Author's Note:
Hey guys! I've planned out the next couple of chapters, so the updates will hopefully be more frequent :) Also, I've realized that my chapters are only spanning a short amount of time, so I'm trying to change that. Hopefully, the story will pick up a bit faster this way. I just feel like I can't throw a character into the realm of Hogwarts and be like, BOOM! You can suddenly do magic and you're a total boss at it. No, she's gotta learn, but then she can be a total badass :)
To Thetigerlovescats: I have no intentions of making this soulmate connection easy on them *evil cackling* Also, Ava is quite stubborn if you haven't noticed.
Please let me know what you think! :)
Chapter 10
Once Avalynn realized what Professor McGonagall was hinting at, she practically inhaled her tea. Wiping off the little bit of liquid that dribbled down her chin, Ava suddenly stood up from her chair and pulled out her Blackthorn wand. "I'm ready!" she announced with a bright smile.
McGonagall chuckled softly at her enthusiastic niece and set down her cup of tea. "Before we begin, I would like to discuss what your expectations are for this," she explained to Ava.
The young girl frowned and asked, "Like what I think my abilities will be?"
The professor nodded. "Exactly, what do you think that you will be capable of? I'd like for you to remember that you have no prior magical education, even though you seem to have a rudimentary understanding of certain spells."
Ava's face turned sour at the word "rudimentary." As a fan of the book series, she felt that she excelled in her knowledge of spells, thank you very much. However, once Ava truly considered what spells she could perform, she didn't come up with much. She looked down at her wand as she spoke, turning it over in her hand, "I guess I actually don't know a lot of spells. I mean, I know the incantations for quite a few, but I don't know the wand movements or anything." She paused. "I suppose it would help to know the theory behind the spells too, right?" Ava looked up to see McGonagall nod in agreement. "I mean, I did cast that Protego pretty well," she continued with a grin.
The professor returned her smile briefly before she replied, "Yes, Ava, but consider the circumstances. You were in an unfamiliar situation and felt threatened."
Avalynn's smile dropped as she realized what her aunt was implying. "So, it was just a burst of accidental magic?"
"I believe so, my dear," McGonagall said softly. "I don't want you to think that all of the magic you recognize from your world will come easily to you, just because you've read about it. You need to actually perform magic regularly to build up your strength."
Ava nodded several times. "So, I'll be realistic and practice really hard."
"That's the proper attitude," her aunt encouraged her with a smile. She brandished her own wand as a safety measure, just in case. "Now, any particular subject you'd like to start with, dear?"
Ava grinned. "Charms, please," she replied, thinking of the only spell she knew the wand movements for. Swish and flick, she reminded herself in a voice quite like a young, bushy-haired Hermione Granger. Wrapping her hand tightly around her dark wand, Ava took a deep breath and firmly said, "Wingardium Leviosa," as she pointed her wand towards a book on the coffee table. Ava remembered to slightly flick her wand up to cause the book to lift off the table, which it surprisingly did. Ava was so startled that she lost focus and the book fell the three inches back down to the table. "Holy shit!" she shouted in excitement while looking at McGonagall with wide eyes. Her eyes flickered back and forth between her wand and the book and she uttered the curse once more before beginning to jump up and down, repeating "I did it!" in an awed voice.
Like the professor she was, her aunt merely rolled her eyes and exasperatedly asked, "Can you please watch your language, young lady?"
Ava giggled and replied, "Nope! I just did magic! Intentional magic!" While she had ceased jumping up and down, Ava was now performing a sort of victory dance around the room, alarming the professor with the amount her niece's hips and butt were moving.
McGonagall cleared her throat loudly several times, finally catching Ava's attention. "Would you like to show me that one again?" she asked with her brows raised.
Immediately, Ava scrambled over the back of the couch to position herself in front of the coffee table once more. She took a deep breath and uttered, "Wingardium Leviosa," pointing her wand towards the same book. Sure enough, it floated off the table a few inches each time Ava flicked her wand upwards. As the book rose in the air, Ava bit her lip in concentration, not wanting it to fall like last time. However, once the book reached her eye level, she couldn't keep her enthusiasm contained. She broke out into a wide grin and turned to McGonagall, breaking her concentration and thus dropping the book to the table. "Did you see that?" she asked her aunt excitedly.
The professor was trying to maintain a serious learning environment, but Ava's pure, childlike eagerness broke her down. She laughed and replied, "I did, indeed. You just performed a Levitation Charm. I know you've had your doubts, but you are most certainly a witch, Avalynn."
Ava was beaming still as she rushed towards McGonagall and wrapped the professor up in a tight hug. A breath of air was forced out of the older witch as Ava increased her grip. If not for her Animagus traits allowing her to hear better than the average person, McGonagall probably would've missed Ava reverently whispering, "Thank you. Thank you so much." A fond smile broke out on the professor's face. She had to remember that Avalynn was brand new to the magical world, even though she was nearly an adult by their standards. However, McGonagall could tell that something had changed when Ava's grip on her loosened and then tightened once more and the girl's body began to shake. She quickly released Ava and held her at arm's length, thinking that the poor girl was experiencing some sort of pain episode from the soulmate spell, but when she caught sight of Ava's face it wasn't contorted in physical pain. Her niece had tears streaming down her face from reddened eyes and she was attempting to bite her lip to keep it from quivering. Unable to maintain any sort of composure, the young girl sniffled and then began crying in earnest.
"Oh, Ava. What's wrong, dear?" McGonagall asked gently.
"I just—want to—go home," she managed to choke out between sobs and gasps for air.
The professor's heart broke a little in that moment. Just like Ava, she was so caught up in the fact that the young girl was capable of magic and getting her settled into classes at Hogwarts, that she had momentarily forgotten that she wasn't really from this world. Ava had quickly found a place in Minerva McGonagall's heart and it pained her to see the younger witch so distressed.
