Here Once Again

Hey all, two chapters in one day! Hope you enjoy :)

(Oh, and apparently bullet-points don't transfer over...oh well.)

I couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled up my throat and the dark grin that spread across my lips as I watched daybreak lighten the horizon. I had been up all night, but didn't even care. My whole room had been rearranged and cleaned. My desk was now back under my window, my bed pushed against the left wall, and I had managed to wandlessly vanish all of the broken junk that either wouldn't hold up against a Reparo or wasn't worth keeping. Most of the dust was gone, and I had even chased all of the spiders away. Over all, the room looked a lot better, though I still disliked it.

I twirled my pen absently between my fingers as I watched the sun rise. I had sent Hedwig off with my odd little poem about five minutes before; and that marked the beginning of it all.

I had plans for the Order, the Ministry, and the Dursleys. I had been up all night fine-tuning these plans, but I now have as much of a plan as I could expect. I had written out a few of my more complicated plots, and even written down my to-do list. Not that any of them had been written down originally, but after catching my mind wandering and mixing up details sometime around 4am, I decided it was best.

I was pretty sure that absent mindedness was a new trait of mine, but part of that I blamed on my shattered Soul and the fact that my Core was now thrumming constantly, practically begging me to find the other Hallows.

It was rather hard to ignore, but I managed.

As the sun rose higher, I refocused and glanced down at my to-do list. I was just going to double check it (for the millionth time) before leaving. Today was going to be fun, I just knew it.

To-do List:

Today/Next Few Days:

Find out date – DO NOT ASK DURSLEYS

Find a way to Diagon Alley

Go to Gringotts, withdraw money, check on accounts, exchange a couple hundred galleons into pounds, and SUBTLY bring up that there's a Horcrux in one of their vaults.

I had cursed the fact that I had never just told Griphook what the cup was so many times. Goblins hated Horcruxes and would've helped destroy all of them for a small fee. I'd learned this while making amends with the bank only a year after we broke in. Thankfully, they had dropped most of the charges against the three of us after learning that. Sadly, it still cost me most of the Black and Potter fortune.

Get magical equivalent of a PO Box.

I had thought about putting a submission in to the Daily Prophet to be delivered through Muggle Mail; but decided that the Dursleys really wouldn't like me getting mail through 'normal' means, especially if it was magical mail. Muggle Mail delivery was possible in the Wizarding World; you just had to know which Owl Post Office to send it to. Though it was mostly just the random Muggle Born or Squib who used this service, I liked it because it was more difficult to track or intercept, compared to Post Owls.

Originally I hadn't bothered ordering the Prophet, not seeing the point and relying on Mione to tell me everything. After Voldie though, I learned the value in knowing your enemy; and right now, my enemy was the Ministry.

Go shopping for mundane and magical supplies, books, clothes, etc.

Head down to Gilton's in Knockturn Alley to have Trace removed.

This was something else that I had discovered after Tommy's war. The times that I had wished I'd known about it before the war…I'd lost count. The custom wand shop was called "Gilton's Magical Creations" and the wand maker could do just about anything, for the right price. That of course, included removing the Trace.

I had briefly considered getting a second wand, just in case I did run into Tommy-Boy, but almost immediately dismissed the idea. I was going to get the Elder Wand anyway, so what was the point?

While in Knockturn, find scent-blocking potion.

Yet another extremely useful thing that Gilton's sold. While it would have come in handy when we were on the run, I was just thankful I discovered it existed at all. It had made my short stint as an Auror and Unspeakable so much easier.

It would be perfect for sneaking away from Lupin when he was on guard duty.

Sneak into Ministry and retrieve Siri's files. Gather enough evidence to send to Madam Bones.

I didn't have much experience with Madam Bones, since she died early during Tommy's rein of terror. But the few times I had encountered her left me with in impression that she was a fair witch who believed firmly in justice. Besides, if she was anything like her niece Susan, then I knew she's be the witch for the job.

It helped that Susan Bones had become an extremely capable and amazing witch in her own right. I held her in very high regards during her life the first time around.

Find and sign up at a dojo.

Sometime during the night, I realized that I'd been initially wrong about what I gained from the Cloak's bit of my Soul. While I didn't get any abilities or any real memories, I did regain much of my previous knowledge. There's thing I just knew now, that I hadn't known yesterday. Like the first twenty digits of Pi, how to perform a back-flip, hand to hand combat, martial arts, how to read music, and so much more that was probably buried in my brain somewhere.

