Hey! Welcome to the installment of the first chapter of my second Harry Potter story! Sorry it's taken so long, I've been really busy with school and other things. Make sure to follow me or my story, since I don't post often or consistently. I'd love feedback, so please review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Skylar and Celeste, everything else belongs to its respective owners.

Word Count: 2,635

Skylar smiled as she reread the letter for the tenth time, stroking the silky fur of her feline companion. Celeste had the tendency to disappear to who-knows-where when they were at Hogwarts, but at home, she never left the witch's side. Celeste was a distraction for Skylar; a companion to rely on after hours of pain. She had just been beaten, once again, this time for dropping a plate. Breaking things had a severe consequence. Luckily for Skylar, nothing could ruin her day. Not only did she have Celeste to comfort her, she also had received a heartfelt letter from Hermione. She had been waiting all summer for a letter to arrive, for she didn't know how to send one, as she didn't have an owl herself. After receiving Hermione's letter, the delivery owl waited for her response before flying away. She had also given him letters for Ron and Harry, but so far neither one had responded.

The letter read,

Dear Skylar,

I know it has only been a few months, but I miss you already! I keep thinking of you whenever I pick up a book, and I couldn't wait to owl you! By the way, I was off on vacation for the first part of summer, so I wasn't able to send you any mail. I've talked to Ron, and he said he's currently on vacation, so if he doesn't write to you it's because he's pretty busy. I don't know what's up with Harry though- he hasn't responded to any of my letters. Skylar found that quite odd. She hadn't expected Ron to reply, and being on vacation was a good excuse, but why didn't Harry? Maybe he didn't like her as much as she thought he did.

My parents took me to the Netherlands for a month, and it was beautiful! I swear I could have stayed there forever! I took a few photos, so I can show them to you when we go back to school. Do you miss Hogwarts at all? I sure do. I love my parents more than anything, but I miss you guys and classes are so much fun. Even Potions, although Snape can be a precocious prick. Skylar laughed whenever she read that part.

I will admit it's nice to have a break; some of those Slytherin kids wouldn't leave me alone! Also, I've noticed how untameable my hair is! I don't know why; both my parents have normal hair, but I'm left with a bird's nest! Maybe you could help me out when school starts up; your hair always looks nice.

I've already read the required texts for this year, and I assume you have as well. Did you notice Gilderoy Lockhart's books were required? Do you think he'll be teaching? I mean, they do need a replacement for Professor Quirrell! I know he was evil and all, but he was honestly a pretty decent teacher. Skylar could atone to that. Lockhart would be a great teacher for DADA, given all that he's done. He's so experienced with magic!

Anyways, I hope you enjoy your summer. I can't wait to see you, and you better save a spot on the train for me!

Love,

Hermione Granger

Skylar's heart swelled with joy when she saw that Hermione had written "love". She'd never felt love before, but her friends meant the world to her. She did find it odd that Harry was MIA, but she decided not to think too hard into it. She had indeed read all the required books, but she didn't find anything written by Gilderoy Lockhart interesting. In fact, all of his stories seemed fake and over exaggerated. As though they were fiction and not fact. Not that she had anything against fiction, but she did when it was falsely labeled as non-fiction.

An owl tapped at Skylar's window, alerting her of the new mail. She unravelled the scroll previously gripped by the talons of the barn owl. What she read on the scroll both surprised and excited her. Apparently Hermione was having her parents pick her up to go Diagon Alley since Ron and Harry still had to buy their books. Skylar clutched the letter close to her chest as soon as she'd read it, her cornflower blue eyes filling with joyous tears. Black and purple bruises covered her creamy skin, her arms and legs marred by the ugly marks. She could feel pain in her body, but her heart ached with pleasure just from that simple promise. Hermione was saving her from her Hellhole and she couldn't thank her enough.

Skylar frowned as she stared at her legs. She couldn't thank Hermione at all. She couldn't, because if she did, she would reveal her weakness. She would have to recount all the terrible beatings that she had tried vigorously rid her memory of. Her "caretakers" would be put in jail, and she would be stuck in some sort of orphanage. She would be all alone again. She would be pitied. Skylar hated being pitied.

Skylar was jolted from her daydream when she heard the sound of a closed fist on wood. She peered out of the small window in her room, a smile blooming on her face when she recognized the bushy brunette waving up at her. She quickly waved back before picking up her suitcase, Celeste slumbering on her shoulder.

