August 21st, 1971
Diagon Alley
Life became something regular, if a bit hectic after the incident with Estelle's magic. She spent a lot of time with her cousins, including James, though never together. All three boys were so annoyed about it that they vowed to be friends the second they got to Hogwarts.
Hogwarts was a matter of contention between Estelle and Alphard. They'd done as instructed and Alphard had quickly begun teaching her magic in just about any area he could think of, even dark magic. It hadn't taken long before he realized what branch of magic she had a violent reaction to - Defense Against the Dark Arts.
It had been rather unfortunate, truly, and it was exactly the reason he hadn't wanted to send her to Hogwarts. He'd offered to homeschool her instead, and it was then that she'd, for the first time ever, written Arcturus on her own and asked for his help. She'd gotten Alphard in a bit of trouble, and Arcturus had instructed Alphard to get creative about it and teach her dark magic that could defend against other dark magic.
She wasn't exempt from Defense classes altogether, but she was exempt from practical exams. It had been tough to work out with Dumbledore, but after showing the man how her magic reacted to even just a regular shield, he'd quickly given in, if for no other reason than Estelle's safety.
So finally, they'd settled the argument, and after a week long grounding for writing the Patriarch over such a small matter, Alphard finally agreed it was time to go to Diagon Alley.
She'd been back there numerous times since arriving in the past, of course, but it always put her on edge, and it always scared her. She refused to go without Alphard for fear of losing him, too. It was perhaps not the healthiest way to deal with the fear, indulging her, but he'd yet to talk to someone that would know how to handle it better, so he went.
That day, he'd been tasked with bringing Sirius and Regulus along as well. Regulus didn't need to be there, of course, but Walburga was more than willing to pawn him off on Alphard for a few hours.
"Wands!" Sirius exclaimed. He ran off toward Ollivanders, and they were forced to follow him as he refused to slow down. Alphard put his hand on the door before it could be opened and raised an eyebrow.
"Getting a wand is a serious thing," he told his nephew. "And you must be aware that it will likely take Stella longer than you."
"I don't get why you couldn't have just bought her a wand years ago," Sirius complained. "Wandless magic is so much harder than regular magic."
"It's the laws, Sirius," Estelle sighed, exchanging a look with Regulus. "To try to stop people like you from doing underage magic."
"But you do underage magic," he huffed.
"Can you stop complaining for once and just get your wand?" Regulus asked his brother, irritated. They hadn't been told about Estelle's issues, but Alphard had given them a very serious talk about not questioning or otherwise bothering her about it.
Sirius heaved a large sigh, but he did open the door once Alphard removed his hand. They filed into the shop and found it seemingly empty. Just as Estelle sighed and dropped her head against Alphard's arm, Ollivander stepped out from the back.
"Ah! The Black children," the old man exclaimed, moving toward the counter. "All three of you today?"
"Just these two," Alphard said, putting a hand on Sirius and Estelle's backs. "Regulus has another year."
"Mm, of course," Ollivander nodded. "The boy first, then."
Sirius stepped up to the counter while Ollivander walked through the aisles of wands to his left. It took him barely a moment before he returned with a twisty, light colored wand and handed it over to Sirius. He waved it in the air and watched as a crack sounded and a few boxes flew off shelves. Ollivander let out a chuckle and pulled the wand away from him and replaced it with another one.
"Why do some wands react like that?" Regulus asked when the second wand also proved itself to be the wrong one. After giving Sirius the last wand he'd grabbed, Ollivander eyed Regulus curiously.
"It's the cores of the wands," he stated simply. "Some people's natural magic disagrees with certain core types. Certain core types can be altered by the wood it's placed in and the feel of the wood. Each wand is different for that fact."
Sirius's eyes widened when the wand he held, which was full of runes and a dark brown, lit up in the air and let out a soft hum of magic. "Hey, I like this one!"
"That'll be it, then," Ollivander nodded firmly, pleased with another wand sold. "The girl now."
"Estelle has been taught wandless magic for six years," Alphard informed him, guiding her closer to the counter.
