Resplendence, a harry potter fanfic

Resplendence

Year 1: Chapter 1

Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme
Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Ms. Benson,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

"Are you keeping up Della? Even though Diagon Alley is a little safer than most areas, I don't want to lose sight of you."

Adella Benson looked up from reading her letters to find her father walking ahead. "I'm coming," she called out, picking up the pace. Making her way through the throng of people and muttering quick apologies to them, she eventually caught up to his lengthy strides. She grabbed his hand in her own and together they walked down the narrow path of Diagon Alley.

It was nearing the end of July, which meant current and prospective students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were responsible for the increased traffic in the alley, according to her father, Ambrose. As they approached the most populated section of the alley-where most of the shops were located-Adella couldn't help but stare around in awe of the sights.

This was the first time she had seen so many stores catering to the wizarding world. From their home in Somerset, Adella and her father relied on nearby Muggle towns and villages for food and other necessities. It wasn't often that Adella was exposed to magic outside of her household since they lived a relatively quiet lifestyle in the countryside, but Ambrose did his best to make sure she had the best of both worlds. If it wasn't for him, Adella would've never known more about the wizarding world she grew to love and understand. All it took was accidental magic and shattered windows for Adella to understand that she was different from the other children back home.

At the tender age of nine, Adella discovered that she, herself, was a witch after single-handedly destroying all the priceless windows in her dining room. It was a complete and utter shock to her, being able to shatter glass at the mere glance of it, but to Ambrose, he couldn't have been any prouder. Granted, a small part of him wished it was anything but the invaluable windows, but this was a momentous occasion and a cause for celebration: his only child was a witch.

For Adella, this would explain the few instances she exhibited accidental magic, a term her father used to define these unexplainable actions. Things like turning her maternal aunt's hair from silvery blonde to hot pink at the age of six when said aunt raised concerns with Ambrose about his raising Adella by himself. It angered her more than usual that her aunt saw Ambrose unfit to home educate her while juggling his demanding career as an Auror. Her aunt blamed the color change on herself and said she had been meaning to switch it up, but Adella could sense she was lying. She was well aware of what she had done since the idea had been festering in her head until she couldn't control her emotions any longer. What made it even more suspicious was the fact that Ambrose agreed with her aunt.

Another incident was when she was visited by the neighboring children on Halloween and melted all the chocolate in their bags when one of the older boys scared her after she opened the door. She was surprised to find them the next day with no recollection of last night's events but suspected Ambrose was involved when she caught him visiting the houses of those involved when she was out playing. Now, it was obliterated windows after being denied from leaving the table for refusing to finish her breakfast. Initially, Adella kept everything a secret from Ambrose until she was ready, hoping he was too busy to notice the changes in her, but at that point, it was difficult to prolong the inevitable any longer, given the proof was literally right before them and scattered all over the floor.

On Ambrose's end, he was simply biding his time until Adella was ready to approach him. The last thing he wanted was additional stress on his daughter who barely had any control whatsoever over her emerging powers. He was well aware that emotions played a role in this form of magic and didn't want to alarm her too much. He remembered being in her position many years ago, afraid and confused over this new development, but he wanted to make sure his daughter sought him out on her terms instead of forcing her to accept it.

Adella was no stranger to magic in their household or in general. She knew her family was unlike the others and it wasn't difficult to pinpoint the sheer differences. After all, how many other families had an enchanted broom that could be found sweeping around the house, self-watering household plants, or even newspapers with moving images? She didn't even want to get started on the idea that her friends would attend normal primary school while she was to be educated by Ambrose on subjects like galleons vs. the pound until she was ready to be trained in controlling her magic. Adella had an inkling that her father was afraid that she would lose control and accidentally expose herself in front of everyone.

However, Adella was afraid of what the other children would think of her or worse, how she would be treated. She knew that if she were to ever reveal her true nature, she would lose the only friends she had ever known, downgraded from a girl to a freak of nature. It was one of the downsides to living in the remote countryside with Muggles or non-magic folk. Most wizarding families kept to themselves and often resided in areas far away from Muggles, fearful of exposure and a visit from the Ministry of Magic officials. Ambrose, on the other hand, embraced Muggles and their simplicity and wanted Adella to understand the other group of people that magic folk had to share the world with. However, despite his fondness for Muggles, Ambrose still had to educate her about some of the rules all magic folk had to adhere to.

