Sorry for the wait guys, I had a difficult few weeks. Hope you enjoy :3 we're finally reaching Hogwarts.


The push was feeble at first, but even as it persisted it wasn't a forceful attempt at reaching him. It reminded him more of a small furry animal trying to poke his bigger counterpart with a little paw to see if it would react in any way.

It made him curious at any rate, and taking into account his need to know who the little serpent was and his relation to the boy he couldn't afford anger at every turn.

He had noticed a change since his return to power, his temper had been rather manageable. Not something he would have recognized aloud before nor now. But he knew some things would have been avoided if he had a better grip on his temper.He had so much to discover, to understand, it made him feel young and so very eager. It wasn't just the end line of being the most powerful wizard, to conquer. He needed more, what would he do after he did so.

He pushed carefully, following the small presence and as he came closer his body filled with a sensation he had experienced before. Surrounded by water, a warmth inside him and cold touching his skin as his body floated.

He had enough mastery over his mind that his servants did not realise his surroundings were changing as his mind was taken to another location.

Pius Thicknesse's voice muted slightly.

He found himself underwater following a male form he couldn't recognize. He felt a force at the edge of his mind squeezing around their small thread of connection, perhaps recognizing an intruder. He felt cheated, like he was back at school and told he wasn't allowed to learn what he wanted.His emotions escaped his control as the person took off in a hurry swimming after a golden light down ahead.He followed resigned to watch what he could, he still needed more information before he plunged and revealed himself. He wouldn't make the same mistake again and lose his patience so soon.He felt as the swimmer got more desperate and scared to lose whatever he was following in the deepest parts of Hogwarts lake. He moved closer as his surroundings blurred and his connecting thread thinned.He felt anger rise and echo onto him like a wave, he didn't appreciate having it affecting him even though he was trying as hard as possible to block it.He felt a surge of energy where the golden light was coming from and felt his stomach sink in recognition, the wave of magic hitting him full force was the same one that pushed him away the night of the ritual. And it didn't come from the male form he was following. He felt as desperation peaked in what he could guess now was the Potter boy, and followed him faster as his line of vision blurred as if consumed by fire.He heard the screech halting the boy's search and as fast as it came the thread snapped and he was catapulted back to his body.

The little excursion had cost him nothing but a few minutes, and Pius' monotone words. He was immensely pleased.

It only proved his suspicions.

He was fooled and led to his demise and he had followed the path laid for him like a blind man. He wouldn't make the same mistakes, ... he wouldn't.


Harry's hurried steps weren't heard only because no one was awake just yet. He stormed into the room he shared with his friend and just when his hand was a few centimeters away from waking Ron up, he froze.

The knot in his stomach stopped him, he didn't want to believe it. She couldn't be. She couldn't be the one who stunned him, tied him up, took his clothes and hair and left to meet a fate not even Dumbledore could have predicted.

She was just a student, a Hufflepuff for fuck's sake. She couldn't have known about Barty, she had been in his classes for a year and she had made fun of him like everyone else. It made no sense.

She couldn't have known about the ritual and even if she did why would she go. She wasn't a parseltongue either; he had spoken in front of the whole school in second year and her confused stunned face was one among many. She couldn't be the one.

He went back to his bed and climbed inside. His mind still clinging to the perfect scar and the golden squiggles he saw.Perhaps it was just the dream he had that made him so susceptible to crazy thoughts. He had been following a girl, a brunette girl.

He took a deep breath and tried to get back to sleep. Not even the possibility of it being related to the dream was giving him any comfort.

His mind had been plagued by those, strange ones, oddly specific ones, vivid ones, since last year. And he refused to follow random dreams to find any answers. He wasn't about to become a bloody divination loving freak, that was just too much.

He would know more, but he wouldn't tell his friends, not until he had any foundation to this. He couldn't just go and accuse her of stunning him and going to meet fucking Voldemort.


Next morning came too soon, just when his mind calmed enough to reach a sleepy state, knocking on the door woke him. He sent a pillow to Ron's face in pure frustration as the other boy reached one of his peak snores.

After some chaotic turns to the only functioning shower on their side of the hallways the four boys went down to the kitchen hunger already pulling at their stomachs.

Nina was there, nursing her cup of coffee in the same white shiny mug.

She was leaning on her elbow, reading a newspaper looking so sleepy and so not ready for mornings, it was comical. And to think he had lost sleep at the mere idea of her being the mysterious parseltongue.

He greeted everyone and sat beside Hermione. His friend was reading the same article Nina was on, and their looks varied.

Hermione looked angry and frustrated, she could start ejecting smoke from her ears and he wouldn't be surprised. Nina on the other hand looked rather amused.

He leaned on his friend to see what was so controversial. The article was painting Sirius to be the craziest of psychos ever to grace the earth. He was blamed for the recent horrific attacks, blamed for the decrease of Magical England's economy and consequently the Galleon, blamed for the lack of good quality cauldrons shipped from Lithuania, blamed for the bad weather in recent weeks, blamed for the youths drinking habits as of late.

He heard Nina point at the article and whisper to his Godfather. "Congrats Sirius you single handedly ruined a whole country. I think we should petition for you to be named king conqueror."

"Oh yes, I have so many plans. For starters, I'm pushing for a bill to make Slytherin's color be orange. But not a pretty orange, a very obnoxious ugly one."

"Oooh God no... You'd torture us with an orange cloaked professor Snape, I'm running away to freaking Beauxbatons , no way am I surviving that."

