Summary: Alexandra Potter is no longer welcome at her house after she blew up her "aunt". She's been living on the streets with a ragtag band of misfits and street rats. Nobody in the wizarding world knows about this. What happens when a chance encounter makes her situation known? How will her friends react?
Alexandra Potter raced from her uncle's house, heart pounding. She had just blow up her "aunt". She was so dead. Her uncle didn't often get violent, not really. But Alexandra knew that she had crossed the line this time. Uncle Vernon was going to kill her. So she ran down the street, through the park, across the woods, and into an alleyway. She was about to continue, when she ran into a little girl. She had messy black hair, and big brown eyes. She was wearing a long nightgown. She couldn't be more than eight. Clutching her hand was a toddler with curly brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a large shirt like a nightgown.
"What are you two doing out here by yourselves?" she questioned, bending down. The girl shook her head quickly, and started to back away. The little boy, who was being pulled backwards by the girl, tripped. Alexandra helped him up, and was about to question them, when the girl screamed.
"Lia! ¡Ayuda! ¡Esta extraña señora está secuestrando a Cormac!" (Lia! Help! This strange lady is kidnapping Cormac!) She shouted running down the street. Alexandra had no idea what the little girl had screamed, but it didn't sound good for her. A second later a girl about Alexandra's age came running down the street. She had hazel eyes and curly black hair. She seemed to be wearing normal clothes. She had on denim shorts and a purple tee-shirt. Alexandra let go of the toddlers arm and backed away, holding her arms up in a non-threatening manner. The hazel eyed girl scooped up the toddler and glared at Alexandra.
"Where are your parents?" she asked suspiciously. Alexandra raised an eyebrow.
"I could ask you the same question." Responded Alexandra.
"I asked you first." Said the girl. Alexandra sighed. She didn't have time for this. The ministry was probably coming for her, and her guardians wanted to kill her. But curiosity got the better of her.
"My parents are dead. But if you mean my guardians, they are at their house probably plotting how best to kill Me." Alexandra said. "How about you?"
"We ran away from home. Our parents were abusive, end of story. Why do you care so much?" the mystery girl asked.
"I'm curious."
"Curiosity killed the cat."
"No it didn't. Knowledge did. Curiosity was just framed for the crime." Smirked Alexandra. The other girl smiled.
"I like you. I'm Lilith. Lilith Genevieve Asho. You?"
"Al-"Alexandra stopped. She trusted these people, but you could never be too sure. "I mean, Ava Lucy Pennell." She added, keeping her initials the same.
"This is Mallory Violet Asho." Lilith said pointing to the girl. "And Cormac Avery Asho." She said pointing to the boy. "So would you like to come on the run with us?" Alexandra was about to answer when she heard a faint popping sound. Suddenly several ministry officials walked out from dark corners, led by Fudge and Mr. Weasley. Mr. Weasley rushed over to Alexandra, and pulled her away from the Asho's.
"How could you be so foolish?" asked M. Weasley. "There is a murderer after you!" Alexandra wasn't fazed. There had been a murderer after sense she was born. One more wasn't a big deal to her.
"Nothing new there. To name a few: Tom Riddle when I was one, Professor Quirrell when I was eleven, Tom Riddle again when I was eleven, and Tom Riddle for a second time when I was eleven, Tom Riddle when I was twelve." She shrugged. Lilith was steadily paling. "So who's the new murderer?" this was breaking point for Lilith, who started making choking sounds.
"You've had murderers after you…sense you were one?" she asked in a strangled voice. Alexandra nodded.
"My parents got on the wrong side of…" Alexandra struggled to put this into words that wouldn't have her tossed in the loony bin. "A gang leader, of sorts. He somehow got it into his head that to rule the world, he had to kill me. So on Halloween, he came to my house and… murdered my parents. Because of… because of me. He tried to kill me, but somehow injured himself and fled. The…gang members… thought that I killed him and have been after me. Of course, I know he's not dead. Tom Riddle is his name. So back to the topic at hand, who is this new murderer?"
"Stop Arthur! I forbid you from telling her anything. She is safe not knowing." Ordered Fudge.
"You know what she's like at school! Last year she wandered into the forbidden forest, and was attacked by extremely deadly spiders and went into a snake's lair, where she was bit by said poisonous snake. She almost dyed!" argued Mr. Weasley. Fudge was about to shout back when Alexandra interrupted him.
