Chapter 4
The next day Draco ignored Harry pointedly at breakfast, at least until a big package was delivered to Harry by the owls. When the messy haired boy rose up and took his package to go open it in a quieter place, the blond stood up to follow him, Angela groaning but tagging along.
"What's that Potter? A broom? This time you're done, first years aren't allowed to have a broom!" he taunted, a yelp escaping him when a gentle slap hit the back of his head.
"Leave him alone, Dray for Merlin's sake!"
"But Ange, he got a broom!"
She pinched her nose as Ron was the one to argue with Draco now, the blond insulting once more the ginger's lack of wealth.
"I hope you are not fighting." said the voice of their charm professor, while Angela thanked him silently.
"No we weren't, but Potter got a broom."
"Of course, yes, Minerva told me about it!" smiled the small professor. "What model is it?"
"A Nimbus 2000, Sir." replied Harry, excitement obvious in his voice. "And it's thanks to Malfoy that I managed to get it."
Angela had to physically drag Draco away after that statement, the slytherin absolutely seething.
"I told you, you would regret doing that. Maybe next time you'll listen to me."
"You knew!" he accused her.
She snorted, "Of course I did."
oOoOo
"Ry'?"
"Yes Eli?" replied the messy haired boy a bit confused.
"How would you feel to not need glasses anymore or to have a new hairstyle? New clothes as well?"
Harry paused and looked at her with conflict in his eyes, torn between his pride, the hope of looking nice and having someone that's his and that's new. "I don't know Eli… I suppose the glasses would be nice but I'm not sure about a new haircut… Aunt Petunia tried once and… it was hideous…"
She looked at him with horror on her face "No no no, Ry', I'm not talking about that kind of haircut, oh lord… I was more thinking of growing your hair and if you don't like it we can cut it back to whatever length you'd like! Don't you trust me?" Angela gave him her best puppy eyes.
"I trust you Eli, it's just that I've never done this before…"
She smiled reassuringly and took his hand in her. "Follow me!" was the only warning he got before being dragged to the dungeon by his overly enthusiastic friend.
"What are we doing here?" he whispered anxiously in her ear when he realized they were in front of the potion classroom.
Only giving him a wink for an answer she spoke to the wall in front of the classroom's door. "Asphodelus cerasiferus."
Harry watched with fascination as the wall turned into a door on which she knocked, opening it without waiting for a reply as she shouted "Hello cousin Sev! I'm borrowing your lab, I have to brew an eyesight restoration draught and a hair growth solution!"
To Harry's surprise, the potion master was in the room that looked like a private office, sitting behind a desk and likely grading work from the students. Severus raised his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Brat, can you not wait for an answer before barging in?" He sighed deeply and looked at Harry and then back at her. "You can use my lab but you are responsible for everything you do there. Do not mess with my cabinet and clean up when you are done. You will also be responsible for Potter."
Her hair turned pink and she sidestepped the desk to throw herself at her cousin's neck, thanking him profusely. She went back to Harry who was stunned at seeing her so affectionate with the potion professor and yet still be alive.
"Come Ry', we better get to work!" she claimed as she dragged him toward the second door of the room, this one leading to Severus's private lab.
She left the door open for the potion professor to be able to keep an eye on them and got to work quietly but with a smile on her face, only talking to guide Harry through the steps of the brewing and after three hours they ended up with two labeled phials on the now clean workstation.
Angela took the beautiful cerulean potion and handed it to him. "If you drink this it will restore your eyesight and you won't need glasses anymore. It might be uncomfortable while it works so I advise you to close your eyes."
He took it from her hand and drank it in one gulp before giving her the now empty phial as he closed his eyes, fighting the urge to rub them to get rid of the itching that he felt. A few seconds later it was gone and he opened his eyes, removing his glasses at the same time. Tears glistened in his eyes as he whispered "I can see clearly…" and Angela took him in her arms, understanding why he was being emotional.
She took a step back and grabbed the remaining phial. "For this one we better move to another place, I doubt cousin Severus would be happy about having hair all over his lab."
