The morning sun rose over the castle of Hogwarts on September 2nd, casting a red and orange glow as it barely rose over the skyline.
The boy called Harry Potter blinked his eyes awake, refusing to fall back asleep, his stomach in knots in preparation of what was happening. He sat in bed for several seconds, comprehending the facts around him.
He was at Hogwarts. He was a Gryffindor. This was his dorm room. The excitement was nearly bursting through his chest as a grin covered his face looking around his room.
The room was larger than he expected with five four poster beds in a circle, the one he was in was right by the window which overlooked what he thought was the courtyard. He couldn't see anyone down there at the moment but it was still dark.
Each bed had curtains tied around the bed's poles and as he looked around, he could see a trunk at the foot of every bed. To the right of their beds was a wardrobe which Harry noted to put his clothes into. Everything was colored in Deep Red and Gold and the blankets on each bed were soft velvet red.
Giving a grin, he got out of bed to get his day started. His stomach was bubbling and he didn't think he could eat breakfast as he put his clothes into the wardrobe and put on his uniform. As he draped his black cloak around him, he grabbed his wands, putting his phoenix wand in plain view but tucking his two core wand and its holster underneath his shirt to keep it hidden.
To be honest, the illegal wand was probably just Harry being overly cautious but his sister and he were danger magnets and honestly, he felt a bit safer with it on him. He just had to be careful not to reveal he had it.
Harry quietly snuck past the other four sleeping boys and down the staircase. As he entered the common room, he could see a few older students already up. He paid them no mind and quickly left the common room. Grabbing the never-ending journal Emilia and Sirius had made him and a normal journal, he started to sketch a map of the castle.
Seeing as Mara had once gotten lost in her own room, he thought it would be better to be prepared. Idly as he sketched, he wondered if anyone had taken the marauders map.
/
Mara was comfortable, that much she knew but what she also knew was the annoying voice calling her name from her dreamless peace.
"Amaryllis!" At the name of her full name, her eyes snapped open and she let out a growl. "Don't call me that! My name is Mara!" She grumpily called out turning to face her offender.
She blinked at the confused face of Hermione Granger, whom she remembered she had met yesterday on the train to Hogwarts.
Wait, Hogwarts? Immediately, she sat up in bed, her stomach doing flip-flops as she let out a wide grin. Looking around at the unfamiliar room and the velvet red sheets, she nearly let out a squeal from happiness.
She was at Hogwarts! Quickly getting out of bed, she began to get dressed as she heard Hermione's harrumph from behind her.
"It's already eight thirty in the morning, Mara and you still haven't woken up. Our first class is at nine!" Hermione told her, an annoyed look on her face. "Everyone else has been up for hours."
Mara rolled her eyes at Hermione's dramatic spiel. She quickly pulled on her cloak, and quickly ran a brush through her hair, groaning as it pulled on her head. Gritting her teeth, the brush refused to move anymore and so she dropped it, just keeping her long red hair down. Breena lay on the bed lazily, her eyes on Hermione's figure, who shifted back and forth from the cat's odd gaze.
Mara then raced out of the door, her wand in her hand. She raced down the stairs trying not to trip and could hear Hermione following her out. As she came into the common room, only a few students were left in the room.
Mara turned to Hermione with a sheepish grin. "Thanks for waking me up. I probably would've overslept."
Hermione looked surprised for a second before giving her a small smile. "You're welcome."
Mara grinned. "Do you know how to get to the Great Hall?"
Hermione rolled her eyes but her smile never left. "Harry showed me, actually." That didn't surprise Mara at all. He wanted to find the marauders map but if he couldn't, he told her he would build a new one. Mara all right knew that wasn't going to go well, seeing as he couldn't draw very well.
As Hermione led the way through the confusing twists and turns of the castle, Mara struggled to remember what floor she was on.
When they arrived at the Great Hall, the doors were wide open and Mara could hear chatter from the great hall as the kids at breakfast. With a bright smile, she ran in and quickly spotted the Gryffindor table. Looking down it, she spotted the messy flop of hair that was her brother and walked over to him before taking a seat next to him.
"What's up, brother?" Mara grinned. Harry was eating a piece of toast and raised an eyebrow at her question.
He swallowed his food before answering. "Eating breakfast." He raised an eyebrow at her grin. "They're giving out schedules, so you better hurry."
Mara spotted McGonagall only a table length away from them and quickly began taking from the feast in front of her to eat.
Harry rolled his eyes at her manners but it was nowhere near as bad as Ron's, who had been sitting across from him gorging himself on food. Ron's mouth was full but he kept on continuing to stuff it.
