Bess watched the boys make a beeline for what looked like the living room, and walked inside.

Once she'd had taken off her jacket and shoes, handing them to a coat rack which held out an 'arm' and thanked her when she'd deposited her items, Euphemia grabbed her and asked if she wanted to see where she would be sleeping, and the two began to climb the stairs.

"Boys..." Euphemia warned, as Bess and the older witch reached the top of the set of wooden stairs.

"Oh come on Mum! It's tradition!" James called up as he walked out of the living room and stood in the hallway holding a quaffle in his hands.

"No, it's not. Put it back and wait until tomorrow. You know if you start a game your father will want to have a go, and he'll break a hip again!"

"What? When'd he break the first one?" James asked, a shocked look on his face, as Sirius came to stand next to him. Bess tried not to smile as she saw both of them staring up at the Euphemia with worried expressions on their faces.

"Euph... Are you telling tales again?" Fleamont asked as he came in to the hallway from a different door, carrying what looked like a large pot filled with firewood and kindling.

"Merlin, Dad! You shouldn't be doing that!" James said, dropping the quaffle and walking over to help his dad.

"I keep telling him!" Euphemia said in an accusatory tone, as James continued to try to take the pot away from Fleamont, who was trying to wave him away. "But no. Almost seventeen years-"

Bess tried not to laugh as Fleamont wrestled with James and said loudly, "Too bloody right! Almost seventeen years I've made sure I'm up to par to spend time with my boy, and I'm not stopping yet!"

"Oh come on, Dad!" James cried, still trying to take the wood away from his father. "Just let me help!"

"I don't need it!" Fleamont said, pushing James away slightly until Sirius joined in and he was overpowered. "For Merlin's sake! You're the one who made me promise-"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off as the boys retreated to the living room again and walked out of Bess' hearing range.

Bess turned to look at Euphemia, her eyes wide and a questioning look on her face as she tried not to burst out laughing still.

Euphemia rolled her eyes and motioned for Bess to follow her, before saying, "It is a tradition really, but first night back from school Fleamont and James have a quidditch session. Since Sirius came to live with us, Fleamont's been really trying to up his game. He practiced every day for the last three weeks just so he wouldn't embarrass himself. He even broke his hip trying a particularly tricky manoeuvre.

"If I've told him once, I've told him a thousand times, we're too old for that now, but will he listen? No!"

Bess grinned as she followed James' mum through a long hall, round the corner, and down a shorter hallway with four doors leading off it.

Euphemia pointed to the first door and said, "That's the bathroom, you'll have to share with Sirius I'm afraid," before sending Bess an apologetic look and continuing, "as put together as he looks, he really is a slob. Worse than James. But that's what happens when you grow up with a house elf and then go to a school with hundreds of them.

"This," she said, pointing to the door across from the bathroom, "is Sirius' room." She quickly opened the door to let Bess have a look.

It was large and bright, lit with candles and overhead lights, and had a rather comfy looking bed in the centre of the room. A small wooden writing desk and chair sat underneath the window, and Bess noticed a bookshelf filled with textbooks and novels before the door was shut once more.

"This is just a dumping ground really," Euphemia said, pointing to the third door. "Officially it's the guest room, but we don't have much family left, it's just the boys really," she continued, sending a look to Bess as she said, "for now at least. Maybe one day it'll be a nursery?"

Bess frowned inwardly but nodded and smiled at the older witch. She couldn't work out why Euphemia had winked and raised an eyebrow as she mentioned the nursery.

"And this is you!" Euphemia threw open the door and held out her hand.

Bess grinned and walked in to the room. Even bigger than Sirius', books lined one wall, while windows lined another. A queen sized bed sat in the middle of the room, backed up to the wall in front of Bess.

A large mahogany writing desk sat against the wall next to the door, and Bess noticed a small pile of things in the corner of the room next to her trunk.

"What do you think?"

Bess turned to face her and said, "I think Sirius and I should swap!"

Euphemia laughed and shook her head. "Please, don't make Fleamont switch the rooms back again. He can do it with a flick of his wand but somehow it takes him three hours, two cups of tea and a newspaper to get through the ordeal!"

"Switch back?" Bess asked, cocking her head to the side and frowning.