"How come you're not in Beauxbatons though, I thought spanish wizards and witches were accepted there automatically" He asked, trying to get a bit more information.

"My Grandmother was born into a British family. She kept her mother's spanish last name when she married a morrocan muggle soldier and her father disinherited her."

"That's... That's tough, so one of your parents is magical then." He insisted, he had heard some of them calling her muggleborn and she didn't correct them.

A look of discomfort passed through her features, fleeting. "It jumped a generation, my father didn't have any Magic".

"Wait, your father is a squib?" Asked Ron surprised.

Hermione elbowed him hard enough, she made him spit half his tea.

Nina laughed at them and answered more at ease. "Yes he is, wasn't a fan of magic either...so."

"But why do you tell everyone you're muggleborn?" Asked Ginny

"I've never said anything about being a muggleborn." She said snorting

"Everyone says you're muggleborn, and you never corrected it"

"What does it matter if I'm muggleborn or Halfblood? I still went to Hogwarts as clueless as any other muggleborn. Seems a bit much to stop every conversation about me and explain in detail my family tree." She explained

He had to agree, if he wasn't famous he would have probably done the same, just to avoid explaining anything.

"That's lying though, through omission, but it's still lying", continued the redhead girl frowning.

"So..?" She gave her a 'who cares' look.

"That's the spirit," said Sirius as he tapped her shoulder and smiled.

"Have I ever told you you'd make a great Gryffindor?"

"That makes no sense" commented Ginny loudly.

"Noooo, thanks I like my unassuming completely chill house." She answered hurriedly.

The conversation went on a tangent of whose house was best and soon, most of the table was singing praises to Gryffindor.

Soon after Mrs. Weasley came down prepared to March them all to the rooms like good little soldiers ready to battle against all kinds of nasty creatures living in the however long abandoned rooms.

The older woman seemed eager to get her hands on anything that needed done, perhaps to avoid thinking of what the world hid it as round corner streets these days, Sirius and Remus were perfectly content helping them, their antics kept them all in a good mood and happy to help. Even the twins had it easier to sneak as many products for their shop as they wanted with the two adults around.

Still there was only so much he could do to distract himself from the trial hanging upon him and the idea of the girl he liked being the secret parseltongue directly at fault for Voldemort's return.

What did it say about him, that the fear of finding out she was the liar all along ate at him more than the possibility of expulsion from Hogwarts. He didn't even want to contemplate the idea, what was he supposed to do if she truly was, what reason did she have to stop him from going through the last trial, was that her intention all along, to pass the maze in his stead or did she know exactly what the cup was, and if she knew, why would she touch the cup, why go to Voldemort on her own accord.

What would the order do to her, if she was truly the reason the war had started, would they send her to Azkaban, would they even give her the chance to a trial. She had lost people in the Massacre even if she had met them just that night. He saw the guilt in her eyes whenever it was mentioned, the twitch in her hands like she didn't know what to do with herself. He'd caught her several times scratching at her wrist until it was raw red. He didn't know how many times he caught himself about to reach for her hand to stop her, like he had seen Sirius do so many times.

She was a Hufflepuff for fuck's sake. They couldn't be evil, and she wasn't a coward either, he wouldn't dare compare her to Pettigrew. The only way she would have done it knowing Barty's plan, would have been by mistake.

That's something he could live with, but didn't know for sure if the Order would, and even if they did, There was still the fucking Ministry to worry about, and those proved to be as unreasonable as they came.

Hermione would understand, perhaps she'd be reluctant at first, judgy even but she'd understand it was a mistake, if she saw the same signs of guilt in her eyes. Ron not so much. He had hope though, his best friend was stubborn but kind, he'd come around eventually.

It was hours later when everyone was washing up to go have some lunch and a well deserved break, that he saw Nina curled up in a chair with a sandwich plate balanced on her knee and a book he recognized, every little suspicion he had last night came back with vengeance.

The title ringing through his mind like a catchy song. Death Magick, the redness of its pomegranate was like dripping blood. Unsettling. An idea rushed through his mind and pushed his body as if fueled by some kind of fire.

Making sure the others were attending their hunger he slipped away to the stairs and up to the rooms.The hallways were empty, everyone already downstairs or busy washing up at the other side of the hallway.

He slipped into the unfamiliar room as quietly as possible stopping at the bed far away from the door and closest to the window. Her part of the room was tidy, too tidy, he expected books and notes everywhere, perhaps it was only his perception of people with the same reading habits as his female friend. His suspicions still plagued him though.

He went straight to the only place he could find anything of value. Her trunk.

He fumbled with the lock and cursed his age, if he could only Alohomora the thing open he'd find something. He was sure, at least to quell his growing paranoia around the girl, he truly doubted he'd be able to hold it in much longer.

He needed answers, he needed the dreams to stop, he needed to stop his life from toppling over the edge and he needed some undisturbed fucking sleep.

He grunted in frustration and kicked the thing with fury making too much noise. He stayed dead silent until he made sure no one had heard, and proceeded to try his next stupid idea just in case.

He went to the girls little bedside table and thanking Merlin, he pulled two hairpins from the drawer.

He kneeled down in front of the lock and carefully inserted one of the pins as he followed with the other, maneuvering both of them and desperately waiting for the clicking sound.

It felt like eternity had passed as his knees trembled at the effort of holding himself bent in such an awkward position, sweat dripping from his forehead and slipping the pins from his fingers. Just when he lost his grip on the second pin he heard the clic. He could have cried in relief, wizards tended to underestimate the simple way of things in favor of complicated spells and charms, he could only thank every deity there was for the little to no protection on the cheap trunk.