Before the older witch could offer any words of comfort, Ava's sobs subsided enough for her to explain. "I was fine, I swear. It just hit me all at once that if I can actually do magic, then this world really is real. And that means that everything I've read is real, and it's not going to be good professor. Voldemort and the Death Eaters are real. And now I'm the one who has to do something? Just because I happen to know things? Everything would just be better if I could go home." Ava's crying and breathing increased once more as she stuttered out, "I—I just want t-to wake up in bed, and this—this all be a dream. And—and I'm home and everything's f-fine."
The girl dropped her head again to McGonagall's shoulders, and the professor patted her back gently and firmly reassured Ava, "You may have difficulties ahead of you, dear, we all do, that is clear. However, I am here for you and you are not alone, Ava. I daresay that Mr. Black and Mr. Potter are here for you as well." She pulled away from Ava and held onto her shoulders, looking directly in her teary, blue eyes and added, "We will try our very best to return you to your world, make no mistake about that. If it is determined that you must remain here, you should know by now that I am very much willing to accept you into my life. And I will protect you and teach you as much as I possibly can, Avalynn, I can guarantee you that."
Sniffling, Ava nodded and leaned in for another hug from her adoptive aunt. After another minute or so, McGonagall softly suggested, "How about we continue your diagnostic testing later, dear?"
Ava abruptly pulled away from the professor with an incredulous look. "What?" she asked, louder than necessary. She flinched and adjusted her volume. "I mean, why? Can't we keep going?"
With surprise written all over her face, McGonagall replied, "Well, I thought that you might like to recover for a little and gather your wits about you first."
The girl took a deep breath as she wiped her eyes and nose and said, "Wits all gathered. I'm good to go." The older witch merely raised an eyebrow, so Ava huffed and added, "I really don't think there's much else to do honestly. I don't think I know any other spells' incantations and wand movements."
Relenting, the professor sat down on the sofa and indicated for Ava to do the same. "How about we'll go subject by subject and I'll list the spells by year? You can tell me when you don't recognize the spells any longer." Ava nodded, so they began.
Apparently, there was a lot more involved in a magical education than Ava remembered reading in the books. She also quickly realized that she would more than likely be placed in first year classes since she couldn't actually perform the spells. For Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts, it was determined that even though Ava knew the incantations for almost every spell taught to each year, she would need tutoring for the wand movements and magical theory. Fortunately, McGonagall was going to allow Ava to get away with merely reading the required texts for each year of History of Magic since they didn't perform any spells in that class. As with Charms and Defense, Ava could list off numerous potions and what they did (Although McGonagall was baffled by the mention of Wolfsbane at first), but once again, she could not actually create the potion herself. She didn't know every ingredient that went into the potions nor the steps required. When Transfiguration was mentioned, Ava frowned deeply in concentration. She couldn't recall a single spell specific to Transfiguration on her own. The professor was bewildered by this fact and demanded to know why not. The young girl cringed and explained, "Well, a lot of the spells mentioned in the books revolved around fighting, or were kind of random, like unlocking doors, banishing a Boggart, a Patronus, producing water—"
McGonagall interrupted Ava with, "Yes! That's Transfiguration."
"Is it?" Ava asked confusedly.
The professor huffed. "Yes, Ava. You're conjuring water. That's Transfiguration. Do you remember the incantation?"
"Aguamenti, right?"
McGonagall beamed at her. "Exactly." Her smile dropped a little as she stated, "Well, it seems as though you'll be needing first year instruction with that class as well."
She may have let out a sigh of annoyance, but Ava understood.
"Now, how about Herbology and Astronomy?" McGonagall continued on, causing Ava's eyes to widen.
"Um, well, the only things I know for sure are some constellation names, the fact that Devil's Snare doesn't like light, and that Mandrakes can be used for helping restore people who have been petrified," the young girl admitted.
"Oh, dear," the professor said worriedly. She pressed her lips together in thought before sighing. "Now don't let this go to your head Avalynn, but I want you to choose one or the other. Herbology or Astronomy. At your age and in your particular situation, you simply do not have time to learn all that you need to. Based on what you've told me so far today about the spells used in the books from your world, it is more likely that you will not be reliant on skills you learn from those two classes." Ava let out a breath of relief, causing McGonagall to continue in a stern voice. "However, I expect high marks in all of your classes. There will be no slacking off, young lady. You are a Gryffindor and a McGonagall."
Regardless of the fear that the older witch was attempting to strike into Ava's heart, the young girl smiled. "Thank you Aunt Minerva." She thought for a moment before inquiring, "Which one would you choose? Herbology or Astronomy?"
McGonagall let out a breath. "I'll not be deciding that for you, Ava. Consider which one you might find more interesting. A class is always easier if you enjoy it."
Ava considered for a moment. "I'll take Astronomy. Constellations and stars are pretty cool," she said with a shrug.
"It may not come as a surprise to you, but you're abilities are on par with that of a first year student in every subject," McGonagall informed her. "As such, those are the classes you will begin with, and I will allow for you to move up to the next year's classes as you progress in each subject."
Avalynn got excited with that news. That means I can move up whenever. I can read and practice all I want, and I'll be good to go in no time at all, she thought brightly.
"Now, because of how far behind you are, for the time being at least, I strongly suggest against participating in any extra-curricular activities and elective courses," the older witch continued. "Also, I would like to assign you tutors so that you'll have more help catching up to your peers."
Ava nodded, recalling when Dumbledore briefly mentioned that during their meeting. "Can I ask for anyone in particular?" she asked, trying to seem nonchalant.
The professor smiled knowingly. "You may be able to study with your friends in the future, Ava, but I think students closer to your level of abilities would be better suited for now."
The young girl grumbled unintelligibly but nodded anyhow.
