Chapter 1 – Lyra Mathew Black

August 3, 1991

"Lyra, Lyra, its time to wake up little devil," my mom's soft voice and persistent tugging of my covers woke me up as I looked groggily at her.

My mom wore a bright smile on her face as she watched me slowly rise from the bed. My face scrunched up from being just woken up, my shiny black hair all in disarray, as I squinted at my mom with my hazel eyes.

"Get up, you little devil. Dora's downstairs with Aunt Andy. You do want to get your own magic wand, don't you?"

The words magic wand bolted me up to sit straight. My mom laughed at my reaction. I gave her scowl in return before rushing into the bathroom to get ready.

My name is Lyra Mathew Black. A mouthful isn't it? But, I prefer going by Lyra. Everyone in my family prefers to use that. The only time you will hear my full name ever mentioned is when dad… er father, he awfully gets irritated when I call him dad and lectures me on proper usage of address when I do that, is absolutely angry with me.

It had happened only three times so far as much as I could remember. Once when I was sneaking downstairs at night and came across a sullen man who dressed like dad, talking with him. His nose was big and hooked. Being the perfect sneak I am, I hid beside the door and eavesdropped on them, only to wish that I hadn't.

They were talking about bad things. Very Bad Things.

Well, somehow that hooked nose man found out I was eavesdropping and ousted me to dad (I bet he smelled me, with that large, hooked nose and all, the snitch.) My dad was raving mad, I tell you. He shouted at me for the first time ever since I could remember. Only my mother's hasty appearance had stopped him, otherwise, I would have had switches to my bottoms for sure.

The next time was when I made things fly at my grandmother, that old bint. I hated my grandmother with a passion. She was a nasty old witch, I say. The first time I met her was when my father took me to visit her with mother. I think I was around four or five at that time. My parents have been in discussion for a long time about moving into our ancestral home. But, things didn't work out because my grandmother and mom didn't get along.

Whenever mom hears the mention of my grandmother's name, she starts spewing cusses left and right. (I didn't even know that there were so many cuss words in English. My dad reckons that I got my flowery mouth from my mom.) My grandmother isn't any slouch though. She also used to say nasty things about my mom whenever we visited her.

Anyways, one day, when I was seven, my grandmother had gone on a tirade about my mom when me and my dad were visiting her. Usually, she keeps things to a minimum when my dad was around. Dad had some things to do upstairs, so he disappeared leaving me alone with my grandmother.

Well, what can I say, things didn't work out well for both of us. When my grandmother had gone on a tirade about my mom, I just snapped. Kreacher, the lovely house-elf who always takes care of me like a princess whenever I visited, was blasted away from my side and all the kitchen utensils were flying into the dining hall towards my grandmother.

When my dad had rushed downstairs after hearing the ruckus, he was greeted with the sight of my grandmother struggling to blast away several knives that were aiming for her. Needless to say, he was absolutely furious.

And the last one was when I punched my cousin straight in the face. That git deserved it though. Even though I couldn't look at Aunt Cissy's face for months after that, I was immensely proud of what I did. It was in one of those stuffy parties my dad always takes me along. I never felt comfortable there. But, dad always insisted on bringing me with him.

Mom was lucky that she was never required to attend these parties. Later I learned that since mom didn't have magic, it wasn't appropriate to bring her to those stuffy parties. I was jealous of mom for escaping those boring, stuffy parties. Our family parties were always filled with fun, (then again, any party would be fun if Dora was there though. That's why she is my favorite cousin, but don't tell her that.)

Luckily I get to play dress-up with mom whenever I was supposed to go to these parties, so not everything was bad. That day though, my idiot cousin Draco was showing off for his stupid posse, (he had definitely learned that from his father, I say, for Aunt Cissy was stern but very sweet), and felt it would be good to insult my mom in front of my face.

Bad Choice, I say. A VERY BAD CHOICE.