Ollivander hummed. "Interesting…. Very interesting. In that case, Miss Black may require a wand with more… personality. I have just the wand for her."
He left to the back without another word. While he was gone, Sirius showed Alphard his wand excitedly and Estelle did her best not to sigh tiredly. Sirius might be excited for school shopping, but she just dreaded it. She hated being in Diagon Alley.
By the time Ollivander returned with four boxes in his hands, she was tapping her foot nervously and Regulus had grabbed her hand for support. She squeezed it thankfully. He was always more in tune with how she was feeling and there for support, while Sirius was just a ball of chaotic energy that liked to make her laugh when she was upset.
The three cousins were as close as siblings, but there was a lot she'd yet to tell the two boys. They didn't know her real name, or that she was from the future, or even that she was muggleborn. The most they knew was that she was adopted and that she'd changed her name. It was what had prompted Sirius to start calling her Star Kid, a nickname that she both loved and hated, mostly because he always used it, no matter who they were with or how inappropriate it was.
"Here you are," Ollivander said, handing over the first wand. It was a light brown and somewhat crooked with knots trailing along the length of it. She held it in her hand and immediately grimaced at the feel of it against her magic. "Yes, yes, it will be uncomfortable, but Hogwarts won't teach you wandless magic, so you must adjust. Go ahead and flick the wand, Miss Black."
Estelle, uncomfortable as the magic from the wand grated against her, did as he said. When she flicked it, the wand shot from her hand and across the room, slamming into a wall and sticking itself there. Ollivander's eyes lit up happily.
"Wonderful! Certainly not that one, then," he said, grabbing the next one to hand it over. When she held that one, it almost hurt, and she bit her lip to keep from letting out a whimper. "Pain?" She nodded, so he grabbed it back. "Certainly not unicorn hair, then. Try this."
It continued on and on as they tried to find her a wand. By the fifth wand, she was completely frustrated. "Are we sure I can even use a wand at all?"
"Oh, yes, of course," he waved her off. "There's a wand for every witch and wizard. We simply must find the right one."
"This is taking forever," Sirius complained quietly to Regulus, who shot him a look.
"How is it that you have no patience at all?" the younger boy wondered. "It's only been five minutes."
"It's been an eternity."
Estelle grabbed the next wand. Its handle had twists of vines, and about an inch above that, there were three rings before it smoothed out the rest of the way. Finally, it didn't hurt and it didn't feel as if it would fight her own magic. Cautiously optimistic, she gave it a small wave. When nothing bad happened, she attempted a spell. "Lumos!"
The light that came from her wand was somewhat dim, but it was there. Ollivander grinned victoriously. "Aha! I wondered when I'd sell this wand… nearly seventy years since I made it."
"What is it?" Alphard asked, stepping forward to pay.
"Basilisk fang," Ollivander answered happily. "Fourteen galleons, please."
He handed over the money with only a small frown on his face. "Is that safe?"
"Completely," he assured him. "There's no venom in it, but the wand will prefer offensive spells, as well as darker magicks. The wand is twelve and three-quarters inches, ebony wood, and unbending with the basilisk fang core. Extremely unique. I've not made a single one like it."
"Actually, can we get two sheaths for these as well? I'd prefer they not put them in their pockets," Alphard glanced at the kids. It was far too likely they leave it in their back pocket, sit on it, and break it. And everyone knew that the first wand one gets is the best they'll ever have.
After finishing up, the small group made their way out of the store and toward Madam Malkin's. Outside of the store, Alphard looked them over closely. "I need to run to Gringott's to get a few things from my vaults. Will you three be okay in there alone?"
Estelle's eyes widened slightly. "Maybe I could go with you."
"Your cousins will stay with you," he assured her, shooting a look at the boys, who each nodded. They didn't know why, but they did know she was afraid of Diagon Alley. "I'll be back soon. You let Madam Malkin know if something's wrong and have her send me a Patronus, okay?"
"Dad-,"
Alphard sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "I promise you, you'll be okay. You'll see me again in thirty minutes."
"What if you don't come back?" she asked in a whisper. "What if I… what if something happens?"
