I do not own Harry Potter or anything you recognise. All rights go to JK

A/N: Sirius and Remus are NOT a gay couple. I have nothing against homosexual relationships, but these guys aren't. Just so you know.

Peace,

Ciara xxx

Chapter 2

Liz woke up the next morning with the feeling she was missing something. In fact, she was in and out of the bathroom, and half-dressed before she remembered.

It was her birthday.

She was eleven.

She was bounding down the stairs thirty seconds later, and skidding into the kitchen... where she was promptly tackled to the ground.

"Happy birthday Lizzie!" yelled her godfather.

Liz could hear Remus laughing in the background. "Uncle Padfoot, you're crushing my ribs!" she shouted.

Sirius leaped to his feet, pulling Liz up with him. "You're eleven!" he continued yelling, spinning her round and round. "You've started the great journey to be an awesome witch! Our baby's growing up," he started sniffing dramatically. "Remus, our baby's going to face the world."

Liz rolled her eyes at her godfather's extravagance. Remus had said that Sirius had matured since their teenage years. If this was maturity, she didn't even want to think about the things his fellow classmates had suffered through.

Remus approached Liz less roughly. He hugged her, saying, "Happy birthday, Liz."

Then Sirius began dragging her towards the dining room, shouting about presents and birthday breakfast. His enthusiasm was obviously infectious, for Liz was a bundle of insane energy by the time they reached the table. Plates were piled high with pancakes, lemon juice, sugar, chocolate spread, the works. You'd think that all that sugar would make a child fatter than an ogre, but Sirius and Remus weren't too worried. Liz didn't do weight gain. She was like a toothpick.

There was a little pile of presents in the centre of the table, from family friends. Liz tore through the wrapping like a hurricane. There was a book filled with prank recipes invented within the dark mind of Sirius Black, a Weird Sisters CD and t-shirt from Tonks, a new Holyhead Harpies poster (signed by Gwenog Jones!) from Remus, as well as a card and photo from the Aurors at the ministry (they knew her through Sirius, Remus and her parents). But there was one more, wrapped in red paper and a gold ribbon, and a present tag in the shape of a Snitch. Liz flipped the tag over:

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth

We know that if you're reading this particular present tag, then you have reached your eleventh birthday without us. We're sorry that we left you so soon, but know that we love you, and we have every belief that you will grow up to do great things. We couldn't be more proud of our girl.

Your dad was given this by his own father when he was young, who was given it by his father before that, and his before that, and so on. His uses of it were not always exactly within the rules-

Liz smiled at that.

-but it was a great asset. Use it well.

We love you,

Mum and Dad xxx

Liz instinctively looked at the portrait of her parents on the dining wall. There was a picture of them in every room (apart from the bathrooms and bedrooms). In each painting, the background was a replica of the respective room, minus its occupants. Only one Lily and one James had been painted, and they could go between the paintings.

Liz pulled away the gold ribbon and gently tore open the paper. She looked at the contents. Then at Remus, who smiled secretively. Then at Sirius, who was smirking. Then back to her present from her dead parents.

It was a large cloak, with a hood as well. Judging by the size of it, it was designed for a full-grown wizard. It was a dark colour, one that your eyes skip over absent-mindedly.

"Well?" demanded Sirius after a few moments of silence. "Try it on!" He was almost visually buzzing with excitement.

"It's just a cloak," Liz muttered, but she knew better. Anything given to her from her parents in the beyond had to be important. She lifted up the cloak and swung it around her shoulders, fastening the clasp. She could feel the cloth shifting, altering... shrinking. The cloak's hem shortened to a length where it barely brushed the floor, not showing her feet. The cloak fit around her figure more snugly, outlining her thin figure. Well, this is what Liz assumed, seeing as she couldn't see her body.

"Arrgh!" Liz yelled, her head (the only visible part of her) spinning around, trying to locate the rest of her body. "Sirius! Remus! My body! Where is it?!"

Sirius was rolling on the floor, his body racked with laughter at his goddaughter's shock. Remus, on the other hand, was attempting to calm Liz down.

"Liz, quieten down. It's okay."

"It's not okay!" Liz shouted at her uncle. "I don't have arms, or legs, or a torso! How is this okay?!"

"ELIZABETH POTTER, WOULD YOU STOP YELLING!" roared Remus. Liz immediately fell silent. "Sorry, Liz. But your body is not gone." She opened her mouth to protest, but Remus ploughed on. "You can still feel your arms and such, yes?" Liz nodded. "See? just reach up and take off the cloak like you would with any other."

Liz did as she was instructed, and the cloak reappeared as she undid the clasp, as well as her body.

She sighed with relief. "What is that?"

