Drarryfanficsao3

by Suicide44

Dhhdgd

202. 168The Hellish Life of Helia Potter

Preface

The Hellish Life of Helia PotterPosted originally on the Archive of Our Own at /works/22005025.

Rating:

Not Rated

Archive Warning:

Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category:

F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi

Fandom:

Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Relationship:

Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Helia Potter/Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott/Blaise Zabini, Hermione Granger/Bill Weasley, Susan Bones/Ron Weasley, Daphne Greengrass/Fred Weasley/George Weasley, Luna Lovegood/Charlie Weasley, Astoria Greengrass/Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom/Padma Patil, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Arthur Weasley/Molly Weasley, Amelia Bones/Kingsley Shacklebolt, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added

Character:

Harry Potter, Helia Potter, Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, James Potter, Lily Evans Potter, Severus Snape, Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, Padma Patil, Neville Longbottom, Susan Bones, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Percy Weasley, Astoria Greengrass, Daphne Greengrass, Nymphadora Tonks, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Amelia Bones, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Arthur Weasley, Molly Weasley, Other Character Tags to Be Added, Harry Potter Characters

Additional Tags:

Female Harry Potter, Characters Reading Harry Potter Books, BAMF Harry Potter, BAMF Helia Potter, BAMF Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, Ron Weasley is So Done, His Two Best Girls are Always Getting into Trouble, Padma Patil is a Saint, Susan Bones is a Mini BlackWidow, Helia is a Punk Who Can't Stay Out of Trouble, Protective Harry Potter, Protective Helia Potter, Helia Doesn't Trust Adults, Helia Has PTSD, Harry Potter Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Harry Potter Has a Saving People Thing, Helia Potter Has a Saving People Thing, Helia Has a Heart, Though she likes to hide it, Kingsley is the Best Step-Uncle, Sirius Black Deserves Better, Remus Lupin Needs a Hug, Dotting Dad James Potter, Lily Evans is a Saint, Severus Snape Redemption, Misguided Albus Dumbledore, Albus Dumbledore Being an Idiot, How Does McGonagall Deal with These Idiots, Ginny Weasley Has PTSD, Neville Doesn't Know These People, Blaise is a Smooth Motherfucker, protective Theodore Nott, Draco Malfoy is Bad at Feelings, Pining Draco Malfoy, Protective Marauders, Golden Trio are a Family, The Twins are Their own Warnings, Luna Is A Blessing And Should be Protected, Gay Theodore Nott, Bisexual Blaise Zabini, Lesbian Ginny Weasley, Exasperated Theodore Nott, Loner Theodore Nott, Cynical Theodore Nott, Cynical Blaise Zabini, Sort Of Pessimistic Helia Potter, Artist Luna Lovegood, Nordic Theodore Nott, Italian Blaise Zabini, Theodore Speaks Icelandic And Italian, Blaise Speaks Italian and Icelandic, Neville And Helia are Godsiblings, Severus Snape is Bad at Feelings, Severus Snape is Draco's godfather, Helia Is Related To The Carrow's Through Euphemina, Percy Weasley/Penelope Clearwater - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Series:

Part 1 of

The Hazardous Hectic Heroics of Helia Potter

Stats:

Published: 2020-01-24 Updated: 2021-02-02 Chapters: 10/? Words: 95231

The Hellish Life of Helia Potter

by 1BabyDoll_of_Fandom9

Summary

Helia Potter swore she never been as tired as she was right now, as is the consequences of the aftermath of death-defying stunts involving a dragon no less.

Stabbed in the back by one of her best friends and while forgiving the act she would forever be scarred by the wound of the betrayal.

Forced to witness the death of a schoolmate who has been nothing but kind to her, by the very hand of the man who's treachery led to murder of her parents.

As the School year ends again she would be tossed back to her "relatives" who never gave a damn about her, banned from being with her godfather who was forced to be on the run for a crime he didn't commit so yes she was so very tired.

Only to be kidnapped by some unforeseen beings into a room with friends, family, enemies, adults she didn't trust, and strangers to read about her life, could you really blame her for being fed up.

Notes

~All underline bold is now symbolizing AU content~~

Why Is It Always Me?

Chapter Notes

~~Chapter has been edited~~

Helia roamed the edge of the black lake brewing in anger from the naive bastards who labeled her as an attention seeking liar.

This year she watched as someone she had grown to care for was murdered before her very eyes, by the two men who she hated with every fiber of her being. The madman who murdered her parents and was trying very hard to kill her too and the whining coward who betrayed her parents resulting in their deaths. She was forced to watch as the murderer was resurrected, when the monster was revived again he tortured and humiliated her. She had barely escaped with her life and the body of her deceased friend.

Only to be called a liar and attention seeking, clearly something was wrong with her they whispered behind her back for why would she try to come up with such a horrible tall tale. Her few friend believed her but she felt isolated from everyone she cared for, alone and vulnerable waiting for someone to take a shot at her.

She sighed in melancholy wishing that there was a way to show everyone that she was telling the truth.

When suddenly a bright silver light shined blinding her, as the light faded she opened her eyes not even realizing she closed them in the first place. Only to meet the silvered gaze of her "enemy" Draco in confusion, the pale haired boy was hovering over her supporting his weight with his hands.

"Where the bloody hell are we, Potter" he drawled, his body tense on guard.

Glaring at him "how should I bloody know, Malfoy" she spat pushing him lightly off herself, while she cared for him she knew she could never share those feels with anybody it was best to keep them to herself.

Looking around, she notice they were in a large room that was furnished with comfortable looking chairs, couches and bean bags. The fireplace was blaring with heat that gave the room a homey feeling, doors littered the walls leading to somewhere.

"Pup, are you alright" called the voice of her godfather, her criminally convicted godfather who was supposed to be in hiding.

"Sirius, what are you doing here?" Quickly rushing to him and being pulled into a loving embrace "you shouldn't be here" she warns him not wanting him to be carted back to Azkaban.

"I didn't have much choice Pup, none of us did." He explained, which brought her attention to the others in the room.

Hermione, Luna, Susan, Padma, Lee, Zabini, Nott, the Greengrass sister Daphne and Astoria, Neville, the Weasley siblings and their parents, Remus, Snape, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Amelia Bones, Mad-eye, Kingsley, Tonks and of course Sirius, Draco and herself.

A scream suddenly broke the silence "Sirius Black, he's going to kill us!" Screamed a freighted Astoria, as she was pulled behind her older sister who glared at Helia and Sirius like they planned this.

"Potter, what is that deranged lunatic doing here and why are you acting so familiar with him" Daphne gritted out slowly backing away from them.

"No need to be alarmed Miss Greengrass, he will not harm you or your sister for he is innocent." The Headmaster said gently, earning a scoff from the blonde haired girl who obviously didn't believe a word out of the old man's mouth.

"Calm yourself Miss Greengrass, for once the Headmaster is right." Snape sighed. "And as much as it pains me to admit Black would not harm anyone here." The potions professor sneered as if admitted that caused a bad taste in his mouth.

"Aw, Snape I didn't know you cared so much for me" he mocked the stoic professor getting a slap on the head from his lifetime friend Remus.

"Don't try to start a fight, Padfoot" he scolded.

"That doesn't explain why Helia knows him" questioned Zabini lazily already draped across a loveseat with his feet planted on Nott's lap who looked as if he didn't mind one bit.

"He's my godfather" was her only reply to the boy who causally studied her with indifference, total opposites from the boy next to him who's staring pierced her trying to piece together the information he was getting.

"Interesting" was his reply.

A growl was aimed at the lazy boy "Blaise" barked Draco clearly unhappy with Zabini for some reason.

"Enough with this foolishness, Albus why are we here" snapped Professor McGonagall turning to the Headmaster wanting an answer

"I would like to know with too" a woman who clearly was a political person with how she held herself and most likely Susan's Aunt that she had yet to meet with how she held her redhead friend behind herself a Dark skinned man was positioned slightly in front of both of them.

A paper floated down slowly in front of her, quickly snatching the paper out of the air with trained to perfection seeker reflexes drawing the attention of everyone.

"Well Potter what are you waiting for an invitation, read it" Barked the gruff retired Auror

" Dear occupants of the Come and Go room

I have gathered you here to read a story, well not really a story as this is about the life of a young woman who has lost and loved so much it hurts. The Girl-Who-Lived or as you know her Helia Potter, these Books with tell her hardships and adventures from her point of view. The future while safe now the struggle to that was hard and the loss of so many you cared for weighs heavily on you all, but with these books maybe a bright future with less loss could bloom. Time will stand still when you are here so there is no need to worry you will be put back exactly like you were only with new knowledge, good luck to you all and here's to a better future.

Sincerely

H.MPB, Lu.MPB, Li.MPB and C.MPB the four founders of this event

"Well then, shall we begin then" the Headmaster announced clapping his hands.

Suddenly having a horrible thought and from the looks on Hermione and Ron's face they were thinking on the same thought process as her.

Clearing her throat nervously "we won't get in trouble or have points taken from us for past or future action will we?" Hermione asked wringing her hands shakily getting a suspicious look from Snape but was quickly reassured by Professor McGonagall.

"No course not Miss Granger" earning a sigh of relief from most of the children.

Another note floated down, she quickly snatched it again reading without being as to.

"I forgot to mention there will be two more guests, try not to faint."

Was all that was written on the slip of paper getting confusion from most people, but when she looked up from the note she noticed two people in front of her.

The women had long red hair that flowed down to her waist and bright green eyes while the man had messy black hair with glasses framing his hazel eyes that blazed with mischief. The people in front of her were her parent whom she had never seen outside pictures or her dreams, sharp gasps and shocked cries the others noticed too

"James, Lily" was all that Sirius could croak out in shock.

"Padfoot, where are we?" Ask a confused James Potter only to notice his best friend was older than the last time he saw him. Quickly looking around, he saw faces that were familiar but different and others that he didn't know, but his eyes were drawn to the young girl standing next to his best friends looking shocked.

"Fawn?" Was his shocked question getting a weird look from his wife who knew their daughter was in fact a baby not knowing why he called the girl his nickname for their child. But when looking at her, she too saw what her husband notice for this girl with the messy black hair that barely touched her shoulders to her round spectaculars that framed her beautiful green eyes, ones she knew mirrored her own this girl was her daughter.

"Heli great Morgana, h-how could this be possible?" Lily gasped reaching for her daughter who stared at her as if she never seen her before.

Helia could only hear a ringing in her head that she usually associated with anger, but what she was feeling wasn't anger it was fear. Her breath came out in short pants, her hands tingle wanting to have her wand in hand for comfort she could feel her legs giving out from underneath her. A pair of arms caught her slowly lowering her to the floor, when a face was suddenly in front of her their icy blue eyes catching her attention.

"Potter listen to me, your safe nothing here is going to hurt you" Nott spoke lowly

"Miss Potter I understand this must be a shock-" Dumbledore began, but his voice just grated on her nerves making her want to lash out but a voice did it for her.

"Can't you see you're not helping old man" Zabini glared at the Headmaster with fierce expression looking nothing like his usual devil may care attitude, he was quickly backed up by Hermione and Ron.

"Can't you tell she's having a panic attack" hissed Hermione.

"She doesn't need you yammering so back the bloody hell off!" Ron snapped his face red in his rage.

Trying to suck in much needed breaths of air "I c-can't stop it, I'm sorry" she stammered only to get hushed by the quiet boy.

"It's okay, it's okay, just breathe, you have nothing to be sorry for" he comforted her brushing her hair out of her eyes.

As her breathing came easier she tried to pick herself up only for the arms holding her to help and steady her, her other helper was none other than Draco Malfoy who held her as she panicked. Turning a light pink she gave him a nod of thank hoping he wouldn't notice the blush.

She was quickly pulled into familiar embrace that smelled of faded spicy cologne, motor oil and cigarettes making her relax into her godfather's arms.

"Sirius?" She asked in a tremulous voice which broke slightly from her panic.

"It's them, pup" he said in shocked grief trembling a bit.

While she dreamed of this moment, it was overwhelming and distressing to have them here with no warning in such a vulnerable position. But she would never forgive herself is she didn't take the risk to get to know them, even if it was bad for her in the long run.

Pulling herself out of Sirius's arms to face her greatest desire, her family, her biological parents that loved and sacrificed their lives for her.

"Fawn" her father said again, his voice sounding as if he yearned to have her in his arms but held back, but she didn't as she ran to him and jumping into his arms he wrapped his arms around her and made a sound of relief.

"Dad" was all that came out of her mouth, but it was enough for her father to understand.

"It's okay fawn, we're here now" he said pulling his wife into the hug as she began to cry.

"Oh my darling Heli, you've grown so beautifully" Lily sobbed as she stroked her daughter's hair holding her family close.

"I-I have so much to tell you, I don't know where to start." Helia stammered to her parent barley keeping from crying.

"Miss Potter, fret not for these books will help" said Dumbledore making Helia tense extracting herself from her parent as put her walls back up, making her friends who knew her well enough sigh at her paranoia.

"Then shall we begin" said Susan drawing the attention off Helia, she picked up the book the read Heliantheae Potter and the Philosopher Stone she opened the book that was supposed to be Helia's life and secrets all wrapped up in a pretty bow from them to read. With a sigh, she braced herself turning to the rest in the room "so who goes first".

"I will" Luna said whimsically as she took the book turning to the first chapter "The Girl Who Lived".

And So These Invisible Threads Now Bind Me

"I will" Luna said whimsically as she took the book turning to the first chapter "The Girl Who Lived".

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

"Your not welcome, you bloody knob" said Fred and George coldly clearly remembering the bars on the window incident.

"Boys!" Mrs.Weasley scolded the twins sharply.

They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.

Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache.

"Lovely ain't he" Blaise said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Should I be jealous" whispered Theo into Blaise's ear no one noticing but Helia and Remus, who just raised an eyebrow at the antics of the two Slytherins.

Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbours.

"I see my sister hasn't changed a bit" Sighed Lily as James put an arm around her shoulder in comfort.

The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion, there was no finer boy anywhere.

The Golden Trio all snorted at that since they knew what Dudley was really like.

The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it.

"A secret" Fred said slyly with a grin which was mirrored by his twin.

"Do tell" finished George as he leaned towards the book getting a laugh out everybody.

They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister,

"That's sad to pretend not to have a sibling just because they're different" Luna said sorrowfully pausing in her reading for a moment.

Helia and Hermione looked at their younger friend in agreement, as they all had people torment them for being different.

because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be.

"There's nothing wrong with the Potter's" Snarled Sirius and Remus.

"UnDursleyish, is not a word" said Hermione shuddered at fictional word getting a smirk from her best friends.

The Dursley's shuddered to think what the neighbours would say if the Potters arrived in the street.

"Oh I don't know, maybe how in the world is this handsome devil and this red-headed beauty related to this horse and whale." James said, grinning at his wife and daughter getting an eye roll from his wife and a small laugh from his daughter making his grin widen.

The Dursley's knew that the Potters had a small daughter, too, but they had never even seen her.

"With good reason too" Sirius said, pulling his goddaughter closer as she leaned her head on his chest.

This girl was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.

"A child like what" growled Mad-Eye not liking how these muggles were acting, he didn't know what Albus was thinking sending the Potter child to live with these magic hating muggles.

"A child with magic" whispered Helia making Draco tense in dread, praying that what he was thinking didn't happen to her anybody but her.

When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, grey Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work,

Making George gasp in horror "most boring tie" pretending to faint only to end up in the oldest Greengrass sisters lap getting a raised eyebrow from the girl making his face turn red and his twin laugh.

and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.

Lily and Mrs.Weasley looked disgusted with Petunia's parenting skills.

None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.

The adults all gave Helia a pitying look, making her realize what day they were reading about the day her parents died.

At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley goodbye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. "Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house.

"You don't encourage that kind of behaviour" fumed Prof. McGonagall

"You tell him Minnie" Sirius said winking at the transfiguration professor.

He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar -- a cat reading a map.

"Minnie!" Shouted the twins throwing their arms in the air almost hitting poor Daphne who was sitting between them.

"I've been rid of that ridiculous nickname for years and now you got them saying it" McGonagall hissed at Sirius like her animagus form only for him at grin sheepishly at her.

For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen -- then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back.

"Never try to out stare Professor McGonagall, you never win" Remus said wisely making James, Sirius, the Twins and surprisingly Charlie nodded in agreement.

As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive -- no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs.Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town, he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day. But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.

"Why are cloaks strange" asked Neville confused

"Muggle haven't worn cloaks, since the medieval times Nev." Padma explained as she loved exploring the muggle world when she was home.

Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes -- the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together.

Theo's eyes narrowed into a glare at the muggle insulting the wizards in the book for what they were wearing, but calmed when Blaise grabbed his hand lacing their fingers together.

Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him!

"The nerve of that man"

"Wearing emerald green"

"Everyone knows only Minnie"

"And Helia can pull it off" the Twins mocked in horror, Draco privately agreed Helia looked beautiful in emerald green thinking of her Yule Ball dress robes.

But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt -- these people were obviously collecting for something... yes, that would be it.The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.

"One track mind, much" said Susan.

Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open- mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead.

"Constant Vigilance!" Roared Mad-Eye startling everyone, his eye glinting in approval when the Potter girl only flinched a little.

"Morgana's Tits, Mad-Eye!" Tonk yelled back at her teacher getting a glare from Mrs.Weasley for her crass language.

Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more.

"He sure likes to shout maybe he's been bitten by the sikoly hibákat."

Luna wondered, making Helia smile she loved listening to Luna talk about all types of creatures.

"What's a sikoly hibákat?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Their fuzzy three-legged creatures that feed on silence and peace when they feed on their victims, they become quite loud and rude." Luna explained blinking at Charlie who looked at Luna like she was the best thing since dragons.

He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs

"Everyone take cover the worlds ending" said Helia in alarm.

and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery.

"Oh don't worry Helia, everything is fine with the world again" laughed Ron.

He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy.

"You should be afraid."

"Be very afraid." The twins said in a spooky but threatening voice, making Bill and Charlie give the weird looks because nothing usually got under the twins skins to make them like this.

This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying."The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard yes, their daughter, Helia"

The Potter Family all tensed knowing what they were whispering about.

Mr. Dursley stopped dead.

"Yes our prayers have been answered" the twins said simultaneously trying to relax the mood.

Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialling his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his moustache, thinking... no, he was being stupid.

"Ha, he admitted it, no take backsies" called out Sirius, as Helia laugh against his chest.

Potter wasn't such an unusual name.

"I'm sorry Love, but you are the last Potter" Blaise said gently getting a sad knowing smile from Helia.

"I know, he just means Potter and Black are common names in the muggle world" she said.

He was sure there were lots of people called Potter, who had a daughter called Helia. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his niece was called Helia.

"He doesn't even know your name" Madam Bones asked is shock, Snape looked at her suspiciously and Tonks hair went blood-red.

He'd never even seen the girl. It might have been Helena. Or Heather. There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister.He didn't blame her -- if he'd had a sister like that...

At this Everyone glared at the book, with the marauders growling.

"Like your sister is any better" Helia said, disgusted with her uncle.

but all the same, those people in cloaks...He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door. "Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell.

"Wow, I didn't know he knew how to say sorry" Bill said in astonishment.

It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last!

"Not for good" growled Mad-Eye.

"Yes for good" snapped Percy startling some people, for they forget he was even there with him being so quiet.

Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!" And the old man hugged Mr.Dursley around the middle and walked off.

"How did he fit his arms all the way around" Astoria asked her sister innocently, who just patted her head with a smile.

Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.

"He must hate Potter, for she has the most creative ways of breaking the rules." Snape stated."Really! I knew my Fawn would take after me" James beamed proudly at his daughter who blushed at the praise.

As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw -- and it didn't improve his mood -- was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes. "Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly. The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.

"Not the look of doom" Fred gasped dramatically before grabbing Daphne and pulled her to his chest as if protecting her making everyone laugh. Daphne tanned skin blushed a glowing red either from embarrassment or anger, no one could tell as she quickly pushed Fred away.

Was this normal cat behaviour? Mr. Dursley wondered.

"No but, it's normal Minnie behaviour." Laughed James who got slapped up the side of his head by Lily.

Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.,Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!").

Mrs. Weasley huffed at the horrible parenting, none of her children acted like that when they were younger.

Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news: "And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin.

"Why do I get the feeling he knows" Padma asked.

"I think it's my dad, he was on the muggle tellie that day but refused to tell me why" Tonks said to her hair turning a blinding yellow.

"Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?" "Well, Ted" said the weatherman,

"Ha I was right!" Exclaimed Tonks her hair shifting to an emerald green.

"No one doubted you" Charlie sighed at his friend's behaviour.

"I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain, I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars!

"You guys really should be careful, muggles aren't are dumb as you think" Helia frowned, making Mad-Eye and Kingsley nod along with the fourteen-year-old.

Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early -- it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight." Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters...

"He's figuring it out" Prof. McGonagall frowned.

"But he already knew" Mr.Weasley said.

"That doesn't matter if he can figure it out, then so can the other muggles" Kingsley said thoughtfully.

Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er -- Petunia, dear -- you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.

"Thanks Tuney, love you too" Lily sighed at her sister's behaviour.

"No," she said sharply. "Why?""Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls... shooting stars... and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today...""So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley."Well, I just thought... maybe... it was something to do with... you know... her crowd."

"Crowd? What are we some type of occult to them" laughed Bill only to get looks from the trio.

"Wait they seriously believe that we're an occult" he asked in disbelief.

Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their daughter-- she'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't she?""I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly."What's her name again? Holly, isn't it?""Heliantheae, or Helia as the call her. Nasty, a Freakish name, if you ask me."

Draco felt his nails dig into his palms trying to suppress the urge to come to her defence, luckily her parents did it for him.

"Heliantheae is not freakish, it's as beautiful and unique as my daughter bitch" James snarled at the book.

"If she dares call my Heli, another bad thing, I swear sister or not I'll kill her" Lily hissed her hair flickering looking like flames. Helia looked away from her angered parents knowing that it only got worse.

"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."

"I thought they never met Helia, how do the know her name" Ron asked.

"Holiday cards" Lily said.

He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.

Dumbledore winced, thinking about that conversation.

Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did... if it got out that they were related to a pair of -- well, he didn't think he could bear it. The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley.

Remus's chest rumbled with a deep growl startling Tonks, who was sitting next to him in her own chair. Helia reached Sirius and held his hand calm him slightly.

"It's okay Remus, I don't quite want to be near them either." She tried to reassure him.

"That doesn't help much, Cub."

The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on -- he yawned and turned over -- it couldn't affect them...How very wrong, he was.

"For once I wish he was right" sighed Helia.

Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.

"It's time" the Twins said in a severe voice making Astoria and Ginny laugh.

A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.

Ginny laughed "Someone's in trouble" she sang.

"And for once it's not us" said the Twins.

Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice.

"DUMBLEDORE!" Shouted the Twins getting a reprimanding look from their mother and Daphne.

This man's name was Albus Dumbledore. Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome.

"Oh I did" he said to no one in particular.

He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street.For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."

"Yes you should have" huffed Prof. McGonagall glaring at the headmaster.

He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again -- the next lamp flickered into darkness.

"Wicked" breathed George in awestruck.

"Brilliant" Fred gasped intrigued with the device.

"We need it" they said together, making Mrs.Weasley, Prof. McGonagall and Snape hope that they never got a hold of one, but Helia could see the spark that the twins got when they came up with new inventions.

Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.

"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."

Everyone who knew from the beginning smiled "Minnie" shouted the twins making Prof. McGonagall glare at Sirius that said I blame you for this, he just grinned at her.

He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled."How did you know it was me?" she asked.

This earned Prof. McGonagall many disbelieving look making her flush in embarrassment.

"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly.""You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.

"No one asked you too" said Snape smirking at his colleague.

"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.

"As if I would celebrate that day, not with what we lost." Prof. McGonagall sniffed angrily like her book counterpart.

"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no -- even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls... shooting stars... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent -- I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."

"I remember him, I've met him a couple of times very excitable." Helia mused.

"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."

All the people who lived through the first war shuddered at the memories.

"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumours."Helia's usually tanned skin from constantly being outside paled drastically, Remus and Sirius weren't much better this was the day that ruined their lives.

She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?""That would've been a cruel prank to pull on us" Kingsley mutteredSirius shuttered "Not even a prankster would've pulled something like that, but I can see why Minnie wanted a confirmation."

"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?""A what?""A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of""No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -"

"It really wasn't" muttered Daphne.

"My dear, there is always time for lemon drops" Dumbledore said wisely pulling out a bag of his favourite treat offering one to her, which she surprisingly did.

"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You- Know-Who' nonsense -- for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort."

People flinched at that making Helia roll her eyes irritably "it is just a name."

Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name.

"I know you haven't", said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."

"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."

"Only cause you're too, noble use them" Neville said to the headmaster, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"Only because you're too -- well -- noble to use them."

Giggling Padma said "you think like Prof. McGonagall" making Neville blush red.

"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."

Tonks hair darkened to a dark green "I did not need to know that" she rasped.

Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumours that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true.

Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.

The atmosphere grew tense, Luna reads the next like with a wavering voice.

"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumour is that Lily and James Potter are -- are -- that they're -- dead. "Not looking at the pitying look that were surely aimed at her, she simply moved to sit in her father's lap resting her feet in her mother's lap curling into their warmth.

Sirius and Remus held onto each other mourning their best friends.

Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped."Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it... Oh, Albus...""Love you too, Minnie" James said, cracking a smile to his old professor and godmother, who was blinking furiously to ward off the tears.

Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know... I know..." he said heavily.Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's daughter, Helia. But -- he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little girl. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Helia Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke -- and that's why he's gone.Dumbledore nodded glumly."It's -- it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done... all the people he's killed... he couldn't kill a little girl? It's just astounding... of all the things to stop him... but how in the name of heaven did Helia survive?""Because she's a badass that's why" Susan said making Helia chuckle."But not as badass as me" She quickly amended.

"We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."Helia stared at her headmaster for the lie he told, he knew he just didn't want to give up all his cards.

Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it.It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge.

It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?""First Rule of a secret" Ron instructed.

"Never tell Hagrid" Helia and Hermione recited with a grin.

"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?""I've come to bring Helia to her aunt and uncle. They're the only family she has left now."All the occupants of the room gave the headmaster a pointed stare, anyone of them would've taken Helia in.

"You don't mean -- you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four."Dumbledore -- you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son -- I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Helia Potter come and live here!"

"You should've listened Professor" Helia snapped at Dumbledore getting a sad look, for he only wanted to protect her but it went horribly wrong.

"It's the best place for her," said Dumbledore firmly. "Her aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to her when she's older. I've written them a letter.""A letter? How can you think you can explain what happened with a letter!" Madam Bones glared at Dumbledore.

"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter?

Madam Bones and Prof. McGonagall shared a smile, they've been friends for years no wonder that they acted like each other a bit.

These people will never understand her! She'll be famous -- a legend -- I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Helia Potter day in the future

Helia paled asking in dread "there's not right?!" Kingsley quickly reassured the panicking girl that there was no such day.

-- there will be books written about Helia -- every child in our world will know her name!""Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any girl's head. Famous before she can walk and talk! Famous for something she won't even remember!

"I wish I didn't remember" Helia muttered into her father's chest.

"Wait you remember that night?" Theo asked, sitting up straighter to look her in the eyes.

"It's what I hear when I'm near dementors." She confessed making her parents hold her closer and Draco felt like he was drowning in guilt for making fun of her fainting.

Can you see how much better off she'll be, growing up away from all that until she's ready to take it?"Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes -- yes, you're right, of course. But how is the girl getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Helia underneath it."Heli was tiny, but not that tiny" laughed Lily making her daughter blush.

"Hagrid's bringing her."

Seeing Mrs.Weasley open her mouth Helia quickly interrupted her.

" I trust Hagrid with my life, sure he makes questionable choices and can't keep a secret, however we all have our faults. He's loyal, kind and would always have my back, I couldn't ask for a better friend."

"You think it -- wise -- to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"

I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.

The Twins snickered at Helia, making her glare slightly at them.

"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless.

He does tend to -- what was that?" A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky -- and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.

"My motorcycle!" Sirius whooped.

If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild - long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins.

"That makes him sound scary" Padma observed knowing the half giant was a gentle soul from her visit to him with Helia.

In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets."Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?""Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got her, sir.

"No problems, were there?"

"No, sir -- house was almost destroyed, but I got her out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. She fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."

"Whenever you were having trouble sleeping, Padfoot would take you out for a ride you would always fall straight asleep on the bike." James grinned down at Helia.

Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby girl, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over her forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.Mrs.Weasley and Lily both cooed at the description and at Helia , making her hurry back over to her godfathers side unknowingly make the pale haired boy relax.

"Is that where -?" whispered Professor McGonagall."Yes," said Dumbledore. "She'll have that scar forever."

Helia unconsciously tried to flatten her bangs to cover her scar more.

"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?""Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well -- give her here, Hagrid -- we'd better get this over with."Dumbledore took Helia in his arms

"Aw little baby Helia being held by the headmaster" George mockingly cooed.

"It doesn't get any cuter the that" Fred pretended to weep.

and turned toward the Dursleys' house."Could I -- could I say goodbye to her, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Helia and gave her what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.The offended look on Sirius face made the kids who knew his animagus form laugh.

"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!""S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it -- Lily an' James dead -- an' poor little Helia off ter live with Muggles -"Helia gave a gentle smile at how much her friend cared for her, Draco's breath caught in his throat seeing her smile swearing his heart skipped a beat.

"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Helia gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Helia's blankets, and then came back to the other two.

"You left her on a doorstep" screeched Lily at the headmaster at the treatment of her precious daughter.

"It was supposed to rain that night" Blaise hissed furiously, his magic sparking like electricity.

"She could've been kidnaped" Hermione so angry went to lunge at the meddling old man, however she was held back by the oldest Weasley sibling.

"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall -- Professor Dumbledore, sir. "

Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.

"I never did get that bike back" Sirius pouted.

"You were in Azkaban, and then on the run of course you didn't" Remus deadpans.

"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four."Good luck, Helia," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.Helia gritted her teeth, she needed more than just luck.

A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Helia Potter rolled over inside her blankets without waking up.

One small hand closed on the letter beside her and she slept on, not knowing she was special, not knowing she was famous, not knowing she would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream

Lily and Snape both winced, remembering the times Petunia would scream and screech at them.

as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that she would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by her cousin Dudley... She couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Helia Potter -- the girl who lived!"

"That's the end of the chapter" Luna said

"I'll read next" Tonks said, her hair a brown colour as she summoned the book with a quick accio almost hitting Neville upside the head.

Grinning sheepishly she turned the page clearing her throat "Chapter Two : The Vanishing Glass".

I Don't Even Know My Own Self

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

"THE VANISHING GLASS" Tonks read causing Helia to stiffen, knowing that a lot of her secrets would be revealed in this chapter.

With a sigh, she buried her face into Sirius's shoulder, causing him to look at her in confusion along with worrying looks from her parents and Remus. Draco had to sit on his hands so not to do anything rash he had a bad feeling about this chapter.

Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their niece on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all.

"What a boring life they must lead" Ron said in disgust.

"Well that doesn't sound very exciting!" exclaimed Fred.

"They're boring remember Forge!" George exclaimed.

"Ahh right you are dear Gred, right you are."

The kids laughed at their antics.

The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls.

"Only now there's a witch living there" Daphne sneered for she hated anything staying the same, for what's life without a little excitement.

Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-coloured bonnets

At this all the kids snickered, Helia more so than the others having actually witnessed the awful pictures.

-- but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another child lived in the house, too.

"Why isn't there a sign?" Charlie asked, he has a bad feeling he wouldn't like the answer.
"You'll see" Helia said even though she prayed that they would never find out, but with these blasted books that was wishful thinking.

Yet Helia Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. Her Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.

"Up! Get up! Now!"

"And we complain about how mum wakes us up." Bill murmured, rubbing the back of his head. Yeah, having the blankets torn off of you was much better than that. Lily, on the other hand, winced sympathetically.

Helia woke with a start. Her aunt rapped on the door again.

"Up!" she screeched.

Helia heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove.

Fred and George exchanged looks wondering how could she hear that when her room was upstairs.

She rolled onto her back and tried to remember the dream she had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. She had a funny feeling she'd had the same dream before.

"When you had trouble sleeping Sirius, Remus and I would take you out on a ride and the moment you were in the air you would fall asleep, we used to joke you were born to be in the sky flying." James said with a soft loving look on his face, making Helia beam at her father not hearing the intake of breath from the boy next to her at the beauty of her rare smile.

Her aunt was back outside the door.

"Are you up yet?" she demanded.

"Giver her a bloody minute, woman!" Exclaimed Ron, Susan placed a comforting hand over his own making his tense figure relax a bit.

"Nearly," said Helia.

"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."

Helia groaned.

"They. Made. You. Cook?" Hermione asked in a deadly calm voice. "How old were you when that started?"

Helia shrugged nervously. "I don't know. As soon as I could see over the stove, I guess." Unconsciously fingering her shortish messy locks.

"What did you say?" her aunt snapped through the door.

"She didn't say anything" snarled Draco under his breath.

"Nothing, nothing..."

Dudley's birthday -- how could she have forgotten?

Helia got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. She found a pair under her bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on.

Ron did a full body shiver his trauma not even allowing him to hear the word spider uttered, the twins shared a sheepishly guilty look at the fear they caused their younger brother.

"Why couldn't it be butterflies" muttered Ron receiving confused looks from all but Helia.

"Second year, long story" said Helia to the confused people.

Helia was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them,

Helia gritted her teeth, her nails pierced the skin of her palms. It felt as though peeves dropped a bucket of ice and freezing water onto her, the dread chilled her to the bone no one was supposed to know how she lived the first ten years of her life.

And that was where she slept.

Helia's breathing seemed loud in her ears, she could barely hear past it.
The people in the come and go room were shocked into a state of silence even Fred and George, who had a joke for every situation, had nothing to say.

She didn't look up from her clenched hands, she didn't want to see the pitying looks not that it was any of their business what happened in her life anyway she survived too much to be held up to people's expectations.

"You used to sleep where?" Hermione shrieked, looking at her best friend who refusing to look up.

Ron stood from his seat kneeling near her, trying to get her to raise her head. "Mate, why didn't you tell us?" His voice pained from the treatment of his best friend.

"Never came up," came the muffled reply.

Hermione had turned her fierce gaze onto Dumbledore, breathing heavily as an angry red burned onto her cheeks. "First you leave her on a doorstep, in a cold month in the middle of the bloody night, when you knew perfectly well that there were Death Eaters still wandering around; now, we find out about this!" Hermione's anger was radiating off her, like sparks from a raging fire.

Snape, sitting in a state of shock, slowly shook his head the child, he claimed to hate for ego and arrogance was nothingbut a hardened abused child not trusting adults, and they never gave her a reason to trust them.

"As much as I hate to agree with Miss Granger," Snape snarled, staring at the older wizard, "she is once again right, Potter never should've been there you knew what the Dursley's thoughts about magic did you really think they would care for her." His dark tunneling eyes stared at Dumbledore hatefully.

"You said she would be safe there!" McGonagall hissed, rounding on the Headmaster. "The best place for her, you said!"

"She was never meant to go to my sister" Lily said harshly to the Headmaster, while James pulled their daughter into his lap reassuring himself that she was here safe in his arms.

Blaise placed a tight hand on his friend's shoulder to keep Draco, from lunging at the foolish Headmaster, even though he too wanted to rip the old man to pieces.

Dumbledore looked at his own interlocked fingers before risking a glance at Helia who could barely look at her father, godfather, uncle and best friends let alone the man who put her in that environment.

"I – I didn't know," Dumbledore confessed heavily. "Arabella… she said she wasn't the happiest child… but I didn't realize it was this bad I thought it was for the greater…" Dumbledore trailed off at the ferocity of Snape's glare.

"The greater good, right" growled Remus eyes glowing golden in his anger "that is what you were going to say, what about what's better for Helia you refused to let me take her in saying that she would be cared for." His voice ferocious with the wolf close to the surface " I would've run away with her if I knew you were taking her there!"

Tonks cleared her throat, hair still a steaming fire red before continuing to read.

When she was dressed she went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike.

"I still don't know why he wanted" Helia muttered as her cousin hated exercising.

"Probably couldn't even hold his weight" Draco muttered back getting a small laugh from the girl of his affection, making his cheeks blush lightly.

Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Helia, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise -- unless of course it involved punching somebody.

"That better of not been you, Potter" Theo said through clenched teeth, if there was one thing the boy couldn't forgive it was abuse.

Dudley's favourite punching bag was Helia,

The room was filled with growls, hisses and cursing at the treatment of Helia.

but he couldn't often catch her.

"At least there's that" sighed Padma tears glistening in her eyes over the pain her friend suffered without her knowing.

Helia didn't look it, but she was very fast.

"That's one word for it," Ron grinned.

"Youngest seeker in a century!" George yelled a grin stretched across his face.

"Best seeker we've ever had!" Fred roared proudly.

James looked as if Christmas and his birthday came early beaming with pride for his darling daughter.

Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Helia had always been small and skinny for her age.

"Nope," James smiled at his daughter "Potter Family genes, although Lily has always been tiny too." He grinned only to get slapped on the back of his head by his wife.

She looked even smaller and skinnier than she really was because all she had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than she was.

"Did they ever buy you anything?" Hermione whispered, her eyes starting to fill with angry tears.

Helia was silent a moment before she responded, "Not that I can remember and if they did it was only to uphold their reputation."

Hermione looked even more angry, before pulling Helia into a hug.

Helia had a heart shaped face, tanned skin, short messy black hair, and bright green eyes.

"The hair and skin tone is all James" laughed Lily fondly ruffles her husband's hair, making his glasses slip down his nose slightly before grinning at his wife.

"Yeah, but she definitely got your eye colour and face shape, Lily-Flower" James winked both at his wife and daughter.

She wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape

"Why" Neville asked even though he already expected the reason.

because of all the times Dudley had punched her on the nose.

Luna looked sad and lost at the treatment of her very first friend who accepted her no questions asked only to be pulled into a hug by Charlie the dragon tamer could hardly bare to see the amazing girl sad.

The only thing Helia liked about her own appearance was a very thin scar on her forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning.

Ron looked at Helia, shocked since he knew that Helia despised the mark. "You liked that scar?"

"That was before I knew what it really meant. Once I found out why I had it and realized that everyone would stare at me for it, that's when I started hating it." Helia replied.

She had had it as long as she could remember, and the first question she could ever remember asking her Aunt Petunia was how she had gotten it.

"In the car crash when your parents died,"

"She lied to you?" Hermione hissed dangerously.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Helia replied, her voice calm and unconcerned, although she was speaking through slightly clenched teeth.

"A car crash, killed James and Lily Potter not bloody likely" scoffed Mad-eye.

she had said. "And don't ask questions."

"How are you supposed to learn then" McGonagall sniffed.

Helia just shrugged to her Professor think by the end of this she would have no secrets left.

Don't ask questions -- that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.

Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Helia was turning over the bacon.

"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.

"Fat lot that's going to do" the Twins joked receiving a mock glare from Helia at the twin Cheshire grins aimed at her.

About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Helia needed a haircut. Helia must have had more haircuts than the rest of the girls in her class put together, but it made no difference, her hair simply grew that way -- all over the place.

Jame mouthed sorry to his daughter who playfully glared at him.

Helia's hair was kept short, making it easier to keep her relatives from grabbing it and because her Aunt Petunia was too jealous of her nieces beautiful features to let her have long hair.

"That blint, how dare she do this to my daughter, her niece." Lily fumed at her petty jealous sister. "Oh Heli I'm so sorry" getting a weak smile from Helia even thought she felt warmth from her mother protecting her.

Helia was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head.

Snickers and laughs filled the room at the description.

Helia smirked "accurate description."

Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel -- Helia often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.

The Twins burst out laughing, they would definitely corrupt her to the dark side.

Helia put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell. "Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."

"And people say I'm spoiled" scoffed Draco.

"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy."

"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Helia, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down her bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.

Ron nodded sagely "you can't go without breakfast."

Hermione looked at him like he lost what little sense he had left.

"What it's the most important meal of the day" he told his best friends with the sincerest voice he ever pulled.

Helia shook with her hidden laughter, Ron and his true love his stomach.

Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right''

Mrs.Weasley scoffed in disgust that was no way to raise a child.

Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty ... thirty..."

Remus, Hermione, Lily And Padma had looks that clearly said he couldn't possibly be this dumb.

"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.

"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then." Uncle Vernon chuckled. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.

"Great Scott, don't encourage him" sputtered McGonagall.

At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Helia and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch

when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried. "Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take her." She jerked her head in Helia's direction.

Do they ever use your name?' Theo asked, looking at Helia his eyes piercing her.

'Erm…' Helia trailed off as she tried to remember whether they had actually used her name. 'Couple of times,' she said, shrugging.

Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Helia's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Helia was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away.

"Arabella Figg?" Madam Bones questioned Dumbledore getting a nod.

Helia hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made her look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.

Lily pouted to her daughter "you never did like cats except for our own cat Crooks" it was like a lumos was cast above the golden trio.

"You don't happen to mean a half kneazel named Crookshanks?" Asked Hermione.

"Yeah it was the only cat that would tolerate Padfoot" laughed James at his best friend and his archenemies the entire race of cats. The trio shared a secret smile at the new information.

"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Helia as though she'd planned this.

"Oh yes, she planned to break an old lady's leg, just to spend the day with you" Blaise drawled sarcastically.

Helia knew she ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when she reminded herself it would be a whole year before she had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.

Sirius shot a pitying look to his goddaughter at all the horrible cats she had to endure.

" We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.

"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the girl."

"The feeling mutual, the Munter" Helia sneered getting a surprised look from the Slytherin's.

"Marge, is that the one you-" Ron asked, only to cut himself off grinning at Helia and Hermione who both laughed smirking nodding in confirmation.

"Third book" the trio said collectively before anyone could ask.

The Dursley's often spoke about Helia like this, as though she wasn't there -- or rather, as though she was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.

Helia noticed her dad's shiver at the mention of the slimy creature giving a confused head tilt not unlike a curious kitten.

"One to many slug-vomiting charm, so much I had to carry treacle fudge on me at all time." Her father turned a chalky white remembering the feeling of the curse getting a sympathetic look from Ron who knew the sickly feeling too.

"What about what's-her-name, your friend -- Yvonne?"

"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.

"You could just leave me here," Helia put in hopefully (she'd be able to watch what she wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).

"They couldn't have that though, it might make you happy" Hermione glared fiercely at the book.

Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.

"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.

"I won't blow up the house," said Helia, but they weren't listening.

"It's not like she's going to blow up the house," Ginny frowned.

"Ya, Helia isn't Fred and George," Ron joked.

"Oi!" The twins exclaimed causing several people to snicker.

"I suppose we could take her to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "... and leave her in the car..."

Hermione's face lit with a furious red blush in her anger " THAT'S BLOODY ILLEGAL!" her temper finally boiling over at the memory of one of her neighbours leaving their dog in the car, the poor animal had died from heatstroke the thought of Helia suffering the same was too much.

