It was exactly a week before her eighth birthday, and Azalea Potter-Black was very excited. Uncle Arcturus was taking her to meet up with her new friend Neville to get ice cream at Forescues' Ice Cream Parlor, and then, she was going to get new books to read! She could get any book that she wanted this time, within reason. She had already done the level one books that she had gotten from last year's tutors, and now, she would need at least her second level books, maybe even third soon. Thank Merlin that she had lots of money to spend, in a special vault at Gringotts bank, made just for her schooling. Technically, this did count as schooling, as she was getting tutored in things that any natural-born pureblood or even a half blood would know by her age, or start to learn. She had an entire trust fund vault to use for books and school supplies. So what if she tapped into it a bit earlier than expected. She was using it to learn, after all.

When she woke up, there was a nearly perfectly wrapped gift box sitting on the foot of her bed with a note, that read:

Azalea,

Wear this when you get dressed today

Sincerely,

Cassiopeia

The box was wrapped in purple satin colored wrapping paper, with a white ribbon and a silver bow. She tore into it eagerly. What could it be? Inside the box was a sleeveless burgundy lace dress with a silk ribbon around the waist that formed a beautiful rose. You could tell that the lace of the dress was handmade, and depicted a field of flowers. She absolutely loved it. Before Cassiopeia had adopted her, she had never ever worn a dress, but now? Now she wore a different one almost every day.

After eating a light breakfast and doing her morning stretches, which was a good force of habit by now, she got dressed in her pretty new dress, and Cassiopeia did her hair up for her, curling it and putting it up in a mithril and ruby clasp, one she found while visiting one of the Potter family vaults at Gringotts bank. She had only been there twice, once to visit her vaults and once to see the Healer, but she now loved it there.

"Azalea, are you almost ready to go?" Arcturus called from the doorway as Azalea was looking in her mirror at the dress.

She couldn't help it. It was a beautiful dress. She turned to look at him and beamed at the sight of her Grandpa.

"Mhm! Look at the dress Aunt Cia got me for today! Isn't it pretty?" she said as she did a twirl, the red dress spinning around with her to float about.

"You look absolutely beautiful, my dear. Let's head out. It's almost ten, and we have to meet up with Neville and Lady Augusta soon.

He gently led her out of her bedroom and down the main staircase to the main parlor, where they aperated directly to Diagon Alley. They were going early not only to beat the heat but to beat crowds that would form from it being nearly September 1st. Huh, to think, in two years' time she would be packing up to do the very same. Time flies so fast.

She gazed around the alley, getting a good look at her surroundings. She had only been there less than a handful of times, so everything was still pretty new.

"Now, hold my hand, so you don't get lost. And remember, if we get separated, just call for Zilly. She can take you home, or to me right away."

"O-okay, Grandpa." and she gripped his hand a little tighter. The thought of getting lost in such a big place, with so many people already, sent her into a small panic.

He smiled down at her, "Don't worry Azalea, I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

He weaved around the larger crowds of parents and children, to reach Fortescue's Ice cream Parlor. There, sitting at one of the colorful patio tables, was Neville Longbottom and his grandmother Augusta Longbottom. She smiled and rushed up to the two of them.

"Hi Neville! Hi Lady Augusta!"

"Hello there Azalea, good morning. And hello again, Arcturus. Are you two ready to go inside and order?"

"Mhm! I can't wait. I'm going to get... I'm not actually sure yet. Maybe Peanut Butter and strawberries like last time? Or maybe I'll get butter beer? Or even chocolate! Which flavor will you get, Neville?"

"I don't know yet either. Let's look at all of the flavors!"

Neville ended up getting a Sticky Toffee Pudding ice cream sundae with whipped cream cherries and hot caramel. Meanwhile, Azalea picked out a different ice cream from the last two times she had gone. This time she got possibly her new favorite. Butter beer ice cream with whipped cream, hot caramel, and a bunch of cherries. Auntie Cassiopeia just got a regular Toffee ice cream in a waffle cone and Lady Augusta got what grandpa got last time, Earl Grey and Lavender ice cream, but in a dish.

They ate their ice cream and made polite conversation.

"Azalea, I love that dress on you, is it new?"

"Mhm! Auntie Cia got it for me just for today! Isn't it beautiful?" She did a little twirl.

