Chapter One: Finding Out Your Destiny
Tabitha Wright woke up on the morning of her fifteenth birthday just the same as she did every other day. Except, well, it was her birthday. She got up, stretched, put on her furry house shoes, and went into her bathroom to get showered and dressed. She turned on the water, climbed in, and began to wash. As she scrubbed her left shoulder, she noticed an odd mark. Actually, upon closer inspection, it was more than a mark. She tried to scrub it off, and it wouldn't go away. She ignored it, and finished her shower normally. She got out of the shower and proceeded to dry herself off. She glanced in the mirror and nearly screamed at what she saw. A very small, navy blue, star shaped tattoo was on her upper bicep, and she had no idea how it got there. She definitely didn't remember getting a tattoo, and she knew she hadn't been smashed the night before, so how in the hell did this thing get there? She dressed quickly, then ran into her mother's room.
Tabitha's mother was a witch. Her father was a Muggle, which made Tabitha half-and-half, but Tabitha was technically Muggle. She had managed to do a little bit of magic - wandless, of course - in very tight circumstances, but never anything that was under her control. She remembered lighting a girl from down the street's doll's hair on fire without meaning to. She had erupted into a fit of giggles, while her mother set it right with a few well-placed Memory Charms. But now Tabitha hoped her mother could explain this.
"Mum!" she called, throwing back the curtains and casting light onto her mother's sleeping face. "Mum, wake up, I need you."
Carolyn Bennington-Wright blinked into the light as her daughter threw back the curtains. As soon as she heard the words, "Mum, I need you," however, she sat straight up in bed.
"What is it?" she asked urgently. Tabitha pulled up her shirt sleeve and revealed the star. Carolyn sat back in her bed and sighed resignedly.
"I hoped this wouldn't happen so soon," she said. Tabitha looked at her strangely. Carolyn sighed again and sat her daughter down on the bed.
"When you were a year old, Tab," she said, "There was an awful tragedy. A terrible wizard named Voldemort had been terrorizing the wizarding world. He killed Muggles and wizards left and right. He wasn't stopped until he came to one family's house. They were called the Potters. Lily and James, whom I knew at school, had a son named Harry. The Readers' Digest version is that Voldemort went to their house, killed Lily and James, then tried to kill Harry. Instead, the Killing Curse backfired, and sent You-Know-Who to who-knows-where. He's back now. You're only a little more than a month younger than Harry, you know . . ."
"That's all well and good and terribly tragic, Mum," said Tabitha, "But what's it all got to do with me?"
Carolyn took her daughter's hand. "When you were born, a man named Dumbledore put a charm upon you, with my consent. You were marked with the Star of Ages. You have the power to right a wrong that was charmed onto you. After he had performed the spell and I saw the mark, I wanted it hidden. So he hid it so it would show when you were ready, and together we performed a Binding Spell to constrict your powers. You couldn't go to Hogwarts, you see, because then it would throw everything off. You had to live as a Muggle, or else nothing would work."
"I still don't understand," said Tabitha.
"Tabitha, you've got to go back in time and stop Voldemort from killing the Potters," said Carolyn. "Because James Potter will be the only one who can kill Voldemort. He was killed himself before he could fully develop the power he needed to do so. Now that burden has fallen to Harry. But it will take even longer for him to develop it. That's why we need you. That's why your mark is showing itself now. Because it is time for you to go."
Tabitha sat in shock. She barely believed her own mother. A little star tattoo appears on her shoulder and all of a sudden she has to save the world? This was nonsense. But, she knew her mother was a witch, and that she would never lie to her. But then that made this all true . . . and that wasn't possible. Maybe this was a birthday prank. Yes, that had to be it. Carolyn read her daughter's expression.
"I'm not joking, Tab," she said seriously. "Get dressed. We're going to Hogwarts."
Tabitha dressed in robes her mother had given her. Once she and her mother were ready, they went downstairs to the fire in the fireplace. Carolyn extracted a vial of powder from her robe pocket.