"That car's new, she's not sitting in it alone..."

"Oh yes, worry about the car, not your bloody niece you complete dickhead" rumbled Kingsley, who had Madam Bones hand held tightly in his large hand.

Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying -- it had been years since he'd really cried -- but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.

"Horrible, horrible child" McGonagall muttered to Madam Bones, who agreed with her completely.

"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let her spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.

There was an odd moment of silence before the room exploded with the roars of laughter coming from the majority of the students and the Marauders.

'Dinky Duddydums!' The Twins breathed through new outbursts of laughter, clutching their sides both, leaning against Daphne who bared with grace and a secret smile.

'Poor kid,' Daphne said mockingly.

"I... don't... want... her... t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "She always sp- spoils everything!" He shot Helia a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.

"Brat" growled Bill, from what he knew of Helia she was a kind, quiet and protective kid who didn't have the easiest of life she deserved better.

Just then, the doorbell rang -- "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically -- and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them, but when it came to Helia he would try to hold her down to kiss and touch her

All the men went stiff at the words and what it meant for Helia.

"Miss Potter, did he...did he very get any farther them what was said" Snape said, looking into her eyes as if to pull the answers from her mind by force.

"No Professor" she said softly she had always escaped before he could grab a hold of her for too long.

"He shouldn't even be allowed to touch you" hissed Blaise who was coiled up tight ready to lunge if anyone moved in any way he didn't like. Draco was pale white at the very thought of someone doing something that vile and horrid to Helia, to anyone really.

Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.

"Aww, can't have your friend thinking you're a baby Dinky Duddydums." Susan cooed mockingly.

Half an hour later, Helia, who couldn't believe her luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in her life.

"I like the trip in my third year better" Helia smirked winking both at Luna and Sirius who laughed.

Her aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with her, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Helia aside.

"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Helia's, "I'm warning you now, girl-- any funny business, anything at all -- and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."

"He didn't mean that Miss.Potter, did he?" McGonagall asked sternly.

Helia looked up at her head of house. "No professor his threats tend to be empty." Most of the time she thought to herself.

McGonagall watched her over her spectacles, then nodded.

"I'm not going to do anything," said Helia, "honestly..

But Uncle Vernon didn't believe her. No one ever did.

"I always believe you, Heli" Luna told Helia her wide, dreamy eyes gazing into the girl who was an older sister to her.

"I know Luna" Helia told the only person she allowed to call her Heli beside her parents apparently.

The problem was, strange things often happened around Helia and it was just no good telling the Dursley's she didn't make them happen.

"Strange and troubling things are attracted to Helia" Ron grinned at the mockingly at his best friend.

"Thanks, you bloody git."

"Welcome" he chirped back.

Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Helia coming back from the barbers looking as though she hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut her hair so short, she was almost bald except for her bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar."

"That's it, Petunia Evans-Dursley and any of her family is no longer a part of the Evans-Potter line for the abuse she and her family placed on our daughter" hissed Lily as she glowed a bright yellow light as her magic, magical disowned her sister and all from her line of family, Helia noticed her dad glowed a shining blue light while she had a crackling green light admitting from her own body.

Dudley had laughed himself silly at Helia, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where she was already laughed at for her baggy clothes and taped glasses.

Lily looked to her old best friend who was staring at her daughter, but she knew why he was finally realizing that he and Helia had much in common with how they grew up and was treated by their peers.

Next morning, however, she had gotten up to find her hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. She had been given a week in her cupboard for this, even though she had tried to explain that she couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.

Both Severus and Lily sneered as they knew Petunia, knew that what was happening was accidental magic and Helia couldn't control it.

Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force her into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls) -- The harder she tried to pull it over her head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Helia. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to her great relief, Helia wasn't punished.

"Oh thank Merlin" Susan sighed with relief her friend wasn't punished and not having to wear the horrible sweater, it was hard enough getting the girl to dress feminine in the first place.

On the other hand, she'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing her as usual when, as much to Helia's surprise as anyone else's, there she was sitting on the chimney.

"That's some pretty powerful magic Potter, especially for a child" Mad-eye rumbled in approval making Helia blush.

The Dursley's had received a very angry letter from Helia's headmistress telling them Helia had been climbing school buildings. But all she'd tried to do (as she shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of her cupboard)

Everyone glared at the mention of Helia being locked away in a cupboard of all places. Draco had to restrain himself to keep from doing something rash like taking a hold the beautiful girl in his arm, to keep her safe from her disgusting disowned Muggle relatives.

was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Helia supposed that the wind must have caught her in mid- jump.

Snape raised an eyebrow at her as if to say really, making her blush at her six-year-old self's thoughts.

But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, her cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.

While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Helia, the council, Helia, the bank, and Helia were just a few of his favourite subjects.

"Now, I might be wrong" Fred began casually.

"But it seems that" George continued on.

"He likes to complain about you, Helia" they said at the same time.

"Nooo, you don't say" Helia drawled sarcastically back.

This morning, it was motorcycles

"... roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.

"I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Helia, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."

Hermione and Ron slapped a hand to their foreheads, it was so like Helia to blurt that out without thinking of the consequences.

"That was such a James thing to say" laughed Remus.

Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Helia, his face like a gigantic beet with a moustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"

"My godfather's does" Helia said smugly getting a laugh from Sirius.

Dudley and Piers sniggered.

I know they don't," said Helia. "It was only a dream."

But she wished she hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursley's hated even more than her asking questions, it was her talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon --

The twins shared a look, it seems they would have to go off on an adventure into the Muggle world to search for these mysterious cartoons.

they seemed to think she might get dangerous ideas.

"Helia get dangerous idea's?" Neville snicker "who would've thought that.

It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursley's bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Helia what she wanted before they could hurry her away, they bought her a cheap lemon ice pop.

"It was actually really delicious" Helia said it had started her love for anything with lemon in it or flavoured.

It wasn't bad, either, Helia thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.

Helia had the best morning she'd had in a long time. She was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursley's so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favourite hobby of hitting her.

Sirius snarled under his breath.

They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Helia was allowed to finish the first.

Helia felt, afterward, that she should have known it was all too good to last.

"Oh for Merlin's sake" groaned Ron at his best friend who just grinned sheepishly looking just like her father.

After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone.

Ginny gave a barely noticeable shiver at the snake, she didn't like them much since the chamber incidence. She didn't notice the worried gaze from the small Slytherin girl who shared some of her classes.

Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can

Ginny turned slightly pale at the description of the massive snake only to take a breath when Helia's magic wrapped around her protectively and Astoria gently took her hand to hold.

-- but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.

Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.

"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.

"The poor creature" chimed Luna but when she caught Helia's eyes who secretly winked at her, she perked up knowing her friend was going to do something to help the snake.

"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.

"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.

Helia moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. She wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself -- no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long.

"No creature should be locked up like that." Charlie said it look like it physically pained him to hear the treatment of the creature.

It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least she got to visit the rest of the house.

"Oh Helia" Hermione sighed flinging herself at hug her best friend who thought so little of herself.

The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Helia's.

It winked.

"Snakes don't have eyelids" Hermione and Remus said, only to blush at each other much too the amusement of their friends.

Helia stared. Then she looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. She looked back at the snake and winked, too.

"Oddly enough, I don't think that would be my reaction" George said with laughter tainting his voice.
"I don't think anyone but, Helia would react that way" Fred admitted snickering.

The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Helia a look that said quite plainly:

"I get that all the time.

"I know," Helia murmured through the glass, though she wasn't sure the snake could hear her. "It must be really annoying."

Draco looked at Helia in disbelief "You don't find that-" waving his hand gesturing to the talking-to-the-bloody-snake thing "strange you didn't know about magic, then."

Helia got a thoughtful look on her beautiful face "not really strange things always happened to me." She shrugged.

The snake nodded vigorously.

"Where do you come from, anyway?" Helia asked.

The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Helia peered at it.

Boa Constrictor, Brazil.

"Was it nice there?"

Lily cooed over how adorably sweet Helia is making her blush the same shade as her mum's hair.

The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Helia read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see -- so you've never been to Brazil?"

"Oh Pup, I love how your mind works." Sirius said while fondly shaking his head.

As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Helia made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"

"Is it doing the Macarena or something" Fred joked.
"No it's probably doing the Salsa dance" George jokingly argued.

Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.

The Twins snickered cruelly at Dudley, as Daphne smirked amused at their antics.

"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Helia in the ribs.

Blaise caught the look on his amante face, knowing that he wanted to break a few ribs of Potter's tormentors. Soothingly he runs his fingers through his amante's dark hair for comfort.

Caught by surprise, Helia fell hard on the concrete floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened -- one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.

Helia sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished.

"Vanishing magic!? That quiet the advanced accidental magic Miss Potter." Professor McGonagall said, surprised for a student Helia never really stood out too much in class.

The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor.

People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.

A shudder ran down Ginny's spine as she pictured the snake out only for a small, fragile hand to grab hers in comfort, giving Astoria a small making the Slytherin girl beam back at her.

As the snake slid swiftly past her, Helia could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come. . . Thanksss, ssseñorita . "

"What a smart snake to learn Spanish in captivity." Luna sighed.

The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.

"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"

"Hey that was my first case!" Exclaimed Tonks, her hair shifting from her usual bubblegum pink to a light purple.

The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Helia had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death.

"What drama queens" Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

But worst of all, for Helia at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Helia was talking to it, weren't you, Helia?"

Draco hissed through his teeth, the bastard did that on purpose he could spot a Slytherin type play any day.

Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Helia. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go -- cupboard -- stay -- no meals,"

"They starved you" growled James as he tightened his grip on her.

"Those bloody bastards" snarled Remus, his hazel green eyes glinting gold as his wolf came closer to the surface.

Severus could recall the nights he starved when his father locked him in his room as his mother tried to drown her sorrows, of her husband not loving her in wine and pretend to be obvious to it all.

before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.

Theo tensed because angry men and alcohol never added to anything good.

Helia lay in her dark cupboard much later, wishing she had a watch. She didn't know what time it was and she couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, she couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.

"And we wonder why she's so good at sneaking around the castle late at night." Sighed Severus rubbing his temples.

"Not a prankster, Aye" grinned James, unaware of her reasons of sneaking around.

She'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as she could remember, ever since she'd been a baby and her parents had died in that car crash.

"We didn't even own a car" grumbled James.

She couldn't remember being in the car when her parents had died. Sometimes, when she strained her memory during long hours in her cupboard, she came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on her forehead.

Remus paled underneath his scars, he had hoped she could only remember after the dementors but it seemed she had always subconsciously known.

This, she supposed, was the crash, though she couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. She couldn't remember her parents at all. Her aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course she was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.

"Now I have my photo album Hagrid got me" grinned Helia.

Yet sometimes she thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know her. Very strange strangers they were, too.

Snape sneered at the book "imbeciles."

A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Helia furiously if she knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything.

"Dedalus Diggle" Helia muttered to Ron and Hermione.

A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at her once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken her hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word.

Helia grinned at Kingsley, who blushed in embarrassment.

"Yeah, he walked away without a word, aye Kingsley" Helia said loud enough for everyone to hear, getting a laugh out of the people who knew the man never believing he would've done something like that.

The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Helia tried to get a closer look.

Blaise slowly clapped "good job, everyone your subtlety is remarkable" he drawled sarcastically, getting an amused look from his lover.

At school, Helia had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Helia Potter in her baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.

Tonks marked the page closing the book."That's the end of the chapter, we'll it's official I hate them and I hate reading about them" she seethed pushing her bright fiery orange hair out of her face. "Which one of you lots wants to read next?"

Bill gingerly raised his hand to signal to the fuming witch he was volunteering to read carefully take the book, not wanting her anger aimed at him clearing his throat he began.

"THE LETTERS FROM NO ONE"

Chapter End Notes

Amante - Lover(Spanish)

Tonks's Metamorphosis Hair Colors and there Meanings. Red - Anger, Rage, (Fierce)
Orange - Aggressive, Irritated, Sarcastic
Golden Yellow - Hope
Yellow - Confused, Puzzled, Incredulous(Disbelief), Curious
Green Yellow -Worried
Lime Green -Shocked, Surprised
Emerald Green - Triumph, Hyper, Energetic, Mischievous
Dark Green - Disgusted, Ill, Nauseous
Teal - Fear, Scared, Panic
Light Blue - Sleepy/Tired
True Blue - Relaxed, Calm
Dark Blue - Bored
Blue Violet - Serious, Confident, Concentrating
Violet - Happy, (Pleased)
Light Purple - Excited
Magenta - Embarrassed
Dark Pink - Drunk, Lust, Silly
Light Pink - Flirty, Amused, Playful
White - Hollow, Blank
Grey - Sad, Bereft(to be deprived by force), Despondent (feeling hopeless, dejected or gloom)
Black - Intense, Stressed
Brown - Troubled, Restless
Blue-Grey - Sorry for someone

After The Storm Is Through You Are Never The Same Again

Bill cleared his throat as he began to read. "THE LETTERS FROM NO ONE"

"How can there a letter from no one, when someone has to send the letter in question?" Luna questioned airily.

Hermione for all her brilliance, was just as stumped as the blonde Ravenclaw.

The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Helia her longest-ever punishment. By the time she was allowed out of her cupboard again, the summer holidays had started

"I can't believe them!" Hermione yelled. "How could they do that to their own family!"

"Hermione please, calm down." Helia tried to placate her.

"When's Dudley's birthday Helia?" Padma asked gently as if scared of the answer.

"June 23" was the quiet answer.

"I do hope you're taking notes on this as well, Auror Shacklebolt."

"Naturally, Professor McGonagall," the Auror replied, and McGonagall noted with satisfaction that Weasley Twin was scribbling it down, too. Maybe the boys wasn't a total loss after all they were her lions.

and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.

Helia was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader.

"What a great reason, for being a leader" Remus said sarcastically.

The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favourite sport: Helia Hunting.

James clenched his jaw angrily at how his Fawn was treated, only for his daughter to gently slip her small hand into his with a soft look on her face.

"It's okay dad, this was four years ago for me anyway." Helia said hoping to ease her father's anger. "Besides I had worse."

This was why Helia spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where she could see a tiny ray of hope.

"You know it's bad when you can't even enjoy summer" Fred said, remembering the summer he and his brothers saved her from her captivity.

When September came she would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in her life, she wouldn't be with Dudley.

"Cause you're going to Hogwarts" Astoria chirped getting a small smirk from the older girl.

Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Helia, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny.

"Better then going to Smeltings with Dudley" muttered Helia .

"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Helia. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"

"No, thanks," said Helia. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it -- it might be sick."

Fred and George were clutching to each other as they were overcome with a fit of laughter, tears just about streaming down their faces, their faces slowly turning red.

"You – are – going – pranking – with – us!" Fred wheezed out through his laughing fit.

"No – objections!" George breathed, attempting to calm himself down.

"That's our Fawn!" Crowded James as he leaned onto his best friend who were wheezing with laughter.

Helia just smiled and winked at them while the teachers shivered in dread of what was to come.

"Just what we need," McGonagall said exasperated. "James Potter's daughter pranking."

Then she ran, before Dudley could work out what she'd said.

"Oh what's this? A Gryffindor is running away?" Blaise cooed. "That seems more befitting of a Slytherin."

Helia froze momentarily in her seat, before relaxing to give the lazy boy a mischievous look.

"Seeing as he was four times bigger than me, I deemed it more necessary to run." Trying to act casually as she could, forcing the grin to stay onto her face.

One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Helia at Mrs. Figg's.

Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before.

"Aha, soon everyone shall know of the world's greatest enemy...CATS!" Sirius cackled.

She let Helia watch television and gave her a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.

Remus looked heartbroken at the poor treatment of his beloved sweet.

So to cheer the both of them up Helia offered to bake a cake, chocolate of course it was nice to enjoy the labour of her baking since she barely ever got to cook for enjoyment.

Draco felt as if she couldn't be any more perfect than she already was but, she constantly surprises him.

That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters.

Ron looked slightly ill at the description. Perhaps it had something to do with the mention of the colour maroon, a colour that he seemed to have an unhealthy amount of hate for.

They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.

"Train for what" hissed Hermione "growing up abusive."

"Pretty much" sighed Helia.

As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up.

All the kids snorted at the reminder of Dudley's horrible nicknames.

'Makes Icke Ronnikins seem merciful, doesn't it?' grinned George, staring pointedly at Ron. Ron promptly went the famous Weasley family red at all the laughter directed at him, courtesy of George.

Helia didn't trust herself to speak. She thought two of her ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.

Helia now had no reason to how back her laughter at the remembrance of the ridiculous outfit.

There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Helia went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. She went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in grey water.

"What's this?" She asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if she dared to ask a question.

McGonagall's lips tightened as well as if she was glaring down Petunia through the book muttering about students not participating verbally in class, and not coming to a professor when in need of help.

"Your new school uniform," she said.

Helia looked in the bowl again.

"Oh," she said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."

"Sadly Heli, Sarcasm will get you nowhere with Tuney" Her mother sighed

Helia heaved a sigh with identical look matching her mother "I know."

"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dying some of Dudley's old things grey for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."

Helia seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue.

Snape and all the Professors raised an eyebrow at that clearly not believing a word.

Giving the Professors a dirty look "I can bite my tongue you know" she huffed when they look as if they would argue with her.

She sat down at the table and tried not to think about how she was going to look on her first day at Stonewall High -- like she was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.

"Helia, have we ever told you we love your imagination." Sighed Fred as if he was swooning over her, while George fanned himself as if to ward off a blush.

Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Helia's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.

They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.

"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.

"They made their Dinky Duddydums work" gasped George, with a look of fear you would think bloody Voldemort walked through the door.

"The world is ending, the end is here!" Shouted Fred diving on top of Daphne as if to protect her.

"Save the women and child it's every man for himself." The twins said in sync.

Helia grinned rolling her eyes at the Twins dramatics "guys just wait."

"Make Helia get it."

"Get the mail, Helia."

"Oh thank Merlin" the Twins breathed a sigh of relief.

"Make Dudley get it."

Helia grimaced at her nativity. She should've known that would never work.

"Poke her with your Smelting stick, Dudley."

"Don't you Fucking Dare, Dudley" snarled James.

Helia dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and -- a letter for Helia.

"My first letter" Helia muttered none but the boy next to her heard, his heart gave a twang at the injustice of it all.

"LILY IT'S HER HOGWARTS LETTER!" Squealed James not being able to hold in his excitement, drawing a laugh for his daughter and wife.

Helia picked it up and stared at it, her heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in her whole life, had written to her. Who would?

"I would" Luna simply said as if it was common knowledge getting a gentle smile from her friend.

She had no friends, no other relatives -- she didn't belong to the library, so she'd never even got rude notes asking for books back.

Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:

Miss. H. Potter

The Cupboard under the Stairs

4 Privet Drive

Little Whinging

Surrey

'This is why we should stop using the Self-Addressing Quills!' McGonagall hissed to Dumbledore, who mutely nodded his agreement.

As Snape glared at him again, Dumbledore chose to look away from them and concentrate on the ceiling again.

The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.

Helia snickered quietly, as Mrs. and Mr. Weasley blush red remembering the letter they sent Helia to invite her to the Quidditch World Cup.

Turning the envelope over, her hand trembling, Helia saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.

"Hurry up, girl!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.

"Wow," said the Twins, in a dramatic tone.

"Yeah, that was so funny!" said George, his voice and expression saying the complete opposite.

"So funny I forgot to laugh!" Fred added, pretending to slap his knee in amusement.

"Dear Merlin, here we go" Tonks sighed her hair a blue-grey colour.

Helia was on the point of unfolding her letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of her hand by Uncle Vernon.

"Oi!" Cried Draco at the Muggle stealing something from someone he cared about, blushing a bit at his outburst.

"That's mine!" said Helia growled, trying to snatch it back she had so very little and what she had she guarded it fiercely.

Charlie gave a grin to the girl he got to know over the summer and letters, he always said she behaved more like a dragon than human.

"Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the greyish white of old porridge.

Ron turned a bit pale himself, he would never be able to look at porridge the same.

"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.

Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.

"Vernon! Oh my goodness -- Vernon!"

Snape sneered at the pathetic dramatics of the Dursley Family.

They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Helia and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.

"I want to read that letter," he said loudly.

The Weasley's exchanged looks. They knew what would happen if any of them ever did anything like that to either of their parents.

"That boy is..." Molly couldn't even finish her sentence. This family was getting on her last nerve.

Arthur normally had a calm demeanor, but it was slowly breaking. He couldn't stand how these people treated Helia.

"I want to read it," said Helia hissed furiously, "as it's mine."

"I don't know if that was Lily's and James temper, and that scares me" Sirius mockingly shivered.

"I think it was both" Remus laughed.

The people who witnessed and were on the receiving end of Helia Potters anger looked at them like they were crazy.

"Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.

Helia didn't move.

"Any minute now," Ron murmured to Hermione, who tried desperately not to laugh. They both knew Helia's breaking points to her anger having been friends with her for four years.

"I WANT MY LETTER!" She shouted.

Neville grinned, it wasn't often Helia reaches her boiling point it only really came out in the form of protection and defence either for some else or for herself.

"Let me see it!" demanded Dudley.

"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Helia and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them.

Remus viciously snarled at the manhandling of his cub.

Helia and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole;

The Twins conjured up flags that flashed Potter for the Win, Dursley gone with the wind.

Helia won but only 'cause she pulled out all of her tricks,

Every gave her wary looks, but she saw Mad-Eye give her approving grin that stretched his scars oddly the twins looked as if they were going to bow down to her glory.

Hermione huffed a sigh at her best friend knowing her antics as Ron laugh his bloody arse off.

so Helia, her glasses dangling from one ear, hair in even more of a disarray, listened through the golden keyhole as Dudley listen through the bottom of the door groaning in pain.

Theo gave her appraising look at this making her smirk at the quiet boy.

"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address -- how could they possibly know where she sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"

"Watching -- spying -- might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.

The wizards and witches worked with the Ministry snorted at this.

"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want --"

"Do they really think that that'd work?" Ron asked incredulously.

Helia shrugged. "Apparently. You forget who we're talking about."

"Fair point."

Helia could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.

"No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer... Yes, that's best... we won't do anything...

"But --"

"I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took her in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"

The room went deathly quiet.

"That could've cost her Bloody sanity!" Growled Bill his grip on the book was so tight Helia was afraid he would rip it, although that might be a good idea.

Dumbledore's eyes flashed as he remembered what had happened to his sister, Ariana.

Hermione and Lily starting tearing up again, too appalled to even speak. Ron was angry. "If they hurt her, so help me I will bloody kill them." He thought angrily to himself.

Draco felt as if he was choking " How in the Seven Hells are you even alive, Potter?"

Luna's eyes lost some of their misty quality, giving away how lost she felt.

James bundle his daughter and wife tightly in his arm even with Lily still crying, pulling away slightly to cup his daughter's beautiful face. "Fawn stamp out how? Spitting out the words like they were acid on his tongue.

"It was nothing" Helia told her dad "they seemed to think the more miserable I was, that the magic would simply...disappear."

Snape watched the girl suspicious that she wasn't speaking the complete truth, although he couldn't be entirely sure.

That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he did very little; he visited Helia in her cupboard.

Blaise tense at the thought of Helia being trapped with nowhere to hide with an abusive man. "Potter...did he ever touch you?" He asked getting, a shocked look from everyone, but he only focused on Helia, who looked back with an unreadable expression.

Slowly she shook her head negative as everyone let sighs of relief out, she didn't think that they had to know he had thought of it before though.

"Where's my letter?" said Helia, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door.

"Of course that would be the first thing you say" Hermione huffed playfully.

"Who's writing to me?"

"No one. it was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. "I have burned it."

"You can't do that, it's mean" Astoria said, as the youngest Weasley grinned at her, making blush dust her cheeks.

"Yes, because so many people named Miss.H. Potter that live in a cupboard," muttered Susan glaring at the book as though willing it to explode.

"It was not a mistake," said Helia angrily, "it had my cupboard on it."

All the adults winced at that, they couldn't believe she said that so casually as one would say my bedroom but to Helia at that age it was normal it was all she ever known.

"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling.

Helia could see Ron shudder at the mentioned arachnids.

He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.

"Er -- yes, Helia -- about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking... you're really getting a bit big for it... we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom.

The majority of the room felt their jaws drop. 'He had a second bedroom while Helia slept in a cupboard?' Was the thought running through most of their minds. Even the silent brooding Percy was shocked.

"Second bedroom?" Hermione screeched. "That complete dickhead had a second bedroom?"

"Hermione its," Helia started to say but Hermione cut her off.

"DO NOT TELL ME IT IS OK HELIANTHEAE JAMIE EUPHEMIA LOLANTHE POTTER! IT IS MOST CERTAINLY NOT OK!" Hermione yelled at her.

Helia slowly scooted away from her accidentally getting closer to Draco, while Bill tried to calm the bushy haired witch down brave man he will be missed.

Molly and Lily both looked murderous, the marauders look as if they and the twins were planning an actual murder.

Ten minutes later everyone was calm enough for them to continue.

"Why?" said Helia.

"Why question him Miss.Potter?" The Potions Master asked curiously.

Helia goes to answer but is beaten to it by Ron " Because Helia questions everything." Getting a smirk from his best friend for knowing her so well.

"I was suspicious" Helia explained "they never did anything for me, why shouldn't I've questioned him."

This got a approving nod from Mad-Eye with the yell of "Constant Vigilance!"

"Don't ask questions!" snapped her uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now."

The Dursley's' house had four bedrooms:

Snape could feel the anger at the Potter girl's treatment radiating off everybody, but he didn't know what to think. Not only was the girls home life similar to his own as a child, it was shattering his beliefs of what he thought the girl was. She was not James Potter reborn into a female body to haunt him, nor was she Lily Evans the woman he loved and drove away in pursuit of the Dark Arts.

Helia Potter was a mystery, a dark mystery at that and when the box of her secrets was all empty he didn't know what would be at the bottom.

one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom.

Draco bit on his lip tongue to keep from saying something that wouldn't be welcomed, not from him anyway.

Charlie had no such problems scoffing "two free bedrooms, and you end up with the cupboard the fucking bastards."

It only took Helia one trip upstairs to move everything she owned from the cupboard to this room.

Ron looked guilty, remembering all the times that he'd complained to Helia about his lack of new possessions, and how Helia never complained at all. He couldn't believe he had ever been jealous of Helia for Merlin's sake the girl practically lived out of her school trunk. At least he has a family that loves him, Helia didn't but now he was going to make such Helia never had to suffer through that ever again.

Sirius and Remus shared a look they knew they would spoil Helia if given a chance.

She sat down on the bed and stared around her. Nearly everything in here was broken.

Theo could picture an abuse young Potter sitting alone in a room full of broken thing.

The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbour's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favourite program had been canceled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle,

"A What!" Shrieked Lily.

"How in the Bloody Hell does he even get that in grade school!" Hermione shouted distressed at the thought of the weapon being used against Helia.

which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it.

Other shelves were full of books, that Helia would sneak out of her cupboard for late at night to read. She was careful that she kept them in pristine shapes so that it looked as though they'd never been touched.

The Twins would've been scandalized if they didn't already know that Helia loved to read, in the rare quiet times she would be found curled up reading with Hermione and Ron playing chess nearby.

From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't want her in there... I need that room... make her get out..."

Everyone rolled their eyes at Dudley's blubbering "spoiled tub of lard" hiss Tonks flicking her red locks out of her eyes getting a amused look from the wolf next to her.

Helia sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday she'd have given anything to be up here. Today she'd rather be back in her cupboard with that letter than up here without it.

"I bet the curiosity was killing you" laughed Padma hoping to lighten the mood.

Helia let out a long sigh "you have no idea" making all of her friends laugh at her antics, Sirius gave her a wary look he had a feeling he would be grey by the time these books finished.

Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof,

"Oi! What did the poor turtle-"

"Ever do to you Dinky Duddydums?"

Fred and George yelled to general amusement.

and he still didn't have his room back.

"Serves you right" snorted Susan.

Helia was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing she'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.

Snape could help but to sneer at the dramatics of the Dursley's.

When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Helia, made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! ' Miss. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive --'"

"Just rub it in her face why don't you?" Bill muttered hating reading for once in his life.

With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Helia right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Helia had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind.

"Was that training for the real thing later on?" Hermione asked laughing lightly, she would never forget how Helia and Ron saved her life.

"What? What else have you've been doing?" Asked Sirius panicking.

The golden trio shared a look avoiding their head of house's disapproving glare.
"You'll find out."

After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Helia's letter clutched in his hand.

"Go to your cupboard -- I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Helia. "Dudley -- go -- just go."

Helia walked round and round her new room. Someone knew she had moved out of her cupboard and they seemed to know she hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time she'd make sure they didn't fail. She had a plan.

"That plan of yours isn't going to work" muttered Hermione and Ron in sync, they hurried to explain themselves as Helia shot them an annoyed glare.

"Come on mate you know, when you think on your feet you brilliant -" Ron tried to explain but was cut of by Hermione "absolutely reckless too" not helping their case.

"Face it, your plans suck but even when the plan is good and will normal be a breeze your luck kicks in, and mucks it all up." Helia had to give them points for that, for all their adventure usually played out like that.

The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Helia turned it off quickly and dressed silently. She mustn't wake the Dursleys. She stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.

"Still waiting for the plan to go horribly wrong and you get caught part" sang Ron getting a playful glare from his friend.

She was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. Her heart hammered as she crept across the dark hall toward the front door --

Helia leapt into the air; she'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat -- something alive!

"Please be his face, Please be his face, Please be his..." Hermione chanted like a pray but stop when everyone looked at her, she shrugged. "What?"

Lights clicked on upstairs and to her horror Helia realized that the big, squashy something had been her uncle's face.

"YES!" Hermione shouted jumping up and down, causing the Weasley boys to laugh at her.

Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Helia didn't do exactly what she'd been trying to do. He shouted at Helia for about half an hour and then told her to go and make a cup of tea.

"Make your own she's not a bloody house elf." Snarled Neville.

Helia shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time she got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap.

Blaise winces sympathetically "bad luck, Darling."

"Believe me I know" Helia grumble back.

Helia could see three letters addressed in green ink.

I want --" she began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before her eyes.

James was furious what right did that man have to destroy Helia's property.

Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.

"I think the wrackspurts have gotten to him." said Luna Lovegood in her usual distant voice.

"Luna I think you are absolutely right" Hermione laughed.

"See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them they'll just give up."

"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."

"Listen to your wife" growls Mad-Eye he never had much patience, and these muggle were wearing what little patience he did have.

"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.

"Thank Merlin, for that" Hissed the Twins.

"I think I'd be more worried if we did think like them." Theo said quietly in Blaise's ear.

On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Helia. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom.

Snape looked at his fellow Professor out of the corner of his eye, well no one could say Prof. McGonagall wasn't determined.

Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out.

"How were you supposed to get in and out?" Ginny asked.

Helia shook her head "They weren't really in their right minds at that point."

He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises.

"He's gone mad, hasn't he?" Charlie observed.

"Madder than a Hatter" Grinned Helia.

On Saturday, things began to get out of hand.

The Twins looked at Helia funnily."Just now getting out of hand."

Twenty-four letters to Helia found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window.

"I guess you learned something in the years you taught us, huh Minnie" grinned James.

McGonagall sniffed primly at him, you have to learn some tricks if you want to survive teaches boys like the Marauders as they say when in Roman do as the Romans do. And then of course there were the Twins and Helia were who were right terrors by themselves but together, she is constantly surprised the school wasn't burnt to the ground in some grand prank.

While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.

"Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley asked Helia in amazement.

"Why the entire Wizarding World would" Madam Bones said.

On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.

"No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today --"

"He's cracked." George stated.

Fred looked at his brother and nodded, "For the marmalade on the newspaper or the no post on Sundays?"

George looked at Fred and smiled, "For thinking he could outsmart Minnie."

McGonagall just gave them a raised eyebrow, but there was a twinkle in her eyes.

Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets.

"BRILLIANT!" James and Sirius roared.

"Minnie, I love you" Remus added, staring at her in awe.

The Dursleys ducked, but Helia leapt into the air trying to catch one.

"Why didn't you pick on off the floor?" Asked Lily only to receive a grin that reminded her of her husband.

"Practicing" Helia said with a carefree grin looking like her father's daughter.

"Out! OUT!"

Uncle Vernon seized Helia around the waist and threw her into the hall.

"HANDS OFF, MY DAUGHTER!" James roared, making the people closest to him jump in fright.

When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.

"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his moustache at the same time. I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!"

"You hear that, Helia?" Fred asked in a pompous tone so reminiscent of Percy. "No arguments!" Getting a dark look from said brother.

Helia grinned.

He looked so dangerous with half his moustache missing that no one dared argue.

Helia gave a little shiver remembering the look on her uncle's face.

Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag.

"I know I said to discipline the boy, but you don't hit children" Mrs.Weasley exclaimed applauded at the parenting.

They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while. "Shake'em off... shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.

"Merlin, he's really lost it, hasn't he?" Ron exclaimed, his eyes shining with amusement.

"Ron," said Helia seriously, keeping a straight face, "He lost it years before that moment." She then snickered at the memory of her uncle's antics that day.

They didn't stop to eat or drink all day.

Hermione hissed at the book hatefully her best friend deserved better.

By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.

"Aww poor baby, welcome to Helia's life" cooed Ginny maliciously.

Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Helia shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Helia stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering...

"You've never been able to sleep in very well in open spaces" Hermione sighed to her friend.

"With how many pillows she sleeps with I'm surprised she has any room left on her bed." Ron laughs getting looks from Helia's father, father-figures and her enemy?

"And how would you know what Helia's bed looked like?" James asked, getting confused looks from the golden trio since they would always sleep near each other when they had a chance.

Bill quickly started reading again before his youngest brother was hexed.

They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day.

Ron could feel the anger boiling over, that was hardly a meal after having no food all yesterday, maybe even longer with how little the Dursley's fed Helia.

They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.

"'Scuse me, but is one of you Miss. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk."

"Don't you think this is getting out of hand" Snape said causing Prof.McGonagall to shift in her seat.

She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:

Miss. H. Potter

Room 17

Railview Hotel

Cokeworth

"Hey that's where I grew up!" Exclaimed Lily.

"What really?" Helia asked.

"Yeah Petunia, Severus and I" getting shocked looks from the people who didn't know Snape and Lily Potter used to be friends, Helia just gave a smile as she already deduced that her potions professor and her mom knew each other.

Helia made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked her hand out of the way. The woman stared.

"She should've done something." Hermione sniffed angrily.

"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.

Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later,

Kingsley sighed with relief finally someone with some sense.

but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her.

Que eye rolls from everybody.

Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.

"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon.

George shot his twin a bland look "their just figuring this out."

Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.

It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley snivelled.

"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television. "

Monday. This reminded Helia of something. If it was Monday -- and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television --

then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Helia's eleventh birthday.

"Happy Birthday!" Shouted the Twins, Hermione and Ron, the Twins spelled small fireworks from their wands as the harmless sparks rained down on her.

Of course, her birthdays were never exactly fun -- last year, the Dursleys had given her a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.

Draco hated how much he regretted being mean to her, how much he wanted to hold her close. He felt the need to comfort her, protect her and even love her, however it could never be as it was forbidden he could hardly dream of it less it be found out.

Still, you weren't eleven every day.

James and Lily shared a look they had missed so much of their daughter's life, all the memories they were supposed to share, her first steps, her Hogwarts letter, her first date all missed.

Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.

"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"

It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine.

Professor McGonagall and Madam Bones both knew that they were going to do everything in their power to bury the Dursley's and to make sure Helia never went back to them.

One thing was certain, there was no television in there.

"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"

A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-grey water below them.

James turned a pale shaded at the thought of Helia on that rickety rowboat in the middle of storm at that.

"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"

It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.

"The nerve taking children to such a horrible place, why Helia could've gotten sick or hurt herself" snapped Mrs. Weasley her face red in anger and worry, making her husband wrap an arm around her for comfort.

The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.

"Let me guess you didn't get one" growled Remus.

Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas.

"Those aren't rations!' McGonagall hissed irritably.

Obviously, Ron thought the same thing, judging from his tortured expression at his best friend not being able to eat much.

He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shrivelled up.

"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.

He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Helia privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer her up at all.

'Ever the pessimist, Helia?' Hermione teased, smiling faintly.

'You'd be pessimistic as well,' Helia shot back, smirking.

As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa.

She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door,

Bill's sun tanned face from working in the Egyptian sun, turned a furious Weasley red as he read something he clearly didn't like. Helia felt a sinking feeling in her gut that she knew what was coming, she was getting tired of this book shit.

and Helia was left to find the softest bit of floor she could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.

Growls and snarls filled the room, making Helia sigh, rolling her eyes at the ridiculousness of it all.

The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Helia couldn't sleep. She shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, her stomach rumbling with hunger.

Draco felt as if his teeth would break under the pressure he was clenching them, how could no one see what was right in front of them.

Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Helia she'd be eleven in ten minutes' time.

She lay and watched her birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.

Helia quickly looked away from the sympathetic look she was receiving.

Five minutes to go. Helia heard something creak outside. She hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although she might be warmer if it did.

Neville looked at Helia incredulously. "Ever the optimistic, aren't you?' he asked, his voice soaked in sarcasm.

Helia just shrugged at him with a mischievous grin.

Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that she'd be able to steal one somehow.

Blaise gave her a sly look at the mentioning of stealing, making her give a wary one in return.

Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?

Lily and Mrs.Weasley pale at the very thought.

One minute to go and she'd be eleven. Thirty seconds... twenty ... ten... nine -- maybe she'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him

"Do it" begged the Twins, Sirius and James.

-- three... two... one...

BOOM.

Several people jumped when Bill yelled that out.

The whole shack shivered and Helia sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.

"That's it," said Bill. "Who wants to read next?"

"I will," Neville said shyly , taking the book from Bill.

Belief Is The Magic Key To Your Dreams

Neville shyly smiled and took the book from Bill and began to read "Keeper of the Keys."

BOOM. They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake. "Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly.

Fred interrupted Nevillewith a snigger "no need to say the obvious Neville , we already know."

Molly was quick to scold him but she couldn't help but agree with her son.

There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands –

"Honestly, who in the bloody hell has a bleeding gun around two children!" Raged Lily at the danger being so close to her daughter and not being able to protect her.

now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.

Lily hissed at the book with James holding his wife back from destroying the book.

"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you -- I'm armed!"

There was a pause. Then --

SMASH!

The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.

McGonagall is seen pinching her nose at the dramatics of her colleague.

A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.

"Hagrid!" Cheered the Trio, Twins and Susan.

The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.

"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey..."

The Trio burst out laughing at their loveable friend, Ron wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes "that's Hagrid for you alright." It really was just like their friend to barge into a place and expect tea and biscuits.

He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.

"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger.

"Yeah, you tell 'im Hagrid!" Cheered the Twins in unholy glee.

Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.

"Like anything can cover that whale." Muttered Ron.

"Dursley Senior probably could." Hermione said.

"Oh right, the bigger whale can."

"An' here's Helia!" said the giant. Helia looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face

"Again with making Hagrid seem scary" huffed Susan is dismay.

and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.

At this Susan cracked a smile at Hagrid's true nature shining through, while her Aunt wondered how her niece knew the groundskeeper so well.

"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yet dad, but yeh've got yet mom's eyes."

Helia quietly sighed wistfully that was the first time anyone ever that to her, but now that's all anyone ever said.

Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.

I demand that you leave at once, sit!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"

The Trio gave each other a deadpan look, did he really think he could stop Hagrid.

"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant;

he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room.

"Thank you Hagrid" Lily muttered clapping her hands together like a prayer.

Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.

"Anyway -- Helia," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here -- I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."

"Don't eat it" Fred said with a serious look on his face.
"For you may not be the same afterwards" George continued also very serious, before the both burst into laughter.

From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Helia opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Helia written on it in green icing.

"My first birthday cake" Helia smiled slightly, unknowingly breaking the hearts of her parents.

Helia looked up at the giant. She meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to her mouth, and what she said instead was, "Who are you?"

"Manners Potter" drawled Snape.

"I was in shock, sir" said Helia casually.

The giant chuckled.

"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."

He held out an enormous hand and shook Helia's whole arm.

"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."

"Hagrid!" McGonagall and Molly said sharply.

Helia couldn't help but smile at the action of her half-giant friend, who if was here he would be blushing at the remark.

His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shrivelled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later,

there was a roaring fire there.

"Hagrid's not suppose to use magic" Madam Bones frowned.

"He had permission for this task" Dumbledore said.

It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Helia felt the warmth wash over her, she imagined this is what it must of felt to sink into a hot bath.

A blue-grey haired Tonks faced Helia and asked "you never had a hot bath have you?"

Helia ignored the question as Neville read on.

The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea.

"I wish I had that many pockets" Luna sighed wistfully.

Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."

"As if he needed more fattening," George said scathingly. If there was anything he hated, it was when people hurt his family. And to him as well as the rest of the Weasley's, Helia was family. No one messed with the Weasley family.

The giant chuckled darkly

"Yet great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry."

"You tell him Hagrid" cackled Susan as Ron looked at her in amazement.

He passed the sausages to Helia,

"I'm not sure you should be eating that," Lily said uncertainly.

"Come on Lily, Fawn must be starving!" James argued.

"I think Pup is going to be a bit too preoccupied to worry about the food," Sirius piped in.

who was so hungry she had never tasted anything so wonderful,

Angry growls were heard around the room. "She wouldn't have to be hungry if they fed her right in the first place!" Remus's eyes glowed a bright golden colour, he was more Mooney then Remus at the moment.

Helia reached out and held his hand to tell him she was safe and cared for at the moment, it was all in the past.

but she still couldn't take her eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, she said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are."

"So polite all the time, pup" Sirius muttered.

Helia's schoolmates look at him as if he was crazy.

The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts -- yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course.

"Here it comes." The Twins said, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Er -- no," said Helia.

Hagrid looked shocked.

"Sorry," Helia said quickly.

"Fawn you didn't have to apologize" James said gently as hugged his daughter. Helia frowned because habits were hard to forget.

"Sorry?" barked Hagrid not noticing Helia shrink into herself, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows.

"Bunch of cowards, the lot of 'em." Sirius growled angrily.

"It' s them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud!

Did yeh never wonder where yet parents learned it all?"

"All what?" asked Helia.

"I wonder how he's going to take Helia not knowing," Neville stopped reading to whisper to Padma."Not well I suspect," Padma whispered back.

"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!"

He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.

"Oh this is going to be good" Charlie said with excitement.

"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this girl -- this girl! -- knows nothin' abou' -- about ANYTHING?"

Hermione snorted lightly "I bet Helia took that well."

Helia thought this was going a bit far. She had been to school, after all, and her marks were stellar til the Dursley's found out she was beating their precious Dudley.

The room was silent aside from the low growls of some people.

"What...does that mean?" Madame Bones said in a low voice.

"They...Well..." Ron started, debating whether or not he should tell. "Oh, Merlin, you'll find out anyways- they abused her, Madame Bones!"