"Yes dear it is. That is a very pretty dress. You must feel like a princess in it!"

And so on, the conversation flowed, in an easy manner.

"Okay, so where should we head next, Azalea? Do you want to go to the bookstore? Or do you want to head to the toy store?" Lady Augusta asked the two children as they were exiting the ice cream parlor.

"I want to go to the pet shop to get some treats for Arawn!"

And she ran off ahead of everyone, too excited to wait. She saw the shop window and ran up to it happily to look at the window display full of pretty owls and other birds. She didn't have an owl yet, she would need to get one soon, to use for school in a few years, and to send correspondents to Neville. Azalea was stopped when she bumped into another person, well, child, and they both fell to the cobblestone street in a tangled heap of limbs.

All she heard was a smooth voice say,

"Oh dear! I am so sorry. Please excuse me, in my rush, I wasn't looking where I was going." The strange boy said while helping Azalea up.

"Oh no, it's my fault. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, and I was the one who crashed into you. Please forgive me."

She looked at the boy. He was tall and thin, with fair skin and slicked back golden hair. He was wearing a well tailored sanguine and black five-piece suit and black Italian loafers. His mercury gray eyes scanned her up and down, looking for any harm he caused to her.

"Are you okay?"

"I think so. Just a little dusty, nothing a dirt repelling charm can't fix."

"My name is Theodore Nott, but you can call me Theo. All of my friends do."

"My name is Azalea Potter-Black. It's a pleasure to meet you, Theo." she beamed up at him, as he was quite a few inches taller than her.

"If you don't mind me asking, Theo, what are you doing here in Diagon Alley? I'm here with my friend Neville and my Aunt Cia and Neville's grandmother Lady Augusta! It's my birthday celebration! Well, it's not my birthday yet, but mine and Neville's are coming up next week, and we decided to go out to celebrate it early." she said in a hyper rush. She was very excited.

"My father brought me with him to attend some business here, but he's at Gringotts and that place is too boring. So I went off on my own. But don't worry, he put a tracking charm on this!"

He pulled out a golden pocket watch from his suit trouser's pocket.

"Look! Isn't it neat, I got it for my eighth birthday. See that?"

He pointed to the design on the front of the watch. There was a crest

"That's my family crest. Father said it was time. He said that I'm old enough to know how to represent it properly now." he said, calmly.

"It's really cool! Do you want to join us? I'm going to Magical Menagerie and then to Flourish and Blotts. Auntie Cia said I could get whatever I want today! I want to get treats for my snake, and then I want to get a new book to read! Do you like reading?"

"I do. You really have a snake? That's wicked! And I would love to join you. I was bored anyway."

"Yeah, Grandpa Arcturus got him for me when I was six, right before Christmas."

It took her a minute to process the rest of his sentence. All the sugar from her ice cream sundae was making her hyper.

"Yay! Now, we just have to find them. I may have gotten a little ahead of myself and I ran off away from them. Want to help me look for them?"

"Sure, why not."

Together, they retraced her steps, and headed back towards the ice cream parlor. They didn't get very far, maybe a few meters, when Azalea and Theo both heard,

"Azalea! There you are. Don't you ever do that again! You know better than to run off from me, especially in such a crowded place like Diagon Alley."

Theo smirked at her.

"It seems that they have found us." he replied smoothly.

Azalea turned to her aunt sheepishly and said,

"Sorry Auntie Cassiopeia. You're right, I do know better than to run off. I just got too excited, and I wanted to get Arawn new treats and-"

It was rare that Cassiopeia felt the need to interrupt someone.

"It's okay Azalea, just don't do it again. Now, who might you be?" Cassiopeia said, turning towards the boy who was accompanying her great niece.

"My name is Theodore Nott. It is a pleasure to meet you. You must be her aunt, Lady Black." Theo said, gently bowing. He delicately kissed her hand.

"My oh my. What a gentleman. Are you alone, Theodore ?"

"No, my father had to attend to business at Gringotts bank, and I got bored, so I wandered out here to look around more. But don't worry, he put a tracking charm on me, so he knows where I am." he reassured Lady Black.

"Well then, would you like to join us today? Augusta and I are celebrating Neville and Azalea's birthdays, as they are both turning eight soon enough. We were just headed to the Magical Menagerie store."