"First years." The group of five turned to face Professor McGonagall, a stern but pleasant look on her face.
She waved her wand and four pieces of parchment went into the hands of the first years. Mara surveyed over her schedule before tilting over to see Harry's. They were both identical.
"Mr. Potter, Miss Potter." Professor McGonagall directed at them. Mara and Harry both turned to look at her. "Professor Dumbledore wishes to meet both of you and your familiars after your classes. I will escort you after, I believe its Defense against the dark arts."
Both nodded and Professor McGonagall left to give out more schedules. Turning back to their friends, Hermione had a frown on her face. "Familiars? Why would the Headmaster need to meet your familiars?"
Harry was the one who answered. "They don't mean the cat, owl or toad when you get your acceptance letters; those are pretty much like a companion or pet. Mara and I found out when we went to Diagon Alley to get our stuff that we got a Familiar Bond. It's different as its only with a magical animal and a witch or wizard. It's really rare."
Hermione frowned, pouting at not knowing this. "They didn't mention it anywhere in Hogwarts A History or any of the schoolbooks."
Harry winced, knowing why. "Well, magic like that is really rare and most pureblood families like to keep the information to themselves so books on Familiar Bonds are really rare and mostly kept within pureblood families."
Hermione looked affronted but before she could go on a rant, Mara intervened. "It's stupid, we know but there's nothing we can do about it. Harry brought his copy of it if you want to read it." Mara soothed.
Hermione frowned but was placated. "I would, thank you very much"
Harry inwardly sighed in relief. He didn't want another lecture on blood purity and the stupidity of it; he knew it was, he and Mara's lessons were torture.
Their Tutor had tried to convince both of them that muggleborns were less than purebloods and that didn't end well when Lily found out. Let's just say that guy won't be teaching ever again.
"Harry!" Neville was panting as he came running over to them, holding a copy of today's daily prophet in his hand. "You and Mara need to read this."
Mara frowned as Harry took the paper and immediately gave a loud groan. "What did I tell you?" He said, handing the paper over to his sister.
Mara grabbed a hold of the paper, turning to the front page. Her eyes widened in surprise.
'The-Girl-Who-Lived! First Familiar Bond in over a Century!'
Mara groaned, slapping her hand across her face as the paper was passed around to Hermione and Ron.
"Guess that explains the stares," Mara muttered, having already noticed multiple people staring at her and whispering.
Harry smirked. "No, that's normal. But you better tell your feline not to leak anymore of our secrets." He ducked as a piece of toast went flying at his head, hitting the wall behind him.
Mara grinned at him. "At least, Breena can actually pass for a cat, you're fire chicken is too flashy."
"Hey!" Harry pretended to be angry, giving her a grin back. As the two began to argue, both Ron and Hermione turned to Neville with wide eyes.
He gave them a sheepish grin. "Don't worry, they're always like this." Both Ron and Hermione gaped as a stray piece of bacon whacked him in the face and he tumbled off the bench.
Ron burst into laughter seeing Neville's stunned look while Hermione blinked her eyes in disbelief. The two siblings were still arguing as Neville got to his feet and with a loud sigh, grabbed a bowl of porridge and gestured for Ron to do the same next to Mara.
Ron raised an eyebrow but did so and with a heavy sigh, Neville dumped the contents of the bowl over Harry's head. Ron burst into laughter as he did the same with Mara.
Mara and Harry sat in shocked silence for a moment before turning to Neville, their faces red in anger.
"Neville!"
/
"Right or left, Harry?" Mara huffed in annoyance when they ran into another dead end. She was sure they were going to be late at this rate. After having to go clean up after having porridge dumped on them then trying to follow the scribbles that were Harry's map, they were lost.
Harry gave her a glare before looking down both halls. Hermione pointed down the right hallway. "Let's just ask Sir Nicholas. He's the Gryffindor ghost so he should help us." She told them and didn't wait for a response, heading down the hallway where she spotted the ghost.
Mara rolled her eyes but followed behind and Harry heaved a sigh and turned to the remaining two boys in the group. Ron was staring at one of the paintings while Neville nervously watched the two girls stalk down the hallway. Harry made sure to grab Ron's attention and then head down the hallway.
When they arrived, Hermione was already speaking to the long-dead man, Mara at her side. He grinned happily at them. "The Transfiguration classroom is down this hallway and two rights, I will show you there myself!" He claimed loudly.
Only Mara's sigh of relief stopped Harry from declining the help, his stubbornness getting better of him. He sighed and relented as Nearly Headless Nick showed them how to get to their classroom.