"You must be careful with your powers Adella," Ambrose warned, kneeling down to Adella's level. "The other families don't understand our world and it would be best if they didn't know about it. There are rules we must follow, even young children such as yourself."

Adella's eyes widened in fear. "But what if I can't control my powers?"

Ambrose smiled, attempting to ease his daughter's anxiousness. "You will learn. It won't be long now until you attend a school that will teach you everything you need to know about our world and the magic you possess." He gently tapped her nose and Adella let out a giggle. "I was once confused, just as you are now, but I promise you that you will learn from the best. With the proper control, you will be a magnificent witch, just like your Maman."

It wasn't often that Ambrose spoke of her, but Adella always tried to get more out of her dad about the elusive topic of her mom. All she had were vague memories, photos, and the little tidbits Ambrose would relay to her whenever he was in the mood to talk. She knew her mom was a subject he didn't want to bring up, so Adella tried her best to respect her dad's wishes and not push her luck. Just as he did for her, when he was ready to talk, Adella would be ready to listen.

Two years later and on the final day of June, Adella finally received her admission letter in the mail on her eleventh birthday, delivered by an unfamiliar owl. She was surprised to learn that strangers outside her family and Muggle friends knew of her birthday. Ambrose explained thoroughly how the process works, boring her in great detail as a result.

Now, Adella found herself surrounded by the whimsical world of magic in Diagon Alley, preparing for the next phase of her life: a first-year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

She was busy adoring the sights all around her, a change of scenery from the typical countryside she was accustomed to. She briefly let go of Ambrose's hand to run up to a window with a beautiful owl on display. She exclaimed with the other children as a white snowy owl flapped its wings and cocked its head to study the faces pressed up against the glass.

"Interested in an owl? I remember you are allowed either that, a cat, or a toad," Ambrose commented as he approached his ecstatic daughter. At the mention of a toad, Adella made a face and feigned disgust. She had enough of toads from the ponds back home and the very thought of them made goosebumps appear.

"What did you decide on?" Ambrose looked at his daughter and cocked an eyebrow up. "Oh, her," Adella said through gritted teeth. How could she have forgotten Titania, Ambrose's great grey owl who had a knack for throwing mail at her or screeching whenever Adella got too close.

"She's been with me since I was your age Della. Titania does love you...in her own special way."

"Sure Dad," Adella remarked, reading through the list of required material.

The next couple of hours were a blur and there was hardly a moment to stop for a breather. Adella endured standing still to be measured for her robes at Madam Malkin's, often being reminded to stand up straight for precise measurements. Flourish and Blotts was immediately after and both had to put up with a line full of cranky parents and children as they waited to purchase Adella's course books. Running out of hands to hold her supplies, Ambrose pulled his messenger bag in front of him and started putting the parcels inside. Adella was amazed to see it hold all her contents without overfilling, despite its compact size.

"A simple charm that a friend from the Ministry taught me," he said as he continued with his work. "However, you need special permission from the Ministry for usage. Luckily, I remembered how tedious it was holding all my supplies and prepared this ahead of time."

Adella stared in bewilderment as Ambrose finished and closed his bag. "Will I be capable of something like this?"

"That and more Della." He clipped the locks in place and motioned for her to follow him.

After their final stops at Potage's Cauldron Shop and Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment, the only items left on the list were Adella's wand and the choice of a pet. As they passed through the rest of the stores, Ambrose would occasionally remark about the time he was in her shoes and shopping for his materials. Adella wasn't too familiar with his childhood or his time at Hogwarts, owing to his demanding career, but Ambrose was never one for sharing stories about his past.

Adella heard a screech and remembered they were passing by the shop that had a beautiful snowy white owl. She tugged on the edge of Ambrose's jacket and pointed. "Can we go there?"