Both me and my dad will always get defensive when it came to mom and her inability to do magic. While my dad would react better and try to steer the conversation away, I was a whole different case. Aunt Cissy and Aunt Andy called it the infamous Black temper. Well, I had to admit, I lost my temper and before I even knew it, I was punching my cousin Draco straight in his face.

Dad had not been impressed with me for that. What followed was a long and unforgiving six months where father taught me something called Occumlency and Pureblood Rules & Etiquette. Initially, I thought that I could escape just like Dora had when my father had started to train her before she went to school. Dad had tutored Dora for a month before saying to Aunt Andy that Dora was hopeless when it came to both subjects.

My dream of following Dora's footsteps was shattered when mom put her foot down and said I would learn etiquette one way or the other. When I accused her of being hypocrite, she had coolly retorted that there was no one to teach her about it, unlike for me. I could have sat through etiquette class alone, but Dad soon found out that I had some talent for Occumlency. And just like that, the initial training alone lasted for six months. By the time my dad was done with it, I had a decent hold on my temper and emotions.

But, just when I thought the ordeal was over, I was shipped off to Aunt Cissy to learn the social mannerisms expected of a Pureblood lady. It was a torture, I say. That was the only time I almost hated Aunt Cissy. But, when Aunt Cissy soon found out that making me learn the etiquette was nothing compared making me follow it in social functions. All, it took was a month, before a disappointed Aunt Cissy had returned me to dad.

But, I digress. Those were all in the past.

As I made my way downstairs from my room, I saw Dora was sitting with Aunt Andy, who was chatting with my father.

"Lyra," Dora screamed happily, making dad and Aunt Andy flinch, and rushed to hug to me.

"Hey, Dora," I hugged her enthusiastically back, yet being ready to pull back at any moment.

Everyone in the family knew how clumsy Dora was. She had dropped me flat on my ass far more than I could count, so by now, I knew to wary of her whenever she was near.

"Guess what little devil," Dora spoke with glee as she ruffled my hair, "I got into Auror training. You are looking at the brand new Auror-Trainee, young lady. Better be careful in the future."

I glared at her in return as I hurriedly rearranged my hair once more.

"Bet they are going to drop you on your ass once they know how clumsy you are," I snorted making my way to Aunt Andy and kissing her on the cheek.

Dora squawked in protest, "No, they won't," causing everyone to burst into giggles.

"Shush everyone," Mom walked into the dining room from the kitchen with breakfast, "And Dora, don't worry dear. You will do just fine."

"Thanks, Aunt Mary," Dora beamed at my mom before shooting me a stinkeye.

"Even if they reject you, you can still do something else. Why, you can try to be a healer like your mother," my mom offered warmly as she served us.

"Hell would freeze over before I let her anywhere near to healing," Aunt Andy snorted, "Merlin, Mary. She is already a walking disaster, and I shudder to even think about her near patients."

"Mom!" Dora objected with a mouthful of toast.

"Then she can work for the prophet like her dad," my mom replied smoothly as she sat down.

Dora shot her a grateful look.

"So, who's your trainer? I know prospective Aurors are assigned trainers who act as mentors when they start, so, who's yours?" dad asked curiously.

"I don't know him, but mother does though. She won't speak much about him for some reason," Dora replied giving her mother a stinkeye.

"Who's is it Andy?"

Aunt Andy remained silent for a while as she looked like she was weighing whether to answer or not. It was uncharacteristic enough that it piqued both my mom's and my interest.

"Moody," Aunt Andy replied after a while looking at dad.

I saw my dad's fingers tighten around the fork he was holding. An unnatural silence occupied the room before dad cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Ah, I see. He is good, congratulations Dora."

"Probably his last batch, he is rumored to retire in a year or so. If anyone deserves to retire, it is him," Aunt Andy said in a somber tone.

"True," dad agreed nonchalantly as his grip around his fork loosened.

Me and Dora exchanged looks at the uncharacteristic behavior of my dad before mom swooped in with her ever-present bubbly self to lighten the mood.