"I'm not abused!" Helia shouted indignantly at her friend.

"So starving, beating, and locking up a child isn't abuse?" Hermione hissed.

"They what?" Madame Bones gasped. Neville clenched his fists in anger. How could he not have noticed?

"Well, anything sounds bad when you say it like that!" Helia huffed.

"It's bad either way, Potter" Theo said quietly.

"I know some things," she said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff."

McGonagall began to finally understand that Helia has been downplaying her intelligence, quite a lot.

But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."

"What world?" she asked with a confused head tilt

Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.

"DURSLEY!" he boomed.

"Oh man, Dursleys in deep shit now" grinned Fred not looking a bit sorry of his language at his mother's glare.

Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble." Hagrid stared wildly at Helia.

"But yeh must know about yet mom and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous."

"What? My -- my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?"

"Really, that's the part you get stuck on?" Draco asked, incredulously.

Helia just shrugged, she wasn't used to the attention back then still isn't, so she wasn't really sure how she was supposed to act to being famous.

Ron and Hermione shared a look of fondness at their best friend who never wanted or needed fame, or hero worship. She just wanted and needed a friend.

"Yeh don' know... yeh don' know..." Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Helia with a bewildered stare.

"Poor Hagrid wasn't expecting to be the one who would have to tell me the truth." Sighed Helia.

"Yeh don' know what yeh are?" he said finally.

Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.

Kingsley sighed in exasperation at the muggles stubbornness.

"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sit! I forbid you to tell the girl anything!"

"Like he's in the position to be commanding anything" snorted Daphne.

A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.

"You never told her?

"No they didn't" Bill said, glaring at the book.

Never told her what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer her? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from her all these years?"

"Kept what from me?" said Helia angrily.

Helia's friends felt a shiver go down their spines it was them facing Helia's temper.

"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.

Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.

Tonks rolled her eyes, "What a bunch of drama queens" she grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Ah, go boil yet heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Helia-- yer a witch."

There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.

"—that's quite rude to say!" gasped Helia, her emerald eyes sparking with affront.

Everyone, including Severus Snape himself, laughed.

"That's how I reacted!" Lily laughed.

"Why were you offended?" Astoria giggled.

"'Witch' is an insult to muggles," Lily explained.

"A witch, it's nothin' bad," said Hagrid chuckled, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' yeh be a thumpin' good'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours,

"Aw thank you Hagrid" sighed Lily touched at Hagrid's kindness.

what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."

"Finally!" James cried out, getting a laugh out of his wife and daughter.

Helia stretched out her hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to

Miss. H. Potter,

The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock,

The Sea.

"Those letters are bloody specific," Ron muttered with a shake of his head.

She pulled out the letter and read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

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

Dear Miss. Potter,

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

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

Questions exploded inside Helia's head like fireworks and she couldn't decide which to ask first.

"I felt the same way" Hermione whispered to Helia as they shared a smile.

After a few minutes she stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"

"That was your first question? Of all things to ask you ask that." Ron smirked at his friend.

"It was the last thing I read smart ass" Helia snarked back.

"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl -- a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl

"An owl?" Charlie asked in shock horrified at the poor owls treatment.

Hermione looked like she wanted to read the animal rights, Ron gave Neville a look that scream hurry up before she starts.

-- a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Helia could read upside down:

"I can barely read it right side up, and you can read it upside down" Ron laughed.

Dear Professor Dumbledore,

Given Helia her letter.

Taking her to buy her things tomorrow.

Weather's horrible. Hope you're Well.

Hagrid

Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone.

"For wizards it is," Hermione told Helia simply.

"I know that now Hermione," Helia told her gently.

Helia realized her mouth was open and closed it quickly.

Her friends snorted at her, making her give them a look.

"Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.

"She's not going," he said.

"I'll give Dursley this, he's fucking persistent" Bill groaned.

"What he needs is to learn to pick his battles better" Moody snorted.

Hagrid grunted.

"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop her," he said.

"A what?" said Helia, interested loving when there was something new to learn.

Many people who didn't know Helia on a personal level look at her with a wide eyed stare. While Hermione and Ron knew Helia had a thirst for knowledge she could out study a Ravenclaw if a subject caught her attention.

"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call non magic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."

"Both literally and figuratively" Ginny whispered to Astoria who giggled.

"We swore when we took her in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of her! Witch indeed!"

It felt as if a the room had frozen over from all the tension in the room.

"Yes, Mr. Dursley, Witch indeed" Snape snarled.

"You knew?" said Helia. "You knew I'm a -- a witch?"

"Here we go" muttered Helia as she tucked herself into her father's side.

"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that-that school-and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats.

" Jealousy is an ugly thing, Tuney." Lily thought bitterly to herself.

I was the only one who saw her for what she was -- a freak!

"Lily is not a freak!" James, Sirius, Remus and Snape roared in outrage.

But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"

"As they should be!" Exclaimed Molly.

She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.

"She probably had, the bitter horse faced woman." Helia hissed to herself.

"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as -- as – abnormal

"Well she's not wrong, mate" Ron joked.

"Like you have any room to talk," Helia shot back fake glaring.

-- and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"

Everyone sitting in the room paled, Helia just leaned on her father more without opening her eyes for surely if she opened them tears would fall from them. And Helia told herself long ago, she would never cry from anything the Dursley's did to her ever again.

"That's how you were told?" Remus whispered heartbroken, his scars enhanced by how pale his face went.

Helia just gave a stiff, silent nod.
"Oh Heli, I'm so sorry you had to find out that way" Lily told her daughter bringing her and James into a hug.

Helia had gone very white. As soon as she found her voice she said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!"

Everyone looked mad at once again hearing that outrageous lie.

"I'm sorry they told you that, Heli," Luna muttered sadly, as Helia gave her younger friend a sad smile.

"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Helia Potter not knowin' her own story when every kid in our world knows her name!"

Helia groaned and flopped onto her dad as she heard that, James smiled as he ran his finger through her shoulder length hair that reminded him of his own hair.

"But why? What happened?" Helia asked urgently.

The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.

"Oh, poor Hagrid," Tonks breathed sympathetically. "Nobody wants to tell any kid that."

"I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Helia, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh -- but someones gotta -- yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'."

The Slytherin's in particular would have torn you apart if they thought you didn't even know." Blaise said with a slightly worried look at what could have happened with a naïve Potter at Hogwarts.

"Either that, or who knows what versions of the story the other students would have filled your head with. With all those Helia Potter's Adventure books out there?" Padma said not notice that shaking heads of Hermione and Ron.

"Helia Potter's Adventure books?" Helia asked, looking like she really didn't want to know.

He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.
"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh -- mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it..."

"Isn't that the truth." Helia thought somewhat bitterly.

He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with -- with a person called -- but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows --"

"Who? "

"Ten Gallons, Helia get's him to say." Ginny grinned.

"No way, we have tried for years." George put Ten Gallons on the table with Ginny.

"I'm with Ginny on this. Helia can and have done the impossible ." Fred placed his down.

"I'm with George." Daphne put hers in surprising everyone by getting in on the bet. Hermione grabbed the money to setting it between her and Bill.

Raising an eyebrow with a smirk across his face winking at Hermione, Helia didn't know her friend could turn that colour of red.

"Well -- I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."

"It's a name people," Helia groaned "not even his real one." Startling the Slytherins that the Dark Lord had a regular name like any common joe.

"Why not?"

"Gulpin' gargoyles, Helia, people are still scared.

"Fear of a name, increases the fear it's self" Hermione recited.

Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went... bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse.

"Understatement" Ron mumbled under his breath.

His name was..."

"Is he actually going to say it?" Susan asked surprised. She knew Hagrid like most people didn't like saying the name.

Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.
"Could you write it down?" Helia suggested.

"Smart Potter." Blaise said, smirking at Helia.

"Nah -can't spell it. All right -- Voldemort. " Hagrid shuddered.

"No way." George cried as Hermione split the money between Ginny and Fred.

"Told you." Ginny smirked smugly at her brother.

"Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this -- this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too -- some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Helia. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches... terrible things happened. He was takin' over.

The people who lived through the first war shudder remembering the horror of it.

'Course, some stood up to him -- an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway.

"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew.

"What about me?" Sirius gasped in mock hurt.

Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before... probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side.

"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way.

All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' -- an' --"

Sirius, Remus and Helia all cringed knowing what Hagrid was trying to say.

Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn. "Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad -- knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find -- anyway..."

James and Lily shared a look they really owed a lot to Hagrid. "You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then -- an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing -- he tried to kill you, too.

"So he went after you last?" Bill asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"We wouldn't have let him get to Helia if we were alive." James said simply and firmly. Lily looked at him with an inscrutable expression of love on her face.

Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a Powerful, evil curse touches yeh -- took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even -- but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Helia.

Now everyone turned to look at Helia, who had been staring blankly at the wall, ignoring the stares. Ron and Hermione glared at everyone and they quickly turned back to the book.

No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age -- the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts -- an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."

A moment of silence was made for the deceased. Amelia, Susan and the Weasley's looked especially grave. Susan turned to hug her only remaining family member as she would never know her parents because of Voldemort.

Something very painful was going on in Helia's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, she saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than she had ever remembered it before
-- and she remembered something else, for the first time in her life: a high, cold, cruel laugh.

Neville shuddered after he read that line.

"That's horrible," Lily mumbled. "You remember it, you remember us-" She didn't go on, she just clutched onto Helia even tighter.

Hagrid was watching her sadly.
"Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot..."
"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Helia jumped; she had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there.

From the look on everyone's faces, it was clear that they had too.

Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched. "Now, you listen here, girl," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured

"No Dursley, you listen here, if your very put your hands on my daughter again your going to regret that you ever lived to even hear about her." Hissed James quietly his angry a cold deadly thing.

-- and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdos, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion

What?" Remus yelled furiously. "How could they even say that?"

'I don't care if I get sent back to Azkaban, I will kill them.' Sirius said growling dangerously low at the book.

If everyone was angry before, but now they were furious. Even the Slytherin's were glaring at the book.

-- asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types -- just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end --"

The room went up into mutinous muttering again. Draco was suddenly reminded of a time when they were younger when he said something very similar to Helia, except he told Helia that she would come to the same sticky end as her parents. No wonder She hated him so much in school.

But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley -I'm warning you -- one more word... "

"Do it Hagrid" the Twins crooned as if the convince Hagrid to do it by sheer will power.

In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.

Hermione glared at the book so fiercely Helia swore it would burst into flames any minute.

"That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.Helia, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.

"Helia always has questions," laughed Neville.

"But what happened to Vol--, sorry -- I mean, You-Know-Who?"

"You called him You-Know-Who!" Ron exclaimed.

"That's because I didn't know how stupid it was at the time," Helia said to her best friend.

"Good question, Helia. Disappeared. Vanished.

Quite right" Percy muttered.

"Percy," Ginny said. "Your my brother and I love you, but you know absolutely nothing so shut your trap." Helia couldn't help but snort at her friend's words

"GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY, LANGUAGE!" Hollered Molly.

Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see... he was gettin' more an' more powerful -- why'd he go?"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion.

"Even Hagrid had that much sense in him," Fred pointed out. Percy sniffed. Ginny rolled her eyes.

Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die.

"He really doesn't" Helia said.

Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back. "Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Helia. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on -- I dunno what it was, no one does -- but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."

Everyone again turned to stare but one look at Hermione and Ron's faces caused everyone to turn back.

"Thanks guys," Helia murmured to them.

"Of course," they replied in unison.

Hagrid looked at Helia with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Helia, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake.

"The only mistake is that you were sent to those awful Dursleys," Hermione huffed.

A witch? Her? How could she possibly be? She'd spent her life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon;

"Oh fawn, darling" James sighed at Helia.

if she was really a witch, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock her in her cupboard?

"Warty toads, eh?" Fred grinned.

"That might just be our next big project," George grinned back at his twin. No one scolded them, knowing full well that the Dursleys deserved it.

If she'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick her around like a football?

"I'm afraid it doesn't always work like that, pup." Sirius said.

"Hagrid," she said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a witch."

Ron shook his head in amusement at his best friend.

To her surprise, Hagrid chuckled.

"Not a witch, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?"

Helia looked into the fire. Now she came to think about it... every odd thing that had ever made her aunt and uncle furious with her had happened when she, had been upset or angry... chased by Dudley's gang, she had somehow found herself out of their reach...dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, she'd managed to make it grow back... and the very last time Dudley had hit her, hadn't she got her revenge, without even realizing she was doing it? Hadn't she set a boa constrictor loose?

"It was bloody brilliant too pup!" Sirius laughed.

Helia looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at her.

"See?" said Hagrid. "Helia Potter, not a witch -- you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."

"Oh, joy" Helia said with no emotion in her voice.

But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.

Snapeshook hishead, muttering something a dunderhead who didn't know how to choose their battles.

"Haven't I told you she's not going?" he hissed. "She's going to Stonewall High and she'll be grateful for it.

"Grateful?" Draco hissed, getting a surprised look from the Trio. "Grateful for the torment you've given her?"

"Like anyone could be grateful to those bloody bastards" Ron growled for once agreeing with Malfoy.

I've read those letters and she needs all sorts of rubbish -- spell books and wands and --"

"Rubbish aye, we will see how much rubbish it is when your faced with it" muttered Moody, as his colleagues shifted away from him.

"If she wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop her," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's daughter goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad.

"Damn right they are, thinking they can stop our daughter from doing anything." James huffed.

Her name's been down ever since she was born.

She's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and she won't know herself. She'll be with youngsters of her own sort, fer a change, an' she'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled--"

"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL To TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon.

Yes, Yes, YES!" The twins suddenly yelled. Everyone else leaned forward in anticipation. They all knew Vernon had seriously messed. It may or may not be that way anymore, but you did NOT want to insult Dumbledore in front of Hagrid.

But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER," he thundered, "- INSULT- ALBUS- DUMBLEDORE- IN- FRONT- OF- ME!"

"YES!" The Weasley boys and Marauders howled. Molly looked faintly disapproving, but at the same time accepting. She knew how Hagrid could get like when it came to protecting people he cared about.

"Oh, Hagrid." McGonagall said, shaking her head, with a faint smile on her face.

He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley -- there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Helia saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.

The room erupted in laughter and even Helia was laughing, remembering Dudley's terrified face. She had always savoured that one moment of joy at Dudley's expense. He had it coming after all damage he did to Helia, he really truly deserved it.

"BRILLIANT!" Sirius roared with laughter, "absolutely brilliant! James, Remus we're smuggling a dragon into Hogwarts and gifting it to Hagrid!"

Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.

"Finally, they're gone" Lily sighed with relief.

Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.

"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."

Snorts were heard at that.

He cast a sideways look at Helia under his bushy eyebrows.

"Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm -- er -- not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff -- one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job

"Thanks Hagrid I feel so loved" Helia jokingly said even if the half giant wasn't in the room.

"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Helia.

"Helia Potter!" Lily, Molly and Hermione chided.

Helia just lightly rolled her eyes.

"Oh, well -- I was at Hogwarts meself but I -- er -- got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore."

"Why were you expelled?"

"We tried but never got an answer, we doubt he would tell you" the Twins said waving their hands as if to say don't even try it hopeless.

Helia, Ron and Hermione just look at the Twins with identical looks of we-know-everything.

"No! How? He would of never say anything!" Exclaimed Fred in shock as George just opened and closed his mouth in stunned silence.

"We did" Helia informed the Twins, "and you'll find out in the second year books." She told them before they began to beg.

"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that."

He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Helia.

"You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."

"Okay, I get having sausages in your pocket, but why on Gaia's earth would you carry dormice around?" Remus asked incredulously.

At the mention of sausages Ron's stomach gave a fearsome rumble, he smiled sheepishly as Helia and Hermione laughed at their friends always hungry stomach.

"I believe before we start the next chapter, we should have something to eat" Dumbledore announced to the room.

"Yes!" Ron exclaimed in excitement.

And There Before My Eyes Is A World I've Never Seen Before

After everyone had something to eat it was time to read again.

"Now that everyone is full, who would like to read?" McGonagall asked.

"I will, Professor." Susan replied, taking the book. "DIAGON ALLEY"

Helia woke early the next morning. Although she could tell it was daylight, she kept her eyes shut tight.

"It was a dream, she told herself firmly. "I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for witches. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard."

"Oh, Helia" Mrs. Weasley sighed sadly.

"She's fine mum it was awhile ago." Charlie said, noticing Helia fidget at the pity.

Snape felt this book was going to hit too close to home. Helia Potter sounded more like a young Severus Snape at that moment than James Potter had in her whole life.

He should have seen the signs.

Granted, Potter did a good job at hiding it. She was a tiny little thing, but her father was scrawny when he was younger and Lily was never very tall. She didn't have much trouble making friends, or at least, the ones she was close to stuck by her something about her drawing them in. She was socially well-adjusted and—there was no other word for it—snarky. However she never really didn't initiate human contact, but she didn't seem averse to it, at least from Granger and the Weasley brood.

There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.
And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door, Helia thought, her heart sinking. But she still didn't open her eyes. It had been such a good dream.

"Wow, Potter who knew you were such a pessimist." Blaise muttered.

Helia shrugged. Ron and Hermione both gave a look that said he didn't know the half of it.

Tap. Tap. Tap.
"All right," Helia mumbled, "I'm getting up."

She sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off her.

"Wouldn't that prove, it was all real?" Astoria asked.

The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.

Helia scrambled to her feet, so happy she felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside her.

"And there's not much you're really happy about usually." Ron said, running a hand through his hair with a sigh.

Draco said nothing as Helia shrugged. Because of what he observed, she was pretty happy when with the rest of The Golden Trio. Not that he watched her a lot (shut up Blaise) he'd seen her face light up whenever the other two entered the Great Hall on the few occasions when both he and Potter happened to be in the Hall early at the same time.

She went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.

"Don't do that."

"Oh Heli dear, you need to be careful. Not all owls are friendly." Lily fretted.

Helia quickly scolded snatching the owl from the coat, it cooed and nuzzled her content to stay curled up in her palms.

"That's Helia for you, animals love her I've never met one that didn't" Ron informed.

"You make it sound like I'm some Doctor Doolittle."

"Doctor Do what?" Ron asked confused.

"Hagrid!" said Helia loudly. "There's an owl
"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa.
"What?"
"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets."

Well that's a challenge and a half." James chuckled. "Hagrid's coat is made of nothing but pockets."

"Yeah that's true." Sirius said. "And you never know what you will find in there.

Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets -- bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags...

finally, Helia pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins.
"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.

"Oh Hagrid, she didn't know about wizarding money." Mrs. Weasley rebuked.

"It's fine Mrs. Weasley, I learn best hands on."

"Knuts?"
"The little bronze ones."

Helia counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Helia could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. The owl gave one last nuzzle, and then he flew off through the open window.

Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched.
"Best be Off, Helia, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school."

"I've never been to London before Hagrid took me." Helia smiled.

Helia was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. She had just thought of something that made her feel as though the happy balloon inside her had got a puncture.

No!" The Twins suddenly cried dramatically, startling a few people who had actually done one of the most dangerous things known to wizard-kind, aside from forgetting Helia Potter was in the room.

They forgot the WEASLEY TWINS were in the room.

"Not the happy balloon!" George finished, moaning dramatically and flopping back in his seat.

"Um -- Hagrid?"
"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.

"I haven't got any money -- and you heard Uncle Vernon last night ... he won't pay for me to go and learn magic."

We would never let a thing as small as funding stop a child from learning magic." Said Dumbledore. "Untrained magic can be disastrous."

"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"

"But if their house was destroyed --"
"They didn' keep their gold in the house, girl! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold -- an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither."

"What a nutritious breakfast," Hermione muttered.

"I wish I could have cake for breakfast," Ron grinned at Helia.

"Not in a million years!" Mrs. Weasley declared.

"Wizards have banks?"
"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins."
Helia dropped the bit of sausage she was holding.

I was shocked as well," Hermione told Helia giggling.

"Goblins?"

"Yeah -- so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Helia.

"He's right." Bill pointed out. "They can be vicious when they want to be."

"Know from experience big brother?" Charlie asked grinning.

"I just hope Helia never tries to mess with them." Hermione said, giving Helia a pointed look.

"What?" Helia asked innocently. "I would never."

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks and groaned.

"With your luck mate, you just jinxed it," Ron mumbled.

Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe -- 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you gettin' things from Gringotts -- knows he can trust me, see.

The whole time Hagrid talked about his business at Gringotts, McGonagall, Madam Bones, Kingsley and Moody all had their heads in their hands, while Snape just pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Hagrid! You knew how curious James and Lily were, and you just hinted at a possible mystery to THEIR DAUGHTER! No wonder she was hunting for it." McGonagall groaned.

"Got everythin'? Come on, then."
Helia followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.
"How did you get here?" Helia asked, looking around for another boat. "Flew," said Hagrid.
"Flew?"

"I can't imagine Hagrid flying." Lily said.

"Me either" said Hermione.

"He probably used a thestral" Luna informed them.

"Yeah -- but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh."
They settled down in the boat, Helia still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.

Wait a minute," Hermione said to Helia. "If Hagrid flew in and took the boat out, how did your relatives get off the island?"

"I think the owner of the hut got worried when they didn't come back the next day and went to get them," Helia replied.

"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Helia another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter -- er -- speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?"

"Of course not," said Helia, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land.

"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Helia asked.

"I swear to Merlin, Mione I'm not going to rob Gringotts" Helia sighed to Hermione after another suspicious look.

"Spells -- enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there's dragons guardin' the high security vaults.

Charlie shot up in his seat. "That better not be true." He growled, turning to glare at his older brother.

Bill held up his hands. "I honestly don't know." He was quick to say.

All the Weasley's were watching the most laid back member of their clan carefully, while Helia and Ron slowly pull Hermione and Luna away from the two brothers.

"Why didn't you ever mention this before?" Charlie hissed.

Bill tried to rationalize with his younger brother "But Charlie, I don't work vault security. My job is bringing in treasure and undoing Dark Curses before the items go to auction." He said as he watched his brother cautiously.

And then yeh gotta find yer way -- Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."

Kingsley looked thoughtful for a moment."Didn't someone try and rob Gringotts a few years ago."

The Trio snorted "yeah, by an idiot."

Helia sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Helia had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, she'd never had so many questions in her life.

"Is this where you're curiosity, began Ms. Potter?" Madam Bones questioned.

Helia shook her head. "I think it began with ten years of hearing 'don't ask questions'."

"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page.

"No change there." Muttered Sirius, whilst Remus nodded.

"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Helia asked, before she could stop himself.

"'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, O ' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."

"But what does a Ministry of Magic do?"

"Not much." Nearly everyone muttered.

Helia nodded in agreement to that.

Percy huffed in dismay.

"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country."
"Why?"
"Why? Blimey, Helia, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone."

Hermione look as if she was going to rant about Muggle-Magical relationships again, so Ron quietly told Susan to keep reading.

At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbour wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street.Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Helia couldn't blame them.
Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Helia? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?"

Helia grinned even if looking back on it and realizing Hagrid probably wasn't the best choice to introduce her to the wizarding world, he did bring a certain amount of excitement to her first time in the wizarding world.

"Hagrid," said Helia, panting a bit as she ran to keep up, "did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?"

A growl sounded around the room, making people jump and look around, only to see Charlie was back.

"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."

"Only Hagrid would want a pet dragon." Sighed Lily smiling.

"Well…" Ginny said, looking at her older brother Charlie. "Maybe not just Hagrid."

"Nonsense who in their righting mind would want a dragon?" asked Mrs. Weasley, not noticing her second eldest son trying to hide from her gaze.

"You'd like one?"
"Wanted one ever since I was a kid -- here we go."

Wait." McGonagall said, horror spreading across her face. "He really had one?" She practically whispered.

The Trio looked at each cautiously while Draco looked very annoyed.

"Really had what, Professor?" Hermione asked carefully.

"A dragon." She whispered.

The Trio nodded, she slumped forward and buried her head in her hands, mumbling something.

They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he called it, gave the bills to Helia so she could buy their tickets.

"You know I think it should be compulsory that everyone has to learn basic Muggle Studies at school." Hermione said thoughtfully. "You know just in case they do have to be around Muggles, they know how to dress and use money."

"I think that's a very good idea Miss Granger." Dumbledore smiled. "I might have to suggest it, to the board of governors and see if we can start it at Hogwarts right away."

People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent.

"I see Hagrid's knitting hasn't changed" laughed Sirius.

"Still got yer letter, Helia?" he asked as he counted stitches. Helia took the parchment envelope out of her pocket.
"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need."
Helia unfolded a second piece of paper she hadn't noticed the night before, and read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
UNIFORM

First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

wand cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) set
glass or crystal phials
telescope set
brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

"It's not like that rule really held much hold against you, mate." Smirked Ron.

"Can we buy all this in London?" Helia wondered aloud.
"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid.

Helia had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow."I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic,"

"Its quite easy to manage without something, if you don't even know it exists." Hermione said with an eyebrow raised.

he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops.
Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Helia had to do was keep close behind him.

They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks?

"Yes, yes….and yes" Fred and George answered.

Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up?

"Wow, okay now you're just letting your imagination run away with you." Ron said. He knew his best friend was a pessimist, but this was just sad.

Helia just shrugged, she was paranoid enough that the thoughts just came naturally to her.

If Helia hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humour, she might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told her so far was unbelievable, Helia couldn't help trusting him.

You trust too easily, girl." Moody barked.

"No, actually, she doesn't." Neville confessed. "She's very cautious around anyone she just met."

Hermione continued with her own example " It took her a long while to even relax in our dorm room, especially to the point where she didn't spell her curtains shut. Hell that was the first spell she researched and learned by herself, maybe four nights into the first year."

She let that sink in before saying one last thing. "And that was with people her own age. Adults..." Hermione said, frowning telling them just how much Helia trust adults.

Everyone turned to Helia, but she just shrugged, not looking at anybody.

"This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place."

It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Helia wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all.

In fact, Helia had the most peculiar feeling that only she and Hagrid could see it. Before she could mention this, Hagrid had steered her inside.

"It's shielded from muggles eyes." Remus said.

"I know that now Mooney." Helia sighed.

Sirius and James snorted at Remus's sheepish expression.

For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"

"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Helia's shoulder and making Helia's knees buckle.
"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Helia, "is this -- can this be --?"

Helia felt a flush spread across her cheeks, she slid down a little bit in her seat to shield away from the attention.

Draco felt his heart skip a beat at the cuteness of the girl next to him.

The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.

"Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Helia Potter... what an honour."

He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Helia and seized her hand, tears in his eyes.

What?" James yelped.

Helia who now had her face buried in her lap sighed, but she didn't lift her head as she left it resting there with her eyes closed. Just hearing about her fame and her 'adoring fans' left her exhausted and paranoid.

"Welcome back, Miss. Potter, welcome back."

Helia didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at her. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming. Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Helia found herself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.

Hermione frowned over at her best friend, who still had her head down and her eyes closed. Helia always got like this when people crowded her, she would go for no better term blank and it broke her heart to see her friend like that.

"Doris Crockford, Miss. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."
"So proud, Miss. Potter, I'm just so proud."
"Always wanted to shake your hand -- I'm all of a flutter."

Daphne gave a not very ladylike at that.

"Delighted, Miss. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."
"I've seen you before!" said Helia, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop."

"Please don't encourage him, Miss. Potter." Sighed Professor McGonagall.

"She remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? She remembers me!" Helia shook hands again and again -- Doris Crockford kept coming back for more.
A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.

"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid.

The Trio hissed at the mention of Quirrell.

"You didn't mention that you'd already met him before school started." Hermione said with a frown.

"Must have slipped my mind. I wonder though... if he already had..." Helia trailed off, leaving everyone who didn't already know the story confused.

"Helia, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."
"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Helia's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p- pleased I am to meet you."

Huh, I don't think he was possessed yet," Helia quietly said to her friends.

"How come?" asked Hermione.

"He shook my hand without turning to ash. And he wasn't wearing the turban yet."

"Huh. That does raise the question, though…" Hermione wondered when did he get possessed?

"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"
"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He laughed nervously.

"Of course, she needs it!" Lily hissed in outrage while glaring at the book, what kind of teacher was this?

"You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.

But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Helia to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all, Helia sending pleading eyes towards Hagrid he came to rescue her.

Sirius growled "Hagrid shouldn't be letting them mob, Helia like that."

At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.

"Must get on -- lots ter buy. Come on, Helia."
Doris Crockford shook Helia's hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.
Hagrid grinned at Helia.

"Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh -- mind you, he's usually tremblin'."
"Is he always that nervous?"

The Golden Trio and Snape scowled, he was a good actor that's for sure.

"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience... They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag –

The Trio shared a glance, there was no vampire or hag, no what Quirrell found was the Dark Lord.

never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject now, where's me umbrella?"
Vampires? Hags? Helia's head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can.

"Three up... two across he muttered. "Right, stand back, Helia."
He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.
The brick he had touched quivered -- it wriggled -- in the middle, a small hole appeared -- it grew wider and wider -- a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.

"I love Diagon Alley." Helia and Hermione said together, identical looks of enchantment on their faces.

James and Lily shared a sad smile thinking. They should've been the ones to take Helia to Diagon Alley for the first time.

"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."

He grinned at Helia's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Helia looked quickly over her shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into a solid wall.

The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons -- All Sizes - Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver -- Self-Stirring -- Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.
"Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first."

Helia wished she had about eight more eyes.

Ron shuddered in fear.

"Why, mate, why?" Ron complained, falling back into his seat dramatically.

Helia chuckled, "Sorry." Ron just sighed at his best friend.

She turned her head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping.

A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they're mad..."

Mrs. Weasley blushed a vibrant shade of crimson, that had been her.

A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium -- Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy.

Several boys of about Helia's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Helia heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand -- fastest ever --"

Helia smiled sadly at the mention of her old broom, while she loved her new broom. Her first broom would always hold a special place in her heart.

There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Helia had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon...

"Gringotts," said Hagrid.
They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was –

"Even goblins support Gryffindor" Sirius whispered to James getting him to snort in laughter.

"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Helia. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Helia noticed, very long fingers and feet.

He bowed as they walked inside, Helia dropped in a small curtsey like the fairytale princesses do in her stories missing the surprised look on the guards face.

Helia got weird looks from most purebloods, but Bill full out beamed at her.

"Goblins respect wizards who respect their customs and gestures, not only does it make your transaction a hundred percent easier it is also the polite thing to do." Bill lectured with a smile.

Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:

Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.

"I love that poem," Luna said in her usual dreamy voice.

Helia nodded along with her. "Dark, but beautiful."

"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.

A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors again, she dropped into a curtsey and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses.

There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Helia made for the counter.

"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Miss. Helia Potter's safe."

"You have her key, Sir?"

"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers.

Bill slapped a palm to his face in exasperation, Hermione gently rubbed his back to comfort him.

The goblin wrinkled his nose.

Hermione and Daphne copied the goblin, both disgusted with the mess.

Helia watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals.

Hermione huffed in thought. "Professor Binns, said the goblins were a warrior race are they not anymore?" She asked Bill.

He grinned charmingly at Hermione before answering. "They are, primarily, a warrior race. They are also master craftsmen, they have some of the best blacksmiths in the world, they are miners, they have enchanters and bankers. They can do just about anything, but yes, they are primarily a warrior race."

"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key.

James whispered in Lily's ear " Why do they have Helia's key, the goblins should've had it until Helia was tested and confirmed to be who she is to them." The Lord and Lady Potter shared a look they were going to get to the bottom of this.

The goblin looked at it closely.
"That seems to be in order."

"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the YouKnow-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows while Mcgonagall gave a sharp hiss. "Hagrid, you really shouldn't have said that."

"What's in vault 713?" Fred and George asked intrigued.

"See." Helia, said turning to look at the professors with an pointed look. "It's natural that I wanted to know, just remember that."

"I'm curious as to how you did end up figuring it out Miss. Potter." Madam Bones informed him as she handled the paperwork from the event.

Helia just smiled at her friends Aunt mysteriously.

The goblin read the letter carefully.
"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have Someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"

Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Helia followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.

"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Helia asked.

Mrs. Weasley shot Helia an exasperated look. "Oh Helia." Why does that girl have to be so curious.

"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."

Snape sighed "your just adding fuel to the fire."

"Well he's not helping my curiosity any" Helia tried to defend herself.

Griphook held the door open for them. Helia, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them.

They climbed in -- Hagrid with some difficulty -- and were off.
At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Helia tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible.

"That's pretty impressive that you tracked that far, however Gringotts was made, warded and enchanted against it" Bill laughed.

The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering.

"That always made me nervous," Neville admitted, his face paling at the memory.

"I thought it was fun." Helia said with a smirk.

"I love the carts too!" Exclaimed James "Lily almost blew my eardrums out, scream first time going down to the main Potter vaults." He laughed, only to get slapped upside the head by his wife.

Helia's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but she kept them wide open.

Once, she thought she saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late - -

Charlie through a sharp glance at his elder brother.

they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.
I never know," Helia called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?"

Hermione opened her mouth to answer, most likely to explain, but Helia and Ron stop her. Ron covers her mouth with his hand, gently as Helia informs her.

"I know now, Mione," she smiled. "Besides, Hagrid's answer was hilarious."

"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," said Hagrid.

The room sounded with laughter.

"M-Merlin, that's priceless!" Sirius howled.

"Hagrid really is great," James cackled. Eventually, the laughter died down, and Susan continued reading.

"An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick."
He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling.

The order chuckled Hagrid never did too well in the Gringott's carts.

Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Helia gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.

Ginny whistled. "That is a lot."

"That's only your trust vault, you know," James told Helia.

"What?" she gasped.

"That's just to get you through school and life. The other vault is one you'll get when you come of age, it's the Potter Family Vault along with the rest of our assets."

"Not only that, but you have three other vaults," the Headmaster commented.

"I do?!" Helia gasped at the same time James did, "She does?!"

"Yes. They were left to her by grateful witches and wizards. However, as it is not a trust vault, she cannot open it yet. Anything that is not a trust vault cannot be opened by minors."

"All yours," smiled Hagrid.

All Helia's-- it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from her faster than blinking. How often had they complained how much Helia cost them to keep?

"They were getting funds to help take care of her and her needs," Dumbledore frowned. "200 pounds a month." Helia's jaw dropped.

"Those bastards..." Sirius growled. "She was GIVING them money! They never spent a penny on her!"

"I mean, what cost do they spend on you!?" James ranted. "You're given hand-me-downs that would better fit a small whale, and practically ate the scraps they left on the table if there any left!" James snarled, enraged at the abuse that his daughter had to suffer.

And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to her, buried deep under London.

Hagrid helped Helia pile some of it into a bag, and after a quick moment of thinking she placed a bit more in the seemingly bottomless bag.

The adults looked ready to scold her for taking more than she needed, but a sharp glance from Susan warded them off.

She wanted some extra money to buy more books,

Ron sighed fondly at Helia. Both Helia and Hermione were very particular about their books, and Merlin forbid you take them away from them before they were done with them. While Hermione would yell, Helia would get physical whether it was tackling, biting, punching or a nasty spell work it never ended well.

she need to know everything she could about this magical world. It would be stupid to go in blind and naïve about wizard customs.

Theo and Blaise shared a look, Potter was sounding more and more like a Slytherin.

Plus she wanted to buy some new clothes, she was done wearing Dudley's hand-me-downs.

That would explain why nobody saw her in her whale of a cousin's clothes before. The first chance she got she finally got to do something for herself.

"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?"

"Just one speed." Bill said with a large grin.

"They're fun," Helia said with a grin like a Cheshire Cat.

"You're mental you are." Ron gaped at her. "If you think those evil deathtraps are fun." Many were nodding in agreement.

"One speed only," said Griphook.

They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Helia leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom, but Hagrid groaned and pulled her back by the scruff of her neck.

"Fearless," Tonks said.

"Reckless," Remus added.

"Gryffindor!" The twins yelled.

Draco gave a silent sigh of relief after hearing Hagrid pulled her back to safety, he swore he was going to have a heart attack before the end of the first book. Blaise just patted his friend's shoulder in sympathy.

Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.

"A high security vault," Bill said. "Not too many of those."

"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.

"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.

"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Helia asked.

"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin.

What?!" Hermione yelled. "But that's totally barbaric! They don't really wait so long, do they?"

"Nah, it's more like... every year or so. They like to exaggerate sometimes, scare wizards." Bill shrugged.

"About once a year isn't much better." Hermione said.

Bill shrugged again, "Like I said, it's how the goblins operate. If you don't want to starve to death in a vault, then don't try to steal from one. Although, you would probably suffocate before you starved, those vaults are air-tight. I know, I was part of the team that tested the security measures back when I was first hired." Hermione still looked horrified

Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Helia was sure, and she leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least -- but at first she thought it was empty. Then she noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor.

"The Philosopher's Stone." Lily and Remus exclaimed, the Golden Trio huffed.

"It took us for bloody forever to figure that out!" Groaned Ron.

"We did have the book title to help us out," Remus smirked.

"Well, we didn't have a damn book title to help us, though it would've been greatly appreciated." Helia muttered, much to the amusement to her parents and honorary uncles.

Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Helia longed to know what it was,

Every single person who knew or taught Lily Potter nee Evans, groaned and banged their heads against the couch behind them, muttering about how she inherited her mother's curiosity. Even Snape was groaning mentally about it, it's no wonder keeping the girl safe was so difficult. She attracted trouble because of Lily's curiosity!

There were reasons he joked about Lily having enough curiosity for both her and Petunia.

but knew better than to ask.

Hermione snorted. "If only that had lasted." she muttered quietly to Ron, who coughed to cover his laughter. Helia sent them a glare knowing they were talking about her. They only smiled innocently in return, which only confirmed her suspicions.

"Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid.

One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Helia didn't know where to run first now that she had a bag full of money. She didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that she was holding more money than she'd had in her whole life -- more money than even Dudley had ever had.

"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Helia, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts. "

Hagrid!" Shouted McGonagall.

"That is very irresponsible of you!" Mrs. Weasley admonished.

"I was fine!" Helia yelled in defence of her friend.

"That isn't the point." Remus said sighing. "You were only eleven, you shouldn't of been left alone."

He did still look a bit sick, so Helia entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous.

Draco who was mentally complaining looked up. 'Wait, didn't I meet her in Madam Malkin's? Oh crap.'

Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.

Hermione was confused, "How on earth do you know what mauve is? You're the least girly girl I know, I expected Lavender to know but you? Bloody Hell, I'm more girly than you and I don't even know what mauve is." She muttered.

Helia replied with a uncaring look. "Aunt Petunia needed someone to carry the bags when She went shopping, she said ladies didn't carry things that were heavy." Everyone glared at the book, yet another example of the Dursley's flaunting HELIA'S money in front of her.

Blaise raised an eyebrow, it seemed like Potter's aunt knew that she was a heiress, and tried everything in her power to treat her niece nothing more than a servant.

"Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Helia started to speak. "Got the lot here – there's young man being fitted up just now, in fact. "

"Oh really? Did you make a new friend?" Lily questioned happily.

"Um, not exactly," Helia told her, Even if that wasn't quite true.

In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face

A flash of annoyance crossed Draco's face, looking at the girl next to him only to find her already looking at him. She smiled a sweet smile, that lasted no more than a couple of seconds but it was for him.

was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes.

"Oh, no." Draco suddenly moaned. "I forgot all about this conversation." He muttered. He really didn't want to know what his 'rival' thought of him the first time they spoke. Not to mention everything he remembered saying to Potter about Hagrid, he supposed he could sort of understand why the small girl was so defensive of the half-giant.

Madam Malkin stood Helia on a stool next to him slipped a long robe over her head, and began to pin it to the right length.

"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"

"Yes," said Helia.

"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy.

"What's the point of that?" Neville asked. "The wand chooses the wizard." But a pointed look from all his female friends he quickly adds "or witch," although he had no room to talk as he uses his father's old wand.

Malfoy didn't look like he was going to answer, when he shrugged and said "it was better than having her hover." His godfather Severus, gave him a look that said he was lucky his mother wasn't here to have heard that.

He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to looks at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow. "

"Mr. Malfoy" Prof. McGonagall said sharply "you are lucky you didn't try too, because you would have gotten a worse reprimand than your Godfather and Mother could've combined."

"Yes, Ma'am." Squeaked Malfoy, reminding Helia of when he was a albino ferret.

Helia didn't know what it was, but she strangely found the boy to be quite handsome looking.

Helia had to close her eyes and take deep breaths, she really hated these books. She didn't need to look at the people around her to know that eyes had widened, mouths dropped and denials running through their minds.

When she finally centred herself, and opened her eyes she was drawn into the silver gaze of the boy next to her. He said nothing, but nothing needed to be said he just smirked at her and she smirked back the both glanced away from each other before someone notice their moment. Both of them kept their little moment close to their hearts, since they would never act on their acknowledged feelings.

Even if his attitude, needed adjustment.

"I take offence to that…Potter." The white-blonde haired boy lightly glared at the girl of his hidden affections.

"You reap what you sow, Malfoy." Helia said, but there was no heat behind it.

"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.

"No," said Helia.

"Play Quidditch at all?"

"No," Helia said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.

Oh!" Fred cried dramatically, flopping down in his seat.

"The tragedy! Helia..."

"...Potter not knowing about..."

"...Quidditch! The blasphemy!" The Twins finished together, both of them now flopped dramatically over Daphne with their hands over their eyes.

"I know how you feel" James said. "I never thought my daughter would grow up not knowing what quidditch was." Looking as if it physically hurts him to say that.

"I do -- Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree.

Blaise groaned for Salazar's sake his best friend was a bloody prat.

Know what house you'll be in yet?"

"No," said Helia, feeling more stupid by the minute.

"Sorry" was muttered softly to Helia, she just smiled softly at him she knew how hard it was to have this book throw your thoughts and words back at you.

"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been -- imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

"And what dear cousin, is wrong with my house?" Hissed Tonks, with Susan glaring a hole into Draco's head.

The Malfoy heir avoided looking into his disowned cousin's eyes.

"Mmm," said Helia, wishing she could say something a bit more interesting.

"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Helia and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.

"Aww that's sweet of Hagrid" Lily said with a smile.

"That's Hagrid," said Helia, pleased to know something the boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts."
"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"

Several glares were sent at Malfoy.

"Stupid ferret," someone muttered, Said boy just dropped his head into his hands as Blaise and Theo glared at anyone who looked at him.

"He's the gamekeeper," said Helia. She was liking the boy less and less every second.

"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage -- lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."

"I think he's brilliant," said Helia coldly.

Draco continued to keep his head into his hands not looking at anybody, Sirius couldn't help but feel sorry for his first cousin once removed. The Malfoy heir reminded him of his brother Regulus, they both bent to their family's wishes and it's what killed his brother and now it was going to destroy this boy.

"Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"
"They're dead," said Helia shortly. She didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy.

"Oh, sorry," said the other,. not sounding sorry at all. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"

"That's what you care about?" Neville asked.

