Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any thing else big like that OK (you'd be stupid to think I did)

Author's Note: I am reposting the first five chapters after doing some major revising in parts to try to make it a bit closer to canon. I hope you enjoy the new version of "A Year to Remember" (and if anyone can think of a better title, please tell me :-)

Chapter 1: Old Memories and New Beginnings

The feverish young girl tossed and turned. Her light brown hair stuck to her forehead in small strings. She fingered the silver locket around her neck. As her door creaked, she opened her eyes.

"Lizzy, are you feeling any better honey?"

"Yes Daddy, a tiny bit betta. I can't get to sweep"

"Oh? Well, close your little green eyes and try to get to sleep, ok honey?"

"Yes Daddy. Goodnight!"

"Goodbye honey."

Elizabeth woke up suddenly. Her mind snapped out of her 3 year-old dream-self and back into her 16 year-old body. She half-fell as she got out of bed. "Why did I dream about that?" she thought, "I only dream about the last time I saw…Dad, when something big is...oh yeah we're going to England today."

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Elizabeth sat staring out the plane window. "Why did he have to leave?" she thought as she ate the omelette-in-a-pita-thing the stewardess had passed to her, "Where did he go anyways? I still think he's alive, likely in the magical world. Because he hasn't been found by the Muggle police, they think he's dead. Man, I'm thinking too much too early in the morning and I'm not really making sense!" Elizabeth looked over at her mother. With her blond hair and blue eyes, Julianna Lupin looked nothing like her daughter at first glance. If you looked closely though, you would see they both had almond shaped eyes and narrow noses.

Elizabeth still remembered how every one of their relatives in Canada had tried to convince her mother to change back to her maiden name. Julianna had refused. Elizabeth knew why. Her mother believed Elizabeth's father was still alive and still loved her. She figured he must have had some reasonable reason to go and that he would be back someday. Elizabeth had sometimes wondered if it had something to do with her becoming terribly sick when she was two years old.

None of the magical or Muggle disease experts had known what was wrong with her. One would say one thing and start her on medication for it. As soon as she started to get better, her symptoms would change completely to something else. Then her parents would take her to another expert who would recommend something else. They'd do that and it would change again. This went on for nearly a year. She had eventually healed although it seemed like she only got better after her Grandpa Mac Quarrie had given her locket to her and her father had left. After she was better everything in her life seemed good until she was fourteen. That was when Lord Voldemort regained his body, and fear had spread all over the wizarding world.

This was why Elizabeth's Gramma Mac Quarrie had convinced Julianna to move to England and have Elizabeth go to Hogwarts instead of Alakazam Academy. Elizabeth's grandmother said "the safest place at these times is wherever Albus Dumbledore is." Albus Dumbledore was headmaster of Hogwarts so that's why Elizabeth was going to Hogwarts. Julianna had taken up the post of Herbology teacher there as the current teacher was taking a sabbatical.

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They landed at Heathrow Airport at 6 o'clock in the evening. Julianna and Elizabeth took the Underground to a street which contained a shabby looking pub.

"The Leaky Cauldron!" said Julianna, "Our accommodations for the next week."

"Yippee!" thought Elizabeth sarcastically as they entered the pub.

Inside it was quite dark and it took a moment for Elizabeth's eyes to adjust. By this time her mother had gone up to the bar and was talking to the barman.

"Julianna Mac Quarrie! I haven't seen you since … a very long time! And is this your daughter?"

"Yes Tom. Elizabeth is going to Hogwarts this year. She completed her first five years at Alakazam Academy in Canada, but with the…current situation my mother convinced me to move and have Elizabeth go to school here. I'm going to teach Herbology at Hogwarts as Professor Sprout is taking a sabbatical to study … well, Herbology of some sort!"

"Well, you two are in room thirteen. Do you need help with your bags?"

"Oh no! We're fine, Tom."

Elizabeth spent her week wandering around Diagon Alley which was the wizard street behind the Leaky Cauldron. There she bought her new robes, new books, and other new school things. She saw many people around her age there who she figured would be going to Hogwarts but she didn't introduce herself to anyone.

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On September the first, Tom came to wake up Elizabeth. Her mother had left the day before so she could talk to Professor Sprout about what was and wasn't in the greenhouses and other Herbology things. Tom hurried Elizabeth through her breakfast and once she was finished he took her to King's Cross Station. He told her that to get on to Platform 9¾ you had to run at the wall between Platforms 9 and 10, and not stop.

Elizabeth stepped into the station alone as Tom had to get back to the Leaky Cauldron. He had helped get her things on a trolley which she was now pushing along the platform. "Well, there's the wall," she thought and ran. She emerged on the other side and was facing a large red steam engine. She went up to a car near the end which didn't look too full. Elizabeth tried to drag her heavy trunk up the three stairs into the train car.

"Oy! Need help with your trunk there, miss?" said two voices behind her.

Elizabeth turned around to see two boys standing on the top step looking down at her, one with sandy hair and the other a black boy with brown hair.

"Okay, if you don't mind," she said.

"Course not! By the way I'm Seamus Finnigan and this is my friend Dean Thomas," said the sandy-haired boy as they picked up her trunk, "Where're you from? You're too tall to be a first year and you talk funny."

Dean started to laugh so hard he dropped his end of the trunk.

"I'm from Canada," Elizabeth explained chuckling, "I spent my first five years at Alakazam Academy there. My mother's going to be the new Herbology teacher."

"Really? What happened to Professor Sprout?" said Dean sounding slightly alarmed.

"She's taking a sabbatical."

"A sa-what-ical?"

"A sabbatical. A year off to study, you know?"

"Oh, where do you want us to put your trunk?"