"Well, Lyra, you will be going with Aunt Andy and Dora to purchase your school supplies today. Your father has some work to do, and you know that I don't know much about all these magical things, don't you?" my mom spoke teasingly to lighten the mood.

"Aw! I wanted dad to be there when I got my wand," I said shooting a pleading look at my dad.

"Sorry, Lyra. I have some urgent work. I would have postponed the trip to Diagon Alley, but your aunt offered to take you there as they have already planned a trip there."

"But,"

"Come on Lyra, it's been ages since we hung out. And also, Charlie said he will there with his family. His youngest brother will be attending Hogwarts this year, so you can probably make some friends," Dora persuaded from the side.

I was torn between making a new friend and having my dad at my side when I obtained my first wand.

"Is it because of grandmother?" I asked timidly already knowing the answer.

My grandmother had died two months ago in her bed at the age of 66. She had been a bitter old hag, but dad had still loved her. And poor Kreacher had been devastated. While I didn't feel much about her passing, I knew both dad and Kreacher had been in grief lately. A funeral had been held a month ago which me and my dad attended. Ever since then, my dad has been busy with stuff. No one knew what he was doing, but he had been constantly out and about.

My dad nodded before replying, "Lyra, go with your aunt and Dora. When I come back, I will teach you some spells."

I beamed at that offer and hurriedly nodded.

"I thought, you aren't allowed to teach kids spells before the school starts," my mom arched her eyebrows in question.

"As if that measly law would stop a Black from doing what he wants," Aunt Andy snorted causing my dad to chuckle.

"Most wizards don't, but I will be damned if I am going to let my darling girl go to Hogwarts without a few spells up her sleeve," dad said good-naturedly.

"But,"

"Don't worry, Aunt Mary. Even my mom taught me a few spells just to be on the safer side. It is better if she knows a few harmless spells in advance. Trust me, she will need it," Dora interjected smoothly making mum let out a sigh.

(*****)

Diagon Alley was pretty crowded this close to the start of a new term. Loads of kids can be found with their parents as they roamed around the shopping district buying stuff. I walked beside Aunt Andy and Dora as we did our shopping.

Dress robes came first as both me and Dora needed new sets. Since Dora had already graduated, Aunt Andy shopped with her for new dresses that she would need as I was fitted for traditional Hogwarts robes. In the end, me and Dora walked out with a handful of bags giggling to each other and discussing which of her dress was pretty. While I personally liked the smooth red dress Aunt Andy had insisted on buying much to Dora's displeasure, Dora preferred the one which was practical and everyday wear. And her taste of color was atrocious too.

Yuck! Bubblegum Pink!

Then, we walked around buying the necessary materials listed in the letter that had been sent along with my admittance letter. Cauldrons, potions ingredients, books, and other miscellaneous items were soon bought.

Then it was time for pets. While I wanted a cat for a pet, Aunt Andy adamantly refused and told me that in no uncertain terms that I will be buying an owl. I pouted and sulked for a while hoping that I could change her mind, it would have worked even if it was my dad. But, Aunt Andy was too smart for that. She saw right through my plan and mercilessly crushed it under her heels.

Still, it was hard to be sulking when there were pets to buy. While they weren't cute little cats, owls had their own beauty too. In the end, me, Dora, an annoyed owl (Dora had poked it repeatedly in a childish glee that had irritated it to no end), and Aunt Andy walked out of the pet shop.

The next stop was Ollivander's.

I could hardly contain my excitement as I skipped towards the shop dragging Dora. The shop was dingy, with countless boxes arranged across the numerous shelves. The bell rang as we entered, but no one came to greet us. I spun around looking for the shopkeeper, who had been described as the best wandmaker by my dad and aunts.

"Andromeda Tonks, Hawthorn wood, 12 ½ inches, with a dragon heartstring at its core. Extremely adept in healing and curses," a voice startled me as I turned around to stare right into the face of an old man looking at Aunt Andy.

Aunt Andy merely nodded in greeting to the man behind the counter.