He opened it slowly, still cautious, in case there were any other secondary protections. Nothing attacked him. He sighed in relief.

Like any other school trunk, the thing was filled to the brim, the space inside larger than its physical possibilities. Clothes were hung and folded neatly at one side, school supplies at the other. The inside is decorated with moving photographs depicting beautiful landscapes at different parts of the day, sketches of random places from the castle, the lone tree near the lake, the view from the astronomy tower, the forbidden forest looming over Hagrid's hut.

He wished so badly to stop and just admire the little glimpses of home he was allowed, especially now that the possibility of never seeing those familiar spots was so close.

He swallowed harshly and went straight for the piles of books looking for something he didn't know just yet. It felt like going on instinct, like dropping in deep waters for the first time ever and just letting his body do what was needed to float to the surface.

His hand went through books moving them aside and back looking inside compartments big enough to hold a book, until his hand touched a notebook with a very generic cover. His breath hitched. This was it.

It was brown, it's pages looked hard and sturdy just like it's thick cover, what brought his attention to it was the etching of symbols on its corners.

They looked like the symbols on the girl's arms, just like the ones he saw on the spine of the swimming Nina of his dreams. He didn't bother opening it, he quickly got it under his shirt secured in place by the band of his jeans. He closed the trunk just like he opened it, this time his hands obeyed him and he managed to finish the task quickly.

He got out of the room and went straight to his. He moved to his messy trunk and pulled everything he could get to place the notebook as far down the mess as possible. Two minutes later he was back at the kitchen enjoying Mrs Weasley's sandwiches, with nervousness mistaked as fervour and appetite.

His glances tried and failed to avoid the girl curled up being lulled by his Godfather's ancient music set.


His nervousness and extra energy persisted for hours which made him the perfect candidate for Mrs Weasley's chore list. Bless her. He would have died by instant combustion if he had to sit and pretend to be as cool as a cucumber for the rest of the evening.

It was nearing dinner time when his Godfather pulled him aside for some alone time with him, relieved he followed the old man to Buckpeak's room. The conversation flowed as they fed and petted the majestic animal. Only when he was calm and almost ready to go to sleep did his Godfather bring up the sole subject that could leave him sleepless for the rest of the night.

"So how are things with Nina?" Sirius asked casually, though his interest in the answer was clear.

"What do you mean?" He said fully awake now, heart in his mouth or probably on the floor, he couldn't tell anymore.

"Well... You look... You two are friends right?" He said backtracking from his original comment.

Harry realized he hadn't been all that discrete watching her, his heart speeded up thinking about her noticing and messing up his possibility of finding out more.

"Yeah, sure, why?" He asked confused

"Well... then I hope you were just leaving her a gift earlier... Or a prank ... Thinking it over now, I'm completely in if it's a prank" the older man said, winking at him, trying and failing to take the edge of the conversation off.

He didn't want to lie to his Godfather but he couldn't tell him either. To avoid both, he chose not to answer at all and hoped to God Sirius wouldn't insist on it.

Sirius sighed and put his hand on the younger boy's shoulder pulling him to sit down by his side. Silence stretched until Harry was assured that his privacy wouldn't be breached, if he decided to stay silent.

"She has symbols on her arms, I saw them glow when she was asleep yesterday, do you know what they're for?"

The man smiled and after a long silence he said "Nina's rather different, special in some way. At first I thought perhaps it was her muggle upbringing, it was endearing to think you probably were like that too." He chuckled. "Then I learned she was from another country and thought perhaps it was that, a simple cultural difference, but that was hardly it.

He smiled at his Godson kindly, aware that the boy was waiting for a better answer.

The young boy hung on his every word, the older man sighed. "You see Harry, magic is a tricky thing, there are things not even the smartest wizards know how to explain. No one is born with the exact same magical core as another, the same signature or the same amount, or potential. That's how you find defense so easy or your father found transfiguration easy. it differs with each wizard and witch. In time you'll understand that Hogwarts teachings are but the tip of the iceberg, there are many fields of study and research out there."

"Like what?" He said failing to hide his impatience. Sirius just smiled

"Like alchemy, or curse breaking ..."

"Or dark magic," followed Harry.

"Or Death Magick..." His Godfather answered with a cheeky smile.

He chuckled as he brought his Godson in a side hug "You know if you're so interested in this field, you can just ask Nina to lend you her book, I'm sure she wouldn't say no, and then you could just tell her you didn't understand any of it and start meeting to discuss the book, ... and you know with a bit of persistence and the help of your Godfather you can go right ahead and ask for a date." His serious tone didn't let the boy register what had been said until approximately two seconds later, when he cried out turning as red as a tomato.

"WHAT?... no no no ... That's not it ... I'm not ... I mean she's... Just no".

His Godfather barked in laughter at his expense. He loved seeing him so carefree but he wanted to send him a stinging hex just about now. And his glower clearly said it all. The man tried holding his laughter at bay but failed spectacularly.

That night his Godfather's words played through his mind in a loop and as expected his eyes refused to shut themselves and his mind found the current topic of focus far better than the trial awaiting him the next morning.

He had his back up plan, in case he was expelled. His depressing back up plan. Still it was better than going back to the Dursley's with no magic to speak of. As if his life had never turned upside down, never known of magic, of who he truly was. Being stuck back at the Dursley's with no magic was the stuff of nightmares.

He'd rather die at the hands of stupid Crabb or Goyle than go back there Indefinitely.


