Disclaimer: No, alas I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter. Harry Potter and all that goes with it belongs to the most extraordinary Jo Rowling. I am merely bidding my time until the glorious day known as July 16th. Anything that you recognize belongs to the most awesome J. K. Rowling.

Chapter 2

Harry Potter watched as the Daily Prophet delivery owl descended into the pink and orange horizon. Once the owl was out of sight the raven haired young man turned his attention to the newspaper clasped in his grasp. His emerald eyes dulled further from their usual depression as they met the morning headline. Voldemort and his cronies had struck once again. There was a magical picture of an elegant Victorian style home, it was in flames and in the airspace above it ever loomed the dark mark. An elaborate sign which glowed green, featuring a skull with a snake protruding through its open mouth. Smoke was overtaking the starry night sky. Harry dejectedly cast the paper across the room, Voldemort and his Death Eaters were in full swing, and didn't give a damn who knew it. In fact, they thrived on the fear which they could create. " How much longer must this go on?" Harry sighed. He knew the inevitable answer, though he still couldn't admit it to himself.

"Wake up! Breakfast." Aunt Petunia called icily, rapping on the bedroom door. Giving his Aunt an ample head start, Harry rolled his eyes and ventured downstairs. The door bell chided through the house just as he reached the end of the stairs. Suspiciously he ducked back into the shadows and grasped his wand. Apprehensively, he watched his Uncle answer the door.

Vernon Dursley talked in muffled tones with the visitor. Harry couldn't see past his Uncles massive bulk. Petunia entered the hallway, whipping her hands on the floral apron tied about her waist. "What's keeping you Vernon?" She asked in her usual curious manner, after all she was the resident gossip. Petunia stood at her husbands shoulder. Gasping, she clasped her hand over her mouth. "Rose?" Harry raised a suspicious eyebrow; his Aunt and uncle stood frozen in the doorway.

Dudley burst onto the scene, "I'm hungry!" He whined. "What's going on? Who's at the door?" He went and stood by his parents.

"Actually, my name is Skye, my mum's name was Rose, Rose Evans." Harry's emerald green eyes grew wide and clouded with confusion, the three Dursley's grew silent. "Hello Aunt Petunia." Skye greeted, nervously running her hand through her short red hair. Off in the distance thunder rolled , the rain reverted to a light mist. Skye stood uneasily outside the door, the rain sinking through her already sopping clothes. Please believe me.

OoOoOoO

The crescent moon hung high in the sky. Skye stood over the sink starring into its endless depths, pondering her predicament. The vibes around this house, they weren't friendly, not towards her. She really felt the hatred once they let her into the house. She had preformed a drying spell on herself, obviously they didn't like magic. More than didn't like magic, hated magic, they hated that which she was about. Though Petunia was a puzzle in herself. The vibes coming from her weren't an exact hatred, yet they weren't acceptance either.

Skye's eyes glowed silver in the moon light, hanging between color. "Hi." She spoke, startling Harry, who was hanging in the doorway. How could she have known? "I'm really sensitive to sound." Skye answered, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "In case you were wondering." She smiled, her green eyes sparkled. Harry remained silent, cautiously he took a seat across from her at the table. His gaze remained a mix between curiosity and suspicion. "I don't bite. Go on and ask, I know your dying to know."

Harry looked visibly pained at the mention of 'dying', but proceeded with the question that had long been on his mind. In fact, from the very moment that he found out that she was an Evans. "What happened to you parents?"

Skye leaned back in her chair and brushed her fingers through her hair. "My mum was murdered. It was in The Daily Prophet, I'm sure." Harry brought today's issue out of his pocket, and after looking it over she nodded. "As for my dad, I have no idea. Mum never brought it up and I never pushed the issue. As far as I know I have no father." She smiled, Skye knew he wanted to know than that, he wanted a back ground story. " You tell me who you are, and I'll tell you who I am. A trade off, if you will." Her eyes smirked, he hesitated. "You don't trust me, I don't suppose I've given you any reason to."

"I'm just very," Harry paused, searching for the word. "Cautious, that's all. I don't really trust anyone anymore. My names Harry. Harry Potter. Though you probably already knew that." She nodded and Harry was both relieved and mystified when she didn't register the usual reaction. "You know who I am, so I assume you know why I am here and not with my parents." Harry's eyes deadened at the mention of his dead parents.

"Yeah, I'm afraid I know all about 'The Boy Who Lived'" Skye smiled sadly. "But you don't know my story." Skye answered mysteriously. "I've lived with my mum all my life, in that same house in the picture." Skye said pointing to the daily profit picture. "Though it looks much better when its not up in flames." She shook her head."Sorry, that must have sounded horrible. Sometimes my sense of humor gets the best of me. I just blurt things out." Harry nodded, everyone deals with pain in their own unique way. The duo fell into a comfortable silence.

"You know Professor Dumbledore." Harry noticeably tensed at the mention of his Professor, but nodded anyway. Skye nodded and proceeded. "Does it ever feel like he knows more than he cares to share?"