"Like I mentioned before, you may learn History of Magic at your own pace simply by reading the texts and taking the tests for each year. Until you progress to the next year, you'll be attending the first year classes. The same goes for your other subjects as well," McGonagall explained. "Now, for Transfiguration, I will personally see to it that you progress at an acceptable rate." At first, Ava was excited by the thought, but then became a little nervous because it is McGonagall after all. "As for Charms, I know of a third year student that excels in that area, and I've heard he's quite good at Defense against the Dark Arts too actually. I'll have to speak with him to see if he's willing to tutor in two subjects, however. He'll likely agree though, dear, being a Ravenclaw, and he's a nice boy too."
"Oh? What's his name?" Ava asked, thinking that she probably wouldn't know anyone outside of the seventh years. There's Regulus though, she reminded herself.
"Kingsley Shacklebolt," the professor replied.
Ava's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. Hmmm, well, I hadn't expected that. She let out a giggle. He's going to be so little. "Okay, so what about Potions and Astronomy?" she asked, already having a name in mind for one of the classes.
McGonagall thought for a moment before saying, "For Astronomy, there is one student who does exceedingly well, but you'll need to decide if you're willing to work with him. I believe you've also already met? Regulus Back?"
The young girl tilted her head in confusion. "Why wouldn't I work with him?" she inquired.
The professor cleared her throat. "Well, he's in Slytherin and from a notoriously dark family—," and she might've continued, but Ava interrupted her.
"Seriously?" her niece asked in an incredulous voice. Ava frowned as she looked into the woman's eyes, then questioned in a harsh whisper, "Do you believe that Professor McGonagall?"
The older witch was startled by the thinly veiled anger in the girl's tone. "Good Godric, no, dear. I don't agree with all that codswallop. I believe in judging people as individuals by their words and actions. Just because our two houses don't exactly get along doesn't mean all Slytherins are dark wizards and witches. The same goes for Mr. Black and his family's reputation. Why, look at Sirius Black for example. I don't know Regulus Black as well as his brother, that's true, but it is never a good idea to make assumptions."
Relaxing back into her seat, Ava hummed in agreement then announced, "I'd like for Regulus to be my tutor for all of the years of Astronomy."
McGonagall nodded and replied, "That shouldn't be too difficult of a work load for him to handle. Now, what about Potions? I'm sure Professor Slughorn wouldn't mind providing you with any assistance."
As if it were a reflex, Ava immediately retorted, "Ew, no thanks." She hesitated a little before adding, "Snape would be much better."
The professor's eyebrows rose incredibly high at that suggestion. She cleared her throat lightly and asked for clarification, "I'm sorry, Ava, but did you say 'Snape'? As in, Severus Snape?"
The girl smiled at her knowingly and nodded firmly. "Yep, Severus Snape," she confirmed while twirling her wand in the air. She couldn't bear to put it away even though she wasn't performing any kind of magic right now. She just felt more…energized with the Blackthorn in her hand. As of yet, the thorns that seemed to be randomly placed still hadn't punctured her skin, even as she twiddled it about in her fingers.
McGonagall took a breath. "Now, Ava, you heard what I just said about not judging those in the Slytherin house purely based on their house, but Mr. Snape is a different story. He's notorious for his acerbic personality and he, well, he called Lily Evans a derogatory word whilst they were supposedly friends."
Ava merely rolled her eyes and responded with a tired, "Yes, yes, I know all about it. We'll be just fine." She made sure to make eye contact with McGonagall before adding, "Trust me." She huffed out a laugh. "Besides, Snape is way better at Potions than Professor Slughorn and I need a decent foundation, so why not just start with Snape?"
The older witch shook her head and replied, "I'll attempt to persuade him, Ava, but I'll give you no guarantees." She didn't bother reprimanding Ava for speaking out against another member of the faculty, knowing it likely wouldn't change the young girl's mind.
"Okay, thanks," Avalynn said with a shrug. She figured that if McGonagall couldn't convince Snape, then maybe Regulus could, or Ava could herself. Who wouldn't be curious about the nearly adult student seemingly showing up out of the blue?
The professor stood up from her seat, declaring it was too late for lunch in the Great Hall, so she called for Flopsy and asked the elf to bring the two witches some sandwiches and side dishes. While eating, Ava contemplated her plan of study. She wanted to focus on the more useful skills first, then work her way to accomplishing things like History of Magic and Astronomy. After the meal, she was quite insistent that she practice her magic, hoping to master the first year spells for some classes by Monday so that she could be placed in a higher year from the start. The only classes that she could really work on by herself at the moment were Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense. Feeling confident about Charms since she could perform a Levitation Spell, that's what Ava started with. McGonagall suggested that she read the text to gain an understanding of the theory behind each spell, practice saying the incantations, then attempt to perform the spell with the wand movements once she had read the instructions all the way through. It sounded like pretty solid advice and considering who it was coming from, Ava listened. So she read, and read, and read a little bit more, and finally got to the spells. Just for fun, she cast Wingardium Leviosa on the novel that McGonagall was reading. The professor merely shook her head with mirth and snatched the book out of the air. For each spell, Ava had her aunt double and triple check her pronunciation of the incantations and the accuracy of her wand movements before she actually cast the spell fully. Soon enough, she had worked her way through Lumos, as well as Lumos Solem, Nox, Oculus Reparo (for which McGonagall had kindly transfigured some glasses for her), Alohomora, and Immobulus.
Ava had just finished casting her fifth Immobulus on a pair of socks that she had balled up for practice and threw into the air, when she heaved herself onto the sofa with a jaw-breaking yawn. She huffed out a breath and announced, "I'm exhausted!"
McGonagall laughed lightly as she placed a bookmark into her novel and explained, "You just practiced several spells, back to back, several times. Of course you're going to be tired, dear. I wasn't joking when I said that you'd have to have to build up your strength. With your determination, I'm sure your magical core will be strong enough in no time. For now, when you feel fatigued, I would suggest that you eat a snack or meal, depending on the time of day, and possibly take a little nap."