"What in the seven hell's did you do?" Nina's voice rang with maybe too much force, because she noticed Harry literally jump and turn around to see if she was talking to someone behind him. When he realized there was no one, he turned to inspect himself frantically looking for something amiss.

She felt like shit when he looked at her confused and stressed. She smiled sheepishly, hands up in a placating manner.

"Okay..., I'm sorry that wasn't supposed to sound so scandalized, did you... Umm... Did you do something to your hair?" She really was trying to hold her laughter, but holy shit he looked like he was licked by a horse on both sides of his head.

His wild wavy dark hair just gone. It was traumatising, he wasn't going to the fucking trial of the century like that. She'd fight him if she had to, he needed to look collected and adultlike if he wanted to be treated like one. The first thing anyone would notice about him was his looks and demeanor, No one knew the real Harry Potter after all, everything they knew of him was tainted by Rita Skeeter's words. He couldn't show up with mismatched clothes and licked hair, they'd eat him alive and spit the remains at Dumbledore's feet.

It was so easy for them to pull out the crazy card from their repertoire of Rita Skeeter news. They had a basis they only needed to fit the Dementor attack to it and bam... Barmy Harry Potter would become news.

He almost jumped at the question in sheer frantic stress. "Of course I did something to my hair, what kind of question is that, it's all pressed down and gelled... It's terrible isn't it, just tell me... I swear I'll hex you if you lie.. if they don't snap my wand.." he turned green at the thought, and stopped his rant to control his stomach from expelling bile and the little water he had a little earlier.

"Woah .. woah ... Merlin's beard calm down, you're not going out with that and yes there's still time, I wouldn't eat if I were you though. So let's put the time into... Yeah... that. She took his hand and led him to the living room, sat him down pressing on his shoulders. He didn't look like he was able to focus on much.

"Okay stay here, don't move an inch, I don't care who says otherwise. I'm coming back in less than two minutes..."

He rubbed his hands on his pants and nodded as he whispered his okays.

True to her word she came back less than two minutes, holding several things, Sirius after her.

"Who did that to you?" He said absolutely flabbergasted.

"Sirius" Nina's voice shided

"Oh my God... Not you too" he groaned as his left leg pumped up and down frantically.

"Okay...let's calm down everyone, and bloody breathe." She said frowning at the two of them.

She took the most ridiculous ice cream cone printed bag he ever saw, and pulled a pink spray bottle from it. Holding it menacingly to his hair she asked seriously.

"Do you trust me?" He wanted to protest the severity of her question, completely unrelated to his hair problem right now. He wanted to say no but he nodded, knowing a part of him truly trusted her, which part that was, he didn't know just yet. He could guess though.

She looked at Sirius and he nodded waving his wand in Harry's direction. His hair went back to his normal clean messy state. She proceeded with the bottle in her hand and sprayed slightly.

She applied a small amount of some liquid onto her hands, rubbed them and brushed his hair with her fingers gently, it made him wish his Godfather was nowhere near them so he could feel whatever he wanted without being watched. Her hands were small, it felt like she couldn't care about time at the moment, he wished she would do so as she looked into his eyes. Because the alternative was to look at her chest, right in front of him. He could die right now if he was caught gawking at her rather generous chest area by his Godfather.

She finished her brushing and looked at him again fussing over his head like a professional. She looked so concentrated on her task he actually found himself relaxed just by staying silent and breathing as she instructed.

She looked at him and smiled as she stepped back from him.

"This is my little trick, when I'm in a hurry, I can only do this because we have similar type of curls,... don't freak out okay."

He tensed as he nodded watching her every move. His Godfather chuckled.

She turned her right hand in several motions and soon enough her hand was glowing from the tip of her middle finger to the end of her sleeve. The symbols he saw yesterday clearer now.

He met her eyes and found her focus entirely on his reaction.

"I'll explain later... if you want to know," she said softly. He nodded stunned.

She came closer and he hummed as her glowing hand came near his head. God he could purr like a contented cat if he could, it was tingling all over his roots even when she didn't touch them. He felt her turn the ends of his hair this way and that way, brush her hand at the top layer of his hair. The magic stopped and he almost groaned in disappointment. He saw her step back to get another very muggle looking spray bottle.

"Close your eyes, and hold your breath", She touched his chin gently as she asked. He did as she asked.

A second later he felt his Godfather's hand touch his shoulder and squeeze gently. He opened his eyes and he was met by his reflection on the small mirror Nina was holding in front of him.

He gaped at the mirror and back at her. His hair was brushed parted at the same side Mrs Weasley had made. Only this time his hair was neatly waved, no gel anywhere, he looked like those actors in old movies Aunt Petunia fawned over. The only thing he could do without was the strong smell of hair spray. He felt his face smile slowly and brighten up.

His Godfather came rushing and handed him a soft black fabric.

"That's your shirt, come on... Chop chop"

He noticed Nina had stepped into the kitchen and he hurriedly changed into the shirt he was given. It fit him ill, his frame too small, but he wasn't left any time to complain, his Godfather's wand was waved and the shirt tightened on him. Next he was handed a too long warm black coat, and again it was fitted to him until it's end reached below his waist.

"Now that's a million times better, let's go stun a lady and win a trial." He said as he winked.

They went back into the kitchen where the girl was fumbling with something small in her hands. Sirius cleared his throat and they watched as the girl turned and her eyes took him in, she smiled slowly "Yes, that's more like it". She came closer and frowned at his shoes.

"Black shoes" she said and he heard Sirius exclaim as if he had forgotten something.