"An invisibility cloak. A real one, not a Disillusion Charm- those fade off. These last many lifetimes, and are very rare. It was your father's," Remus replied. "And now it's yours."

Now the shock had left Liz's brain, she remembered something. "The note said this particular present tag. What's that supposed to mean?"

Sirius got up off the floor, his laughing fit over. "They were prepared for many outcomes. They were certain that you should receive the cloak on your eleventh birthday, and they wrote a series of present tags for us to put on. Obviously, their plan worked." His normally youthful and mischievous expression faltered, and Liz saw the painful years behind his eyes. But as fast as it came, it was gone again, and he sat down at the dining table with a soft thump. "Anyway, if anyone wants pancakes, they should eat before they're too late."


That evening, Liz opened the door to see an enormous man towering over her, with wild, tangled hair, hands big enough to fit about three Liz's inside, and eyes hidden behind dark lenses.

Liz smiled like a child on Christmas Day. "Hagrid!" she launched herself at the half-giant. "You came!"

Rubeus Hagrid chuckled, gently hugging the tiny girl back. "Nice ter see yeh too, Liz. 'Course I came! I'm a half-giant who keeps his promises, don' yeh know?"

Liz noticed the goggles over his eyes. "Take Sirius' bike, huh?"

Hagrid took off his goggles. "Yeah. As a matter'a fact I did. Maybe when yer Uncle Moony ligh'ens up a bit, you an' me'll convince him ter le' you 'ave a go."

"Hagrid?" Liz nudged him. "You're forgetting something- what's today, and why this particular time it's so special?"

Hagrid tapped his chin, seeming deep in thought. "Well, now, Liz, there's lotsa special things abou' terday; it's August tomorrow, it's a particularly beautiful day- no, I 'ave it! The house elves are makin' a hog roast!"

Liz laughed, playfully punching Hagrid. He rubbed his wrist, playing along. "No, Hagrid. It's my birthday! I'm eleven!"

"Oh yeah, the grea' Liz Potter is eleven years'a age! She'll be off ter Hogwarts soon, preparin' ter be the greatest witch'a her time!" He picked the girl up and placed her on one of his unbelievably broad shoulders. He started marching towards the kitchen, loudly bellowing the tune to some anthem. Liz laughed all the while, and sang along when she could.

"Is that Hagrid, Liz?" Remus' voice floated from the Main Living Room.

"Well, duh, Moony!" Sirius joined in the conversation. "Who else talks like that- or sings like that for that matter." There was a scuffle, and a thump.

Liz looked down at Hagrid from her position on his shoulder. "Sometimes, I wonder who the child is in this house."


Birthday dinner was Liz's favourite: a Muggle food called pizza that her mother had introduced the Marauders to when they were younger. Sirius and Remus had once gone to Godric's Hollow and found a pizza takeaway, given Liz a slice when she was five or six, and she fell in love with it.

Sirius and Remus were laughing with Hagrid over 'the good old days' when Hagrid suddenly said, "Oh! Almost fergot! I gotta presen' fer yeh, Liz." He reached into one of the many large pockets of his coat, which lay across four spare chairs, and brought out a bag. He handed it to Liz, saying, "Happy birthday."

Liz looked up at Hagrid with a bemused smile as she took the bag. "Thank you, Hagrid."

The half-giant rolled his eyes. "Yer present's inside the bag."

Liz pulled an 'I knew that' expression, and peered inside. And looked back up at Hagrid with a smile that everyone who knew her had grown to be wary of. "You didn't."

Hagrid chuckled. "Oh, bu' I did."

"What is it?" Sirius leaned over from the left of Liz. "What did he get you?" he looked into the bag, and an evil grin spread across his face. "No way."

Liz simply kept grinning, and pulled out a big orange box. Remus took one look at his niece's birthday present, and visibly paled.

"Hagrid…" Remus looked at his old friend. "I think you just endangered us all."

"The Zonko's Deluxe Mega Set- the equipment for the basic needs of any pranker, with twice as much extras as the Zonko's Mega Set!" Liz yelled, jumping up and dancing around the room. "Hagrid you are the best ever!"

Hagrid was laughing along with Sirius. "I try."

Liz moved to put the box back into the bag, but as she picked up the latter, she noticed it was a tad heavy for an empty bag. Then she noticed the slight bulge at the bottom. She set the box down on the table, and quickly reached into the bag. And pulled out a letter. With a red seal that she'd dreamed of since she'd been told of the stories.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss Elizabeth Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. Please be on platform nine and three quarters before eleven a.m. to board the Hogwarts Express.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress

Sure enough, there was a list of supplies and a code of conduct. But Liz didn't really read them. She simply stared. Then, "I'm going to Hogwarts!"