"Oh? When are their birthdays? They must be soon, as you are celebrating today." Theo asked politely.

"You are correct on that front. Neville's is July 30th and Azalea's is July 31st." Cassiopeia said, slightly impressed at the child's deduction.

"Yes, I would love to join you. I was just helping Azalea retrace her steps to find you, it seems that you found us instead." He said, gesturing to Azalea as an explanation of what they were doing unattended in the alley.

"Well then, shall we continue on?"

"Yes, ma'am." He was ever the charmer, a natural trait that was decidedly not passed down from his father.

This time, Azalea stayed with her group and didn't run off ahead. They went through the store, and Azalea picked out different treats for her snake, as well as a new magical heating light and some nice new hiding rock tunnels and some non-poisonous plants to redecorate what was slowly becoming her familiar's rather large terrarium.

They were midway though the store when Neville stopped in front of a glass enclosure, with a toad in it, for sale. It was an Apennines Yellow-bellied toad, a toad with a dark grayish brown compact body. It was very bumpy, and had, like its namesake, dark grayish blue underparts, with yellow and orange large spotty patches of color. Likewise, it had a roundish snout and big bright yellow eyes with triangular pupils. There was as sign on its enclosure that read:

WARNING: HIGHLY TOXIC SECRETION ON TOAD HANDLE WITH GLOVES AND CARE

Neville was enamored with it. He had always wanted a pet, but he wasn't allowed. Nan wouldn't let him have more than an owl to send post. He knew better than to ask her or say anything. While he was busy gazing longingly at the terrarium tank, Lady Augusta looked imploringly at her grandson.

He was getting to that age where he would need a familiar for school anyway. He had asked for a pet before, when he was six, but he was much too young to take care of one at that age. Of course, she had to tell him no at the time. Although, back then, she thought him to be a complete or near complete squib. It took magic to bond to a familiar, strong magic at that. Not everyone was eligible to bond with a creature; Not everyone had the magical capacity. Now that she knew for a fact that he did indeed have magic, and quite a lot of it, it seemed, she knew that a magical core bond with a familiar was possible for him. She was just trying to protect him from being hurt, in her own way. She knew she could be hard on him, but she only wanted the best for her one and only grandson.

One day, he would be the head of the Longbottom bloodline, as he was the only young male eligible to be an heir. After the magical blockages and core damage was healed enough by the goblin Healer at Gringotts bank, he was getting stronger, and healthier to boot. By time, she was jolted from her musings about her grandson, he had moved on from the toad without so much as even a word. Maybe it was time to get him one. Quietly, she separated from the three children and her dear friend for a moment, to go to the cashier behind the counter at the front of the store.

"Excuse me." she said to the young man behind the counter.

He looked to be barely above the age of schooling, maybe seventeen or eighteen at most. He flicked his shoulder-length black hair out of his eyes and stood up off the stool, before doing a double take at who it was. The young man looked startled, and stood up very straight. He quickly dusted himself off quickly. She was very unmistakable with her emerald green robes and black witches hat with a petrified and stuffed vulture, her signature look it seemed. It helped that she had a very well known, infamously short temper. She couldn't help herself, she just didn't have time for nonsense.

She cleared her throat and repeated herself.

"Excuse me, Mr..." she trailed off, looking at him inquisitively.

"Mr. Grandville." he supplied his name quickly. She was not a lady to keep waiting, after all, lest he lose her patronage from the small shop.

"Yes, excuse me, Mr. Grandville. The Apennines Yellow-bellied toad. I want it. Have it boxed up securely, and I want all the necessary accessories and supplies as well. Give me only the very best of everything. I won't settle for anything less."

"Yes, absolutely. I will prepare your order for you right away, Lady Longbottom. Do you want to wait? Or should I send everything by owl."

"Owl post, of course. And make it discrete. It is a gift for my grandson. I will need it by next Sunday at the very latest. Here, I will pay for it now. How much will it be."

"Let's see... With the purchase of the toad, the magically enlarged enclosure, the general and specialized care books you'll need to read, the substrate and moss, its water and food dishes, the food, vitamin and calcium supplements and meal worm treats. I also recommend getting some hideaways for it, some climbing decor, and these specific plants of course. You will absolutely need its magical heating element and fixtures and the ultraviolet sunlight, and an under tank heater. You'll also need dragon-hide gloves and the feeding tongs for it, as well as a mister bottle, some natural spring water, and some water treatment potions for when you run out..." he rattled on, listing everything she would be needing for the creature's proper care off of the top of his head.