"Didn't he-?" Euphemia began, before rolling her eyes and waving her hand. "Sirius asked us to switch your rooms. Wanted you to have the view I think. It is beautiful," Euphemia said as she walked further in to the room and looked out of the window at the stars, which shined brightly above them. "In the daytime you can see the garden.

"Fleamont's quite the potioneer," she said, as if her husband wasn't a master potioneer who'd created Sleakeazy's, "and from what we've seen, James is taking after him." She added, with a proud smile. "That's why we love the garden so much - we grow as many of our ingredients as we can, and we've thrown in a few Muggle herbs and plants to spice things up a bit.

"James even has his own little patch. When he was little, he used to think he was such a wonderful gardener, until he returned for Easter in his first year, Sirius in tow, and Fleamont went on gardening strike for a week, leaving me to do it all!

"I think Fleamont was just excited to have another boy in the house! Anyway, one week without his father tending to his plants showed James just how little he knew about them!"

Bess watched the older witch, who had a far off look in her eye and a smile on her face, and couldn't help but grin.

"But I'm sure you don't want to hear any more about that!" Euphemia said, waking to the door.

"Oh, I really do!" Bess said enthusiastically, nodding her head, "I love those stories... I don't know if James told you, but I actually spent the night of my birthday with him in the grounds of Hogwarts?" When Euphemia shook her head, Bess continued, "I was trying to find the kitchens, and James was sneaking down to the Herbology greenhouses to water the mandrakes!"

Euphemia shook her head and laughed. "Well I have hundreds about Sirius... I'll think of a few to tell at lunch tomorrow."

"Thank you."

"Well, get settled in, change into your pyjamas and then come back downstairs? I know it's late," she said, looking quickly at a small clock sat on the desk which said it was already half ten, "but if you're up for it, I think it's time for hot chocolate and a bedtime story."

Bess raised an eyebrow at the last addition, but found herself pleasantly intrigued when Euphemia winked and walked out of the room.

When the door shut behind Euphemia, Bess ran over to her trunk, eager to get back downstairs. She unlocked it and just managed to remove a pair of pyjama trousers and a long sleeved top when there was a knock at her door.

"Alright, love?" Sirius asked as he bounded in, not stopping to ask for permission, but walking straight over to the small pile of things next to Bess' trunk and rifling through it.

He found what he was looking for and grinned, before throwing it up and down in the air and standing up. Bess rolled her eyes and stood as well, walking over to the bed and putting down her things, as Sirius jumped onto the bed, putting his hands behind his head and crossing one leg over the other as he reclined.

"What're you doing?" She asked, staring at him.

"Watching..." he replied with a half smile and a wink.

Bess pursed her lips to stop from smiling and said, "Out."

"Oh come on!"

"Out."

"It's not like I haven't seen it all already!"

This time, Bess' mouth dropped open and she pointed at the door and said, "Definitely out!"

Sirius just laughed and jumped up, stopped to give her a toe-curlingly good kiss, and loped over to the door, before saying, "See you down there, love," as he left, closing the door behind him.

Five minutes later, Bess found herself at the top of the stairs, taking a quick moment to herself. She could hear the boys chatting to James' parents, and smiled to herself as she heard Euphemia scolding them for something.

She took a deep breath and ran down the stairs, before walking in to a cosy snug, filled with three comfy looking sofas, two armchairs, a roaring fire, and, in the middle of everything, a large coffee table with mugs, a large teapot, and little bowls filled with marshmallows, cinnamon sticks, sugar, and chocoballs.

"Bess! Rule one - we leave the snitches on the Quidditch pitch!" James said to her, glaring as she entered.

Bess raised an eyebrow, before making eye contact with Euphemia, who mouthed, "mandrakes."

Bess groaned as she sat down on the empty sofa. "Christ, sorry James..."

James was sat cross legged on his sofa, a bag of Bertie Botts beans in front of him. Sirius was spread out next to him, his feet up on the coffee table, arms thrown across the arm of the sofa and the back of it. He looked the picture of relaxation, and Bess found it difficult not to wonder if he'd be that relaxed if they ever found somewhere to live together. She shook herself out of her thoughts, realising how ridiculous she sounded, as Fleamont spoke again.

"It's not the mandrakes, it's the fact that we got a letter from the school two days later, saying that they couldn't prove anything, but they thought James might have covered a statue in Hippogriff dung. James denied everything but..."