Draco snapped "YES! Because that's what I was bloody raised to care about!" He exclaimed, meeting silence around the room his godfather sighed silently at his godson who never really had any say on how to live his own life.

"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."

Severus frowned at Helia in confusion that the girl acted as Gryffindor on moment and a Slytherin the next.

"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways.

You could see the steam coming from Lily and Hermione in their anger, but a look from Helia and James held them back.

Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"

But before Helia could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," and Helia, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool.

"Finally, you get to leave" Sighed Ron, densely not noticing the underlying feeling between the 'rivals'.

"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy.

Helia was rather quiet as she ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought her (Lemon and raspberry with drizzled honey).

"What's up?" said Hagrid.
"Nothing," Helia lied.

"Is that you're favourite saying, I heard you say that a lot" Nott said, Helia just gave an uncomfortable shrug.

They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Helia cheered up a bit when she found a bottle of ink that changed colour as you wrote.

When they had left the shop, she said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"

"If James heard that, he'd be rolling in his grave" Sirius informed Helia, momentarily forgetting his best friend was back from the grave.

"Your right, if I was in my grave I'd be freaking!" James laughed.

"Blimey, Helia, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know -- not knowin' about Quidditch!"

"Don't make me feel worse," said Helia. She told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin's.

"I get it! I'm pale, you could at least call me by my name." Draco whined.

Helia just gave an innocent teasing smile. "How could I, Malfoy? You never gave it to me."

The pale boy blushed in embarrassment, forgetting that fact.

"--and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in."

"Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were -- he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh.
Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line 0' Muggles -- look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!"

"Aww thanks Hagrid… I think." Lily said smiling but looking confused.

"So what is Quidditch?"

"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like -- like soccer in the Muggle world -- everyone follows Quidditch -- played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls -- sorta hard ter explain the rules."

"It's really not!" Exclaimed Helia and James, daughter like father.

"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"
"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but --"
"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff" said Helia gloomily.

Helia threw her hands up in surrender. "This is before I even went to Hogwarts, I didn't know."

Both of Hufflepuffs in the room gave her stink eyes.

"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly.

"Not all Slytherins are evil" Helia said.

Everyone, Slytherins included turned to look at Helia.

"What?" She asked, as everyone stared at her in shock. "Just because I'm in Gryffindor doesn't mean I hate all Slytherins."

Snape and the Slytherins gave her a calculating look before looking back at Susan.

"There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin.

Helia's face darkened, she could think of a few wizards who went to the other side that weren't in Slytherin. But the one she hated the most was in Gryffindor and he was a cowardly rat.

You-Know-Who was one."

"Vol-, sorry - You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"
"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.

Helia gave a sad smile, poor Hagrid, he suffered a lot because of young Tom Riddle.

They bought Helia's school books in a shop called Flourish and Bolts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all.

Hermione got a dreamy look on her face at the thought of all the books. Ron and Helia know what she was thinking about shared amused looks, not that Helia was any better.

Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these.

Hagrid almost had to drag Helia away from Curses and Counter curses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue- Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian,

but not before she bought Asiatic Anti-Venoms by Libatius Borage, Magick Potions by Gerina Dunwigh, The Herbal Alchemist's Handbook by Karen Harrison and Real Alchemy (A Primer of Practical Alchemy) by Robert Allen Bartlett

"You do know they are all potions books, right?" Nott asked

"Helia loves potions" Hermione said, remembering her and Helia brewing the Polyjuice potion in second year together.

Snape gave a look to Helia for while her paper homework was very well done, he never really study her brewing process.

"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."

"That a girl Helia!" The twins cheered.

"If you ever want help with that-" Fred started.

"We would be more than willing to assist." George finished.

Mrs. Weasley looked like she wanted to reprimand them, but thinking about the way Helia was treated she stayed silent. 'As long as it's nothing too bad or illegal.' She thought to herself giving her sons appraising looks.

"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."

Hagrid wouldn't let Helia buy a multi use cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"), but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages.

Ron turned a sickly green colour, he hated potion ingredients they were always so disgusting.

Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Helia, Helia herself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).

Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Helia's list again.
"Just yer wand left - A yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present."

Helia felt her cheeks burn, remembering the feeling of her first birthday present freely given.

Helia felt herself go red.
"You don't have to --"

"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at –

"Hey!" Neville huffed.

an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."

Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Helia now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing.

"She sounds wonderful, Fawn" James told his daughter.

"Flew over and landed right on my shoulder, almost as soon as Hagrid and I walked into the shop."
Helia said. "The shopkeeper was shocked, apparently Hedwig would attack and bite anyone who would come near her."

"Knowing Hedwig, that is very true." Sirius laughed his goddaughter had a very sassy and intelligent owl as her familiar.

She couldn't stop stammering her thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.

Helia huffed at her eleven-year-old self being compared to that bastard, even if she, herself did it.

"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivanders left now - only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand."
A magic wand... this was what Helia had been really looking forward to.

"I think that's everyone's looks forward to the most" Remus mused.

"Even the kids who grew up around magic, try and steal their parents wand to try magic." Bill chuckled, remembering when Charlie and him tried to steal their dads wand as tiny Percy scolded them.

And by the small smile on Percy's face, he remembered too.

The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.

A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait.

Helia felt strangely as though she had entered a very strict library; she swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to her

Snape was being to see while Potter was curious and liked to stick her nose where it didn't belong, she also was very cautious about doing so.

and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling.

For some reason, the back of her neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.

"You have to be really sensitive to magic, to feel it like that." Remus said in awe.
"I could feel it, when I was there too" Luna said.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Helia turned to the soft voice not startled by the suddenly appearing voice.

"Constant Vigilance at it's best" Moody hummed satisfied.

Hagrid must have jumped, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair.

"I'm surprised the chair, held his weight in the first place." Ron muttered, Susan slapped his arm.

"What?!" He asked, looking over to find her glaring at him. "That chair wasn't exactly sturdy, and Hagrid's a half-giant there's no way that the chair was going to hold." He defended.

Susan gave him one last warning look before continuing to read.

An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.

"Hello," said Helia awkwardly.

"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Helia Potter." It wasn't a question.

"You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."

"Oh he remembered, my wand" Lily smiled

"He remembers everyone's wand" Remus stated.

Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Helia. Helia wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.

"Agreed" most people said, but Luna just looked at them confused, she thought Mr. Ollivander was quite charming.

"Your father, on the other hand, favoured a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favoured it -- it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."

"I got that on on my fourteenth time" James grinned roguishly.

Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Helia were almost nose to nose. Helia could see herself reflected in those misty eyes.

"And that's where..."
Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Helia's forehead with a long, white finger.

"He's the only person who actually touched my scar," Helia mused.

"Can I touch your scar?" George grinned.

"Hmm, let me think abou- no."

"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do..."

He shook his head and then, to Helia's relief, spotted Hagrid.
"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again... Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"

"Bloody hell, that's huge!" Ginny whisper-yelled.

"Well, he is half giant" Hermione reminded her.

"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.
"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.

"Er -- yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.

"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.
"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Helia noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.

Moody noted that Potter was very observant, tending to catch things other people missed or overlooked.

"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now -- Miss. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"

"Er -- well, I'm ambidextrous," said Helia.

"What is ambidextrous?" Astoria asked.

"I'm able to write using both hands." Helia informed.

"Hold out your arm that you favour. That's it." He measured Helia from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round her head.

As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Miss. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."

"You got that right" Ron and Neville muttered together. As Ron used to use his older brother Charlie's wand until the Whomping Willow broke it and Neville still used his fathers wand.

Helia was glaring at the tape measure, which was measuring between her nostrils,

"Was that really necessary" Helia sighed.

was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.

"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Miss. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. just take it and give it a wave."

"Hey, that's my wand!" Exclaimed Susan happily as her Aunt and Kingsley smiled adoringly at her.

Helia took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of her hand almost at once.

"I felt really foolish too" Hermione told Helia.

"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try --"

"Close, but no sugar quill" Charlie sighed snapping his fingers.

Helia tried -- but she had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.

"No, no -here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."
Helia tried. And tried. She had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for.

The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair,

James was shaking Lily in his excitement, his daughter just might have past the wand record.

but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.

"He loves tricky customers" Dumbledore informed.

"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere -- I wonder, now - - yes, why not -- unusual combination -- holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

"That's it!" The Twins yelled out in excitement. Helia smiled at her friend's antics, but she worried how people would take the news of of just how special her wand really was.

Helia took the wand. She felt a sudden warmth in her fingers. She raised the wand above her head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls.

"A destined Gryffindor from the start." Prof. McGonagall said proudly.

Helia grinned at the head of her house, but no one except the boy next to her noticed how strain it was.

Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good.

"Yes! That's my Fawn, Lily that's our daughter!" Cried James as he crushed his wife and daughter in a hug.

Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious... "
He put Helia's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious... curious..

"Curious, what's curious." Luna asked.

"Sorry," said Helia, "but what's curious?"

"She's so polite" Mrs. Weasley whispered to her husband.

Mr. Ollivander fixed Helia with his pale stare.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Miss. Potter.

"How does he do that?" Padma asked.

"Wandmakers tend to have extremely good memories, Miss. Patil" Prof. McGonagall answered.

Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather -- just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother why, its brother gave you that scar."

Everyone except for Dumbledore, Hermione and Ron gasped in shock.

"What?!" Lily shrieked. "How can your wand be the same as that maniac?!" Lily panicked, not noticing her panic making her daughter shift away becoming uncomfortable.

"It just happened," Helia muttered feeling uncomfortable, not looking her mother in the eyes. When she felt a light brush on the back of her fingers, out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Malfoy looking away from her with a light blush on his cheeks.

"It's true, I'm not one to believe in that fate nonsense, but than again this is Helia we're talking about." Hermione informed as Ron shrugged as if 'what can you do'. It didn't matter to them that Helia had the same wand core as Voldemort, it had given her extra protection after all.

Helia swallowed.

"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must expect great things from you, Miss. Potter... After all, He- Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things -- terrible, yes, but great."

"Is he admiring him?" Madam Bones hissed, her face twisted into a scowl.

"No not him, Madam Bones, but the magic its self." Dumbledore assumed.

Helia shivered. She wasn't sure she liked Mr. Ollivander too much.

She paid seven gold Galleons for her wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.
The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Helia and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Helia didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; she didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Helia's lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Helia only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped her on the shoulder.

"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said.

He bought Helia a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Helia kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.

Hermione nodded sympathetically, she felt the same way.

"You all right, Helia? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.

"Helia's always been quiet" Neville admitted.

Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement, that was very true.

Helia wasn't sure she could explain. She'd just had the best birthday of her life -- and yet -- she chewed her hamburger, trying to find the words.

"Everyone thinks I'm special," she said at last.

"And you are Fawn, you are so special" James whispered to his daughter.

"All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander... but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry -- I mean, the night my parents died."

Everyone was once again reminded about the terrible price of Helia's fame.

Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.

"Don' you worry, Helia. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts

"Yeah, it'll be great, aside from the people who try to murder you every year," Neville said.

-- I did -- still do, 'smatter of fact."

Helia shared a smile with her friends, even after all the crap that happened to them Hogwarts was still home.

Hagrid helped Helia on to the train that would take her back to the Dursleys, then handed her an envelope.

"Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, " he said. "First o' September -- King's Cross -- it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me... See yeh soon, Helia."

"He didn't tell you how to get to the platform?!" Lily exclaimed in worry.

"Don't worry Mum, I managed alright" Helia promised her worrying mother.

The train pulled out of the station. Helia wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; she sat clothed in her new outfit watching and leaning against the window, but she blinked and Hagrid had gone.

"I didn't know Hagrid could apparate!" Lily gasped.

"He took a portkey, my dear girl." Dumbledore explained.

"Oh, that makes sense."

"While Hagrid's means of travel are interesting and all," Susan piped up, "The chapter's over. Who wants to read now?"

"I'll read," Ron offered. Susan handed the book to Ron.

So Far I Do Travel Until I Reach Home

"The Journey From Platform Nine And Three Quarters" Ron read before he exchanged smiles with Helia this chapter was about their first meeting and the start of their friendship.

Helia's last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun.

Ron stopped reading to snort at that, did she ever have fun there?

True, Dudley was now so scared of Helia he wouldn't stay in the same room, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut Helia in her cupboard, force her to do anything, or shout at her -- in fact, they didn't speak to her at all.

"That's called child endangerment, child slavery and child abuse the list goes on!" Lily hissed, her flaming red hair raising in her anger.

Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Helia in it were empty.

"You must have been so lonely" Luna sighed sadly, Helia just smiled sadly back at her. She didn't need to give them any more reasons to pity her.

Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while.

"But it's better than the alternative." Ron muttered to Hermione, who agreed.

Helia kept to her room, with her new owl for company and books for company – she already read all her books back to front until she memorized them.

James laughed quietly, Helia was a perfect mixture of both him and Lily, but also wonderfully herself too.

She had decided to call her Hedwig, a name she had found in A History of Magic as the person struck a chord with her.

"Really? Who was it?" Lily asked her daughter, wanting to make up for freaking out about her wand.

"Umm, it's Hedwig th —" Helia was cut off.

"Saint Hedwig of Silesia, The Patron Saint of Orphanages" Draco said, he saw how hard it was for the green-eyed girl to say it, so he took over.

Everyone was quiet at that, it was hardly surprising that Helia would gravitate toward the name of someone famed for caring for people who'd lost their parents.

Her school books were very interesting. She lay on her bed reading late into the night, Hedwig swooping in and out of the open window as she pleased. It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to vacuum anymore, because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice.

Molly wrinkled her nose at the thought of dead mice littering her floors, while the burrow was eighty-five percent chaos but there weren't dead animals everywhere.

Every night before she went to sleep, Helia ticked off another day on the piece of paper she had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first.

Snape could remember he used to do the same thing, desperately counting the days until he was at Hogwarts away from it all.

On the last day of August she thought she'd better speak to her aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day,

"That was rather cunning of you, Potter." Blaise smirked.

Ron bristled angrily think the Slytherin was making fun of Helia "and how's that."

Blaise gave the youngest Weasley boy a droll look as if to say it was obvious. "She waited until the last minute so her relatives couldn't change their minds. Keep up, Weasley." He scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Susan had to hold Ron back from lunging at the smirking Slytherin.

so she went down to the living room where they were watching a quiz show on television. She cleared her throat to let them know she was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.

"Well, we know what house he wouldn't be in," Snape sneered.

"And Thank Circe for that" McGonagall huffed.

"Er -- Uncle Vernon?"

Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.

"Er -- I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to -- to go to Hogwarts. "

Uncle Vernon grunted again.

"Would it be all right if you gave me a lift?"

Grunt. Helia supposed that meant yes.

"You know I think our little Helia not only speaks, parseltongue, but also troll-speak." George mused.

"I believe, it's because she was raised to interpret her uncles troll-speak." Fred joked, before they both cracked up laughing.

"Thank you. "

She was about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke.

"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"

"How else would we get there?" Neville asked confused. "Besides Flying carpets are illegal."

"He was just being sarcastic, Nev" Padma said. "It's too bad Flying carpets aren't allowed in Britain, back home me, Parvati and our parents had a lovely carpet we love to take flying around our grounds."

Helia didn't say anything.

"Where is this school, anyway?"

"I don't know," said Helia, realizing this for the first time.

"You didn't read the pamphlet, you were given, Miss. Potter" McGonagall scolded.

"I wasn't given a pamphlet, Hagrid just gave me my ticket" Helia said.

Everyone gave Dumbledore dirty looks.

She pulled the ticket Hagrid had given her out of her pocket.

"I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," she read.

Her aunt and uncle stared.

"Platform what?"

"Nine and three-quarters. "

"Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters. "

Lily seethed in anger "Petunia knew, she's been there before."

James rubbed his wife's back to comfort her, he was getting really fed up with his disowned sister-in-law.

"It's on my ticket. "

"Which Petunia knows…" Snape muttered.

"Barking," said Uncle Vernon, "howling mad, the lot of them.

"No I'm only howling once a month" Remus said with a straight face, as everyone groaned at his pun.

Nobody noticed Sirius and James high-five Remus behind his back, they we're marauders after all.

You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother. "

"Why are you going to London?" Helia asked, trying to keep things friendly.

"You're still trying to keep the peace!? Why even bother, after everything they did?" Madam Bones asked.

Helia shrugged. "It was the first conversation I had in a month, I was pretty desperate for some human interaction."

A dark look crossed Draco's face, he knew the feeling of being starved for any human interaction.

"Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings. "

"But it matched his personality so well" Sighed Ginny in disappointment.

Helia woke at five o'clock the next morning

"Helia was always an early raiser, that's if she even goes to sleep in the first place." Hermione said.

and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. She got up and pulled on her new jeanshorts with tights underneath, a nice soft green sweater with her new favourite combat boots that had studs decorating them — she didn't want to walk into the station in her wizard's robes -- she'd change on the train.

"Smart thinking" Moody said approvingly, if only every witch and wizard had that kind of sense. Constantly obliviating Muggles That witnessed the careless magic users was excessive — not to mention dangerous. What was the point of enforcing the Statute of Secrecy if no one followed the laws.

She checked her Hogwarts list yet again to make sure she had everything she needed, saw that Hedwig was shut safely in her cage, and then paced the room, waiting for the Dursleys to get up. Two hours later, Helia's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursleys' car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Helia,

"Bribed him more like it," Helia scoffed.

and they had set off.

They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon dumped Helia's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for her.

Theo's shoulders tensed; there must have been a catch in there somewhere, there always was.

Helia thought this was strangely kind until Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face.

"Well, there you are, girl. Platform nine -- platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?"

Growls filled the room, but Helia calmed them down by saying. "It's okay, I had a family help me get on the platform." She shared a smile with the Weasley family.

He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all.

"Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word.

Jaws dropped.

"He just left you there? An eleven-year-old girl in a crowded train where anything could happen to you! Why you could've been kidnapped!" Molly exclaimed, she should've known something was wrong when she saw Helia alone all those years ago.

"Oh James, our baby" Lily cried.

Helia turned and saw the Dursleys drive away. All three of them were laughing.

"Those bastards" Theo gritted through his teeth, he knew there was a catch.

Draco was clenching his fists so hard that his palms bleed from his nails breaking the skin, he hated those muggles. If he had the chance they would never hurt her again, not on his watch.

Helia's mouth went rather dry. What on earth was she going to do? She was starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of Hedwig. She'd knew it would be a bad idea to ask a non-magical person about platform nine and three-quarters.

She decided it would be safer to as for a train that was leaving at eleven.

"Smart, Potter, very smart" Moody approved.

She stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters —like she already decided not to — or Hogwarts. When Helia asked for the train that left at eleven o'clock, the guard said there wasn't one. He asked what part of the country she was traveling to, but when Helia couldn't answer, the man got annoyed with her. In the end the guard strode away, muttering about time wasters.

"Oh I wish Hagrid, told you how to get on the platform." Lily said, feeling stressed from hearing about her daughter being left alone with no one to help her.

Helia was now trying hard not to panic. According to the large clock over the arrivals board, she had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and she had no idea how to do it; she was stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk she could hardly lift, a pocket full of wizard money, and a large owl.

Hagrid must have forgotten to tell her something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley.

"He did, forget to tell you" Sirius muttered, on edge worrying about Helia even if it had happened years ago.

"It's not Hagrid's fault, he wasn't ready to have to explain everything to Helia." Susan frowned at the Headmaster. "You should sent a teacher that was familiar with explaining magic to kids that weren't aware they had it. Prof. McGonagall could've done it, hell Prof. Snape would've been a better fit." She ranted, while she loved Hagrid the negligence towards her friend was unacceptable.

She briefly thought of getting out her wand and start tapping the ticket inspector's stand between platforms nine and ten, but she stopped that line of thought before it formed. Her relatives always said she had no sense, and if she did that, she would be proving them right.

"They never been right about anything before, that won't change any time soon." The Twins said together.

At that moment a group of people passed just behind her and she caught a few words of what they were saying.

"-- packed with Muggles, of course--"

Helia swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. Each of them was pushing a trunk like Helia's in front of her -- and they had an owl.

"And here enters the Weasley family!" Helia announced, as the Weasley kids cheered.

Heart hammering, Helia pushed her cart after them. They stopped and so did she, just near enough to hear what they were saying.

"Now, what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother.

"Why would you ask that? You know what's platform number" Kingsley asked confused.

"I know some family's aren't quite sure about where to go or need to ask questions, so I ask that or talk a bit louder." Mrs. Weasley said, "so they can hear me and know they can approach me if they are unsure." She smiled at Helia, she had seen the desperation and relief on her face with she approached them for directions.

"I thought mum always talked like that" Fred whispered to George.

"Nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding her hand, "Mom, can't I go. . . "

"Oh, Merlin…" Ginny groaned in embarrassment as she hid her head in her hands. She remembered how she acted so love sick about the famed Helia Potter, she didn't want Helia to know how she acted when the Twins came back and told them who that little black-haired girl they helped was.

But by the twitch of Helia's lips, she got a sinking feeling that Helia already knew how she acted on the platform.

"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first. "

What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten. Helia watched, careful not to blink in case she missed it -- but just as the boy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of him and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.

"Fred, you next," the plump woman said.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"

"Honestly, women you call yourself our mother" the Twins said shaking their heads at their mum.

"Sorry, George, dear. "

"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy, and off he went.

"Oh, I wish we could've done that in our time at Hogwarts!" Sirius said as he and James laughed to kill themselves.

While McGonagall looked like she was thanking the goddess of magic herself that they weren't able to do that.

His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone -- but how had he done it?

Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier he was almost there -- and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere.

"Sorry for not going slower, Helia" Fred and George apologized, but Helia just held up a hand to stop them.

"I'm not, I got to meet one of my best friend"

Ron grinned at Helia, a blush covering his freckled cheeks.

There was nothing else for it.

"Excuse me," Helia said to the plump woman.

"Hello, dear," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too. "

She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.

All the Weasley siblings — except Ron burst out laughing.

"That's an attractive description to give your best mate." Ron said sarcastically.

"Your welcome."

"Well it could've been worst." Ron sighed at his best mate.

"Yes," said Helia. "The thing is -- the thing is, I don't know how to--"

"How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly, and Helia nodded.

"Thank you, Molly" Lily said.

"Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron. "

"Er -- okay," said Helia.

She pushed her trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid.

Both Helia and Ron winced, remembering crashing into the very solid wall of platform of nine and three quarters.

She started to walk toward it. People jostled her on their way to platforms nine and ten. Helia walked more quickly. She was going to smash right into that barrier and then she'd be in trouble -- leaning forward on her cart, she broke into a heavy run -- the barrier was coming nearer and nearer -- she wouldn't be able to stop -- the cart was out of control -- she was a foot away -- she closed his eyes ready for the crash –

Neville shook his head, Helia really didn't know how to think positive.

It didn't come. . . She kept on running. . . She opened his eyes. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts' Express, eleven o'clock. Helia looked behind her and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it, She had done it.

Sirius and James hooted loudly.

"You did it!" Lily cheered happily.

Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every colour wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.

The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Helia pushed her cart off down the platform in search of an empty seat. She passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my toad again. "

"Oh, Neville," he heard the old woman sigh.

Neville turned beet red as McGonagall, Snape and all his year mates sighed at him. He was always losing Trevor! Neville wished Helia wasn't so perceptive. He had a feeling he would be wishing in that more and more the further they got into these books.

A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.

"Lee!" The Twins cheered, the third part of their three pranketeers.

"Give us a look, Lee, go on. "

The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.

Ron shuddered. Fred and George gave him apologetic looks — they felt horrible about turning his teddy bear into a spider, truly they did.

Helia pressed on through the crowd until she found an empty compartment near the end of the train. She put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave her trunk toward the train door. She tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice she dropped it painfully on her foot.

"Ouch" Sirius hissed, as he felt the phantom pain.

"Want a hand?" It was one of the red-haired twins he'd followed through the barrier.

Mrs. Weasley smiled proudly. No matter how much the boys caused trouble with their pranks and jokes, it was nice to know they would still stop to lend a helping hand to those that need it.

"Yes, please," Helia panted.

"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"

"Wow, you guys can be helpful?!" Ginny exclaimed in fake shock.

"Hardy har har" The Twins deadpans.

With the twins' help, Helia's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.

"Thanks," said Helia, pushing her sweaty hair out of her eyes.

"What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Helia's lightning scar.

Mrs. Weasley stopped smiling to scold the Twins about how pointing is rude.

"Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you -- ?"

"She is," said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added to Helia.

"What?" said Helia.

"Heliantheae Potter. " Chorused the twins.

"Oh, her," said Helia. "I mean I go by Helia, but yes, I am. "

"Very elegant, Potter" Draco teased.

"Oh, her?" Padma echoed, looking at Helia as if she was off her rocker.

"I wasn't used to being famous, okay!" Helia defended herself.

"Yeah, because you're so much better now" Ron said sarcastically.

The two boys gawked at her, and Helia felt herself turning red. Then, to her relief, a voice came floating in through the train's open door.

"Sorry, Helia-Flower" The Twins said with sheepish grins.

"Fred? George? Are you there?"

"Coming, Mom. "

With a last look at Helia, the twins hopped off the train.

Helia sat down next to the window where, half hidden, she could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying.

"Eavesdropping, Potter" Snape said, raising an eyebrow at the girl.

"It's what I do best, sir" Helia said, with a smirk. She kept the real reason to herself, she just wanted to see how a real family act and looked.

"We just might turn you into a prankster yet" Fred said with a grin.

Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief.

"Ron, you've got something on your nose. "

The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose. Helia watched, fascinated, wondering if all mothers wiped spit on their children's faces.

Mr. Weasley winced, as his other sons snicker at their younger brother who was beat red. "Molly dear, we've talked about giving the kids' space as they got older, especially in public." He told his wife gently.

Ron looked at his father thankfully.

"Mom -- geroff" He wriggled free.
"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins.

"Shut up," said Ron.

"Nice come back, Ronnie-kins" George cooed at his younger brother.

Fred nodded in agreement with his twin. "Classic, really very original." Both Fred and George looked at Ron in fake seriousness.

"Shut up" Ron said, rolling his eyes.

The Twins burst out laughing. It had been four years since then, but that was still his go to come-back.

"Where's Percy?" said their mother.

"He's coming now. "

The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Helia noticed a shiny silver badge on his chest with the letter P on it.

"The P stands for prat" The Twins said, still sore from Percy's behaviour lately.

"Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves--"

"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea. "

"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once--"

"Or twice--"

"A minute--"

"All summer--"

"Now who does that remind you of?" Remus asked sarcastically, looking pointedly at his two best friends with just smiled innocently back at him.

Percy blushed in annoyance, he forgot how much the twins used to tease him.

"Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.

"Oh, that's where you get it from" the Twins chorused. Ron did not look happy being compared to Percy the used to be Perfect.

"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins.

"Because he's a prefect," said their mother fondly, Helia was hit with a feeling of distaste for the plump women who helped her. Sadly another example of favouritism and neglect, seems like even the Wizarding World wasn't above that.

Mrs. Weasley felt her heartbreak at the thoughts of the girl she loved as another daughter. "Why would you think that."

Helia while she cared for Mrs. Weasley a lot, she was also not above calling her out. "Mrs. Weasley, I have grown up seeing how the Dursleys favoured, spoiled, and made it out as if he could do no wrong while also praising him for his bad behaviour."

Mrs. Weasley opened her to deny the statement, but Helia cut her off continuing. "No, Mrs. Weasley, the way I see it is if you don't have enough to buy all of your kids new robes, then you don't buy any of them new robes." Many people stared at Helia, but she held firm in her beliefs. While Mrs. Weasley had been nothing but kind to her, she didn't like her parenting skills half the time.

Mr. Weasley wrapped an arm around his wife in comfort as she was rattled from the hard truth, Bill and Charlie couldn't help but agree with Helia it was not fair their mum kept throwing their achievements in the Twins and Ron's face.

"All right, dear, well, have a good term -- send me an owl when you get there. "

She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins.

"Now, you two -- this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've -- you've blown up a toilet or--"

Sirius turned to Mrs. Weasley " you're just giving them more ammunition, saying stuff like that."

"You never give a prankster, voluntarily anyway." Remus said in his Professor voice.

"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet. "

"Great idea though, thanks, Mom. "

James waved his hand as if presenting something "Exhibit A."

"It's not funny. And look after Ron."

Ron threw his head back with a groan, he was always being treated as if he was helpless. He can't wait until his family finally sees how well he faced all their adventures, the troubles and dangers he survived. But then again, his mum might kill him.

"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us. "

"Shut up,"

The Twins threw a look at Ron that said really-is-that-all-you-got, Ron pressed his lips together so not to say shut up the Twins would never leave him alone if he did.

said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.

"Hey, Mom, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?"

Helia leaned back quickly so they couldn't see her looking.

"A prankster in the making after our own hearts, Georgie" Fred sighed, clutching his heart as if hit by Cupid's arrow. He noticed that the ferret glaring at him, this could get interesting he thought to his self.

Helia smiled to herself, Fred and George had no idea how much of a prankster she could be. They still didn't know that her father, godfather and honorary uncle were Prongs, Padfoot and Moony, and they weren't going to find out until it was found out in the books. She couldn't wait to see their faces.

"You know that little black-haired girl who was near us in the station? Know who she is?"

"Who?"

"Heliantheae Potter! Prefers Helia though."

Helia heard the little girl's voice.

"Oh, Mom, can I go on the train and see her, Mom, eh please. . . "

Lily frowned, her daughter was not something to be gawked and gaze at.

"You've already seen her, Ginny, and the poor girl isn't something you goggle at in a zoo.

"No, she just sets large animals free at zoos" Luna said, with a uncommonly knowing smile.

"Third book" Helia said as she, Luna and Sirius shared a grin.

"Is she really, Fred? How do you know?"

"Asked her. Saw her scar. It's really there -- like lightning. "

"Poor dear -- no wonder she was alone, I wondered. She was ever so polite when she asked how to get onto the platform. "

"Never mind that, do you think she remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?"

Helia tensed, as flashes of Voldemort's revival ran threw her head, but she quickly put on a fake grin.
"If you have asked me that I would've punched you in the face" she admitted. "But now I would tell you he's one ugly son of a bitch."

Everyone laughed, but Theo noticed the fakeness of her act, however he didn't call her out on it simply letting her have a little privacy.

Their mother suddenly became very stern.

Sirius snorted at that, when wasn't that women stern.

"I forbid you to ask her, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though she needs reminding of that on her first day at school. "

"All right, keep your hair on. "

A whistle sounded.

"Hurry up!" their mother said, and the three boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out of the window for her to kiss them good-bye, and their younger sister began to cry. Helia was once again hit by the facT she had nobody to kiss, hug and say goodbye to. The Dursleys were probably still laughing at the fact the abandoned her at King Cross, not giving her a second thought or care.

James pulled Helia into his side, and pressed a comforting kiss to her forehead resting his chin on top of her head, as she burrowed her face in his chest. The scent of fresh crisp air, pine, and broomstick wax filled her nose— the scent of her father calming her in ways only Sirius has. Lily ran her fingers through her daughters messy shoulder-length hair, humming softly, she hated that her daughter never knew how much she and James loved her.

"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls. "

"We'll send you a Hogwarts' toilet seat. "

"You know I never did get that toilet seat" Ginny said, pouting at the twins.

"It was donated—" George said in a grave tone.

"—To a noble cause" Fred continued, as the both look to Helia who just stealthy winks at them. They grin mischievously at her, they should've known Helia wouldn't spoil their fun.

Ginny just stared at them blankly "I'm not even going to ask."

"George!"

"Only joking, Mom. "

The train began to move. Helia saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she fell back and waved.

Bill reached down and pulled his baby sister into a side hug, smirking when she whined and half-heartedly tried to escape, only for Charlie to ruffle her hair roughly blocking her vision.

"Aw baby Ginny, missing her big brothers" cooed the twins as the both pinched Ginny's freckled cheeks.

Ron was just happy he wasn't the one being picked on this time, but he did feel a pain shoot through his heart when Percy avoided looking at his siblings joking with each other without him.

Helia watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Helia felt a great leap of excitement. She didn't know what she was going to -- but it had to be better than what she was leaving behind.

Helia still agreed with her eleven-year-old self, anywhere was better than the Dursleys.

Theo frowned, Potter was so desperate to get away from her relatives she didn't care where she was going as long as it was far far away. Just what else did they do to her? He glanced over to the girl sitting next to his friend, he had to admit her mask was near impossible to see through.

The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in.

"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Helia. "Everywhere else is full. "

Blaise scoffed, shooting Ron a look of disdain "Are you sure everywhere was full, Weasley? Or did you just want to sit next to Heliantheae Potter?" He asked, his voice filled with contempt.

Ron turned red in what everyone thought would be an explosion of anger, but Helia and Hermione knew it was embarrassment and guilt he was feeling.

"Your right I did say that just, so I could sit with what I thought was the girl-who-lived." Ron admitted, "However, I didn't find the girl-who-lived on that train, I found my best friend" Ron pours his heart out, never looking away from the laid-back Slytherin. "We might have our ups and downs with us both being stubborn gits. But I wouldn't have It any other way because if she can keep forgiving I can make sure I never make the same mistakes twice."

Everyone is silent at Ron's declaration, but Helia doesn't think twice before rushing to hug her best friend as tightly as she can. Over Helia's head Ron sees Zabini nod letting him know that he understands now.

Helia shook her head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Helia and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked. Helia saw he still had a black mark on his nose.

"And you didn't tell!" Ron exclaimed with a fake look of betrayal.

"I think you would look very distinguished with soot on your face" Luna told Ron dreamily. "It helps you to blend in with Susuwatari." She clarified, Ron gave her a nervous look, but nether the less smiled at the tiny Ravenclaw.

"What are Susuwatari, that Japanese right?" Charlie asked intrigued.

"Why Susuwatari, are soot sprites their name can also be translated to wondering soot." Luna informed. "Their tiny, round balls made from the soot that dwells in old and abandoned housed, they are very messy creatures leaving black dirt in their wake."

"Does that mean their habitats are disturbed, when people move into the houses they dwell in?" Charlie asked, looking heartbroken for the small creatures he never heard about before.

"If the house becomes inhabited again, and the inhabitants are nice people they will leave in peace to find another abandoned building." Luna reassures the dragon keeper, she liked Charlie very much his brain was incredibly sharp the wrackspurts must not like him very much.

"Hey, Ron. "

The twins were back.

"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train -- Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there. "

Ron shuddered, Susan reached over and rubs his back in comfort.

"Right," mumbled Ron.

"Helia," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then. "

"Do you two ever slow down" McGonagall sighed at her Twin lions.

"That's the Twins for you, they're not one to make idle chat. They say what they want to say and the go and come where they want to do. You either go with their flow and pace or get swept right off your feet." Helia said offhandedly as if everyone should know this, the Twins felt touched that she knew them on their base level so well.

"Bye," said Helia and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.

"Are you really Heliantheae Potter?" Ron blurted out.

Helia nodded "But I got by Helia."

"Oh -- well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron.

The Twins pretended to act like they were offended.

"Why we would never, do you really think we would joke about that?" George said, in a scandalized voice.

Everyone looked at them "Yes" was the unanimous answer.

"And you people call yourselves our friends."

"And have you really got -- you know. . . "

He pointed at Helia's forehead.

"RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY!" Mrs. Weasley screeched, making Remus double over covering his ears in pain, to the worry of Tonks, who tried to help, but ended up tripping over herself in her rush to help.

Helia sighed, but brushed back her bangs to the side show the lightning scar. Ron stared.

Ron winced, he knew how much Helia hated it when people stared. "Sorry about that, mate" Helia just waved him off it was a long time ago.

"So that's where You-Know-Who -- ?"

"Yes," said Helia, "but I can't remember it. " She lied through her teeth.

"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.

"Ronald! I told you not to ask!" Mrs. Weasley yelled, her voice loud and shrill.

Ron flinched, trying to make his tall form smaller " But Mum, you told Fred and George not to ask, you never told me not to." Ron corrected, he cursed himself when he saw his mother's lips thin in her fury. Helia's snark and sass towards adults was rubbing off on him.

"I meant everyone!" Mrs. Weasley screeched again.

"Mrs. Weasley, it was fine" Helia said, as much as she like Mrs. Weasley, she was a bit too much sometimes.

"Well -- I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else. "

"Wow," said Ron. He sat and stared at Helia for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.

"Are all your family wizards?" asked Helia, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found her.

"Really?" Ron asked, the surprise clear in his voice.

"Of course, I did Ron" Helia said, gently knowing how self-conscious Ron really was.

"Er -- Yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him. "

"Why wouldn't you talk about him?" Hermione asked, confused the Weasley's were usually very family oriented.

"He doesn't want any contact, he's very jealous and bitter that he doesn't have abilities, and we do." Mr. Weasley explained.
"So you must know some of magic already."

The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.

Draco scowled, he hated that moniker "Will you stop calling me 'the pale boy'….please" Draco whined.

Helia just smirked and said "I will once I learn your name."

"I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"

"Horrible -- well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers. "

James and Lily's hearts broke with how easy Helia called her life with the Dursleys horrible.

"Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy.

Ron flushed, from the stares he was receiving from his family.

"I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left -- Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first.

"You don't need to be like us, Ron" George said quietly, he didn't know his younger brother felt that way.

"Yeah" Fred agreed in the same tone as George. "We don't need another Bill, Charlie, Percy or even another Ginny, you can just be you and we'll be happy as long as you're happy."

You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat. "

Charlie was speechless, before horrified disbelief took over "You gave him my old wand? But I gave that to you to give to Ollivander to be destroyed, when I got my new wand because it was unsafe to use." He stared at his parents as if they lasted their minds. "The bloody core was poking out of it, how could you possibly think it was safe for Ron to us?!"

Bill looked at Ron in shock, grabbing his shoulders to make Ron face him. "You never hand any problems with it? You weren't ever hurt using it?" Bill question his brother worriedly.

Ron quickly shook his head, he wasn't hurt using it. Not in first year anyway.

"Mum!" Charlie exclaimed, when his parents avoided meeting his eyes.

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "We had no choice, our finances were really low that year. We couldn't afford to get him a wand one of his own."

Bill looked at his parents shocked, shaking his head "You could've of asked us! We would've been glad to help out, we've been trying for years, but you never let us!" Bill said, before a sudden thought hit him. "You got Percy new robes, over getting Ron a new wand."

Charlie looked at his parents in anger. "There never should have been the choice of new robes or a needed wand, for Merlin's sake wands cost cheaper than school robes!" He roared, looking as he would start spitting fire like his dragons. Mrs. Weasley stared at her eldest sons, before breaking down in tears.

Bill sighed at his crying mother in his father's arms. "Mum, Dad were not trying to be mean, but no matter how much you didn't want to take our freely given money. Ron could've of gotten seriously hurt or killed using a defected wand. Pride should never outweigh safety."

Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep.

"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff -- I mean, I got Scabbers instead. "

Charlie opened his mouth to rant again, when a quiet voice piped up.

"I actually bought Hermes, dad just went with me to get him. I've been saving up for a while, and by my fifth year I finally had enough." Percy was uncomfortable, he didn't know Ron's wand was defective or else he would've bought him one himself he could've waited another year to get an owl.

Ron looked at Percy surprised, he didn't know Percy bought Hermes he always thought their dad did.

Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window.

"I couldn't care less about that, I like you for you" Helia told Ron brashly, as Ron smiled at Helia's tough but loving ways.

Helia didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. After all, she'd never had any money in her life until a month ago, and she told Ron so, all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up.

Ron quickly explained. "Not in the way I was happy for her suffering, more along the way that we had something in common." He muttered, annoyed at the scandalized looks being thrown his way.

". . . and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort--"

Ron gasped.

Everyone flinched, except Helia's group of friends who were used to Helia throwing around the name like it was Halloween candy and expecting everyone not to flinch.

"What?" said Helia.

"You said You-Know-Who's name!" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. "I'd have thought you, of all people--"

"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name," said Helia, "I just never knew you shouldn't. I've definitely got a lot more to learn," she added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying her a lot lately. The thought that no matter how much she studied, or how much information she collected it wasn't going to be enough. "I bet I'm one of the worst in the class. "

Neville shook his head with a joking smile on his face. "Sorry, Helia, That title belongs to me."

"You just need some confidence, Nev." Helia disagreed. "And maybe your own wand." She added.

"You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough. "

"That's quite right, Mister. Weasley." McGonagall hummed, because while Helia tried to hide it, she and Hermione were always topping each other for top marks.

While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.

Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"

Ron felt a fond smile light up his face, looking over to Helia he saw a smile mirroring his own.

Helia, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to her feet,

Everyone glared, it wasn't clear if Helia just didn't eat out excitement or if the Durleys didn't let her have anything.

but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Helia went out into the corridor. She had never had any money for candy with the Dursleys, and now that she had pockets rattling with gold and silver she was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as she could carry

"What are Mars Bars?" Astoria asked.

"Muggle candy" Helia answered. "I can get you some to try if you want."

Astoria nodded her head after checking with her older sister if it was alright.

-- but the woman didn't have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bettie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Liquorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Helia had never seen in her life. Not wanting to miss anything, she got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.

"Oh, don't eat all of that at once, Heli, you could get sick." Lily said worriedly.

"Lily-pad, my love, my light of my life, you're talking to a book." James comments teasingly.

Ron stared as Helia brought it all back into the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat.

"Hungry, are you?"

"Starving," said Helia, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.

Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef. . "

Mrs. Weasley looked regretful. "Then, which one likes corned beef?"

Bill raises his hand and Mrs. Weasley just covers her face with hands. "I like corned beef Mum, while Charlie likes grilled cheese, Percy likes egg sandwiches, the Twins only eat Peanut butter and Jelly, Ron likes bologna sandwiches and Ginny loves her weird creation of cheese and pickle sandwiches."

"My favourite sandwich is peanut butter and banana." Luna declares, breaking the tension.

"Mines a pepper and egg sandwich." Helia piped in.

"Swap you for one of these," said Helia, holding up a pasty. "Go on--"

"You don't want this, it's all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "you know, with five of us. "

"There's no way I can eat all of this by myself, Ron." Helia told Ron. She may like to think she could eat as much as she now she was away from the Dursleys. But from the medical books she read, from going to prolong amounts of time without food, her stomach shrunk and could not handle copious amounts of food.

Lily felt her lips tremble as she tried to suppress the urge to cry at the unfairness of it all, Helia was supposed to grow up loved and safe far away from the war.

"Go on, have a pasty," said Helia, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Helia's pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten).

Mrs. Weasley, wasn't offended in the slightest at her sandwiches being forgotten. She just smiled at her son and the girl she loved as family bonding over candies talking and laughing as if they been friends all their lives.

Hermione shook her head with a fond roll of her eyes. "Leave it to you two, to become friends over food" Hermione sighed at her best friends.

"How'd you three become friends, then? You're not sitting with them, did you join them later?" Bill asked Hermione curiously, Ron never told him how he became friends with Helia and Hermione.

