[A/N] This is literally all I have written of this story right now. I have a lot more planned, but don't expect updates often, as it is my senior year in high school, and I have almost no free time between extracurriculars, school work, and college applications. This chapter is going up to test the waters and get a little bit of feedback on the direction it's going. Please feel free to be as critical as you like, and know that if you keep reviewing, I will keep writing, even if it seems to take so painfully long before I update that you are able to convince yourself that I died. :] -Kate


1. Arrival

Platform 9¾ was bustling with activity. Muggle parents of Muggle-born witches and wizards that were preparing for their First Year at Hogwarts were gazing stupidly at the magic teeming around them and all of the children, some of which were already dressed in black robes. Other First Years were shuffling around nervously, ignoring their parents' attempts to calm them or groom them or give them last-minute advice. There were groups of older students huddled together, greeting each other happily after a long summer apart and chatting about their holidays.

One such group stood near the back of the platform, each of the four boys talking over each other to tell what he had been up to and what his plans were for the new school year. The second tallest of the boys, with glasses and very messy black hair, stopped talking abruptly and focused his attention on a pretty redheaded girl that was near them, talking with friends of her own. The other three boys didn't take long to notice the object of his gaze, and stopped talking in turn, grinning or shaking their heads respectively.

"Good summer, Evans?" called the second tallest boy. The redhead turned to glare at him.

"Butt out, Potter," she snapped. "I haven't forgotten about last year."

The boy sputtered for a moment before regaining his composure. "What, you mean last year when Snivellus Snape called you a– a–" He couldn't quite bring himself to say what Snivellus Snape had called her, so he shuffled awkwardly before continuing. "Well, you know what he called you. I was just defending you!"

The girl's eyes narrowed. "James Potter, how can you possibly claim that you were defending me before Severus called me a–" She clenched her jaw, determined to say it. "-a Mudblood? You had him strung up by his ankles long before I came over to tell you off for being a prat, so stop pretending to be gallant." She turned on her heel, grabbed the arm of the friend she'd been talking to, and led her to the far side of the platform.

"Evans!" James called after her. "Evans, I'm sorry! Lily, come back!"

The tallest boy, also black-haired, put his hand on James' shoulder. "Bad luck, mate. Maybe next time." James nodded and shook his head and shoulders, as if shaking off the experience. He ran a hand through his hair to mess it up more, and turned back to talk to his friends.

A girl with brown hair watched the events of the platform from the edge of it, her hazel eyes flickering back and forth between the group of boys and the redhead. Before the girl could interpret what she'd seen, the first train whistle blew, signaling five minutes until departure. All the students said goodbye to their parents and moved with their friends to board the scarlet steam engine. Aria vanished into the crowd.


Aria sat in a compartment in the back of the train, fidgeting nervously and flinching at every sound that was made in the corridor. She nearly jumped all the way out of her seat when the compartment door slid open and four boys piled in quickly, sniggering to themselves. They didn't notice Aria sitting in the corner until the door had been closed and several high-fives had been exchanged between them. There were several moments of silence as the four boys surveyed her, during which time Aria concentrated on regulating her breathing.

"Oy, who are you?" Sirius Black finally asked, one eyebrow arched. Remus Lupin, the only one of the four that was already in his uniform, punched his friend lightly on the shoulder, shaking his head.

"Ignore him and his tremendous tact," Remus said bitingly. "I'm Remus, and this is Sirius, James, and Peter," he said, nodding at each of his friends in turn.

"My name is Aria," she replied timidly.

"Nice to meet you," Remus responded, moving to take one of the seats across from her. His friends quickly followed suit. James and Peter sat next to Remus, leaving Sirius in the seat next to Aria. "I don't mean to be rude, but you don't look like you could possibly be a First Year, and I'm sure I've never seen you around before."

