...Never Be You!
Chapter One
Like the Fifties
CelticLady- I DON'T OWN JACK DIDDLY!
oooooooooooooooo June 18, 1996. Granger House
The snowy owl landed gracefully on the windowsill. Hermione gently removed the letter addressed to her from her leg.
"Dear Hermione.
Apparently, Aunt Petunia had a sister. A twin sister. And apparently, said sister had a daughter. Some girl named 'Jaimie Rea' And now that she's dead, that daughter will be staying here. Probably muggle, since Aunt Petunia likes her so much, and probably very anti-magic. Call me.
Later
Harry"
She read. "Jaimie Rea Evans? Could it be?" She wondered. Ever prepared, she whipped out her trusty laptop and looked up names. She printed out the articles she found, tied them to Hedwig's leg along with her letter, and nodded to herself at her confirmed suspicions.
oooooooooooooooooooooooo That Night, Number Four, Privet Drive
Harry carefully untied the heavy looking letters from Hedwig's leg, deciding to read Ron's first.
Dear Harry
Bloody Hell! Don't you know anything, Harry? Your aunt was tortured and raped by Death Eaters! It was in all the papers. Your cousin was almost as famous as you are. She can't be all that bad! 'Sides, at least you know you have one family member who wouldn't toss you to You-Know-Who, right? Besides, it's not like things could get any worse over there, could they? Anyway, my dad gave me some newspaper clips about the whole thing. Did you know she's named after your dad? Well, at least summer isn't too long, right? And you'll be coming to the burrow soon, won't you?
Write Back,
Ron
P.S. If she's cute, throw your best mate a bone... Please...?
Harry rolled his eyes, "Man! Is Ron ever getting desperate!" However, he did take a look at the clippings.
Muggle Woman Captured By Death Eaters!
Muggle woman Daisy Evans, an attractive twenty-five year old with green eyes and curly dark blonde hair, has been missing for over nine months now. Her family is frantic, including younger sister Lily Potter, and her husband, Auror James Potter. Family friend Sirius Black is quoted to say "We've got Aurors on it". But will it be enough? All clues, including spell residue on doors and windows, point to a kidnapping by Death Eaters. No further information is available at this time, but this reporter vows to keep readers informed.
Rita Skeeter
Evans Girl Found!
Last night, at Nine Thirty p.m. , Daisy Evans was brought into the maternity ward of St. Mungo's Hospital. She was rescued by her brother-in-law James Potter, and friends Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Potter, a high ranking Auror, was unwilling to disclose the identity of Evans's kidnapper, though he does admit that it was a Death Eater plot. Evans delivered of a healthy baby girl that she names Jaimie Rea Sara Evans, after her rescuers. Miss. Evans states that she is willing to answer any questions that the ministry might have and is looking forward to taking her daughter home.
Rita Skeeter
"Bugger! She IS named after my dad!" He picked up Hermione's letter, The articles she had sent along were less informative, being from muggle databases, but there were a few about his cousin winning art competitions. The most recent picture was of a pretty teenage girl with glossy black hair pulled back into a loose bun with a paintbrush tucked into it. She had high cheekbones and a slightly aquiline nose. But what stood out the most were her eyes. They were as bright a green as his own, and filled with mischief. She had wore a charming, tilted grin, and had her arm around the shoulder of a tall Hawaiian boy with spiky brown hair and a shirt that said 'So I'm a Bando,— So what?'. Her painting was of a young woman sitting on a moonlit beach with a wolf.
"Coincidence." He muttered, "It has to be." He tossed the picture aside, picking up Hermione's letter.
Dear Harry.
Harry James Potter you should be ashamed of yourself! You, of all people, should know not to judge people you don't know! The girl just lost her mother! Another thing you should understand! Be nice. Honestly! Sometimes you're worse than Ron, who, by the way, will probably ask you to fix him up. Say no. Trust me. At this age, he'll only have one thing on his mind. Anyway, I won't be home tomorrow; my parents are taking me to the museum of dentistry... Don't ask...
Hermione
"Trust her to rub it in. Damn! I need someone to be mad at... So that.." 'so that I don't have to think about Sirius.' He didn't say it, but he couldn't help but also think 'So I can stop blaming myself.'
00000000000000000Next Day, Sussex Airport
She adjusted her backpack anxiously as she stepped out of the plane, hugging her sketchbook close to her chest.
