Chapter 1

New Students at Hogwarts

Everything started on a bright and peculiar day, while Albus Severus Potter was sitting under one of the trees outside the castle, reading the book that he started a while ago, 'Transfiguration in Animals'. Two strange boys appeared in the lawns, not too far from him.

There was something about them that had startled Albus. They looked as if they had come from a war. Even his parent didn't look nearly as bad in the pictures that were taken right after the battle of Hogwarts. They were dirty and their faces were covered in dust and something that looked like green-brown mud, their clothes were shredded to pieces and edge of the pants of one of them was on fire.

And there was also the fact that they weren't supposed to be there. It was September first. All the students were supposed to be on their way to the train. The only people currently at Hogwarts were the teachers, Rose and him. Now, putting aside the fact that they were actually there, the question of how they got there still remained.

The answer was simple. Sort of. When they appeared, there was a loud crack that sounded somewhat like a whip. It informed Albus that they had Apparated to Hogwarts' grounds.

And after all of that, as if it wasn't enough, Albus had never seen them before. They looked his age and were obviously wizards. They weren't supposed to know where Hogwarts was located. Strangers – and they definitely were strangers – must never get in to Hogwarts.

As Albus started to wonder why they are running, he realized that they were running away from something. The two were running through Hogwarts' lawns without noticing their surroundings, determined to escape whatever it was that they were running from.

Albus closed his book and stood up, walking towards the two, his wand in his hand. His parents had always made sure he could defend himself, and thought it was annoying, he hadn't complained because he understood why they were doing it.

"Stop!" he called when he was three feet away from them. "Who are you?"

The two stopped and turned around. Albus stumbled backward. When he saw their faces, he wasn't able to understand whether these twins were boys or girls, since it was so confusing. Because they were Asian, the two could be either boys or girls, as much as he knew.

"I'm Kiku and that's my brother, Kuro." Albus looked at them and couldn't understand if the one who spoke was a boy or a girl, although he understood that the other one is a boy. "Who are you?"

"Albus Potter." He answered and looked at them carefully. They were in worse shape than he had thought, he realized as he observed them closely. "You're a boy? What are you doing here?"

"A girl." Kiku corrected grumpily, and Albus thought that he had heard her mumbling 'why they never ask Kuro that question? We're identical!' but then she stopped. "Wait, you said… Albus potter?" she asked in shock and shared a glance with her brother, who nodded.

"Yeah…" Albus began suspecting there was something far greater than he had originally thought was going on. "What are you doing here?" he asked again.

"We…" the girl started again but her eyes rolled into her head and her legs gave under her weight. A single moment before her head bumped into the ground, her brother had caught her.

"We need to talk with professor Flint, NOW!" Kuro demanded in a harsh voice. Albus noted that he won't get any answers until he would help them, and yeah, he wanted answers.

"I can help you with her." Albus offered when he saw Kuro lumping and the heavy bag on his back. Kuro nodded gratefully and Albus picked Kiko up. She was petite, not too tall and very skinny, as if she had not eaten enough but she was healthy, kind off.

"Here. What happened to you two?" Albus directed him and asked, but didn't get any answer. Kuro stared at him for a few seconds and then went back to looking forward. He stared at the paintings and when he thought Albus didn't notice, he passed his hand over one of their frames. When he noticed that Albus was looking he ran his hand over his face –wiping tears, Albus understood lately– and looked forward again.

Finally, Albus stopped next to the gargoyle that led to the headmaster's office. "You need the password." He said to Kuro. The last one had tried to recall something, most likely the password.

"Emergency, representative of the Order of the Phoenix, urgent case." Kuro muttered after a short moment and the statue moved, revealing the passage. Albus was sure it was not the password, and yet the passage was revealed. This only made Albus want to find out the answer to his question even more.

Who are they?

The two went up the stairs, Kiku still in Albus's arms. As they reached the entrance Kuro knocked on the door.

"Come in." came a voice from inside, and Kuro entered without a second thought. It was only the second time that Albus had come into professor's Flint office.

The office looked like he looked at the time professor Dumbledore was the headmaster, which he saw in his father's memories. A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. But before all of that, there was professor Flint.

He was sitting nonchalantly in his armchair with a smile on his face. "And who are you, if I may ask?" he asked in pleasant voice. His attitude was alike to Dumbledore's but he had lacked in years and oldness that the old professor had, and also was missing the sparkle in the eyes that made him do things that in most viewpoints counted as insane.

Kuro threw an old letter on the desk. Professor Flint opened the crumpled envelope and pulled out the letter. After five minutes of reading, in which he looked surprised more and more with every second that passed, he nodded and took an empty note, writing on it couple of sentences.

"Go now to the hospital wing. Kuro, please give the note to madam Pomfrey, she'll take care of you." Said Flint in pleasant smile. Albus was tempted to take the letter – if it satisfied the principle and gave him reason to get in two teenagers to his school without knowing them, it meant there were answers there. And a lot of them.

The three went out of the room and down the stairs. Albus was still holding Kiku in his arms and Kuro was going behind him. Albus thought about asking him again about him and his sister but as he glanced back he saw Kuro like he had never seen him before.