"Oh, right," Aria said, stalling for a moment as she tried desperately to remember all the details of her story. "Well, I used to attend Salem Witches' Institute in America," she said, "but my parents, and my brother-" she broke off, swallowed hard, and continued. "Anyway, now I'm going to Hogwarts." There was the appropriate amount of emotion in her voice, but if the four boys in the compartment with her had been listening for it they would have been able to tell how carefully rehearsed the words were.

"That's interesting," Remus said. Peter seemed to have overextended his curiosity and was now staring at a particular spot on the compartment wall. James was still paying attention, but was also absentmindedly messing up his hair every few minutes. Sirius and Remus remained very interested in the newcomer.

"What year are you, actually? Will you be Sorted with the First Years?" Sirius asked, encouraging her to continue her tale.

"Sixth Year," she responded. "And I've already been Sorted. Professor Dumbledore came to visit me over Holiday and brought the Sorting Hat 'round. I've been put in Gryffindor." All four boys in the compartment became excited at the news.

"Wonderful," James said enthusiastically. "The four of us are all Gryffindors, it's the best house around without a doubt!"

The compartment door flung open, revealing a gawky boy with greasy black hair and an alarming number of large, pussy boils covering his face and every other bit of exposed skin.

"Potter– I'm going– kill you–" wheezed the boy, staggering into the compartment and struggling to raise his wand.

Aria looked noticeably frightened, but the boys in the compartment looked almost bored, if not viciously so. Peter's eyes flicked from James to Sirius to Severus Snape with such frequency that his head was moving in a tiny, continuous circle. James and Sirius both lazily drew their wands, and Remus looked pointedly away.

"What's wrong, Snivelly? Can't take a little joke from your old pals?" James sneered, not bothering to rise from his seat.

"You– are – scum," Snape hissed.

"No, no, Snape, you're confusing us with yourself again. Really, do try and keep it straight, yeah? We are the good guys. You are the Death Eater scum," Sirius said, his voice teeming with hatred. Aria scooted away from him, pressing herself against the window in an attempt to hide from any errant spells.

Snape raised his wand, but James and Sirius were quicker. Three voices shouted at once, although Snape's curse was just far enough behind that it did no good. The other two curses flew from James' and Sirius' wands, propelling Severus out of the compartment.

There was a sigh of exasperation from a passerby who had witnessed the scene. The girl stuck her head in, holding up a hand to stop any comments. "No, I don't want any excuses or tales about how you were provoked, or any apologies, or for you to say anything at all, in fact. I just came to get Remus. We're due in the Prefects' compartment in a few minutes."

James opened his mouth several times to say something in response, but Remus smacked him each time he tried before the latter climbed out of the crowded compartment to join Lily Evans, who stepped over Snape's unconscious body without a glance downward.

"Well, that could have gone better, eh, Prongs?" Sirius said as Remus pulled the compartment door closed behind him.

"Stuff it, Padfoot," James said grumpily, scooting into Remus' vacated spot to brood more properly, in the corner.

"Well, sorry about that interruption, Aria," Sirius said, rolling his eyes at his best friend, and turning his attention back to the girl next too him. "Tell us more about yourself, and about Salem."


Having exhausted her ability to fabricate details about Salem Witches' Academy, Aria feigned exhaustion and pretended to nap until the food cart came around, by which time the three boys remaining in her compartment had lost interest in the story of her life. James bought two of everything, Sirius got ample amounts of Chocolate Frogs and Pumpkin Pasties, and Peter, after turning out his pockets, managed to purchase a package of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans and several pieces of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. Aria fingered a few of the Galleons Dumbledore had provided her with inside her pocket, but didn't make a motion to buy anything.

Sirius noticed her lack of treats and offered her a Chocolate Frog. "What, watching your girlish figure?" he asked after she refused his offering, grinning cheekily.

"No," she laughed, "just not in the mood for sweets."

"Ah, well, take it for later, then, yeah?" He shoved the Chocolate Frog into her hand, and she put it in her bag. From what she knew about Sirius Black, he would have never taken no for an answer.

"So, did you find a flat, Sirius?" Peter asked after Sirius had turned his attention away from Aria.