"Indeed Angela." came the drawling voice of the man in question, standing in the door frame. He came closer to them and cast a quick diagnostic charm at Harry's eyes before examining the phial in her hand and nodding. "Good job, 10 points to slytherin for helping out a fellow student and brewing two potions successfully."
Angela scoffed and put her hands on her hips, still mindful of the phial. "That's favoritism, cousin Severus, Ry' helped for the brewing!"
"You were the one responsible for him and in charge Angela." She glared at him and he shook his head, a hint of fondness in his eyes. "Fine, 5 points to gryffindor."
Harry gaped at the potion professor and Angela hugged the infamous dungeon bat once more, whispering a thank you as she did so, receiving a head pat in return.
The next day Harry showed up to classes with hair reaching the middle of his back tied in a simple braid, his dark locks much tamer with the added weight of the new length.
oOoOo
Time was flying by between classes and hanging out with friends or quidditch in Harry's case and soon enough it had been two months since they started school. That day marked the start of her plans but she wouldn't change much to the evening as Hermione needed this event to finally bond with Harry and Ron. Severus was already in on what was going to happen but he was the only one with the information besides her, thanks to hours of careful planning on how to avoid as many deaths as possible without altering the timeline too much so that she still was a step ahead of everyone else.
A barn owl shook her out of her thoughts during breakfast, a piece of parchment attached to its leg. Angela took it and petted the owl at the same time. She unfurled the letter and her eyes narrowed.
Eli, I would like to have a word with you during your free block this afternoon. I have been craving sour candies lately.
A. Dumbledore
The girl snorted and glanced at the head table where the headmaster sat, nodding when she caught his eye for a second.
"Who sent you that letter Ange?" asked a voice on her left.
"Hmm? Oh it's nothing, the headmaster wants me to visit him later today." she answered simply.
"What? But why? You haven't done anything worthy of getting expelled, have you?"
Angela chuckled and shrugged "You're being dramatic Dray, I'm sure it's nothing important. Now hurry up or we'll be late for Charms!"
They finished their breakfast quickly and marched to the Charm classroom, waiting patiently for Flitwick to open the door to slide in and take place inside. Angela sat beside Harry with Draco in front of her, Ron taking Harry's other side with Hermione right after him.
"Hey Eli, today is the levitation charm, but don't you already know this one?" whispered Harry to her.
She nodded and answered quietly "I practiced it with cousin Severus during summer, that's how I could help you with your trunk in the train."
"I remember." smiled Harry, stopping himself from adding anything when the professor called for their attention.
"Do not forget the wrist movement we practiced! The wrist must be nice and supple, swish and flick! Remember, swish and flick! Make sure to pronounce the incantation properly, it's very important. Let's not forget about the wizard Baruffio who ended up with a buffalo on his shoulders." said the diminutive professor from the top of his book pile.
"The key is to visualize the result, the more you can picture and want it to happen, the better your magic will answer you." Angela told Harry, trying to help him out as he barely managed to make his feather shake a little above their table.
"Visualize… " he was mumbling before Seamus managed to distract him by lighting his own feather on fire.
"You can do it Ry'!" she encouraged, trying to tune out Ron's disastrous attempt and Hermione correcting his pronunciation.
"You're saying it wrong. It's Levi-O-sa, not Levio-saa !" Angela winced when she heard the famous sentence, it sounded worse in real life than it did in the book but she knew the bushy haired witch meant well.
"Do it if you're that smart!" Ron lost his temper and thrusted the feather toward Hermione who made it float easily.
"Oh, yes, bravo! Look at that everyone, Miss Granger did it! 10 points to Gryffindor!" exclaimed the little professor.
Angela snorted quietly before making her own feather float and Harry following her exemple, each earning five points to their house with an additional five to slytherin for helping out another student.
"Thank you Eli! I don't think I would have figured it out without your help." he told her as they left the classroom.
"Pfft, don't thank me Ry', you would have done it right eventually. Magic is not that hard if you can picture what you want to do, once you figure that out everything gets easier!" she smiled brightly.