So while I knew how to fight, my body didn't. I was out of shape, and lacked any fighting ability. I had tried to do a few simple moves around 2am, and had ended up on my backside with a sore tailbone and a pulled shoulder.

I needed practice. I was sure that a week or two of lessons and jogging would help bring me back up to speed… Not to mention that the better you are physically the better your magic grew; again, not something I learned until after Tom.

Now that I thought about it, I barely knew anything before Tom. But then again, I had only been a teenager; and a rather lazy one at that. If you're lazy, then so is your magic. It all came back down to the fact that magic was a muscle.

Hey, I can't say I didn't learn anything from being an Unspeakable.

In General:

Find the two other Hallows.

Duh.

DON'T let anyone die, especially not because I've been stupid.

Yeah…this one was rather obvious.

Give Umbitch hell.

Oh, all of the things I've wanted to do to that evil toad woman… Payback time was Happy time when it involved a certain pink toad.

HAVE FUN

Again, Duh.

… Try not to kill the Dursleys. Dudley turns around, eventually…

…That's gonna be hard…

Don't let the Order or Albus get too suspicious until time is right. (Meaning: never, later, or whenever we can't avoid it anymore.)

Really didn't want to have to deal with a bunch of moronic adults who thought they knew what was best of me. I was older than all of them! So screw all of them and their "keeping me safe" policies.

Meet Luna sooner, AND DEAL WITH RAVENCLAW

I loved that chick, and always did beat myself up that I never helped her with that bullying problem of hers. I hated bullies; reminded me too much of the Dursleys.

Try to get Snape to drop the evil act, at least around the Order. (Not priority).

I wasn't going to try and become best friends with the man. Whatever happens would happen and while I respected him… I wasn't going to be walked all over this time around.

FREE SIRIUS – at least in Mundane world.

Having fun with my Dogfather without having to worry about him getting arrested and Kissed was a top priority. I didn't know why these were listed so randomly, but I blamed my brain. I never got to see that happen the first time around and I was determined to do so this time.

If needed, deal with Tommy again. (AVOID IF NOT NECESSARY!)

If I was honest with myself, I've dealt with enough of Tommy's shit to last multiple lifetimes, which I'm 98% sure I've had, so I definitely wasn't planning on doing it again. But if he tested me…be afraid Tommy. Be very afraid.

Deal with whatever Fati throws at me.

Duh, what else would I do? Roll over and die? Ffft! Not likely.

DO NOT DIE!

Extreme priority. I was pretty sure that although my Family wouldn't be able to bring me back, Mortem would find a way to summon my Soul just so he could strangle me himself.

Realizing that something was missing from the list, I stopped twirling the pen and added to the bottom:

Note: Prank anyone who annoys me. List so far: Fudge, Tom if opportunity presents itself, Dursleys, Order, Ron and Hermione, Umbitch. (Level of pranking depends on level of annoyance and like of said person.)

I chuckled evilly again, glancing down at my list of idea and parts I needed for said ideas. This was really going to be fun. But I was going to be super careful…or as careful as I ever was. I was pretty sure Albus wouldn't agree with my new attitude, and while I no longer had an issue with the man, (first time around I had a thing against him for a while…) he was still a manipulative old coot who lived in some grand fantasy where everything was on his shoulders. Or on the shoulders of a kid.

After folding up the paper, I stuck it in my bra. Call it weird, but at least I knew that I wouldn't lose it. Glancing out the window and noticing how high the sun was, I glanced over at the old alarm clock that I had managed to fix. Don't ask me how…I must've been a genius or something in a past life. I just knew how to. Stupid broken brain and Soul.

Refocusing once again, my eyes widened as I saw that it was now 7:22 am. I slapped myself as I gained even more proof that I was absent minded and had a bit of a focusing issue. Oh well, I could work with it. My life was already rather unstable, what could a wandering mind add?

Focusing on the bushes by my front lawn, I was able to see Kingley's dark purple aura flickering slowly. I couldn't help but giggle as I realized that he was still sleeping lightly. I'd noticed that he had fallen asleep around two, and had been so tempted to turn him green or something. But what little reason I had held me back. I had things to do before I started tormenting my watchers, or rather, tormenting them more than the poem already had.

