Disclaimer - I only own Elena and the plot... :(

AN - Chapter 2 is finally here! Yeah, there are a lot of loopholes I'm leaving unanswered right now, but just to clarify, Lupin was not outed by Snape, so he'd leave Hogwarts at the end of the school year. Though Harry does have the Map. That part will be in a few chapters as a flashback.

Thank you to Justus J. Jackson, Penny is Wise, Meegles, fifespice, Vi38, daithi4377 and Wolfman 613 for reviewing, and to everyone else for clicking the Follow and Favorites buttons! I'm really finding it hard to believe that I already have more than a 100 follows - 109 to be exact, and 62 Favorites. I love you all so much! :)

And I will be taking two weeks for every chapter. I want to give the best I can to you guys - I owe it to myself if nothing else. So every two Tuesdays, look forward to another part revealed!


Love of An Aunt

A Harry Potter FanFiction

Chapter 2

12:08am, 15th June 1994

Harry's jaw hit the floor. Besides him, Neville also had a confused look on his face, like he was trying to figure something out. "But when I asked my grandmother said that you were dead!" He exclaimed.

Elena gave him a grim smile. "It's a very long story, Neville, and I'm afraid there is not enough time right now to explain. But if all goes according to plan, then I will be able to answer any and all of your questions after tomorrow, I promise." Her entire being begged him to believe her. To trust her.

Neville looked her in the eyes, trying to decipher the emotions he found there. He must have found what he was looking for, because he nodded. Elena shifted her hopeful gaze to Harry.

"Harry?" He just blinked at her. "Can you believe me when I tell you that I had no choice in leaving you, and that I will explain soon?"

Harry just nodded, his face blank of any emotions.

Elena smiled. It was a beautiful smile, one filled with happiness and hope. There were tears in her eyes, and her face was glowing. For a moment, she looked exactly like his father did in his photo album.

There was movement behind the boys and Elena's eyes slid behind them. She gasped. "Remus!"

Lupin stepped forward and embraced Elena like a long lost friend. She rose on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder and closing her eyes, a tear tracing a path down her cheek. She was shaking. "Hello again, brother," she whispered.

Harry and Neville were watching wide-eyed. Eventually the two separated and Elena wiped her cheeks, as Lupin recomposed himself.

Elena turned back to Harry and Neville. "If everything goes right and it should, I will see you both in two days." Her eyes had a wistful look as she gazed at them. She raised her hand a little, but hesitated and curled her fingers into a fist, bringing it to her side. She smiled at them – a smile filled with sadness at missed opportunities.

Elena suddenly whirled around. "And you," she sharply pointed a finger at Lupin, who was standing behind her. His eyes widened in obvious alarm. "You are staying with me. Nuh-uh," she snapped when Lupin opened his mouth, "no protests. You're staying with me and you don't really have a choice."

"But-"

"Ah-ah."

"Ele-"

"Shush!" She gave him a glare that immediately made him shut his mouth. He nodded mutely, knowing just how stubborn she could be.

"Good." She turned back to the boys, but addressed Lupin as well. "The three of you should get back before someone notices anything. And you two," she looked at the boys, "need to make sure that Ronald and Hermione are not aware of this. Act as you normally do. Please," she pleaded, "trust me." Harry hesitantly nodded and turned towards the door.

"Harry." He turned his head back to look at her and was met with a mischievous smile. "You should've used the Map," she winked.

Harry grinned and crossed the doorway, Neville besides him with a confused frown on his face. Lupin was right behind them. "I'll tell you later," he mouthed to his god brother.


7:15am, 15th June 1994

"Harry! Wake up! Breakfast!" Ron's loud voice met his ears, dragging him from the depths of slumber. Instead of moving, he lay still, hoping Ron would leave him to go back to sleep. He had no such luck.

"Harry!" Sighing inwardly, Harry sat up, stretching and rubbing his eyes.

"Morning," he croaked at Ron, before falling back on the mattress with a groan. He felt like he had only slept for two hours or so, what with the amount of sleep he'd been getting lately.

"Hurry up!" Harry would have rolled his eyes if he was more awake, but instead just got up, making his way to the bathroom while still half asleep. In a trance like state, he stripped and got under the shower, turning it on.

"Bloody hell! What in Merlin-"

Freezing cold water splashed down and drenched him, reducing him to a wide awake, but shivering and trembling mess. Still swearing, he adjusted the knobs to his favored temperature, sighing in relief when he stepped back under the spray.

