Great Hall

September 3rd, 1971

Classes their first day had been boring. She assumed they would continue to be, considering she'd already been through nearly her entire education in the '90s. She'd sat with Sirius in Defense and then with Lily the rest of the day.

"Hello."

Kyla looked up from her coffee, startled, to find a young Peter Pettigrew smiling at her. She saw Sirius watching them out of the corner of his eye and smiled back at Peter, pushing down the urge to curse him. He was just a boy, and he hadn't done anything yet.

That was why she was there.

"Hi! You're Peter, right?"

"Yeah," his smile grew. "Kyla?"

"That's me," she confirmed. "How d'you like Hogwarts?"

Peter considered the question. "I like it a lot better than I thought I would. I moved around a lot when I was younger, so I was worried…"

"About finding and keeping friends," she understood, nodding. "I get it. I'm a bit worried about that right now. I left all mine behind."

"Why did you transfer here?" he wondered. She hesitated, but before she could speak, Sirius cut in.

"C'mon, mate, let the witch be mysterious if she wants," Sirius grinned, winking at her. She smiled back softly.

"Where's that friend of yours?" she wondered. "You talked about him like he was the best person you've ever met and I never got to meet him."

Remus cut in. "James didn't get here till around ten last night, and he's sleeping through breakfast. We figured we'd let him since he was so exhausted."

"Guess I get you three to myself, then," she said, laughing at the faces they made. "I heard there's Hogsmeade weekends. Have any of you been before?"

"Nope," Remus shook his head.

"Not yet," Peter agreed.

"Once to visit my cousin Andromeda when I was younger," Sirius answered. "But that was a long time ago."

"Hm," she looked between them. "Well, then you three will have to be my date. I can show you around a little."

"You know it well?" Remus wondered. She nodded.

"Abe, my guardian, he owns a pub there," she explained. "Lots of dust and absolutely zero clean glasses. As great as he is, he is lacking in the dish cleaning capabilities."

"Abe- Aberforth Dumbledore?" Sirius questioned. He hadn't caught it the day before, which he figured was due to being so tired.

"Yep, that's him."

"Grumpy motherfucker," Sirius commented. Remus smacked his arm.

"A teacher's going to hear and we'll be docked points, dumbass."

"You just called me a dumbass!"

"Because you were being one!"

"You two could shut up," Kyla suggested, watching McGonagall watch them. "She's looking."

"Damn," Sirius said, this time quietly. "That was close."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Gryffindor Common Room

September 4th, 1973

Kyla,

Don't you dare bring your friends to the pub. I won't take care of actual thirteen-year-olds. I will kick every single one of you out.

I've attached the book you were looking for last week. It was a bitch to find and I won't do it again.

As for your plans, it is good that you've made the friends you have. It is interesting you haven't run into Potter yet. Are you sure he's even in the castle? Don't get too pushy with Black.

I think it is an absolutely awful idea to befriend any Slytherins, but it is your funeral.

Abe

Kyla rolled her eyes and tucked the letter away in her bag, pulling out a quill to write back to the man.

Abe,

You wouldn't dare kick us out. Besides, I'd babysit them, not you. We'll be there the first Hogsmeade weekend. Prepare yourself and maybe a few clean cups.

Thank you for the book. I'm sure it was a pain in the ass to find, but I needed it for research. I'll fill you in the next time we get time alone.

Have you gotten any news on how things are going? It's radio silent here, but everyone knows what's happening outside the castle. Everyone's wary. I don't blame them, and I don't like being cut off from updates.

Has he named himself yet? Has he named his followers? Have they come out publicly? There's so much we don't know. Maybe it's shitty of me to ask, but could you attempt to join your brother's Order? I need to know what's happening.

Kyla

Sighing, she rolled the parchment up and gave it to Icarus. Once he'd left, she began putting away her quill and ink, thinking to the last few days.

She'd spent a lot of time with her new roommates, but she also sat near the Marauders during meals.

James had, apparently, slept through the entire day due to time zones, and she almost found it funny that she hadn't met him yet.

"Whatcha doing, kitten?"

Kyla turned to Sirius, smiling softly at the pet name. He'd called her that in the future as well. "I was writing Abe again. I'm beginning to wonder about this fictional friend of yours, too."

Sirius laughed. "He's not fictional, he's just busy. And tired."

"I see."

"He wants to meet you, too," he told her after a moment of silence. "New girl, everyone's curious."

Kyla shifted, her smile slipping from her face. "Yeah, not something I'm fond of."

"Need me to hex someone for you?" he wondered. He grinned when her smile returned.