"So this is England..." She said nervously, to the person in front of her.
"Yep." The young man responded, "College life is great an' all, but I've missed home."
She nodded, sadly. "I can never go back home." She whispered, more to herself than to anyone else.
Out in the crowd, she recognized her Aunt Petunia, who looked no different than in the old picture she had. Vernon actually looked bigger. The boy, she guessed, must be Dudley. She tried not to cringe when he waved at her. 'I have a terrible feeling about that boy.' She thought. 'But I'm probably just imagining it. It's so kind of them to take me in!'
As soon as she had gotten down the stairs from the plane, her aunt was hugging her. Tired, and emotionally spent, she just laid her head on the bony chest, arms limp at her sides.
oooooooooooooooooooo Soon, Number Four, Privet Drive.
She smiled, looking at the house—it looked like one of the settings from an old fifties TV show , classic, suburban, everything she had never known. Sure, she had been happy in her old life, and she adored her friends and the gorgeous Hawaiian scenery, but none of it provided much stability, and that was something she desperately needed right now. It was like looking into a whole other world: One where the father wore a suit—heck, the very presence of a father was new to her!—and the mother was a housewife, and the son had a slicked-over hairstyle. Heck, it was like freakin' Leave It To Beaver! She followed Dudley and Uncle Vernon up to her room, noticing along the way that one of the doors was closed.
"Is that one yours, Dudley?" She asked.
He sort of flinched, "N..no..."
"What's the matter?" She was almost afraid to ask.
"The POTTER boy sleeps there." Uncle Vernon answered.
"Auntie Lily and Uncle James's son?"
"...Yeah... He's a freak." Dudley said.
"Such a thing to say of your cousin!" She scolded.
"No.. He's... one of them..."
"What? Is he gay?"
"Heaven forbid!" They both said.
"Well what's so wrong with him?" She asked, curious.
"He's a... wizard..." Uncle Vernon whispered.
'Cool!' She thought. 'Mama never mentioned that!'
"I see." She said, using her most neutral voice.
"So you agree, then?" Uncle Vernon asked,
She changed the subject, "Thank you for showing my room, and, well, everything. Mind if I just go to bed? Jet lag, I'm afraid. Ten hours behind, remember?"
"Of course." Uncle Vernon replied, "Well, pleasant dreams."
She kissed them both on the cheek, then went into her room.
"She seems like a good girl, Petunia." Said Vernon that night, at dinner. "Understood right away that boy was trouble."
Petunia smiled happily, "Of course! She is dear Daisy's daughter! What school should we send her to, do you suppose?"
"I'd say Madame Pershing's School For Well-Bred Young Women. She'd certainly fit in there! After all, she's one of US." Vernon replied, "And it is, after all, sister school to Smeltings; they do all their co-ed dances together. I'm sure Dudley could introduce her to those young men respectable enough to associate with."
Petunia wiped away a tear, "My old alma mater! I always had hoped we'd have a daughter to send there! It's too bad we can't..." She trailed off.
Vernon took her hand, "Try not to think of it, Pettie. After all, young Jaimie can be like our daughter, right?"
She nodded, "Yes, and we are lucky: We've got our good little Diddy."
Dudley gave a rather disgustingly smug grin.
Harry looked back and forth at his aunt and uncle; he had never seen them like this. They almost seemed...well, human! He couldn't suppress the disappointment he had felt when they said what Jaimie had already decided about him. 'Great! So she IS just like them.'
ooooooooooooooooooo Two days later
"Morning, Jaimie. Sleep well?" Dudley chirped.
"Yes, but I was sleeping much longer than I intended." She replied, embarrassed.
He grinned, "Nice slippers."
They were fuzzy blue puppies. She blushed, "Lani gave them to me, before I left. She said it was cold here." She laughed, "Well, it's not the arctic, but to a hot-blooded beach-dweller like myself, it might as well be!"
"I heard you're an artist." He stated,
"Oh, I dabble." She replied.
"What's it like in Hawaii?" He asked.
Aunt Petunia smiled, imagining, for a moment, that they were both hers, and glad that they were getting along.
"How do you like your eggs, Jaimie, dear?"
"Scrambled, please, Auntie Petunia." She said, then turned back to Dudley. "Well, it's different all over! Tropical. We had a banana tree. Oh, and school was on the mainland, so old Mr. Pei'lu took us in on a boat every morning! I had a cat.. She... died, too."