My lips still split into a wide grin, I giggled in anticipation as I grabbed a small backpack that I'd used for primary school. I stuffed the small amount of wizarding money that I had left over from last year in the front pocket, as well as the best fitting jacket I had, and the rest of sweets I'd saved from the train ride.

Without making a sound and the Cloak's magic wrapped around me, hiding me from sight, I crept out of my room and down the stairs, skipping the one that creaked. The Dursleys' might notice I was gone in a few hours, which was why I had written a reminder to myself on my arm to apparate back (if I could) before ten, to get them mad at me and be 'sent' to my room. Also, it was a good idea to pop back just in case Mad-eye was on the day shift. Out of everyone, he was the one most likely to catch me.

Shaking my head, I mentally hummed my poem to keep my mind occupied as I lifted up Petunia's 'prize' vase and pulled out a few notes. I needed pounds to get to London as I didn't want to get caught by the Trace. Sadly, apparation could be traced, whereas wandless magic could not.

I poked myself for not feeling bad about stealing from the Dursleys', but I doubted that they would even notice. Looking down and quickly counting the twenties, I realized that I'd only nicked about two hundred pounds. Considering that the Dursleys' had about ten grand hidden in that vase for a "rainy day" and barely ever remembered it was there, I knew that they wouldn't connect the dots.

I had learned all of this from Vernon before I even knew I was a Wizard. I had noticed him fulling a few grand out before we all fled that fateful Sunday; not to mention I heard Vernon and Petunia whispering about it numerous times when they thought they were alone. They didn't even know that I knew about the vase, but I had counted it a few times over the years when my 'family' was out. Dudley didn't even know about the emergency stash, and I was actually glad he didn't. The things that boy could do with that much money actually made me shiver.

Laughing quietly as I replayed Hagrid giving Dudley a pig tail, even if I knew in retrospect that it was wrong and Muggle Baiting, I didn't care. He'd been the first person to give me a present, and I'd ignored worse illegal activity from the man.

Creeping out of the house was easy, with the Cloak's magic keeping me invisible although the Cloak itself was still in bracelet form. I was extremely glad that it was just Kingsley guarding me. I wouldn't have to do anything too elaborate to get away from the slumbering auror.

I walked carefully and quietly for about two blocks before fading back into visibility. I kept walking, watching as the neighborhoods slowly awoke and people started their days. I still didn't know what day of the week it was, and I couldn't exactly go by Vernon's work schedule, as that tended to fluctuate. Not that I knew the date either, but that was a minor detail. No one would bat an eye to someone asking what the date was.

About an hour later, I swirled as I spotted the bus station. I couldn't apparate, yet, because of the Trace, but that was one of the first things I planned on doing after going to Gringotts. I was also avoiding the Night Bus because honestly, that thing was anything but discrete, and I was trying to be discrete.

I sand my poem softly under my breath as I plopped down on the bench and waited for the next bus.

London here I come.

Ok, so things didn't go completely according to plan. But when do they ever?

I chewed on my new gum as I strolled down the busy London street towards the Leaky Cauldron. Once I had gotten on the bus, I was instantly bombarded with distrustful looks from almost all the passengers. It wasn't until I sat down and saw my reflection in the mirror that I realized why. I hadn't showered, my hair wasn't brushed, and my clothes hung off of me like grey bags. I pretty much looked like a homeless, runaway teen.

I wasn't going to stand for it.

So, I changed things up a bit. But it had been amazing fun, so I didn't feel bad. It was now after ten, and I couldn't bring myself to care. My gut was telling me that it was fine, and I trusted my gut more than I trusted my head at the moment.

I must've snatched more money than I thought, or everything was a whole lot cheaper than I remember because not only had I been able to go clothes shopping, but I also got my hair cut and dyed! I stopped at a café for breakfast, and bought a new backpack.

I'd gotten the clothes first, and although I was surprised at my new tastes, I couldn't help but love the outfit. A black, flared mini skirt over silver leggings with half calf black boots covered in buckles tied together with a silver tanktop under a black, short sleeve button-up blouse that I kept unbuttoned. Once I had composed the outfit, I felt weird…feeling... like the colors just weren't right; but they were the only colors that called to me. So silver and black it was.

The salon had been next, and I'd been beyond pleased to discover that the first one I found had an opening. When the stylist had asked what colors I wanted - I had already known I wanted to change my hair color - I'd frozen. She'd shown me the ones they offered and I spent a long while just staring at a coppery-red color that seemed to call to me. Then I was broken out of my stubborn by the woman and decided to go with my new color scheme and did black and silver instead, or rather, black and white.