The young witch groaned, "If I sleep, then I'll have less time to practice."
The professor frowned and sternly informed her niece, "You mustn't work yourself to the brink of physical exhaustion, Avalynn. Besides the fact that you could faint, it's dangerous. Why do you think the students only learn a handful of spells each year? Their magical cores have to build up the stamina to support the amount of magic they'll be performing. However, you're an unusual case, dear. I think you'll be quite alright if you ease into using magic regularly at a slightly accelerated rate." She gave Ava a pointed look.
Ava nodded in understanding. She felt quite content on the sofa and slightly adjusted herself into a more comfortable position. She figured that she could read for a while, then get back to practicing the spells. Picking up the first year Transfiguration textbook for the coffee table, Ava settled back into the couch and began to read. After a mere few minutes though, she succumbed to the magical fatigue and fell soundly asleep.
Only an hour or so later, Professor McGonagall was grading papers as Ava jolted awake, jostling the Transfiguration textbook to the floor. "What time is it?" she asked groggily.
Without looking up from the papers on her desk, the older witch replied, "We have about thirty minutes before dinner, dear. And I'll kindly ask you to retrieve that book from the floor."
Immediately Ava apologized and set the book on the table. She rubbed her eyes and stood up from the sofa slowly, stretching out her limbs. "So, if I practice and study, can I take the first year exam for Charms tomorrow?" she asked hesitantly.
McGonagall stopped marking an essay and look at her niece with a raised brow. "Are you certain that you don't want to wait for some tutoring this week first? You don't need to rush your learning, Ava," she responded.
The young witch grimaced, knowing that she did and most definitely should learn as much as she could, as quickly as she possibly could. She would be at quite the disadvantage if her peers or others that she'd interact with because of the Order were much more proficient at magic than she was. Nodding, she reassured McGonagall, "I'm sure I'll do just fine."
"Very well," the professor said. "Your test will be at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon."
Despite feeling ready, Ava gulped. Her first magical test was less than twenty-four hours away from now. She shook her head, attempting to rid herself of any doubts about first year Charms. "I think I'll practice each spell one more time before bed tonight and then study all day tomorrow. Until we go down to dinner, can you teach me some Transfiguration?"
"You have approximately twenty-five minutes to pick my brain, Miss McGonagall," the professor announced. "What do you wish to know?"
Ava scrambled to flip open the Transfiguration textbook to the spells she had been reading about briefly. She pouted when she realized that she had only read about one before falling asleep. "Well, I haven't read about the others yet, but I'd like to try Vermiculus," Ava informed her aunt.
Professor McGonagall smiled and quickly performed the spell as an example, turning the Defense textbook into a worm. For the next twenty minutes, Ava practiced turning various objects into worms, with several mistakes and misshapen worms, but she finally managed to get it right just once before the witches were interrupted by a knock on the door. Confused, Ava looked at the door and to her aunt.
"That'll likely be Mr. Potter and Mr. Black to escort you to dinner," she clarified for Ava as she stood from her chair, causing the girl to let out a groan.
"I forgot about that," the young witch muttered before striding over to the door. Upon opening it, Ava could feel her annoyance melted away by the smiling faces of James and Sirius.
"Hi, Ava," James greeted as Sirius loudly announced, "You're escorts are here!"
Ava giggled and turned to see her aunt standing only a few feet behind her, ready to go as well. "We're ready gentlemen," Ava told them as she stepped out into the corridor.
Sirius lightly tugged on Ava's sleeve to keep her from walking ahead with her aunt and whispered, "Are you okay?"
The young witch frowned and looked at James before returning her gaze to Sirius. "What do you mean?"
Both of their jaws dropped. "What do we mean? Ava, you were in so much pain earlier that you passed out," James sputtered while gesturing with his hands.
Ava's mouth formed an "o" as she recalled their meeting earlier in the day. She tried to offer the boys a reassuring smile and replied, "Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Without waiting for a response, she continued on walking after her aunt towards the Great Hall, with James and Sirius hurrying to catch up.
"Stop doing that," Sirius grounded out irritatingly.
"Doing what?" she asked innocently.
"You know what," the Black heir grumbled.
James patted his friend on the shoulder and explained, "Ava, we just want to make sure that you really are okay. You really freaked us out earlier."
She quickly glanced at their faces and once again saw how worried they were for her. "Ugh, you make me feel so guilty with those faces," she replied, causing both boys to break into wide grins. "I haven't even done anything wrong," she pouted. Ava halted in her steps and looked at the boys with a serious expression. "Really though. I'm fine as long as I've got a pain potion, and I had one earlier when you were there. I already got scolded by Madame Pomfrey and McGonagall, so I don't need it from you guys too. I'm going to be better about taking the potion when I need it."
Seemingly satisfied with her response, Sirius wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they continued down the stairs to dinner. "So, you've got this established bond with Moony—" he started.
Ava and James rolled their eyes and thankfully, James told Sirius, "C'mon, mate. Give her some time to get to know Remus on her own first."
Sirius pouted, but then smiled once again as he conspiratorially whispered, "We need a codeword for Ava to use if she needs another pain potion. What if we're in a situation in front of other people and she can't just outright say it?"
The young witch furrowed her brows in thought. Sirius had a pretty good point. Since the boys already knew about her having to take pain potions, it wouldn't hurt if they could now help her get one if she didn't happen to have one on her. Although, she had already decided to carry one with her to classes, just in case. She was pulled from her thoughts by the giggles of James and Sirius.
"What?" she asked them with narrowed eyes.
James couldn't help himself as he told her that since the pain was in response to her attachment to Remus, they had already devised some potential codewords for her, like "the moon is rising" or "feeding her furry addiction."