Mara happily followed him, she was starting to think all the ghosts were just unhelpful but it was just peeves it seemed. They had met him not too long ago where he tried to lead them the wrong way. Harry managed to figure out where he was leading them and turned them around where Peeves whined that he would never play a trick on them. Of course, Poltergeists are known for that so it pretty much rebounded off their heads but when Neville pointed it out, Peeves proceeded to drop a wastebasket on his head.
Mara sighed relief as she pushed her way into the classroom, waving goodbye to Nick. She hoped classes would be easier to find once they got used to the place. Harry and Neville sat next to each on the nearest desk, Ron on the other side of Harry.
Mara sat next to her new bushy-haired friend, Hermione, Lavender Brown on Hermione's other side. Mara glanced around the class, noticing both Gryffindor and Slytherins. She could spot Draco Malfoy in the back sitting next to a tan-skinned boy who looked foreign. She could spot a few other faces but no names came to mind, She saw a brown-haired girl in the back sitting by herself, she couldn't remember her name but she was the first Gryffindor in the sorting. Mara turned back to the front.
Professor McGonagall stood in front of them, a stern look on her face and waited for the students to quiet. Mara saw two students whispering to each other in the back, Seamus, and Dean if she remembered correctly.
Mara could immediately tell why Professor McGonagall was her dad's favorite teacher when the Professor immediately lifted her wand and the desk turned into a bright pink pig. Mara noticed a distinct lack of things on the desk, prompting her to think this was planned.
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts." She told them, her eyes staring each of them down. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."
When it was clear she had their attention, she continued on. "There are four types of Transfiguration. Transformation, Untransfiguration, Vanishment, and Conjuration. Who can describe Transformation?"
Of course, Hermione's hand went straight into the air with an eager look on her face. When McGonagall pointed to her, she answered as if talking from a book. "Transformation is a branch of Transfiguration that focuses on magic that transforms, alters or deforms the intended target in any way."
"5 points to Gryffindor." Professor McGonagall nodded."This is the first of Transfiguration you will learn. There are three sub-types of Transformation but you will focus on the most basic spell first." She held up a gleaming piece of metal with a sharp pointy end. "You will turn a match into a needle."
There are slight murmurs but they quickly silenced from a look by the Professor. "First, you need to understand that Transfiguration can be very dangerous if not properly executed."
She showed them a formula which they all copied down and explained the proper way to perform transfiguration. Then she told them about the limitations and dangers of Transfiguration.
Such as Human Transfiguration and how they don't retain their intelligence if transformed into an object or animal. Also the danger of unfinished transfiguration or partial transfiguration. Then she let them practice the spell itself, giving each a match.
"The spell is Conmutocus. Pronounced kon-moo-TOH-kus. The wand movement is just a straight jab at the match but makes sure to visualize the match transforming into the needle. Like this? Conmutocus."
She held up the needle to show everyone and then gestured for them to try.
It was a lot harder than Mara thought it would be. She frowned when her first couple tries did nothing. She remembered her dad teaching her about Transfiguration and it was all about intent and visualization, very precise.
Taking a calming breath, she imagined the match in her mind and imagined what it would look like turning into a sharp, silver needle. With the visualization in her mind, she tried the spell again.
She opened her eyes and saw it was silver but still a match. The only thing that changed was the color. Frowning, she looked over at Hermione who was having better luck.
Hermione's lips were pursed in pure concentration as she said the spell. Her match was almost there, silver and pointy but the eye at the top was missing.
Mara gave a sigh and continued working to try and fix it, though she could tell Neville wasn't having any luck at all.
By the end of the lesson, Mara finally managed to do it but it still wasn't perfect. Hermione managed to get the closest but was still lacking the eye but that earned them another 5 points. A few others were good though Mara spotted the brown-haired Gryffindor girl in the back, who had a full needle on her desk.
Professor McGonagall told them to practice the spell and gave them reading in their book along with note-taking. After that, they were dismissed.
Meeting up with her brother, Mara felt tired from the lesson. That was probably because she wasn't used to using so much of her magic. They only had fifteen minutes to get to Charms though.
Charms was an interesting class, Mara thought. Professor Flitwick was tiny and had to stand on piles of books to see over his desk. When he took roll call with the Gryffindor and Ravenclaws, he stopped at Mara's name and fell over his desk. Mara's face was red for the rest of the class.
Professor Flitwick got them started on theory and dangers of Charms immediately before explaining their first charm, the wand-lighting charm, and its counter charm.
"Try it now, hold up your wand and say very clearly, Lumos!" Mara had practiced this spell with Harry on their practice wands when they were younger so she knew she could do it but it might be harder.