His brown shoes changed to a shiny black, and as he admired them he didn't see Nina kneel in front of him and tuck the excess fabric of his jeans in two folds that gave back attention to his shoes.

"When in doubt, always wear black" she said as she looked up from her position meeting his eyes. She stood still close to him and he truly was paralyzed. "I have something for you... I thought a little subtle fuck you to the Ministry would make you feel better." She whispered as she pinned the small thing she had in her hands to his left shoulder.

"Right where the heart lays, yeah?" She said smiling.

He took a good look and could cry when he realised what it was. Hogwarts banner, glowing with its four colors, he appreciated his entirely black outfit all the more. He was worried, he had made fun of Malfoy for wearing all black for years, and truly hated the idea of similarity to him even in the smallest of ways.

Hogwarts banner over his heart like a promise, was fitting. It was perfect.


The house went silent and still after Harry and Mr Weasley's departure, there was no way they could avoid Mrs Weasley from noticing the change they had made, since she wished to say goodbye to him and wish him luck before he left.

She had been gracious about his looks but she turned into full blown anger when she realized he hadn't eaten breakfast.

Even though Sirius and Harry repeated several times that he was too nervous to eat.

It was too early for breakfast for them so everyone awake was just there for support or because they couldn't sleep.

They passed the time until news came by owl that the trial had been postponed into an earlier hour for which thankfully Professor Dumbledore was prepared.

An hour later news came via owl again, Harry had won the trial by crushing difference. He came in smiling by mid-day, practically everyone cheering and teasing him on his outfit. She could swear at some point the twins had sung Sexy Potter only to receive a slap in the head by their mother, that quieted them to a whispered sexy Potter that made it even more inappropriate.

The day went on with ease, good food and companionship all around. Everyone was in a good mood, it had been a win, not only for Harry but the whole Order, because God knew they needed more of those.

After lunch they received their school shopping list, it came rather late and they could all guess why.

She opened hers to see if there were any new books.

"Nina you dropped this"

Harry was closest to her, and as she was reading didn't notice something had slipped from the envelope.

"Mm?" She didn't recognize the shiny thing and as she was about to tell him so, they heard Ginny erupt in sheers.

"Oh hell no" She wanted to kill the old man. She went to her letter again and right at the bottom was her congratulations for her esteemed position.

Harry was looking at her surprised at her outburst, and tried handing it to her again. "Ahhh no ... Uh uh ... I'm not taking that, that's not mine. I didn't ask for it and I don't want it, you can have it, or you can burn it." She said as she kept evading his hand almost in a dance around the kitchen while he followed trying to hold his laughter at the ridiculousness of the moment. He couldn't think of anyone who'd refuse the Prefect position with such fervour.

Soon enough the adults took notice of the rowdy teens and the house got even more animated as Mrs Weasley realised her youngest son had been appointed Prefect.

She saw Harry's twisted features as she realises he had been expecting to be one. She stopped her stupid run and took the cursed thing as she held his hand discreetly.

He frowned and embarrassed he looked down at his feet as if he was caught feeling something he wasn't supposed to. "I don't know what he's thinking, nobody likes me, I can't exactly be a voice of authority when no one actively seeks my voice in normal days, this is stupid."

"Of course people like you, what are you saying?" Harry said, almost scandalized.

"It's not that... I just mean... Well, I keep to myself...mostly, It's actually my fault, I'm not blaming anyone, I just don't..." She chuckled and felt heat go to her cheeks. "I mean it's better if you give authority to someone who won't be questioned at every turn... I don't know, ... And I don't exactly enjoy extra responsibility in my OWLS year... You know what, I'm going to write back and refuse."

"Wait what?... Nina you can't refuse to be Prefect." He said following her.

The others came near them congratulations were passed and when they noticed her badge. Harry cut in.

"Don't bother, she's writing to Professor Dumbledore to refuse the position" he said looking amused.

"Nina you can't refuse the Prefect badge" said Hermione

"Who said I can't, is there any law forbidding it, that I don't know of?" She asked as she scribbled in a hurry.

"Done" she announced with a beaming smile at Harry and the others, and went straight for Mr Potato.

"I don't want to burst your bubble but he won't agree"

"Sirius" she amonished "have a little faith, you know, positive energy, and all that"

He chuckled, "it's not that bad, you'll do great, you have your no nonsense look mastered already, and Hermione Ron and Harry helping you... Won't you Harry?" She saw him go slightly red and stumbled in his words of affirmation.

"I don't know how he is going to be any help mate, he's not like icky Ronikins shiny and golden" the twins interjected making baby voices at their brother.

"Oh he can help keep you rowdy lot in check" he said winking at her.

"Okay that's enough go help Mrs Weasley before Kreacher burns her dress again" She blushed hard and pushed him towards the kitchens as he barked in laughter. The man was trying too hard lately, it was all fun and cute when he gave her subtle hints when they talked alone, now he looked for any situation to do so, subtle as a goddam troll in front of anyone. Ginny was going to end up hexing her at this point, just on principal.

Their school books and supplies were left to be delivered to them by owl, and they'd be going tomorrow to King's Crossing train station escorted by Aurors.

She went to her room after they agreed there would be a, Harry Won and Congrats Prefects party celebration, to get her things together for tomorrow.

It was after she almost finished and the only thing left to pack was Sirius's gift, that her hand came in contact with a side pouch compartment of her trunk where her notebook was supposed to be, it was empty.

Her heart speeded up and her vision whitened at the edges in sheer terror, she didn't realize she was hyperventilating while she turned her trunk into a mess looking for her brown notebook. She went through everything twice until she accepted that it had been stolen.