The Golden Trio shared a secret smirk.

"You'll see" they said cryptically.

"What are these?" Helia asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. "They're not really frogs, are they?" She was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him.

"No," said Ron. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa. "

"Oh I have a couple of him, you could have one if you'd like." Remus told Ron, who looked as if all his troubles were gone.

"Really! Hey do you have Ptolemy too, if I get him too then I will have a complete set." Ron said with pleading eyes.

Remus just laughed and agreed to give him a Ptolemy too, while Sirius muttered how Remus had a chocolate addiction and how he needed help.

"What?"

"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know -- Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect -- famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy. "

Helia unwrapped her Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half-moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and moustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.

"So this is Dumbledore!" said Helia.

"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa -- thanks--"

Helia turned over her card and read:

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS

Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel.

The Golden Trio all groaned loudly.

"The whole time, it was on that bleeding card" Helia muttered to herself.

"Heli, How could you not remember" Hermione said, shaking her friend's shoulders, much to the shock of everybody.

"All that time in the library, all those books." Ron moaned.

"Um wha—" Daphne was going to ask, only for the twins to stop shaking their heads saying with a look that you did not want to know.

Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.

Helia turned the card back over and saw, to her astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared

"Why is that so weird?" Draco asked confused.

"Non-Magical pictures don't move." Helia answered.

"Oh."

"He's gone!"

"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. "He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her. . . do you want it? You can start collecting. "

Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped.

"Ron you have your manners, be polite and ask." Mrs. Weasley said.

"Help yourself," said Helia. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos. "

"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed.

"Weird!"

Helia stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on her card and gave him a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but Helia couldn't keep her eyes off them.

Snape could tell she was so fixated by the simple cards, because she wasn't allowed to have anything of her own to collect before.

Soon she had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Dzou Yen, Bowman Wright, Circe, Paracelsus, Cliodna and Merlin.

"That a great start, Pup" Sirius said as he gently ruffles her already mess of curls hair.

She finally tore her eyes away from the Druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Helia. "When they say every flavour, they mean every flavour -- you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger-flavoured one once. "

"Terrible that was" George said, gagging just from the memory.

Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.

"Bleaaargh -- see? Sprouts. "

All the Weasley kids made a face at that, sprouts are disgusting. Their mother shot them a look, she didn't care how disgusting they thought they were. They were going to eat them and like it.

They had a good time eating the Every Flavour Beans. Helia got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end of a funny gray one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper.

"Oh you got lucky, those aren't so bad." James mused.

The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.

There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Helia had passed on platform nine and three-quarters came in. He looked tearful.

Neville blushed, he was such a crybaby in his first year.

"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"

When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"

"Still does" Neville admitted.

"He'll turn up," said Helia.

"He always does" Helia said trying to comfort Neville.

"Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him. . . "

The tearful boy turned to leave, when Helia's face lit up with an idea "Hey" she called out. The boy stopped, and turned back towards her. "I've read about a spell that can call thing that are in your vicinity to you. Maybe you could ask one of the older students to do it, a Prefect could help." Helia offered, and was rewarded when the boy's face lit up in happiness.

"That was very kind of you, Miss. Potter" McGonagall said, like she was surprised.

Helia looked insulted, and as did her friends on her behalf. Helia was one of the kindest people they knew, sure she was blunt and attracted trouble, but she always lends a helping hand or was a confidant when her friends needed it. For her head of house to say it with such a tone of surprise it had to cut deep.

"Thanks, I will!" He turned, slid the door open, and hurried out of the compartment and down the hall in search of a prefect that could help him.

"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could.

"Ronald!" Mrs. Weasley said sharply.

Ron winced, and apologized to Neville, not that he need his mother to tell him it was a git thing to say.

Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk. "

Sirius, Remus, Hermione, Ron and Helia scowled at the book, that damn rat caused a lot of problems.

The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap.

"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust.

"I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look. . . "

Fred and George burst out laughing. "You actually tried that?" They asked through their laughter, as Ron turned red from embarrassment. While Helia just shook her head at Ron, for someone who grew up Fred and George he was very easy to prank.

He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.

"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway--"

Charlie felt another flash of anger, but it was quickly snuffed out when a petite hand grabbed his and started to trace patterns on his palm.

"My mother used to do this when I had a nightmare, I believe it will suffice in calming anger too, Lytta must have cursed you."

Charlie just felt speechless as he watched the tiny witch trace a pattern, that he now recognized as the algiz protection rune that gives the bearer of the symbol divine protection and the feeling of sanctuary.He could feel his heart lighten and race at the same time at the gentle smile on her face as she traced her protection runes in his skin.

He had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. a girl was standing in the doorway, and she was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.

Hermione blinked, before slumping down in embarrassment, she hadn't made the best of impressions, had she?

She looked up when two arms were slung over her shoulders, on either side were her two best friends who were showing her that the past didn't matter. She had them, and that wasn't going to change.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.

"Hey" Hermione whined, she was always very sensitive about the size of her front teeth, she didn't feel an ounce of guilt for having Madam Pomfrey shrink them smaller then they really were after the spell incident.

"We've already told him we haven't seen it, and she told him to get an older student to cast a spell that would summon the toad to him" said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then. "

She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.

Lily blinked, oh wow this girl really didn't know how to hold back, did she?

"Er -- all right. "

He cleared his throat.

"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,

Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow. "

Fred and George started laughing again, and didn't stop laughing for a full minute much to the annoyance of Ron.

He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard -- I've learned all our course books by heart, of course," Helia was impressed.

Hermione who was still safely sitting between her two best friends, looked towards Helia with shining eyes. "Really?" She asked, voice sounding stunned.

Helia smiled kindly, nodding.

"Why?" Hermione asked perplexed.

"You'll see" Helia said, instead of answering.

She had memorized some course books — and all of her extra books she got, too — but not all them. "I just hope it will be enough -- I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"

She said all this very fast.

"Did you even breathe?" Bill asked amused, as Hermione blushed a pretty pink much to the delight of the curse-breaker Weasley.

Helia looked at Ron, and was shocked to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learned all or any of the course books by heart.

"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.

"Helia Potter," said Helia.

"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course -- I got a few extra books, for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century. "

"Background reading?" Ginny asked, looking at her friend.

Hermione blushed, "Well I didn't want to not know anything because I was from a non-magical family." She exclaimed.

"Am I?" said Helia, feigning feeling dazed.

She already knew all about the books, she read them at Flourish and Blotts. She was shocked and slightly cross claimed to have an 'accurate recounting' of the night that Helia was the only survivor, and she was only a baby. And no way they would've been able to get an interview, from a baby like The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts claimed.

Everyone in the room looked embarrassed, they hadn't thought where the books got their sources and information. They just took the books as the truth.

"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad. . . Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon. "

"I'm surprised Miss. Granger that you didn't end up in Ravenclaw with that attitude." Madam Bones pondered.

"I'm more stubborn than I am smart, I guess." Hermione said, shrugging it didn't matter to her she loved Gryffindor and what it stands for.

And she left.

"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron. Helia thought she would be a nice housemate, she was probably high-strung from going to a new school and would relax more when she got better acquainted with everything.

"That was four years ago Hermione!" Ron exclaimed as he failed to dodge a well aimed slap to the back of his head.

"It was well deserved Ronald Weasley" Hermione hissed. "At least Helia is nice."

He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell -- George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud. "

"You think?" George said sarcastically, smirking at the irritated glare Ron sent him.

"What house are your brothers in?" asked Helia.

"Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mom and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin. "

"That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?"

Everyone who knew Helia, really knew her looked at her like she grew two heads and spouted fire.

"What?" Helia said, glaring at the looks she was getting.

"You didn't say his name" Susan said, with wide eyes.

Ron snorted. "Don't get used to that, it didn't last long." Everyone sighed, everything was right in the world again. Helia rolled her eyes at their dramatics.

"Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.

"You know we would still be proud of you, even if you were in Slytherin" Arthur said, trying to reassure his youngest son, but Ron didn't look like he believed him. Nobody looked like they believed him actually.

"You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," said Helia, trying to take Ron's mind off houses. "So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?"

"Why are you asking?" Astoria asked.

"I was curious about what a witch or wizard could do after school. What sort of jobs were available, that sort of things." Helia shrugged.

Helia was wondering what a wizard did once she'd finished school.

"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron.

"Wow Ron thanks for that description, I thought you liked hearing my stories about work." Bill said, teasing Ron a bit. Ron tried to reassure his eldest brother he did like his stories, not noticing His brothers amused look.

Draco sighed longingly, he always found Curse-Breaking to be fascinating. His father though, would say it was beneath a Malfoy to go digging through the dirt and socializing with goblins was a big no with his father.

"Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles -- someone tried to rob a high security vault. "

"Wait someone actually tried to rob Gringotts!?" James exclaimed shocked. "I thought Kingsley was kidding!"

"I never kid" Kingsley deadpans, much to the amusement to the others.

Helia stared.

"Really? What happened to them? Have they been caught, yet?"

"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught.

"Why do I feel like this, main plot stuff" Lily said.

Bill frowned "I remember hearing about that in Egypt. They called me and a couple other specialists back to England for a few days, to test the bank's security."

McGonagall and Snape stared down Dumbledore, because they both blamed first year on him. He never told any of the teachers about what happened to the stone, or how Helia stopped Quirrell from getting.

My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it. "

Helia turned this news over in her mind. She was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You-Know-Who was mentioned.

Everyone shot surprised looks at her, it really wasn't in Helia's nature to fear anything.

She supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying.

"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.

"Wow, I almost got whiplash from how fast the subject was trained." Sirius said, with a whistle.

"Er -- I don't know any. " Helia confessed.

"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world -- " And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money.

"Nimbus 2000" Ron and Helia said in sync remembering all the talk about brooms, if their younger selves knew about Firebolts.

He was just taking Helia through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.

Draco winced in dread, people were not going to be happy with this part. God why did he have to be such a prat.

Severus looked at his godson suspiciously when he saw the guilty look on his face. Why did he get the feeling he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear?

Three boys entered, and Helia recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop.

"Ah, a wild ferret enters with his gorilla sidekicks." George said in a nature documentary voice.

He was looking at Helia with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.

"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Heliantheae Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"

"It's Helia," said Helia getting fed up with people calling her by her full name. She was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean reminding Helia of Dudley more in shape then personality like the pale boy. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.

Snape couldn't help but snort in amusement, that really all Crabbe and Goyle were to his godson.

"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Helia was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. "

"Bond, James Bond." Helia said in a sophisticated voice, making Hermione and Tonks burst into giggles.

Neville looked at the girls cautiously. "What's so funny?"

"It's a Muggle film, the main character— James Bond— introduces himself that way." Hermione explained, wiping the tears from her rosy cheeks. The Pure-bloods who never took Muggle studies were still dreadfully confused.

Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford. "

All the Weasley's even Percy made sound of anger and protest, while Draco sank down in his seat looking highly apologetic.

He turned back to Helia. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there. "

He held out his hand to shake Helia's, but Helia didn't take it.

"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," She said coolly.

Severus couldn't help, but winced as he compared Helia behaviour to Lily's coldness after he called her that dreadful name.

Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents.

Sirius growled at his distant cousin. "You slimy litt—"

But Helia cut him off before it could go too far.

"This happened years ago Sirius, I'm over it, he's over it, so I would like to continue with the reading okay?" Helia said, staring into her godfather's eyes, so he could see how serious she was.

"Ok Pup, I'll let it go." He said, but Helia could hear the for now in his voice.

Draco couldn't help, but look at his 'rival' in astonishment. He couldn't believe she was forgiving him, he could feel a bit of hope spark in his heart.

They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you. "

Both Helia and Ron stood up.

Before Ron could say anything Helia looked Malfoy in the eyes, with a vicious look shining from her emerald eyes. "Do you want to repeat that? Because I'm certain I didn't hear you correctly."

James and Lily looked at their daughter in surprise.

"If you push the right buttons, you best be ready for Helia to get vicious." Hermione said, seeing her friends parents looks of surprise.

"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered, But he seemed shocked that she was talking back to him.

"I mean, in Madam Malkin's you barely spoke. Then suddenly you're challenging me to a fight with more attitude than anyone I've ever met." Draco mused.

Helia felt heat bloom on her cheeks, her heart was racing which was odd she was fighting for her life or being threatened at all so what could be making her heart race like this. Then it suddenly hit her, she was slowly falling in love with Draco Malfoy the only thought that went through her head at that moment was oh crap.

"Unless you get out now," said Helia, more bravely than she felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than her or Ron.

Ron snorted. "That's true, but everyone was bigger than Helia. I mean she's the smallest in our year, while they're the largest."

"Yeah, Helia's was even smaller than some of the first years in her second year." Fred said.

"But we don't feet like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some. "

Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron -- Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.

Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle

"Only useful thing he did" Ron muttered, to the confusion of his family they thought he loved Scabbers.

-- Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once.

Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets,

"Aw a couple of Snakes, scared off by some itty bitty rats" the Twins cooed, making all the Slytherin glare in indignation.

or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in.

"What has been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.

"I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Helia.

"Oh, dear." Mrs. Weasley said, hoping the rat was hurt Ron adored that rat.

He looked closer at Scabbers. "No -- I don't believe it -- he's gone back to sleep. "

And so he had.

Remus and Sirius snorted. "Typical." They muttered, much to the confusion of everyone who didn't know who the true culprit that betrayed and killed James and Lily Potter and thirteen Muggles.

"You've met Malfoy before?"

Helia explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley.

"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side. " He turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"

"I must say Mister. Weasley, Miss. Granger, I don't know how you two could become friends with this much hostility between you two." Madam Bones said.

Hermione and Ron just laughed, it did take a big event for them to accept each other and their faults. It helped that Helia was a good buffer or just didn't pick favourites among them.

"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"

"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron,

"I thought you were joking when you said your rat had been fighting." Hermione giggled.

scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"

Theo looked at Ron bemused "You do realize she's a girl right?"

"She was more a friend, than a girl" Ron defended, not realizing he was sort of insulting Helia.

Helia didn't look insulted though, she just stared at her friend in amusement.

"All right -- I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a sniffy voice.

"But you were children, Miss. Granger" Dumbledore said to the Muggle-born witch gently.

"And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"

Ron glared at her as she left. Helia peered out of the window. It was getting dark. She could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down.

Helia waited out in the hall for Ron to change, while he did the same for her— she drawn the curtains for even more privacy— she knocked on the door when she was done. Ron's robes were a bit short for him, you could see his sneakers underneath them.

"Why do you have to be so bloody observant." Ron mumbled.

"It's a part of my charm." Helia deadpans.

A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately. "

Helia's stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, she saw, looked pale under his freckles.

"Aw, is ickle Ronniekins, feeling nervous" The Twins cooed.

"Shut up" Ron huffed his usual come-back.

They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.

The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Helia shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Helia heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Helia?"

A smile lit up Helia's face, letting everyone know just how much she cared for the half-giant.

Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.

"C'mon, follow me -- any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Helia thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad— he told them that a helpful Ravenclaw Prefect named Penelope helped him find Trevor,

Helia noticed that Percy stiffened, and blushed when the Ravenclaw Prefect was mentioned.

but then not even ten minutes later the disappearing toad went missing again.— sniffed once or twice.

Everyone looked at Neville with wide eyes.

"I told you he likes to disappear." Neville said.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here. "

There was a loud "Oooooh!"

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"It really takes your breath away the first time you see it, doesn't it." Bill said, smiling.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Helia and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione.

"You know who ever you sit with on the boat across the lake, are destined to become lifelong friends." Remus said with a smile.

While Neville and the Golden Trio shared a grin because they were the closest to each other out of all their year mates.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then -- FORWARD!"

And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face.

Remus chuckled quietly as he remembered how James and Sirius hadn't heard Hagrid's warning until it was too late.

They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.

"I wonder how Hagrid, knew it was your toad, Neville." Padma wondered out loud.

Hermione blushed again, because she was the one who told Hagrid about Neville's lost toad hoping that he would find him.

"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.

They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"

"Ugh!" Neville groaned jokingly. "Stop noticing me."

"Trevor seems to love exploring, I wonder if he would like to go on an expedition with daddy and me." Luna wondered.

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

"That's the end" Ron announced as he snapped the book shut. "Who wants to read next?"

Sirius's hand shot up. "I'll read next!" He shouted excitedly.

Where Do I Belong

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

"The Sorting Hat"Sirius read in a grand, over dramatic voice, Snape had to roll his eyes at Black's behaviour.

Helia winced at the chapter title, this definitely wasn't going to good. Everyone thought she was sorted into Gryffindor because that's where she belonged. As Helia Potter was bold, brave, daring, courageous, and she didn't take shit from anyone and stood up for what she felt was right.

However, she was very different at her core, and she didn't know how people would take that.

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there.

"Minnie!" The Twins cheered brightly, McGonagall burned holes into Sirius's head with her stare.

She had a very stern face and Helia's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.

"I still stand by that statement" Helia said.

"Amen" The Marauders agreed.

"That didn't seem to ever stop any of you, though did it?" McGonagall asked, her lips twitching in amusement.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here. "

She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it.

"Oh Gred, old chap I feel a new prank coming on" George hissed at his twin over the blonde-haired Slytherin girl sitting between them.

The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

Moody noticed again, Potter was very attentive to detail.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Helia could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right -- the rest of the school must already be here -- but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber of the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

Mrs. Weasley couldn't help, but coo over the description of the first years huddled nervously.

"I don't remember being that nervous." Sirius said thoughtfully, thinking back on waiting for his sorting ceremony.

"Are you kidding?" Remus laughed. "Sirius you were shaking like a leaf, terrified that you were going to be sorted into Slytherin."

"It was a legitimate concern, okay." Sirius muttered, as he crossed his arms pouting. They didn't notice Helia tense at their conversation.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts.

"Damn right, they will be!" Sirius said, grinning from ear to ear.

Helia gave a grimace, because while Hogwarts it's self was home to her, Gryffindor was never very family oriented. One minute they idolized her, the next she was the next great dark lady incarnated.

It's why when she found friends that clicked with her, she barely sought out other companions. And they never really gave her a reason to want to hang out with anybody outside the Weasley's. Even the Quidditch team, in her first and second year, was guilty of believing the rumours surrounding Helia at the time.

You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"Free time is meant to be spent everywhere, not just the common room." The Twins pointed out.

"You could roam the hallways." George suggested with grin.

"Sneak into the kitchens" Fred added with a smirk.

Hermione frowned at the two troublemaker twins, "Research in the library." Much to exasperation of the Twins.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points.

The Golden Trio exchanged a relieved glance, happy that they wouldn't be punished for the many, many, many school rules they had broken in their past four years at Hogwarts.

At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. "

"Do you say the same speech every year?" Remus mused.

"What makes you think that it's the same speech, from your year? You were only first years once." Prof. McGonagall said defensively.

"Remus memorized it." James informed, simply. "And if that really is the case, then do you practice that speech every year?" James asked amused with a grin on his face.

A faint blush was high on her cheeks as she hissed sharply. "That is enough out of the both of you."

"Yes, Professor McGonagall." Was the coursed reply. The Trio could see the smirks on their faces though.

Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear,

Neville flushed a bright red, and muttered under his breath about, "Bloody observation skills, always noticing me."

and on Ron's smudged nose.

"Ronald, you still haven't cleaned your nose." Mrs. Weasley tutted at her youngest son.

"Please would you give it a rest with my nose." Ron hissed.

Helia grinned at her best friend, with her hands up in surrender. "I think that's the last mention of it, actually.

Helia nervously ran her fingers through her hair.

Remus and James chuckled while Sirius let loose a short bark of laughter.

"Sorry to tell you, Fawn, but that's a hopeless case." James told his daughter with a grin.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly. "

She left the chamber. Helia swallowed.

"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" she asked Ron.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking. "

"You think?" Fred teased his younger brother, who just glared at him.

Charlie sighed as he slid his hand down his face exasperated with his younger brothers, "Ron you really shouldn't believe everything that the twins says, you know they like pulling your leg."

"How am I supposed to know when to believe them." Ron complained. "Their sly enough to the tell truth half the time so I wouldn't be able to tell the difference." From the grins on the Twins faces that was every bit of the truth.

While Helia knew that Fred was just joking to tease his younger brother, her heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? That would be rather cruel to do. Many of them didn't know any magic yet -- what on earth would they expect them to do? She doubted that the rest of her soon to be classmates memorized the books like her — and apparently Hermione Granger.

Hermione blushed red as the book Helia singled her out.

So if the sorting was some kind of test, Helia was sure many would fail. She looked around curiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need.

Bill just mouthed wow to himself, even when she was younger, she was brilliant and bright.

Helia tuned her out as she organized her thoughts.

"Hey!" Hermione said indignantly.

"I needed to calm myself and think, which is hard to do if someone is panicking next to me." Helia defended herself.

Helia despite being one hundred percent sure that the sorting was not some test that had to do with magical skills, had never been more nervous, never, not even when she'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that she'd somehow turned her teacher's wig blue.

"Bloody brilliant, Helia" Fred and George cheered.

"That's our Fawn, born prankster!" James cried to Sirius and Remus.

She kept her eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead her to her doom.

"Melodramatic, much?" Blaise mused.

"And here comes the dramatics!" The Twins said cheerfully, Helia just rolled her eyes.

Then something happened that made her jump about a foot in the air -- several people behind her screamed.

"Ghosts" James guessed with a knowing grin. All the first years from that year nodded.

"What the -- ?"

She gasped. So did the people around her. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years.

"They did that even in our first year" Lily said, sympathetically. "I think they stage the whole thing, they love startling the first years, but won't admit it."

They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance--"

"Oh god, are they still having this argument." Lily groaned.

"Yes" everyone answered.

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost -- I say, what are you all doing here?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.

"Nearly Headless Nick!" The Twins exclaimed.

"Oh how I love it when the ickle firsties ask him how he can be nearly headless." Fred sighed fondly.

"I know Forge, the looks on their faces bring me such joy." George also sighed fondly.

"Although I do wish they wouldn't ask while the rest of us are trying to eat, Gred."

"That is a good point, twin of mine, no matter how times we've seen it. We don't want to see it while we are trying to eat"

Nobody answered.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

A few people nodded mutely.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know. "

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start. "

James was bouncing in his seat, he was excited to sort of witness Helia's sorting.

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me. "

Feeling oddly as though her legs had turned to lead, Helia got into line behind a boy with sandy hair,

"That's Seamus right?" Padma asked.

Helia just nodded, she wasn't on the best of terms with her Irish housemate as of late.

with Ron behind her, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

Helia had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place.

"It still takes my breath away, how magnificently magical Hogwarts is." Helia smiled.

It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting.

Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them.

The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight.

"Because that's not creepy at all" Hermione said sarcastically.

Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Helia looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History. "

"You know you might the only person to ever read that book." Ron told Hermione shaking his head at her.

Before she could say anything back, Bill cut in. "Not true I found Hogwarts, A History very fascinating when I was in school, still do in fact." Hermione turned to look at as he stared sincerely into her eyes. "I mean the chapter alone on the runes that went into making Hogwarts is phenomenal, I mean the details and skill to individually carve and enchant each one is a masterpiece." Bill gushed about his passion of runes and their making.

Hermione felt the breath rush out of her lungs at the glint in his as he talked she could feel a blush rising on her cheeks as she listened.

Helia already knew this, but it was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.

"I love it best during the winter, with the enchanted snowflakes falling." Helia said, it was nice to enjoy the snow while safe and warm in the great hall. Unlike the damp, cold winters at Private Drive when the Dursley's made her go out and shovel the driveway or just to kick her out of the house for a couple of hours.

Helia quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.

Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it, Helia thought wildly,

"Why would you pull a rabbit out of a hat?" Luna asked airily why would a rabbit be in hat or was a hat on a rabbit? Maybe he wanted to be fancily dressed.

"It's a Muggle magic trick," Hermione said.

"Muggles have magic?" Mr. Weasley asked delighted by this fact.

"It's more of an illusion, than actual magic" Helia explained.

that seemed the sort of thing -- noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, she stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth -- and the hat began to sing:

"Black, I swear to The Triple Goddess, if you start singing I will—" Snape warned, but Sirius cut him off by belting out the sorting hat's song with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

"Bravo! Magnificent! Go Sirius!" James, The Twins, Helia and Tonks cheered, whistle and clapped as Sirius stood and took a bow.

"Much better than the ones we used to get" Lily said, but then again it was a time of war.

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Helia. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll. "

Helia, Ron, and Hermione slowly turned to Fred.

"What?" Fred questioned, confused at their staring.

"I didn't know you had seer blood in your family." Helia whispered to Ron.

"I didn't even know." Ron replied.

Helia thought that was a bit farfetched, but she didn't tell him that, so she just smiled weakly.

"Honestly Ronald, when are you going to learn not to blindly believe everything the twins tell you?" Hermione sighed at her gullible friend.

Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but she did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Helia didn't feel very cunning or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for her.

"If there was, that's where everyone would go" Kingsley said, as he let out a booming laugh.

James turned to his daughter with a reassuring smile. "It's okay to be nervous sometimes Fawn, it's perfectly normal."

Helia smiled at her father, basking in the warm feeling of her father's love and care.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

Susan smiled at hearing the name of her best friend in her house, Ron had to force himself to look away before she noticed he was staring.

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause --

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

Tonks and Susan cheered for their fellow puff.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Helia saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.

"Bones, Susan!"

Susan perked up hearing her name.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again,

Susan's Aunt and Kingsley pulled Susan into a hug, remembering when she wrote to them upset she didn't get sorted into Ravenclaw like them.

and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.

"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender"

Both Helia and Hermione groaned and rolled their eyes at their girly, chatterbox of a roommate.

"Whose Lavender?" Lily asked curiously.

"The bane of our existence." Helia deadpanned, only the get slap on the arm by Hermione, but Helia didn't hear any disagreement from her.

became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Helia could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.

"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Helia's imagination, after all she'd heard about Slytherin from people, but she thought they looked like they were trying to be intimidating. In fact, to her, they didn't look like an unpleasant lot. At least not all of them anyway.

The Slytherins in the room turned to stare at Helia.

"Like the book read, I don't think all of you are bad people, really some of you are quite pleasant when it suits you." Helia said with a shrug. "I keep saying there are bad eggs in all the houses, Slytherin," The snakes rolled their eyes. "Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw," Helia grimaced, and her friends knew she was thinking about how the other houses treated her during the Slytherin Heir incident and the Goblet of Fire. "Even Gryffindor." She admitted, much to the surprise of the others.

She was starting to feel definitely sick now. She remembered being picked for teams during gym at her old school. She had always been last to be chosen, not because she was no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked her.

Draco bared his teeth in a snarl, but he didn't growl so not to bring too much attention too himself. He couldn't lose his composure every time the Dursley's hurt the emerald eyed girl — at least that's what he told his self.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Sometimes, Helia noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Helia in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.

"Granger, Hermione!"

Before Hermione could move towards the stool, Helia stopped her whispering a soft "Good luck" get a smile from the buck toothed girl.

Again Mrs. Weasley cooed over Helia's nice manners.

Turning back Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.

Hermione flushed a pretty pink, which Bill thought was adorable.

"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat.

The Twins cheered and wolf-whistled for past Hermione, making Hermione blush.

Ron groaned.

"It was years ago!" Ron hurriedly defended himself, before either Hermione or Helia could hit him.

Helia stomped on his foot, not even looking back at him. She didn't show any outwards reaction to Ron's moaning or his hopping on one foot, while massaging his sore foot.

Theo snorted, remembering how Weasley almost knocked over Pansy with his hopping.

A horrible thought struck Helia, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous.

Both Hermione and Ron slapped palms to their foreheads. "Here we go." They muttered, it was a known fact that Helia could get dramatic and paranoid, however it was always the worst paranoia that she didn't voice.

What if she wasn't chosen at all? What if she just sat there with the hat over her eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off her head and said there had obviously been a mistake and she'd better get back on the train?

"That would never happen, Miss. Potter." McGonagall said, amused.

"Yes Professor McGonagall is quite right." Dumbledore agreed. "However, the mind tends to come up with its most strange thoughts when nervous, one just has to remember to courage when face with adversity." He advised.

Helia sunk back in her seat, studying her combat boots to avoid looking at anyone.

When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool.

Neville flushed red at his inherited clumsiness.

Tonks leaned over and whispered too him "I fell over, too."

The hat took a long time to decide with Neville.

Fred looked at Neville blankly. "Long time? Mate, you were a hat-stall."

Neville gasped, turning red in shock. " I-I was?!"

Lily beamed at her godson with pride. "Congratulations, Neville darling!"

"What's a hat-stall?" Helia asked confused at the term she never heard of.

"A hat-stall is when someone takes over five minutes to be sorted," Remus explained. "It's a great honour amongst pureblood families."

When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag. "

Neville blushed as his friend's chuckles, but he was comfortable enough to laugh with them.

Sirius clapped him on the back, "That happened to James too." He whispered to Neville grinning, drawing a smile out of the boy.

James whipped his head to Sirius so face his glasses all most flew off his face. "Pads, you promised you wouldn't tell people that anymore." He whined as his tan skin blushed in mortification.

Malfoy swaggered

Draco quickly turned to Helia with indignation written all over his face. "I do not swagger." He hissed.

Helia just stared him down, unimpressed. "I can get several written statement of people who also agree you don't walk, you swagger Malfoy." She raised an eyebrow when his face burst in a bright blush.

forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"

Snape's eyes softened at his godson, remembering Draco's relief at being in Slytherin like his parents pressured.

Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.

There weren't many people left now. "Moon". . . , "Nott". . . ,

Blaise causally leaned on Theo's shoulder, as he traced a pattern on Theo's palm mindlessly.

Theo's body automatically relaxed to accommodate Blaise in his space as if it was second nature by now.

"Parkinson". . . , then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil". . . ,

"That's you right, Padma?" Lily asked. "You have a twin, I'm surprised she's not here?"

"Yeah the first one is me, but the second Patil is actually my twin sister Parvati." Padma informed her friend mother. "I love Parvati, but we have different friend groups we aren't even in the same house."

To the surprise of the adults, it was vary rare that magical twins are so separated from each other's.

then "Perks, Sally-Anne". . . , and then, at last –

"Potter, Heliantheae!"

Sirius shouted, excitement covering his every word. Helia could feel herself becoming more and more anxious they got to her conversation with the sorting hat. Her breath was coming short making her head swim with dizziness, she had to dig her nails into arms to focus her mind.

As Helia stepped forward wishing they hadn't used her full name, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.

Helia tensed even further before she release a nearly silent sigh. She came to be vary familiar with those hisses over the years, and it still could set her teeth on edge. Because really was a little peace and quiet so much to ask for?

"Potter, did she say?"

"The Heliantheae Potter?"

"That must be so annoying," Luna simply said, in her whimsical voice.

Helia leaned back in her seat, her arms crossed defensively over her chest a malcontented glare on her heart shaped face as she grumbled. "You got no idea."

The last thing Helia saw before the hat dropped over her eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at her.

"For Merlin's sake, what's with starring at Helia like she's some rare animal at some zoo exhibit." James growled, upset at the thought of people gawking at his little girl.

Helia smile a mirthless smile at her father, she couldn't help but think back to her compression of her life to the boa constrictor back in the zoo all those years ago it just might have been a self fulfilling prophecy for her interactions with the wizarding folk.

Because while she was physically trapped at the Dursley's, in the wizarding world she was gawked at, stared at, had other people make a profit off of her and mentally tricked into thinking she had any say in her life without realizing she was trapped in a nicely decorated glass cage.

Next second she was looking at the black inside of the hat. She waited.

Everybody leaned forward in interest. Those who witnessed Helia's wanted to know what the hat said for her sorting to take so long, as it was the longest sorting recorded since Merlin himself. While her family wanted to experience her sorting because they weren't there to see this special moment in her life.

"Hmm," said a small voice in her ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see.

"Of course she does," James said with a grin. "That's my Fawn, a born Gryffindor from the start." Helia couldn't look her father in the eyes when he bragged that.

Not a bad mind either. There's talent, Ah my goodness, yes -- and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting. . . So where shall I put you?"

Astoria looked at Helia in awe, "why you could've gotten in any of the houses with those traits."

Helia just smile at the younger girl a little awkwardly, but a smile nonetheless.

Helia gripped the edges of the stool and thought, Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.

"What's wrong with Slytherin?" Daphne demanded.

"It's best if you just listen to the conversation between the sorting hat and I, before you judge." Helia warned her year-mate with a dark look.

Daphne blinked, not used to hearing Helia sound like that as she back down for now.

"Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that.

Everybody who didn't know —Helia herself, Hermione, Ron and Dumbledore the only ones to know— turned to stare at Helia dumbfounded and shocked.

"Helia? You were almost in Slytherin?" Sirius asked looking as if his world was shattered.

Helia really didn't know what he wanted her to say at that moment, so she just went with the truth "Yes."

Helia was startled from her growing anxiety, when her father placed both of hands on her shoulders. His hazel eyes framed by his glasses stared into her emerald eyes with the upmost seriousness.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with being in Slytherin." He told her, as her breath hitched at finally hearing what she wanted to hear from her parents for the longest time. "I mean my Mum, your Grandmother was Slytherin in fact her maiden name was Carrow." He informed her much to the shock of a lot of people who didn't know Lady Euphemina Potter, used to be the eldest daughter of Lord and Lady Hephaestus and Algaia Carrow.

"But if you're mother was a Carrow, that means you're related to renowned Death Eater's Amyus and Alecto Carrow!" Theo exclaimed whipping around to face James face first, this was the most worked up some of them seen him.

James grinned warily at the Nott heir, shrugging his shoulders in a what-can-you-do way. "I mean yeah, the Carrow's weren't always dark, in fact Pappoú and Yai-yai never really cared about the British Wizarding World War." James said remembering, all the times they would laugh and call the blood feuds silly and foolish. "They spent most of their time in Athens, after Mum and her brother we're all grown up."

Helia was still reeling from the shock, she remembered two little twin girls that got sorted into Slytherin this year their last name was Carrow. She had two little cousins, that probably had no idea that they were even related to her she actually had a family that might love her.

Not Slytherin. Helia hissed inside her mind, cutting the hat off.

"Oh, and why is that?" The voice of the hat asked curiously.

Draco looked at her just as curiously as the Sorting Hat did all them years ago.

Because I've seen how people treat the people who are placed in Slytherin, if I'm placed there they will turn on me so quick I wouldn't survive. —The wizarding world is a lot more judgmental and prejudice than I thought it would be.

The adults all look at Helia their mouths gaping in shock and disbelief.

"What ever do you mean by that, Miss. Potter?" Madam Bones asked.

"It means that the Wizarding World is prejudice to the simplest thing, I mean every wizard or witch are all so high and might claiming you all are at the pinnacle of your power." Helia rebuked, with her arms crossed. "You claim to be superior to the Non-magical folks, but they have their own inventions and talents that surpasses the expectations of even magic… Bloody hell even the so called light side claims to be better and just over what they call the dark side." She ranted, clearly she had been holding this in for a very long time. "I mean all of Slytherin is practically branded as Dark the moment that the hat sorts them there, and if they want to survive that harsh mentality they have no choice but to closed off and sly as they can."

"But you would be brilliant in Slytherin, you have a talent for survival and Slytherin would help you hone that talent." The voice protested.

Shape stiffened when he heard that line, because years ago when he was sorted that was the exact words said to him before he was sorted into Slytherin. Really what did it say when his archenemy's child was more like him then her parents in the way she thought. His eyes traveled on their own accord until they locked eyes with the very child he was pondered, those emerald eyes more sharp and flinty then her mothers ever were.

That may be so, but I don't just want survive anymore. Helia thought to the hat, I for once in my life I really truly want to live and I can't do that watching my back constantly in the snake pit.

Everyone was looking at Helia in shock, except for Ron and Hermione. Helia confessed to them one night during one of their frequent sleepover at how hard it was for her to trust people with how she was raised. She never went into the details of what the Dursley's did to her, but what she did tell her friends assured her that it was normal for her not let people get to close. They cuddled, drank butterbeer that the Twins snuck in for them to enjoy, at their favourite sweets and they reassured each other no matter how insecure or mistrustful they felt they would stick together.

"So you wish to hide in the lion's den, do you?" The voice mused.

"Okay hold up, the pup and I have to discuss something." Sirius announced stopping his reading, before holding out his hand for a nervous Helia to take.

"Pads what are yo—" James questioned his best mate, only to stop seeing the looks in his daughter and friend's eyes. They need this, the both of them did.

"Very well, Sirius, we shall await Miss. Potter's and your return." Dumbledore told him.

"Yeah, yeah, I wasn't look for permission." Sirius scoffed, waving off the old man leading a silent Helia to the hallway with all of the dorm rooms.

"Okay, do you want to tell me what's running through that head of yours?" Sirius asked her causally leaning against the wall, observing his silent goddaughter who was brooding in her own thoughts. "I mean what's all this secrecy about the old dust rag wanting to put you in Slytherin."

Helia couldn't look her godfather in the eyes, as her hands clenched into fists trembling at her sides. "Everyone always says how much I'm like my parents. Born Gryffindor like them, play quidditch like my dad, exceptional at charms like mum, even my looks are just like them." She ranted at him, the words bursting off her tongue like acid hurting the both of them. "But…if they—if you knew I wasn't like you thought I was…then you'd hate me." She admitted quietly.

"Heliantheae, my Pup I will tell you this now, so listen to me." Sirius told her with a stern look in his grey eyes. "There is nothing you could do to make me hate you, Bloody Hell Pup you could decide you want nothing to do with this war and I would steal you away to live in hiding for the rest of your lifetime in a heartbeat."

Helia looked into her godfather's eyes shocked, everyone always put the weight of the Wizarding worlds safety on her shoulders. Even so here was the man who had almost everybody he loved taken from him by the war, telling her he would abandon revenge and everything else just for her if she would ask for it.

"So no Heliantheae Potter, I could never hate you." Sirius whispered lovingly to her, caressing her cheek before placing a kiss to her scarred forehead. "You silly little pup, I love you."

Helia's breath hitched in her throat, as pears of tears welded up in her emerald green eyes stared up at her godfather.

"I love you." Sirius repeated to her steadily, pulling the shocked girl into his chest wrapping his arms around her. "I'm not the only one who does, you're parents love you, Moony loves you, so do you're little friends." He told her, and without her permission a hysterical laugh bubbled up out of her.

"No ones has ever told me that." She admitted, through her laughter breaking her godfathers heart.

"You know after everything you've been through, that's not surprising." Sirius sighed, his hold on her tightening. "However let me be the first to reassure you, the genuine love I have for you —the love of a father has for his daughter— that will never really leave you. Even when I'm long gone from this world, my love is a part of you, and that's where you'll always find me." He promised her, her tears finally breached her eyes rolling down her cheeks gripping his outer robes as a lifeline as her body shakes from the near silent sobs escaping her trembling lips.

"So chin up, pup and hold your head high, because there is no one I'm more proud of then you." Sirius gently said, as Helia roughly wiped her tears away underneath her glasses.

"Thank you, Sirius, I love you too." Helia whispered.

Sirius grinned brightly at his goddaughter, his heart-warming at finally hearing those words escape from her mouth. "Come on, let's head back before Snivellus throws a fit." He said, throwing an arm around her shoulder leading her back to the sitting room. "Oh, and Helia the Sorting Hat wanted to put me into Slytherin too, you know?" He told her with a wink, the godfather and goddaughter returned to their seats a little lighter knowing that they were the same in their choices, and choices show us who we really are.

Sirius cleared his throat, throwing one more grin at Helia who return the look with a gentle smile of her own before continuing with his reading.

"If that is your final decision than it seems that you my little snake in lion's skin -- better be in GRYFFINDOR!"

"Yes that's my Fawn!" Helia cheered jumping up from his seat, picking up Helia by her waist drawing a cute yelp from her as he spun them around in his excitement.

"Dad I can't breathe." Helia whined, pushing at her dad's chest halfheartedly.

"Nooo, I won't let go Fawn you just made me one proud Poppa." He whined back at her, rubbing their cheeks together knocking both of their glasses a skewed.

"Sit down, James." Lily laughingly scolded, pulling James back down in his seat.

James fell down in his seat taking Helia down with him, as they crashed down they knock heads together. The daughter and father laughed together clutching their foreheads in pain, as Lily sighed fondly at her family.

Helia heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. She took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. She was so relieved that the hat had in fact listened to her, she hardly noticed that she was getting the loudest cheer yet.

She didn't even hear the Weasley twins wolf whistling at her.

"You boys may be pranksters after my own heart." James told the Twins dramatically hugging Helia to his chest. "But keep your paws to yourselves."

Percy the Prefect got up and shook her hand vigorously,

Percy threw a haughty glare at Helia, who only blinked her eyes at innocently but her lips curled into a vicious grin.

while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Helia sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff she'd seen earlier. The ghost patted her arm, giving Helia the sudden, felt a familiar feeling she'd just plunged it into a bath of ice-cold water reminded.

"Oh, baby." Lily sighed pulling Helia into her side, brushing her fingers through her daughters short hair. She felt haunted by Tonks past comment, "you never had a hot bath have you?"

She could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest her sat Hagrid, who caught her eye and gave her the thumbs up. Helia grinned back. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Helia recognized him at once from the card she'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Helia spotted Professor Quirrell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban,

Hermione sat up straight, her caramel brown eyes narrowing in on Helia. "Helia, was he wearing the turban in the Leaky Cauldron, do you remember?" Hermione furiously interrogated her best friend.

"No he wasn't." Helia said, as her lips curled up into a snarl at Dumbledore's measuring glance. She didn't appreciate being manipulated into playing his little test the hero game anymore. In the past she didn't really care, she was desperately trying to find her footing in the Wizarding world. However, she wouldn't allow him or anyone else pull on her strings, not when it meant watching the people she cared for die.

that he wasn't wearing back in the Leaky Cauldron. And now there were only three people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Helia at the Gryffindor table. "Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now.

Bill frowned at his youngest brother concerned. "Were you really that worried?"

Ron fidgeted as he tried to find away to say what he wanted without hurting his family. "I just didn't want to disappoint, you guys."

"Aw, Ron, brother of ours we wouldn't of cared if you weren't sorted into Gryffindor." The Twins tried to comfort Ron.

"Ron, we would love you no matter what." Mr. Weasley reassures his youngest son.

Helia crossed her fingers under the table

Helia and Ron shared a grin, "Thanks mate."

"Yes, yes, your both so adorable you make my teeth hurt." Blaise drawled at the grinning friends.

and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Helia clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to her.

"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously across Helia as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin.

Theo's eyes soften, remembering the first time he saw his exotic kærasti from the moment he saw him it was like coming home for the very first time. He pulled Blaise closer, nuzzling his face into his elskan's neck exhaling his alluring scent. "Elskan mín." He whispered into hi elskan's neck.

Blaise's hand softly caressed his Amante's face, turning in to lay a lazy kiss to his sweet lips. " Ti amo, il mio cuore."

Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.