Ambrose looked to where Adella pointed. It was a small store called Eeylops Owl Emporium that catered to anything related to owls. It was nostalgic visiting it again. A fond memory of when he first purchased Titania played in his thoughts and how excited he was to care for her, overdoing it with treats as a normal first-time pet owner would do and panicking when she started to screech. He let out a content sigh, feeling sentimental with everything that had happened so far. "Have you decided on what you wanted? He gestured with his thumb behind them. "We passed the Magical Menagerie back there if you want to look at the other options."

The young girl shook her head. "I don't want a gross toad or a cat. You have Titania and so I want a partner to call my own. I think owls are splendid and marvelous creatures. Them being adorable too is a plus."

Adella tugged on her dad to follow. As quickly as they entered, they exited just the same. An ecstatic Adella held on to the cage and a fretful Ambrose counting the number of coins he had left, grateful he withdrew a little extra for a safety precaution.

"Are you sure you didn't want to look around more?" Ambrose asked, prompting Adella to shake her head as she busied herself with admiring the black-banded owl. "There must be something special about this particular owl if you immediately pointed to this one."

Adella paid no attention to her father as she focused solely on the owl. It stared at her with its black eyes, following her every movement as she teased by bopping her head around. The owl just sat there on its perch and just cocked its head in accordance to where Adella moved hers.

"I have just the perfect name for you," she declared, "I dub thee, Hoodini." The owl raised its head and let out a screech. "Do you like it? Such a good boy!" The owl extended its wings and frantically flapped around, still screeching. "We'll be best friends, my lovely Hoodini."

Ambrose cleared his throat. "Just one more stop and we should be done." He walked ahead and Adella followed, cooing as she fed more compliments to Hoodini. Ambrose glanced at his daughter and saw how delighted she was, laughing as Hoodini let out another shriek. He had almost forgotten how expensive shopping for materials was, but everything was worth it just to see the smile on her face.

"Here we are," he said, opening the door to the final shop.

They entered Ollivanders and Adella was taken back at the scene before her. The shop looked minuscule from the outside, but appearances were deceiving. Piled high to the ceiling were thousands of narrow boxes that contained wands. Adella was curious about the method of organization in the store. She walked up to a stack and ran her finger across the top of one of the boxes, collecting the thin layer of dust on the tip.

"Careful Adella, you wouldn't want to ruin Mr. Ollivander's arrangement," Ambrose called out, startling his daughter.

"Merlin's beard, is that you Ambrose Benson?" Both turned around and found a man emerging from behind a mound of boxes at the back of the store. He looked elderly with his pale, silvery eyes and white, wind-swept hair. He reminded Adella of a cartoon character electrocuted by a bolt of lighting and stifled a laugh at the thought.

"You remember?"

"I have been a wandmaker longer than you have been alive." The old man pointed to Ambrose's jacket and motioned for his wand. "The wands speak to me." Ambrose handed it over and Adella watched as the man studied the brown stick with his nimble fingers. "Elm and dragon heartstring." He turned it once over and tried bending it. "Eleven inches and unyielding." He returned it back to Ambrose who returned it back in its slot inside his jacket.

"We're here today for my daughter's wand Mr. Ollivander." Ambrose gave a slight pat on his daughter's back. "Adella will begin her studies at Hogwarts this year."

"You brought her to the perfect place as I am the purveyor of many Hogwarts student's wands, but something tells me that this is a special request."

Ambrose reached into his jacket pocket once more and brought out a small vial. Adella mistakenly thought her father presented Mr. Ollivander with an empty vial, but it was the wandmaker's reaction upon closer examination that indicated otherwise.

"Ambrose Benson, it is common knowledge that I don't dabble with this material. It makes for highly temperamental wands and not my area of expertise." Mr. Ollivander returned the vial back to Ambrose. "You would need to seek another wandmaker if you're asking me to custom make a wand with this core."

"All we would need is the proper wood," pleaded Ambrose. "Is it possible to see which will best suit Adella and have the wandmakers in France handle the rest? My wife's family knows an individual who specializes with this particular core, however, he is not quite as adept as you Mr. Ollivander."

The wandmaker was quiet, studying Adella with pursed lips. Ambrose offered the vial again and Mr. Ollivander slowly took it, never once taking his eyes off Adella. He studied the vial in silence, and after what seemed like forever, he let out a defeated sigh. He announced his resignation. "Please follow me, Ms. Benson, to the counter if you may."