"Nymphadora Tonks, Willow, 12 inches, the core formed from the tail hair of a particularly fine Unicorn, ideal for transfiguration and charms," Dora beamed at him in return.

"And this would be…,"

"Black, Lyra Black," I replied with butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

"Ah, I see. Well, what is your wand arm dear?"

"I'm right-handed."

"Indeed, you are. Now, let me see. Here try this, Blackthorn with Dragon Heartstring,"

I took the wand he offered in my hand and suddenly the glasses on the shelves exploded. I hurriedly let it go, fearing that I would be blamed for it. But, the man didn't bother with it. He was already pushing another wand into my hand.

It went for a long while, where glasses were broken, blasts were made, smoke was ejected, sparks flew, and even disastrous fire was let out. Unusually, the longer it took for a wand to bond with me, the more enthusiastic the man seemed to become.

Standing to the side, Aunt Andy was looking at me with a serious expression. While Dora was enjoying the chaos the wands brought out by whooping and laughing at my attempts, the stern expression on Aunt Andy's face only increased as time went on.

"I wonder," the man said after a long time. "I think I should try that too."

The man mumbled off into the back store leaving me to stare at his spot irritated. Dora's giggles weren't helping me either. Aunt Andy looked deep in thought. It looked as if she wanted to say something, but before she could speak the shopkeeper returned with a few boxes in his hands and dumped them on the glass table.

"When I was in the early days of my wand making, I used to try some unusual combinations unmindful of the risks. Guess, getting older had made me wiser. Nonetheless, there are few wands that were born out of those said experiments," the man spoke in a reminiscent tone that made me feel even more nervous. "Come, try this. This one is made of Yew with a Thunderbird feather as its core."

As I reached out, Aunt Andy tutted in displeasure. Before she could say anything, the shopkeeper threw her a cutting look.

"Remember, it is always the wand that chooses the wizard," he stated solemnly to Aunt Andy making her turn away.

I looked around to see that even Dora was looking positively offended. If it was possible, I think she would have set the wand offered to me on fire just from her looks. I gulped as I took that wand in my hand. Desire to get this done with and nervous about the subtle tension emanating in the room, I felt the wand in my hand.

For a moment, it looked like nothing happened. Then slowly, warmth started spreading through me from the wand. Just when an elated look flashed across the shopkeeper's eyes, the warmth rose up a notch and began to scald.

Hurt from the unexpected turn of events, I let go of the wand. I could hear Aunt Andy and Dora let out a huge sigh from the side.

"Ah, that's something interesting, isn't it?" the man looked positively elated making me glare at him.

"Here, try this one then. Yew with dragon heartstring."

This time I didn't need to turn around to look, I could practically feel the disapproval of Aunt Andy. The tension was back again. The wand felt comfortable in my hand, but something didn't feel right about it. I shook my head and gave it back.

"Not this one either, ah, this is getting very very interesting, my dear," the man chuckled good-naturedly as he looked through the other boxes he had brought along.

"Perhaps, you might try a different wand wood," Aunt Andy bit out from the side.

The man looked confused for a second, then outraged, but managed to calm down enough to nod. Even though the nod was given grudgingly, it melted the tension in the air.

"Maybe you are right, my dear," the man began shuffling the boxes before finally letting his eyes rest on one particularly shabby box. "I wonder if this might perhaps suit you."

I took the offered wand and felt warmth rush through automatically throughout my entire body. A glow of light covered the wand. But, in the next moment, a bone-chilling coldness too rushed in and balanced out the warmth I was feeling. The light around the wand was now bluish in color.

"Aha, I knew it would work," the man exclaimed happily. "What an occasion this is, why, I might even close the shop for the day after this."

All three of us looked at him quizzically. The man was practically vibrating with excitement as he cleaned the glass shelves of the remaining wands.

"Your's dear, is an extremely rare wand. As I said, these were created in my early days when I was prone to adventure. But yours though, it was the one that brought me back to my mind. I almost died creating this particular combination."