Until now he held his head high and his shoulders straight as much as he could. Even though he was limping and hurt and wounded, he had a strong and dignified aura. He looked dangerous. Now his head was dropped down, hid shoulders limp, tears staining his cheeks and his hands shaking. Albus understood that all that strong appearance was just a mask and decided to hold off his questions for now.

When they arrived to the hospital wing, madam Pomfrey opened the door and almost passed out at the sight of the injured twins. Without asking any questions, she let them in even though it was early in the morning and closed the door.

"lay her here," said madam Pomfrey and pointed to one of the beds. She hurried to one of the closets, searching for something until she pulled out her hands in success.

"Girl…?" she mumbled in question and looked towards Kuro, he, on the other hand shook his head in a 'no'. She looked over to Kiku and this time she agreed. "Ok, then you, sit here and drink it. I don't care that it doesn't taste good." She said to Kuro that frowned at the sight of the potion that she gave him.

"You!" She called Albus and pointed at him while he jumped in frightening. "Go get from my room two doses of restoration potion." She said and Albus nodded in response and ran to do as she said.

Meanwhile, madam Pomfrey observed the twins. She nodded after a moment as if she had reached a decision and suddenly pulled out her wand. She pointed on Kuro and thought for another moment before starting to cast spells on him.

"Aguamenti," a small splash of water came out of her wand and filled an empty bowl that stood on the nightstand that was next to Kuro's bad.

"Episkey," Kuro's leg made an unpleasant sound while he grimaced in pain and tightened his grip on the rail of the bad to avoid of screaming in pain. Madam Pomfrey's face expressed empathy.

"I'm sorry, but I must do something also about your hand." Albus came back with the potion and stayed back. Kuro gasped and released his grip.

"Just do it already." He said between clenched teeth and grabbed the railing tightly again, putting the other one in his lap.

"Episkey," Madam Pomfrey exclaimed while pointing on the hand and again sounded an unpleasant sound as he snarled in pain. When his breath returned to normal he moved his hand but still grimaced in pain when bended it downwards.

"Seems like you will have to be with a bandaged hand for couple of days. How is the leg?" Madam Pomfrey asked him and he stood up carefully, testing the leg and nodding. "Very well. Albus, give him a dose of the potion." Kuro tested the potion and sighed, drinking it in one sip. "When she will wake up you will give her the second dose." She said and went towards a big closet that was full with potions that Albus hoped that he would never need to drink.

"Are you ok?" Albus asked Kuro quietly as the other one started to wipe his head with a cloth that madam Pomfrey had put in a bowl. "I still can't understand how you managed to get wounded like that."

"I will be fine. Madam Pomfrey knows what she is doing." He answered and put back the cloth.

"Drink this. Slowly. And do not spit it out." She gave him a green potion that only the sight of it made Albus feel sick, but it seemed that Kuro was not affected by it or the horrible smell, and especially not by the taste because he drank it as if it was pumpkin juice.

Meanwhile, Kiku had woken up and sat on the bad. "Kuro?" before she managed to let another word out, madam Pomfrey pushed the same potion into her hand. "Oh, I am so sick of this potion already."

"Drink it, drink it! Come on!" Ordered madam Pomfrey while Kiku drank the potion and her brother smirked. "Now, give her the Restoration potion."

"Thanks." Kiko mumbled and drank the potion. After few moments, they looked a lot better.

"Dear, go and get another dose of the Restoration potion." Madam Pomfrey said and Albus did as she asked.

"I don't understand what had happened to you. How were you able to walk with a broken leg while she had passed out?" Madam Pomfrey mumbled and then Albus came back. Madam Pomfrey looked at him as if waiting for him to do something, but he could not understand what he was supposed to do with the last dose. "Well? What are you waiting for? Drink it. You look too pale."

Albus blinked and then drank it. He liked the feeling that the potion gave him, like he had slept for at least twenty hours. But before that good feeling came, he felt his throat shrink as he tasted the bitter potion.

"Obliviate." Madam Pomfrey called out and Albus collapsed on the bad while his memories were being erased.

When she understood that the twins wouldn't answer her, she pushed Kuro back on the bed, making the boy utter a cry of pain and Pomfrey hurried to pull back.

"What happened?" She asked as Kuro pulled his shirt up and revealed a bleeding waist.

"I've been shot. You know, a spelled muggles gun. The bullet is still inside, I didn't have enough time to get it out." Kuro said with clenched teeth and ripped the shirt to reveal the whole wound.

Madam Pomfrey pulled out her wand and was going to spell it out. "No!" Kuro stopped her. "Do not try using magic. I told you, it is spelled. I must get it out by myself, otherwise it will just hurt me more." Kuro explained and picked up his beg.

Finally, the bullet was out and madam Pomfrey cast a quick healing spells on the area and wrapped a tight bandage around his chest. "Thanks." Kuro mumbled, laying down in the bed.

"And now I want to know everything. Who are you, how you managed to get wounded like that and why." She said sharply and the two sighed, knowing that there was no escape from that.

"OK, I am guessing that we can tell you… So, this is our story…"