"Yeah, right next to Fortescue's in Diagon Alley," Sirius replied, grinning. "I moved in from the Potter's last week. Fortescue welcomed me to the neighborhood with a free sundae."

"Excellent. We'll have to spend a few days there over Christmas," James said. "Free ice cream and no parents? Sounds like a dream." Peter nodded enthusiastically, but Sirius just shrugged.

"Yeah, we'll see. Let's get through term first, yeah? Besides, we've got the week's, uh, festivities to plan," he said, waggling his eyebrows. James and Peter grinned, and Aria looked appropriately confused at the in-joke. None of the boys attempted to explain it to Aria, but she had expected that, and tried to change the subject.

"So, uh, what was the deal with that guy earlier? The one that stumbled in with all the boils?" she asked.

"Ah, Snivellus," James answered, the malignant glint back in his eye. "He's our worst enemy, of sorts. We never miss an opportunity to give him and his Death Eater friends what they deserve."

Aria attempted to raise an eyebrow in order to properly express her incredulousness. She lacked the ability to raise only one eyebrow, however, and quickly raised both so she didn't look like she was merely squinting one eye. "So you just go around hexing each other? That doesn't sound like it's very helpful in the effort to thwart Voldemort, if you ask me," she said.

The compartment was utterly and completely silent and motionless for a moment. Sirius spoke first.

"You know you just said You-Know-Who's name, right?" he asked. Aria noted that he was able to raise one eyebrow perfectly well.

Her cheeks grew red. She was used to not thinking twice about saying Voldemort's name, even if many people she knew had not quite progressed to that level of comfort with the new order of things. "Well, I–" she started, trying not to get too flustered. "I just–" she tried again. "Yeah," she finished lamely.

The three boys were still eyeing her carefully, and while Peter looked scared out of his wits, James and Sirius looked rather more interested than anything else. "Any particular reason for that?" James asked.

Aria thought for a moment about how best to explain her nonchalance when it came to the Dark Lord's full name, and stumbled upon a memory of something someone had said to her long ago, a second- or third-hand quote. "Fear of a name," she said tentatively, "only increases fear of the thing itself." This revelation gave her the courage to continue. "Referring to him as You-Know-Who only perpetuates the universal fear that he is trying so hard to maintain. Calling him by his proper name seems one of the easiest ways to undermine his plans." She ended with a tentative shrug, but her voice was confident enough.

James and Sirius looked at each other for a split second, as though silently communicating with one another, before they broke into grins.

"That," James said slowly, "is one of the most brilliant things I've ever heard." Peter, who had still looked terrified until James had spoken, quickly changed his expression to a smile and nodded enthusiastically.

"Most definitely," Sirius agreed. "Vol-de-mort," he said slowly, savoring each syllable as it left his throat. "Ruddy brilliant."

"Voldemort," James repeated, still grinning. "I like it. Not quite as satisfying as jinxing Snape and his cronies, but it's definitely up there." Peter looked around nervously, wondering if it was his turn to say the name, but Remus saved him the trouble by opening the compartment door and entering. His back was facing the inhabitants of the compartment, and he was nodding at Lily Evans.

"Yeah, alright, Lily. Just come and get me when it's my turn," he said.

"Okay," Lily said brightly. "You should probably try and get a quick nap in during my turn," she instructed. "You're looking a bit peakish."

Remus offered a small, good-natured smile as he shut the compartment door and sat down next to Peter. "Yes," he said to himself, "that does tend to happen around this time of month." Sirius' eyes widened, and he turned to look at Aria, who was staring out the window intently. Quickly, the three other boys caught on, and each began gazing at Aria as well. With a start, Aria turned to face them.

"Oh, hello again, Remus. Silly me, I must have been daydreaming and didn't realize that you'd come back in," she said cheerily. The four boys let out a collective sigh and Sirius met Remus' eyes in a sort of 'watch-what-you-say' warning.