"All the time." Harry answered immediately. "He is constantly withholding things from me. He, in fact, did so just last year. Trust me, you never get used to it, I'd be lying if I said that you did."

Skye nodded, "That's what I thought." A snowy barn owl, accompanied by a small, overzealous owl and brown barn owl swopped through the open window, each dropping a parcel onto the table. The brown barn owl perched itself atop the table, whilst the snowy owl took up residence on Harry's shoulder. The tiny, overzealous owl continued to fly circles around Harry's head, chirping incessantly. Skye caught a glance at the wording on one of the attached cards, she brought her gaze up to meet Harry's. "Happy 16th Harry."

OoOoOoO

The three Dursley's and their 'freak' relatives sat at the breakfast table the next morning. Vernon had his newspaper placed in front of him, reading the business reports. Petunia was at the stove, the eggs and bacon were just about finished. Dudley sat very still in his seat, watching his cousins talk very animatedly of things quite over his head. "No, I'm serious, I've never been to an actual school. I've learned everything I know either independently or from my mum."

"Independently." Harry repeated, a bit astonished really.

"Yeah. Mum taught me to read when I was really young. Books have been my best friends ever since. Give me a good book and I'll be all set. I love reading, but more than that I love to learn. I think my biggest fear would most defiantly have to be failure."

"Your going to love Hermione, you two are so much alike. I swear she's read Hogwarts, a History so many times, she fluent."

"I love Hogwarts, A History!" Skye exclaimed. Harry laughed. It wasn't a huge laugh, but it was indeed the first laugh he had laughed all summer. "What do you fear most?" Skye asked. "I told you what my greatest fear is."

"Dementors. Or as Professor Lupin told me during my third year, I fear fear itself because that's what Dementors truly are, the essence of fear."

"When did you encounter a Dementor?"

"During my third year. First on the train to Hogwarts, that's when I discovered them. Than again later that year, I fell off my broom during Quidditch, I think about a hundred feet. Than again at the end of the year, I cast the Protromous Curse to ward off over a hundred of them."

"You know how to cast the Prtromous Curse?" Skye asked in wonderment. "Can you teach it to me sometime?"

"That's enough!" Vernon, said bringing his paper down onto the table, his face gone purple. Dudley smirked, Now their going to get it. "That's enough of this magic business, enough I say!" An owl swooped through the window. Vernon turned twice as purple, if that's even possible. "ENOUGH!"

The owl landed next to Harry's plate. With all eyes on him he unattached the parchment and quickly read over the letters contents. "Well." Vernon Dursley, rudely asked.

"The Weasley's want me to come stay with them, if that's alright with you. It says here that you should be fine with it." Harry said indicating the exact place in the letter. Uncle Vernon grabbed the letter from Harry's grasp and scanned it. Harry looked at his Uncle expectantly. "Well."

"Don't be snide boy..."

"Or what, you'll lock me in the cupboard under the stairs? Been there, done that. You can't threaten me, your nothing compared to the other tortures I face daily. So, I assume I can go."

"You've been moody all summer, that gives you no..."

"Vernon, leave the boy alone. Harry, to your room, now." Petunia interupted.

"Gladly." Harry answered in a monotone. He left the Kitchen and bounded up the stairs. Skye slipped out of the Kitchen unnoticed as the Dursley's argued. Petunia had the finishing statement.

"Do you not remember those people at the train station when we picked him up last year? Skye silently slipped up the stairs. She wanted some answers, and she wanted them now.

OoOoOoO

Skye knocked tentatively on Harry's door. When he didn't answer she went in anyway. "What's going on." Harry continued to stare out the window, remaining silent. "Don't want to talk, fine, than I'll talk until your ready. You don't seem to like it here. Not that I blame you, it's obvious these people are completely weirded out by magic and 'people like us.' But what I don't get..."

"I lived in a cupboard my entire childhood. They would lock me in it when I went to sleep and let me out in the morning to go to school. Dudley, being the massive ass he is, made everyone hate me. I would always get picked on, I never had any friends and never did well. Everyone thinks that I'm such a hero, that everything is so easy for me. I have a news flash, it's not."

"Oh Harry..."

"DON'T feel sorry for me." Harry cut her off, turning to face her, tears in his eyes. "Don't pity me." Skye stepped forward and took her cousin into a hug. Both were teary eyed, both orphaned and both feeling so alone in the world. Little did they know things were about to become so much more complicated. After all, when Voldemort is in the mix, how can life be anything but?

AN: Thank you so much to Lesalanna for sending me a review. I made this chapter a bit longer than the others, about two pages longer than the last chapter; its a start! You mentioned delving into Skye's history a bit more; all will come in time, I don't want to reveal too much all at once. As for the time she was in, I thought it was obvious, but I was obviously wrong, lol, but I fixed the confusion that there may have been with this chapter. I hope I answered everything and I hope you liked this chapter. Thanks again so much for ther reveiw! Anyway, I'll stop my babbling now, as always don't hesitate to send me some feedback.

Peace