"Get on with it, I do not have all day." She said rather snappishly, as was her public reputation.

"Yes ma'am, right away ma'am. Your total will be 152 galleons, 45 sickles, and three knuts. Shall you pay now or through the bank?"

"Half of it now, and the rest when it comes, on time, intact." She demanded.

"Yes ma'am. I'll have your order sent out promptly."

After finishing the transaction, she discreetly slipped back behind her party, with no one but Cassiopeia being the wiser.

Azalea finished up shopping around, and purchased the needed things for her familiar, the five of them left the rather small shop and headed towards Flourish and Blotts bookstore.

They weaved through the crowded plaza and were about to finally enter the shop, when a tall but stocky man with light brown hair approached them.

"Theodore. There you are! It's time to go back to the Manor." he turned to Cassiopeia, Augusta, Azalea and Neville and said,

"And you are?..." He trailed off, quite scathingly so, as if they were scum on the bottom of his expensive Italian loafer, or a stain on his Armani tie.

Cassiopeia was undaunted. She knew exactly who this man was. That unmistakable hair, the expensive designer tailored suit, those dark scrutinizing eyes, and that light, neatly groomed beard. It could only be Thorros Nott, Theo's father. He was a rather unpleasant man, and she somewhat pitied the child for who he had as a parent. He was a rather vicious politician, and Arcturus had dealt with him before, that much she knew.

"Lady Cassiopeia Black, and you must be Thorros Nott."

"Yes, well. I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you, but I'd be lying. It's time to go. Let us leave this... Rather unpleasant company at once. Do not lower yourself to be at their level, it's beneath you."

He stalked off, away from them, not even checking to see if his own child was behind him, and headed toward the aperation point.

Theo looked away, feeling rather ashamed. He knew his father was a rather unpleasant man. He didn't expect him to make such a scene, though. To insult a Black or a Longbottom, especially the Matriarch... It just wasn't done.

"Lady Black, Lady Longbottom, please, forgive me for my father's rather... detestable words. I must make haste and take my leave, lest he leave me behind again."

He turned to Azalea and Neville.

"Please, this is my owl address. I had more fun with you than I thought I would. I'd like to keep in touch with the both of you." He made up a hastily written note with his home owl address and handed it over to Azalea.

"Of course! It was nice to meet you!" Neville said.

"I'll ask Auntie Cia to borrow one of the owls. I don't have my own yet." Azalea said while waving at him.

Theo waved goodbye and hurried away, off to catch up with his father. He really would leave him behind, he had done it before.

The now four of them ended their day, with a nice trip to the bookstore. Azalea picked out a level two book on Defense Against The Dark Arts that just came out, and Neville found a book called, The Beginner's Guide To The Correlation Between Herbology And Potions by Bewilda Hawthorne. He was hoping it would help him in potions, as he was miserable at it. After that, the two families went their separate ways and Azalea and Cassiopeia headed back to Black Manor.

It was four days after Azalea's eventful trip to Diagon Alley. It seemed every time she went, something new happened to her. The very first time, she ran into Cassiopeia, quite literally. The second time, she discovered she was a parselmouth, and she found her familiar, Arawn, a now meter long black Horned Serpent. The third time she went, this pastime, she made a new friend, Theo!

Speaking of which, she still had wanted to write to him. It was decided that her and Neville were going to have a joint birthday party, as their actual birthdays were less than a day apart, hers being the 31st of July 1980, and his being the 30th of July 1980. She really wanted Theo to come too. Theo was a little older than the two of them, with his birthday being January 18th 1980.

She was sitting at her desk in the Black Manor Library, preparing to write to her newest friend. Azalea got out some of her new stationary she got for Yule and selected a sheet of very delicate light silver parchment and one of her favorite quills, and some green ink and jotted out a letter to him.

Dearest Theodore,

How are you? I know we just saw each other, but I've never had anyone else to write to besides Neville, and now I have another friend! I am writing to invite you to mine and Neville's eighth birthday party. The time will be two pm on Sunday, August seventh, here at Black Manor. I really do hope you are able to make it. Your father did not seem too pleased to see who your company was that day. Either way, please write back to me soon. I am expecting your reply.