"I wish I was allowed to work with you two instead of her." started Ron "She's a nightmare, no wonder she has no friends!"
"Ron! Don't say that, she might have not done it properly but she still tried to help you. Maybe she doesn't know how to do so without sounding like a know-it-all." Angela cut him, hands on her hips.
"But Angela, she is a know-it-all!" he whined.
"I'm not sure about that Ron, all I see is a muggleborn scared to be sent back to the non magical world if she doesn't perform good enough."
Ron sighed and scratched the back of his head, seemingly deep in thought. After a bit he nodded slowly. "I guess I can see it but it's just too much, you know?"
"With some proper friends to help her out I'm sure she wouldn't be that bad." she said, Harry nodding along.
Unfortunately Hermione had only heard Ron's first sentence and had run off to the girl's lavatory to cry.
Angela parted with them to join Draco at the Slytherin table for lunch.
oOoOo
"Sour candy." Angela enonced in front of the gargoyle, making it reveal the stairs to reach the headmaster's office.
She climbed the stairs and knocked on the door, Albus's voice inviting her to enter.
"Ah Eli, you are here good, good! Lemon drop my girl?" he proposed, receiving a glare at the 'my girl'.
"You wanted to talk to me, Headmaster?"
The old man clasped his hands and smiled. "Indeed Eli, I wanted to know how you are adapting to our world."
"I'm doing fine, we all are, I think. None of us had ties to our old world so it's not like we're missing someone or anything like that." she replied calmly. "We've dreamed of so many worlds, read so many stories that honestly being here is not so bad. We could have ended up in much more dangerous worlds."
"Does that mean you do not wish for us to look for a way to send you back where you came from?" Albus asked kindly.
Her laugh echoed in the room, loud and clear. She wiped a tear from her eyes and tried to explain herself, her shoulders still shaking with laughter. "Excuse me, Headmaster but no. Send me back to what? I told you we have no ties to our old world and it's because we have nothing to begin with. No family, no friends, nothing and no one to miss us. There is nothing holding us back there. Here we have cousin Severus and Ry'. Maybe even Dray and Ron. And I also have Morte. I have already so much more here than I did there that there is nothing one could say to convince me to go back."
The old man nodded thoughtfully. "I see Eli, well I'm glad that you seem to be adapting just fine."
"You know sometimes I start thinking that maybe the reason I felt like I didn't belong back there might be because I belong here to begin with." she said, her laughter fully receded now.
"Maybe, it is a possibility, not much is known about traveling across dimensions."
"Was that all you wanted to know, Headmaster?" Angela asked, her gaze wandering to the sleeping form of Fawkes.
"Actually no, I had another… concern, let's say." The girl cocked her head to the side, waiting for him to elaborate. "I know you have made plans with Severus regarding young Harry and Voldemort and I wanted to know if there is anything I can do to help you out."
Angela shook her head. "Apologies Headmaster but I do not trust have done and will do things that makes it impossible for me to trust you with any information. I know you want to save as many as possible but your ways are not the ways I'm willing to follow." She paused for a bit before resuming. "To some I would look hypocritical as we are going to have to keep information much like you would have done but we will only hold back what is required to not alter the timeline too much."
"It saddens me to hear that Eli but I will respect your decision. My door will always be open, shall you change your mind or need my help in any way or form." replied Albus, eyes twinkling as usual.
"I will remember that Headmaster and you are part of my plans as well so you will be involved at some point just not yet. Oh and Headmaster? Make sure the third floor corridor's door is well kept tonight; I'd hate for Severus to have to go protect it and get injured at the same time."
With that Angela stood up, gave a pet to Fawkes and left the office, not waiting for her dismissal. She knew she was being rude in a way but she didn't want to feel like she had to justify herself more.
oOoOo
When Quirrel announced the presence of a troll in the dungeon during dinner, Angela sought her cousin's gaze. They exchanged a brief nod, Angela starting to join him while giving a pointed look to Dumbledore. 'Let's hope the old man took my warning into consideration' she thought. No one noticed her slip out of the Great Hall with the potion professor beside the Headmaster.