"Harry?" Dean rushed into the washroom. "Is everything alright? We heard shouting?"

"Everything is fine, Dean. Someone decided to leave the shower at ice cold water, and I just turned it on without adjusting the knobs."

Dean chuckled and left, giving Harry his privacy.

Now that Harry was awake, his thoughts turned to last night. He had another aunt. One who was his dad's sister. And she also knew Lupin and Sirius. And she was his godmother. His thoughts were going round and round in a circle, with no end or beginning. Well, he thought as he wrapped a towel around his waist, he had a lot of questions. And what did she mean, "answer all your questions in the next few days"? What was she planning? What about the Dursleys?

His eyes searched out Neville as he walked to his trunk, and when he found him, their eyes immediately locked, both suddenly seeking assurance that last night was not, in fact, a dream. That they did have a godmother who had been mysteriously absent. That they had other family. That they were not alone.

Then Neville blinked, and they were back to their dorm room. Neville resumed pulling on his socks, while Harry quickly dressed in his uniform. Ron had already left for breakfast, and Dean and Seamus were packing their trunks, talking loudly.

Harry and Neville joined in, ribbing the others and laughing while they finished packing their own trunks. The four boys left for breakfast, talking animatedly as they took several shortcuts to the great hall. They emerged from a pathway in the Entrance Hall from behind a suit of armor, badly scaring some first years. Laughing the four passed the doorway of the Great Hall and sat at the closest empty seats they could find at the Gryffindor table, as usual ignoring the sneers directed their way from the Slytherins.

Harry sat in his preferred seat – with his back against the wall. Neville sat beside him, immediately reaching for the porridge, Harry added some bacon and eggs to his plate, before applying some jam to a piece of toast and pouring himself a goblet of milk. The four boys resumed talking, Dean and Seamus going in depth about their plans for the summer. That conversation eventually turned into raving about the Quidditch World Cup, which was just around the corner. Occasionally commenting, Harry and Neville, for the most part, stayed silent.

Suddenly, Harry felt a pair of eyes on his person, He paid no mind to the sensation at first, cutting up his bacon, but eventually he could not ignore it. He looked up, zeroing on the eyes immediately. He blinked.

They were the most amazing and brilliant sapphire blue eyes he had ever seen. Even from as far away as he sat, he could see past the walls in those eyes, right down to the emotions. Curiosity, intelligence, cunning, even a bit of sympathy… The pair of eyes widened and looked away. Harry took the opportunity to examine to rest of her.

The beautiful sapphire eyes were part of a delicate heart shaped face – pale skin, prominent cheekbones, full lips and a narrow nose. This face was framed by long, soft blond hair. Harry knew immediately who she was – the Slytherin Ice Queen. Daphne Greengrass.

"Harry!"

He frowned as he looked down the hall to see Ron and Hermione approach him. Ron had a grumpy expression on his face while Hermione had a scolding look on hers. She was, as per usual, carrying a large, heavy looking tome. "Where have you been?" she snapped as soon as she was within earshot. "We've been looking all over for you!"

Harry was about to snap back at her, but then he remembered Elena's words.

Make sure that Ronald and Hermione are not aware.

He'd have to be tolerant of them. So, swallowing his original reply, he just blinked innocently. "I was right here." Hermione frowned but let it go. She sat down next to him and opened her book, while Ron took a seat on her other side and, predictably, started piling his plate with food and shoving it in his mouth.

For the rest of breakfast, Harry ate quietly while listening to the conversations around him. He stood up once he finished, noticing that Neville was done as well. Getting an idea, he impulsively asked him, "Would you like to join us in our carriage, Neville?" Ron frowned, and Hermione looked up at him disapprovingly. Harry ignored them, looking at Neville, whose face visibly brightened. He beamed at Harry and nodded.


8:00am, 15th June 1994

The four found an empty compartment in the middle of the train. Once their trunks were situated along with Crookshanks' basket and Hedwig's empty cage in the overhead racks, they settled down. Harry took one window seat, and Neville claimed the other. Hermione sat at the sat closest to the door, while Ron took the opposite.

Neville and Harry looked out the window as the chatter of the other students as they boarded the train and looked for compartments, acutely aware of, and pretending to ignore the awkwardness that had permeated the compartment. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as the train started.