P.S. The floo address is Black Manor, Rolling Hills, Scottish Highlands, Scotland. The floo password is currently Wiggentree.

Sincerely,

Azalea Potter-Black

She let the ink on the parchment dry and wrote on a blank black envelope, in iridescent golden ink,

Theodore Nott

Nott Manor

Berkshire, England

Once that was also dry, as she couldn't yet cast a quick drying charm due to not having a wand, she placed the missive in the envelope and sealed it with a glistening pearlescent white wax seal, using the Azalea flower wax stamper that was given to her by her head of the family, Grandpa Arcturus. Now, it was time to find her aunt. She really had to get an owl soon. For now, she would rely on borrowing one of her aunts.

The next day, at breakfast, she got a reply, in the form of a letter written in black ink on smooth white linen paper, with a tan envelope. The envelope was addressed to her. It read:

Azalea Potter-Black

Black Manor

Rolling Hills, Scottish Highlands, Scotland

Inside was her very first letter from her new friend. She read it as she started eating breakfast.

Dear Azalea,

I am writing you to formally accept your gracious invitation to Neville and your eighth birthday party. I will floo over at exactly two p.m. as per your instructions. And yes, father was not too impressed with who I was with that day. He was rather scathing towards your aunt, and I am deeply sorry for that. It seems father does not approve of your aunt, Lady Cassiopeia, for whatever reason he has, but father is allowing me to come over either way. I must warn you, though, he lectured me on 'making the right connections' or whatever that means. I will not play a part in him gaining more political power than he already has. I will see you soon.

Sincerely,

Theodore Nott III

Yay! Theo was coming over for her birthday party! She turned to face her aunt and exclaimed,

"Auntie Cia, Auntie Cia! Guess what?"

"What is it, dear?"

"Theodore is coming over on Sunday! His father is letting him come to the party after all. I was worried that he wouldn't be able to, but he is!"

"That's wonderful sweetie! Now, eat up. Breakfast time is almost over. Remember, today we have your double lesson for potions class with Neville, and then we're taking our weekly walk around the Manor. Speaking of which, he should be flooing here soon. So hurry up, dear."

"Yes Auntie Cia."

Time Skip

It was the morning of Sunday, July 31st, 1988. Azalea woke up to the sun peeking through her curtains and stretched out in her comfy bed, looking up to the canopy top above her. She had a warm feeling in her chest. It had finally hit her. Today was her eighth birthday, and she realized something. She was well and truly loved, something she would never take for granted. She looked over at her clock on the nightstand, and read that it was well past ten a.m. Azalea had never slept in so long in her life, and she was quite enjoying it.

She stretched again and finally made her way out of her bed, smoothing down the covers as she went. Azalea knew she could leave it to a house elf to do, but she liked these things. The Dursley's had made her cook and clean everything in the house, but with her Aunt, she didn't have to do anything but keep her room clean, which was simple. Put her toys away, keep her writing desk tidy, and put dirty clothing in the hamper. The elves made sure the curtains were dusted and the floor was swept, as well as they did the laundry and cooked fantastic meals. She was safe and loved and warm. It was all she could ever ask for.

She padded over to her wardrobe and pulled out a sleeveless sparkly black lace dress that had a triple wide strand of white pearls, something her Aunt and Grandfather had gotten when she started to outgrow her old clothing. Not only was she gaining healthy weight back, she was slowly getting taller too! She had gained a whole stone since she was rescued. According to Healer Gavina, she had gained almost seven kg, and it was mostly muscle. She was three and a half stone now!

The dress felt like cool silk against her skin, as she slipped it on over her head and shoulders, and she shivered at the feeling. She absolutely loved dresses, and now she had enough of them to wear a different one almost every day, it seemed. Every week, there were another seven different dresses, and the ones from the week before seemed to vanish, although, she noted a few ones, her favorite ones, had remained in the closet.

She put on white stockings and a pair of plain black kitten heels; wearing heels was something that was becoming a more common thing in her outfit choices. After getting dressed, she went out of her room and down the stairs, and into the dining hall for breakfast. She didn't even get to the door when she smelled something absolutely delicious. It was sweet and sort of like the smell of fresh bread, and she could smell cinnamon! She wondered what it was, she never smelt it before, but it was making her mouth water. She had to know!