Helia looked down at her empty gold plate. She had only just realized how hungry she was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago.

Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

"Very inspiring words, Headmaster." Luna said.

"Thank you!"

He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Helia didn't know whether to laugh or not.

"When it comes to Dumbledore, it's best to laugh kid." Kingsley said with a grin.

"Is he -- a bit mad?" she asked Percy uncertainly.

"Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes.

Percy flushed angrily, "Opinions change." He hissed.

"Why Mister. Weasley, I'm still am, all the best wizards are." Dumbledore reassured Percy, as if he thought Percy changed his opinion on him was he wasn't mad enough.

Potatoes, Heliantheae?"

Helia's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of her were now piled with food. She had never seen so many things she liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.

At the Dursley's she'd never been allowed to eat as much as she liked, even when she was on her best behaviour Dudley had always taken anything that Helia really wanted, even if It made him sick.

"It's just Helia," she told Percy.

"I love my name, it's just a mouthful for everyone to say every time." Helia reassured her parents flailing a bit in her rush.

"It's okay, Heli, we know." Lily laughed sweetly.

Helia knew eating too much would make her sick, so she had to start small for her stomach to adjusting and grow to handle bigger amounts of food. So she grabbed small portions of everything not wanting to fill up on just one thing, her plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and ketchup and began to eat. It was all delicious.

"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Helia cut up her small portion of steak.

"Can't you -- ?"

"Ghost can actually taste food if it's expired enough, that it." Remus said.

"Yeah. We found that out the hard way." Ron shudder remembering the Deathday party.

"I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower. "

"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you -- you're Nearly Headless Nick!"

Bill sighed, slapping a palm to his. "Have some tact, Ron, really?"

Ron slouched down in his seat at his eldest brother's exasperation.

"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy -- " the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted.

"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"

All the Gryffindors facepalmed, someone always asks that and it always ended the same way.

Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, however Helia could see the secretly pleased look in his ghostly eyes.

"Ghost are always like that, a lot of them really like to talk about their deaths." Sirius commented.

"Not the Bloody Baron." Remus reminded him, both him and James smirking when Sirius scowled at them turning away stiffly.

"Sirius had the—Ugh how should I say this the privilege of getting on the Bloody Baron's bad side." James whispered to Helia, grinning at his best mate.

"Look I was just trying to cheer up, the Grey Lady, alright?" Sirius huffed, "it's to my fault he went bunkers." He muttered to himself.

"Just get on with the reading, Black." Snape sneered.

"Make me, Snivellus." Sirius snarled back.

Snape's eyes blazed with black fire at the old insulting nickname, his nostrils flaring trying to hold back the scathing remarks he wanted to say, when suddenly a unexpected voice picked up for him.

"Lay off, Sirius." Helia scolded her godfather, who turned to her with a kicked puppy look. "Just read." She told him sternly.

Sirius continued to pout, but did as he was told.

"Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So -- new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row!

"And we would've won seven years in a row if it weren't for Potter, and her bumbling Longbottom." Draco grumbled.

"Careful Malfoy, you seem to be turning green and before you know it someone will drop a house on you." Helia teased him.

The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable -- he's the Slytherin ghost. "

Helia looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Helia was pleased—and fairly amused— to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements.

Draco narrowed his eyes at Helia, but all she did was look at him coyly from underneath her sooty eyelashes. He whipped his head back around so fast she couldn't see the light flush on his cheeks, Blaise and Theo watched their best friends shaking their heads in exasperation.

"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.

"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.

When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding. . .

"Oh how, I love the rice pudding." Luna sighed dreamily.

As Helia helped herself to a treacle tart and chocolate éclair nibbling on them, as the talk turned to their families.

"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him. "

Snape subtlety flinched at the line, his sallow skin paling to a sickly white as his childhood flashed before his dark eyes.

The others laughed. However, Helia couldn't bring herself to join in with the others, that could've been a horrible situation if Seamus's father had been anything like the Dursleys. There really wasn't anything funny about it, Helia couldn't help but picture all the horrible outcomes it could've gone a lot of them ending up with Seamus not sitting across from her.

"What do you mean, you'd think he would get sorted into a different house?" Astoria asked naively.

Daphne went to open her, but closed it with a sharp glance from Helia. "No, I meant he could've very well ended up dead." Helia said bluntly, to the shock of the adults.

"Miss. Potter, don't say such nonsense!" McGonagall hissed sharply at her lioness.

"It's not nonsense, Professor, it's how the world works." Helia said, with her arms crossed over her chest in defiance.

"What about you, Neville?" said Ron.

"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me -- he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned

"Why were they trying to get you to do accidental magic? You were doing accidental magic before you're first birthday! There's no need to bloody well nearly kill you!" Lily gasped outraged at the treatment of her godson.

"I-um, well, you see." Neville stumbled trying to explain. "Did I really..? Then why was Gran and Uncle Algie always trying to get me to magic?"

"What you went through, was a horrible event." Remus said gently. "It was a shock to your system, and for different people it can have different effects. I mean take Helia she's the opposite of you with uncontrollable burst of accidental magic inside of barley showing any."

Neville's mouth was gawping in shock, trying to process what Remus was telling him. "I didn't known that, I always though I just wasn't any good." Neville said, with a small pleased smile.

-- but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles

Madam Bones golden eyes flashed dangerously, she had a lot of respect for Augusta Longbottom, but she wouldn't excuse her behaviour towards her grandson. "This is the second case of mistreatment we've heard that you weren't aware of, until four years too late, Minerva." Madam Bones said to her friend. "It makes me wonder how many more of your lions are in situations they need help in."

McGonagall just lowered her eyes guilty, knowing her friend was right to say so.

when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced -- all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy.

"Happy tears!" Molly exclaimed.

"They better been tears of joy that you were safe from harm, before she tore into Algie about child endangerment and abuse." Lily growled.

And you should have seen their faces when I got in here -- they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad. "

On Helia's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons ("I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult -- "; "You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing -- ").

Helia, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.

Snape wasn't sure if he was supposed to be insulted or grateful that it was a worse description.

It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Helia's eyes -- and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Helia's forehead.

"Why would your scar be hurting, Potter?" Mad-eye interrogated Helia.

"Now, now, Alastor I'm sure the books will explain." Dumbledore pacified his old friend, who squinted his one good eye at him suspiciously.

"Ouch!" Helia clapped a hand to her head.

"What is it?" asked Percy.

"N-nothing. "

"Honestly mate, you would say it was nothing even if you were bleeding out." Ron scoffed.

Ginny's shoulders stiffened remembering Helia covered in blood slowly dying in front of her, trying to reassure her even as she struggled to breathe.

The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Helia had gotten from the teacher's look -- a feeling that he didn't like Helia at all.

Snape couldn't help but smirk a bit, while it was true that he a Potter had a hate-hate relationship going on he could find it in himself to mindlessly hate the girl anymore. Not to say he like the Potter girl, but he saw too much of himself in the girl to out right hate her.

"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" she asked Percy.

"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to -- everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape. "

"Knowing about the Dark Arts, isn't a bad thing, Weasley." Moody grumbled.

Kingsley nodded in agreement, "you must first know what something is, to learn to defend yourself from it.

Helia watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at her again.

James studied his old schoolmate, before a thought hit him Snape wouldn't meet his daughter's eyes because she had her mother's eyes.

At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.

"Ahem -- just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered.

"What are we, horse?" Ron scoffed.

I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well. "

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.

"And what do you boys think you two are doing gallivanting about the Forbidden Forest!" Mrs. Weasley glared at her twin sons.

"How else are we supposed to get ingredients to experiment with." Fred said with a carefree shrug.

"Yeah, Mum, I mean we couldn't take them from Snape's storage." George said.

"And we couldn't afford them, either."

"So half we collect we use on our experiments, other half we sell to make a profit."

The teachers looked at the Twins shocked, they had no idea that was the reason they kept sneaking into the forest.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.

"Or pull off a reckless stunt in front of Professor McGonagall, with no care for safety even thought it's your first time on a broom let alone fly one." Hermione said sarcastically, but you could hear the fondness in her voice.

A grimace pulled at Draco's lips, he really regretted thinking he could intimidate her when he had stolen Longbottom's remembrall only to find out she was even more deadly in the air. It didn't help that seeing her wild hair blowing uncontrollably in the air with a grin stretched across her face was probably the moment he fell for her.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death. "

"And this is when I started to question if it was really such a good idea, to go run off with a stranger who claimed magic was real." Helia deadpans, drawling surprised looks.

"Wait what in Merlin's saggy balls, do you mean die a painful death!?" James fretted as he interrogated Dumbledore. "I mean seriously what are you thinking!?"

"You will just have to see for yourself." Was the only response.

Helia wanted to laugh, but as she looked around she came to the realization that he wasn't joking. What the hell is wrong with these people? She wondered to herself.

"I wondered that, so many times that it's ungodly." Hermione sighed to herself, nodding along with her friend's thoughts.

"He's not serious?" she muttered to Percy.

"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere -- the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least. "

Percy turned to McGonagall with a frown on his face, "Why weren't the prefects notified?" He asked his old head of house. "The perfects could have helped with patrols and made double sure the other students weren't going where they shouldn't have been." Percy questioned.

McGonagall's lips flattened into a thin line. "Albus believed it was safer for the least people in the know the safer it would be."

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Helia noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.

Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.

Hermione noticed people giving Helia a weird look for describing the spell as snakelike, huffing at the surrounding stupidity."For goodness sake, it's not a big deal that Helia compared it to snakes!" She scolded "In fact Helia very much adores snakes and has a special affinity for them, not including parseltongue." She finished with a huff.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"

And the school bellowed:

"You know what I need some volunteers for this." Sirius announced, oblivious to the shaking heads of the adults in the room. "Who's with me?!" He cried.

"I'm with you buddy!" James yelled, much to his wife's embarrassment.

The Twins, too, were all for it. They all excitedly jumped up and began to sing along, knowing the lyrics by heart by now.

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot, just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot. "

Thank you, thank you, we'll be here all week." James laughed, as he and Sirius bowed.

"We also perform for coming of age parties." George informed.

Along with Deathday parties." Fred added.

"For just 10 gallons." They said together, holding their hands out for the coins.

Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march.

Ginny snorted at her brothers they were such dorks, but they were her dorks.

Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.

Mrs.Weasley sighed to herself, wishing that people wouldn't encourage the twins so much. She had a terrible feeling that between the Twins, Helia's, Ron and Hermione antics they're all going to make her age ten years, and they were just on the first book.

"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

"We aren't horses." Ron grumbled, Dumbledore just looked serenely him as his eyes did that damn twinkling thing.

The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Helia's legs were like lead again, but only because she was so tired and full of food. She was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries.

The twins cooed at her "Aww is little Heli-flower sleepy." As they fussed over her, much to her annoyance.

They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Helia was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt.

A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.

"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist. " He raised his voice, "Peeves -- show yourself. "

Helia smiled to herself at the mention of her troublemaker friend of a poltergeists, they had a…special bond that not many understood. She could count on him to always make things interesting, that's for sure.

A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.

"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"

Remus winced, it really didn't help to threaten Peeves with Bloody Baron.

There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.

"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"

"He learned that from us." Crowed the Twins.

He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.

"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.

"You have to stand up for yourself, he won't listen to you if all you do is hide behind Bloody Baron." Remus advised. Percy could feel his hackles raise, but wisely decided to stay quiet.

Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on what would've been Neville's head only for Helia to yank he out of the way. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.

"You alright, Neville?" Helia asked. Neville could only nodded shocked.

"Why were you shocked?" Daphne asked Neville, "It's not a surprise, Potter helps anyone."

"I was shocked that this tiny little girl who didn't look like she would weigh 90 pounds soaking wet could pull me off my feet." He stressed Helia's height and mass, and now that his schoolmates thought of it that would've been a shock to them too.

"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are. "

Helia shook her head with a grin "Not true." She laughed. The people who did go to school with her looked at her confused, but most of Hogwarts knew that Helia and Peeves adored each other in a weird way that only the two of them could understand.

At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.

"You know she used to be a lot nicer, now she's really paranoid since she was attacked." Helia said offhandedly.

"What! The fat lady was attacked?!" Lily exclaimed in worry.

Sirius couldn't help but laugh as he slung his arm over Helia's shoulders.

"Password?" she said.

"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it -- Neville needed a leg up –

Neville covered his face as he groaned in embarrassment, as Padma rubbed his back in sympathy.

and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.

"I always wondered what the other common rooms looked like." Astoria sighed.

"I could show you around the Gryffindor common room if you liked." Ginny offered her year-mate, much to her delight.

Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another.

"I'll see you in the morning." She whispered to Ron tiredly as they parted ways going to their own dorms.

At the top of a spiral staircase -- they were obviously in one of the towers -- they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains.

"How very Gryffindor of you." Draco sneered jokingly, not that anybody except those closest to him would be able to tell.

"Hey, you have no room to talk" Helia bantered. "The Slytherin common room is way more pretentious than Gryffindor's."

All Slytherin's looked at her shocked, Draco sputtered "H-How do you know where our common room is located?!"

Helia just smirked at him, her fierce emerald eyes blazing with mischief that got Draco's blood racing in excitement.

"And how Miss. Potter did you come across this knowledge?" Snape drawled out, his tone laced with a warning.

"You'll see." She hedged.

Their trunks had already been brought up. Helia quickly unpacked, so she would have everything ready for her lessons tomorrow and wouldn't have to rush.

"You definitely didn't get that from me" James laughed as he ruffled his already messy hair. "I'm a mess in the mornings searching for everything in a panic."

"He is not lying, I can't tell how many times James displaced something or just plain couldn't remember where he placed something." Remus said with a fond smile.

Too tired to talk much, she pulled on her pyjamas and fell into bed.

"I can't wait to find out what kind of lessons we have tomorrow." Hermione whispered to Helia through the hangings.

Helia was going to ask Hermione what she wanted to learn the most, but she fell asleep almost at once.

"I wondered if you fell asleep or if you just ignored me." Hermione said.

Helia looked to her best friend with apologizing eyes "Sorry, Mione."

Perhaps Helia had eaten a bit too much, because she had a very strange dream. She was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to her, telling her she must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was her destiny. Helia told the turban she didn't want to be in Slytherin; it got heavier and heavier; she tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully

Ron and Hermione traded confused glances, wondering why if Helia had been suspicious of Quirrell in the beginning why didn't she say anything to them.

-- and there was Malfoy, laughing at her as she struggled with it -- then Malfoy turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh became high and cold

Sirius stopped read for a moment to look at Snape who met his gaze, they both knew that was not his laugh.

-- there was a burst of green light and Helia woke, sweating and shaking.

"Oh Heli, How often do you have dreams like that?" Lily asked her daughter concerned.

Helia didn't know how to answer her mother, really because for most dreams caused her to wake in fright, shaken and scared. However, since finding her talisman she never remembered the worst ones, she didn't know how to explain her talisman to anyone, she didn't know if the wizarding folk would understand her ways to remain sane.

Helia shakily got out her talisman and placed it under her pillow not knowing why she didn't think to do so before she settled in for the night.

Snape quickly turned to Helia in shock "Potter how and why did you have a talisman at eleven, when no shop in Diagon Alley would sell to an underaged witch or wizard." He stressed, as his stare drilled in to her trying to pull the answer out her.

Helia's arms came up to cross over her chest, as she clenched her teeth against her Professor's stare. "I didn't get it in Diagon Alley, I had it before I even knew about the wizarding world."

This seemed to shock the adults in the room, finding a talisman in the non-magic world seemed unheard of.

"Helia what does this talisman do?" Dumbledore asked in a concerned tone. "It could be dangerous." He added, much to Helia's ire.

"It takes my nightmares away." Helia muttered, Luna turned her luminous eyes to Helia in revelation.

"A Baku." Luna stated.

"And just what is a Baku, Miss. Lovegood?" Snape asked even if it sounded more like a demand.

"The Baku, is dream eater spirit that is native to China and Japan it is said to devour nightmares. Mostly they eat the bad dreams of children of that call them." Luna informed, and to Helia's relief she didn't add the risk of summoning a Baku but from the look in Theo's eyes he knew that something was missing.

The explanation didn't seem to ease the worries of the adults, but it's not like they could do anything to sway Helia away from using the talisman but at least there wasn't any risks of using it like they feared.

After praying to her talisman she rolled over and fell asleep again, and when she woke next day, she didn't remember the dream at all.

Sirius set the book down, "Well that's the end of the chapter." Sirius said. "Hey Snape, you'll like this chapter I'm sure." He laughed his barking laugh at his old year-mates expense.

"Before we began let us get some refreshments." Dumbledore pronounced, before Severus could say something foul-mouthed back.

Helia stood up to get away from the questioning about her talisman, she walked over to the table that contained golden goblets lined up for use however there were no jugs of any kind of beverages only a note.

The note read to use the goblet one just has to think of what one desires.

Helia felt a light go off in her head as she thought of note, she picked up the golden goblet and thought of what she wanted to drink. Then suddenly the magic of the goblet filled the cup up with the beverage she wished for, Lemonade a sweet fizzy drink that she fell in love with in the non-magic world and could not find in the wizarding world.

She was enjoying the first sip of the beverage she hadn't had in months, when Luna wandered over to her.

"A summoning of a Baku might be common in Japan and China, but it is also a known fact that it must be done sparingly. For if he remains hungry after eating one's nightmare, he may also devour their hopes and desires as well leaving the victim to live an empty life." Luna warned, but when Helia didn't look at her she got concerned.

"Potter doesn't need you to warn her," Theo drawled as he slunk up on the two friends. "She already knows the risks, she just doesn't care." He informed Luna as he watched Helia's face for any denial, but she just watched him back with a blank expression on her face.

"Is that true, Heli?" Luna asked, her frien— no — her elder sister with beseeching eyes.

"I tried once I really did, but it was slowly driving me insane." Helia whispered as she avoided Luna's beseeching gaze and Theo's penetrating stare. "I figured the benefits outweigh the risks, at least to me they do."

Helia didn't see the hug coming as Luna buried her face into her soul sisters shoulder holding on as tightly as she could. "You know I'm always here for you right?" Luna told Helia even though it came out as a question.

Helia couldn't help but let out a soft laugh "You never cease to amaze me, little moon." Helia said affectionately as she brushed the pale blonde hair of the girl that stolen her heart quicker than anyone else ever did.

"Not to ruin this touching moment, but we should join the others before they come looking for us." Theo warned the two girls, as they separated from their embrace.

"Yeah, let's go." Helia agreed as Luna started to walk back to the group, when Theo grabbed her wrist in a gentle grip. Turning to look at him, he didn't say anything only looking into her eyes trying to convey his unsaid words. Helia gently removed his grip from her wrist as she softly held his hand in hers for a moment to let him know she understood and was grateful before letting go of his hand to catch up with Luna to go back to the sitting area.

"Now that we are all present and refreshed shall we continue to read the next chapter, Severus if you will." Dumbledore asked.

With a frown Severus picked up the book reading the chapter title "The Potion Master."

Chapter End Notes

(Icelandic)
kærasti - Darling, Loved one usually translated to simply boyfriend
Elskan/Elskan mín - My Darling, My Love ~ the mín ending adds some weight to the word.

(Italian)
Amante - Lover
Ti amo, il mio cuore - I love you, my heart.

~if you find any mistakes in my translations please tell me, please and thank you.~

Sins And Regrets Haunt Me

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

"The Potions Master" Snape read with a frown, knowing that no one was going to like what happened in this chapter.

"There, look. "

"Where?"

"Next to the tall kid with the red hair. "

Daphne snorted unladylike "Oh, that's really specific, with four Weasleys boys in school."

"Yeah, there's more than one tall boy with red hair" George said in a fake offended voice.

"However, they're only two who are heart-stopping gorgeous." Fred said with a cocky smirk.

"What do you mean? Charlie and Bill had already graduated by the time I was there." Helia teased the twins.

The Twins looked at her with offended expressions "Helia-Flower!" They gasped dramatically. "How could you? We are clearly the most handsome Weasley's to ever grace the Hogwarts grounds."

Helia smirked at them "If you say so."

"Wearing the glasses?"

"Did you see her face?"

"Did you see her scar?"

"I bet that got old fast" Charlie said with sympathy.

Tonks blushed pink, with her hair turning magenta. She had been one of the many who ogled at the poor girls scar.

Whispers followed Helia from the moment she left her dormitory the next day. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at her, or doubled back to pass her in the corridors again, staring.

Helia wished they wouldn't, because she was trying to concentrate on finding her way to classes.

"Drove me bloody bonkers, I thought I was going in circles, because I kept seeing the same people time after time." Helia grumbled, with a pout on her red lips.

"It really isn't that hard" Fred, George and Hermione said at the same time. The three blinked at each other shocked that they were all on the same wavelength.

There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts:

Neville's eyes widened, "you counted?!" He exclaimed.

"No it's in Hogwarts A History." Helia said.

wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump.

Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place,

"The Kitchens," said everyone.

McGonagall frowned at them all "Your not supposed to know that" she said, they just shrugged.

"It's Hogwarts" George said as if it was obvious.

"Nothing stays a secret for long" Fred said with a shrug that said what can you do.

"Tell me about it" Helia muttered.

and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Helia was sure the coats of armour could walk.

Just as the twins were going to comment Snape silenced them with a death glare, he wanted this chapter over quickly, he deeply regretted how unfairly he treated Helia.

The ghosts didn't help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open. Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction, but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class.

"Only two locked doors and a trick staircase, the Peeves must've grown soft." James mused.

"You mean that's being kind?!" Neville asked aghast.

He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, "GOT YOUR CONK!"

"Remus taught him that!" James laughed, get a shocked look from McGonagall.

"It was you!" McGonagall hissed, looking like she would very much like to transform Remus into a babbling, bumbling baboon.

Remus cringed guilty away from his old teacher's wrath, shooting a nasty look to his friend who smiled innocently at him.

The first time he had done this, Helia had jumped slightly, but when he made himself visible again, she started to laugh. He seemed confused, as if he wasn't used to people laughing with him after he'd prank them. From the conversation, the other ghosts were having at the sorting ceremony, he was used to being scolded or told off.

"Well done, that was fun. Nice to meet you, but I have to get to class now." Helia said, and off she went trying to find the history of magic classroom, as she was meant to meet up with Ron on the way.

Peeves stared after the small Gryffindor firstie, look bewildered. After that Peeves and Helia formed a sort of friendship, he would prank her she would laugh, and then they would head their separate ways. He never did anything dangerous to her, and she never got angry with him or scold him, she would smile, and they would talk more and more with each other.

Mrs. Weasley looked as if she wanted to warn Helia away from Peeves, but thought better of it.

"Potter, do you even know how to make friends normally" Blaise sighed at Helia.

Helia tilted her hand, in confusion. "What's the normal way."

However, unlike her budding friendship with Peeves, the caretaker, Argus Filch, hated Helia. Helia and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning.

"That's got to be a new record!" James crowed in delight, much to the dismay of his wife.

Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor.

The Twins nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah that would do it."

He wouldn't believe they were lost,

"Honestly we were first years, it's perfectly normal for us to get lost." Helia muttered.

McGonagall frowned. "If the prefects had been doing their jobs, then you wouldn't have been lost."

was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing.

The Golden Trio narrowed their eyes. It was most likely he was checking out the corridor and its defenses. Moody was watching the Trio's reactions to Quirrell, and he didn't like what his instincts were telling him.

Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamp like eyes just like Filch's.

Sirius groaned out loud "How is that bloody cat still alive."

"She's part bakeneko, which is why her life span is so long." Luna told him offhandedly, as she swayed gently in her seat.

"And what exactly is a bakeneko?" Sirius asked Luna, he always had a soft spot for the little moon-eyed girl that followed Helia around back when he was with them in his padfoot form.

"Well most cats, when they live to an old age, they begin develop supernatural powers and transform into a youkai, called Bakeneko." Luna explained. "As they walk silently, some even walk on hind legs and as they age their powers increase along with the length of their tales."

George looked at her weirdly. "What kind of powers are we talking her Lovegood, because we haven't seen any from Mrs.Norris."

"Well, they can summon ghostly fireballs and are known to accidentally start house fires because their tails act like torches." Luna listed off. "Oh they also can reanimate fresh corpses, mostly small creatures there hasn't been a case of a human reanimation since Japan's Bunka period."

Helia twitched at the mention of reanimation, just the mention of the act caused her heart to feel as if it was going to pound out of her chest. Her fingers twitched and shook with the aborted motion of trying to scratch at her own skin.

Emerald eyes fell shut to block everything out, as she did her breathing technique she learned over the summer four seconds in 1…2…3…4, hold for seven seconds 1…2…3…4…5…6…7, breath out for 8 seconds 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8 she repeated the steps until she finally felt her grip on reality again. As she tuned back in she could hear Luna still rambling about Bakeneko's.

"Bakeneko's drink lamp oils you see to warn other that something strange is going to happen, that where the 'folk-lore' of a cat licking oil is an omen of an impending strange event."

"But I've read about them back in Romania, usually they kill their owners when they evolve from house cats." Charlie pondered, gaining a beaming smile from the petite Ravenclaw.

"That's right Charlie if they do not kill their owners, they often bring down great curses and

misfortune upon them, however because Mrs.Norris was part kneazle before she changed it doesn't affect her quite the same as non-magical cats." Luna rationalized.

"That's amazing I never thought that there could be a difference in the evolution of non-magical to magical species." Charlie said astonished, that this little slip of a girl knew more of creatures than experts that studied them for over four decades. He didn't think he would ever find someone that could hold his attention and interest, bloody hell his brothers joked he was just too picky and might a well just become a deranged dragon man.

She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later.

"I'll never understand how that old coot—" Fred said.

"—Could be so fast, even with the help of the secret passageways" George continued after his twin.

Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (except perhaps the Weasley twins)

"And the Marauders," The Twins said, only the people who knew about the map and went to school with the marauders knew what they were talking about.

The last true marauders shared a smile.

and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts. The students all hated him, and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick.

And then, once you had managed to find them, there were the classes themselves. There was a lot more to magic, as Helia quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.

"Of course there's more to magic, what in Merlin's name convince you otherwise?!" Madam Bones gasped, looking offended.

Hermione quickly came to her best friend's defense "In the Muggle world, waving around a wand, saying a rhyme or a silly chant is how they describe sorcery and magic."

They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets, which Helia was quick to figure out she loved. The subject was fascinating and the study matter was beautiful as well.

Helia smiled softly. "Astronomy is one of my best subjects."

Draco remembers watching the emerald-eyed girl more than the night sky during the nighttime classes, he was bewitched by the stars reflecting in her eyes. Blaise usually slapped him upside the head when he got to lost in watching her, but not without a heavy dose of teasing.

Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout,

Neville sighed in happiness at his favourite subject, Professor Sprout always let him use the greenhouse when he was feeling stressed.

However, in these greenhouses, there were no roses, no alyssum, no dandelions, no heather, or any vegetation she already knew how to grow and care for— Helia was very familiar with gardening as it had been one of her many chores at the Dursleys. Aunt Petunia bragged to all the Private Drive neighbours that her garden won the neighbourhood garden competition four years in a row, but only because the hours and hours of hard labor Helia did rain, burning sun, high winds she was out there.

"For Merlin's sake they treated you like Cinderella!" Hermione seethed in anger.

"Who's Cinderella? And how does she compare to the Pup?" Sirius asked.

"Cinderella was a girl, who was abused and mistreated by her Stepfamily they had dressed her in an old gray smock and wooden shoes, and they made her work morning until evening she carried water, lit the fires, cooked and cleaned just as a maid. Instead of a bed to rest her weary body from the hard work she was forced to sleep by the hearth in the ashes, and because of this she was always looked dirty and dusty giving her the name Cinderella." Hermione said, everyone one could connect the story to Helia's life with the Dursleys.

Instead they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for.

Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost.

Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up.

"Oh Hecate, he still does that?" Lily asked. "Dumbledore I don't why you don't do something about! History of Magic is an extremely important subject an actual alive, and good teacher would make all the difference."

"But it has been a tradition for Professor Binns to teach, he's been teaching for more than half of a century now." Dumbledore tried to justify.

Lily huffed at her old headmaster, of course tradition is more important than the teaching and well-being of the students.

Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Helia's name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight.

Snape sneered and rolled his eyes at his colleague.

Professor McGonagall was again different. Helia had been quite right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross.

"Again, that never seems to stop you." McGonagall said, equal parts both amused and annoyed.

Helia grinned at her head of house. "But, it's no fun without certain risks." She said, her emerald eyes sparkled mischievously, her Professor narrowed her eyes at her, but decided to leave it be for now.

Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned. "

Sirius offered his old professor a cheeky smirk. "Then why did you let, James and I were always let back in?"

"Is it possible, that you actually like us troublemakers, Minnie?" James asked with a grin.

McGonagall gave a small sniff of displeasure and didn't answer, but you could see a small smile twitching at her lips.

Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time. After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. Helia had found it to be quite simple to do, all you had to do was visualize what the needle looked like and remember the feel of metal in your hand.

Lily smiled at Helia "Looks like you got James talent for Transfiguration, he was always best at it."

"Why Lily-Flower, I didn't know noticed me back then" James teased his wife.

"You might've been an arrogant toe-rag, but you were a talented toe-rag." She teasingly replied.

By the end of the lesson, to all appearances Hermione Granger was the only one who made any difference to her match. Only because Helia turned her spelled needle back into its original form of a match;

Mcgonagall turned to Helia in shock, she hadn't noticed that Helia turn her match into a needle and turn it back right under her nose.

Helia avoided her Professor's questioning eyes, she was so used to hiding her schooling achievements from the Dursleys it was a habit, even now she had to catch herself from doing it.

Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile.

"They aren't that rare." Hermione said quietly to Helia, who nodded in agreement.

The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke.

"When isn't DADA a joke, now of days?" Asked Susan.

"I quite liked, Remus as a teacher" Luna said, sending Remus a quirky smile as the ex-Professor smiled warmly back at her.

His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days.

The Trio shared a look, it was no vampire in Romania it was something much worse.

His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story.

"I wouldn't believe it either, he was always a coward in school" Sirius scoffed.

For one thing, when Seamus Finnigan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather;

"Merlin's Beard like that's not suspicious," Sirius scoffed. "Can't he at least act like he knows what he's doing?"

"That would be even more dangerous," Helia muttered, as she cradled her right arm thinking of her de-boned arm in second year.

"Why in the name of Circe do I get the feeling you're speaking from experience?" Lily asked wearily.

"Because she is," answered Ron, Hermione, and McGonagall.

for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban,

Helia now knew the stench was the dying soul of Voldemort clinging to Quirrell.

and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well,

"We still stand by that statement," Fred grinned.

"You won't later" Ron muttered.

so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went.

Helia was very relieved to find out that she wasn't miles behind everyone else. Lots of people had come from Muggle families and, like her, hadn't had any idea that they were witches and wizards. There was so much to learn that even people like Ron didn't have much of a head start.

"Bloody hell if anything I got a head start from the rest of our year by being friends with Helia and Hermione. I had the bloody best tutors in the whole bloody wizarding world!" Ron praised his best friends.

Friday was an important day for Helia and Ron. They finally managed to find their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once.

"Okay I'll admit, we really only had trouble finding our way when I was leading." Ron admitted with a deep blush on his freckled face. "I mean Helia could find her way around within three days."

"I could barely find my classes without getting lost for weeks, so it wasn't just you." Susan comforted him, with a gentle hand over his own.

"What have we got today?" Helia asked Ron as she poured honey on her porridge.

"You still eat it that way?" Lily asked Helia, who looked at her mother confused.

"What?"

"When you were a baby the only way you would eat porridge was if I put honey in it for you, otherwise you wouldn't eat it." Lily said, with a gentle smile on her lips.

"I-I didn't know that, it's just something I've always done." Helia admitted, feeling a blush rising on her cheeks.

"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favours them -- we'll be able to see if it's true. "

"It is true," confirmed everyone who had been who had been under Snape's tutelage.

"Go forth with our blessing."

"And hope of your survival." The twins joked.

"Wish McGonagall favoured us," said Helia.

"I do not show favouritism." McGonagall sniffed.

"That's obvious," Ron muttered. Hermione lightly slapped his arm, but Helia smirked at him agreeing with him.

Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them a huge pile of homework the day before.

Just then, the mail arrived. Helia had gotten used to this by now, but it had given her a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps.

Hedwig hadn't brought Helia anything so far, it didn't bother her as she spent most of her life without receiving any mail. She sometimes flew in to nibble her ear and have a bit of toast before going off to sleep in the owlery with the other school owls. This morning, however, she fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Helia's plate. Helia tore it open at once. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:

Dear Helia,

I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three?

I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.

Hagrid

"That was sweet of him." Molly cooed.

"And to do it by owl, so she didn't feel left out when the others got mail," Lily said, her voice laced with the gratitude she felt.

"Hagrid's great like that." Charlie smiled remembering his own visits to the gentle man, they could talk for hours about dragons and never get bored.

Helia borrowed Ron's quill, scribbled Yes, please, see you later on the back of the note, and sent Hedwig off again.

"After Helia fed Hedwig all her bacon, of course." Ron teased, drawing a scowl from Helia.

It was lucky that Helia had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to her so far.

"What the hell did he do to you?" Sirius growled.

"Calm down, Sirius. I don't let Snape get to me." Helia reassured her godfather.

Hermione raised her eyebrow at her best friend at the lie. Snape had a special talent for getting under Helia's skin and vice versa, but as she had said it to calm Sirius, so she decided to stay quiet.

At the start-of-term banquet, Helia had gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked her. By the end of the first Potions lesson, she knew she'd been wrong. Snape didn't dislike Helia -- he hated her.

"What happened back then is not Helia's fault, it's between James, you and me." Sirius growled quietly to Snape, who sneered at him.

Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls.

Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, she paused at Helia's name.

"Ah, Yes," he said softly, "Heliantheae Potter. Our new -- celebrity. "

"Bloody hell, shut up! It's us you're sore at, not Helia." Sirius finally lost his temper, at Snape's actions.

"Sirius, Severus is allowed his own opinion." Dumbledore said.

"Not when he involves Helia in the issue!" Sirius growled.

Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands.

Draco winced at his behaviour as he avoided looking at peoples eyes, he didn't want to see the glares.

Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels,

Draco winced, his godfather was in a awful mood that day. Now that he thought back on it, it probably was because of Helia.

but to Helia the cold and emptiness made her think of loneliness.

Snape looked blankly at the quiet girl who looked back, he understood the reason she saw loneliness in his eyes, she had the exact same feel to her eyes. Yes she had her mother's eyes, but you couldn't see the hardships and sharpness in Lily's eyes, the will to do anything to fight and survive was built in those glinting emerald eyes of Helia Potter.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word -- like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort.

Snape blinked, before looking at Helia in slight shock, she had given him a compliment.

"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses. . . I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death –

"That speech was actually quite nice, Severus." said Lily, complemented.

if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach. "

"Oh, dear." said McGonagall, massaging the bridge of her nose. "Not the conclusion to your speech that I was expecting."

More silence followed this little speech. Helia and Ron exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead.

"Hermione Granger, a dunderhead?" gasped Fred. "Say it ain't so!"

"That's too horrendous to even imagine," George wailed.

"Shut up both of you." Bill barked. "Hermione there's no way you could ever be called a dunderhead." Bill reassured Hermione as he held her hand in his grasp.

"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"Really Severus? No first year knows that." Kingsley chastised.

Powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood? Wasn't that in Magick Potions by Gerina Dunwigh, chapter nine, page one-hundred and eighty-nine they were ingredients for the Draught of the Living Dead. Add the infusion of wormwood, then the powdered root of asphodel, stir twice clockwise, add sloth brain, juice of the sopophorous bean and finish be stirring the potion seven times anti-clockwise.

"Okay, I stand corrected." Kingsley blinked in astonishment.

"Potter, you not only knew the question and lied, but you remember every step to the brewing of the Draught of the Living Dead." Snape said monotonously.

"Yes." Helia replied blandly.

Helia glanced at Ron, who looked stumped at the question; Hermione's hand had shot into the air.

"I don't know, sir," said Helia lied, as she fixed her expression into one of confusion.

"You know we won't hate you if you acted smart." Ron told her lightly.

"I know that…now," Helia sighed, as scratched at her neck. "I just...didn't want to do anything to compromise our friendship."

"Helia, you shouldn't have to dumb yourself down to make friends you taught me that!" Hermione exclaimed.

"It wasn't just that," Helia tried to explain. "I...I feel more comfortable with not showing off, I lived most of my life in the background trying not to be seen." Helia said as she remembered how she hide in the background of her old non-magical school, she even hid in the background at the Dursley's. "It was a way I protected myself, it's hard not to fall back on that habit of staying in the shadows."

"Miss Potter, please try to do your best in class," McGonagall said gently. "It may seem easy learning by yourself, but we as your professors are here to help you learn."

"Thank you, I am trying," Helia said.

Snape's lips curled into a sneer, Helia could tell he could see something was off with her.

"Tut, tut -- fame clearly isn't everything. "

"If you even bothered to pay attention to her, you'd know how much she hates her fame." Susan snapped at Snape.

"Susan!" Madam Bones scolded.

He ignored Hermione's hand.

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, Helia knew that a bezoar was stone that formed in the stomach of a goat and that it was a cure to many poisons, as she read in Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger, chapter four, page forty-two.

She tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter.

"I don't know, sir." Again she lied.

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"

"There isn't a book that Helia hasn't opened, in the library." Ron protested, "I mean between Helia and Hermione I don't think their one book left untouched."

"You're not being fair, Severus, no other student would be able to answer those questions, not many students open their books beforehand." Lily reprimanded.

Helia forced herself to keep looking straight into those cold eyes, without glaring. She devoured her year books and her extra books she bought in Diagon Alley while she was at the Dursleys', but she didn't care for how Snape expect her to remember everything in Magical Drafts and Potions.

Snape was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"They're the same thing," the twins said together in a bored tone. "They also go by aconite."

At everyone's surprised looks,"What? How do you think we've created some of our pranks." Fred shrugged.

"It's not just spellwork, potions make for excellent pranks too." George grinned.

At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.

"I don't know," said Helia quietly, but she did know it was in both One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and The Herbal Alchemist's Handbook, monkshood and wolfsbane also called aconite was the same plant.

"I must say Miss.Potter you've read quite ahead for you to know these answers." Madam Bones mused at her nieces friend.

"It's like what was said, I was fascinated with potions and read everything I could get my hands on."Helia shrugged, not really see what was the big deal about."

"I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"

A few people laughed; Helia caught Seamus's eye, and Seamus winked.

Draco stiffened in his seat, causing both Blaise and Theo too shake their heads at their friend who was pretty much oozing jealousy.

Remus could smell the sudden spike of jealousy coming from the Malfoy boy, he could feel a weary smile tugging at his lips.

Snape, however, was not pleased.

"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

"Because you didn't tell them to, you were too busy attacking another student." Remus said dryly, although everyone could hear the dangerous undertone if they cared to listen.

Snape tensed as he watched Remus warily.

There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter. "

"What cheek did you get from her? She merely said that she didn't know the answer, and she offered someone else that seemed to know the answers!" Tonks shouted, her hair a flaming red.

"Requesting me to ask Granger was cheek." Snape sneered.

Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, she could tell there was some sort of connection between the Potion's Professor and Malfoy. They moved and act like they were family in a very subtle way, however they looked nothing alike so it was most likely a close family friend that was around Malfoy a lot.

Both Snape and Draco looked startled that Helia could tell that they had a close relationship, from the start. With Snape being Draco's Godfather of course he had a fondness for him, and Draco always went to his Godfather when he felt his father didn't care for him and got angry at him as a child. He would hide away in his Godfather's Potioneer workshop and spend hours brewing and organizing with him, until he finally fell to sleep and his mother would come fetch him after his father calmed down.

He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon.

Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

"Oh, are you sure, you were alright Neville?" Padma asked worriedly, looking at Neville with her big dark eyes that Neville always notice when the light reflected in them, they resemble a starry sky.

Neville blushed furiously at his line of thought and smiled nervously at the sweet Ravenclaw.

"I was fine, after Madam Pomfrey healed me, honest." Neville soothed.

"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape,

"Don't speak that way to Neville!" Lily fumed.

"No wonder the boy was always so terrified of you!" Remus exclaimed.

Severus didn't say anything, just looked at Neville with regret in his eyes Neville was Lily's godson. Not that everybody could see it, but Helia could.

"I'm sorry Mr.Longbottom," was all Snape said, all he could say.

While a lot of people scoffed or look confused, Helia was the only one to see what he was trying to do. It was an olive branch, a offering of peace and apologies. Helia couldn't help her eyes softening as she watched the potions master awkwardly try to fix his behaviour. Snape rolled his dark tunnelling eyes at her, but she could see his lips pull up in the tinniest of smiles.

clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"

Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.

"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Helia and Ron, who had been working next to Neville.

"Severus..." Dumbledore warned.

"You -- Potter -- why didn't you tell him not to add the quills?

"Maybe because I was focusing on my own potion, and Ron was sitting between me and Neville?" Helia sarcastically pondered.

Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor. "

"How the Bloody hell was that her fault?" Charlie demand an answer, having lost his temper at Snape's behaviour. "She was working on her own potion it wasn't her responsibility to monitor the other students, it was yours!" He yelled looking as if he was ready to get up into Snape's face.

"Mr. Weasley that will be quite enough." Dumbledore sighed.

"No actually, it's not enough." Bill declared. "Why aren't you saying anything? What gives a professor in your school the right to treating their students like this, you honestly can't approve of this kind of behaviour?"

"This occurred four years ago I found no reason to interfere than, any more than I do now, Severus if you would continue please." Dumbledore cut off the eldest Weasley boys protests.

The Weasley boys exchanged dark looks, their expressions showing how unsatisfied they were with the headmaster.

This was so unfair that Helia opened her mouth to argue, but Ron kicked her behind their cauldron.

"Don't push it," he muttered, "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty. "

As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Helia's mind was racing and her spirits were low. She'd lost two points for Gryffindor in her very first week -- why did Snape hate her so much?

Snape shifted uncomfortable. "It's not exactly you I hated, but rather... what you meant."

"It's because of me, right?" James asked Snape, looking in his eyes. "I truly am sorry for how I treated you I was a right git and it was fair." James apologized to his old schoolmate, sincerely. "However, I will not tolerate you dragging my daughter down." Snape didn't meet James's eyes, but he gave a nod showing his understanding.

"Cheer up," said Ron, "Snape's always taking points off Fred and George.

Fred and George were just as angry as their older brothers.

"Yeah, but we actually deserve it when he takes them away." Fred grumbled under his breath. He and George remembered Ron talking about how Snape seemed to have it out for Helia more than others. If they had known what exactly went down they would've pranked the old dungeon bat to kingdom come.

"You two have revenge raging in your eyes." Daphne whispered, amused.

"So? You gonna stop us Lady Greengrass?" George asked, with a sharp grin.

She causally brushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ears, as she hummed in fake thought. "No I think I'd rather like to watch."