"That's what that was?" Bess asked quietly, remembering the foul smelling bucket.

"Bess!" James cried, raising his arms up in annoyance.

Bess tried not to laugh at the look on his face.

"Honestly, we get letters home about you two every week! I swear to Merlin," Euphemia said as Fleamont laughed. "Bess, do you get in to half as much trouble?"

"Not really, but when I do it's not too bad..." she said thoughtfully.

"How d'you mean?" James asked.

"Well my parents are dead and I'm on my own now," she said quickly, registering a few sympathetic intakes of breath as she continued, "so if I get a detention or a letter or anything it comes straight to me, and I read it, and then go and look at myself in the mirror and say, 'tut tut tut, that was very bad, Bess,'" she said, wagging a finger, before turning her head and pretending to chat to herself, "'but Filch was being horrid, it's not my fault he walked in to his office and was instantly surrounded by dungbombs.'" She shrugged and turned the other way, "'I guess that's fair,'" she said understandingly, before turning back and saying, "'thank you Bess, you really are great. Dessert tonight?'"

Everyone laughed, and Sirius let out a strangled noise as he abandoned James' sofa and sat next to Bess before cupping her face and kissing her.

"Ah, hoops," Fleamont said quietly, but Bess heard him.

"Okay seriously, what does that even mean?" Bess asked, looking around the room as she pushed Sirius away gently, slightly embarrassed by the display in front of James' parents.

"What?" Sirius asked, as he rolled his eyes and readjusted on the sofa, throwing an arm around Bess' shoulders and stretching out again.

Bess squeezed his thigh quickly before she pulled her hand back, putting it on her lap as she raised her eyebrows and said, "Hoops."

Fleamont grinned and said, "Oooh! That's a Potter thing I'm afraid. In Quidditch, who protects the hoops?"

"The keeper?" Bess asked, frowning.

"Exactly! So if you're hoops, you're...?"

"Giant, gold and have a hole?" Bess asked without thinking about the connotations of what she was saying until it was too late. Everyone laughed as Bess went bright red.

Recovering first, James said, "No you're the keeper! Hoops means you're a keeper."

"Oh my god of course!" She said, slapping her hand to her head, before she realised what that meant, and turned to Sirius. "Wait, you think I'm hoops?"

He smiled and reached a hand up to brush a curl away from her face, but didn't say anything as he stared at her.

After a few moments, Fleamont clapped him hands together and said, "Drinks?"

He began to pour the drinks out and handed a mug to each of them. Bess loaded hers up with marshmallows and sat back, bringing her knees up to her chest and resting the mug on her knee.

"What story tonight boys?" Fleamont asked as he used a cinnamon stick to stir his chocolate.

"Let's start with... Fourth year!" James replied with a grin.

Fleamont grinned, and took a sip of his chocolate as Euphemia rolled her eyes and explained to Bess, "My bedtime stories are things like the tales of Beedle the Bard. Fleamont's are all about his days at Hogwarts, which included a lot more fighting..."

"Dad was bullied for his name. Became a master dueller at what, fifteen?" James said, looking from Bess to his dad, who nodded.

"I get that. It is a stupid name..." Bess said, and smiled as she heard Sirius gasp quietly next to her, "I mean, what do you do all day? Potter around? And if you want a drink, do you just say, I'll have a Pot-a-tea?"

Sirius and James groaned in unison as Fleamont shook his head, a grin on his face, and Euphemia chuckled.

Putting on a rather grave voice and pursing her lips, Bess continued, "On a more troubling note, did you guys know that the dog star is moving closer to earth? Yeah... If it doesn't stop I think we'll be in Sirius trouble..."

Groans filled the room again and Sirius said, "I'm sorry everyone, I honestly fell for her before I knew she was a dork."

James stopped laughing long enough to say, "That's okay Pads, I think she lured us all in with her Hufflepuff-ness, we thought she was harmless."

"Was that a Euphemia-ism?" Bess asked, tilting her head to one side and sipping her chocolate as the pun sank in.

James got it first, and pointed at the door as he said, "No. Get out!"

Bess nodded solemnly and stood, placing her drink on the table, before sighing deeply and beginning to walk towards the door.

"Bess, love, he was just-" Sirius began, as he sat up quickly and reached out a hand to grab her forearm.