Remus nodded almost imperceptibly, and responded to Aria. "Yes, I do my best to escape the Prefects' meeting as quickly as possible. They're mainly a bunch of do-gooders try to out-do-good each other, and I always feel a tad out of place, what with this bunch of delinquents I run 'round with," he said, smiling affectionately at his friends. "Unfortunately, though, my duty's not quite finished for the day. Right now, Lily is patrolling the corridors, but after an hour or so it becomes my turn," he explained.

Aria nodded sympathetically, trying to keep her mind off of her own Prefect's badge, sitting hidden at the bottom of her trunk. Dumbledore had advised her to dispose of it, but she hadn't been able to bring herself to part with one of the few remaining links to the life she knew.

There was a lull in the conversation that resulted in several minutes of silence. Aria was lost in thought about her past, and the boys were each thinking of things they wouldn't dare discuss with Aria present, including but not limited to the next week's adventure and their next ambush of Severus Snape. Finally, Peter, who had mostly been switching his gaze from James to Sirius, spoke up.

"So, do you suppose this will be the Chudley Cannons' turnaround year?" he asked earnestly. Everyone in the compartment burst out laughing, even Aria, who was well aware of the Cannons' longstanding place at the bottom of the Quidditch league. Quidditch carried the conversation well until Lily came to inform Remus that his shift was starting. Remus nodded obligingly and stood to leave.

"I'll be on duty until we arrive, so I'll see you lot back at the castle. Don't just abandon Aria, alright? We wouldn't want her to get lost, and I know how distracted you all can get," he smiled and winked at Aria before exiting the compartment. Lily lingered in the doorway, eyeing Aria.

"Hello, there," she said pleasantly. "I'm Lily Evans."

"Aria Bennett," she responded with a smile. "This is my, uh, first year here."

"She's transferred from Salem in the U.S.," James added helpfully, watching Lily hopefully for any sign of approval.

"She's in Sixth Year with us," Sirius continued, "and Gryffindor!"

"She can also," Aria interjected, "speak for herself. But they did get the basics," she conceded, smiling.

Lily was momentarily torn between interest in the newcomer and her extreme distaste for James Potter. In the end, her curiosity won out, and she took a seat next to Peter. "So what brings you to Hogwarts?"

Aria shifted uncomfortably at the question. She had not fully come to terms with the truth or the lie. She took a deep breath and answered. "Well, I was basically raised by my brother after my parents died when I was eight," she started. True. "He worked for the Ministry" – True – "in the Department of International Magical Cooperation" – True – "and was, uh, a Magical Ambassador to the United States" – False. "He lived in the U.S during the, uh, school year for his job, so I stayed there with him, and he, uh, enrolled me in Salem." False, False, False. "He's… Well, he's gone now" – True – "so Dumbledore and I decided it would be best if I finished out my academic career here at Hogwarts." True.

Lily nodded sympathetically, and the three boys looked appropriately somber. "And did Sirius say you're a Gryffindor?" Lily asked, trying to move away from the sad subject.

"Yes," Aria affirmed. "Dumbledore visited me over the summer and, uh, Sorted me," she said.

"Well done, you'll love it. It'll be nice to have that fifth bed filled," Lily said happily. "We've only eight Gryffindors in our year, four girls and four boys, so there's always been an empty bed in the girls' dormitory," she explained. "I'm sure we'll all get along famously, they're lovely girls." Lily looked down at her watch. "Well, Mary and the others are expecting me in the other compartment. It was great meeting you, Aria. I'll see you up at the castle!" Lily promptly stood and left the compartment, closing the door behind her.

"Alright, there, Prongs, you can stop drooling now," Sirius laughed. James' cheeks tinged red, but he ignored his friend and quickly chose a new topic of conversation.

"So, did you take your O.W.L.s at Salem? How is that working?"

"Oh, uh, no, I didn't," Aria answered. "But I took similar subjects, and Dumbledore gave me a sort of informal assessment, and judged that it would be acceptable for me to continue on in my preferred areas of study," she explained. It was true enough; she'd ended up in this time before the results of her O.W.L.s had arrived, but Dumbledore had decided that she could matriculate into Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, and Arithmancy without retaking the grueling exams, for which she was infinitely grateful.