"Cedar wood, known for its strength of character and undying loyalty. It is a powerful one, I will have you know. Especially troublesome for enemies. When combined with a tail hair from a Thestral, it is a terrifying one. Almost as powerful as a combination of Yew and Phoenix feather. However, I would provide you one tiny bit of advice. Thestral hair is not used as wand cores for a reason, after all. Know that this wand will be temperamental, extremely so. But, if you remain true to your heart, there will be nothing in this world that could match the power of your wand. Whether you will rise or fall, all will depend on you. I would advise you not to speak of this wand's properties heedlessly, lest you endanger her," he said the last sentence in Aunt Andy's direction who nodded solemnly.

(*****)

Once we finished paying the creepy man for the wand, Aunt Andy took us to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Dora and I both ordered large scoops of ice cream and ate contently as Aunt Andy instructed us that she would pick us up here after an hour.

A few minutes after Aunt Andy left us, Charlie Weasley, Dora's friend found us.

"Hey Tonks," he greeted amicably, "this is the cousin you were talking about."

"Wotcher Charlie," Dora greeted enthusiastically, "This is Lyra, my cousin, she is starting Hogwarts this year."

I nodded back in greeting, receiving a warm smile in return.

"And where is your brother?" Dora demanded immediately after swallowing a mouthful of ice cream.

"You might want to specify which one," he shrugged nonchalantly as Dora ordered one for him. "The whole lot, except for Bill."

"Tch," Dora scowled, "of course the one starting this year, you dumb brute."

"He is with mom, shopping," he shrugged taking a bite out of his ice cream.

"Fine," Dora mumbled, "but guess what? Guess who got into Auror Training?"

"You kidding," Charlie gasped.

"I too had the same reaction. But I am sure they will drive her out soon," I interjected causing Dora to elbow me to my side painfully.

"Watch it, little devil," Dora scowled, "remember that you are talking to a future Auror. Who knows, you might need my help one day."

"As if," I scoffed in reply before biting into my ice cream.

"Don't worry, Tonks. You will definitely become an Auror," Charlie patted her back to calm her down.

"What about you?" Dora asked him as she shot me a stinkeye.

I blew a raspberry in retaliation causing her hair to turn bright red.

"Professor Kettleburn came through," he replied softly.

Dora looked shocked for a second, the next moment her hair turned bright bubblegum pink. She tackled Charlie to the ground causing his ice cream to be dropped along with hers. Her squeal of happiness was infectious as I too hopped up and down not knowing what they were discussing.

"Oh my god, Charlie. I can't believe this. I can't believe this," Dora squealed, "I am so happy for you. I mean, Dragon Keeper in Romania. That's absolutely great."

I blanked for a moment before asking, rather shouting, "What?"

"He got through Lyra. He is going to be a dragon keeper," Dora replied to me enthusiastically from the ground.

I stared at the duo blankly trying hard to process as to what it was they were happy about. I mean, seeing a dragon is cool. Petting is even cooler. But, fighting a dragon constantly and taming it – nope. That's one surefire way to die easily.

I knew Dora liked chaos. Hell, she even enjoyed it. The more dangerous things were, the more excited she got. It used to be a nightmare when I was young. The bloody git constantly made me do dangerous things as her accomplice. In fact, my first accidental magic had been born out of sheer desperation and fear when I was only three, just because Dora thought it would be a cool idea to practice her hovering charm on me. My dad used to still tease me about it.

I had hoped that she would have come to her senses by now. But, it looks like it was not going to happen anytime soon. Besides, having a friend who thought being a Dragon Keeper was a cool job would only increase her recklessness and her craving for chaos. No wonder, these two became friends. They look like a perfect match for each other.

"You both are incredibly stupid and ridiculous," I said solemnly looking at the duo who had just gotten up.

"I agree," a clipped voice came from behind me.

I turned around to see a tall boy who looked to be a couple of years elder to me looking at both of them in disapproval. For a second, I thought he was someone like my cousin Draco. But the scowl that followed it crushed that thought. Draco doesn't scowl, he only sneers. And sneers really good too.