"You know not to go near Knockturn Alley," he reminded her gently. "And even if you did, we swept Coffin House for any items like the one you touched. You're safe here, Stella." Despite his words of assurance, she still didn't want him to go. Regardless, he straightened and offered them all a smile. "Get your school robes, and you can each get one extra thing if you'd like. Nothing that would anger your mother, boys."
He left them, and they stepped into the shop together. They were immediately found by a shop assistant, who looked them over and noted the Black heir ring on Sirius's finger. "How can I help you?"
"We need our school robes," Estelle answered when Sirius got distracted by the House patches set by school robes. "Just us. Regulus doesn't go until next year."
"Of course," she smiled at them. "I'll just need your measurements, then. Who'd like to go first?"
"Uh, she would," Sirius answered. Estelle narrowed her eyes at him, but she was quickly guided over to a pedestal in front of some mirrors. She resigned herself to being poked for the next half hour, watching as Sirius and Regulus wandered around the shop together.
"Miss Black."
She glanced to her left and found a boy her age standing there. He looked to be pureblood, if the way he held himself said anything. He had straight, brown hair that came down to his ears, matched with pale skin and greenish blue eyes that reminded her of a lake Alphard liked to take her to. Despite seeming familiar, she couldn't say she knew him. "You know me?"
"I do," he confirmed before pausing. "I learned of you when Alphard Black adopted you. Quite annoyed my father, as we'd moved on from your family by then."
Estelle laughed softly. "I apologize, then."
He held out his hand to her. "Frederick Avery."
She offered her own as the name clicked in her head. The Averys were a rather prominent family that had moved away many years ago, preferring to spend time in America after the war with Grindelwald. "I wasn't aware you'd be attending Hogwarts."
"My parents are tired of the international trips to take part in Wizengamot meetings," he explained, kissing her knuckles. "They also want me to get the best education possible, which means sending me to Hogwarts."
Estelle hummed. "This'll be your first year, then?"
"And yours as well," he confirmed. He looked at her like he knew her secrets, and it made her somewhat uncomfortable. "I look forward to being placed in Slytherin with you."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "You assume I'll be in Slytherin?"
"You're a Black."
"I'm adopted," she added. "Clearly I'm not exactly like my cousins, if their mother's distaste toward me means anything."
"You mean Walburga Black?"
Estelle was unable to refrain from the grimace she gave at the name. "She's not the most pleasant member of my family."
"Mm, I find the majority of your family is a bit too intense for me," he informed her.
"Intense. An interesting understatement," she laughed. He smiled at her laugh, and it prompted her to smile back. That uncomfortable feeling he'd given off at first was slowly fading and she found him relaxing, too. "I'm not sure I'll be in Slytherin, though. I know Sirius would rather be in Gryffindor, but he doesn't want to leave me, so I might end up going to Gryffindor."
"I can't imagine your family would like that," he commented, glancing over to where Sirius was eyeing them curiously.
"Especially Walburga," Estelle agreed. "Which is why I've been trying to convince him for months to try to get into Slytherin."
"Well, Estelle, if you and Sirius would like to join me on the train, I'd appreciate that."
She hummed. "Would you mind if I bring James Potter? Otherwise, Sirius won't come."
"I'd appreciate meeting him," he informed her. "I haven't met many kids or heirs my age."
"Of course, you don't have friends here," she realized. "That must be awful, moving away from all your friends."
"You did it, didn't you?" he pointed out. Estelle did her best not to look away from him.
"I did, but I was six, and I had automatic friends because of Sirius and Regulus."
"That's lucky, I suppose," he admitted. Estelle offered him a bright smile.
"Well, now you've got a friend," she stated firmly. He returned the smile, but his reply was cut off by Madam Malkin, who had been measuring him.
"You're finished, dear. Come back in two hours and we'll have your things for you."
Avery stepped down and nodded at Estelle firmly. "I'll see you in a little over a week, then."
She waved goodbye and, once he was gone, relaxed somewhat. It wasn't long before Sirius was ushered up where her new friend had just been and she glanced at him. "I made us a friend."
"I found a blanket that flies to you when you start shivering!"
