CHAPTER ONE: ANOTHER BEGINING

Hermione Granger walked down the aisle in front of her best friend, Aimee. Today was Aimee's Wedding Day and she was marrying one of the most famous wizards of all time; Harry Potter. Hermione was really excited, but was sure that she wasn't half as much excited as the beautiful bride walking slowly behind her in step with the wedding march that has led so many blossoming blooms of flowering love to each other in eternal bonds to each other as one.

Hermione could only remember her own wedding day, and peered over her shoulder to peer at the smiling silver eyed bride. Looking back forward, towards the groom, she could see the gleam of his love for his bride and she felt even more excitement for the two of them.

As she slowly walked up the aisle, she started to think about how these two had met—and had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

"Ahh," she thought to herself' "the mischief we got ourselves into!"

After she got the rest of the way up the aisle, Hermione took her place off to the left and took her place in the front of the church as a bridesmaid and watched as her husband patted Harry on the shoulder, while the twins, Miranda and Cassandra walked up the aisle throwing roses everywhere followed close behind by Beryl, who was the ring bearer.

Finally, came the Bride in her flowing, white gown, with a long train. Three young girls were carrying the train; Mackenzie, Celeste, and Shirley. Flowers wreathed around everything, including every girls' head in the wedding party. At last, everyone had arrived and the ceremony began, but Hermione's thoughts were very far away….

"Hi, Hermione!" Harry called out as he saw her run through the barrier to the Hogwarts Express Platform. They had split up earlier that day to finish some last minute shopping for school that year. Apparently, there had been some last minute additions to one of their classes, so Mrs. Weasly and Hermione went to fetch the needed supplies for everyone. After the summers event, all three of them felt they were ready for anything, however Mrs. Weasly was quite insistant that Ron and Harry go straight to the train so that 'they might keep out of trouble,' however well that worked.

Hermione was very glad to see everyone looking normal again, but she was very self conscious about one of her fingers. It was rather green, and wasn't really her finger; it was Dobby's and he had hers. But what was done, was done and she couldn't change it, no matter how hard she might try.

"Hello Harry, Ron." She replied, walking over to them. Suddenly, the train whistle blew quite loudly, signaling that it was soon to depart. After bidding Mrs. Weasly good bye, the trio boarded the train; and just in time, might I add, for no sooner did they sit down did the train start to move!

As Head Boy and Girl, Ron and Hermione had duties to attend to, but they assured Harry that they would return soon.

Hermione's thoughts were interrupted as everyone was supposed to stand for the end of the wedding.

"Now," the preacher said, "You may kiss the bride!"

The young lovers kissed with such passion that a magical aurora of light surrounded them and lifted them off their feet. They floated in air until they finished their kiss. As each of them landed softly on the ground again, they were staring deeply into each other's eyes. Neither appeared to have noticed what had happened.

About twenty minutes later, the entire wedding party was gathering all of the wedding guests into a beautiful room where they were holding the wedding reception.

Hermione watched as the Bride and Groom shared the first dance. It was such a beautiful song and there was such a dreamy air about it that she was quite surprise when it ended. Suddenly, Aimee was grabbing her hands and pulling her to the center of the room where Ron was waiting for her. It was time for the dance where the entire wedding party danced together.

About a month later, after Harry and Aimee returned from their honey moon, everyone was gathered at the Weasly house for dinner.

It was a perfect evening, al the children were running around and the house was full of laughter.

Suddenly, Hermione turned to Aimee and asked her, "Do you remember how we all met?"

Aimee turned to her friend, "Of course I remember, it was one of the most ridiculous things that ever happened to me!"

Mira came running over. "How did you meet daddy, Aimee?  Oops, Mommy?"

"Well, Harry had been on the train alone, while Ron and I did head boy and girl duties, dear," Hermione told the ten year old. So he was easily bored and decided to get up and wander to see if another train car had someone he could talk to. No sooner did he open his door then in came hurtling someone. However, the person was so covered that he couldn't recognize them as a person!"