My hair was now much shorter than it had been, and I could feel the difference in the weight. The stylist had thought me very weird, but hadn't protested as I outlined what I had wanted her to do.

"Have to admit," I said to myself as I paused and glanced at my hair in a random store window. "She was talented."

She must've been, to be able to pull off my insane idea so well.

Most of my hair was still black, but now in obvious layers. The top layer was cut to make a spiky bob that ended right around the bottom of my ears. The bottom layer simply fell to just past my shoulders in waves. My bangs were now windswept and although they were a bit short, I knew that they'd look better after growing out another half inch. The ends of my hair were white now, with it worked in so that it looked like the black faded to white and it didn't just instantly change colors. The white ends on the bob made it look really cool in my opinion, and the whole style reminded me of the one image I had of Insania. Of course, it was a little less crazy and a whole lot more human.

I didn't know if the Wizarding world had hairdressers, as I had never needed to know my last life. I was hoping that they did, so that I wouldn't have to go back every two weeks for her to do my hair.

The fact that I had almost went with red really confused me, but I just waved it off as something else that I couldn't remember. What did I know? Maybe in another life I'd had red hair.

Another happy yet amazing surprise was that I finally noticed that I hadn't been wearing my glasses. In fact, I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen them was. I couldn't notice anything wrong with my vision, so I just decided that it wasn't that big of a deal and kept going. Besides, I thought I looked better without glasses anyhow.

If anyone asked, I'd say I got contacts. It wasn't like I could admit that I had no idea why I didn't need them anymore.

Refocusing on my next tasks I continued on towards the wizarding pub. I had totally forgotten to ask what today's date was, or find out the day of the week. So, grab a Prophet from the Cauldron and then go to Gringotts.

My wand was tucked into my waistband, the list was still in my bra, and my new backpack (which was, surprise, black and silver) slung over my shoulder. I must've made for an interesting sight as I wandered into the pub none of the mundane could see.

Tom was cleaning the bar, but glanced up as I walked in and gave me a startled and confused look. He didn't recognize me, and he made it his business to recognize those who wander through his pub. I gave him a wave and he returned with a small smile, he must've assumed that I was a muggleborn or something.

A few tapped bricks and strange looks later and I was in the Alley. I knew that most wizards wouldn't approve of my new look, but I didn't care. They could be sticks in the mud all they wanted; and I was going to wear as much futuristic mundane clothing styles that I wanted, just to see the reactions.

I couldn't help but smile widely as I saw the Alley as I remembered it from my first Hogwarts years. The Alley had never quite been the same after all of Tom's raids. In fact, it had taken many shops years to get back on their feet; many never reopened at all.

Not to mention how nice it was to see Diagon something other than a smoldering pile of radioactive dust.

Shivering, I pushed the image of the decimated Alley to the back of my mind. Holding my head high, I ignored all of the weird and offended looks I received as I walked down the street towards the large, white marble bank.

Though I didn't like it, I wouldn't get very far without money. I never understood, with all of our magic and human brilliance, why did neither the mundane's nor the wizards ever come up with a better system than the monetary one? I mean, it barely held any real value in the Wizarding World since you could simply do so much with spells.

That was why the Weasley's survived so well on Arthur's small paycheck. You didn't need money for as many things in the Wizarding World as you did in the Mundane; though people desired it just as much in both worlds.

I was jostled out of my thoughts, literally, as I collided with an object moving in the opposite direction. I blinked, and found myself staring at up a certain sneering face framed by blonde hair; a certain sneering blonde that I wouldn't mind dropping off the edge of the North Tower.

"Watch where you're going, you filthy little mudblood!" Lucius Malfoy snarled darkly, glaring at me as he tightened his grip on his cane. I almost heard young Draco's voice coming from his father's lips, and I realized that the boy really had just been copying verbatim everything this man said. It was sad, really, that this 'feared' dark wizard sounded like an offended eleven year old.

I took a half a step back, partially because his breath stank but also because I wanted to see how far from the Gringotts' steps I was. I almost cackled as I realized that we were less than two feet away.

"Why don't you?" I replied back swiftly, raising one eyebrow in challenge. Our staring contest lasted less than two seconds before I turned on my heel and maneuvered around him.