"A little too on the nose, boys," she retorted snidely as she walked more quickly ahead of them. She entered the Great Hall and her eyes immediately zeroed in on the Gryffindor table and located Remus. Ava took a few steadying breaths and approached the side of the table opposite from the werewolf with James and Sirius on either side of her once again. She could feel her magic practically coming alive at the sight of Remus, and she knew it was a good decision to sit across from him and not next to him. I don't know if I'll ever be able to sit next to him, she thought dejectedly.
"Hi, Ava," Lily greeted in a friendly voice. Ava snapped out her thoughts to return the greeting from Lily and acknowledged Remus, Peter, and Alice as well. Finding it easiest, Ava stayed quiet and merely listened in on the conversations around her as she ate her dinner. However, at some point, Lily recalled that Ava was starting classes on Monday, so she asked, "Hey, Ava. Do you know what classes you'll be in yet?" James and Sirius looked at each other over Ava's head, realizing that they should've asked her about that.
The young witch looked sheepishly at the occupants of the table and cleared her throat a little. "Well, um," she started while picking at her food nervously. "I'm, um, new to magic, remember?" She looked up to see that everyone but Remus was nodding. Instead of explaining herself, she looked down to her plate again, frowning in annoyance with herself for feeling so insecure about her magical abilities. Her back straightened as she looked up at the group of friends and stated firmly, "I'll be in first year classes, and Aunt Minerva said that I'll move up as I pass the exams for each year."
James, Alice, and Lily were all nodding their heads in understanding and Lily encouragingly said with a smile, "Well, of course. That makes the most sense. I'm sure you'll do great with Professor McGonagall as your aunt. Plus, if you ever need any help studying, then just ask."
Ava flashed her a smile in return. "Thanks, Lily."
Peter looked bewildered at the idea of Ava being in first year classes and blurted out, "That'll take you ages though, won't it?"
Ava narrowed her eyes at the pudgy boy and retorted, "I'll have you know that I've been practicing first year charms all day today, and I'm taking the exam already tomorrow. So, no. It won't take me 'ages' to finish." She looked back down at her plate and muttered, "I'll be in seventh year by Christmas, guaranteed." Only those with werewolf and Animagus senses of hearing were able to understand what Ava grumbled to herself. Trying to cheer her up, Sirius tickled her a little in the ribs and teased, "Aw, Ava, the little firstie." Even knowing that the boy was just teasing her, Ava couldn't stop her cheeks from turning slightly pink in embarrassment. She hadn't really considered what Remus might think of her being in first year classes, but now it was all she could focus on.
Remus felt extremely awkward, but he must've missed the explanation about why Ava would be placed in first year classes. It was certainly odd for someone their age, but he could sense that she didn't want to discuss it, so he determined that it would just be best for him to ask his friends later. Feeling eyes on himself, the werewolf looked around the table to find Ava staring at him several times throughout the next few minutes of the meal. Remus assumed that she was anxiously waiting for him to ask, but he pointedly asked, "How are you settling into Hogwarts?" instead.
Ava's eyes widened upon hearing the question pop out of Remus' mouth. She didn't think that he'd care enough to ask. Pfft, he's just being polite, Ava, she thought to herself. "It's definitely interesting," she replied as her eyes flickered to Remus', to her plate, and back. She tightened her grip on her fork, attempting to steel her resolve. Every time that she looked at Remus, she had to physically restrain herself from reaching out towards him.
Remus flashed her a gorgeous smile and she desperately clenched her fist under the table. "What do you like best about the castle so far?" he inquired curiously.
Ava appeared to be pondering for a moment, but in reality she was rationalizing to herself why she couldn't just reach out and take his hand. "I really like the enchanted ceiling," she offered, looking up as she did so.
Unbeknownst to Ava, she provided Remus with a tantalizing view of her neck and collar bone, causing his wolf to perk up. With his eyes roving over Ava's exposed skin, he could feel Moony pushing for him to get a closer look. With that thought, he shook his head and noticed James and Sirius watching him intently. His brows furrowed as he mouthed, "What?" to them both, but they just shrugged him off. Remus looked to Ava again and saw that she was waiting with her eyebrows raised expectantly, so he quickly said, "That's always been a favorite of mine too." Ava gave him a brief smile and continued to eat her dinner. That tiny, seemingly insignificant response made Remus feel funny. He knew how being nervous around pretty girls made him feel, but it wasn't quite like that. He felt slightly nervous, but more in anticipation and excitement than anything. He scoffed internally and blamed it on his wolf, which had been acting a little off since the full moon.
Across the table, Ava was battling her own internal struggle. She could feel the magic pulsing in her chest, in time with her heartbeat, practically begging for her to touch Remus. Constantly, she was reminding herself that he knew nothing of them being soulmates and that if he wanted to be with her, then it'd be his own choice. She could feel the magic swirling inside her in defiance, so she quickly finished her dinner before it could lash out. Ava gave her goodbyes and offered to see the boys tomorrow as she stood from her seat. As she approached the door of the Great Hall, Ava groaned aloud, thinking of how difficult meal times were going to be. She let out a frustrated sigh at the idea of potentially having classes with Remus as well once she caught up to the seventh year curriculum. As soon as she exited the Great Hall, Ava spotted Professor McGonagall and was promptly offered a tour of the castle. Feeling excitement at the idea of discovering more of the magical school, Ava immediately agreed. During the tour, the young witch's worries vanished as her mind became preoccupied with meeting some of the school's ghosts (which frankly, spooked her a little because it's weird to be able to see through someone as you're speaking to them), memorizing the routes she would need to take in order to get to her classes, and attempting to wheedle information out of the professor without her knowing (like the location of a certain portrait that has a bowl of fruit or the statue of a one-eyed witch, or the easiest way to get up to the seventh floor). Of course, McGonagall gave her odd looks for those questions, but never asked Ava to explain herself.