"Where to?" asked Severus, not having that information yet.
"First floor girl lavatories." Angela replied, "But we shouldn't go too fast, Ry' and Ron must find Hermione before us."
"Fantastic." He drawled "Let us go ahead and hide a little further than the lavatories to be ready to intervene as soon as Potter and Weasley arrive."
She nodded and took his hand in hers, her hair turning a nervous shade of sea green as she silently prayed that her plan wouldn't change the story too much. It was the first big event she was going to alter and she knew well enough about the butterfly effect.
After passing the lavatories, they hid in the nearest classroom, Angela looking ready to vomit.
"Do you have any anti-nausea potion, cousin Severus?"
"The smell?" he asked to which she nodded. She thanked him when he gave her the phial that she downed in one gulp, hoping to settle her uneasy stomach.
"So much for the troll being in the dungeon." she whispered, shaking her head as they heard the beast walk in the corridor, groaning as it did so.
A yell followed by a cry of "HERMIONE!" gave them the signal that they needed to exit the room, Angela shadowing the potion master. When they entered the lavatories, Hermione and Harry were at the opposite side of the room, the former sticking to the wall, white as a sheet. Ron was on one of the other sides, trying to distract the troll.
"Ry' no!" she yelled when she saw the boy jump on the beast, sticking his wand right in its nostril.
"Move Potter!" said Severus, Harry letting himself drop to the ground and putting as much distance between him and the troll as he could once he heard him.
While Harry got back to Hermione to get her to move, Angela and Severus both drew their wands and twin Sectumsempra struck the troll's thick skin. The spy used a chain of spells that Angela didn't know while she watched him with a bit of awe, the troll dropping dead to the ground in a pool of his own blood soon after.
"That was so cool cousin Severus!" she exclaimed.
"There is nothing cool about battling a troll young lady. And do not think I didn't see you use dark magic, we will have a long talk about what magic is acceptable for you to use." he shot back, making her shrink a little. "As for you three, you could have died! What made you think it was acceptable to run after a full grown mountain troll?"
"It's my fault Professor!" Blurted out Hermione. "I read about mountain trolls in a book and thought I could defeat one myself! Harry and Ron tried to stop me!"
Angela hid her chuckle in Severus's back, Harry and Ron too shocked by the bushy haired witch's lie to speak.
"And this proves that being able to remember books by heart does not make one smart." sneered Severus "You are lucky to be alive, if Angela did not tell me that you would be here you could have died."
"Eli!" exclaimed Harry, making her come out of her hiding behind the potion master. The boy ran to her and took her in his arms, thanking her.
"You should get your wand back Ry'." she gently told him, releasing him from their hug.
"Oh, true!"
"What happened here? Ah Severus, I see you took care of the troll already. What are you four doing here?" asked the professor McGonagall who had just arrived.
"Ah professor! I knew where the troll was so I brought cousin Severus, as for Ry' and Ron they came to save Hermione!"
"Is that true?" asked the stern witch. Severus nodded in affirmation. "Mr Weasley and Potter, both of you get five points each for attempting to save a fellow housemate. Miss Granger five point for sheer dumb luck. And Miss Schiffer five points for bringing an adult instead of trying to face the troll on your own."
"So you reward them for disobeying the order to go back to their common room?" drawled the potion professor, an eyebrow raised.
"Come on Severus, not all first years would have survived an encounter with an adult mountain troll even with your help." replied Minerva before gathering the three gryffindors. "Let's go back to the common room."
"You too brat." Severus told Angela, his hand on her back to push her gently.
"What about the dead troll cousin Severus?"
"The Headmaster will take care of it." he replied simply.
"Maybe you should send him a patronus to tell him where it is." she pointed out, earning a glare. Angela held her hands in front of her in a placating manner, making the potion master shake his head.
She didn't say anything when he sent a silvery doe, not willing to provoke him further.