There in the center of the table were multiple trays with thin round bread looking things, and some had different things in them. Each plate looked different, but they all smelled good. There were also large trays of bacon and sausages and jugs of orange juice. As she sat down in her customary seat, she looked at her Aunt and Grandfather and asked,

"Auntie Cia, what are those things?"

"Oh sweet child, those are pancakes. Here, try some! There are ones with bananas in them, some with chocolate chips, blueberry ones, strawberry ones, and red velvet ones, and chocolate ones. Now, which ones do you want to try first?"

"Um, um... Blueberry! Oh no, chocolate chip? Banana? I can't decide! You choose for me!"

"Well then, okay. Here, have one of each. Do you want some bacon or sausages?"

"Bacon please! Can you pour me some orange juice?"

"Sure, do you want some fresh fruit too? We have your favorites, blackberries, blueberries and apple slices."

"Yes please, thank you!"

Cassiopeia put a little of each of what she asked for on her plate, making sure to balance the sweet pancakes with healthy fruits and some bacon.

"Here, try this!" Arcturus said, and he stuffed a forkful of pancake into her unsuspecting mouth.

It tasted like it had chocolate chips in it, that much she could tell, but there was something else on it that she couldn't place. It was sweet, but not too sweet. Not only that, but it tasted like toffee and caramel with hints of vanilla, but she could not place what was on it.

"Grandpa! What's on that one? It tastes weird!"

"Weird good? Or weird bad?" he asked her, with bated breath and a huge grin.

"Weird good?" she replied, slightly hesitant to answer, as if she was unsure of herself.

"It's something called maple syrup. It's the cooked down sap from a North American maple tree. You put it on pancakes sometimes." he explained to her.

"Here, do you want some more? I can pour it on for you, or you can do it yourself if you like."

"I can do it!" and she reached for the jug of what she now knew was syrup.

She had just picked it up when she struggled to hold it. It was a metal jug, and it was heavy. It did not help that it was full to the brim with sticky syrup, either. Then the inevitable happened. It slipped from her small hands and was about to hit the table and spill over, when it levitated over the table and floated down gently.

"Wha- What happened?" Azalea asked confusedly.

"You just did a bout of accidental magic. That was the slowing charm. That's a fifth year level charm, Azalea."

"Really? Wow! I've never done that before!"

"Well then, congratulations, dear! Now, finish up your breakfast. I have a few presents for you to open."

"Ohh presents?!"

"Yes, presents. You can open three today, and the rest at your party next week. Did Theodore write you back yet?"

"Mhm! He's coming over at exactly two p.m.! And Neville's coming then too!"

"That's splendid dear."

Once her plate was nearly clean, she pushed it forward, and set her silverware down on the edges, to signify she was done, just like Lady Ironwood had taught her to do. She remembered that silverware must be in the ten and four o'clock position, or, in the very center of the plate, resting with the ends on the rim. But seeing as the plate now had sticky syrup on it, she didn't want to make too much of a mess to clean up for the house elves.

"Can I open the presents now?"

"Sure! Zilly! Clear off the table please, and bring Azalea the three presents from off the foot of my bed?"

Zilly popped into the dining hall and did what was asked of her. It did not take too long, as she had help from the other elves too. Soon enough, three prettily wrapped presents were placed in front of the not so little, little girl.

One was a long box wrapped in red and gold diagonally striped metallic paper, one was a thin rectangular box wrapped in purple paper with shiny silver stars, and the third was a very small box with red black and silver stripes.

"Ooh, ooh, ohh can I open them now? Pretty please?" she begged the two adults, puppy dog eyes and a pout in full swing.

"Of course. These are the ones you can open now. Go right ahead, dear!"

She didn't know which one to reach for first. She liked the shape of the first one, but the small one was very pretty. But the purple one had shiny star wrapping paper! Finally, after a full minute of thinking it over, she reached for the smallest one first. She tore into the paper carefully, unsticking the tape from either end, as to not ruin the rather nice looking paper.