"Ah, Lyra, this is Percy, my younger brother," Charlie introduced the boy to me.

I eyed him up and down for a second, before turning to Dora.

"Don't tell me this is the guy you wanted me to befriend, he almost looks like Draco," I said causing the boy's ears to turn red.

"Nah, he is in the fifth year. Wouldn't help you at all. Now that I think about it, he does look a bit uptight and stuck up the ass like Draco," Dora giggled.

"Easy ladies," Charlie said smoothly. "You need to loosen up a bit Percy, just because you became a Prefect it doesn't mean that you can't have fun a little."

"Prefect!" Dora exclaimed dramatically before starting to make puking noises.

"Don't mind her, she was dropped several times on the head as a baby," I told Percy seeing his entire ear turn red.

He nodded back primly making my opinion of him become even worse.

"Do you ever smile or laugh?" I asked bluntly causing him to look at me blankly.

"Ah, good one, Lyra," Charlie guffawed before rounding on Dora, "Now, my ice cream."

Dora squeaked as she eyed the ice cream on the ground.

"Sorry, sorry, I am terribly sorry Charlie, here I will buy you one," Dora started apologizing profusely.

"And she is back," I singsonged as I took a bite out of my melting ice cream.

Percy looked at me quizzically.

"She has a dangerous affliction," I whispered causing Percy to bend down, "she is dead clumsy. And as a result, she would normally knock stuff off constantly and then apologize very sincerely all the while knocking more stuff off."

Percy looked at me in bewilderment.

"If you lived with her, you will know how dangerous she is," I reiterated seeing his bewildered look. "Bloody loon, can't go by five minutes without knocking stuff down."

"Oi, Oi, no badmouthing your cousin," Dora returned with two scoops of ice cream handing one to Charlie and another to Percy.

Percy stood awkward for a moment before he accepted it with a nod. His ears were flaming red by the time he accepted it.

"Bloody hell, I think there is really a stick up your ass," Dora exclaimed at Percy, "look at how awkward you are for ice cream. If anyone offered me ice cream, I would have jumped on them before they could take it back."

"And knocked off the ice cream to the floor," I added sarcastically causing Charlie to hold his stomach in laughter. Even Percy looked relaxed after that.

"No," Dora stamped her feet in frustration.

"She's right Tonks, You would have surely knocked it down," Charlie said catching his breath.

"Dammit Weasley, you are my friend, you should support me," Dora muttered irritably.

"Now, now , Tonks, we don't want you to get excited and knock another ice cream down, do we?" Charlie wagged his eyebrows causing Dora's hair to turn bright red.

"Some Auror you are, look at how your hair is changing colors already," I put in to add some fuel to the already burning fire.

"That's it, little devil, you are dead," Dora started chasing me around as I ran away from her laughing.

It took a while, but Dora ultimately pinned me down and sat on top of me and started tickling me mercilessly.

"Yield to the Auror, you vile spawn," Dora said dramatically from above causing me to erupt into more laughter.

"Don't,"

"Punch her in the face,"

"Pull her hair,"

"Bite her nose off,"

"Kick her in the balls,"

"Ah, Fred, I don't think girls have them,"

"Yeah, you are right George. But, it is a good tactic though,"

Two identical voices interrupted us. As I sat up wheezing, I could see Dora was this close to losing her temper. It might even probable that she was going to hurl a few hexes in their direction if the twitching of her lips was anything to go by.

I looked around to see a set of identical twins had joined our group. They looked to be about two or three years older than me. They were busy arguing about the merits of kicking a person where the sun doesn't shine. While it was hilarious to see them argue so passionately about that, I could also see that Dora's twitching had increased.

"I would suggest you two to shut up," I said to the twins rising up making them pause in their argument. "If you don't, Dora might start throwing hexes at you."

The twins looked at each other for a second, before continuing again.

"I think she's right mate."

"Yeah, Tonks had hexed us even when we were ickle firsties."

"Reckon she has a point, then."