Bess shook her head and said, "It's okay. Really. I said some truly terrible puns. Hope you all sleakeazy tonight, and I'll see you in the morning," she said, before smiling knowingly at Sirius, who stood up and kissed her as everyone else laughed.

She tried to push him away but he held fast, before pulling back to rub her nose with his, saying, "They don't care," and kissed her again. When he finally pulled back again, she rolled her eyes and smiled at him as they sat back down and he handed her her drink before wrapping his arm back around her shoulder, pulling her in to his side.

"Right, fourth year!" Fleamont said, grinning and clapping his hands together.

It was three in the morning by the time everyone traipsed up to bed and Euphemia announced that she didn't expect anyone to be up before noon, and that Sunday lunch would be at three.

Bess crawled into her bed, relishing in the soft comfort as she fell asleep.

xXx

Bess awoke fifty minutes later, drenched in sweat and panting. She reached a hand to her chest as she tried to catch her breath.

Grabbing her wand, she cast a non-verbal Lumos before looking around the room, trying to count all of the things she could see to try and clear her mind.

When that didn't work, she tried pacing.

When that didn't work, she tried her breathing exercises.

When that didn't work, she slowly opened her door and tiptoed down the halls until she came to the stairs. She ran down them and headed to the kitchen, which Euphemia had pointed out earlier in the evening.

She grabbed a glass and filled it with water, chugging the cool liquid as she gripped the countertop.

She screwed her face up and choked back a sob before letting out a frustrated noise and heading for the back door.

She thought she'd have to use a spell to unlock it, and was just trying to remember what that would be, but as she turned the handle, it opened and she muttered a silent thanks to the gods before stepping outside into the freezing cold December night.

She swore as her feet touched the cold paving stones outside, and quickly summoned her trainers, slipping them on before she closed the door behind her and began to walk.

As she passed the last of the plants, she came to a little stone archway. Ducking through it, she stepped in to a field, surrounded by trees.

The moonlight shone brightly, bathing the field in a white glow as it reflected off the snow. Bess couldn't help the smile which took over her face as she took a deep breath and finally felt her heart rate slow.

She stared at the field for a few minutes, as she replaced the images of a dead James and Lily, and Sirius falling through the veil, with the picturesque scene in front of her.

She was so intent on trying to focus on the trees, the wind, the snow and the beads of grass poking through it, the moonlight, and the stars, that she didn't notice she wasn't alone for over a minute.

She was only alerted to the fact when she heard a twig snap, and turned her head quickly, raising her wand.

Her eyes widened as she took in the scene.

A large dog, as black as the night's sky, and giant, as big as a young bear, stood next to a large stag which stood proudly, its antlers reaching up towards the sky.

She stood still for a moment before she burst out laughing and braced her hands on her knees to stop herself from sinking in to the snow.

Her laughter echoed around the clearing and she gasped for breath as she tried to stop herself. She knew exactly who they were, but of course, they couldn't know that.

"I'm sorry. I'm so s-sorry," she gasped, putting a hand on her stomach as she straightened up. "It's just... sorry..." she trailed off, before realising that as long as she didn't tell them she knew who they were, she could say more. "It's just... I mean... this is kind of ridiculous.

"I mean, I'm talking to a stag and a giant dog, but I don't think I'm crazy..." she said, putting a hand over her mouth to stop herself from giggling more as she muttered a spell and summoned her Polaroid camera.

A few moments later it flew in to her hands and she snapped a photo without bringing it up to her face. She shook her head as she took the photo out of the camera and looked down at the developing image, before saying loud enough for them to hear, "I just need proof, you know? Honestly, James will love this..."

She felt the rumble before she heard it, and looked up from the picture to see the giant dog advancing on her, teeth bared and growling.

She knew in her heart and mind that it was Sirius, but she was still frightened. Her eyes widened and she felt the blood drain from her face as she gulped audibly and took a step backwards.

Still, the dog advanced. She chanced a glance behind him to the stag, who was standing still, watching the scene play out.

The growl grew louder and she looked back at the dog, her eyes fixed on its gigantic teeth. She gulped again and her hands shook, she didn't know if from the cold or her fear.

She felt ridiculous - she knew it was Sirius, and yet she was still terrified? A voice at the back of her mind asked, what if it's not him?

Her eyes flickered to his, and she recognised them immediately. She instantly felt better, and, although still a bit scared, she thought "what would Sirius do?".