"Harry! Let's play some chess!" Sighing internally, in frustration this time, Harry nodded and turned in his seat. Neville had pulled out a Herbology book and looked completely absorbed in it, while Hermione had her nose buried deep in her book.

The compartment remained quiet until about noon, when the sweets cart rolled around. Harry bought a Cauldron Cake and a Butterbeer. Neville bought a Pumpkin Pasty and some Chocolate Frogs while Hermione just looked at the cart with a disapproving gaze and scoffed, turning back to her book. Ron grabbed some of everything before he realized that he did not have enough money, and scowling, had to put most of it away.

Halfway through a game of Exploding Snap between Harry, Ron and Neville, the twins walked in.

"Oh, look, Gred, our little Ronniekins is exploding things!"

"Quite right, Forge, and he didn't invite us!"

The two looked at each other.

"Perhaps we should-"

"That would be going easy, Forge. Maybe-"

"Or we could-"

"Too simple. How about-"

"Of course not. Maybe we should…" The twins eyes gleamed as a mischievous grin spread across their faces. In sync, they both turned to look at Ron, whose ears and neck had gone red. But before he could do more than open his mouth, they were gone.

Hermione frowned after them. She strongly believed that it was time they stopped their pranks and their immaturity and grew up. Harry looked at her and strangely found himself thinking that she rather reminded him of Molly Weasley in that instant. It was a disturbing thought.

By the time evening rolled around, the boys had exhausted their ability to enjoy the explosions any more, and Harry and Ron were talking about the Quidditch World Cup. Or rather, Ron was doing most of the talking while Harry just listened with one ear. How did anyone get so obsessed with Quidditch that it became the most important thing in the world to them? Sure, he loved Quidditch, but his world by no means revolved around it.

When the train finally arrived at King's Cross, Harry tensed slightly, almost unnoticeable to anyone not looking at him at the moment. After unloading their trunks, Harry joined Ron as he searched for his mother.

The flaming Weasley hair was easy to spot. Harry followed behind Ron as he went to her, who, with a squeal of "Ronald!" was engulfed in one of Mrs. Weasley's famous hugs. Then she spotted Harry, hovering uncertainly behind Ron, and released Ron quickly. With a "Oh, Harry, dear," she embraced him as well, squeezing so tightly that he lost his breath. He gasped when she released him, and took a few steps behind as she turned to greet her daughter. He was promptly accosted by the twins, one on each side.

"Bye, Harry, we'll-"

"be seeing you-"

"extremely soon-"

"and remember-" Both twins leaned towards him and whispered in his ear perfectly in sync.

"Always solemnly swear to be up to no good!"

Harry blinked at the two, dazed, but once his brain processed everything they said, he grinned brightly at them.

After saying goodbye to Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, and Percy, who had arrived and was smugly standing as his mother fawned over his (Oh Percy! Head Boy of the School!) Harry left the magical part of the station through the wall. On the Muggle side, he looked around and spotted Uncle Vernon, standing impatiently and tapping his foot.

There was no sign of Elena, and Harry's heart sank a little. He had hoped she would be there, to take him away from the Dursleys. It was a childish dream, he knew, but he had hoped nonetheless. Dejected, he started towards Uncle Vernon.

Harry did not notice the Bentley parked a small distance away from Vernon's car. He did not notice the young woman in the driver's seat with sunglasses and a hat, watching him with something akin to sorrow and concern.


8:00pm, 15th June 1994

The Dursleys were in the living room. Harry had just started down the stairs for a late dinner, when the doorbell rang. He stopped where he was, wondering who would visit so late in a neighborhood like Privet Drive.

Vernon blustered and grumbled as he waddled to the front door. Petunia stood behind him at the living room doorway, while Dudley went off to the kitchen for something to eat.

Vernon prepared to yell at whoever stood at the door – after all, it must be those little brats who had been running around the neighborhood, selling useless things – but the jaw would not move when he saw who was standing in front of him.

Elena was dressed in a suit with a cashmere scarf wrapped around her neck. She looked beautiful, but more than that, she looked wealthy. But that is not why he stared at her. He stared at her because she looked almost exactly like the boy's father.

Elena smiled. "Hello. My name is Elena Potter. May I come in?" Without waiting for an answer she walked into the house, looking around. Then she looked up at where Harry was standing frozen, and winked. He grinned at her. She looked at Petunia and grinned a predatory grin, nodding towards the living room. "Shall we?"


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