Much to her surprise, as she spoke it aloud, her wand immediately lit up in a glow. With a huge smile, she turned to Hermione to celebrate only to see her frowning at Mara's lit wand. Hermione noticed her looking and gave her a smile which looked a bit forced to Mara and focusing on her wand, performing it only in a few tries. Hermione gave her a smile when Mara complimented this but it looked a bit smug.
Harry performed it next, after three or four tries and then a few others. Mara saw Harry helping Neville out but they didn't seem to be having much luck at all. Mara smiled at Hermione who looked a bit bothered. As they still had twenty minutes left in the class, Mara looked through her book. Taking a deep breath, she muttered under her breath "Lumos Solem!"
Nothing happened until she tried a few more times and suddenly a narrow beam of light shot out of her wand nearly blinding her. She grinned happily as she felt the slight warmth from the spell.
"Oh my!" Flitwick looked absolutely amazed as he saw the light from her wand.
Mara proudly grinned before waving her wand and muttering "Nox." The lighting flickered but didn't turn out and she frowned before muttering it again and this time, the light from her wand snuffed out.
With a huge smile, she turned to Hermione only to see her frowning, her arms crossed. Mara blinked in confusion.
"Can anyone tell me what spell Miss Potter just performed?" Flitwick excitedly asked. Hermione's hand went straight into the air and Mara could spot a few Ravenclaw's also raising their hand. "Yes, Miss Granger?" he smiled at her.
"Lumos Solem. It conjures a focused, bright light similar to Lumos." Hermione quickly rattled off.
"5 points to Gryffindor. You are correct, Miss Granger. That spell was Lumos Solem and it also provides a slight warmth which as we know, Lumos does not. 15 points to Gryffindor for brilliant charm work, Miss Potter." He looked absolutely delighted with her and Mara blushed as he moved away and began to teach them Nox as well.
Charms were Mara's favorite class and she suddenly understood why Professor Flitwick was her mum's favorite teacher.
The defense was boring. With the overpowering smell of garlic and the many rumors about his travels in Romania and fighting Vampires, She really had expected more from the Professor. When someone had asked the stuttering professor about his turban, he told them he got it as a thank you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie by an African Prince.
Mara was pretty sure it wasn't true. He couldn't even face his own shadow let alone a vampire. When Seamus had asked about the battle, Quirrel went pink and started talking about how quick fall was coming in.
He started his lessons talking about some of the dangerous creatures that lurked in the world. Unfortunately, their first class was about Gnomes which wasn't all that exciting but Ron seemingly knew a lot about this particular subject.
Harry was just as disappointed, she could tell by his face. The defense had been the class he was looking forward to the most.
When they entered the Great Hall for Lunch, Professor McGonagall approached them to take them to Professor Dumbledore's office.
Mara didn't even have to call to Breena as she was waiting for them at the entrance of the Great hall. She merely flickered her tail at Mara's questioning look.
'We share a bond, silly girl. If you need me, I am there.'
It seemed the same thing happened to Harry for Aura wasn't too far behind, giving a bright chirp as she landed on his shoulder.
Mara picked up Breena and followed the Professor.
Harry had been sketching the way to the office but Professor McGonagall didn't mention it.
Upon reaching a gargoyle, she muttered "Cockroach Clusters." And the passageway appeared.
They moved into the staircase and she nodded to them once before turning back down the hall. "Do you think he'll give us lunch?" Mara joked.
Harry rolled his eyes as he continued up the spiral staircase and opened the wooden door at the top.
The Headmaster's office was strange, they could see all kinds of portraits on the walls, mostly old men sleeping. Trinkets lay around the room and a staircase at the very back of the room which she guessed was his quarters.
The Headmaster sat the wooden desk in the middle, a smile on his face, his blue eyes twinkling. He was old and thin with a long face; his nose was crooked and looked as if it had been broken a few times. He wore bright purple robes with a bright purple pointy hat on top.
Looking at Harry, she noticed his eyes were drawn to an old patchy hat. It took a second before she realized it was the sorting hat.
"Please, come in, come in, Have a seat." He smiled at them brightly.
Mara took a seat and settled Breena into her lap; Harry took the chair next to her, aura shuffling on his shoulder a bit.
"Lunch should be here at any moment now, would you like a sherbet lemon? I'm quite fond of them myself."
They both shook their heads and the headmaster chuckled before speaking a moment later. "Do either of you remember having to register your familiars at the ministry?
Both of the twins nodded but Harry spoke first. "Mum and Dad took us. They needed to be registered to prevent for their protection. The headmaster is required to perform a spell to check if our bond is real."
