus was unable to get the things needed for the potion to protect himself from the werewolf curse without theft. He tried not to, but sometimes there was no safe place to leave Isobel for the few days while the curse ran its dreadful course. But this only made their bond stronger. As Isobel looked out her window in a small town in Switzerland she sighed as she stared at the crescent moon and her heavy eyes closed.

As she slept dreams of the past 10 years came flooding back, it was like this every night before her birthday. Perhaps she was cursed by memories or maybe everyone experienced it but either way she knew they were dreams but they were dreams she had lived, she observed them, watching herself go through the motions. Seeing herself as a small child with curly dark hair sitting on Remus lap by a fire in a village in southern France, talking about her how her parents had met, her mother a daughter of The American Wizarding Confederation Ambassador who had been sent to work with the Ministry of Magic had ran into her father and his friends in Diagon Alley. She had fallen and was embarrassed and turned to walk away and her father had stopped her and invited her to join them for ice cream. It was the bud of a friendship, however Isobel's mother went back to her school Ilvermory and her father back to Hogwarts for his final year. However his focus was on this beautiful girl he had met in Diagon Alley. Daily they sent letters back and forth and when the school was over they spent a summer together and against her parents wishes married. The first Wizarding war broke out and they had been trying for a baby, finally Isobel was born on July 1, 1980.

'Isobel, wake up!' Opening one eye, the sun was barely up and yet she saw Remus there 3 letters, sitting up without speaking a word she took all three. One with with elegant blue cursive on silvery stationary, another with ruby red writing scrawled onto a brown envelope and the last with green penmanship addressed to

Ms Isobel Elladora Mary Noir,

Twerweg 283

Iseltwald, Switzerland

Her hands shook as she opened the first letter addressing her as Mademoiselle Noir from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, the beautiful school of magic hidden in the hills of France. The next was from Ilvermony, the school her mother had studied and grew up in over in America. And the last, was from Hogwarts extending the invitation and notice of her acceptance. Shocked, Isobel looked into Remus' eyes.

"Most young witches do not have a choice to choose their destiny in this manner, but if you have the wisdom for you mother and the heart of your father I know you will choose the correct school. I will write them and let them all know you have a choice to make and will give them the answer in one week's time. Meet me downstairs when you're ready and we will eat some breakfast." He turned to the door.

"Oh, and happy birthday Isobel." With that he moved past the door.

Staring at the envelopes Isobel's mind was filled with possibilities. Beauxbatons was well known for its beauty not only of the grounds but the young witches and wizards that attend with grace and elegance, even though French was her second language, was it really the way she wanted to learn? Ilvermony, her mother's alma mater, but yet so far away and would she fit in a school far off in America? Than there was Hogwarts, the school both her father and Remus had attended, from the stories Remus told it was a smaller school, full of amazing professors and it sounded comfortable, like a home. Isobel had longed for a place to call her owns, Remus had down his best to provide for her. But he was a werewolf and many people were terrified of them and they did not really have a place to call their never stayed in one place for long, moving all over Europe and only staying as long as the lunar cycle. Hogwarts sounded like a school that she could call home, she placed the acceptance letter from Hogwarts into her journal and tossed the others into the fire. Quickly gathering her things and getting ready for the day she smiled knowing she was headed towards greatness.

"Hogwarts, I would be honoured to attend Hogwarts." Isobel spouted out as she ran down the stairs.

"Are you sure? I do not want to pressure you into this or make you feel like you need to. I want,"

"It is exactly want I want and I will be going, now are we going to work our way back to England or what?" Isobel interrupted, her mind was set and she scribbled a few words on the parchment and pinned it to the waiting owl

"Deliver this to Hogwarts please."

The owl was off through the window as she turned to Remus who wore the largest smiles she had seen in years.

"Well let's be off, just cuz it's my birthday does not mean I want to waste the day." Moving towards the door of the place they had called home for the last several months. Home was a generous name, it was an old farm house that had been abandoned and now all Isobel could think of was what her future held. She handed Remus his sack and slung hers over her shoulder, they didn't have much but Isobel had seen the world and Remus had taught her everything he could.

"Actually I was thinking we wouldn't travel by foot today." Remus could see the confusion on Isobel's face.

"Professor Dumbledore has set up a port key as he hoped you would choose Hogwarts, I received the letter last night, it is in the barn, an old shoe."

"I've never travelled by portkey before and how would he know where we are? Did you tell him? Did you make him accept me into Hogwarts? Because if that is the case I'm not going!"

"Actually," Remus interjected, "He met me in the village a few days ago, asking how you were and we wanted to give you the choice of schools and your name has been entered into Hogwarts for many years, now you were so eager to go, so what do you say are you ready to go to Diagon Alley?"