"Why you little…!" He exclaimed, twisting and lunging as he attempted to grab me. I knew that the man was truly only acting this way because no one else was around, but I didn't care.

I dodged him with another twirl – I liked twirling, it was fun – and was quite happy to find myself on the Gringotts' steps. I smirked at him, and then was forced to duck as the red faced man sent a silver colored spell at my head.

He roared in rage, but was prevented from doing anything else as the goblin guards took one step away from the doors that they guarded and glared at Malfoy. As soon as you touched the marble steps you were in the Goblin Nation. This meant that the goblins, not the ministry, had the final say in whatever events that transpire on their soil. That also means that wizards have to obey Goblin Law while they're in the bank. Not that most wizards bothered to remember that though, they were too lazy and self-absorbed.

So Malfoy was forced to back down, as he had almost come very close to breaking their 'no wizarding battles are to be fought on Goblin soil' and 'no wizarding spells are to be cast on Goblin soil' laws. Those two were pretty much the only ones that most people paid attention to, a shame really. I found the Goblin Laws and customs to be quite useful.

I nodded in greeting to the two guards as I turned away from Malfoy and strode up the white steps. The two goblins nodded back in surprise as they stepped back into their posts. I wondered absently how many people actually bothered to acknowledge them on a daily basis and came to the conclusion that very, very few wizards did.

Really did just goes to show how idiotic and backwards the Wizarding World is. They let a separate nation, who disliked wizards greatly had had numerous wars with us, control the economy. I mean, it was a brilliant move on the goblin's part, and the perfect insurance, but still.

Realizing that my mind was wandering again, and that I was humming, I strode up to a free teller (the bank wasn't very busy as it was still quite early...lazy wizards) and cleared my throat to gain his attention.

"Yes?" The goblin sneered, showing off his large and pointy teeth.

I ignored the look with a grace that came from years of practice and said, "Good morning Master Goblin. I would like to visit my vault and if possible, speak with my account manager. If he's not available today, I would like to make an appointment as I have not been able to do so before now."

The goblin blinked at the respectful tone as I nodded, and I could tell he was even more surprised by the fact that I had actually addressed him properly.

He peered at me in silence for a few moments, obviously studying me as I stood there with my hands behind my back, rocking back and forth on the balls of my feet. Apparently I also had a thing against staying still.

"Name and key," He grunted finally, "and all minors must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian when speaking with their account manager."

I nodded in acceptance, and placed the small gold key onto the counter. I had already pulled it from my backpack since I thought it would be nicer if I didn't waste the goblin's time by rummaging through my backpack in front of him.

"I'm afraid that I'm not going to be able to have my parents present while I speak to my account manager, as it's a touch difficult to commune with those beyond the grave." I said with a small sad smile and chuckle, my head tilting to the side just a bit.

The teller's eyes widened and he nodded sharply. He had already taken my key, and had clearly recognized it as he slid it back over the counter towards me.

"My apologies, Miss…" He started but I cut him off with a small shake of my head.

"I would also like to request Gringotts discretion, I've found that wizards can be quite foolish when it comes to my presence" I said quietly, and the goblin quickly nodded and waved a younger goblin forward. He muttered something to the younger goblin in Gobbledegook – which I had always wondered if they actually called their language that or if it was a wizarding's name for it – before they both turned back to me.

"Please follow me Miss Evans; we'll have everything cleared up in no time." The smaller goblin said an amused glint in his eyes as he used my mother's name.

Turning back to the teller, I gave him a smile and yet another nod. "Thank you Master Teller; my apologies for any inconvenience."

He waved off the apology and I was certain he grinned at me. "No problem at all, Miss Evans."

Shaking my head slowly, I followed the amused goblin down into the marble halls. Now I was seriously regretting getting on the goblins' bad side by breaking in the first time around. Because seriously, they were practically smiling at me and being nice! Sure, we had created a mutual beneficial relationship last time around, and respected each other, but this was something else!

Seriously, what had just happened?!

I groaned as I realized that this is what all of my interactions at Gringotts probably would've been nice if I hadn't been an idiot back then.

Man, I really wished I had thought that break-in through a bit more. Because wasn't that one of the first things I learned in this world? Don't piss off a goblin! And what had I done? Gone and pissed off a whole nation of them.

Yup, this confirmed it. I really had been an idiot.

Hi!

Two words: Internet is nice.

Hope you all liked it! (next chapter should be up tomorrow)

R&R if ya would,
Cp