"Ok five things! One: I didn't 'wander' into the forest, I went in there looking for the spiders. Two: I didn't know it was a snake's lair. I just knew that it held a dangerous creature that had killed a student. Three: not my fault I was bitten by a snake! Four: I didn't almost die. I was given the anti-venom with at least a 10 seconds to spare. Five: why would I go looking for someone that wants to kill me?" Alexandra stated/asked. Mr. Weasley raised an eyebrow.
"First year." He fake coughed. Alexandra rolled her eyes.
"Sheesh! You go looking for someone who wants to kill you ONE TIME and suddenly you can't be trusted with the name of the person who wants to kill you!" she exclaimed, exasperated.
"Second year." Deadpanned Mr. Weasley. Alexandra sighed.
"I didn't know that he wanted to murder me at the time! Just one of my best friends, a third of the schools population, and my best friends little sister." Explained Alexandra.
"It doesn't matter! You don't need to know right girl?" asked Fudge, not noticing the way Alexandra flinched when he called her girl. In fact, only Lilith noticed. She looked over at Alexandra and mouthed the words your guardians. Her eyes darkened when Alexandra nodded slightly.
"N-no sir. I don't need to know. But I would really like to." Answered Alexandra with a slight quiver in her voice. Again, nobody noticed except Lilith.
"Perfect. Now back on track. We cleared up the little issue at your aunt and uncle's house, and they've agreed to welcome you back for summer vacation, as long as you stay at your boarding school for the rest of the year." Fudge said happily.
"I always do that. And I don't want to return there. Ever." She stated.
"Now, now. I'm sure you guys love each other. Er- deep, deep, down." Fudge said nervously.
"How much did you pay them?" Alexandra asked suddenly. Fudge quickly appeared uncomfortable.
"Four thousand pounds." He mumbled. Mr. Weasley looked horrified.
"Why would you have to pay them? They're her family!" he gasped in horror. Lilith laughed humorlessly.
"Don't tell me you're that stupid. He really doesn't know? I've known her for, what? Five, ten minutes? And even I know that her aunt and uncle abuse her. Verbally for sure, probably physically. I don't know about sexually. It's a definite possibility. Also the state of her points to neglect, and malnourishment. She's very pale, though that might be because I'm reveling her secrets without ever being told them, and her clothes are obviously boy's clothes that have been repurposed." Stated Lilith with disgust. Mr. Weasley looked ready to pass out. He grabbed Alexandra's shoulder, and turned her around to face him.
"Is this true?" he asked gently. Alexandra gave a nervous laugh.
"Of course not." She said without meeting his eyes. Lilith scowled.
"When was the last time he threatened you? Your uncle." Asked Lilith.
"He's never threatened me!" said Alexandra shrilly.
"Has he ever threatened you?" asked Mr. Weasley. "And I'll know if you're lying. I can do legilimency. So tell me the truth." Alexandra had no idea what legilimency was, but she knew that she had no choice.
"A couple days ago." She mumbled.
"And just what did he say?" asked a livid Mr. Weasley through gritted teeth. Alexandra bit her lip. There was no getting out of this. She wished that she could get away, far away. It didn't matter where she went, as long as it wasn't here. And suddenly she wasn't there anymore. She was in the leaky cauldron. Breathless, she turned around to find Fudge standing behind her.
"Look here girl!" he warned pointing a finger in his face. "I don't care how you're treated at your house. That is not my problem. I didn't put you there, but it'll be me whose head will be chopped off if the press gets wind of this. I'll obliviate the ministry workers, and you'll keep your mouth shut. Are we clear?" he asked. Alexandra crossed her arms and nodded.
"Crystal." Answered Alexandra, quoting her favorite movie. They had had free movie days during the summer last year, and she had sneaked away to see "A Few Good Men." (AN: free movie days is a real thing at my theater during the summer.) Nodding, he turned and left. Wondering if the memory charm would work, Alexandra hauled her trunk up the stairs. Flopping down on her bed, she wondered about the Asho's. Would she ever see them again? What had their parents done to drive them over the edge? Would she had ran away with them, if she hadn't been interrupted? With a pang of guilt, she realized that yes. She would have ran away.