She dropped her camera on the ground and tucked the photo in to her sleep bra before narrowing her eyes as she tucked her wand in to the waistband of her pyjamas.

She held out her hand, palm towards the dog, and said in a firm voice, "Stop."

She heard what sounded like a laugh from the stag, and heard the dog's snarl drop for a moment before it barked out a laugh and continued to advance.

"Bad dog," she admonished, glaring at it as it didn't stop. Again, she heard a snort like sound from the stag.

"I mean it. Stop," she said firmly, raising her hand again. "I will punch you..." she warned, but the dog, which had almost reached her, continued its advance.

"Don't make me do this..." she whimpered, but the dog didn't stop, so she curled her hand into a fist and pulled back, before putting all of her weight behind her and punching the dog, Sirius, straight on the nose.

She saw the dog's eyes widen before the snarl turned into a whimper and it launched itself backwards. She just about registered that the stag's mouth had dropped open comically, as she turned, shouted, "I'm so sorry," over her shoulder, and ran as fast as she could through the garden, into the kitchen where she removed her shoes, up the stairs, down the halls, and into her room.

She closed the door as quietly as she could before casting locking charms and diving underneath her covers, lifting them over her head.

This time she fell into a dreamless sleep and when she woke up just five hours later, it was only after fishing the photo out of her bra that she realised it wasn't a dream - she'd actually punched her boyfriend in the face.

xXx

After showering, putting on her usual sweep of eyeliner and some mascara, and getting dressed into a jumper dress, leggings and thick socks, Bess headed down to the kitchen.

Euphemia wasn't expecting any of them to be awake yet, as it was only ten, but had mentioned that there were breakfast things available on a help yourself basis.

As Bess reached the kitchen door, she heard voices, and wondered why Sirius and James would be awake so early. Stepping into the kitchen, she waved and shot them both a large smile before heading over to the cupboard and reaching for a mug, trying to act as normal as possible.

"Morning..." James said, before taking a swig of his drink.

Bess knew she needed to play it incredibly cool, so she just smiled again and nodded, before yawning and rubbing her cheek. "Morning."

"How was your night?" He asked, casting a quick look at Sirius, who glared at him.

Bess suddenly felt worried that he'd not see the funny side of what happened.

"Uh yeah, it was okay..." she said, before reaching into her pocket and pulling out the photo and handing it to him. "If you count spotting your favourite animal okay..."

James chuckled as he took the photo, before grinning down at it and handing it over to Sirius, who finally stopped glaring and grinned.

"How was your night?" She asked, filling her mug with some tea from the pot in front of James.

"Yeah, good. Sirius got punched in the face though..."

"What?" Bess asked in mock-surprise and anguish. "James! Why would you punch him?"

His eyes widened and he looked around before saying, "What? It wasn't me!"

"Well it wasn't me!" She said, with a tone of mock-anger as she put down the mug and put her hands on her hips.

She had to pretend not to know what she'd done, so she frowned at James whose mouth was opening and closing rapidly as he tried to think of what to say. As he did, she moved closer to Sirius, and looked at his nose and eyes.

She could tell that he too, had suddenly realised that he wouldn't be able to blame Bess for his hurt without confiding in her that he was the dog.

"Uh- sorry Pads..." James said finally.

"It's uh- fine, Prongs. Just my pride that's hurt," he said as he let Bess lightly touch his face.

She smiled down at him and leant in to kiss his nose and eyes before kissing him quickly on the lips and stepping back. "My prognosis is that you'll live. But stop attacking people."

"Why d'you think I started it?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"Uh, because James wouldn't punch his brother unless he was provoked..." Bess said, trying to add in the reason why she'd punched him without admitting anything.

"That's true," James said, rubbing his chin and thinking.

"For Merlin's sake," Sirius said, before rolling his eyes and taking a swig of his coffee.

"I'm sorry," Bess said quietly, trying to apologise for what she'd done.

"For what, love?" Sirius asked, shooting her a look.

"I dunno... I guess..." she sighed and sat down on the stool next to him. "I kind of... I may have punched something last night, and now I feel terrible for it, seeing your reaction."

Bess decided to be as honest as she could without giving the game away.

"What d'you mean?" He asked, his interest visibly piqued.