Her shaky legs took her to the bathroom where she barely got to the toilet and dry heaved. Her body disliking the amount of stress that took over her in such a short amount of time.

Her tears flowed down non stop and thoughts of what could happen if the thing was discovered ran through her mind and made her breath hitch more. She bit her fist and screamed into it, muffling the sound.

She realized she was having a full blown panic attack when she couldn't get any more Oxygen into her lungs and her vision blurred even more.

She tried getting to her trunk, out of the bathroom but her hand slipped from the bathroom door and she crushed down to the floor.

She stayed there curled and cold, shivering, not awake nor unconscious.


The night sky was filled with dark clouds ready to unleash everything inside. He flew through them as he felt the charge of energy forming in the clouds, he didn't remember ever feeling such intensity from foreign energy, and certainly not enjoying it.

This body of his was made to feel, to experience, it opened his eyes to things he never felt the need to question or learn before. It made him question his past choices, see errors where before he only saw perfection. Whether this was a result of having a new body after such a long time or the blood coursing through it remained a mystery for now.

At this moment he contented himself with experiencing as much as he could, learning this body has already proven fruitful.

It left him speechless the first time he felt natural energy, it tingled along his spine and forearms as if attracted by the ghost of the runes on the Little serpent. He couldn't wait to get his hands on him, it was one of his interests back at school even after, but it's volatile nature pushed him to find other manageable paths to power. He didn't lose time learning something that would take him decades to perfect with so many strict rules to follow when he needed immediate results. Dark magic gave a wider range of possibilities.

After that first storm, he found he recognized the strongest of his followers, those few he avoided sending on menial tasks. It wouldn't do to lose them to his less magically inclined followers.

He learned to read the onslaught of energy hitting his senses when he was in a magically charged spot. It wasn't that he was clueless to it before, he was very adept at reading his surroundings whether magical or not. The difference was his reaction to it this time around, his new body did not feel negative effects from outside forces, natural or not. It did not affect him negatively.

Spells affect him if they hit target, but a place affected by a curse wouldn't affect his magical core. It felt like his blood had become a barrier for foreign magic that would disturb or destabilize his magical core in any way, like a shell.

His body could burn if he touched a cursed object, he could lose a hand or have a heart attack. His Magical core would not be affected.

The question of what kind of immunity the little serpent with his strange runes made him salivate, especially when the results of the ritual were achieved by a few drops alone.

He had to stop himself several times from using the little vile he had taken from him, to do a tracking spell, perhaps even a family tree.

It was beyond tempting, but he couldn't fall back into old ways and let his impatience rule his fate. He had reaped the consequences of that mindset the night he decided to go and kill the Potter boy. He should have waited to hear the entire Prophecy, he should have ignored the child, perhaps planned his demise better, or ignored his existence entirely. Britain was his and he lost it because of a silly Prophecy.

He remembered, punishing a younger Snape for daring to suggest he wait for more information. He should have listened. He had learned these last few months the man could be counted as his only truly valuable follower. Smart and cunning, enough to fool the old man himself for years.

The expected storm unleashed and the energy it produced warmed his skin pleasantly. The raging seas below, he flew back to Malfoy Manor, rather pleased, his night had proven prolific.

The vampire coven of the Northern Isles had sworn their allegiance to him. They seemed interested in his very successful return, and even more in the way he had turned to the eldest of them without introduction. Vampires protected their age with ferocity, their age was their strength, a coven would never freely give such information, not when it would put a direct target on their leader. Immortality made them dependent on each other, young vampires could not survive without a coven, old vampires would perish to insanity if they chose a solitary life.

One of his new body's little perks. He smirked. His glee didn't last long, his chest tightened as he dropped a few meters from his flight, losing control over his breathing he dislodged his mind forcefully from the invasive link until he could apparate a few kilometers ahead where the sea ended and land began.

The sand gave in under his feet, the raging sea loud as ever. He frowned, the other side of the link was in a frantic panic, it didn't feel like the last one, with the Potter boy swimming after the golden glow. No, this was far from subtle. It hit him like a wall of bricks, this was perhaps the only thing he could complain about. He had no wish to experience someone else's weaknesses; he abhorred his own when he had them.

He gritted his teeth and pushed through the connection anyways. There was only one way to know who this was and perhaps a glimpse of what was happening. Whether it was the Potter boy or the little serpent he needed to know. Information was costly after all.

He was pulled into the link with no force from his own. It felt like this time it projected outwards, out of control perhaps from the mind conjuring whatever he was about to see.