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With a sinking feeling, Alexandra stepped off the train at the end of third year. She had to face her aunt and uncle. They were going to kill her. She was sure of it. This year had been a whirlwind. She had found out that the crazy murder after her who had killed her parents was her godfather, her favorite defense professor (the only one who hadn't tried to kill or erase her memories) turned out to be a werewolf and almost killed her (accidentally, of course), and her best friends rat turned out to be the real traitor who was supposed to be dead. All things considered, it wasn't until she reached the platform that she remembered she was dead meat. But to her great surprise, and relief, the Dursleys weren't there. Hermione had early yearly check up to go to, sense her birthday happened while she was at Hogwarts, so she was rushed away by her parents. The Weasleys stayed for an hour, but there was still no sign of the Dursleys. Alexandra knew she had to do something soon. Her aunt and uncle probably expected her to walk home as punishment for blowing up Marge. She decided to borrow a quarter from a passing muggle lady to call her aunt.
"Dursley household, Vernon Dursley speaking." Came the deep voice over the receiver.
"Uncle Vernon, it's me. Alexandra. I'm assuming that I have to walk home?" she questioned. Uncle Vernon's whole demeanor changed instantly.
"Listen here, girl. My home isn't yours anymore. I'm kicking you out. Don't come back. If you show your freakish face here again, you'll be sorry. Never call this number again. And stay away from my family!" he roared. Alexandra heard a dial tone, and knew that he had hung up on her. Walking away from the pay phone, Alexandra couldn't make herself tell the Weasleys about this. They would be outraged and tell Dumbledore, who would make the Dursleys keep Alexandra. And she didn't want to go back. So instead she came up with a cover story.
"My aunt and uncle are busy. I have to walk home." She said. Mrs. Weasley looked scandalized.
"But that's horrible! You are a thirteen year old girl! Who knows what kind of horrible people could kidnap you!" cried Mrs. Weasley. Alexandra shrugged.
"It's really not that big of a deal. I better go though. It's late and you should be getting home to your own family. Truly it's not a big deal." Insisted Alexandra. The Weasleys, though still wary, agreed. Jogging off in the direction of her house, Alexandra waited until all of the Weasleys were gone, before heading off in the opposite direction. She ran down the street, keeping eyes peeled desperately for any sign of the Asho's. She passed an alleyway, and did a double take when she saw a little boy with big brown eyes peering out at her. He was wearing too short dress pants, a too long dress shirt, and a too big black vest. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the "he" was a "she". She had had light freckles covering her elven shaped nose, and her hair was completely covered in a black bandana. Her feet were bare. Alexandra's breath caught in her throat when she realized who the little girl was. It was Mallory Asho.
"Mallory it's me, Ava. Can you take me to your sister?" she asked slowly. Mallory nodded.
"Yes." She answered softly. Mallory grabbed her hand and pulled her over to an abandoned apartment covered in graffiti. The whole alley was covered in graffiti really. They walked up the rusty fire escape, and climbed through a window. It closed behind them with a hearty clunk. Inside the ratty apartment were four people. Alexandra recognized two of them as Cormac and Lilith. One of the others was a boy. He looked about Alexandra's age, tan with blond hair and green eyes. The other was a girl, maybe in her early twenties, with chocolate colored skin, brown eyes, and short curly black hair.
"Why did you bring someone here?" asked the girl sharply. Mallory looked nervous.
"¡Me pidió que la trajera aquí! ¡La conocemos antes, el verano pasado! Su nombre es Ava! ¡Algunos hombres la llevaron! Lilith dijo que no nos lastimaría!" (She asked me to bring her here! We have met her before, last summer! Her name is Ava! Some men took her! Lilith said she wouldn't hurt us!) Mallory exclaimed in rapid Spanish. She then turned to Lilith.
"You remember her, right Lia?" asked Mallory. Alexandra held her breath until Lilith nodded.
"Mallory's right. We can trust Ava." Decided Lilith. "But I'm assuming that's not your real name?" she asked, turning to a now blushing Alexandra, who shook her head no.
"I've kept my initials the same. My real name is Alexandra Lily Potter." Answered Alexandra.
"I'm Hassan Crawford." Introduced the blonde.
"Suzette Andi Natasha." Introduced the brown eyed adult.
"So you guys all live here?" asked Alexandra. Lilith nodded.
"Us and my older sister Nakusha. But everyone calls her McKenzie. It's her middle name. call her Nakusha and your dead." Explained Lilith. "You can call me Lia, by the way. I don't mean to sound rude, but why are you here?" she asked. Alexandra sighed.