Underneath the wrapping paper was a very fancy looking white paper box. It was slightly bigger than her palm, and felt heavy, as if it was filled with something important. She looked back up from the box to her aunt and grandfather, and at their imploring looks, gently opened it.

Inside was a stunningly beautiful golden locket, with a crest engraved onto it that she recognized. She had seen this crest before, both in her books about Pureblood Wizarding Families, and on the doors of some of her vaults at Gringotts bank. She knew it was the Potter crest at once, identified by its colors and design.

"Oh wow! It's beautiful!"

"Do you know what it is?"

"It's a necklace?"

"It's a locket. It opens up, and you can put two small pictures inside, one for either side of the chamber. It has your family crest on it, which marks it as an heiress necklace. I believe that it's something your parents would have given you at about this age. Would you like me to put it on you?

"Yes please! Thank you!"

Despite the box being heavy, when the necklace was on her, it was as light as a feather, and warm to the touch. She could feel it thrumming with magic.

"This is a special one, isn't it? I can feel it. It's different from the necklaces that you and grandpa have given me before, right Auntie Cia?"

"Yes child. Smart one, you are. It has many heavily warded protection and tracking charms on it, as is customary for that type of jewelry. It protects you from most basic level spells that could cause you harm, and in case of emergency, we could find wherever you were in the whole wide world."

"Wow really? Thank you! I'll never take it off! I love it!" she squealed in delight.

They cared about her wellbeing enough to give her such a significant gift. She truly was loved and protected by these two.

The second box, the red and gold diagonally striped box, was next. She carefully ripped the paper off of one of the edges and slipped out the long box. She looked up inquisitively at the two of them before opening it. She was very confused. They had given her a broom? Did they want her to clean like the Dursley's had? She felt like she could cry at any moment. Arcturus must have noticed by the look on his face.

"No, no don't cry, what's wrong? You don't like it? We can take it back and exchange it for something else, it's okay, don't cry."

"Yo-You gave me a broom. Did I do something wrong? I can clean if you really want me to." Azalea said in near tears.

"No, no sweetie! It's a toy riding broom. Witches and wizards ride on them as a mode of transportation. This isn't meant for you to clean with, it's a toy that lets you fly. Your father James was particularly good at flying. I thought you might be old enough to enjoy one."

"Oh. I love it then, thank you." she said as she hugged them both tightly.

She turned back to her remaining present, and selected the flat box. This time, she wasn't as careful with the paper, ripping at its edges quickly. The purple and gold paper gave way to reveal a clothing box that was a distinctly colored navy blue box with silver embossed letters that read Twilfit And Tattings. She had seen many of these boxes over the past two years, as Cassiopeia liked to get her new clothing every season, with the latest fashions and trends of the wizarding world. She was too busy musing over the box that she didn't hear what her aunt said to her. She looked up to their expectant but grinning faces and asked,

"Huh? Can you repeat that please?"

"I said, are you going to open the box, or are you just going to stare at it. You do know that the actual present is inside the box, right?"

She let out a giggle at that, and finally opened the box. Inside were two separate pieces of a light mint green fabric. She lifted one of the pieces up, and inspected it. As she unfolded the garment, she could feel that the material was cool and smooth. It was stretchy and soft in her hand too. She finally unfolded it completely, trying not to get too distracted this time. It was a swimsuit top, with an asymmetrical ruffle going from the upper part on the left, going down the left side. It was beautiful. The next piece in the box was a matching minty green bathing suit bottom. There was one problem though.

"But Auntie Cia, Grandpa Arcturus, I don't know how to swim!"

"We figured that might be the situation. In that case, you'll need these." Arcturus pulled out something from his pocket and resized it to become a black swim vest.

"I thought of that route, so I got this just in case. Here you go, sweetie! Here, go change, and I'll help you put this on when you're done."

And so she raced up the stairs and changed as fast as possible, completely excited about learning how to swim. Of course, she was a bit nervous as well, but that just came with the territory.

When she got back downstairs, her Grandpa and her Auntie were already there, dressed in their own bathing suits. Aunt Cia was in a black halter top one-piece bathing suit with three golden rings around the waist. It was very form fitting and looked pretty on her! She was wearing sunglasses and a big floppy sun hat, like she had seen before in story books. Grandpa Arcturus was surprisingly fit! He was wearing black and dark gray swim trunks and flip-flops.