"I'll let you know if I do," she offered. "I am curious about something."

"Huh?"

"Well, Dorcas said you and your friends kind of stick to yourselves for the most part," she said slowly. "But you're being pretty friendly to me."

Sirius shrugged. "I dunno. I met you and it felt like I already knew you. I'm trying to figure out why."

"We never met before Hogwarts," she assured him, though she silently wondered if it somehow had something to do with the fact that she'd known him in the future.

"Which is why I'm trying to figure out how I know you," he agreed. "Plus, I guess you're not bad company."

She laughed shortly. "I suppose I could say the same."

"Padfoot?" a voice called from the stairs. They both looked up to find someone walking down. "Who're you talking to?"

Sirius's eyes lit up. "Finally. Merlin, Prongs, only took you four days. This is Kyla, the new girl."

Kyla watched, holding her breath, as James came into view. When he did, she let out a sharp breath. He was the spitting image of Harry. Or Harry was the spitting image of James, she supposed. It was almost hard to look at him, and she felt deep loss, thinking of the man that was like her brother.

James wiped at his eyes and pushed up his glasses, looking at Sirius first and then quickly Kyla, who stood at his side now. James stopped short by the stairs. "What the hell are you doing, Sirius?"

Sirius blinked. "Nothing?"

"This isn't a joke!" James snapped angrily. "Look at her! Who is that? Frank?"

"I mean it, Prongs, this is the new girl," Sirius shook his head. "What the hell is your problem?"

"Swear it on your wand!"

"Jesus fuck, Potter," Sirius cursed as he grabbed his wand. "I swear on my wand and magic that the girl next to me is the new girl and not Polyjuiced or anyone else."

James watched as the tip of his wand lit up. When it did, the anger fell from his face, only to be replaced with complete confusion. He stepped closer, looking at Kyla closely. "What's your name?"

"Kyla Brooks," she said, completely lost. When he moved to grab her arm, she jerked back and raised her wand, stopping him in his tracks. Sirius looked at her in alarm.

"Don't raise your wand at him," he warned.

"Excuse me if I'm a bit wary of the guy that yelled when he fucking looked at me," she said sharply. "What the hell's your problem, Potter?"

"I don't…" he trailed off, staring at her face with wide, sad eyes. "This isn't possible."

"What?"

"She's my sister," James told Sirius. The other boy stopped short.

Sirius moved closer to James hesitantly. "Prongs… your sister's… she's dead."

"I know, but I sure as hell know what she looks like, and that's her," James insisted, waving at Kyla, who backed up until she hit the desk behind her. "Look, I know it doesn't make sense, but you're her."

"I know my life," Kyla said quietly. "I was raised by my parents, muggles, until… and I've been with Abe since then. I've never had a brother."

"There's got to be some sort of explanation," James told her. "I know you're my sister. I know it."

"Okay," Kyla said, moving past Sirius and toward her dorm. "Nice to meet you Potter. I'll… see you in class."

The two boys watched as she hurried up to her dorm. Once she was gone, Sirius looked at his friend with a frown. "Mate, are you… okay?"

James turned in a circle, running his fingers through his hair. "It sounds insane. I know she… but that's her, Sirius, I mean it. She's got the same bloody scar under her right eye from when we fell off a broom when we were five. Her hair's a little different, but it's definitely her."

"Then why doesn't she remember you?"

"I don't know," James threw his hands up. "Maybe someone messed with her memories, I don't know. You have to help me convince her."

"What do you want me to do, go tell her that her entire life is fake?" Sirius shook his head. "Look, let's leave her alone for now. Merlin knows you freaked her out. Try writing your mum and dad."

"They'll just send me back to the mind healer," James muttered. He glanced at the girls' dorms before sighing. "Let's just get ready for class, I guess."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

James Potter didn't have a sister.

It was all she could think about. James never had a sister. Harry never had an aunt.

Had she gone to a different universe?

"No," she muttered to herself as she put on jeans. She'd know if she was in another universe, she was pretty sure.

But if she was just in the past, and James had a sister, then what else did she not know?

And why the hell did he think she was his sister?

With a sigh, she pulled out her wand. No one was in the dorm as her friends had gone to breakfast early - all of them had signed up to tutor first years that rainy Saturday morning. She cast a Patronus and took in a breath before she spoke. "To Aberforth. James Potter is convinced I'm his dead sister. Any ideas why? Or what I should do?"

The otter swam off and she waited as patiently as she could for a Patronus to come back. After nearly ten minutes, she got one.