"My uncle isn't very happy with me. My aunt, well she's not really my aunt but I'm forced to call her that, had an allergic reaction. I cook all of the meals, and apparently she was allergic to something I cooked. I didn't realize she was allergic to it, but my uncle didn't care. That's why I ran away last summer." Fibbed Alexandra. Lilith nodded in understanding.
"Yes, but why are you here now? And who were those men who took you? Is there still a murderer after you?" she asked in confusion.
"My parents went to an exclusive boarding school in Scotland, and before they died, they paid for me to go there. That's why I didn't come earlier. When I got off the train, by aunt and uncle weren't there. I called them, and they threatened me not to come home. So I didn't. Those men were the FBI in charge of the Tom Riddle case. The Dursleys over reacted and called them saying that I had "poisoned" my aunt. When they got wind of the fact that I had ran away, they took me to a safe house until school started. But don't worry! Nobody is currently after me! I'm not putting you in danger. Can I please stay?" asked Alexandra.
"Of course! But we need to change your hair, and steal you some clothes." Decided Suzette. Alexandra reared back.
"Wait, what?" asked Alexandra. "I get the hair and clothes thing. I'm recognizable, and my clothes are kinda deplorable, but steal? Is that really necessary?" Hassan chuckled.
"I was like that to at first. I ran away when I was seven. Suzette found me, and stole me an outfit. I was horrified. But then I realized that it was part of survival." Explained Hassan. "FYI, here is your new schedule: on Mondays you beg. Tuesdays you do odd jobs. Wednesdays and Thursdays you pick-pocket around town on Fridays you beg. On Sundays we go to church in the morning and relax in the afternoons, unless we have a job. On Saturdays we stay home and teach Mallory and Cormac. You have the same schedule as Lia." Alexandra, though still not liking the idea of stealing, nodded and resigned herself to doing such. Lilith grinned.
"Great!" she beamed. "Let me give you the grand tour. There are three rooms in the apartment. The main room is the one we are currently in. Over there is where you and I'll sleep." She said pointing to a couch against a wall. "It folds out into a bed. Behind us is where Suzette sleeps.'' She pointed to a dirty, white chaise. "McKenzie and Mallory sleep in the bed over there." She pointed to a queen size mattress laying on the floor. It had three pillows and a black quilt on it. Next to the bed was a rack holding five shirts, a jacket, and a sweater. Folded neatly on the floor next to the rack was a couple pairs of pants, some undergarments, and a skirt. With a start, Alexandra realized that besides the clothes on their backs, this was all the clothing they owned. "That pile of green couch cushions is where Hassan and Cormac sleep." Narrated Lilith, pointing to the far corner. She then led Alexandra to a red door. Inside was a small kitchen. "In here is the kitchen, and through the blue door is the restroom. And that's it." Finished Lilith with a smile. "What color would you like to dye your hair?" Alexandra thought about it for a minute. "
"I think I would make a nice blonde-
"No way! To do that you would have to bleach your hair! Your hair is way too beautiful to ruin like that!" interrupted Lilith. "You have to dye it red. That's the only color you can dye black hair without it being bleached." She explained. Alexandra sighed. Great she would look identical to her mom. She had to get the dye out before she left for Hogwarts, or else her teachers would have a heart attack.
"Tonight will be your chance to prove yourself, Alexandra." Said Suzette.
"Don't call be Alexandra. Usually when someone calls me that, they want to kill me. Call me Alex, or Ally, or Alexa, or Lexi, or Andra. But not Alexandra." She stated.
"I think Lexi's right." Said Hassan with a wink. "When out in public we should call her Ava. If someone were to realize that she wasn't at her uncle's house, he might lie and say that she ran away. Then people might be on the lookout. Alexandra isn't a very common name."
"Can we get back on topic? What do you mean by 'a chance to prove myself'?" Alexandra asked. Mallory smirked.
"Whenever someone comes to live with Suzette, they have to steal clothes on their first night. Hassan was a special case, but everyone else did. I didn't manage to steal a single outfit, but McKenzie stole one for herself and for me. Plus Hassan gave me the clothes he ran away in. they didn't fit him when he was seven, but he thought they might fit me. Lia snagged two outfits." The small girl explained. Alexandra sighed. It was going to be a long night.