"Well, after I took that picture," she said, pointing to the Polaroid, "the dog started walking towards me and was snarling and stuff and I got scared, so I... I punched it and ran."

"You were scared?" He asked, frowning deeply.

"Yeah. I don't know if you remember when I was in the hospital wing, and we had that chat about the dog? And if it was-"

"Headed towards you, yeah?" He said, nodding.

"Well, I thought at first it was just playing with me, but then, I don't know, something about the teeth and the snarl, and the noise, it just scared me. But I didn't want to hurt it by casting a spell or anything, so I did what people say to do with some animals, and I punched it on the nose and ran away."

Sirius stood suddenly and wrapped his arms around Bess, holding her tightly as he kissed her on the forehead and said, "Oh love, I'm sure it was just playing around. I don't think it would be happy to know you were scared."

Bess laughed for a second and said, "What? Are you two friends?"

She felt Sirius chuckle, and he said, "Yeah, something like that."

"It just kept coming..." she added quietly.

"Knowing the dogs round here," Sirius replied softly, as he rubbed circles into her back, "it was probably just joking around and was going to lick you."

"You think?" She asked quietly, feeling even worse now that she knew he was just trying to lick her.

"I know. Trust me. If you meet that dog again, and, actually, only that dog since I really can't speak for others, just... don't run away. I'm sure it'll get upset if you do. And definitely don't punch it," he added quickly, and Bess heard James chuckle. "I'm sure it'll be more obvious that it's playing around next time."

"You think I'll see it again?" She asked hopefully.

"I hope so. I really hope so," he replied, before kissing her deeply. "I'm sure it would love to meet you again."

She rubbed her nose against his and grimaced as he winced slightly. She asked, "You okay?"

He nodded and wiggled his nose around for a moment before grinning down at her. "Never better, love. Now, James, dad and I are having a quick game of Quidditch after lunch. You in?"

Bess shook her head quickly and leant back, saying, "I'm good thanks!"

James, who had been looking away, finding a cupboard incredibly interesting, turned back to Bess with a gasp and said, "What? Why?"

"I'm a little scared to tell you..." she replied, before he glared enough at her and she sighed and said, "fine. Because I've never been on a broom before and I don't think I'd like them, since I'm kind of scared of heights."

"HOW? WHAT?"

Bess watched as James' mind began to explode, and tried not to smile. Sirius wasn't as kind, he was clutching his stomach as he laughed.

"How? How on earth could you not like Quidditch?!" James cried, staring at her like she had two heads.

Bess rolled her eyes and said, "Always with the dramatics! Christ!"

"What about motorcycles, love? Would you go on one of those?" Sirius asked as he straightened up, still grinning.

Bess smiled, knowing why he was asking. "Well, yeah..."

James scoffed. "A motorcycle but not a broom? What's wrong with you?"

Bess jumped up and mimed riding on a broomstick, saying, "This, is unsafe," before switching to miming riding on a motorcycle, widening her stance and squatting more, pretending to grip handlebars. "Whereas this, this is completely different. For one, it stays on the ground. Big plus point."

"What if it could fly at the speed of a broom?"

For a second, Bess forgot who she was talking to, and said, "What lunatic would mess with a bike like that? They were built for the floor."

James, who'd taken a large swig of coffee, snorted and spluttered while Sirius chuckled and shook his head.

"Do I want to know?" Fleamont asked as he walked into the kitchen, taking in the sight of Bess, who was still squatting, pretending to sit on a bike, while the boys laughed.

"Bess won't be joining us today, Dad, she's very much a..."

"Floor person?" Bess offered, pretending to dismount the bike before bounding back over to her stool.

"That's fine, Euph wondered if you might be free for a girls' chat. Might be a good time," Fleamont said, sending Sirius a wink and laughing as the younger man coughed.

xXx

Two hours later, Bess found herself stood beside Euphemia, peeling vegetables as the older witch prepped the meat.

Euphemia had explained that while she normally cooked using magic, she thought she'd give a mostly Muggle approach a try in honour of Bess, who had been laughed at by James and Sirius when she'd asked where the toaster was.

Bess noticed Euphemia send her a small smile, before she said, "Well, now that the boys are outside... Tell me more about Harry."

Bess tried not to react. "Harry?"

Euphemia smiled as she continued to prep the chicken. "Just because my son thought you were joking when you told him he'd marry Lily and have a son, doesn't mean I do. They may be rare nowadays, but I recognise a seer when I... see one..."