He opened his eyes to a moving vehicle emerged in darkness, a very muggle looking one, rain hitting the glasses in big droplets that sounded like pebbles.The only light, the one produced by the vehicle illuminating the road ahead.His confusion grew, as he leaned forward to have a look at the driver. A young woman, late twenties perhaps, dark hair held in a high ponytail, cheeks and nose red, soaked in tears, she kept using her sleeve to remove the excess water blurring her vision, her crying was silent, no sobs or whimpers, her tears didn't stop though.Her clothing was undoubtedly muggle, she was small, her sweater making her look even smaller. He stayed silent."You shouldn't be here" she whispered loud enough for him to hear.Her eyes never left the road ahead, he had no way to tell if the statement was directed to him."Who are you?" He braved a question, although he had no hope of getting an answer."I shouldn't be here, either" she said chuckling miserably.Silence took over again."I don't want to see it again" she said hurt clear in her voice"See what?" He asked"It's time" she whispered as she turned her eyes to look at him from the rearview mirror, never turning. The vehicle received a brutal hit from the right side as it flipped over several times. He couldn't tell which way was up or down for a few seconds, until the bottom of the vehicle crashed into a solid surface, sending the two passengers upwards abruptly.Water came in from the window at his right side, and filled the small space in a few seconds, he swam outside to see what the young woman would do.He came near her window and realised her head had been smashed to the window with the initial collision.The left side of her head was bloody, and she was barely conscious, he expected her to pull her wand at any moment now, smash the door at her side, create a bubble charm and swim to the surface.She did neither.A few seconds later her breath couldn't be held any longer and he watched as the woman's lungs filled with water her fear and desperation spiked even as lethargic as she was, until there was no more struggling.Her eyes were still open, her mind still clung to life even if her body couldn't. Her face was of calm acceptance, it disgusted him. He wanted to make the vehicle explode out of existence just so he could stop the onslaught of feelings coming from the woman.He did neither. The vehicle didn't exist in the same physical space as him and he had no power over the vision.He turned abruptly as something moved at the edge of his vision. The golden light that expelled him everytime he intruded into the strange link, came in from all sides like a wave and pushed him out of the vision just as his body collided with a cold wave of icy waters.

The ghost of the fear he experienced not even a minute ago hit him and he pushed outwards with his magic in pure frustration. He wasn't scared of water, he wasn't weak, he wasn't a useless helpless muggle like the woman, like his mother.

And here he was experiencing everything they did in their deaths. He didn't know who the woman was, probably a close relative to the little serpent, stuck in a nightmare where he relived the last moments of a family member. He couldn't care less for the death of a muggle, and yet a part of him still felt immense grief.

Like an echo it persisted with him even as he cut the link tightly. He couldn't wait to get his hand on him and cut this link free once and for all. He'd use it for now, even though it was unnecessary it proved useful.

It proved the little serpent was a Halfblood, just like him, just like the Potter boy. It made sense, it made perfect sense, all the more reason to get his hands on the Prophecy.

He took flight again, the woman's fear and desperation still echoing.


The half unconscious girl on the floor, inhaled desperately as her forearms and spine glowed with their respective symbols. She gasped and choked on her sobs, as she came back to consciousness.

She hated it. Watching it time and time again, One time was one too many. The oppressive feeling of water going up her nose, burning its way to fill her lungs. It was torture. The fear, the acceptance, she wished she could obliviate herself.

She tried meditation, dreamless potions, even when she was awake. Nothing. It felt like a dam somewhere inside her broke the night she touched the red stone. It was the first time she saw the drowning woman, it was unnerving to experience what she did, even when she was safe and sound, even when she couldn't do anything to stop watching or to help. Her drowning face haunted her for days. The day of the Dementor attack was the second time she saw it, today was the third.

She couldn't get past the similarities, the woman looked like an older version of herself, but that couldn't be. She was a witch, even without her wand a wave of her hand and her runes would be activated.

It couldn't be her. It couldn't be her future. It took her snooping in Sirius's library and finding the Death Magick book to come to anything near a clear explanation. Because what she had before were mere speculations on her part.

The feeling of death that plagued her that night and her flashbacks were her only clue, so when she saw there was a field of research reserved to death, she jumped to learn more. She was sure she would have indefinitely borrowed the damn book if Sirius wasn't so generous.

She still had no idea what the stone was, but one of her theories proved to be the least crazy one.

As the book explained it, even in the magical world anything related to death was taboo or unknown. Those who dwell in this field find themselves meeting death earlier than expected, whether by obsession or tragic events. The study of death attacked the mind's researcher as much as his magical core, it wasn't specified how.

She had to laugh at the stupid ambiguity of the author of the book. Who the hell chooses to explain a dangerous unhealthy topic, warn you about it's consequences yet never specify which consequences you'd unleash upon yourself. It pissed her off.

Death magic was described as natural magic. Some liked to call it ancient, because they perceived death as a joined element of life. Without death there's no life, it formed a circle that would create life as they knew it. It was one of many schools of thoughts, but the only one that came close to accepting death as a positive element in creation, even a pillar. It made many wizards and witches interested in studying creation uncomfortable along the centuries, soon enough death was envisioned as a dark element, used in dark sacrifices and called upon in dark curses.

It was rare to find a wizard or witch that accepted death as another magical step just like birth.

Her religious upbringing had left her with an idea of what death was. A step to the unknown, where your choices would be judged and weighed on a scale. Orderly and simple. It left her with a certain comfort, she could only explain when she grew a bit older and magic became real. The crushing feeling of helplessness that plagued her when she was so small and watched people suffer with no power of her own to do anything. It gave her peace to believe there was a higher power.

When Magic came into the equation, her beliefs didn't change much, she found it necessary for her own sanity. She went on with her life, and did her best to be good. She didn't care for details when it came to religion, she liked the idea of a higher power inherently good and forgiving to those who tried their best to do good.

Then she touched the damn stone and another question arose. Was it her future death or was it her old death she was experiencing.

Her peace was now compromised, and she didn't want to pull on this thread.

So many times she had criticized her mother for ignoring her world, just so she didn't have to question hers.

Wasn't she doing the same?

What a hypocrite she turned out to be.

She splashed more cold water on her face hoping her blotchy red face would go away before someone came to call her for the celebration.

She breathed deeply for a few minutes until the trembling stopped and the taste of salty water left her mouth.

She needed to pull her shit together. She couldn't believe loosing her fucking notebook made her have the mother of all panic attacks.

God this is pathetic.