The Headmaster's eyes twinkled behind his spectacles, giving him a smile. "That is correct though it is curious she would mention the spell."
Harry didn't answer as the two stared at one another. Finally, Dumbledore turned to Mara.
Mara sheepishly grinned as his gaze settled on Breena who stared at him calmly. "I assume this is the Familiar you spoke of, Miss Potter?"
Mara nodded nervously as he surveyed them before giving them a smile. "Don't worry, the spell Mr. Potter spoke of is harmless, it will not hurt you or your familiar."
He raised his wand and quickly moved it in a confusing pattern before staring at the two of them. Mara couldn't see anything of what he was staring at but Harry's eyes got wide as he stared.
The Headmaster lowered his wand and gave them a bright smile. "Well, you do indeed have a Familiar bond with this lovely animal. She is such an unusual coloring, reminds me of a white tiger but smaller. I don't believe I know what magical animal she is."
Mara went to answer but stopped. She could feel a reluctance to answer but it wasn't her own. Something was telling her not to say anything. Her eyes moved to her lap.
Breena flicked her tail, her eyes narrowed on the old man. She wasn't saying anything and could feel the mistrust coming from her towards Dumbledore. From the way Harry was trying to sit perfectly still, Aura must be having the same issue. Aura's eyes hadn't left Dumbledore since they came in.
He smiled at them, unaffected by the hostility from the two familiars but once it was clear Mara wasn't going to say anything, He turned to harry and performed the same spell. Mara was surprised as she saw what Harry saw on her.
There was a soft green glow around Harry and a green line connecting from his chest to Aura. It was really pretty.
It faded and the Headmaster nodded. "Well, that settles that. You both have Familiar Bonds. Am I correct in assuming your familiar is a Phoenix, Mr. Potter?"
Harry blinked in surprise. He nodded once and Dumbledore smiled. "I have a familiar of my own, Fawkes is a Fire Phoenix. I don't think I've seen a phoenix with such strange coloring before."
Aura had healed enough that her feathers had turned bright gold and yellow, with a slight tint of Orange. Her long tail feathers were still growing and she was still quite small. Her golden eyes stared directly at Dumbledore without blinking.
Breena was on edge the entire meeting, that much Mara figured out from the intense feelings she was getting from her. Two house elves came with lunch and they ate in relative silence, the Headmaster only asking them questions about their classes, giving them advice. He gave them some tips for navigating the hallways and then sent them off.
Breena didn't calm down, following being Mara very closely and though she did leave, Mara could feel her presence still. She was keeping an eye on her but Breena didn't speak at all for the rest of the day. From the uncomfortable look on Harry's face, Aura was much of the same.
/
Parvarti and Lavender were giggling in their beds as the girls were all surrounded. Mara slipped her glance to the closed bed. It had been closed since she got in here. Peyton Bell, she remembered from the plaques outside their door.
She hadn't made any attempts to converse with any of the other girls yet but maybe she was just shy. she was the only one who transformed her needle too. She was really mysterious.
Mara eyed Breena, who lay at the end of her bed, her favorite place. Sometimes she would wake up to find Breena asleep on her chest which was always a nice, furry surprise.
Mara sighed as she watched Hermione enter her bed with a determined look. She had finished her homework before any of them when a study hall came around before dinner but there seemed to be new tension between Hermione and herself that she couldn't figure out.
Ever since Charms, Hermione has been really weird around her. Mara had a theory but she didn't want to bring it up to Hermione.
Mara sighed again before something furry rubbed against her hand. Breena rubbed against her hand, making a purring sound.
'You need to sleep, girl.' Breena told her, her amber eyes staring into Mara's hazel ones. 'Enough worrying.'
Mara nodded. "Why were you so on edge around the headmaster today, Breena?"
Breena made a noise similar to a snort before curling up in her lap. 'I am much more than a pet, Mara. I am your protector and your partner. It is my job to protect you from anything I deem a threat."
Mara frowned ignoring that Breena just read her mind. "Protect me from what? The Headmaster was just being friendly, he was doing his job."
"Perhaps, but It is my responsibility to keep you safe.'
Mara frowned in frustration. She wasn't getting any real answers. "Safe from what, Breena?"
Breena didn't answer, simply drifted off to sleep. Mara sighed, her hand automatically running across Breena's fur as she purred.
Already their bond had grown stronger, Mara could even feel some emotions coming from Breena. With time, Harry told her they would be able to share empathy with their familiars and even take on characteristics of whatever Breena is.
Mara grabbed ahold of the journal she had recieved from Emilia.
Opening it and grabbing a never-ending quill, she began to write to her parents.