Isobel felt slightly ashamed for her outburst and nodded. As they entered the barn Remus explained how port keys work and how it would taken them to the outskirts of London. They stood around the old and very plain looking shoe, reached down and instantly everything was spinning from Isobel's insides out. It felt like her stomach was on the outside and her outsides were in her stomach. Isobel watched Remus let go of the shoe and figured she was to do the same. Unfortunately Remus landed a lot gentler than herself. She feld all the bones in her body scream in pain as she hit the soggy ground like a cannonball.

"Are you okay?" Remus asked as he dusted himself off.

"Let's just be off," Isobel responded slightly annoyed at the fact that she was now stranded in a field no where close to Diagon Alley.

"What are we going to do now?" She tried not to be angry but for some reason she was and she wanted him to know it.

"Isobel Elladora Mary Noir, you stop right now and look at me." Isobel turned around and glared at Remus.

"Do not use my full name," she could feel her blood boiling with anger, infact she was feeling rather warm.

"I will use your full name just as your parents would, I am your God Father and I need you to listen to me. I know we do not speak about your parents very often, I am not very good at talking about my friends knowing that they are gone. But right now I need you to listen to me. Your a lot like your mother and I have wondered for some time if you would have some of her abilities. You do, just as you mother did, you have the ability to change your appearance, Isobel you're a metamorphmagus." Isobel looked down at the puddle surrounding her feet, she saw her hair was no longer curly and black but rather red and straight. She exhaled and then it returned to normal.

"What is wrong with me," She asked Remus with tears filling her eyes,

"Nothing is wrong, you were upset and your emotions change your appearance, it's a rare ability but it makes sense that you would have it as your mother did. Years ago it was illegal to be a metamorphmagus, but now it is acceptable, think of it this way, remember how I told you about The Marauder's, how my three friends, Padfoot who was your father was a dog, Prongs, was a stag and Wormtail a rat. They were each an animagus, they were able to change their appearance but only into those specific animals. You on the other hand can change your appearance into whatever you desire."

"You mean if I want to look like you, I can? Isobel asked,

"Yes, but perhaps you try something smaller until you get the idea of it. Why not change your hair to blonde." Remus suggested.

"What am I supposed to do? Just think about it?" As she asked her reflection caught her eye, her hair had changed. She closed her eyes and thought about blue hair like the sky back in Switzerland and when she peaked her hair was the perfect blue.

"I see you have the hang of this" Remus said as he started to walk towards the field. Isobel had an idea, if she could change her appearance perhaps she could help Remus through the full moons just like her dad and the other had.

"Hurry up or we will be late." An eager Remus called over his shoulder. As he turned he couldn't see Isobel, instead there was a small black dog bounding towards him.

"Well my dear, if I didn't know better I'd say you were a perfect mix of both your parents." Isobel changed back and walked beside her godfather.

"Were they good people?" she asked. Isobel had always been curious but was scared that she wouldn't like the answers or that Remus would be upset.

"Isobel, they were some of the best people I knew, I trusted them with my life. They were brilliant people, now their brilliant daughter walks in their footsteps. Isobel you live out who they were and what they stood for daily. Your mother and father believed in friendship that would last, they loved deeply and they never would give up without a fight. Your mother was elegant, beautiful and showed grace to everyone, while your father was strong, even though he was from a prominent pure-blood family he chose to give that up to stand up for what was right. He was a true Gryffindor, he was determined to do the right thing even if it was seen as the wrong."

"Do you think I will be in Gryffindor?" Isobel asked as they reached a road.

"I think you will be in the right house no matter where you are, I also think you will be brilliant and an asset to your house. I am proud to call you my God Daughter and I will still be proud whichever house you are in." With that Remus looked around quickly and then held his wand up on the air. Isobel had learned along time ago not to question him. She could see London just over the hills, it had been well over 2 years since they had last been here. There was a low rumbling coming down the road and in a blink of an eye, stood a purple triple decker bus.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. My name is Norman Hill and I will be your conductor today." Said a small wizard with short grey hair.

"Hurry up get one, we haven't got all day" He rushed as Remus and Isobel stepped onto the bus. Norman handed them their tickets.

"Sit or you'll be splattered up against the window." He said as he turned to the front.

Isobel looked around and saw a few witches sitting in armchairs. She found an empty one and sat down, Remus found one as well. Just as they sat the but took off. Isobel thought to herself, if traveling by portkey was bad, this might be worse. They bus was weaving in and out off traffic into London, making sudden stops. The bus must have a spell cloaking it as no Muggles seemed to notice. Wizards and witches constantly getting on and off. The bus was all over the road, Isobel closed her eyes to try and hide the sickness that was creeping up her throat.

"We are here," Remus said, Isobel hurried off the bus and off the street. She noticed the building directly in front of her, Remus had told her about this pub, The Leaky Cauldron.