Ambrose gave a gentle push, motioning with his head to follow. Wand choosing involved only one individual, and Adella knew her father couldn't advise her on this. The decision was hers and hers alone. She handed him Hoodini's cage and made her way to the counter.

Mr. Ollivander went to the back and brought out several boxes. Some he laid individually next to each other while others he stacked on top of one another. He made a couple of trips until the counter was piled with different wands. What struck Adella was the fact that he kept the lids on, as if to conceal which wand was what.

"I am a firm believer in the wand choosing its owner. You see, wands are alive in their own distinct way, despite what other wandmakers claim." Mr. Ollivander beckoned for Adella to come up to the counter. "However, in this particular case, Ms. Benson, I want you to choose the one that is destined for you. Before you are wands with empty cores, but they still contain their magical properties. You must select the one that you feel belongs to you." He stepped back and clasped his hands.

Adella eyed the mountain of boxes before her. Her eyes widen as she felt overwhelmed with the enormous decision she had to make. She looked back to Ambrose, who was standing with his back to the door and gave a weak smile. Ambrose nodded once as if to say, "You can do this Della". Taking a deep breath, she returned her attention to the wands and grabbed the first box.

"Ah, cypress," he uttered, "a truly magnificent wand. Give it a flick to test it out."

It felt heavy in her hands as if it was unnatural for her. With a flick of her wrist, the wand did nothing. It was as if she picked up a random stick from the ground.

"Fret not, we still have more to consider."

The process was tedious and lengthy. The clock on the column beside them indicated to Adella that an hour had passed, but she was almost done clearing the counter of boxes. Noting the small amount left, Adella felt her stomach drop. There were several close instances where the wand appeared to react, but it would instantly stop. The more wands Adella went through, the more nervous she became. What if I will never find one?

"Della, calm down and take your time," said Ambrose in a kindhearted tone. She turned around again, her bottom lip trembling as she fought back the jumble of emotions she was experiencing: fear, worry, and desperation. Ambrose smiled and Adella could feel his sincerity in that simple expression. "You don't need to rush. Just trust yourself."

She bit her lower lip to quell any panic she was feeling. Taking deep breaths to calm herself, she picked up an ivory wand.

To her, it was the most stunning wand she had seen yet as if all wands prior paled in comparison to its splendor. It was light in her hand, like a feather and fine-grained. She marveled at the details of the hilt. It was as though someone had taken sapphires, ground them to dust, and scattered them delicately over the hilt. It was simple, yet elegant.

She couldn't explain it, but it felt right and complete, like the last missing piece to a puzzle. It felt like it belonged to her. Like it was made for me.

"Aspen," Mr. Ollivander whispered, mesmerized by the wand's simplistic allure. "The many wonders one can do with a wand such as this."

It was warm in her hand, almost like it begging her to showcase itself. With a simple swish and flick, she waited with bated breath for a sign. However, the warmth that was once in her hand disappeared. She scoffed in disbelief, wondering if this was a cruel trick. I thought this was the one?

But Adella refused to give up. She wanted to take that feeling that was pleading to escape and drag it out. She thought of all the spells she was eager to cast and the limits she was willing to pass. She wanted to be talented like her parents and channeled that belief into the wand. With a heavier hand, she brought the wand down with force.

It started off small like someone was fanning her face, she could feel it but it was weak. Suddenly, it increased to the point where her hair was swept around her like she was standing outside in the middle of a storm. Adella felt warm, renewed, and hopeful. She wanted to feel like this all the time like negativity didn't exist.

She looked to her father who stood there with a bewildered expression before returning to Mr. Ollivander. The old man gave one nod.

"You have found your wand, Ms. Benson."

Adella exited out of Ollivanders, leaving the wandmaker and her father to determine the next course of action. Entirely consumed and elated, Adella let out a content sigh, drawing the attention of passersby who stared in confusion at the girl who was spinning around with her arms spread out. She wanted to relive that feeling once again, but according to Mr. Ollivander, he believed the wand should be ready before she left for Hogwarts. It would be a month-long wait, but Adella was willing to wait as long as needed to have her wand.