"Bye Velma, Gordon. I'm off to school!" She yelled with a fake cheeriness in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah." Velma grumbled from her slouched position on the stained couch, "Hush, ya brat." Skylar skipped off, slamming the door shut behind her. Her smile grew wider when the muggleborn witch barrelled into her, wrapping her arms around the surprised redhead. Skylar giggled and leaned into the embrace, wrapping her own arms around Hermione.

"It's so good to see you!" Hermione flushed when they had finished their embrace.

"You too!" Skylar giggled, climbing into the car behind her friend.

"Well hello there." The woman in the passenger seat craned her head around to smile at Skylar. "You must be Skylar! I've heard a lot about you. Hermione tells me you've got top marks!" Skylar smiled sheepishly.

"Yes,ma'am."

"Oh, dear, call me Dr. Granger." She smiled at the redhead with a perfect set of teeth. "We're both Dr. Granger, actually." She gestured to herself and her husband, who was currently driving.

"Right." Skylar nodded, "You're both dentists, right?" Mrs. Granger nodded as confirmation.

"I suppose that means Hermione's told you about us, huh?" Skylar nodded, her small smile reflected by Mrs. Granger's large, bright one. The Grangers and Skylar were still deep in conversation when they arrived at the pub that led to Diagon Alley. Dr. and Dr. Granger bade the two soon-to-be second-years farewell as they drove off, Hermione and Skylar both brimming with excitement to meet up with Ron and Harry after a long summer apart.

"Harry!" Hermione waved at the dark-haired wizard from the steps of Gringotts. The brunette and redhead ran to hug Harry, Hagrid following close behind. Standing beside her friend, Skylar noticed Harry had grown at least an inch, his head still above hers although she'd grown an inch over the summer.

"Hello, Hagrid." Hermione greeted their professor kindly. "Oh, it's wonderful to see you two again!" Hermione's cheeks turned a slight pink color, flushed with excitement and happiness. Skylar nudged Hermione, giggling at the state of Harry's glasses. Hermione rolled her eyes and giggled before holding her wand at eye-level.

"Oculus Reparo." Skylar watched as the bridge of Harry's glasses instantly mended together into one unified piece.

"I need to remember that one." Harry joked, getting laughs from his three companions.

"Come on, everyone's been so worried." Hermione tugged Harry along with her free arm, her other arm locked with Skylar's. Hagrid wandered off to find Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent.

"Oh, Harry. Thank goodness." Mrs. Weasley let out a sigh of relief as the three young wizards approached her. "We hoped you hadn't gone too far. Come on now. We're off to Flourish and Blotts."

"Isn't it thrilling?!" Hermione squealed. "Gilderoy Lockhart's going to be there!" She shook Skylar's shoulders, the redhead looking at her with discomfort. "We can actually meet him! I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!" She ran off to the bookstore, closely followed by Mrs. Weasley.

"Who?" Harry asked, staring confused at the excited brunette.

"A famous author." Skylar sighed. "Hermione's obsessed with him, just like all the other witches who've read his books. Most of them are our required readings."

"And why aren't you squealing like an excited fangirl?" Harry joked, nudging the redhead playfully.

"Because I'm not a fangirl." Skylar replied. "I think he's a fraud. Honestly, he's not even that great a writer."

"Well, then why does Hermione like him? She likes good books as much as you."

"Apparently most witches are charmed by his...well...charm." Skylar explained. "He's a fairly handsome man, according to the interviews, but I think he just looks like any other wizard his age." She shrugged as the walked hand in hand to the shop. "I'm just not one to be distracted by a pretty face." The two friends walked into the bookstore, only to be met with a throng of witches of all ages. They appeared to be searching for the famous author. Skylar had seen a poster on their way in; apparently Gilderoy Lockhart was signing copies of his books.

"There he is!" Mrs. Weasley squealed, nudging Hermione and pointing at the blond author.

"Mum fancies him." Ron explained, seeing Harry and Skylar walk up to them. Mrs. Weasley scowled and jabbed her youngest son on the shoulder. "What?" Ron whined at her, "It's true!"

"Out of the way!" A short man with a camera pushed his way through the crowd. "This is for The Daily Prophet!" Upon hearing his words, Gilderoy Lockhart looked up from signing, flashing a blinding smile for the flashing camera.

"Is that...no it can't be…" The author appeared to be staring at Harry.

"Oh lord." Skylar pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head, knowing exactly where this was going. Gilderoy Lockhart was known to do just about anything for fame.