"This is called Floo powder," she said. "You throw it in the flames, shout out your destination, and you'll be taken there. Muggles usually can't do it, but since you're technically a witch . . . Well, let's just try it and see." She gave her daughter a fistful of powder.
Tabitha, still disbelieving the whole thing, threw the powder on the flames a little doubtingly and jumped back when they turned bright green. She glanced at her mother, who nodded encouragingly saying, "Just say Dumbledore's office," and Tabitha stepped shaking into the flames. "Dumbledore's office?" she said, slightly hesitantly. She was suddenly whooshed up the chimney and flown past thousands of other hearths. She was dumped out in a round stone room, with walls covered with moving portraits of old men and women. An equally old, white-haired and -bearded man sat at the desk, drumming his fingers together. His blue eyes sparkled behind half-moon glasses. They stared at each other a moment before the old man spoke.
"It is good to finally see you again, Miss Wright," he said, "But I believe your mother will be arriving at any moment, so you might want to come sit in front of my desk."
Tabitha sat where the old man indicated, and a second later her mother appeared in the room, dusting soot off of herself. Dumbledore smiled as he saw Carolyn.
"Miss Bennington!" he exclaimed. "It is a pleasure to see you. I had believed you swore you would never see me again after your daughter was born." He smiled. "It is good to have you back. Please, sit down."
Dumbledore rested his chin on his fingertips. "I do know why you are here," he said finally. "And I believe we should explain to Miss Tabitha what her job is exactly. She has been told of the tragedy that she is to prevent?" Carolyn nodded. He turned back to Tabitha.
"Tabitha, you were born into a destiny that was written in the stars. Your birthday, today, August 31st, is exactly one month after Harry's. After the tragedy, a certain Sybill Trelawney made the first real prediction of her life. That you would be the one to right that terrible wrong. Do not ask how we know this, because it is nearly impossible to explain. However, that does not change the fact that you must go back in time, befriend James Potter and Lily, then Evans. You must not let them switch secret-keepers. Remember that. Sirius Black must remain secret-keeper." Tabitha nodded, then looked confused.
"Wait? Secret-keeper? Sirius Black? I'm confused."
"All will be explained in due time," said Dumbledore. "We must now brief you for your journey. The year is nineteen seventy-five. The group of friends you are about to meet call themselves the Marauders. I won't tell you much, because you are to appear to be a newcomer. You must blend in. You are already equipped with the knowledge you need to fifth year, through the charm which has been lifted today. You will go as a new student. You will befriend the Marauders, and you will make sure that nothing happens to change secret-keepers. Understand?" Tabitha nodded.
"Now, Tabitha," added Dumbledore, "We are altering time. James Potter has a destiny that you must save, or else Harry Potter will be shifted that burden. And while Harry is a very powerful wizard, the truth is he may never be strong enough to do what he must do in his father's stead. You must do only this - ensure that Sirius Black remains their secret-keeper."
Tabitha nodded again. She had one question left. "Will I ever get to come back?"
Dumbledore looked at her grimly. He put his hand on hers as it sat on the desk. "Tabitha," he said, "I'm so very sorry. We've explained everything too quickly. You do understand your duty, don't you?" Tabitha nodded. "Then I must tell you this. No, my dear. Once you go, you cannot return."
Tabitha simply stared at the old man in front of her. Suddenly, she stood, enraged. "That's impossible," she said, "None of this is possible. I'm a Muggle, I've always been a Muggle. I can't believe I ever started to believe you people. I'm dreaming. That's it, I'm dreaming."
"Tabitha, please, calm down!" said her mother as Tabitha began to edge toward the door.
"You can't tell me to calm down!" shrieked Tabitha, "This isn't real! None of this is real!" With that, she turned and dashed out of the door.
She ran down the moving staircase and out into the hallway.
Just as she sidestepped the giant gargoyle in front of the door, she ran smack into a person passing in the hall.