"Thank you for enabling us, darling." Fred smirked.

Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?"

At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.

What's the crossbow for?" Astoria asked curiously.

"Hagrid uses it for protection, since he can't use magic." Hermione answered.

Helia frowned, then a thought hit her they were read all of her school years, so they would read what she knew about who really opened the chamber of secrets. Dumbledore wouldn't do anything with the knowledge, but with four ministry workers here than it couldn't be denied.

When Helia knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, "Back, Fang -- back. "

Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open.

"Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang. "

He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.

"Is he very vicious?" Astoria asked nervously, she was terrified of dogs after one attacked her when she was seven.

"No, he's very, very gentle." Helia reassured.

"It's the ones with the sweet names you've got to watch out for." Charlie informed.

"Don't we know it." The Trio and Neville muttered.

There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.

"Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears.

Why is it always the ears?" Ron complained.

"He likes you." Helia teasingly cooed.

"He likes my ears." Ron grumbled, drawing a giggle from Susan.

Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked.

Nope." Ron, Helia, and Draco all said. Honestly Fang was a big scaredy-cat Draco remembered how Fang ran away even before he did in the Forbidden Forest.

"This is Ron," Helia told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate.

"Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles."I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest. "

"Hey it wasn't just me and George he was chasing out." Fred complaining.

"Yeah, I mean Charlie was in there every chance he got trying to find all sort of magical creatures." George tattled.

"Charles Septimus Weasley, how dare you risk your life to go gallivanting about the Forbidden Forest!" Mrs.Weasley screeched. "Why I expect this kind of behaviour from the twins, but you! Your supposed to set an example for your sibling not give them the idea it ok to go off into a beast infested forest!"

"Mum this was years ago, and I never told my sibling it's okay to go into the forest when I caught the twins following me in the forest I took them straight back to the dorms." Charlie defended himself. "Beside a lot of my time in the forest was with the old care of magical creatures' teacher Professor Kettleburn, you know the man who recommended me for my job in Romania."

Mrs.Weasley's brown eyes sharpened into slits, and her nose wrinkled in detest at the mention of Charlie's old professor and mentor Silvanus Kettleburn. She thought that the old cripple brainwashed Charlie into wanting such a dangerous living, and she had no problems show it.

The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Helia and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first lessons. Fang rested his head on Helia's knee and drooled all over her robes as she secretly cooed over him when Hagrid and Ron weren't looking.

Sirius looked at her with a comical look of betrayal, drawing a giggle pasted her lips.

"Don't worry Snuffles is still my favourite." She giggled.

Helia and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Filch "that old git. "

"An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her -- Filch puts her up to it. "

Helia told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Helia not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students.

"But he seemed to really hate me. "

"Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why should he?"

Yet Helia couldn't help thinking that Hagrid didn't quite meet her eyes when he said that.

"That because he knows." James told his daughter, when Sirius couldn't look into her eyes afraid Helia would condemn him for his past mistakes.

"How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot -- great with animals. "

Helia wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose.

"Hmm...Very shrewd thinking Potter." Theo hummed.

While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Helia picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet :

"Of course you would find the bloody thing, always looking for trouble." Sirius grumbled playfully.

"It was right in front of me." Helia protested. "Besides it mentioned the date the original robbery occurred on and it caught my eye since it happened while Hagrid and I were there." Helia reasoned with her godfather. "And I do not look for trouble, trouble finds me, thank you very much."

GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST

Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown.

Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.

"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokes goblin this afternoon.

"Goblins, hate it when wizards try to stick their noses in what they see a goblin nation business especially when they are running an investigations and testing security." Bill informed.

Helia remembered Ron telling her on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron hadn't mentioned the date.

"Cause I didn't remember it." said Ron a little sheepishly.

"Thankfully, or else Miss.Potter would've started this nonsense earlier." Minerva muttered.

"Hagrid!" said Helia, "that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!"

There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely didn't meet Helia's eyes this time.

"For Merlin's sake is there anything you don't notice." Ginny sighed.

He grunted and offered her another rock cake. Helia read the story again. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the thieves were looking for?

"Someone seems to be onto something." Blaise purred.

Yes." Helia said bluntly. The McGonagall and Snape groaned, what did they do to have to be stuck having to try and control a child that was curious as Helia Potter. It was bad enough with Lily and James, but their daughter seemed a thousand times worse than her parents.

As Helia and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse,

The golden trio laughed, "We still do that." Ron chucked.

"There's such a thing as being too polite." Mrs.Weasley sighed.

Helia thought that none of the lessons she'd had so far had given her as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn't want to tell Helia?

"I wish you never inherited your parents curiosity, I swear Pup you're gonna give me grey hairs." Sirius whined.

"Your welcome." James told his best friend with a cheeky grin.

"I can say with assurance that I would have never thought all that from just reading that article." Kingsley shook his head. "

"Kid's got good instincts." Moody agreed.

And what did he have to do with her mother's death?

The final sentence hanged in the air, nobody knew what to say.

"Fawn what do you mean?" James asked his daughter. "Voldemort killed us, Snape had nothing to do with our death."

Snape winced at that, because that wasn't quite true without him the Dark Lord wouldn't would've known the prophecy, and Lily and the Potters wouldn't been targeted.

"There was hidden message wasn't there?" Hermione questioned, her cinnamon eyes bright as she remembered their first potions class.

"Victorian flower language…." Lily trailed off as she stared at her old best friend, face pale.

Helia hummed, as she glanced at Snape for permission, his sneer deepened, but he didn't show any protest.

"Asphodels are a type of lily, and they mean my regrets follow you to the grave, wormwood means absence and bitter sorrow." Helia said quietly. "When together it means I bitterly regret Lily's death."

"That's it Severus, you and I need to talk." Lily hissed at her childhood friend, as she stocked out to the hallways with a nervous Snape trailing after her.

Chapter End Notes

Paediatricians recommend waiting until your baby is at least 12 months before introducing honey. As honey may contain spores of a bacteria called Clostridium botulinum. This could possibly cause botulism—a serious condition that attacks the body's nerves

The presence of botulism doesn't mean our honey supply is contaminated. Indeed, these bacteria are harmless to adults and children over 1. But it can make babies, whose digestive and immune systems are less developed, seriously (and possibly fatally) sick.

A Duel, Is There Anything More Exciting, More Romantic…Or Utterly Moronic?

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

"In the name Circe, what the bloody crap was that?!" Lily hissed as soon as they were out of earshot.

"I...was angry." Snape said wearily, not bothering to sugarcoat it Lily wouldn't take any bullshit right now especially if she was cursing. "I knew that I would be teaching Heliantheae Potter the supposed chosen one, even worse the spawn of James Potter who was nosing but a bully and an arrogant toe-rag that I treated her as I would him."

"Does this behaviour continue?" Lily asked, narrowing her green eyes at him.

"...Yes." He admitted, hesitantly. " I mean as the years pasted, I don't know if less harsh is the word for it." He floundered for the right words."I didn't target her as much, but if an opportunity came up to make her school life harder I didn't hesitate to do so."

"You didn't target her?!" Lily scoffed, in disbelief. "What you did was childish, petty, cruel, and unprofessional at every angle. You took out your schoolyard grudge with James out on a child that did not bear any sins, not her father's nor her mother's for a child bares no sin!" She ranted, furious at her old childhood friend. "Not to mention that hidden message crap."

Snape flinched.

"Don't think I don't know Heli left out your other little hidden message." She hissed, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You gave her a warning, Monkshood symbolizes that that danger may be nearby and a foe may be lurking there waiting. I know you weren't talking about Voldemort, you were talking about you, you're the foe that hiding in the shadows."

Snape's head bowed low, before nodding. "I'm sorry."

"You're only sorry that you're upsetting me, not that you're targeting my daughter!" she snapped, he flinched again only then did Lily realize what was really bothering him. "Oh my magic, you're not only taking your grudge on James out on Helia you're taking your grudge about me on Helia too!" Lily exclaimed.

Snape's dark eyes narrowed, as he avoided looking into her inquiring gaze. "What grudge? I don't hold anything against you."

"Your bitter that I choose James over you, even though I told you I only thought of you as my friend, my family." Lily hissed. "But you didn't want that did you, if you couldn't have it your way than what was the point right?" She accused angrily, before taking a deep breath in hope of calming her anger. "I'll tell you this, I will not tolerate you attacking my daughter because that's what she is not just James Potter's 'spawn' She is also the loved 'spawn' of Lily Evans Potter who used to be your best friend." With that said the fuming redhead stormed out of the hallway back to where everyone and her family was waiting.

A silent Snape followed after his composed himself it wouldn't do any good to lose his self now, not when he came this far he had made his bed now he just had to lay in it.

As they returned to the siting room, Lily without a word collapsed into her husband's waiting embrace James asked nothing only lightly kissed the top of her flame coloured head. Snape slunk off back to his seat he gave a stiff mood to his godson who looked at him with concealed worry.

"I guess I'll begin then…" Padma trailed off. "The Midnight Duel"

Mrs. Weasley whipped around to glare at her youngest son fire burning in her eyes. "Ronald Weasley, I swear to Merlin you better of not been duelling, young man or so help me."

Ron turned pale at his mother's anger, Helia quickly jumped in to save her best mate from his mother's wrath. "Mrs. Weasley we didn't duel anyone." Helia reassured, "Honest."

"I sure hope not young lady." Lily warned her daughter who flinched, looking over her shoulder wearily at her mother. "Wandering the castle at night is one thing, duelling students is another." Lily forewarned, Helia grimaced at the stern stare her mother was staring at her with.

"There was no duel." Helia said, which wasn't a lie.

Helia had never believed she would meet a boy more annoying than Dudley, but that was before she met Draco Malfoy.

Blaise could see the hurt shining behind his best friends eyes, something had to be done. "Hey, Potter." He called out.

Her emerald eyes slide over to stare at him, her eyes clearly saying what-is-it-now. "Yes?"

"You hate Draco more than your cousin who literally beat on you." He demanded to know. Helia's eyes squinted in confusion for a moment, her response started the room into silence.

"Who said anything about hate?"

"Mate, what are you talking about you hate going to your relatives?!" Ron exclaimed shocked.

Helia nodded in agreement. "Yes, I hate going to my relatives, however I don't hate my cousin."

"Helia, How can you say that?" Hermione questioned. "After what he put you through, he intentionally targets you."

"I know, Dudley is very much the product of how he was raised to be." Helia informed them, with a weary twist on her lips. "He was raised to think of me as nothing more than a freak, and someone that is lesser than him. Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving an excuse for his behaviour I would be quite happy to never see my relatives ever again. But, I know why he's like that we're both products of how we were raised in that house." Helia presented, to her shocked silent friends and family. "If anything I'm so used to Dudley's childish insults and threats, that it's more of an annoyance than anything else."

Blaise simply blinked at her in contemplation. "How is Draco more annoying than your cousin."

Helia's eyebrows furrowed at the repeated question, wasn't her reasoning obvious? "Before I came to Hogwarts, I didn't care for anyone but myself." Helia to him, causing a dark eyebrow to shoot up in surprise little saint Potter only caring for herself, oh please. "It's true, however I gained people I genuinely cared for, people I would not stand being mocked or hurt."

Blaise's eyes widened in realization, scoffing at himself for not figuring it out sooner. "You classify Draco higher because he badmouths your friends and not just you."

"Yeah, pretty much."

Still, first-year Gryffindors only had Potions with the Slytherins, so they didn't have to put up with Malfoy much.

"You know for only have one class with him, he sure seemed to pop up from nowhere." Hermione said with a smile hiding behind her fingers. "For someone who claims to hate us, you sure seem to seek us out a lot."

Draco narrowed his icy silver eyes at Granger trying not to bring attention to how pink his cheeks surely were. He didn't want to admit how right she was, he always goes out of his way to find them —or really Potter—he used taunts, and fights as a way to just be in her presence. If only for a moment of her time, even if it was negative attention her focus was finally on him in those moments.

Or at least, they didn't until they spotted a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room that made them all groan. Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday -- and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.

"Sure let's put the Gryffindor and Slytherins together, it's not like their bitter rivals or anything." Fred drawled sarcastically.

"Yes they would never antagonize each other until a fight breaks out, that's for sure." George said just as sarcastic.

"Never, the very thought is blasphemy." They chorused.

"Typical," said Helia darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy. "

Everyone who had seen Helia fly, snorted at that ridiculous thought.

"Give me a break this was going to be my first time on a broom, I didn't know." Helia whined.

"It's just a hilarious thought, you Helia Potter make a fool of yourself on a broom please as if you could." Fred scoffed.

"Are you really that good?" James asked with a wide grin on his face.

"The only game she's ever lost was because the dementors wondered on to the pitch." Susan informed her friends father.

"Dementors what were dementors doing at Hogwarts?!" Lily gasped, horrified.

Helia slapped a hand over Susan's mouth, "Sorry, can't disclose that information you'll have to wait until the third book." Helia denied, before turning to her friend. "Licking my hand isn't going to do anything."

Susan finally pried Helia's hand off. "It's meant to make you let go, you almost smother me!"

Helia looked at her blankly. "Why would it, and I wasn't even covering your nose it's not my fault you didn't think to breathe through your nose."

"Wha-What?" Susan stuttered gaping at Helia's deadpan face, Ron sighed placing a calming hand on her shoulder.

"It's not worth it." Ron told her. "She wouldn't get it."

She had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.

"You don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself," said Ron reasonably. "Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk. "

"It's not," Draco said at the same time Helia blurted out, "No, not really."

This drew many perplexed looks, "What? I can't compliment a fellow quidditch player?" Helia hissed, as she avoided looking at the awe filled silver orbs of Draco 'not a bad flyer' Malfoy.

Malfoy certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first years never getting on the house Quidditch teams and told long, boastful stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters. Helia mused to herself, for someone who acted as if non-magicals were below him, he sure was up to the time with non-magical things. He wasn't the only one, though: the way Seamus Finnigan told it, he'd spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick. Even Ron would tell anyone who'd listen about the time he'd almost hit a hang glider on Charlie's old broom.

Charlie's eyes widened, then narrow at his little brother in a frightening akin way his dragons would look at their prey. The other Weasley siblings watching knowingly between their two siblings, the other ready to go in for the kill and the other turning paler by the moment.

"What were you doing on my broom?" Charlie growled dangerously, as his brother watched him apprehensively.

Ron's Adam's apple visibly bobbed as he swallowed fearfully, trying to make himself as small as possible. "Uh, it was only one?" He tried only for his brother to seethe with anger even for looking one step away from breathing fire. "Come on, Charlie I was eight." Ron whined holding his hands up in defence.

"Once... like I give a bleeding crap I warned all of you's when I bought that broom I home that you were not to take my broom without me being there with you. It wasn't a family broom it was mine, I worked my ass off for that broom for three summers, since I was 13 until finally I was able to save enough money!" Charlie raged as he towered over his brother who was hoping to Merlin that the chair who swallow him whole. "You don't have respect for me or my property!"

Before Mr. Weasley could get up to remove his second oldest from the room, a petite pale hands grabbed Charlie's larger work-hardened hand. "I was wrong before you aren't curse, Lytta must have gave you her blessing sadly every blessing does have its drawbacks." Luna told him, not at all bother by the intense fierce gaze staring at her. She simply traced runes into his skin Algiz for warding off evil and Wunjo for comfort with a gentle finger laced with her magic. He could feel the anger and rage dissipating he no longer felt that burning fire eating away at his insides. Luna tugs his still looming form away from his shocked brother back to their seats never once letting go of his hand.

The Weasley's were staring at the little blonde Ravenclaw like they have never seen her before, they never saw anyone but Mr. Weasley calm Charlie's temper.

"We can begin again." Luna told the room, drawing the room out of their shock.

Padma scramble with the book for a minute, as she followed her housemates gentle order.

Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly. Ron had already had a big argument with Dean Thomas, who shared his dormitory, about soccer. Ron couldn't see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was allowed to fly. Seamus had told Helia that he had caught Ron prodding Dean's poster of West Ham soccer team, trying to make the players move.

Hermione face-palmed and ran her hand down her face, exasperated, but she didn't say anything this time.

Neville had never been on a broomstick in his life, because his grandmother had never let him near onE.

"No surprise there, Augusta hates quidditch ever since frank fractured his skull in fifth year in a quidditch match." Sirius informed Neville. "Wouldn't let him back on a broom for the life of him, the poor bloke had to go over her head and sneak his quidditch games behind her back." Sirius informed.

"Really! The way Gran tells it, Dad didn't even like quidditch." Neville exclaimed shocked.

"Are you kidding, Frank pretty much lived for the game he was second in command to James who was captain!" Sirius bragged. "He was no doubt my best beater partner, that I've played with."

"Oh yeah, Frankie boy was excellent at keeping me from going over board with the team training." James laughed sheepishly. "Those slackers always went crying to Frankie, too much of cowards to face me themselves."

Privately, Helia felt she'd had good reason, because Neville managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground.

"Helia!" shouted Mrs. Weasley.

"Yes?" Helia calmly, inquired staring at Mrs. Weasley expressionlessly.

"Oh, they so aren't going to win this one." Ron to Hermione, who nodded in agreement. Neville hid a smile behind his palm, he didn't blame Helia for her thoughts in fact he looked forwards how she would handle people condemning her for her private thoughts. He so was betting on Helia.

"He's your friend! You shouldn't think that about your friends!" scolded Mrs. Weasley.

"But it's just that though, I thought it." Helia informed her best friends mother, with a cold smile on her lips. "Haven't you ever thought about something privately, that you would never say out loud?" Helia inquired with that same smile.

"Yes, but what does that have to do—"

"It has every thing to do with this, because your thought it's still private to you right? I mean why do you tell us all about it." Helia pressured Mrs.Weasley.

"What—why? Would I—" Mrs.Weasley stuttered, as her face slowly turn more red.

"Exactly why should you be expected to share your private thought? I mean it's not like I wanted to have my upmost private and every thought all shown in a neat little book for everyone to read." Helia said with a sarcastic little smile that bared her teeth a bit too much. "Why should I be persecuted for my thoughts? When everyone here even yourself is just as guilty?" Helia asked, with a head tilt that sent shivers down people's spines.

"We weren't...I didn't mean to..." Mrs.Weasley stuttered.

"If not, then let's care on then shall we." Helia suggested, even though it sounded more of an order.

Hermione Granger was almost as nervous about flying as Neville was. This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book -- not that she hadn't tried.

"You wouldn't be our Hermione if you didn't." Helia told her best friend, kindly.

In their dormitory Helia and Hermione poured themselves over Quidditch Through the Ages in hopes of the knowledge would at least help them be better prepared for the actual act.

"Aww, aren't you two just adorable." Blaise mused, glanced at Helia and Hermione in amusement. Both girls bristled at the looked.

"I'll show you fucking adorable, alright." Helia hissed, only to be held back by Sirius.

At breakfast on Thursday Hermione bored the boys all stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of Quidditch Through the Ages.

"That's a good book, especially if you like Quidditch, but it doesn't really give you tips that you need to know for a first time flight." James informed Hermione.

Neville was hanging on to her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick later, but everybody else was very pleased when Hermione's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the mail.

"Well, love you too." Hermione sarcastically called out, drawing laughter from her fellow Gryffindor.

Helia hadn't had a single letter since Hagrid's note, something that Malfoy had been quick to notice, of course.

"And there you go again, Malfoy." Hermione muttered, growing a glare for the boy in question.

James hazel eyes narrowed behind his glasses, as he assessed the blonde boy next to his daughter. If Fawn's friend was right, and this kid was indeed watching his little Fawn more than he should be they just might need to have a little chat.

Malfoy's eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table.

A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.

"It's a Remembrall!" he explained.

"Not those blasted things, My Mum still to this day sends me them." Tonks sighed, annoyed.

"Gran knows I forget things -- this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red -- oh. . . " His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, ". . . you've forgotten something. . . "

"Now if only it would tell you what you've forgotten..." Neville grumbled, Padma comforted him with a quick pat on the hand.

"Your doing much better, Neville."

Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.

"Why, Malfoy just what were you doing passing the Gryffindor table?" Daphne coyly mused, her teal eyes glinted wickedly at her housemate."The Gryffindor and Slytherin tables are on opposite sides of Great Hall, and you just happen to be passing by just at that moment?"

"Oh, Lovely Lady Greengrass, don't you know Malfoy here is one of the most unsubtle wizards to ever wizard." Fred snickered, at Malfoy who was turning pinker by the moment.

"A total drama queen really, if you ask me." George smirked, as he lounged closer to the blonde between him and his twin.

"To be fair it's only when he's around Heli-flower, he becomes so easy to read." Fred jokingly, tutted.

"Yes, it's really quite funny." George agreed.

"Now, boys don't torture the boy too much." Daphne tittered, behind her hand. "It's better to drag it out."

George and Fred shared a darkly amused glance, man was this girl a riot or what?

Ron immediately jumped to his feet. Helia though gracefully rose from her seat, acting normally so not to attract the Professors attention— though Ron might of blew it already— with a smile that bared too many teeth to be sweet her eyes as hard as the stone they take after.

However, before anything could transpire, Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash.

"I develop the ability due to your father and godfather." McGonagall said sternly.

"What about Remus, he was there too!" Sirius exclaimed, gesturing at Remus.

"Yeah, I thought you didn't have favourites." James whined.

Remus turned to Sirius, with a shocked expression. "I'm hurt Sirius, James trying to through me under the spell, I'll have you know that I as any good student would never dare get up to any mischief, it would be wrong."

"Oh don't go pulling that good-two-shoes act out of your arse, Mate." James waved Remus wide-eyed look off, with a scoff. "I'm honestly surprised that people still fall for that after how many times you bullshit them with the whole good boy act."

"Your just jealous that everyone knows you're such a toe-rag, that no one believes you when you try." Remus chuckled at his friends pout.

"What's going on?"

"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor. "

Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table.

"Just looking," he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.

"You look with your eyes not your hands, Mr. Malfoy." Madam Bones said sternly.

At three-thirty that afternoon, Helia, Ron, and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.

"As our beloved captain Oliver used to say, never a better day for some flying." Fred said with a sage nodded.

"Freddie, old chap he said every day was no better day." George correct him.

"Are you sure, Georgie?"

"Yes, I quite vividly remembered practice happening for three hours in a snow storm.

The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Helia had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.

"You really should get those brooms updated." Kingsley said.

"Those things stopped being brooms ages ago." George groaned, with Fred nodding along.

Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up. "

Helia glanced down at her broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!'"

"UP" everyone shouted.

Helia's broom jumped into her hand at once,

James cheered, jumping up from his seat. "That my daughter, what did I tell you people my daughter was born to fly!"

"James, no one said anything different." Lily sighed, fondly.

"But, Lily-pad our daughter, flying!"

"Yes, yes, very proud." Lily said. "Now tone it down you, ridiculous man."

Helia smiled at her parents, she couldn't get over how much she loved watching them.

but it was one of the few that did. Hermione Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all. Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, thought Helia; there was a quaver in Neville's voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground.

"Tell me about it, I unfortunately found out extremely fast, just how much I wanted to stay on the ground." said Neville with a chuckle.

Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Helia and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years.

"Which is complete bullocks, there is no right or wrong grip on a broom, it's whatever is comfortable for you." Draco grumbled, still slighted by the correction.

"There, There." Blaise consoled, however his best friend could tell he was being sarcastic as he shot the Italian boy a dark glare.

"She teaches the standard grade grip for beginners to the first years, as it is the most easiest form for people who never ridden a broomstick to learn. Once you learn the basics then you can experiment with the different riding techniques and what works best for you, she just there to help give the students a good starting base to go off of." Madam Bones informed.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle -- three -- two--"

But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.

"Come back, boy!" she shouted,

"Right, like that's going to do anything." Helia scoffed. "I don't know what it is with teachers and believing yelling is the answer for everything. If you don't want kids to do something you can't just stand there yelling, it works better if you actually get up off you're arse and do something." Helia proclaimed, gruffly.

"Miss Potter!" McGonagall hissed, but Helia just rolled her eyes.

but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle -- twelve feet -- twenty feet. Helia saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and --

Everyone winced, knowing what was about to happen. Padma latched onto Neville's hand with a death grip, her sister had told her all about this at dinner, but this was different in a way she couldn't explain.

WHAM -- a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay facedown on the grass in a heap.

Nearly everyone in the room winced.

"Neville were you alright, Darling?" Lily asked, worriedly.

Neville looked away from Padma, to turn a shocked stare to Lily. "Umm, Yes…just a broken wrist, Lady Potter." Neville grimaced, stumbling over his words.

"You can call me Lily, Neville." Lily told her godson, with a gentle smile on her lips. "I mean I am your Godmother."

"Oh, Ok, Lady — I mean Lily." Neville agreed, a bit shocked. "Madam Pomfrey had me fixed right up."

"I guess this really didn't sell flying to you, huh ..." James said with a wry grin, running a hand through his natural windswept hair.

Neville smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, you don't say."

His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight.

Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.

"Broken wrist," Helia heard her mutter. "Come on, boy -- it's all right, up you get. "

She turned to the rest of the class.

"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch. ' Come on, dear. "

"Please tell me she did not just leave a group of eleven year olds, who I might add are from opposing houses that hate each other, outside with brooms and instructions to not use them?" Remus asked blankly.

"Who in their right mind would leave any group of Gryffindor and Slytherin students together, that's just asking for trouble." Snape sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose at the thought of the two rival houses being left unsupervised.

McGonagall ran a hand down her face, in thought maybe she should've listened more to the students who were trying to explain what happened instead of brushing them off. Who knows what really happened that day, she only saw Potter up in the air it was most likely she mistakenly let someone get away with instigating the trouble.

Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.

No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter.

"How is that funny?" Ginny snapped in disgust.

"Did you see his face, the great lump?"

The other Slytherins joined in.

"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil.

Neville smiled to himself, it's nice to know that Parvati cared for him and didn't just put up with him because of how close him and Padma were. "It's nice to know Parvati would defend my honour."

"Of course, she would Neville." Padma was quick to reassure. "I mean she may act ditsy and girlish, but she still protect her own. And you Neville Frankllen Longbottom are undoubtedly our family." Padma declared. Neville didn't know what to say to the beautiful Ravenclaw girl, so he quietly took her hand in his hoping it should that he was okay with being family as long it was hers.

"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati. "

"Why that Kutiya!" Padma hissed, no way was Parkinson getting away with insulting not only Neville, but her twin her other half. Parkinson better watch her back, when this was all over because the Patil's were never ones to forget and forgive.

Helia silently stalked closer to the Slytherin's, she noticed a silent boy standing away from most of his house mates she could tell his blank icy blue eyes were watching the whole show

Blaise let a smile tug at his lips, reaching a hand up to caress his lovers cheek bringing those icy blue's to face him. "It seems that you were spotted quite easily, amante."

Theo's dark eyebrows furrowed together, at his Elskan's teasing. "It can't be helped, Kærasti, not all of us can blend into the background like you do." He whispered brushing lips ever so gentle on to that teasing smile.

Dark green eyes fluttered open to see the smirk tugging at Theo's lips. "Well you know, always stay one step ahead of your enemies."

from Draco Malfoy mocking Neville, Pansy Parkinson and Parvati Patil trading hidden barbs and threats, to her slowly stalking the group. Helia bared her teeth threateningly at the boy, who gazed at her emotionlessly before flicking his icy blue eyes away from her, but she could tell he was still observing her.

Susan slapped Helia on the arm, drawing a glare and what was going to be a snarl. However Susan stopped the girl holding up a scolding finger. "Ah! I told you Helia you can't snarl and bare your teeth like a wild animal, it's not Lady-like."

Helia snorted at her friends constant fight to install some manners into her, Helia tried telling her she knew when to pull the manners out, but she would only use them when the need called for them. She had enough of the stifling acts and sucking up with the Dursley's thank you very much.

"Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him. "

The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up.

Helia finally had enough of standing back, all she ever done when she was with the Dursley's was stand back and let it happen staying silent was the only way it would be over. However this wasn't the Dursley's no one could make her feel that way again, unless she let them and she was tried of stand back, of letting people walk over her. It wasn't going to happen again, and now she wasn't going to let that happen to someone else, specially not Neville.

Neville turned to Helia ready to blurt out his thanks all over again, when Helia held up a hand.

"Neville I didn't do it for your thanks, if anything I did it for me more than anything else." Helia waved him off, trying to convince him she didn't do it for him.

"Helia the book, betrays you're act." Neville chuckled, at his friend trying to play off her actions as selfish. "You make have acted in your need to never let anyone walk over you, but you also did it so I wouldn't have to feel that way, so thank you Helia." Neville beamed at Helia who turned away from him trying to hide her blooming red cheeks

"Give that here, Malfoy," said Helia quietly. Everyone stopped talking to watch.

McGonagall groaned, why did her house have to be full of brave and bold children who didn't know when to keep their mouths shut. "Ms. Potter, while it's a admirable trait to stand up for your friends. Stooping to their level will never solve anything."

Helia tilted her head gazing at her head of house with her emerald eyes that didn't convey anything that she was thinking. "I was only trying to help, Professor." Helia told her. "Sorry if that inconvenience you."

McGonagall watched her little lioness over her spectacles, her lips pursed. "Next time, Ms. Potter the best course of action would to be is get a Professor.

Helia's lip twitched as if she didn't know if she wanted to smile or snarl. "Yes, Professor." When has asking for a Professor's help ever worked out for her.

Malfoy smiled nastily.

"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find -- how about -- up a tree?"

"Give it here" Helia growled, but Malfoy had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. He hadn't been lying, he could fly well.

"Wait stop, what was that line." Draco interrupted, lifting a hand up to his ear as if he didn't hear correctly. "You know what I think, Potter should read it out loud too just to make sure it's correct." He snickered.

Helia whipped around to glare at Draco, heatedly. "I will not, you don't need me stroking your ego Malfoy." She poked him in the chest roughly. "You know exactly what the book said, you don't need to hear it twice."

"Oh come on, Potter." Draco whined. "You never know, my hearing might not as up to par as my flying."

"Just shut up, Malfoy."

Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, "Come and get it, Potter!"

"Oh you've done it now, Malfoy." The Twins sang, snickering.

Snape's dark eyes narrowed, this incident was veering far away from what Draco had accounted to him back in his first year, for one Potter had not been the on to instigate it nor was she the first one off the ground. It seemed like he was going to have a long talk with his godson about lying to him.

Helia grabbed her broom.

"No!" shouted Hermione Granger. "Madam Hooch told us not to move -- you'll get us all into trouble. "

"Thank you Hermione, for at least trying to stop her." Lily sighed. "It's good to see that Helia has some friends with common sense."

The young witch shrugged. "It's not like either of them ever listen." She huffed, though she didn't need to tell her best friend's mother that usually she also go so caught up with what the three of them where doing that she was just as crazy as her friends.

Helia ignored her.

"You do that a lot." Hermione muttered to her best friend. Helia just turned to her with her stupidly bright crooked grin, the one Helia knew made her friend fold like a pack of cards. Hermione playfully swatted at her, but couldn't kept her answering smile off her face.

Blood was pounding in her ears.

"And that is what we would call James's Impulsiveness kicking in." Sirius cackled. Both Father and daughter pouted at him.

She mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up she soared; air rushed through her hair, and her robes whipped out behind her -- and in a rush of fierce joy she realized she'd found something she could do without being taught -- this was easy, this was wonderful.

"You always looked the happiest when you were up in the air, the higher the better." Ron said, that was probably the first time he saw Helia really truly happy. Sure she was happy at Hogwarts, but she always held herself back that first time on a broom was the first time he had seen Helia truly relax and just enjoy the moment.

"Oh Fawn, I bet you look like a right sight on a broom." James beamed.

She pulled her broomstick up a little to take it even higher, and heard screams and gasps of girls back on the ground and an admiring whoop from Ron.

She turned her broomstick sharply to face Malfoy in midair. Malfoy looked stunned.

"I wasn't really expecting you to be able to follow me." Draco admitted, with a tense shrug.

Ginny snorted, in disbelief. "You really thought you could scare Helia off, by taking off on a broomstick." She scoffed, rolling her reddish-brown eyes. "Like that could save you."

"Look, Weaslette." Draco huffed. "This was in the first couple of weeks of the term, Excuse me if I underestimated how stubborn and reckless this petite fragile looking girl was okay!" He exclaimed. "And I wasn't running away!"

"Yeah, a lot of people make the mistake of thinking because Heli-flower is so tiny, it means she can't scrap with the best of them." George nodded.

"They be wrong, Heli-flower is a viscous and savage thing." Fred informed, with a hyena like grin on his face. "She can and will mess your shit up."

"George, language!" Mrs. Weasley hollered.

"I'm Fred, Mother dearest."

"While, I am George, Mum.

"Give it here," Helia called, "or I'll knock you off that broom!"

"Ms. Potter! We do not condone threatening to knock your year-mate off a broom, especially when there's at least a fifty to sixty foot drop!" Dumbledore scolded.

Helia rolled her emerald eyes, drawing shocked looks from people. "This was ages ago, I thought we weren't going to be in trouble for the past." Helia scoffed.

"No one said anything about you being in trouble, Ms. Potter." Madame Bones tried to sooth, her nieces friend, but Helia just bared her teeth in a snarl.

"Oh really, So way does everyone kept on harping one me than?" Helia wondered bitterly. "Look I may threat someone, but I'm not the instigator here. Malfoy and I always bring out high emotions out of each other, but hardly anything we do to each other left lasting physical damage." Helia emphasized, Draco nodded along with her much to the shock of some. "Besides I've never once personally knocked someone off their broom." She promised, with her hand over her heart.

"We know that Heli, no one would accuse you of that." Lily assured her daughter.

Blaise said nothing as he watched out of the corner of his eye, at Potter's soft smile as her mother fused over her. It boggled him sometime just how manipulating Potter was, the girl had everyone believing that she was this justice seeking hero with an inability to stay out of people business. While really she was putting on a million and one different faces a new one for every person she interacted with, when will people learn. They didn't even realize that Potter said she never personally knocked anyone off a broomstick, but she never said anything about causing them to fall.

"Oh, yeah?" said Malfoy, trying to sneer, but looking worried.

Helia knew, somehow, what to do. She leaned forward and grasped the broom tightly in both hands, and it shot toward Malfoy like a javelin. Malfoy only just got out of the way in time; Helia made a sharp about-face and held the broom steady.

"Look at her, that's my Fawn!" James cried, clinging onto Helia tightly as if he couldn't make up his mind from loving that she could fly and being terrified of her getting hurt.

"Dad." Helia laughed trying to push him off of her.

"Noooo! Love meeee Fawwwn!" James whined clinging hard to a wiggling daughter.

A few people below were clapping.

"That's really quite impressive, since this was her first time on a broom." Bill admired.

"Yeah, the Potter's aren't just known for their potion inventions quiet a few of them just have a natural talent for flying." James beamed, ruffing his daughter's riot of shoulder length of hair.

Sirius turned to James, snickering. "You know it's funny. Your ancestors helped create fundamental healing potions, your father created the sleekeazy's hair potions. What the hell did you create?"

"Apparently the saviour of the wizarding world."

"No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy," Helia called.

The same thought seemed to have struck Malfoy.

"Catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground.

"Criminal damage is a criminal offence." Kingsley said. "I'm willing to bet this case would be a level five fine, Mr. Longbottom despite the time that has passed since the incident you can press charges against him."

Neville waved Kingsley off, to the confusion of everyone not present when the incident occurred. "Oh no need I got my remembrall back the next day, not a scratch on it."

Tonks turned to Helia in disbelief, her hair brightening to a shock of yellow. "You didn't… I mean you couldn't…"

"Oh Pup, your giving me more grey hair than bloody Azkaban."

Helia saw, as though in slow motion,

"Slow motion, huh?" Charlie mused. He knew Ron said that Helia was a brilliant flyer, but to hear how flying was from Helia's own thought put her on pare with the best flyers out their. Seekers always described their acts as if time slowed down around them, just them and the snitch.

the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall. She leaned forward and pointed her broom handle down -- next second she was gathering speed in a steep dive, racing the ball -- wind whistled in her ears, mingled with the screams of people watching

"Ok, maybe you should go back to the ground now." James worried, gripping both his daughter and wife close to him.

"Heliantheae Potter, I swear to Hecate if you do not land that broom this instant I will —" Lily threatened, as she clung closer to her family."

"Mom, Dad this happened years ago."

"We don't care get out of the air!" Lily shrieked.

-- she stretched out her hand -- a foot from the ground she caught it, just in time to pull her broom straight, and she toppled gently onto the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in her fist.

"HELIANTHEAE POTTER!"

Her heart sank faster than she'd just dived.

"It's Minnie coming for you, isn't it?" James sighed, he wasn't too surprised her office window did face the quidditch field.

"Oh, yeah."

"What do you expect, when I see a first year diving passed my window at neck-breaking speeds!" Mcgonagall hissed. "And don't call me, Minnie!"

Professor McGonagall was running toward them. She got to her feet, trembling.

"How is it that diving from at least fifty-feet doesn't scare you, but as soon as you see me your trembling in fear how does that work?" McGonagall asked in exasperation, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

Helia avoided looking at her Head of House, does this really have to be explained again and again. When were these people going to get that with the shit-show of her childhood, that trusting people let alone adults was a very slim chance. I mean come on you come running and shouting at a traumatized kid of course their going to be show some symptoms of fear, not to mention adding the coming off the adrenaline rush on top of that, give her a break people.

"I'm sorry, have we not come to the conclusion and read the evidence that, Potter has been abused mental, verbally and physically." Theo pointed out, impatiently fed up with how slow some people were being.

"Yes, we know this —" Theo was quick to cut off McGonagall.

"Why are you asking idiotic questions than?"

"Mr. Nott, we do not talk to your Professor that way!" McGonagall hissed.

"Oh, I'm sorry I that school was a learning environment?" Theo pondered, tilting his head with a cold smile etched onto his handsome face. "I was only asking out of a educational interest."

"That is enough, Mr. Nott." Snape warned.

"As you say, Professor."

"Never -- in all my time at Hogwarts--"

Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously, " -- how dare you -- might have broken your neck--"

"It wasn't her fault, Professor--"

"Be quiet, Miss Patil--"

"But Malfoy--"

"That's enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now. "

Helia caught sight of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle's triumphant faces as she left, walking numbly in Professor McGonagall's wake as she strode toward the castle. She was going to be expelled, she just knew it.

Ron and Hermione shared a long-suffering look. "There she goes, again." Ron sighed, Hermione could only shake her head at her best friend.

"You mean this happens, often?" Mr. Weasley asked.

Ron looked at Helia for permission, she didn't look happy, but she didn't say anything to stop him. "Helia can't really be given any time to theorize when she in trouble. She will automatically jump to the worst situation she can think of, and it just goes down hill from there."

"You have to understand that her uncle would threaten her with these threats that got her imaging these scenarios in her head, all alone left to her devices." Hermione divulged, to the horror of everyone they turned to look at Helia who just shrugged along to what her best friends said.

She wanted to say something to defend herself, but there seemed to be something wrong with her voice. Professor McGonagall was sweeping along without even looking at her; she had to jog to keep up. Now she'd done it. She hadn't even lasted two weeks.

Ron and Hermione sighed and both whacked her on the back of the head without saying anything.

"Oi!" She yelped, turning to her friends with a pout on her lips. "You don't have to hit me, This was years ago!" she whined.

They both gave her unimpressed stares, that made her give them a sheepish grin. She really need to get it through her head that they weren't going to put up with negative thoughts.

She'd be packing her bags in ten minutes. What would the Dursleys say when she turned up on the doorstep?

Up the front steps, up the marble staircase inside, and still Professor McGonagall didn't say a word to her.

Hermione winced, dropping her head into her palm, why was it that everyone was so horrible at handling Helia didn't anyone in the wizarding world know how to spot a distressed child. Because that's what Helia was than a distressed child.

She wrenched open doors and marched along corridors with Helia trotting miserably behind her. Maybe she was taking him to Dumbledore. She thought of Hagrid, expelled but allowed to stay on as gamekeeper. Perhaps she could be Hagrid's assistant. Her stomach twisted as she imagined it, watching Ron and the others becoming wizards, while she stomped around the grounds carrying Hagrid's bag.

Professor McGonagall stopped outside a classroom. She opened the door and poked her head inside.

"Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?"

The Professors and adults looked horrified.

"I would— I would never—"Minerva spluttered, trying to find the right words to reassure her little lioness. "I would never, ever use corporal punishment on a student Ms. Potter." She couldn't believe one of her lions actually believe that a Professor would even dare to try to punish a student physically.

James and Lily held their daughter close in between them, hoping to protect her from the stares. Trying not to let Helia know how much her childhood hurt them, how could anyone do this to their baby?

Wood? thought Helia, bewildered; was Wood a cane she was going to use on her?

But Wood turned out to be a person, a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick's class looking confused.

"Follow me, you two," said Professor McGonagall, and they marched on up the corridor, Wood looking curiously at Helia.

"You know Oliver was the first person who didn't look at me like the sun rose and fell at my call." Helia mused, resting her cheek on her fist her eyes going soft at hearing the first meeting between her and her quidditch obsessed captain.

"What do you mean?" Astoria asked.

"He didn't care that I was The-Girl-Who-Lived, he only cared what I was doing there and what it had to do with him." Helia smiled, Draco could feel his heart give a painful pang at her soft smile at being focus on someone else.

"In here. "

Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom that was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard.

"Out, Peeves!" she barked. Peeves threw the chalk into a bin, which clanged loudly, and he swooped out cursing not before throwing a wink to Helia.

"It was nice, Peeves actually waited outside the classroom for me. He could tell I was feeling nervous and stuck around just in case." Helia mentioned, a loop side smile blooming on her tan face remembering how grateful she felt when she saw her poltergeist friend waiting for her.

Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind him and turned to face the two students.

"Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood -- I've found you a Seeker. "

"Wait." James turned to his daughter shocked, who was grinning at him with a adorable loop side grin. "Really, you mean—" He stuttered, before galumphing his daughter in a bear hug. "Oh I'm so proud, my fawn."

"She's actually the youngest seeker in a century." Hermione informed her best friends daughter, who actually started to cry.

"Lily! Our baby!" James balled, "the youngest seeker in a century!" He clung to Helia, petting her flyaway hair as he cried tears of joy.

Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight.

"Yeah, that sounds, like Ollie." George snickered, running a hand down his face. He could remember how stress Oliver was when no on tried out for the seeker position, and it was a rule when the captain was stressed to team worked overtime.

"I really thought he was going to drown himself in the shower when no one showed up to try out for seeker that year." Fred mused, his arm was thrown over the back of the couch behind Daphne who causally leaned back into him.

"No kidding, it was rough with our poor captain having a metal break down." George sighed, "Not to mention not a single person could catch more than four golf balls at a time.

"Seriously, how hard is it to catch a single ball before to hits the ground."

"The things we put up with for Quidditch, brother dearest."

"Are you serious, Professor?"

"Absolutely," said Professor McGonagall crisply. "The girl's a natural." Not noticing Helia's cringe continued "I've never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a broomstick, Potter?"