"Just shove it in an empty compartment somewhere."

After the two boys had left, Elizabeth got a sweater out of her trunk to use as a pillow because she had had a terrible sleep the night before. She was just dozing off when someone poked her gently.

"Excuse me, but we could we sit here?" said a girl with bushy, brown hair, "Everywhere else is full."

"Oh sure," said Elizabeth rubbing her eyes.

"By the way, I'm Hermione Granger. These are my friends Ron Weasley and Harry Potter," the girl said gesturing to her friends in turn, "We're all 6th years in Gryffindor. What house are you in?"

"I don't know yet. I just moved here from Canada."

"Really? Did you go to Alakazam? What's it like there? Is it cold? Do you-"

"Hermione, shut up!" said Ron, the red-head, "So what's your name?"

"Oh my goodness! I can't believe I didn't ask your name! I'm so-"

"Hermione, be quiet!" said Harry, who had black hair and wore glasses, "Anyways, what is your name?"

"My name's Elizabeth Lupin," said Elizabeth.

"Do you happen to be related to Remus Lupin? He was our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in third year," said Harry.

"Not that I know of but I don't know my father or his family. He left when I was three. I never really knew him that well…," Elizabeth began.

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"Oh, that is so sad," said Hermione when Elizabeth had finished her story.

"It's okay. I've gotten by fine. Anyways, how long is it to Hogwarts?" said Elizabeth.

"Umm…I think we should likely get changed soon. Harry and I'll leave," said Ron.

Ron and Harry left leaving Hermione and Elizabeth alone. Elizabeth started rummaging through her trunk to find her new robes.

"Not the neatest packer, are you?" said Hermione.

"No. My mom's really good with that stuff magically, but I had to pack on my own."

"Yeah, me too. My parents were both away on a dentist's conference the week before I left for school. I had spent part of the summer at Ron's house but I felt like having a little freedom, all by myself in the house for a week. I made such a mess but I cleaned it all before Ron came to pick me up to go to the train," Hermione said as she pinned a badge to the front of her robes.

"What's that badge for?"

"I'm a Gryffindor prefect, Ron's one too."

"Oh… Question, is Harry always that quiet? He barely said a word the whole time you guys were in here."

"Well, he didn't use to be that quiet…I'm not sure if he'd want me to tell you but…I guess I will. You see his godfather died at the beginning of the summer. Si- I mean his godfather and him were really close. I think he's still a bit upset about it."

"Who was his godfather?"

"You wouldn't know him."

"Who knows? My mom might have known him. She had a bunch of friends here in England."

"Well, Harry wouldn't want me to tell you. You see it's sort of a secret…I mean, it's not that I don't think you're trustworthy, it's just a complicated situation and I think it's likely best-"

The door slammed open revealing a boy with slicked back blond hair, flanked by two others who resembled gorillas. "Hello Granger," the blond boy drawled, "Where's Potty and the Weasel? They usually go everywhere with you. You think they'd be extra careful watching you this year, you little Mudblood."

"You watch your mouth!" Elizabeth shouted.

"Oh, I didn't notice you over there. My name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. These are my friends Crabbe and Goyle," he said, pointing at each gorilla as he said their name, "I assume you just moved here as you're obviously too old to be a first year. I can help you figure out the right type of people to be friends with." He extended his hand in Elizabeth's direction.

"No thank you. I don't tend to be friends with the people who think they're better than others just because of blood and heritage. So I guess that counts you out," said Elizabeth with a smile.

Draco Malfoy sneered at her as he turned around and walked out of the compartment. Once he left, Hermione stared at her for a moment before saying, "You just told off Draco Malfoy on your first day here. Amazing! I bet he is totally mad at you for that."

"Who's mad at her for what?" said Harry as he and Ron walked into the compartment.

"Oh I just told some Malfoy dude off, that's all," Elizabeth replied.

"You told off Malfoy!" Ron exclaimed, "Awesome!"

Just then, the train screeched to a halt. "We're here!" said Hermione. They all got out of the train. Ron and Hermione went off to help the younger students off the train and Harry led Elizabeth over to the carriages that would take them up to the school.

"Ugh, what are those things?" Elizabeth asked Harry, pointing at the skeletal, black, winged horses hitched to the carriages.

"Those are Thestrals. You can only see them if you've seen someone die."

"Oh."

"Hey Harry!" shouted a round-faced boy running towards them.

"Hey Neville! How was your summer?" Harry asked the boy.

"Absolutely boring! Gran let me do even less than usual and that's not much! Who's your friend?"

"Oh, Neville, this is Elizabeth Lupin. Elizabeth, this is Neville Longbottom. He's a 6th year Gryffindor like me, Ron, and Hermione."

"Pleased to meet you, Neville," Elizabeth said.

"Same to you," he replied, shaking her hand, "Hope you get put in Gryffindor. Where'd you come from?" he added as they climbed into the carriage.

"Canada. I went to Alakazam Academy there. My mom's the new Herbology teacher here."

"What happened to Professor Sprout?" said Neville looking genuinely worried, "She didn't die did she? Herbology was my favourite class!"

"Professor Sprout's just taking a year to study."

"Oh, okay. That's alright then."

The carriage stopped with a jerk. Neville and Harry jumped out. Harry turned around and helped Elizabeth down. "I knew I shouldn't have worn these high heel-" she began as she looked up, "Wow! The castle is huge! Way bigger than Alakazam!"

"Well, why don't we go inside? I'll help you find Professor McGonagall so we can find out if you have to get sorted with the first years or if they're going to sort you separately," Harry said interrupting her staring up at the castle.

"Ok, let's go!"

And with that, Elizabeth took her first step into her new life. She didn't know how much different it would be.