A young, silver-eyed ragged girl popped her head out of the top of the things covering her. Harry wasn't sure if the girl was covered in ragged blankets, or half a million scraps of cloths and fabrics.

"Are they gone?" She asked him in a shaky, whisper.

He looked her over; her hair was going in any direction, as though she hadn't brushed it that morning and her face was covered in dirt.

"Is who gone?"

"Those three creepy guys who were chasing me," she replied, shivering.

Harry looked out the door of the compartment, but no one was there. "I think so. Are you ok?"

"Yea. Just cold."

"How can you be cold?" he exclaimed staring at all the fabric covering her.

"One of them threw a weird curse at me."

"O."

All of a sudden, Hermione noticed that she had an audience of children and adults.

"O, my. Is everyone listening?"

"Well, of course, Aunt Hermione," Candi stated calmly. "It's bound to be just as good a story as the last one!"

at that comment many of the adults present began to laugh while Hermione and Aimee blushed red as cherries.

"Right…"

He looked at the shivering girl. "C'mon, lets get you to the hospital car." along the way, the ran into Hermione and Ron who were coming back to sit with Harry. The four of them went to the hospital car after a quick discussion of what was going on.

The nurse looked at the girl with amazement. "How are you withstanding that curse, child? It is apparent that it has been upon you for some time."

"I have had training in the sustainment of  evil curses and spells," she responded, "M'am," she added, as an afterthought.

"You are wise in ways I do not know, aren't you, dear?"

"I don't think so, M'am. I know only what my Father has taught me, which isn't much."

"Ah, and a modest girl, at that," the nurse said, almost to herself.

"Well, I am Madam Herskine, Madame Pomphrey's assistant."

The girl stretched out her left hand and replied, "I am Aimee Legalador, Daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Poruddine."

The confused nurse reached out her right hand, but the girl grabbed the nurse's left hand.

"The left hand symbolizes friendship, M'am."

Not only did the Madame Herskine not expect this, neither did Harry, Hermione, and Ron. The three of them stared at the girl, mouths agape. When Aimee saw this, she asked, "Whats wrong with you? I'm just a normal girl, as normal as any of you!" The nurse then shook herself out of her daze and began administering her healing abilities on the girl.

However, the three teens were not so easily removed from surprise. They sorta just stood there, watching. None of tehm appeared to have moved, not that it had taken very long. However, Aimee didn't appreciate it. She wanted to be treated as an equal, not like some superstar who you couldn't be anywhaere near, which is why she had persuaded her father to let her attend Hogwarts for her final year of schooling. She had previously only been tutored by some of the most distinguished witches and wizards around the globe privately. But she wanted more, and would do almost anything to get it.

"Why are you staring at me like that? I won't bite!" and with that, she stormed out.

"Why didn't you tell us, Harry?" Ron demanded.

"I didn't know…she doesn't know my name yet either, nor yours. We came straight here, no introductions where made."

"O."

"You're a princess, Aim-mommy?" Mira exclaimed.

"No, dear. I'm a Duchess."

"O. But isn't that still royalty?"

"Yes, it is." Aimee looked at the girl, thinking about the time she'd last referred to her rank in society. So long ago, yet so very near. She wondered if her father would ever forgive her totally for that. He must forgive her at least a little bit, for he agreed to walk her down the aisle and he was speaking to her again, but his eyes still showed a bit of disgust and anger whenever he looked at her.

After The train arrived at the lake, Aimee stepped out and looked across the lake towards the towering castle in the distance.

"Wow," she murmured, "it's even bigger then Father's castle."

She was so busy staring at the beautiful building, that she was quite startled when someone gently grabbed her shoulder and said, "C'mon, it's time to get on the boats. Yer a first year, no matter how old ye are, so c'mon. I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Grounds and Keys at the school. Plus, I'm the Care of magigal creatures professor," He said, quite proudly. Aimee turned and looked into the face of the largest, and kindest looking man she had ever seen before in her life.

It took about ten minutes for Hermione, Harry, and Ron's thestral-drawn buggy to get up to the school. When they did, they were greeted by a surprise. There were flags and more hung around the school that had not been there before.