"Harry Potter!" Lockhart gasped, pushing through the crowd to meet the Boy-Who-Lived. Skylar tightened her grip on Harry's arm, quickly growing uncomfortable from the crowd of people and the attention set on them. Lockhart pulled Harry from Skylar's grasp, causing her to fall back onto the floor. She instinctively brought her knees to her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs, head tucked down into her chest. She could feel herself quivering from the loss of contact. Normally she hated the idea of other people touching her, but she craved it now more than ever. She'd grown accustomed to the friendly hugs and hand-holding from her three best friends, and she felt cold without.

"Nice big smile, Harry." She heard a muffled voice from the front of the room. She assumed it was Lockhart. Her breathing hitched as she quivered from the fear, her social anxiety kicking in even more. The voices around her were muffled, and she had backed herself into a small nook, surrounded from three sides by bookshelves. She peeked over her arms, feeling slightly calmed as she noticed she had managed to escape the throng of people. Her arms and legs were still shaking, and she clutched tightly at her forearms, leaving crescent-shaped puncture marks from her nails digging into her creamy skin.

"Hey, you okay?" A voice shook her from her panic, two hands pulling her up from the ground. She opened her eyes to see Ron standing in front of her. She nodded shakily while he pulled her into a quick hug.

"Oh no." Ron groaned, looking off past the witch.

"What?"

"It's Malfoy and Harry." Ron turned Skylar around to face the confrontation between the blond Slytherin and dark-haired Gryffindor. Ginny was standing off to the side, the handle of her cauldron clutched by white knuckles. Ron and Skylar hurried over to the scene, Skylar standing beside Ginny, taking the cauldron from her. The youngest Weasley gave her a shy smile, returned by the shy Wolf.

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" The blonde sneered at Harry. "Famous Harry Potter." He mocked the Gryffindor in a voice laced with jealousy. "Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."

"Leave him alone!" Ginny yelled suddenly, stepping up closer to Harry.

"Look Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" Draco cackled, Ginny cheeks turning a bright shade of pink. She stepped back, Skylar pulling the young witch to her chest.

"Silence, Draco!" Lucius stepped forward into the light, standing on the stairs in front of them. "Ah...Mr. Potter. I don't believe we've met." Skylar barely had to glance at the older Malfoy to tell he was evil. His voice was dripping with sarcasm, his twinkling eyes holding sinister intent. Lucius extended a pale hand to Harry, as if to shake. Instead, he traced his fingers across the hair on Harry's forehead to reveal the lightning-bolt scar. Feeling the cold touch of his fingers, Harry stepped back warily.

"Forgive me, Mr. Potter." Lucius looked down his nose at the Gryffindor, "But your scar is a legend. As, of course, is the wizard who gave it to you."

"He was a murderer." Harry spat, staring at the blond man with obvious distaste.

"Yes, a pity about your parents." Lucius drawled, grooming his fingernails. "Curious that you yourself should escape with a mere flesh wound." He looked pointedly at the scar. "Curious, too, that you speak of him in the past. Surely, you don't think He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is gone forever."

"His name is Voldemort." Skylar replied firmly, moving up to stand beside Harry, their fingers interlacing with each other. Lucius's gaze moved to the redhead.

"You must be very brave, Miss Wolf, to dare speak his name. Or foolish." Skylar narrowed her cornflower-blue eyes at the blonde, her irises flashing aqua for a brief moment.

"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself." Hermione added, moving up to stand on the other side of Skylar. The two smiled at each other and interlinked their own hands.

"You must be Miss Granger." Lucius commented, seizing the girl up. "Draco's told me all about you...and your parents. Muggles, aren't they?" He peered over Hermione's head, as though he was searching for the Grangers.

"Sorry, they aren't here for you to bully." Skylar spat. Lucius gave the redhead a dissatisfied frown as Mr. Weasley approached the children.

"Ron, Harry!" He addressed the two boys he was on charge of. "It's mad in here. Let's go outside."

"Well, well, well…" Lucius drawled, locking eyes with Ron's father. "Arthur Weasley." Arthur stiffened at the mention of his name.

"Lucius." He replied without emotion.

"Busy time at the Ministry. All those raids. I hope they're paying you overtime." Skylar looked back at Ginny to see Draco pulling a tattered copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration from her cauldron. The wheels began to turn in her head. The Malfoys were rich, why steal a book, and from the first year list? Skylar assumed it was part of some sinister plan. She felt a strange heat in her eyes when the scanned over Lucius's left arm. She moved to whisper to Harry what she'd seen, but when she did, she felt a strange tingling in the back of her brain. Something was telling her not to mess up the line of events yet to come. She shut her mouth and lowered herself back on her heels. She was shaken from her daze when Lucius tossed a different copy of the book into Ginny's cauldron, Draco departing with the older Malfoy.