"But, should we do it?"

"It would be highly inappropriate to listen to a pipsqueak,"

"She is almost like Ronnekins."

"But she is pretty though,"

"Anyone would be pretty compared to Ronnekins George,"

"That's true mate."

"Bloody hell," I shouted at them. "Will you two shut up?"

Dora and Charlie were laughing uproariously. Percy was acting like he didn't know any of us. The twins though, paused to look at me a moment, before continuing on.

"Reckon she's right again mate,"

"Yeah mate, I think we are a bit tad annoying."

"Yeah, we are mate,"

"But, that's what we thrive for mate,"

"You are right, George. Maybe, we should just do this more often,"

"You mean, we are not doing it enough Fred?"

"Let me think, mate."

"How the hell do you even put up with those two?" I demanded Percy and Charlie rounding on them.

"Like this," Dora answered smoothly as she drew her wand and shot off two full-body bind curses in a blink.

The duo looked stunned for a moment, before falling face-first into the ground with a loud thud.

"Merlin, the world's right again," I said massaging my ears.

"You would need to deal with them on your own when you start school though. I always preferred to hex them first, this way I would not have to deal with their nonsense."

"Isn't using magic like this illegal?" Percy asked as he looked at his brothers.

"You want to deal with them?" Charlie asked Percy with a raised eyebrow.

Percy looked torn for a second, but eventually grudgingly replied, "Its peaceful this way."

"Its damn right," Dora grumbled, "And I am a witch of legal age, I can use magic damn well whenever I want."

Percy looked as if he wanted to argue about the moral implications or something, "Leave it, Percy. It will lift it in a few minutes."

Satisfied, Percy began questioning Dora about how one went about applying to the ministry. He was very interested in the procedures that went into it. I engaged Charlie in a conversation about my favorite magical animals. Talking to him, I realized that Charlie had a vast knowledge almost any magical creature I could think up. Later he revealed that he loved animals a lot and enjoyed working with them. That was one of the reasons he applied to become a Dragon Keeper. Still, I was on the fence about his sanity considering he had Dora for a friend.

As we chatted, the rest of the Weasley family came too. Charlie lifted the curse off the twins moments before his mother could see them. The twins actually laughed it off and began to engage in another of their antics.

I was introduced to Ronald Weasley. He was tall for a boy who was only starting Hogwarts. He had freckles and red hair, which I was beginning to identify as Weasley trademark. I also met the youngest Weasley. A girl with fiery red hair and matching fierce temper. Honestly, I had more in common with the girl than Ron. The entire family was an assortment of oddballs for sure. I wondered if there was anyone normal in that family.

When Aunt Andy returned to pick us up, she exchanged greetings with Weasley Matriarch. They seemed to be in an amicable relationship. Aunt Andy's smile even seemed genuine that was not something that I saw often. I wondered if Aunt Andy knew the Weasley Matriarch from somewhere.

All in all, it was a productive day.

(*****)

"Hmph," my grandmother sneered at me from her life-size portrait along the hallway.

"Hmph," I sneered back, "This isn't your idea, right?" I asked my dad with squinted eyes.

"Your grandmother had already planned it, princess," my dad answered with a smile.

"Damn ghost, haunting me even after death," I mumbled under my breath.

My dad chuckled at me as if he knew what was going on in my head.

"Now," my dad began in his lecturing tone that made me pay attention immediately, "I am going to teach you how to duel. I have waited until now so that you can have your own wand."

"Lesson number one, never ever take your eyes of your enemies," he said seriously making me nod along, "remember, real-life duels aren't some show for your opponent to follow proper etiquette. Many duelists had lost their lives because of this simple misconception."

"Now, moving on to posture, turn sideways so that you present as little as possible to your opponent. Don't worry about any stances, relax your body and stand how you feel naturally. Make sure you are able to duck and avoid in a moment's notice, without tripping on your feet."