"Try searching for Obliviation and removing it. The spell is Depone with the Defodio wand movements. Let me know if you find anything."

Kyla nodded to herself and first practiced the wand movements. She already had it down, so soon, she pointed her wand at her head and cast. "Depone!"

"How'd you get it open?"

Rowan grinned at James. "Mum left the box of dead peoples' wands in the attic after she added grandmother's wand. It works pretty well, and I've seen Dad use Alohomora."

James rolled his eyes. "You're going to get in so much trouble."

"If I am, so are you," she laughed, dragging them into their father's office. As soon as they walked in, the room lit up red and they froze.

Barely thirty seconds later, Charlus came running in. He had an eyebrow raised at them. "And what are you doing in here?"

"Seeing if I could get in," Rowan said, handing over the wand. "And I did."

"Then I will have to add extra warding," he said, winking. "I won't tell your mother if you won't, but stay out of my office."

"Okay!" Rowan said, grabbing James's wrist and pulling him out, running down the hall.

Kyla stumbled back until she bumped into the bed and nearly fell over. She grabbed onto it and breathed heavily. "What the fuck?"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

It took her an hour to find James.

In the end, he'd been at the Quidditch pitch. She'd walked down, holding her outer robes tightly against her, and took a seat to watch Gryffindor's tryouts. James and Sirius already wore their team robes and were just hanging out on brooms in the air.

Sirius met her eyes first, and he looked surprised. Quickly, James followed his gaze, and she watched as he abandoned his position and flew over to the stands, jumping off his broom to meet her. He spoke before she could. "I'm sorry if I… scared you or something."

"I had a… a family- I had parents. Helen and Richard. I remember being young, I remember… I remember growing up, I remember everything. But-,"

"What?" he asked, hope in his eyes.

"But there's a… distant memory," she admitted, her voice almost a whisper. "Breaking into… he's not my dad, not the one I remember, but breaking into his office."

James's eyes lit up and he gasped slightly. "When we were eight. Mum found out a week later and yelled at you for taking a wand."

"I don't…" she took a step away from him. "I remember my life. I remember it, it's not- I know who I am."

"You're my sister," he told her. "Only you, me, and dad have that memory. There's- you're my sister."

"No, I'm not," she shook her head, confused and agitated. She took another step back, but before she could stop him, he grabbed her hand.

And she felt something.

Something in her core, something that was familiar and warm and nice.

Something she'd been missing for a very long time.

"Kyla!"

She blinked rapidly, looking around to find Sirius standing in front of her with his hands on her shoulders. James's hand had left her own, but she could still feel that odd feeling in her core. "I know who I am."

"Tell me what happened," Sirius requested gently, glancing back to make sure Diggory hadn't noticed them missing yet. He hadn't, and since they weren't needed for tryouts, he probably wouldn't notice at all.

"I- I remembered- there was a memory, and he grabbed my hand and I felt… it doesn't make sense. I know who I am."

"Just breathe," Sirius instructed. "You said there was a memory."

"I- I sent Abe a message, he gave me the spell to reverse Obliviation and I got this memory of James and… me, but that was it, just the one."

"Sit down," he requested. Hesitantly, she did. "I can try and remove the rest, but it'll involve going into your mind. Is that okay?"

"You'll just see any repressed memories?"

"I think so."

"Okay."

Sirius nodded and moved to kneel directly in front of her. "Ready?"

"No," she shook her head. "Do it."

"Depone!" Sirius cast. The spell hit her and she felt a flurry of memories run through her mind.

It took a long time of memories being released, old memories from her life as Hermione Granger popping up, and the pain between all of it overwhelming her.

After ten minutes, they left her mind. She grabbed her head in her hands while Sirius backed up, his eyes flashing furiously.

"Do- do you remem-," James was cut off by Kyla slamming into him to hug him. He gasped and hugged her back, closing his eyes tightly as he did so. "Ro."

"Jamie," she whispered. "I didn't- I was Obliviated."

"Kyla," Sirius said, his voice low. "Where are your parents?"

She froze and pulled out of the hug - though she did grab James's hand within her own - to look at Sirius. "You weren't meant to see that."

"See what?" James wondered.

"Her fucking parents treated her like shit!" Sirius yelled, waving at her. "Jesus, how did you survive that?"

She looked between James and Sirius quietly, considering her options. She had a very strong urge to Obliviate Sirius, but she couldn't. So, she sighed. "When practice is over, meet me in the room on the seventh floor by the tapestry. I have… a lot to tell you both."

OoOoOoOoOoOo