Estelle let out a short laugh and let him change the subject and talk to her animatedly until Alphard got back twenty minutes later.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
September 1st, 1971
King's Cross Station
The day was chaotic, to say the least. Alphard was permitted by Walburga to bring Sirius to the train when her son had offhandedly mentioned that Estelle had befriended Avery. With strict orders to sit with him on the way there, Sirius happily floo'd to the station with his uncle and cousin.
The station was rather empty for the special day that it was, speaking of how early they'd left. The floo threw them out directly in platform 9 ¾, so they immediately made their way toward the train to find a compartment. Since there were only a handful of kids already there, they had their pick and settled on one towards the back of the train.
"I expect you both to behave," Alphard told them firmly when he finished putting their bags in the shelves above them. "And for the love of Merlin, if you can't do that, then don't get caught."
Sirius grinned up at him. "I'll never get caught."
"That is absolutely not true," Estelle rolled her eyes. "I'll behave, Dad."
"See to it that he doesn't get in too much trouble," Alphard requested. He placed a kiss on her forehead and hugged Sirius and then stood back. "I'll write you both tonight."
"Bye, Dad," Estelle said with a smile. Convinced that they'd be okay - probably - he slipped off of the train, leaving them alone. Once he was gone, they plopped down in their seats and got comfortable.
"When d'you think we'll leave?" Sirius wondered, eyeing the platform through the window.
Estelle checked her watch and rolled her eyes. "Not for another thirty minutes."
He let out a long suffering groan. "That's so long."
Estelle waved at the door. "If you're so impatient, go find the treat cart and get us some snacks."
"You'll be okay?" he asked her, glancing toward the door. At her nod, he got to his feet. "What do you want?"
"You know what I like," she waved him off, rather uncaring. Even if he got her things she didn't want, she could just go back later if she got hungry. Sirius nodded and slipped out, leaving her alone.
As people continued to enter the train, she let her mind slip back to her life before discovering Diagon Alley. It was something she rarely allowed herself to do, because it always put her in a rather bad mood.
She couldn't quite get the thought that her parents should've taken her to King's Cross out of her head. They should've discovered her magic together, upon being visited by a Hogwarts staff member. They should've taken her to Diagon Alley to get her things.
But even as she considered it, she was fairly certain that it wouldn't have happened. Confirming to them that Estelle - Hermione, rather - had magic… it would've been bad. She spared a moment to consider the morbid idea of how badly she'd have been hurt for it.
A knock on the compartment door startled her into shaking the thoughts away and looking over. A familiar face stood there with another following along behind her. Estelle smiled and waved them inside, and she hugged Narcissa tightly while Elora Zabini leaned against the door.
"I'm so glad to see you, Cissa," she said, happy that her cousin had decided to come find her. "Did you just get here?"
"I did," she confirmed, frowning slightly. "Where'd our horrible cousin go? He left you alone in here?"
"He can't sit still for more than five seconds," Estelle defended. "He went to get us some snacks. He'll be back."
"Sirius has the attention span of an ill-behaved toddler," Narcissa sighed. "He'll take quite a while to come back. You intend to just sit here alone the entire time?"
Estelle shrugged. "I've invited a couple of people to sit with us, so as soon as they get here, I'll be fine."
"Mm, Potter," Elora guessed. Estelle made a face at Narcissa's best friend, who returned it. "You're going to get Black killed, helping him befriend the Potter heir. Not exactly something a loving cousin would do, huh?"
"Elora," Narcissa chided. "Stella, I hope you're careful. Walburga is dangerous. If she thinks you're guiding Sirius down the wrong path-,"
"I know," Estelle interrupted. "I've had more than one talk about it with my dad, Cissa, but Sirius should be able to be friends with whomever he likes. It'll be fine."
Narcissa let out a rather uncharacteristic sigh and nodded. "I hoped to see how you're doing. I see you're as stubborn as ever, so we will leave you be."
Estelle knew she'd frustrated Narcissa, but she meant what she'd said. Sirius and James were insistent upon being friends, and they would be with or without her. "I'll see you later, Cissa."