After the tour, the two witches returned to their quarters and settled down to read some more. McGonagall cracked open the novel she was previously reading, while Ava resumed reading the Transfiguration textbook. Feeling guilty at just the idea of asking McGonagall to teach her when it was already 9 o'clock at night, Ava resolved to finish reading the chapters before bed and then have her aunt assist her with the spells tomorrow. The young witch was just about finished with the textbook when the professor announced that she was going to bed.
"I would suggest that you do the same, young lady, but I feel that would be a waste of my breath," McGonagall informed Ava.
Ava grinned at the professor and reassured her, "I won't stay up too late, I'll just practice the Charm spells for first year real quick, and then go to bed myself." McGonagall bid the girl goodnight, so Ava quickly retreated to her bedroom as well.
However, the young witch simply couldn't help herself. Once she finished practicing the Charms for first year, she decided to read the second year textbook out of curiosity. Unable to exercise some self-control, Ava was up into the wee hours of the morning practicing second year Charms. She was able to test herself with Colloportus fairly easily since she had mastered Alohomora. For about thirty minutes, she continuously locked and unlocked her bedroom door. When Ava got to attempting to cast Impervious, Scourgify, Tergeo, she encountered a little problem. She realized she had nothing that she was willing to stain or any liquid to stain something with in the first place. After pondering on this conundrum for a few minutes, Avalynn excitedly called for Flopsy. Even though the tiny house elf admonished the young witch for still being awake, she managed to procure a rag and a glass of chocolate milk for Ava. She remembered to thank the elf with a bright smile before the little creature left. Now that Ava had materials to work with, she decided to use Scourgify and Tergeo first upon realizing that if she cast Impervious on the rag first, she'd never be able to practice the other two spells considering that she didn't know how to reverse an Impervious spell. Ava had no idea what time it was, but it had been pitch black dark outside for several hours when she finally collapsed into her bed, magically drained. Briefly remembering that McGonagall had said to have a snack, she tiredly called out for Flopsy once more.
The little elf gasped rather dramatically when she appeared in Ava's room. "Young missus is meant to be in bed!" Flopsy exclaimed.
Ava rolled her eyes and politely asked for an apple, to which the elf responded, "Only if yous get into bed right after, Missus McGonagall."
For a couple of seconds, Ava gaped at the strict little elf. However, Flopsy did not look to be backing down anytime soon, and she was ready for sleep as it was anyway. "I promise, Flopsy," Ava told the elf who was standing with her tiny hands on her hips. After a stern nod from the elf, an apple appeared in front of Ava, on her nightstand. Giving Flopsy a quick smile, the young witch chomped into her snack with gusto. She was starving and exhausted, and just wanted to be asleep as soon as possible. Soon enough, Ava demolished her apple, got ready for bed, and quickly fell asleep.
Sunday morning for Avalynn began with an ungodly wake-up call by her Aunt Minerva, which included the professor continually flinging pillows at the young girl until she awoke, bleary-eyed from her late night. A pillow directly to the face forced Ava to fully wake up with a shout. "What is happening?" she yelled frantically, eyes wildly searching the room.
McGonagall was laughing and still tossing pillows at Ava from the door, using her wand. "You're a witch, Avalynn. Stop the pillows yourself," the professor said while chuckling.
Ava groaned and fumbled for her wand on the nightstand and attempted to cast Immobulus on a pillow, once again, aimed for her head. Clearly, she was not awake or concentrating hard enough because the pillow didn't stop moving and managed to smack her in the face. Fueled by the laughter coming from the supposedly professional teacher across the room, Ava narrowed her eyes at the next incoming pillow and shouted, "Immobulus!" Fortunately, the pillow froze in place and the onslaught of pillows ceased. Peeking around the pillow, Ava glared at her aunt, causing more laughter from the professor.
"Well, that was rude, Aunt Minerva," she chided the older witch, but before McGonagall could respond, Ava leapt out of the bed and fist pumped with her Blackthorn wand in her hand and happily cried out, "I learned more spells last night!"
The professor raised one eyebrow and stated, "I believe you mean this morning, young lady."
Ava's expression turned sheepish before asking, "Is that what the pillows were for?" in an incredulous voice. McGonagall sent her a look that caused Ava to tell her, "Alright. I won't stay up that late again. I just got too excited."
Her aunt tutted and said, "I'm sure you have more late nights ahead of you, but no staying up late when you've got classes the next day." Ava nodded in agreement and shooed her aunt out of the room so she could get dressed.
Wearing jeans and a t-shirt, Ava stepped out into their living area with her wand in hand. "I really did learn spells last night, Aunt Minerva. I've completed second year Charms," she told the professor with a wide grin while she bounced a little on her toes.
McGonagall's eyebrows were practically lifted off of her face, such was her shock at Ava's declaration. "Good Godric, lass. Have you really?" she asked, astounded.
Ava bit her lip and nodded. She immediately turned around to her bedroom and cast Colloportus, and then Alohomora for fun. Then she bounced over to the table where the professor had poured two cups of tea, and she dramatically "spilled" her tea in slow-motion. McGonagall rolled her eyes at her niece's antics, but watched in awe as Ava cleaned it up with a Tergeo and Scourgify. The young witch then cast Impervious on the chair and gleefully tossed the professor's tea cup onto it. She was rather proud of herself until she realized that the tea was rolling off of the chair and dripping onto the floor. Slightly embarrassed, Ava moved to clean it up, but McGonagall had already done it for her.
"Well, Ava, there is no doubt that you are a quick learner," her aunt said. "I'm fairly surprised at the rate of your progress though. It's rather quick. Although, I've never heard of case in which a person only began to learn magic at your age. This could be normal for all we know. However, I'd still like you to limit the amount of spells you practice every day until you've built up enough stamina." Recalling how drained she felt the night and afternoon before, Ava nodded in understanding. "Breakfast is almost finished in the Great Hall, would you like to join me?" McGonagall asked.