"It's the Legalador flag, "Hermione murmured in awe.

"Whose?" Ron asked, stupidly.

"It's the Flag of the Duke and Duchess of Poruddine," Hermione clarified, "Aimee's parents."

"O." A look of wonder dawned on his face as he and Harry studied the flags.

They were crimson flags with cold decals. In the middle was a brilliant green shield with a thestral sewn in the middle of it.

"Hermione, Ron!" Harry exclaimed in a hushed whisper, "the creature in the center of those flags is a thestral!"

Hermione looked at Harry, astonished.

"Are you sure?"

Harry nodded gravely.

"What's a thestral, Auntie Aimee?" Celeste asked.

"It's a creature one can only see after they have witnessed someone die. It is a sad sight when someone knows the beast by just a picture."

"You mean, they have to see someone kill someone?"

"Yes, sadly, I do."

"I hope I can never see a thestral, then."

"Me too!" exclaimed Shirley and Mackenzie at the same time.

"Me three," Beryl added.

"Us, four!" shouted the twins.

The group of children fell to the floor in a fit of laughter, bringing smiles to the serious faces of the adults.

"I hope so, too," Harry murmured quietly, "I hope so too."

About two minutes after all the returning students had gathered into the Great Hall, the first years were arriving at the gateway to the school yards.

They were lead through the school yard and Aimee tried to hide her face as students pointed out her father's flag.

"He promised not to put them here!" she muttered under her breath, scornfully. "WHY are they here?"

However, her disgust with her father soon was forgotten as the first years were lead to the great doors of the Great Hall.

After about five minutes, half consisting of the laying down of the rules, half consisting of readying the returning students, the first years were lead into the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall stopped Aimee and said, "You'll be sorted first. You are a seventh year student, no matter that this is your first year here, understand?"

Aimee nodded glumly at the prospect of more attention being drawn to her and allowed herself to be pushed into the beautiful room.

Within minutes, Dumbledore had announced all the rules and regulations, and Professor McGonagall was calling on her to come up to be sorted.  "Legalador, Aimee."

The room went deathly silent, then suddenly someone said, "That's why the Duke and Duchess of Poruddine's Flags are flying here, that's their Daughter!"

Although it was said in a voice barely over a whisper, in the silent hall, everyone heard it and Aimee turned a wonderful shade of scarlet. "Why must I get all this attention?" she thought to herself.

It seemed like the Sorting Hat didn't want to chose which house she was in; it kept muttering how she would thrive in Ravenclaw, how she would bring hope to Hufflepuff, how she would be great in Slytherin, or how her loyalty would fly through Gryffindor.

After about ten minutes of it's rants, she finally muttered, "c'mon, please, pick one!"

"Ah, bold of tongue," it chided her, yet full of spirit. What say you to which house you go?"

"Not my father's," she growled.

"Ah, feisty, too, and disobedient," it murmured to her, "Best be GRYFFINDOR!" it shouted to the school.

Aimee sighed in relief as the sorting hat was lifted from her head and she sat down. But seconds later, she wanted to melt out of sight as one of the professors said quiet firmly, "Aimee Legalador is a student in her seventh year. She has been tutored privately her entire life, and maybe more advanced then any of you. She is a seventh year student and is to be treated as such."

After that, the regular sorting ceremony began, in all its usual festivities.

"Auntie Aimee?"

"Yes, Shirley?"

"Why was everyone so surprised you were at Hogwarts?"

"Well, because my father was openly against Professor Dumbledore and against me attending the school, or any other similar one, for that matter. I received letters of acceptance from every wizarding school on the continent, and then some. I begged him to let me go, but he forbade it."

Shirley looked calmly at Aimee, "How can he forbid you to go to school?"

"It's not easy, but I persuaded him when he couldn't find anyone willing to tutor me anymore."

"Why couldn't he?"

"Because I called every single tutor on his list and told them that if they agreed, I would personally see to trouble on their part."

"That's not nice, Auntie!!"