James asked her about her subjects, and the conversation naturally progressed until the Hogwarts Express slowed to a stop at Hogsmeade Station. Cursing, Sirius noted that they had not yet changed into their robes. The boys waited outside as Aria quickly changed, and then she did the same for them. The boys emerged fully dress just as the train came to a halt.

"Come on, then, Aria," Sirius said, "you heard Remus. We aren't to let you out of our sight." He slung an arm around her shoulders, guiding her towards the platform. Aria laughed.

"I'm not sure that he meant it was necessary for you to physically assault me," she said lightheartedly, flashing him a smile and ducking out from under his arm.

"I'm just a very physical being," he chuckled, throwing his arm back around her as they walked towards the carriages to take them back to Hogwarts. He put his other arm around James' shoulders. "It's like if I'm not touching you, you're not there. Hey, where's Peter?" he asked, looking around in fake confusion.

"I'm right here!" Peter exclaimed from right in front of Sirius, not understanding the joke. Sirius shook his head, but didn't bother to explain it to him.

"Know what's pulling these things?" James asked Aria impishly as they approached an empty carriage.

"Thestrals," she said, without a second thought. James looked at her, befuddled.

"Can you see them?" he asked.

"Er- no," she answered truthfully. "But everyone knows that Thestrals pull the Hogwarts carriages," she said. James still looked puzzled.

"I'm pretty sure they don't…" he replied, glancing at Sirius.

"Oy, you lot!" Sirius yelled at a bunch of Fourth Years boarding one of the carriages. "What's pulling these things?"

"Magic, you dolt," one of them replied, earning a high-five from his friend.

"Good job, now clear out. This is ours." The Fourth Years exchanged meaningful looks before deciding that they would rather find another coach than tangle with the Marauders and going on their way.

"Yeah, Aria, almost no one knows about the Thestrals," James said. "How could you possibly know?"

Aria was suddenly very uncomfortable as she took her seat in the carriage. Of course the Thestrals weren't common knowledge yet. She had to be more careful.

"Oh," she said, "I just assumed. Dumbledore, uh, explained how the train ride and the journey to the castle would go," she explained nervously after some very quick thinking. "He, uh, mentioned the Thestrals, I just assumed it was common knowledge."

James still looked skeptical, but accepted her answer. The coach jolted forward and began moving up to the castle. Aria watched the landscape pass in the dark, awkwardly avoiding James' eyes. The trees were smaller, the grass less invasive. There were fewer lily pads at the edge of the Black Lake, and the Whomping Willow was barely recognizable as the dangerous giant tree-beast that Aria had known.

Peter was looking out the window as well. "I bet that Salem's not near this pretty," he said proudly, watching Aria expectantly for her reaction.

She smiled in response, not averting her gaze. "Nothing could be this beautiful," she replied softly. The remaining few minutes of the ride passed in silence. Aria stared out her window longingly as James watched Aria, scrutinizing. Peter was staring intently at James, waiting for any sign of conversation or recognition, intermittently glancing at Sirius in similar hopes. Sirius, too, was watching Aria, trying to decide how he felt about the newcomer.

Remus caught up with them as they got out of the stationary carriage, retelling his encounter with a group of Third Year Slytherins that had ambushed him during his patrol with several dungbombs and low-level hexes. He told the story with surprising animation, considering the bags under his eyes and his overall exhausted demeanor.

Aria sat down with the boys at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, trying to ignore the increasingly prevalent stares she was receiving as she was noticed as a stranger by more and more students. Lily, several seats away, was pointing her out to the girls she was sitting with, likely the other Sixth Years.

Dumbledore stood up from his seat at the center of the head table. He simultaneously flicked his wand and cleared his throat, his eyes sparkling. The grand doors at the front of the Great Hall flew open, and Professor McGonagall led in a group of anxious First Years. "Let the Sorting begin," Dumbledore announced, promptly retaking his seat.