"I- but I'm-" Bess tried, shaking her head.

"Bess..."

"Honestly, I'm not- I can't see-" Bess tried, before shaking her head again.

Euphemia frowned. "There's more to it then? James said you get headaches..."

Bess nodded solemnly. "Dumbledore thinks it's the pain of the torture..."

"Yes. Sirius mentioned that," Euphemia explained. When Bess frowned, she said, "as much as the boys pretend they don't, they tell me everything. Remus isn't always around, you know? But now... you think?"

"I can't. It's utterly ridiculous and you'd chuck me-"

Euphemia nudged Bess with her elbow and turned to look at her, as she said, "Bess, my sons turn into creatures and their idea of fun is running around the field behind our house in the middle of the night. Try me."

"You know about that?" Bess asked with wide eyes.

Euphemia shook her head and smiled. "Enough specific ingredients go missing from your garden and you begin to suspect... You know as well?"

Bess stared at the older witch for a moment, her mouth opening and closing quickly, before she said quickly, "I think I'm from another world."

Instead of freaking out, Euphemia simply finished her prep and used her wand to clean herself and the counter top up.

Turning to Bess, she put her hand on her forearm and asked, "Really? How're we living up to your expectations?"

Bess shook her head and gasped. "You're not surprised? Dumbledore thought I was crazy."

Euphemia smiled and pulled Bess in to a tight hug. "Just because he has a wider than average view of the magical world doesn't make him an authority on it. There are many tribes and cultures across the world who practice elemental magic, and there are stories of worlds, glimpses of the past and the future, people disappearing only to come back having lived whole lives."

"But- but I looked... for months, I searched!" Bess cried, as she pulled back.

Euphemia nodded, and held on to Bess' elbows. "History books?"

"Uh- yeah... Time travel as well..."

"Did you look at any fairy tales?"

"I- No... 'course not."

Euphemia dropped her hands and walked over to the cupboard, pulling out two mugs. She filled them both with her wand, and turned to hand a steaming mug of chocolate to Bess. "Have you heard of the Tale of the Three Brothers?"

"Yeah," Bess replied, before taking a sip of her drink.

"Do you know the story hidden within it?"

Bess frowned. "Of the Deathly Hallows? Yeah," she said, and began to count using her fingers as she said, "there's the stone, the wand and the invisibility cloak."

"Do you know where they are?" Euphemia asked as she walked to the other side of the counter and summoned their coats with another flick of her wand.

Bess' eyes widened again. "What? I-"

"Could you tell me where all three of them are right now?"

For some reason, she felt compelled to tell Euphemia everything. She'd never had someone believe her so wholly, or so quickly, before. "I- I don't know about the invisibility cloak."

"In your story books, did Harry have it?"

Bess nodded, confused as to how Euphemia knew that.

"Well it's currently packed in James' trunk upstairs," she said with a sly smile, bringing her mug up to her lips.

Bess gasped and threw her hand up in the air. "Oh my god. Of course it is."

"So if The Tales of Beedle the Bard are true, and the stories you read about will come true, what makes yours any less so?"

Bess looked at the witch in front of her with unbelieving eyes. "You're not joking, are you?"

"Are you?"

Bess shook her head. "But it's unbelievable."

"So's a stone which shows you the dead. Or a wand that's unbeatable. Bess, are there any tales in your world that talk about world travel?"

"Well, yes, there're the Tales of Chrestomanci..."

Euphemia nodded and said, "Tell me about them?"

"Well, there's this one, Charmed Life, where there's a girl called Janet, from my world, and she wakes up one day in the place of... oh my god. She wakes up in the place of a witch called Gwendolen in a different world."

Euphemia smiled thoughtfully. "We have a tale about a girl named Janet as well, but it's more of a cautionary tale against Muggles stealing our magic than anything else..."

"I honestly didn't think anyone would ever believe me," Bess whispered, her mind racing.

They were quiet for a few moments as Bess stared at the peeler in her hand.

Finally, Euphemia spoke again, a teasing smile on her face as she asked, "Sirius is seventeen, and you're twenty-one?"

Bess' eyes widened and she looked up. "Uh- Physically I'm a seventeen year old..."

Euphemia chuckled. "How about I just do all of this using magic and we go for a walk? We won't tell the boys?"