"Are you all ready to go, little one?"

"Mhm! Wait, don't I need sunscreen? I'll burn!"

"We thought of that too, dear. There's a charm that protects you from getting burnt. Come here, and I'll put it on you."

Once they were all set, the three of them headed out to the lake, where Cassiopeia spread out a red and white striped blanket, and laid down a wicker picnic basket that was charmed to expand on the inside, as well as stay cool and crisp.

They would be having a picnic lunch later in the day, but first, was her very first swimming lesson with her Grandpa! He took her into the lake step by step until the water was chest deep on her, and laid her on her back, so she could first learn to float.

"It's okay to be nervous, Azalea, just remember to lay still and relax. If you stay on your back and keep your bed still, you'll always float on top of the water. Now, I'm going to roll you over gently, so you're on your stomach. Keep your head up and kick your feet out like this."

And he showed her the basic motions of the doggy-paddle, and once she got that down pat, he began to show her how to do the breaststroke and some other different swimming techniques. Before he knew it, she was swimming like a fish. Gone was the nervousness and the jerky unsure movements, now she was nearly a pro.

"Arcturus, Azalea! It's time to eat lunch!"

He didn't quite hear her, so he turned to Cassiopeia, and that's when Azalea decided to strike. Once his back was turned to her, she paddled over to where he was standing in the lake and scrambled to climb up his back, burrowing her face into his neck, hiding her face into his silky black hair.

"Surprise! Grandpa Arcturus, did I surprise you?"

"Ahh! You did, you did. You're doing so well with swimming, I'm so proud of you. Now," he turned to Cassiopeia and asked,

"What was it that you said, Cia? I didn't quite hear you with all of the splashing going on."

"I said-" was all he heard before his attention was back on the monkey on his back.

"Grandpa Arcturus... I love you. Thank you for everything." she whispered in his ear, burrowing her face into his shoulder blade. He melted instantly. His wife and children were either passed on or moved far away and fully grown up. It wasn't every day that he got to hear those three words.

"I love you too, Azalea. You don't have to thank me, I'd do anything for you, sweet child."

Internally, he was shaken. She had never so much as even muttered those words to a toy, let alone him or Cassiopeia. This was the very first time.

"Come on, Azalea, it's time to see what Pepper and Zilly have packed for us. They know it's your birthday, so they said that they packed something special for you. Let's go see what's in the basket, shall we?"

Together, they waded out of the water, and Arcturus crouched down so that she could slip off his back to the ground, and headed over to where Cassiopeia was sunbathing on a towel.

"Are you two finally ready for lunch? I hope you're hungry, the house elves packed a ton."

"Mhm! I'm very hungry. What are we eating?"

Cassiopeia waved her wand and the basket opened, and foods flowed out neatly with plates and cutlery.

"On the menu for today's lunch is: turkey and Swiss cheese finger sandwiches with cucumber, different melons, balled and on skewers with cheese and herbs and honey, watermelon slices, and sticky toffee pudding. We also have fresh lemonade and pumpkin juice!"

Cassiopeia explained the menu to Azalea as she pointed to the different foods. It would also be the very first time she was trying watermelon, too. She was excited to see Azalea's reaction to the sweet fruit. She dished a little of everything onto her plate, pointing out what the different things were. Azalea really liked the watermelon. She said it was cold but juicy like water, but sweet like a fruit.

After lunch, they continued to swim for another hour or two until Azalea got tired. Once they got out, she was shivering a bit, so Arcturus cast a drying charm and a minor warming charm as the sun was setting, and it was a bit chilly.

Dinner followed shortly, and Azalea ate up everything on her plate for that too, hungry as all could be. It was a lovely affair. The house elves had gone all out. There was honey-ginger cedar plank roasted salmon, roasted new potatoes with herbs and garlic, perfectly spicy Italian dressed mussels, swordfish kebabs with a mint pesto, herb infused ricotta and fresh tomato tarts that looked more like a pizza than anything, and for her special birthday dessert, there was Pavlova with fresh strawberries. It was a super fancy meringue-based dessert that was light and airy and delicious.

After dinner, she nestled down with a new book and drifted off to sleep, laying in a chair in front of a fire. All in all, she had a pretty good birthday. There was swimming and new foods and presents, and she got to be with the people she loved.