"Then the last thing spells. I will be teaching you some minor hexes and jinxes. But remember to never show off unnecessarily. Use only what's needed at the moment if you have to reveal your skill, but always keep a few spells back. Often times, that one spell that no one realizes you know will determine you will live or die in a duel. So, always keep something secret."

What followed was the best ten days I remembered spending with dad. Even dad was surprised how quickly I was picking up on jinxes. It almost seemed effortless to me, to be honest. With how Dora has been scaring me about how hard it was going to learn magic in the first year, the apparent ease with how jinxes came to me really surprised me.

Each day, I will have breakfast with my mom and dad. Then, my dad would bring me to the Ancestral House of Blacks at Grimmauld Place. He would demonstrate a few spells. Explain the wand motions and make me practice incantations. After that, he will ask me to practice those jinxes he had taught me on the targets he had conjured for me while he went about his work.

Just before lunch, he would return and take a look at my progress. Then, we would return home for lunch. The afternoon was left for me to do my own things, which I spent by reading a few books I had in my library. Sometimes, I will read my school books too.

Days passed, and before I knew it, it was my birthday.

This time, mom went beyond her usual shenanigans. She baked me an extra-large chocolate cake. Aunt Andy and Dora were there. Aunt Andy gifted me with a black hairclip, which had apparently been a Black family heirloom, the word ironic didn't seem to do it justice. Dora had gifted me with a book titled, "Curses For The Curious". It contained a dozen or so harmless curses that were way out of fashion. A few curses among them brought laughter to my eyes as I read through their effects.

But, the highlight of the birthday party was that Aunt Cissy and Draco had been present too. Usually, Aunt Andy and Aunt Cissy avoided each other like the other had the plague. Not to mention my mom being added to the mix. But somehow, dad had convinced them both to attend the party. The tension in the air was palpable and all through the party I was waiting for things to blow up.

Fortunately, nothing of that sort happened. If the small smile Aunt Cissy had when she left the party was any indication, I am sure that things weren't that bad. I should have probably paid more attention to their interaction, but I was having too much fun with my attention being grabbed by the interaction between Dora and Draco.

Oh god, it was absolutely hilarious.

Draco, for all his pomp and pride, was just my age. He tried so hard to imitate how his father might have acted if he were to be present, for the first few minutes. If it had been just me or children among my age, he would have gotten away with it. The trouble was - Dora was there.

Dora watched Draco for a few minutes. Apparently, her patience was only limited to that. Then, she started cooing how cute Draco was. And that was not the reaction Draco was looking for. The hilarity of things only escalated when Draco tried to maintain his act and Dora kept cooing at him. All of Draco's insults and name-calling seemed to just bounce of Dora's thick skull as she kept on insisting how cute her darling cousin was. Draco was beginning to get more and more uncomfortable as time passed.

Finally, I took pity on Draco and diverted Dora's attention to me. I asked her to perform the imitations of people which she loved to show off. Draco's reaction to her first transformation was enough for Dora to keep things up as both me and Draco began to ask her ridiculous request, which she pulled off admirably.

In the end, Draco was suitably impressed. When he left, he looked so smug that I knew he would be bragging about his encounter with Dora for the foreseeable future among his cronies to increase his status. Aunt Cissy gifted me with a beautiful necklace that sparkled gorgeously. Draco's gift was a collection of all my favorite sweets, which made me even more giddy.

But the best part was when the party ended, Aunt Andy tearfully hugged dad and thanked him. I saw that dad merely smiled and hugged her back. It was so wonderful to watch. If I have to guess, the sight also made mom so happy. Because, once Aunt Andy and Dora left, mom whispered something to dad making him freeze like a deer caught in headlights, before coughing awkwardly causing mom to giggle beautifully. Even though I was curious as to what mom said to dad when asked I was promptly evicted to my bedroom by my dad.

Things began to become a routine in the second half of August as the day of me starting Hogwarts approached. While my dad didn't teach me any new jinxes, he let me practice my old jinxes and a few jinxes I found in the book given to me by Dora.

Very soon, it was time for me to leave for Hogwarts.