Considering that Ava had her Charms exam that afternoon and she felt behind enough as it was, she shook her head and explained, "I'd rather stay here and eat, so I can study for the test later. Also, I'm ready to learn more Transfiguration whenever you have time to help me."
The professor smiled fondly. "Alright. Just don't wear yourself out while I'm gone," she told Ava over her shoulder as she left their quarters.
Ava plopped down on the couch, not quite ready to eat yet, and opened up the first year Charms book. After reviewing the information for a while, her stomach grumbled, forcing her to pause and eat some breakfast. Once she had her fill of French toast, courtesy of Flopsy, Ava continued to review the material for the Charms exam. When she finally reached the end of the textbook, McGonagall had been back from breakfast for a couple of hours. Feeling up for performing some magic, Ava practiced casting the spells for the exam. When lunchtime rolled around, the professor stayed in their quarters to eat with Ava and discussed the various Transfiguration spells that they would go over. After their meal, McGonagall had set out to teach Ava how to turn various objects into beetles, caterpillars, and rats. As 3 o'clock approached, Ava decided to review Charms once more before her exam and to continue working on Transfiguration later.
The professor was once again grading papers as Ava was studying, when they heard a knock on the door. Wanting to give her brain a break, Ava dragged herself to the door, thinking that it was some student wanting to speak to her aunt. However, she answered the door to find all four of the Marauders standing there.
Flashing them a quick smile, she confusedly asked, "Hey guys, what's up?" Sirius and James returned her smile wholeheartedly, but Remus and Peter looked slightly uncomfortable, probably because they were standing in the doorway of a professor's quarters, and they seemed to be looking to James and Sirius for guidance. As the Black heir attempted to step into their quarters, Ava forced herself into the doorway and planted her arm across the open space on the opposite side of the door frame, barring anyone from entering. "Can I help you, Sirius Black?" she asked with an eyebrow raised. Immediately, James and Sirius started groaned about being bored and wanting to hang out, so the young witch put her hand up to silence them.
"I'm trying to study and I've got my first exam in like thirty minutes, so I can't be distracted right now," she informed the boys.
"What about after?" James asked, hopefully, but Ava shook her head.
"I've literally got years of magic to catch up on guys," she explained, sounding overwhelmed. After hearing Ava's story from James, Remus couldn't help but sympathize. "Can't you guys go play Quidditch or something?" she asked, pleadingly.
Sirius groaned, "Ah, c'mon, Ava," and then he proceeded to give her puppy eyes.
Remus could see her resolve wavering, so he stepped up and placed his hands on James and Sirius' shoulders. "Guys, let's leave Ava alone, so she can study," he suggested gently. Appreciation flashed through Ava's eyes and it made Remus' stomach flutter. He suddenly felt the need for Ava to be happy, but brushed it off as wanting to make her feel welcome to Hogwarts. James started to protest, so Remus quickly cut him off with, "Do you really think she'll have more free time if she doesn't pass her exams?" He felt warm at the bright smile Ava sent his way. Even though now he was reluctant to leave, he pulled on Sirius and James and said, "We'll see you later, Ava."
"I'm sorry guys, but I'll see you later, alright?" she replied and then quickly shut the door, and promptly dropped herself to the ground and hugged her knees to her chest, laying her head back against the door with her eyes shut.
"Ava? Are you alright?" McGonagall asked, worriedly.
The young witch sighed and asked, "Honestly?" before opening her eyes and looking to her aunt. The professor nodded, so Ava continued, "It's incredibly difficult to be around Remus. My magic, or the spell, or whatever, keeps wanting me to touch him. His hand, or arm, or face, or whatever, really. I'd like to be around him more, but at the same time, I'm desperate to stay away from him." She sighed dejectedly once more.
Her aunt frowned and responded, "I'm so sorry, dear, but I don't have any personal experience with this. I can imagine it's quite challenging for you. The best I can tell you is to keep taking the pain potions as needed to not cause yourself any further pain, but maybe you could try to get to know Mr. Lupin." At a hard look from Ava, the professor added, "I don't mean as a purely romantic interest, but as a friend. He seems to be quite a good friend, and there's no harm in having friends, Ava. You also might find it easier to be in Mr. Lupin's presence with practice, I don't know. You also have your studies to focus on, as well as looking for more information about finding you a way back to your world. However, that is merely my opinion. You do as you wish."
Ava nodded, taking in everything McGonagall had said. "I really don't think it'll help being around Remus more," she thought aloud, "But I do need to focus more on learning magic, especially if I'm wanting to help the Order."
The older witch frowned in concern. She wasn't sure how she felt about Ava getting involved in the Order. She was much too young. Noticing the time, she mentioned, "It's almost three o'clock, dear. Would you like to review any further? Or postpone the exam?"
Her niece looked at her with wide eyes. "Um, no," she said, confusedly. "I don't care what's going on with Remus," she told McGonagall as she shook her head, "I'm taking that exam because I'm ready for it. I want to be in second year Charms tomorrow. Depending on how this exam goes, I'd like to take the exam for second year tomorrow too."
The professor nodded silently and flicked her wand about a couple of times, transfiguring a desk for Ava to sit at, complete with parchment, a quill, and ink bottle. The young witch stared at it in awe for a moment before quickly turning to her aunt and bluntly saying, "I don't know how to use a quill."
McGonagall pursed her lips together in slight embarrassment and annoyance at herself. Of course, Ava wouldn't have ever used a quill and ink before. "I'd like for you to try, dear. You'll need to get used to it anyhow." Ava nodded and sat down at the desk and looked up at her aunt expectantly. "Ready for the exam?" the professor asked.
