Chapter Two- Relatives That Make All The Difference

Tess' P.O.V.

It's June first, I'm eight years old now, and I'm currently in the backseat of my parent's car.

Every summer we take a trip down to Louisiana and stay there until Independence Day, so for a little over a month I get to be treated as a normal child. I'm sure you can imagine my excitement at the prospect of my parents not being cruel to me for an entire month.

My father, George Miller, grew up down there, so the entirety of his side of the family lives there. We get to stay with them for free, because if we didn't, we wouldn't even go down there to visit.

My mother hates his family though. She says they're all stupid rednecks, but I quite like them.

Matilda was originally from the same neighborhood as my gran, so they're very close friends. I think that's why she became my family's maid.

She always tells me stories about all the amazing things down in New Orleans. I'm not allowed to see any of them for myself though, thanks to my parents.

We are about two hours away from our destination, and I could hardly wait to get there. The main reason for my excitement was that I'll finally be able to see all my cousins and aunts and uncles again. And then of course there was seeing my gran again, whom I love most of all.

All of my relatives are special to me in some way or another, but my gran is absolutely my favorite.

My gran and I have always been very close, ever since I could walk and talk. We always cook together, and whenever she or any other part of my family is near, my parents don't try to hurt me, whether it be physically, psychologically, or emotionally.

My Aunt Francis, or Aunt Shoog as she prefers me to call her, is another one of my favorites. She's one of the strongest women I've ever known, to include the ones I've read about, and is absolutely hilarious. She has a new baby every year, right around Christmas time, so I always have at least five cousins to play with.

Plus there's all my other cousins and aunts and uncles, so there's never an opportunity for me to get lonely while I'm there. It really feels like home to me.

The rocking of the car is beginning to make me sleepy, so I think I'm going to take a nap. I check to make sure that my parents won't need me before drifting off to sleep, my dreams filled with what seemed to be impossible circumstances, when in truth they were visions of a not-so-distant future...

I was running trough what appeared to be a train station. I looked a bit older, about eleven or so. At least, that's how my face looked. The rest of me could have easily passed for fourteen or fifteen. I guess I was an early bloomer, as Matilda and Gran would say.

I knew I needed to be somewhere important by eleven o'clock, that's why I was running, but I had no idea where the important place was. It was like I was looking for something invisible, something that was impossible to find.

I stopped when I saw a girl with flaming red hair pass by me. She had an owl on her trolley, just like I had one on mine, and she was quickly followed by a boy with greasy black hair, also with an owl on his trolly.

I followed after them, having no conscious idea as to why any of us had owls on our trolleys, or why I was even in a train station, but in this dream, I had no control over myself, which I found to be rather odd for one of my dreams. Usually I had complete control over everything, so why was this different?

"Excuse me!" I called out to the trotting pair, utterly confused by the entire situation. Why do I have a southern accent? I consciously thought.

Before I could think about it more or see what happens next, my mother's shrill voice penetrated my dream and woke me up. She was complaining about how filthy everything was, and how the redneck children need to put some shoes on. I guess we're here. I thought, disappointed that I couldn't finish the dream, but happy and excited to finally be able to see my family again.


Sirius' P.O.V.

Today was the day that my favorite uncle, Uncle Alphard, was going to visit. He was going to be here for a few weeks, which meant no bed time, as many sweets as I want, and best of all, no screaming matches or beatings. I could hardly contain my excitement.

Uncle Alphard is also someone I can relate to. He and I have the same views on muggles, so I was his favorite nephew.

I plan on telling him all about the dreams I've been having as soon as I get the chance. I'm sure he'll be able to tell me something about the mysterious blonde that haunts all my dreams.

Not that I'm complaining or anything. I actually look forward to those dreams. The girl is absolutely amazing, and if she were real and I was old enough, I'd find out where she lives and ask her to marry me. Seriously.

I've never been able to see her face, but that surprisingly doesn't really matter to me.

She's kind, loving, smart, and Merlin can she cook! Sometimes all I dream about is eating one of her meals.

Yep, she's my perfect girl, and she doesn't even exist.

Bummer man.

Oh! Uncle Alphard's here! I can't believe I just spent the last two hours daydreaming about my woman. I didn't even notice him come through the front door.

"Hey! Sirius! You still in there?" he asked laughingly, waving his hand in front of my face.

I give him a sheepish grin and say, "Sorry, I was a bit caught up with something I have on my mind."

A surprised look comes over Uncle Alphard's face. "What's her name?" he asked. Is it really that obvious?

"I don't know her name, but I know that I'm in love with her." I answer.

Uncle Alphard stays quiet for a moment before bursting out into hysterical laughter. "Sirius my boy, you're truly a man after my own heart. What's this lovely lady look like?"

I smile, knowing that his laughter wasn't meant to be hurtful, and tell him enthusiastically, "She has long blonde hair, a body that any girl would kill for, and I may not have seen her face, but I know it's just as beautiful as the rest of her."

Uncle Alphard raised a brow at me and asked, "Do you mean to tell me she's an older woman?"

I blush slightly and respond, "Well, yeah, but I'm always older when I see her, so it doesn't really count."

My answer must have intrigued him, because the next words out of his mouth were, "Now how do you manage that? You're far to young to be making aging potions, no offense, so how do you do it?"

I hesitate before answering, "Well... I only see her in my dreams... That's how..."

For some reason, a huge smile plastered itself across Uncle Alphard's face, a smile that said he knew something and wasn't about to share it with me.

"I'll be right back Sirius," he said as he turned to the staircase that led to the family Owlery, "I have an important letter to send."

Important didn't even come close to describing it. He was about to write and send the letter that would set my future in motion. I just didn't know it yet.


A/N: Hi guys, I have two things to say.

One, thanks to everyone that has read so far, especially to those of you that have favorited and added the story to your alerts.

Two, I just got a six week old puppy today, so I might be a bit slow on the updates for a while. I'll try my hardest to get them out in a timely manner, but no promises.

Again, thank you to everyone that enjoys this story, and I hope to write the next chapter and post it soon. Thanks!