"Oh." He said.
She blinked, changing the subject, "You could swim even in the winter, and there was a jungle near our town. Nina had a pet monkey!"
"What was his name?"
"Miko."
Harry hadn't come out of his room all day. He didn't come to dinner that night, either. Jaimie tried not to worry about this, but it hurt a little, to think that he had already dismissed her as another distasteful relation.
00000000000000000000 Ten PM, Harry's Room.
Harry sighed, looking out the window. 'Could things get any worse?' he wondered.
Knock! Knock!
"I did all my chores, Uncle Vernon!" He yelled.
"Not Uncle Vernon...Um... Can I come in?" Said a voice.
Hesitantly, he opened the door. It was HER. She held a plate of food.
"You...uh.. didn't come down for dinner... I thought you might be hungry." She said nervously.
"Thanks... erm... You can come in. Contrary to popular belief," He said bitterly, "I don't bite."
She smiled sadly. "That wasn't it at all. I guess I can understand why you wouldn't want to come down." She handed him the plate after he sat down on the bed.
He seemed to think for a minute, "You don't have to just stand there, you know. Sit."
"Arf. Arf." She muttered sarcastically as she sat down.
He snorted, "So you're a comedienne. Damn, and here I was all prepared to hate you!"
"Gee, should I be offended, Mr. Potter?" She asked.
"Pleeaassse don't call me that!" He groaned.
"Well, I don't know your name." She informed him.
"It's... erm...Harry..."
"And I'm – "
"Jaimie." He interrupted, "I know."
"Oh." She blushed.
He sighed, poking at his food, "I guess I haven't been very fair to you..."
"So you don't like me... at least you're honest. I'll go." She said, walking toward the door.
"Please... Don't go! It would be nice to have at least one person here who doesn't hate me. Besides, things have been...worse... since..." He bit his lip.
"Since what, Harry?" She asked, intrigued, as she sat back down next to him.
He looked away, "Since Sirius died..."
"He's... Dead? But... I thought he got out? What happened?" She said, eyes wide.
He stared at her, "You WANTED him to get away? Even after what they say he did?"
Her eyes were hard, "He didn't do it. I don't believe for a second that he did! Mama didn't, either. Not after the way he rescued us! No one who could rush into danger with no thought for himself would betray the trust of a friend! Now, Rat boy on the other hand... How is it possible to leave only a finger if a person explodes? There would be some ashes, at least! I should know."
"Do I want to know why?" He asked.
I did a science report on spontaneous human combustion; the principles are similar. Besides, He was never scared of Voldemort."
"Whoa whoa whoa..Wait... You know about Voldemort?" He was confused.
"I guess you never heard of my disgraceful beginnings..."
"The death eater thing?"
"Yeah... probably in the papers, I bet... And Mama dated a wizard for awhile." She said, "I miss him... Last time I saw him was a week after my eleventh birthday... When Voldemort started causing trouble at some magic school... He said it was too risky, that we'd see him again when the danger had passed..." She sighed.
"What was his name?" Harry asked,
"Remus. He was the closest thing I had to a Daddy... He was a friend of your dad's... I wonder how he is?"
Harry gave her a sly smile, "Why don't you write him?"
"I don't know where he is..." She said sadly, "And now that Voldemort's back..."
"How'd you know that?" surprised, again, which was beginning to annoy him..
"Lani—she's my best friend—well, her sister's a witch." She replied. "She went to Avlonea Academy in the Bermuda Triangle."
"Really? I wonder why you aren't."
"I almost was. I even got a letter... Some place called Hogwarts. But my mom sent it back and wouldn't let me go. Something about not trusting one of the teachers... She and Remus argued about it a little, but I kept wishing it would go away, so they wouldn't argue, and Mama wouldn't worry. One day, it did. They never brought it up again."
"It's still there." He said, "We learned about it in school; you just locked it up. Natural warding, I think it was called. Hermione knows more about it than I do. But it's dangerous, it could kill you." He thought a minute, "We'll talk about that later... Anyway, my owl can carry a letter to Lupin for you."
"Thanks! So.. are we friends?" She asked.
"Better: Cousins." He hugged her.
"I guess we've got a lot to catch up on. Har." She said, then grinned, "Huggles!" She yelled, hugging him.
Too fluffy? Oh well!