"That would be wonderful," Bess replied, taking a deep breath.

Just as Euphemia held Bess' jacket out to her, they heard a shout, and both women turned their heads quickly to the back door which was slammed open and James barrelled inside. "Mum, Dad's not good!"

"For Merlin's sake! What happened?" Euphemia asked as Sirius walked in slowly, Fleamont's arm thrown across his shoulders, his arm around Fleamont's waist. James returned to his spot underneath Fleamont's other arm, and Fleamont hopped forwards with their help. "What. Happened?"

Bess didn't know what to do, so she just stood stock still and watched as Euphemia fussed over Fleamont, who'd evidently not listened, and broken his leg. The boys lowered him into a chair, and Euphemia ran her wand over his leg.

"Oh Merlin. We're going to have to go to St. Mungo's."

"Can't you just fix it?" James asked, his face pale.

Euphemia shook her head and turned to him with a stern expression on her face, "No. Why, can you?"

"Well no, I- I dunno, I mean I could, but you have to have a clear head, don't you? What if I vanish the bones or something?"

"Sirius?" Euphemia asked, turning to Sirius, who looked slightly sick, but much better than James.

"Sorry ma, can't do it either. Bit shocked if I'm honest, think it was my fault," he said, bowing his head and looking down at Fleamont's leg.

Fleamont groaned as he moved slightly and said, "Merlin, stop it boys, it was mine, and you know it."

Bess grinned and stepped forwards.

Fleamont's eyes widened as he looked up at her. "I don't like the look on her face. Why's she smiling? Sirius?"

Bess rolled her eyes and knelt by his leg, before taking out her wand and concentrating. It was harder to mend a broken leg, she was sure, and would take a lot more concentration by the sounds of things. She tried not to think about what would happen if she did it wrong - she knew Harry'd been in immense pain when the bones in his arm had grown back overnight in the Hospital Wing.

She closed her eyes for a second as she muttered a diagnostic spell and saw swirling patterns behind her eyelids. He'd broken his leg in three places and had multiple fractures.

"How'd you walk on this?" She asked quietly, before looking up at James and asking, "could you get like three fingers of Firewhiskey?"

He nodded and ran to get the drink as she began to twirl her wand over Fleamont's leg, whispering, "Brackium Emendo," over and over again, mending all of the breaks and fractured bones.

Halfway through, having missing the worst of his dad's hissing and groans of pain, James returned with the glass, and Fleamont downed half of the drink before thanking him.

After a while, Bess sat back on her heels she said, "Try that," and smiled as Fleamont moved his foot around in circles.

He grinned slightly tipsily and cried, "Bloody marvellous! Good as new!"

Bess grinned and nodded to his drink, "Better than Skele-Gro eh?"

"Any day! But how did you know how to do that?" Fleamont asked, before pouting as Euphemia took away the last half of his drink.

"Perks of over three months in St. Mungo's. I got bored, and the Healers taught me a thing or two," Bess said, shrugging, before standing and summoning her hot chocolate, taking another sip.

"Want to be a Healer when you're older then?" Fleamont asked, clapping her on the shoulder as he stood.

"Nah, my ultimate goal is defeating Voldemort, just got to not die trying!" She said truthfully, before forcing a laugh at the end as the boys all laughed. She caught Euphemia's eye, who nodded at her knowingly.

"Rain check on the walk, Bess?" Euphemia asked, as she put an arm around her husband's shoulders and began to lead him towards the living room.

Bess nodded sadly, before smiling as James barrelled in to her, wrapping his arms around her and saying, "Thank you!"

xXx

A/N: Sorry I've not posted in a few days, my baby had a really high temp so we've been in panic mode! He's doing a lot better now, so I'm back!

So here it is! This is what's been going on all along - Daphne switched with Bess! I loved the Chrestomanci novels when I was younger, and always had this idea in the back of my mind. JK 'borrowed' ideas from Diana Wynne Jones' tales, so I have too... (Hope it's okay, Diana!) Honestly, the books are incredible, and definitely worth a read if you have time!

Thank you to everyone who's reviewed: Lavendor Queen, CharlotteGryffindor, themugglepadme24, idreamtosmilealways, Ghost Claw 001, and AvalonRivers! And thanks to everyone who's favourited, followed, and read!