"You actually had a toy broom that Sirius got for your first birthday." Remus piped up.

"Really?" Helia asked, looking from her parents, Sirius and Remus curiously.

James bursted out laughing, a crooked grin bloomed on his tan face. "Oh yeah, I swear there wasn't a day that you wouldn't want to fly on it." He turned to his wife with a teasing grin. "Drove Lily completely bonkers, of course."

"It's not my fault, James!" Lily yelled, her cheeks turning red in her indignation. "I mean for Circe sake, you only encouraged her when she was speeding all about the house. Do I need to remind you who left the window open, almost losing our daughter who took off at the first chance she got?" Lily pointed a perfectly manicured finger between her husbands eyes, James hazels eyes crossed to look at the finger drawing a giggle from his wife.

"Oh come on, Lily-flower I didn't know she would fly out the window." James whined, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Helia nodded silently. She didn't have a clue what was going on, but she didn't seem to be being expelled, and some of the feeling started coming back to her legs.

"She caught that thing in her hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor McGonagall told Wood. "Didn't even scratch herself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it. "

"Especially, not on my first time on a real broom." Charlie beamed, man did he and Helia need to have a quidditch match or what. If this was her as a firstie than what was she like on a broom now?

Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once.

"They did." The Twins coursed.

"Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked excitedly.

"Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team," Professor McGonagall explained.

"She's just the build for a Seeker, too," said Wood, now walking around Helia and staring at her, she tracked the older boy with her eyes feeling a bit like prey for some reason. "Light -- speedy -- we'll have to get her a decent broom, Professor -- a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say. "

Helia sighed as she remembered her first broom, to this day her heart still hurt thinking about it. Not that she didn't love her firebolt, it's just she was never good of letting go of the little belongings she owned.

"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks. . . "

Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Helia.

"I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you. "

"Oh, that explains it." Fred and George said, blinking in realization.

"Explains what?" Mad-eye asked, gazing at the twins with his magical eye.

"Why Heli-flower always practices until she's ready to drop." Fred deadpanned, completely serious.

"I mean it got a couple of time, Oliver has to drag her off the pitch." George emphasized on Oliver. "You know it's bad when quidditch crazed Oliver is telling someone to take a break."

"She probably thought that if she wasn't always giving it her all, Professor. McGonagall would take quidditch away from her and just expel her." Hermione sighed at her friend.

"You're kidding right?" Bill asked, Hermione gave him a look that said just how much she wasn't kidding.

Then she suddenly smiled.

"Your father would have been proud," she said. "He was an excellent Quidditch player himself.

Helia startles when fingers grab her chin gently turning her to face a face that calls to her because it's familiar but at the same time so heartbreakingly unknown to her. The face of her father that she never got to know pasted one year of her birth, she tried to blink back tears that wanted—begged—to be released from her emerald green eyes. A warm hand that was calloused from years of gripping and controlling a broom religiously—her own callouses mirrored them ever so slightly— caressed her cheek warming her cold skin, nothing seemed to be able to drive away the cold anymore the cold was slowing seeping into her bones almost like a poison.

However this single touch from the man that was her father that she cruelly never got to know warmed her frosted skin and bones, reminding her of one of the many times when she nothing but a scrawny starving child years before she ever knew about magic and still believed her relatives were right when they called her a freak, an abomination that wasn't worth a roof over her head or even a blanket to starve of the biting cold. It reminded her of the warmth that saved her life.

She remembered the first time the Dursley's locked her out of the house, in the middle of winter. Before that she had only been locked out of the house during the summer and spring months, quite frequently actually. The winter was a whole different torture all on its own, the snow bit into her skin with its chilling fangs, her clothes wet and frozen offered no protection from the cold. Her small body shakes and shivers as it uselessly tries to generate body heat.

She wondered down an alleyway in the downtown of Little Whining hours away from Private Drive. She doesn't bother to glance up at the nine-story building that is Grunnings—she remembered chuckling humorlessly at no matter how far she went, she couldn't escape her relatives—she slumps down the alley wall her soaked feet aching but strangely numb screamed for her to stop, just stop.

She couldn't remember how long she spent curled up against the stone wall, her breath coming out of her slow turning blue lips in puffs of white. What she does recall is the taste of blood from when she bites her tongue so hard it bled, trying to stop her teeth chattering.

It's in that haze of cold that also seemed to burn, is when he showed up. She didn't care to lift her head to peer where the sounds of boots shuffling on iced concrete and a hacking cough that booms in the freezing silence of her suffering comes from. She knew that whoever it was, was just going to walk past like all the others no one ever care about what the perceived to be lower than them, just like her relatives were always telling her she was a low-born freak spawn of a drunk and a useless woman and that's why she deserved what she got.

She didn't know why she waited to hear the person pass by, guess she just wanted to torture herself over it. So her anger and indignation at being over looked at her lowest could at least warm her spirit.

She waited…waited…waited….and waited, only she didn't her anything.

A scruffy boot that looked better than her own soaked hand-down sneakers which wasn't saying much came into to her line vision, her heart squeezed painfully this was going to be one of those times when someone just had to kick someone when they were all ready down wasn't it.

Silence was always the best way for it to be over and done with, when it came to her Uncle, so she hoped it would with this person. They both didn't say anything, both seemed to be waiting for the other to talk first the chilled winter air crackled with tension at the stilled silence.

The booted foot knocked against hers lightly, her annoyed sigh puffed out in a cloud of white as she strained to lift her head up to gaze up at the foots owner.

He was as scruff as his boots, he wore jeans like her with two shirts on under his warm and worn winter jacket that reminded her of deer fur—she missed that jacket—. He certainly looked wild with dark locks falling in his face to his broad shoulders and an equally wild and long beard covering his hard features.

"Hey Kid, what ya doing out in the cold." His gruff voice demanded, not asked. His hazel eyes zeroed on to her with razor focus.

She remembered her near blue lips tugging up into a weary smirk, or maybe it was a weak snarl her words came spitting out like acid though. "Minding my own business, you should try it, Old man."

Normally she would just duck her head and hope that the punishment would be over quick, that usually happen when she used her sharp words that always ran in her head. Now all she did is lean her tired head back against the stone wall quirking a dark eyebrow up at the scruffy wild man.

As she expected the man scoffed-huffed at her and left her to her slow descend into hypothermia, she closed her emerald eyes as she felt the snowflakes fall onto her eyelashes and cheeks. A water drop trailed down her cheek, and no one was around to argue with her that it clearly was a tear—if someone did try to argue with her, she would tell them she didn't think her body was able to produce tears with how cold she was, they would probably freeze—

The crunch of ice underfoot jarred her out of her mental pity argument, the wild man was back he was holding a cup of something. He walked up to her in away that told her he was used to being feared, he crouched down in front of her holding out the paper cup to her.

She lazily blinked her emerald eyes up at him not knowing what he wanted. He heaved a sighed at her, reaching for hear hand only to pull back when she uselessly jerked back into the stone wall.

"Not gonna to hurt ya, Kid." He soothed gruffly, a soft rumble came from his chest.

With that said he slowly reached for her hand as he watched her reaction, and she watched him wearily as he placed the shockingly warm cup in her numb hand. His hands that felt and looked rougher than anyone's she's ever seen—except hers—but she could barely feel them with how numb and tingly her hands were. They cupped hers when he noticed she didn't have the strength to hold the cup herself, his hazel eyes glinting with a strange golden light or shine?

"It's okay, Kid." He rumbled, as he helped her lift the warm cup up to her lips the steam was welcoming as it floated up to greet her chilled blushed face. She eyed him suspiciously over the top of the cup, his lips twitched under his beard like he was pleased that she was weary of him. "C'mon on, what ya waitin' for."

Stealing herself she sipped at the drink, instantly her tense body seemed to melt as the warm drink lit a warmth inside her cold—so cold, oh why was it so cold, someone please— body. The taste of chocolate, cinnamon, and other warm spices she couldn't describe danced warmly in her mouth. She lounged forward into the man's chest, gripping at the cup that seemed to be her only hope of survival when she felt it moving away from her.

The man shushed her wrapping a strong arm around her back to bring her closer to his body heat that his body seemed to generate like a heater. "Shh Darlin', I wasn't takin' it from ya, I thought you needed to breathe that's all." He soothed. "It's yours, take your time Kid, it's not going anywhere."

As she drank that warmth from the cup, she could hear his hidden words not said he's not going anywhere either.

"I am so proud of you, Fawn." Her father's words knocked her out of her head, as she gazed at Hazel eyes, dark hair, and warmth and almost wanted something else, someone else her breath came out shaky as she pushed that traitorous thought away to never be unearthed again. "I can't describe how proud I am, I mean the youngest seeker in a century." He breathed his voiced laced with warmth and love as he pulled her head closer until they were rested their foreheads against each other's. "How did I get so lucky to have someone so strong, intelligent and beautiful as you, my little Fawn. Because you my deer are just like your mother, you both wear your strengths as a crown that you both wear so beautifully."

She bit her lip to stop it from wobbling, as she tried and choked on her words and no words at all. She raised her calloused and scarred hands to grip on to his shirt, leaning once again to a warm that chased away the bitter cold. Hazel eyes that once again are watching over her, like they always do.

"You're joking. "

It was dinnertime. Helia had just finished telling Ron what had happened when she'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it.

"Merlin's Balls, Ron forgetting food?!" Bill exclaimed, a hand jokingly covering his heart.

"It's not possible, say it ain't so Georgie, say it ain't so!" Fred cried leaping at his in fake frantic fright.

"Freddie there's not time for panic, we have to alert the ministry we must save the children." George shook his twin, his voice falsely serious.

"I always knew that our would end one way or another, and you all called me crazy for having Dragon." Charlie joined in, pointing at his siblings. "Who's laughing now suckers!"

Only siblings not joined in the taunting was Percy who was shaking his head at his immature siblings, and Ginny who was too busy laughing her ass off.

Ron's shoulders hunched as he tried to block out his siblings, his lips pressed together so he wouldn't lose his temper it would only end up with his mum yelling at him. He startled when two bodies pushed up against his sides, the familiar view of long brown hair and tanned scarred hands, the scents of parchment and fresh crisp air calming him in a way that alway vexed him.

"Okay that's enough out of the peanut gallery." Helia cut off the Weasley siblings easily, with Hermione backing her with her hands on her hips and an unimpressed look on her face that could put McGonagall to shame. "This is going to get old fast if you five jokers are just going to be ribbing the entire time, you should remember this book is going to be unearthed all of your secrets too not just ours."

The Weasleys all gulped as they sweated from the combined glares of Helia and Hermione, as the blocked their brother from their views.

"Glad we could settle this quietly." Helia said sweetly, but smile was anything but sweet. No that smile would look more homely over the beaten bodies of the Lady's enemies.

Ron's lips quirked, how did he never realize how much these girl mean. They weren't just his friends, they were his family of choice.

"Seeker ?" he said. "But first years never -- you must be the youngest house player in about--"

"-- a century," said Helia, shovelling pie into her mouth.

Susan face palmed, "Wow, Helia how ladylike."

"Leave Helia alone, Dear." Mrs.Weasley lightly scolded. She didn't want anyone to give Helia the idea that she couldn't eat as much as she liked—Merlin's wand the child didn't eat enough as it was—

She felt particularly hungry after the excitement of the afternoon. "Wood told me. "

Ron was so amazed, so impressed, he just sat and gaped at Helia.

"I start training next week," said Helia. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret. "

"Which means the whole school knew about it by the time dinner came." Helia sighed.

"Yeah, no kidding! I think Georgie and me knew about the news even before Oliver informed us." Fred chuckled.

Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Helia, and hurried over.

"Well done," said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too -- Beaters. "

"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year," said Fred. "We haven't won since Charlie left,

McGonagall lips pursed at the reminder, and ignoring Snape's smug smirk.

but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Helia, Wood was almost skipping when he told us. "

George scoffed, "Yeah no kidding, Oh Captain my call us living beaters, but we've never seen someone go from skipping off into the sunset to trying to drown themselves in the shower over Quidditch so fast as him."

"Yes that man is so melodramatic, that's it's almost funny." Fred chuckled.

"It is funny."

"Oh, right."

"Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school. "

"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you. "

Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.

"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?"

"My daughter is never going back to those pathetic lot of people." Lily hissed, latching onto her daughter's hand glaring at everyone in the room daring them to disagree.

"Around the same time you do I reckon, but Malfoy you're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you," said Helia coolly.

"Oh ho! What a sharpe tongue you have Darling." Blaise chuckled, a delight grin spread on his handsome face that screamed mischief.

Helia coyly smiled at Blaise, obvious to the jealousy generating off of Draco next to her. "That's not the only sharpe thing I have, Heir Zabini." Blaise perked up at the unexpected flirtation, watching her hand trace lightly over her chest. Only to flinch away when she swiftly pulled a light dagger out of her shirt, "I have this beautiful handcrafted dagger, that was gifted to me from my bank representative as you can see it is very sharpe."

Both Theo and Draco shook with silent laughter at the disturbed look on Blaise's face.

There was of course nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl.

"I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel.

"Draconis Lucius Malfoy!" Snape shouted, furiously shocked at the audacity that his godson—at eleven-years old no least— had risked not only his life, standing, inheritance, but also his family's as well. His godson may sometimes leave one wondering what was going through that thick head of his, however he was also a smart and cunning young man that was taught from a very young age no never risk anything that could blacken his family. "Just what were you thinking!" Snape whirled around to stare down his godson.

Draco opened his mouth to explain, only to be interrupted by his enraged godfather. "That's right you weren't thinking, but if you were you would've never of done it!" Draco cowered under the fiery gaze of his godfather, not daring to try to speak again or even glance over to Blaise and Theo for help. Those bastards would never risk bringing his godfather's wrath down on themselves, when he was already this furious. "Do not think this will be swept under the rug, godson." Snape warned, Draco sunk deeper into seat knowing godfather was going to be even for angry later in the chapter.

Wands only -- no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"

"Of course she has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm her second, who's yours?"

"Ronald Bilius Weasley!" Mr.Weasleys voice cut through the room, his normal jolly and quiet disposition replaced with anger and disappointment. "You can never accept a duel on the behalf of someone else, you better be thankful magic didn't accept it as a binding contract!" Ron sunk down in his seat much like Draco did. "I've never been so disappointed in my life, you could've cost your friend everything! If not her magic, than her life too!"

"Dad I just didn't want her to look like she didn't know what she was doing in front of Malfoy!"

"That's even worst, Ronald!" Mr.Weasley bellowed. "You willingly set Helia up for failure, Wizarding Duels are no joke they have very dire consequences! With Helia having no proper knowledge of the customs and rules she could've lost her magic!"

"I'm sorry, Dad!"

"Sorry isn't enough when you're risking someone's life."

James cleared his throat to catch the attention of Mr.Weasley and Ron, he smiled at them when they looked over to him. Both father and son blanched at the chilling smile on Lord James Potter's face, Mr.Weasley winced remembering the gruesome reports of Auror James Potter's arrests—There was a reason Mad-eye raved about the man, and his 80 percent kill-rate—

"Ron I understand that you thought you were just helping my daughter, however listen very carefully." James said leaning forward to stare straight in the wide blue eyes of the youngest Weasley boy. "Because I'm only going to lay this out for you once, never unintentionally or otherwise risk my daughter ever again. And if you do one thing to harm Helia I will make sure that you and your family will never be able to set a foot in the wizarding world again. Do I make myself clear."

Ron trembled as he looked to Helia for help, but she was held back her mother and godfather who were quietly explaining the reason why they were going to this length. "Y-Yes Sir—I mean Lord Potter!"

"Good, let's hope we won't have to repeat this conversation." James chirped with a grin that showed too many teeth to be easy going.

Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.

Snape looked appalled, "You don't choose your second by their physical appearance, you carefully choose them by their magical progress."

"What magical progress does Crabbe and Goyle have?"

Snape would give his godson that.

"Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked. "

When Malfoy had gone, Ron and Helia looked at each other.

"What is wrong with you!" Helia whispered furiously, as she tugged at her short hair. "It's quite obviously a trap, he was practically screaming it at us….

"Thank Circe, that you have the common sense to not to want to go through with it." Lily sighed in relief. "So you don't show up that's fine since you, yourself never verbally accepted the Duel."

A pinched look crossed Helia face, as she avoided her mother's eyes. "Yeah, um-Sure lets go with that."

Lily whipped around to look at her daughter, "Wait what do you mea—"

"Lily, love let's just read and wait." James soothed.

what do you mean, you're my second?"

"Well, a second's there to take over if you die," said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie.

"Watch you mouth, Kid." Sirius warned, his teeth set on edge at how casually the brat talked about Pup dying.

Catching the look on Helia's face, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway. "

"Of course I would've of refused, all he's doing is trying to get my attention and get me into trouble." Helia scoffed. "I don't know any offensive spells well enough to use them without them backfiring,

"I'm sorry, can we just take a moment to revise that a first year learned and practiced offensive that aren't taught until year two I might add." Kingsley emphasized.

Helia looked at him blankly, "Anyone with the magical capability and drive to learn it's fairly simple to learn any spell."

"Its simply unheard of that a child of eleven years-old to study and master advanced spellwork." Kingsley argued.

"First I didn't master it at that age it's said plain as day that it kept on backfiring on me, second I'm not a role model to hold the standards of my age group on that's unfair. All my learning was necessary to easy my mind, to feel safe in a unfamiliar environment and to have a hidden card up my sleeve for my protection nothing else." Helia cut him down.

so what do you suggest I do since you're the one who got me into this mess."

"Throw it away and punch him on the nose," Ron suggested.

"I like that plan, go with that." Tonks approved, with a mad grin on her impish face only for her grin to fall as she caught the glare that Mr.Weasley was burning at her. "Oh, come on, Molly, their kids that just want to one up another. Not to mention it would be hilarious to see my little cousins face when she breaks out a good old sucker punch."

Helia falsely sighed in disappointment. "Oh how I wish I could claim that right, but Mione bet me to it first." Helia informed Tonks with a pout.

"Oh Merlin, Tell me do not leave out a single detail!" Tonks demand of a blushing Hermione, her hair sifting from emerald green, light purple to light pink.

Draco stepped in before Hermione could say anything to his cousin, "Yeah no, you'll just have to wait like everyone else."

Tonks flopped back in her seat pouting, blowing her grey bangs out of her face.

"Excuse me. "

They both looked up. It was Hermione Granger.

"Hello, Hermione," Helia greeted, not bother by this interruption.

"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron.

"Rude, brother." Ginny said.

"Look we've just been interrupted by the Twins, Malfoy and his lackeys, than out pops Hermione. We barley were able to finish eating, so forgive me for being a little fed up!" Ron huffed, before turning to Hermione. "I am sorry for being rude Mione, just know I'm trying to be a better friend."

"Ron I knew what I was getting into when we became friends, but I am thankful your trying to be better and I promise to try too." Hermione promised him, as Helia beamed a her two best mates.

Hermione ignored him and spoke to Helia.

"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying--"

"Bet you could," Ron muttered.

"-- and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you. "

Padma's dark eyes widen, "Oh wow that is such blatant manipulation, there almost should be a threat tossed in there."

Hermione sputtered at the thought of threatening her best friend. "Wha-What I would never!"

"Hmm, I see where Heiress Patil is coming coming from, there some Slytherin in you after all Granger." Draco mused, an amused smirk painted on his pale face.

No matter how much Helia was starting to like Hermione, she hated when people tried to manipulate her a sure way to get on her bad side. "And it's really none of your business," said Helia.

"Helia I'm so—" Hermione tried to apologize, but stopped when she saw the look on her best friends face.

"Mione were good, alright."

"Good-bye," said Ron.

"Okay I think we're all thinking it how on earth did you three become friends." Susan wondered, she only ever seen the three of them as the perfect team she never knew they had this much of a rocky start.

The golden trio looked at each other with grins painting their faces, only for Helia and Ron to pale a bit as they glanced at their families. They probably weren't going to be too happy with them facing down a troll.

All the same, it wasn't what you'd call the perfect end to the day, Helia thought, as she lay awake much later listening to Lavender and Parvati talk make up and hair tips. Hermione was suspiciously quiet no sounds of mutters, scratching of quills or the flipping of parchment she let it go though Hermione was probably giving her the silent treatment as her way to express her disapproval. (Fay Dunbar fast asleep already). Ron had spent all evening giving her advice such as "If he tries to curse you, you'd better dodge it, because I can't remember how to block them. "

"That's not what a second is there for Ron." Bill sighed, sliding a hand down his face. "You can't interrupt the duel like that it would end up in disqualification."

There was a very good chance they were going to get caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, and Helia felt she was pushing her luck, breaking another school rule today.

Tonks grinned at Helia's thoughts on pushing her luck by breaking another rule. "Why do I get the feeling that that's not going to stop you?" She chuckled, Helia answered her question with a mischievous lopsided grin that said everything.

"Please do not encourage her please." Remus begged, not sure he was talking to Tonks or Helia.

On the other hand, Malfoy was the type that laid a trap so he could sit back and watch his prey literally walk into it willingly, because not walking into it would be worst. She guessed a trap is only a trap if you don't know about it. If you know about it, it's a challenge.

Both Remus and Sirius shared a glance before pointedly looking at James with deadpan expressions.

James raised an eyebrow at his friends looks. "What?"

"What—that really didn't sound familiar to you?" Remus hinted.

"James, mate you took everything as a challenge." Sirius reminded him.

"What, nooo I don't." James denied, shaking his head.

"Mate you took Lily turning you down in first year as a challenge that lasted six years." Sirius deadpanned.

"Or how about the time you took Sirius trying to sober up, because a full moon was the next day and he didn't think you would be able to transform."

"Hey I was able!" James exclaimed."

"James you scarred those muggles, and not to mention we barley escape the animal control." Remus Interjected.

She was always horrible at not rising to a challenge.

"Like father, Like daughter." Sirius sung.

Helia silently slipped out of her bed, arranging her pillows under the covers to resemble someone sleeping in the bed in case one of her roommates happed to peek in her curtains. They probably won't since they knew that she spelled her curtains closed nightly anyway.

She quietly pulled on her school robes—

"Helia-Flower, you're a witch after my own heart you got it all, the rule breaking, the coving your tracks all in a adorable package." Fred swooned.

"Brother she would eat you alive." George deadpanned.

"I would enjoy it."

she won't be able handle to suffer the humiliation of facing down Malfoy in her bathrobe— tip-toeing her way to the dormitory door she pulled it open as quietly as possible, wincing at the creak that seemed deafening in the silence of the sleeping dormitory.

She froze and waited with bated breath, only to sigh in relief when her roommates snores were the only thing that answered her.

Sneaking quietly down the spiral stairs, relaxing when she made it to the common room. Barely a minute passes before Ron descends down from the boys dormitory. "Half-past eleven," Ron muttered, "we'd better go. "

A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace, turning all the armchairs into hunched black shadows. They had almost reached the portrait hole when a voice spoke from the chair nearest them, "I can't believe you're going to do this, Helia. "

"I wonder who that could be." The Twins sarcastically wondered.

And that explained why she couldn't hear Hermione's usually nighttime study routine.

A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink bathrobe and a frown.

"Did you really stay up all night so you could stop them from leaving?" Daphne asked disbelieving that Hermione would go to that length, just for a little rule breaking. Hermione's face, flushed in embarrassment, she got it she was a bit much back then.

"You!" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!"

"All of you should be in bed!" McGonagall hissed, furiously.

"I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped, "Percy -- he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this. "

"Is that why you followed me around that whole evening?" Percy wondered, remembering Hermione shadowing him clearly wanting him for something, however she never approached him.

"Merlin Hermione, low blow threatening them with Perfect Percy." Fred tutted.

Helia couldn't believe anyone could be so interfering, not counting her Aunt Petunia.

"Come on," she said to Ron. She could deal with Hermione later when they were alone.

"Can I just say it sounds like you were planning on offing Hermione and hiding her body." Susan said warily.

Helia gapped at her Hufflepuff friend, before turning to reassure Hermione waving her hand in front of her. "Mione I would never—I just meant to talk to you away from Ron because you guy couldn't be in the same room without arguing back than!"

Hermione laughed in her hand, at her best friends rambles. "Helia I know you would never hurt me, I didn't even know about that thought because it was your thought."

She pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbed through the hole.

Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily. She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose.

"I was not!" Hermione exclaimed, lunging at Helia knocking them both to the floor. "You take that back!" The two friends squabbled on the floor trying to get the jump on one another.

"Oh come on, Mione I can't help how I think!" Helia yelped, when Hermione's Bonney elbow dug in her sternum.

"Oh right just like Dudley the blonde gorilla!" Hermione panted, wincing when Helia pulled her arm behind her back to pin her in place.

Helia blew her wild bangs out of her face, as she gazed down at her friend from where she was kneeling on top of her. "I'd never think of you the way I do Dudley, I can't help sometime my mind just connects things together it's nothing against you just my weird thoughts." Hermione when limp in her hold. "So we good, Mione."

"Yeah, we're good." Hermione agreed, taking Helia's outstretched hand as her friend pulled her off the ground.

Everyone was watching the Gryffindor girls with wide shocked eyes, never thinking that the two girls would roll on the floor and fight like that.

"Don't worry happens quite often." Ron reassured, waving off the stares.

"Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells. "

"Go away. "

"All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so--"

"Pig-headed?" Ginny offered.

"I was going to say moronic." Hermione admitted.

But what they were, they didn't find out. Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting. The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor tower.

Sirius barked out a laugh, "Man I remember those times, I swear she does it just to get back at ya."

"Sirius she probably still haven't forgiven you for that time you pelted her with those colour changing paint balls, it took Filch three weeks to get it off her portrait." Remus sighed.

"Yeah she's probably even more pissed at me with that whole thing during Pup's third year."

"Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly.

"That's your problem," said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late. "

They hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up with them.

"I'm coming with you," she said.

"You are not. "

D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up. "

"Merlin, Hermione we knew you were a goody-two-shoes, but that right there is some next level shit there." Fred pointed out, as he stared at Hermione.

"Yeah I mean how were you planning on making them go along with your story, their not afraid of breaking the rules so there's nothing to hold over them. They'd sooner drag you down with them." George told her.

"I get it, alright!" Hermione snapped.

"You've got some nerve -- " said Ron loudly.

"Shut up, both of you!" said Helia sharply. I heard something. "

"At least someone knew to keep it quiet." Sirius grumbled.

"Sirius we're not supposed to encourage them to cause trouble." Remus scolded.

Sirius glanced at Remus confused, "But Remus we caused trouble."

"Yeah Remus, I mean you were right there in the chaos with us." James pointed out.

It was a sort of snuffling.

"Mrs. Norris?" breathed Ron, squinting through the dark.

"What were you expecting the cat to answer to your call?" Charlie laughed.

It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville. He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as they crept nearer.

"Neville, Honey?!" Lily exclaimed, "Hecate's magic, what are you doing sleeping on the floor?" She fretted over Neville.

"I couldn't remember the password, by the time I got out of the hospital wing everyone was already asleep." Neville admitted sheepishly.

"Oh honey, why didn't you go back to the hospital wing?" Lily sighed.

"I really didn't think of that."

"Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed. "

"Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere. "

"How's your arm?" said Helia.

"Fine," said Neville, showing them. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute. "

"But she keep me there for the rest of the afternoon under watch." Neville complained.

"She does that." Helia and Remus chorused.

"Good -- well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later--"

"Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet, "I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already. "

"And he didn't go and find a perfect or even a teacher?!" McGonagall demanded, Neville leaned away from his House Head.

"Um, no?"

Helia arched a dark eyebrow at him, she never understood why everyone seem afraid of him.

Helia garnered a few strange looks, "What? He's nice to me." She shrugged.

Lily turned to her daughter, with a smile on her lips. "Really?! He was really nice to me too, when I was in school."

Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville.

"If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you. "

"I can never thank you enough for teaching that curse, Bill." Ginny grinned at her eldest brother.

"What?! Bill what were you doing teaching a curse to your little sister!" Mrs.Weasley scolded.

"Mum, Ginny was twelve I just taught her a little earlier than her classmates." He didn't bother trying to explain to his mother, how Ginny crawled into his bed every night during their stay in Egypt. How she shook, cried and begged in her sleep of how much weight she lost from not eating because everything tasted of ink and blood.

It was only when he handed her the knowledge to learn offensive and defensive curses to protect herself had he seen the spark of life in his little sisters chocolate brown eyes. He still couldn't forgive his parent for not noticing how much the aftermath of her first year had destroyed her, and he thanked every God and Goddess out their that his family came to Egypt before it was to late.

Because his worst fear was if they never came, the next time he saw his family would be for his little sister's funeral.

Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies,

Hermione blushed pink, telling everyone who knew her that was exactly what she was going to do. Hermione couldn't help the smile on her lips though, because this showed how much Helia cared for her and how well she knew her.

but Helia hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward.

They flitted along corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows. At every turn Helia expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, but they were lucky.

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Mad-eye roared, startling almost everyone as they were distracted by the book. Poor Neville topped right off his bean-bag.

They sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed toward the trophy room.

Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet. The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Helia took out her wand in case Malfoy leapt in and started at once. The minutes crept by.

"He's late, maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered.

"Or maybe you were set up." Blaise drawled. Ron scowled still mad over the cowardly git ditching them to Fitch all those years ago.

Then a noise in the next room made them jump. Helia had only just raised her wand when they heard someone speak -- and it wasn't Malfoy.

"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner. "

Snape's eyes widened, realizing what his godson set up oh how stupid could one get. "If you think this little plan of your is clever I can tell you it's not, had magic bond you to your challenge to duel your failure to show would call for an immediate disqualification." He hissed coldly at his paling godson, "Not to mention being branded a coward for such a dishonourable act, not suitable from someone of your standing."

Draco winced at his godfathers harsh, but true words now that he thought back to his first year schemes he wanted to use a Time-turner to slap himself upside his head for ever trying such foolery.

It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris.

"Argh," Sirius groaned, tugging at his long hair. "It just had to be Filch."

Helia silently cursed herself in her head and promised to curse Malfoy to his face the next time she saw him.

"Oh Merlin I remembered that, I swear Malfoy looked like he sucked on a lemon." Daphne giggled.

Waving madly at the other three to follow her as quickly as possible; they scurried silently toward the door, away from Filch's voice. Neville's robes had barely whipped round the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room.

"They're in here somewhere," they heard him mutter, "probably hiding. "

"This way!" Helia mouthed to the others and, petrified, they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armour. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run he tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist, and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armour.

"Ugh rookie move." James sighed, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Never panic, your most likely to make a mistake that will end up getting you caught." Sirius informed them, "like what you just did."

Neville face palmed, of all the times his clumsiness had to show up to join the party it had to be right at the moment he to be as quiet as possible. Well that's just his luck.

The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle.

"Run." Helia hissed, and the four of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following -- they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Helia in the lead,

"All them years of trying to out run Dudley and his little gang or Aunt Marge's bulldogs really helped with my stamina." Helia said offhandedly. Not caring about the winces and pity glances.

without any idea where they were or where they were going -- they ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room.

"Wait a moment," Astoria interrupted. "If you guys are in the Charms corridor, that means you're-"

"On the third floor," Percy finished for her, going pale. There's no way they would find themselves near the forbidden corridor, right?

"I think we've lost him," Helia breathed, leaning against the cold wall luckily all her running away from Dudley and his gang left her pretty fit the run through the corridor didn't leave her winded as the others. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering. "Neville, stand up straight it'll be easier to breathe." Helia advised as she helped the wheezing boy to lean straight against the wall.

"I -- told -- you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, "I -- told -- you. "

"Hermione I…don't think now is the right….time to be saying I told you so's." Remus gently amended.

"We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible. "

"Malfoy tricked you," Hermione said to Helia. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you -- Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off. "

Helia knew that Hermione was right, however as much as Hermione would love to say 'I told you so' to her. Helia knew her roommate would kill her if she told her that she willing walked into the trap. It was probably better to never tell her that.

A huff was heard followed by the sound of an arm being smacked, yep nothing to be seen here.

"Let's go. "

It wasn't going to be that simple.

"It never simple when it comes to us," Ron sighed.

They hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them.

It was Peeves. He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight.

"Oh he's happy to see you." Luna smiled.

"You kidding me Lovegood, he's going to get them caught." Daphne hissed.

"As long as you play your cards right, he'll help you out." George soothed.

"Yeah old Peevsie loves taunting Filch more than mess with the students, and that's saying something." Fred assured.

"Peeves wait—please— come on give us a hand or else we'll get caught. "

Peeves cackled.

"Don't squeal on them" Sirius wheedled. "Come on Peevsie, be a pal, will ya?'

"Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty. "

"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please. "

"Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know. "

Helia stepped closer to her poltergeist friend, starting up at him with large emerald eyes. "Peeves, please." She begged.

Peeves stopped his cackling and teasing at the plead, he knew how much it took for Helia to ask for help. It was in either of their natures to ask for help and it wasn't in his to give help, but here it was again his little firstie making him want. What he didn't know.

"I'll say it again thank god for Helia's ability to make friends just as fast as she does enemies." Hermione called out. "No if only a certain some have some patience and leave the talking to the experts."

"Little Hel…" He trailed off.

However Ron had lost his patience. "Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves

"Oh Ronnikins, I don't even know what to say." George sighed, shaking his head.

"It would've worked it you didn't open your big mouth." Fred scoffed, not being able to look at his brother with how disappointed he was. "Bloody Hell how stupid can you get."

Ron turned to Helia and Hermione. "What are you not going to defend me?"

"No."

"No."

Came the two deadpanned replies, a stupid move was a stupid move. Ron should've known this with how much strategy he had to know for Wizarding chess.

this was a big mistake.

"Very big mistake." moaned Ron.

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"

Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door -- and it was locked.

The teachers all paled, there was only one locked corridor on the third floor during that year.

"This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! This is the end!"

"And you people call me a pessimist." Helia deadpans.

They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves's shouts.

"Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. She grabbed Helia's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, "Alohomora!"

"A first-year level spell," McGonagall hissed to herself. "A blasted first-year level spell."

The lock clicked and the door swung open -- they piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening.

"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me. "

Sirius barked a laugh, a wicked smirk on his lips "He's so not telling Filch anything, he decided teasing Filch would be more fun than getting you in trouble." He laughed. "Now as long as you hightail it out of there after they leave your home safe."

The four Gryffindor fourth years looked at each other, if only that was their last scare of the night.

"Say 'please. '"

"Don't mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go ?"

"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice.

"All right -- please. "

"You would think he would stop falling for it by now." James mused, witnessing Peeves pull that act many times during his years in Hogwarts.

"NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage.

"Ah thank Merlin, for Peevsie being a pal." Sirius sighed.

"He thinks this door is locked," Helia whispered. "I think we'll be okay -- get off, Neville!" For Neville had been tugging on the sleeve of Helia's bathrobe for the last minute. "What ?"

Helia turned around -- and saw, quite clearly, what. For a moment, she was sure she'd walked into a nightmare -- this was too much, on top of everything that had happened so far.

"What is it?" Lily worried, she could tell how much it took for her daughter to admit she was scared. For Helia to say it was out right nightmarish was horrifying.

"You guys wondered what was in the forbidden corridor right?" Helia asked, biting her rosy lips. "Well we got up and personal with what lied with in the corridor, unintentionally."

"Is it wrong I'm excited to hear what's inside it?" Sirius asked.

"Sirius! Helia just said it was a nightmare!" Remus snapped.

"I'm surprised the Twins aren't dying to know yet." Percy added dryly, trying to hide his nerves of his little brother in a dangerous situation.

"Oh, we already know."

"Yeah, I think we went up there with Lee in the first week of school." George mused.

"Poor Lee, I don't think he's going to get over his fear of dogs now."

They weren't in a room, as she had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they knew why it was forbidden.

They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.

"A Cerberus?" whispered a pale Tonks. "You put a bloody Cerberus in a school full of children?"

James felt a fury bubbling up inside of him, from the growls from his best mates they were furious also, what was the headmaster bloody thinking?

"Are you insane!?" Lily shrieked at the professors around them, but mostly at Dumbledore – taking the words right out of her husbands mouth.

"What in this world possessed you to have it in your school where it can escape at any moment!" Bill raged, his face as red as his hair.

"It was safely secured." Dumbledore assured.

"No it wasn't!"

It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Helia knew that the only reason they weren't already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise,

"Yes, the element of surprise can mean the difference in life or death." Mad-eye nodded approvingly. "Now its best to retreat before it can gain its senses."

but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant.

Helia groped for the doorknob -- between Filch and death, she'd take Filch.

"I should hope Filch would be the option of choice," said Remus tiredly, he didn't know what was giving him more grey hairs. The strain of being a werewolf or Helia.

"Yeah it's good to know at least one of my friends has her priorities set in order." Ron nodded sagely.

"Ronald my priorities are fine!" Hermione hissed.

"Really now?! Let's wait to the end of this chapter and see if you can say that than." Ron challenge.

"Fine."

"Fine!"

They fell backward -- Helia slammed the door shut, and they ran, they almost flew, back down the corridor. Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else, because they didn't see him anywhere, but they hardly cared -- all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster. They didn't stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.

"Please for Merlin's sake, tell me she's back in her portrait." Charlie begged.

"Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at Hermione and Ron's bathrobes hanging off their shoulders and all their flushed, sweaty faces.

"Never mind that -- pig snout, pig snout," panted Helia, and the portrait swung forward. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs.

It was a while before any of them said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he'd never speak again.

"I spoke the next day." Neville reassured.

"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally.

"That's what I would like to know." Lily hissed, frowning at the staff in the room.

"Put that to the side for a moment, what I want to know is why the only thing separating a bleeding Cerberus and students is a spell that first years learn in pretty much the first weeks." Remus growled, his eyes glowing golden at the three Hogwarts staff in the room.

"Hagrid needed to be able to feed it, with his inability to use higher spell-level that's what we used." Dumbledore explained, as if it should be obvious. "I warned the students that they should not go up there for their own safety."

"You warning the students that there was a forbidden corridor is exactly why there should be a stronger lock on the door!" James shouted, heck probably half the school went up there just for the heck of it, their kids! Did Dumbledore learn nothing with the marauders?! The Twins for Merlin's sake openly admitted to checking it out because it was forbidden.

"If any dog needs exercise, that one does. "

The Twins broke out in cackles, however Mrs. Weasley funnily enough didn't find any humour in the situation. "Oh brother of ours, we knew there had to be a sense of humour buried under there." Fred laughed.

Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again. "You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on."

"And you did?" Daphne asked in disbelief.

"Of course, I have eyes." Hermione scoffed, rolling her cinnamon brown eyes. "Helia saw it too, she just needs to compartmentalize her memories and thoughts to picture it now that her brain isn't in survival mode anymore."

"The floor?" Ron suggested. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads. "

Helia thought back to the room, trying to picture the surroundings when she remembered. "No Ron, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something. "

"How do you come up with that idea? Why does it have to me guarding something?" Madam Bones quested, her lips pursed as she started expectantly at her niece's friend.

Helia clenched her fingers to stop them from twitching to her wand, despising the feel of being studied. "It's a logical conclusion, first the room is forbidden people only forbid something when they don't want others to have it or go near it. Now it could just be the Cerberus, but there are sanctuaries that care for or relocate magical creatures to their nature habitats so that's out, not to mention the trap door." Helia informed, as everyone except Ron, Hermione and Luna watched her like she suddenly sprouted antlers. "Now no one places an animal as dangerous as the Cerberus in a room with a comprised floor because a trap door does comprise the structure and stability giving it a high chance of escaping through it. There has to be a reason, someone could slip the Cerberus's food in from there if it just connects to another part of the castle, however then there wouldn't be just a low-level first year spell being the only thing between it and students that Hogwarts are sworn to protect. So it's most likely the thing that is forbidden is located through the trap door and the Cerberus is the first defence system, hence guarding."

"Potter, if you don't sigh up for the academy after you graduate you will never have any peace until you do." Mad-eye warned.

Helia leaned away from her old—but not really— DADA Professor, accidentally brushing up against Draco's side. "Why…"

"Because I will show up at your house, your workplace, your outs, heck I will show up on your loved ones homes until you sign up, if you don't it would be a travesty and a waste of brilliance." Helia knew Mad-eye was complimenting her, however he was also admitting his intentions of stalking her every waking moment.

Hermione nodded. "Exactly."

She stood up, glaring at them.

"I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed -- or worse, expelled.

Uh, I'm pretty sure that's backwards..." Remus muttered, eyeing Hermione, who turned red. The teachers all blinked. They knew the girl was serious about her schooling, but seriously?

"Ha! I told you and they agree with me!" Ron exclaimed, pointing at her.

"Okay, Okay." Hermione winced. "My priorities were a little…muddled back then."

"A little?" Bill smirked.

Hermione narrowed her cinnamon eyes into a playful glare, as Bill jokingly raised his hands in surrender.

Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed. "

Ron stared after her, his mouth open.

"Wait, you guys had this conversation in front of me? I don't even remember this." Neville thought back confused.

"Neville you were so distraught from the event, you were practically in shock." Helia informed him. "Ron and I had to help you to bed, you were so out of it."

"Yeah, I can see that."

"No, we don't mind," he said. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you.

But Hermione had given Helia something else to think about as she climbed back into bed as Hermione ignored her entering the dorms. The dog was guarding something. . . What had Hagrid said? Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide -- except perhaps Hogwarts.

"Oh yeah, Hogwarts nothing ever happen here nope not a thing." Helia drawled sarcastically, thinking of the past four 'peaceful' years.

Nothing wrong with a possessed teacher trying to kill her, a giant ass snake with killer eyes being controlled by the teenaged spirit of her parents murderer trying to kill the muggle-born students and her. Or almost getting a chunk taken out of her neck by a werewolf only to almost have her soul stolen by pack of soul sucking wraithlike creatures, and then being forced into a dangerous tournament with competitors older and more knowledgeable then her only her and a semi-friend to be transported to a dark gravesite where she witness the murder of her schoolmate and the revival of her parents murderer only to be tortured and forced to duel for her life only to escape by the hair with the corpse of her schoolmate.

It looked as though Helia had found out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.

"Ms.Potter you figured it out that quickly?! You're thought process never ceases to impress." Madam Bones complemented.

"Heli, I don't know if I want to curse your memory or praise it." Lily groaned

"Here starts our hunt." Ron muttered to Hermione and Helia.

"Alright who wants to read next?"Padma questioned.

Mad-eye grumbled, as he held out his hand expectantly for the book. Padma blanched as she quickly handed over the book to the Auror. Mad-eye flipped through the book until he found the spot they left off at. "Halloween."

Chapter End Notes

Level Five Fine in UK is Five Thousand Pounds = 1659 Galleons 3 Sickles 26 Knuts.

Hindi - Kutiya (Bitch)
Italian - Amante (Lover)
Icelandic - Elskan (Darling/Love), Kærasti (Darling/Loved One)

(Ps I am actually going to be doing a two-shot that might grow into a AU of its own of that flashblack of Helia and her unnamed saviour)

Afterword

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