"You're right, it's not," came Aimee's quiet response.

The first day of classes was nerve-racking for Hermione. She kept remembering occurrences from the summer, and couldn't help but wonder if she would transform into a house elf in the middle of class or something. When Harry and Ron asked if she was ok, she just shrugged them off, and told them to hurry up so they wouldn't be late for class.

As they walked towards transfiguration, Aimee sat down at a desk in the classroom, where Professor McGonagall told her to sit.  She sat there, fidgeting impatiently. She wanted to fit in, but didn't know how to when everyone avoided her.

A few minutes later, the trio sat down; Hermione at the desk next to her, Harry and Ron behind them.

Class began with attendance and Aimee drew in a deep gasp of surprise when the professor called "Potter, Harry," and the boy behind her said, "Here, M'am."

She didn't dare turn around; proper etiquette had been drilled into her since the day she was born and it saved her from embarrassing herself further by not knowing that the Boy-Who-Lived sat at the desk directly behind her.

They were giving some notes to take and some deskwork to do. "Review," Professor McGonagall told them when most of the students groaned. "I'd like to know just how much you've retained over the past six years."

While they were doing this, the professor wandered around the class room and spoke to each student personally. Aimee was quite surprised when she stopped by Hermione's desk and asked her, "You've begun to realize the dangers of the misuse of transfiguration, Miss Granger, haven't you?"

"Yes."

"Don't worry, If you ever have problems with it, come ad tell me. Later when things get settled, you will come to see me once a week so  you can learn to master your new gift. Alright?"

"Yes, M'am, thank you."

Later, at the end of class, Professor McGonagall asked the class if any of them wanted to be trained in the art of an animagi. After she had taken down the names of those who wee interested, class was dismissed.

"What's an animagi, Aunt Hermione?" Candi asked the present story teller.

"It's a person who can change into an animal at will."

"Are you an animagi?"

"Not really."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I can change in to another creature, but it's not of pure will, and I didn't have to learn it, it just happened because of you're Uncle Fred and George's candies."

"O."

At this point, Aimee looked at Hermione with a funny glint in her eye. "Shall I show them?"

Hermione giggled and nodded.

The six children watched Aimee with interest as she seemed to melt away. With in ten seconds in her place stood a beautiful chestnut mare with a white star on her forehead. It was definite proof that she was an animagi because NO horse could have such a perfectly shaped marking on their face.

The children Oooed and Aaahhhed until Harry came in, with Ron not far behind to send them off to bed.

"Come on, kids. It is time for bed."

"But.." Mira complained.

"Nope, no ifs, ands, or buts. Shoo."

Aimee snickered and trotted up to the kids. Looking at them straight in the eye, she leaned down and beckoned to them. The clever kids quickly figured it out and climbed on her back. How she managed six of them, no one knew, but she got them all up the stairs and was back a few minutes later as her normal self.

She and Hermione burst into laughter as Ron and Harry shook their heads.

The next class was just as weird; Hermione was very surprised at the number of Professors who knew about what had happened that summer. They talked to Ron about it to. The two of them were going to both have an extra class once a week in the evenings to master how to become the creature that was now part of them…and to become themselves again. Neither was very happy about it; which, as Harry put it, was not normal because Hermione always wanted to learn and Ron wanted to be something his brothers weren't. What better than being an animagi?

Later that day, after lunch, one of the first years was exploring the Gyffindor common room. The sixth and seventh years were outside, at flying lessons. The third, fourth and fifth years were in class as well, and it was the break for the first and second years.

He looked behind a little door he found in his dormitory.

"What'dja find, Mixil?" Gabriel Lorian asked him.

Kadry Mixil looked up at his friend, "I don't know. It's secret compartment, I think!"

The two boys looked deep into the opening, groping their hands about inside it. Suddenly, Gabriel's hands found a piece of cloth.

"O!"

When he had pulled it free, he was quite excited. It was a sack full of candy!

Little did they know that the famous Weasley twins had slept in this particular dormitory and that was where they hid their concoctions from suspicious professors…