Narcissa exited the compartment, and after smirking at her, Elora did the same. Estelle resisted the urge to make a face at her. She and Elora had never gotten along very well, but they'd always tried to behave for Narcissa's sake, as they both loved her. Once the door closed again, Estelle let her head fall back against the seat behind her and closed her eyes.
The concern her older cousin showed was warranted, truthfully, but no less irritating. If everyone in the family was worried about Walburga losing it and hurting or even killing the heir, then why was she allowed to raise him? It made no sense.
When the compartment door opened again, it took a bit of effort for Estelle to open her eyes. Instead of James or Sirius as she'd expected, she found Avery entering and chuckling lightly at her.
"We haven't even left yet," he reminded her. "You're already exhausted?"
"My family is exhausting," she explained, offering him a smile. He put his bag on the shelf and sat down across from her. "Tell me, is your family completely insane?"
Avery laughed. "No, I wouldn't say so. My sister can be irritating, but that's the worst it gets."
"You're lucky," she informed him. "Very lucky."
"Speaking of your family," he raised an eyebrow. "No cousins?"
"Sirius can't sit still and Narcissa's a bit annoyed with me," she answered easily. "James is- well, he isn't here yet."
"Then I suppose it's a good thing I got here early," he stated.
"Yes, I suppose it is."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Sirius returned twenty minutes after the train had left with far too many treats in his hands. He stepped inside and dropped them on Estelle. "Stella, I just met this kid, he's got a twin sister! They're our age. It's so cool."
Estelle pushed the copious amounts of snacks onto the seat next to her. "Are you telling me you've never met Evan and Alice before?"
"You know my mum," he waved her off. He turned around to take his seat, only to find it already taken. At the sight of the messy brown hair, his face split into a grin. "Potter!"
"Together at last," James joked, scooting over for him. "Took you long enough. Stella was starting to think you'd been left behind."
"Nah, I just couldn't remember which one she was in," he explained. His eyes drifted to the boy sitting next to her. "Avery, right? Stella said you'd sit with us."
"Mm," Estelle hummed. She threw a sugar quill at James, who caught it with a happy grin.
"You're a saint," he told her. Sirius looked between them curiously.
"Why?"
"Because you only got one, and sugar quills are both of our favorite candy," Estelle explained, handing a pumpkin juice to Avery. Once he took it, she picked up a cauldron cake for herself. "You weren't rude to Evan, were you?"
"Am I ever rude?"
"Constantly."
Sirius waved her off. "Nah, he just said hi to me and moved on. It's fine."
"You worry too much, Stella," James added.
"Can I ask, why do they call you that?"
The question came from Avery and she was confused for a moment. It was James that answered him. "When we met, I thought her name was Stella, so that's what I called her. She tried to correct me, but it was too late."
"I like it," Estelle shrugged. "Dad doesn't mind it, either. He gave me such an old, weird name that I really did need a nickname."
"Estelle isn't your birth name?" Avery asked her in surprise. James looked shocked as well, never having thought to question it.
"No. My name before wasn't very star-like. He changed it to Estelle."
"Ew, why'd you wanna do that?" Sirius asked. James elbowed his side, but she just rolled her eyes at him. She was far too used to his blunt, socially unaware way of being.
"Well, he told me that if I wanted him to adopt me, he'd have to change it. I wasn't going to let anyone else adopt me, and I hated my name."
"So what was it?" James wondered. "Before, I mean."
"Nothing I'm going to share," she screwed up her face. "There's a reason I don't talk about who I was before Dad adopted me."
"Well, Estelle or not, you took my cauldron cake," Sirius complained, promptly shifting the conversation away. He could tell she was uncomfortable, and Alphard had sat him down and demanded he take care of her at Hogwarts. He hadn't really needed to do it, honestly, as Sirius planned to stick to her side as much as possible.
The train ride was long, and in the time during it, people floated in and out of the compartment. At some point, both Sirius and James left together to explore, leaving Estelle with Avery and another girl that had entered whose name was Marlene.