"Yes, please. I'd like to get this over with," Ava muttered. Suddenly, several pieces of parchment appeared in front of the girl, peppered with multiple choice and essay questions. She took a deep breath and got started. A little over an hour later, Ava exclaimed, "I can't! Just take it!" as she stood from her desk abruptly. She held out the test papers for McGonagall to take and stated, "I've reviewed this three times already, and I'll just keep going until I drive myself crazy, just take it."
The professor huffed a laugh and asked her niece to wait patiently while she graded the exam. A while later, McGonagall cleared her throat, signaling she was done, and Ava paused in her reading of the Transfiguration textbook. She wanted to be extra diligent with that subject since it was the one that her aunt taught, and the rest of the school would know that too. "Lay it on me," Ava said as squeezed her eyes shut and crossed her fingers.
Her aunt smiled slowly and said, "You passed with flying colors, my dear."
Ava peeked one eye open and asked a shocked, "Really?" She grinned broadly at McGonagall once she realized that the professor wasn't joking.
"Yes," the professor confirmed. "However, you'll need to perform the practical portion as well. So just perform each spell for me as I ask you to, and you'll be finished."
Ava let out a relieved breath. She knew that she could cast the spells, so that was no worry. Once she was done with the practical part of the exam, Ava asked McGonagall to continue assisting her with performing the Transfiguration spells for first year. Once they finished a couple of hours later, the professor asked Ava when she thought that she'd be ready for the first year Transfiguration exam. To say that the young with was shocked would be an understatement. "You truly believe that I'm ready for that?" she asked McGonagall, baffled.
The older witch rolled her eyes and replied, "I wouldn't have asked you, if I didn't believe you could do it, Ava. However, you are cramming so much information into your mind right now, and this is not knowledge that you can learn and then forget. Magical skills all build upon one another, so your future studies will come more easily to you if you genuinely learn the foundational material first. Therefore, I would like for you to take your Charms exam Wednesday and attend the second year classes on Monday and Tuesday to see how you fair. I would also like for you to attend the first year Transfiguration classes all this week and then take the exam on Friday. Does that sound reasonable to you?"
Of course, Ava's immediate reaction was to groan and pout about how she could take both exams tomorrow and be done with it, but deep down, she knew that the professor was right. She wanted to work quickly through the curriculum, but not at such a breakneck pace that she wouldn't be able to recall a second year charm in a sixth year class, or when a simple spell might really matter. So, she responded with, "Yes, I'll agree to that."
McGonagall nodded once and stood from the chair behind her desk. "In case you didn't notice, it's already time for dinner. I will be heading down to the Great Hall. Am I right to assume that you will be taking your meal here and studying more?" the professor asked, with a knowing smile. The girl's thirst for learning was rather endearing.
"Yeah, I'd rather eat up here and get some more studying in. Do you know when I'll be doing my tutoring lessons?" Ava replied.
"I'm actually going to approach Mr. Black and Mr. Snape about their respective responsibilities tonight, so I will ask Mr. Shacklebolt as well. I'm sure once they've looked over their schedules, they'll let me or you know of a time and place to meet. No need to fret, dear."
Ava nodded and her expression turned serious. She definitely needed to study up on Potions if she wanted to get on Snape's good side. After her aunt left for the Great Hall, Ava cracked open the first year Potions textbook and familiarized herself with the different types of cauldrons and glass containers used in potion making, the twelve uses of dragons blood, and some of the first year ingredients before calling out for Flopsy and politely asking for her to make up a plate of whatever food they were having in the Great Hall. Moving to the small dining table in the kitchen, Ava cast an Impervious charm on her Potions textbook so that she wouldn't accidentally get food or anything on it while she ate. Soon, McGonagall returned and the young witch joined her in the living area to continue reading about Potions. She actually found it quite interesting to learn the different ways that ingredients would interact with each other and it made her more than a little bit nervous that a potion could be ruined by adding just a smidgen too much or too little of an ingredient. Eventually, the older witch announced that she was going to bed and that Ava needed to as well, and the young girl didn't complain since she was falling asleep with the Potions textbook on her face as she laid on the sofa.
Throughout the night, Ava had a restless sleep filled with tossing and turning, unable to stop thinking about her first day of magical school. Later, she would recall this fitful night as humorous considering that only a few days ago she was in her twenties and had been out of school for years. Towards the end of a nightmare, Ava bolted upright in her bed, sweating profusely at the anxiety filled dream wherein she forgot to bring her wand to class and everyone laughed at her. However, as she sat in the dark bedroom, panting and wiping sweat from her forehead, she recognized the ache in her chest. Time for another potion, she groaned internally. She scurried out of bed and left her room to gently knock on Professor McGonagall's door.
Unsure if her aunt would hear her, Ava slowly opened the bedroom door and whispered, "Aunt Minerva?" The professor sleepily sat up in her bed, so Ava quietly said, "I need a pain potion."
McGonagall's eyes widened and in a flash, she jumped out of the bed and righted her nightgown. Quickly, she grabbed a small glass vial from her bureau for Ava and softly said, "I'm glad that you told me you needed one." Ava gave her a slight smile before she gulped down the potion and felt the painful sensation in her chest dissipate.
"Thank you. Goodnight," the young witch whispered as she turned to go back to bed. The professor wished her a good night as well, but Ava wasn't sure that she'd actually be able to go back to sleep. She couldn't help but worry about attending classes the next day. It was always awkward being the new kid, but Ava was also going to be sixteen in a class full of twelve and thirteen year olds. Sighing to herself, Ava grabbed her History of Magic textbook for first year, hoping that if Professor Binns can make people fall asleep, then maybe the subject material could too. And sure enough, whether due to magical exhaustion from all the spells she had performed that day, or her choice in reading material, Avalynn was soon fast asleep.