The notebook was secure, runes etched to it's cover to protect the words inside and even if opened, it was written in code with arabic alphabet. No way to be translated. Still, the thought of Dumbledore holding the thing in his hands and breezily going through it like the latest crossword, floated around her mind.

He was a genius, she wouldn't be surprised. But then it had to be someone from the house.

Her list of suspects amounted to eight.

Mrs Weasley, Sirius, Remus, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George.

The only safe bet to make was

Kreacher, He had her complete trust.


The house filled with people. Order members came to enjoy one of Molly Weasley's amazing dinners, some of them came and went in a hurry others stayed to enjoy the evening with them.

The twins had made a grand effort to include spanish flamenco for her, where they got their hands on it was a mystery to her. They ate, they danced, they laughed and when the evening came to an end, reality came back to some, and soured their moods.

Harry sat with Sirius in a corner, the older man looking lonely and dejected. As if he was going to be abandoned come morning. Harry seemd sad and rather frustrated at the sour turn of events. The man had tried avoiding her for the evening as well. She understood.

She couldn't picture the black house empty.


The redheaded girl woke with an energy reserved only for first days at Hogwarts. She loved the hectic last minute messy packing and the train trip, it was a ritual she saw her big brothers make for years until it was finally her time. She could do without her mother's screams but it wouldn't be the same.

She turned to wake the other girls and only found Hermione still asleep. The bed near the window was neatly made trunk and possessions placed ready for travel, and Nina nowhere in sight.

She was an early riser, most days she found the girl already had breakfast and was doing something or other around the house, with Sirius or on her own.

It didn't go past her that the older man was trying very hard to pair her with his Godson.

Everytime he dropped one of his subtle hints, she wanted to scream what she knew, her suspicions, but held her tongue. Sirius liked her for some reason, he was very attentive to her, and these last few days she noticed Harry was doing the same.

He almost jumped at the opportunity to ask her questions about herself, watched her from afar trying really hard to be discreet. It happened so abruptly, she really thought the girl must have slipped him a love potion or something of the sort. But then potions made people act stupid, and Harry was rather lucid.

She couldn't believe his Godfather's scheme was working. But then of course it was, she was pretty and exotic, had a subtle accent, and she wasn't exactly flat. If she knew anything about boys, she'd say those were important elements.

For the most part she had never seen the girl actively try to seduce Harry or give any hints to her feelings, if she had any that is.

What pissed her off was her bouts of flashiness, as she called it. Most times the girl could pass as invisible to everyone, but those moments she wanted to be heard or seen, everyone did. She hated it.

A few days ago was because she didn't believe it fair for us youngsters to remain untrained, not that she was wrong. It was the way she did it, questioning the Order like they were the enemy, belittling Harry's abilities.

Yesterday it happened to be dancing. Her brothers in all their stupidity, had made sure there was a repertoire of spanish music for her, to make it homy they said. And of course she danced gracefully with Fred and Tonks and showed Hermione some moves so she would join, soon enough she had even pulled the sour Sirius to dance with them. The man looked like he could do without the whole party and he still had to go and please her lady's wishes.

She was too flashy. No wonder she had no friends to speak of, not even in her own house, she had seen her speak amicably to some of her house members, even some Ravenclaws and Gryffindors but mostly she was on her lonesome.

Going down for breakfast with Hermione, she refrained from sharing her thoughts with her best friend. The older girl liked Nina second year, and seemed eager to be friends with her, no idea why.

Nina was there nursing her cup of cinnamon nutmeg coffee and talking with Sirius in hushed voices.

Even her Coffee pissed her off right now, she was so happy they were going back to Hogwarts where she could just ignore her existence as she had been doing for the past few years.

Sirius's mood looked lighter today, maybe he felt the need to put a front for them. She wouldn't be surprised.

As expected breakfast was a messy ordeal. She frowned and scoffed to herself when she saw Nina almost skip to Harry's spot and bend near his ear to whisper something with a beaming smile. To what the boy smiled even wider and jumped from his seat to the kitchen door where his Godfather awaited.

Of course by this point everyone was staring and asking questions. Merlin's beard she was annoying.

It was half an hour later, when everyone was ready to get out the door, when three steps were heard coming down from Sirius's room.

Nina and Harry came down first looking pleased and giggly. Instead of Sirius Black, a man in muggle clothes and short red hair came down after them. He looked like he could be one of the Weasleys, he wore simple jeans, a maroon sweater, a brown coat and brown shoes, and big black rimmed glasses.

A hush came down the group near the door until Moody laughed heartily and said with a booming voice "That is genius, Sirius." To what everyone started asking questions. Until Sirius's voice responded to the mess of questions.

"No polyjuice potion, just some Transfiguration, makeup and glasses. Look at my face she even put some freckles for effect."

Everyone laughed, and truly believed it was a genius idea. She wanted to hit her head with the walls.

Did no one understand that the man has become the scapegoat for everything bad under the sun, and that he needed to stay hidden for his own protection, for his sake, for Harry's and for Remus's. If Professor Dumbledore had told him to do so, it was for a good reason. She couldn't believe what was happening, even Moody had given his blessings, answering the girl's high-five.

The ride to the station was comfy, the redhead kept silent, vying to herself not to be like a certain someone, feeling the need to announce her opinion to everyone at hearing range.

Contrary to what she expected, no one bat an eyelash at Sirius, who stood close to her parents for full effect. Even when both Malfoy and Goyle families locked eyes with the obvious Order Members.

Soon enough they bid them goodbye and their trip to Hogwarts started.