The boat to the castle was not her favorite thing. She saw, a few boats over, as Goyle rocked his boat back and forth, making Jugson smack the back of his head. When they finally reached land, Estelle raced out of the boat and quietly thought to herself that boats were much worse than Apparition.
Hagrid took them to the doors to the Great Hall, where the older students and the teachers had already gathered. He left them, letting them know that McGonagall would be coming to get them.
At the front of the crowd, Yaxley was getting up in Alice's face, making fun of her hair, which was a light brown and very straight. When he tugged at it, she smacked his hand away, and he pinched her arm hard enough that she let out a squeal of pain.
Estelle pushed through the crowd and saw her friend blushing under the gaze of Yaxley. She came to stand at Alice's side and stared down the boy in front of them. "You will leave Alice alone, Corban."
"Her hair's ugly, but yours is worse," he sneered at her. Estelle resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. Her hair used to be much worse and completely uncontrollable, but Dorea had used a rather strong charm to permanently relax her hair, leaving her with waves instead of tight curls.
"Yes, we get it, you're blind and you're a bully," she waved at him. "You've done your job, so move on."
"Don't be rude, Black," his sneer shifted into a glare. "Don't you know your superiors when you see them?"
Estelle's scoff was covered by the straight up laugh that came from behind her. She turned and saw Evan with his arms crossed over his chest.
"You, Stella's superior? You forget your place, Yaxley," Evan warned him. "Leave them alone, or I'll write my father and tell him to drop his support from your grandfather's bill. It's a rather important one, isn't it? Won't it allow your father a seat on the Wizengamot as well?"
Yaxley shut his mouth and glared at the three of them for a long moment before he stalked away to Goyle and Rookwood. With him gone, Evan threw his arms over Estelle and Alice's shoulders.
"Now that he's gone," he grinned at them. "We're gonna be sorted!"
"Yeah, and then that'll be over and we'll have homework for the rest of our lives," Alice sighed, shaking her head. "Thanks for helping, guys. I was gonna hex him."
"I figured," Estelle sighed. She dropped her head onto Evan's shoulder. "I need a pain potion for the headache that will be Sirius and James together."
"Man, you really helped that along, didn't you?" Evan glanced at her with a slight frown. "You really wanna mess with Walburga Black?"
"Dad'll be annoyed that I made his life harder, but he'll handle it," Estelle promised. "I won't see Walburga again until New Year's, and if she attacks me there, Aunt Dorea will destroy her. I'll be fine."
"I think 'fine' depends on what House Sirius is put in," Alice disagreed. "If he really manages to get himself into Gryffindor, I bet Walburga'll break into Hogwarts and kill you in your sleep."
"Cheery conversation to walk into," James said, coming to stand next to Estelle. "Why's that insane witch gonna kill you?"
"I'm pretty sure she'd use any excuse possible to kill me," Estelle pointed out. "Where'd you leave Sirius?"
"With these guys, Remus and Peter. He won't shut up about how Remus's name means wolf and his means dog. He thinks it's hilarious."
"No one's ever said Black is one to miss the obvious," Evan snorted. Estelle turned her head to look at him.
"Have you met him? He's the most oblivious person I know."
"Well, to be fair, Evan only met him today," Alice pointed out. "Barely any of us really met him or his brother."
"Again, because his mother is insane," James spoke up.
"It's really bad for the House," Estelle commented. "I mean, he's the heir. He needs to make the connections for the sake of the House. To uphold the alliance, you know?"
"This is what happens when you inbreed," Evan grinned at her. "Everyone loses their fucking minds."
"Don't curse," Alice scolded.
Before he could reply, the doors opened and McGonagall walked out to bring them inside. After giving a short explanation of what would happen, she waved them inside, and the group took a collective step forward toward the beginning of their Hogwarts career.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Hello! I haven't posted in forever because I'm honestly unsure of the direction in which I want to take this fic. I have a few thoughts on friends, end pairings, whether or not she goes back to the future, but aside from that I'm drawing a blank. This was one of those ideas I had and immediately started without putting much thought into it.
So! If anyone has any requests or anything, let me know! Even if it's on the things I already have ideas for. I'd love to hear your thoughts!