Chapter 8

Newfound Relative

As he put on his uniform, Harry wondered how Roxanne was. He imagined himself putting on a Hogwarts jumper with a Slytherin crest instead if a Gryffindor one. He shivered and went down to have breakfast. Just as he entered the Great Hall Roxanne ran towards him and grabbed him in a bear hug.

"Was it that bad?" joked Harry.

"Worse," she said with a muffled voice as she buried her head into Harry's jumper.

"Come on, lets go ask Professor Dumbledore if you can sit with us," said Harry.

They walked up to the teachers' table and Harry was instantly greeted warmly.

"Hello Harry," said Professor Dumbledore. He looked considerably older and more wrinkles showed themselves as he smiled gently.

"Hi Professor. I was just wondering if Roxanne could sit with us at the Gryffindor?" he asked, dreading a negative answer.

Dumbledore smiled up at Roxanne, which made her feel much better.

"Of course you may! But when it comes to awarding the House Cup you have to sit in your rightful house," he said gravely.

'Rightful house.' Those two words echoed through Roxanne's mind as she walked back to the Gryffindor table. The second she sat down Malfoy, Pansy and Goyle marched over.

"What are you doing?"

"Sitting with my boyfriend," replied Roxanne, beaming at Harry.

"Boyfriend?" Pansy sneered, "what a weird couple."

"The 'boy who lived'," said Malfoy scathingly, "with the daughter of the couple who helped murder his parents. Very weird indeed. Well, see you in class, Roxanne," he said, enjoying the shocked look on both their faces.

"What was he on about?" asked Harry, turning to Roxanne.

She had a fearful look on her face. Ron, Ginny and Hermione were speechless. Neville look as though he'd rather be anywhere else but here.

A bell rang through the hall informing the students to go to their first class. Roxanne let out a tiny "eep!" and she ran to her next class, Herbology. She saw Malfoy and marched into him. He grinned at her but him grin faded when he saw the incensed expression on Roxanne's face. He opened his mouth to speak but before any sound came out Roxanne pushed him viciously so he stumbled against Pansy.

"What in the hell was that for?" he yelled.

"You had no right to tell him that, you prick!" she screamed at him.

"Don't you dare push him!" shrieked Pansy Parkinson.

"He bloody well deserved it!"

"He had to know some time, Roxanne," growled Malfoy, though he looked pleased with himself.

"I know that! But the last person I wanted to tell him was you! And now…" tears appeared in her eyes, "and now he'll hate me."

"Settle down class, settle down," said Professor Sprout, obviously oblvious to what had just happened, "today we're going to study Dye-Desires. Who knows what's so special about this little plant?" she asked, holding up a basic, dark purple flower with little purple leaves on the indigo stem. "Kacia?"

"It changes to the viewer's favourite colour. So no one knows what it really looks like when nobody is around," said Kacia, "its green to me."

"Very good. What else? Roxanne?"

"Some of the chemicals in it are the same found in Metamorphmagus' blood," said Roxanne monotonously.

"Excellent! Now we're going to extract that chemical because you will be using it in Potions," explained Professor Sprout.

They all walked back into the castle holding small bottles of liquid. Roxanne's saw everyone else carry violet liquid but everyone else saw different colours. Malfoy saw red and Pansy's was pink.

As Roxanne entered the Potions class she spotted Harry sitting near the back. She felt suddenly sick and wished she didn't have this class. She didn't know whether to sit near him or away from him. Luckily, Hermione asked her to work next to her.

"I trust you all have your Dye-Desire liquid?" asked Snape, talking to the Slytherins. They mumbled affirmatively.

"Now I'm afraid, you have to find a Gryffindor partner," said Snape, a smirk playing on his lips.

Roxanne immediately looked at Hermione. She grinned and nodded. Nobody else moved.

"Really, do I have to spoon feed you lot?" Snape barked at the Gryffindors. He began pairing people up himself.

"Weasley with Malfoy. Parkinson with Brown." They both groaned loudly and moved together most reluctantly. "Potter…hmm," said Snape, sneering, "with Winters I think."

Hermione's hand shot up.

"Yes Miss Granger?" said Snape, rolling his eyes.

"Roxanne's already with me sir!"

"Are you the teacher here, Granger?" Hermione shook her head, blushing. "Well then, what I say goes. Winters with Potter, now! And Granger, you can go with Miss Bulstrode."

Hermione muttered something under her breath and moved her stuff next to Millicent, who had a frighteningly happy look on her burly face.

Harry stared at Roxanne inquisitively as she put her equipment on his table. She ignored his curious gaze and started lighting a fire. But after five minutes she got annoyed. She dropped the chameleon eyeball she had in her hand and turned to face him.

"Is it true?" he said simply.

"Yes – but I don't even know the story. I don't even know how," she said darkly, throwing the eyeball into the bubbling cauldron fiercely.

"Why not?"

"I was never told and I didn't want to find out," she muttered, adding the Dye-Desire fluid. The contents of the cauldron hissed and turned a striking shade of purple.

"As you all should know, everybody will see the potion a different colour. That means I can't tell you if its right by looking at it," said Snape, "but it is right if it's bubbling and is very thin. Unlike Longbottom's here," he said, peering over Neville's cauldron. He was with Leila Murphy who was sitting on her stool not lifting a finger.

"What do you call this?" snarled Snape.

"M-metamorphing potion. Sir," said Neville, sweat pouring down his face.

"No Longbottom. This is some deplorable concoction nothing near what I asked you to do. Its not bubbling and its thick. Somewhat like its maker," he added, leering at Neville. Leila laughed, as did many other Slytherins.

"Leila, I'm sure you're more than capable to fix this mess."

Roxanne turned back to Harry. "That's the reason my parents – if you'd even call them parents – are in Azkaban. They could be dead for all I know…or care," said Roxanne, avoiding Harry's gaze.

"How come they were never mentioned?"

"Because most people thought they didn't have much to do with it. But they obviously didn't know the whole story."

She looked up at him, expecting to see an angry face glaring back at her. But to her relief Harry just looked slightly confused.

"You're not mad at me…are you?"

"Of course not. It's not your fault," he said, adding powdered bezoar horn. Snape walked up to their cauldron, examined it and walked away.

"Ha! He couldn't find anything wrong with it!" exclaimed Harry, punching the air.

After Potions they made their way to the Hall to have lunch. Neville was already sitting at their usual place next to another boy whom Harry did not know.

"Hey guys! This is Mark, Mark Evans," said Neville.

"Hi," they all said to him.

"Evans?" repeated Harry. That was his mother's name before she married his father…in fact, the boy even looked like her!

"Wasn't Evans your mother's maiden name?" said Hermione.

"Yeah…yeah it was. Tell me, did you ever know a woman called Lily Evans?" he asked Mark, "she married James Potter. And…and she was muggle-born."

"Lily…yeah I do. She was my granddad's brother's son's daughter. So that would make her my auntie," a look of dawning comprehension crossed his face, "so that makes you my cousin!"

"Wow! Dumbledore said I had no other relatives!" said Harry. He had relatives! It was shocking to discover, but seemed too strange to be real. The name Mark Evans echoed in his memory from not too long ago.

"Aw cool! My mum said she always wanted to know more about our family tree. Wait 'til I tell her we're related to you!" said Mark excitedly.

"So you have a family?" asked Ron.

"Just my mum. I don't have any brothers and sisters and my dad left when I was three and never heard from him again. He was a wizard and my mum's a muggle. I'd never heard of the magical world until last May!"

"You've both got exactly the same eyes," Roxanne pointed out.