She didn't pay attention to where she was walking, resulting in her bumping into someone, hitting her forehead on theirs in the process. She fell forward and landed on something firm, she let out a yelp.

"Get off of me," snapped a voice. Adella slowly opened her eyes, blinking rapidly to rid herself of the random flashes, only to find herself fallen over someone's legs. To make matters worse, it was a boy. As soon as that fact it hit Adella, she immediately scrambled off him and backed away, her mouth quivering as any attempt of an apology struggled to come to fruition.

"Such ill manners," said a distinguished-looking man as he approached the two, his cane clicking against the cobblestone. He was wrapped around an immaculate black cloak that reeked of wealth. His grey eyes bored deep into Adella's, but she couldn't look away. Fear crept over her and she felt her knees buckle, her palms moisten, and her heart begin to race. If looks could kill, this man would've murdered her on the spot several times over. "Not so much as an apology," he scoffed, flicking his bright mane over his shoulder with a condescending sneer. "I wonder if your parents were incapable of teaching you proper etiquette."

Adella heard a familiar voice clear his throat from behind her. In perfect timing, Ambrose stepped in front of his daughter, gently tugging her beside him. Hoodini let out a quiet chirp when Ambrose handed her the cage. "Lucius," he said in a polite, yet authoritative voice. He held his head up as if to challenge the other man.

Lucius looked from Adella to her father several times, perplexed with the development of events. He forced a smile and settled his attention on Ambrose. "Benson," he finally said through a strained almost mocking voice, "I didn't realize that this was your daughter. My humblest apologies." He gave a slight bow to indicate some, if any, remorse. "My son was unfortunately and foolishly in the way. I apologize on his behalf."

Adella's eyes flickered to the boy who was dusting his clothes from the grime. He looked up and met her gaze with one filled with anger. She immediately looked down, escaping the boy's glare. Lucius and his son were one and the same, as both had the same shade of platinum blond, cold, grey eyes and a look of disgust as if they had inhaled something foul.

Ambrose cleared his throat. "Well, they are children after all. What do we expect?" With a strong pat on the man's shoulder, Ambrose attempted to diffuse the situation. "Let bygones be bygones."

Lucius appeared unmoved. "If you insist." He looked to Adella once more. "What is your name child?"

Before Adella could answer, Ambrose interjected. "This is Adella. She is beginning her studies at Hogwarts this upcoming term." He placed a hand on her shoulder and Adella felt protected. As long as her father was there, she had nothing to fear.

"My son, Draco," Lucius spoke, his voice low and refined. The young boy stood by his dad with a cocky smile tugging on the corners of his mouth. "He too shall begin his lessons at Hogwarts. It is a terrible shame he couldn't attend Durmstrang Institute, so this alternative would have to do." With a cold grin, he said, "And I am Lucius Malfoy." Goosebumps appeared on Adella's forearms after he announced himself with that unwelcoming voice.

Adella was beginning to dislike the Malfoys. She looked to Lucius, who appeared deadpan with his conversation with Ambrose, and finally to Draco, whose smirk she wanted to wipe off. They present themselves with this high and mighty, 'we are better than you and we know it' attitude, I'm surprised they stopped to mingle with us commoners.

"I believe we are running late for lunch. It has been a while since I last saw you Lucius, but this has been a lovely chat." Adella could sense the urgency behind his words. Ambrose wanted to leave and didn't bother hiding it in his voice. He took Adella's hand and both gave a nod to both Malfoys until Lucius blocked them with his cane before they could pass.

"What is the rush Ambrose? Too busy for an old classmate of yours?" Adella was startled at the revelation. She knew her father was mum about his life before she was born, but she never realized how much he really was holding back.

He laughed, but it sounded fake to Adella. He quickly recovered and met Lucius' eyes with an intimidating look of his own. "We would like to eat our lunch now, if that is alright with you, Lucius." He spoke in a hushed voice. The look in his eyes was beginning to frighten Adella. I have never seen Dad act like this before. What does this Malfoy guy have to do with this?

Lucius smirked and leaned over to Ambrose. "Please drop by the manor tomorrow. Narcissa would love to see you and the girl. We can catch up over lunch."

Ambrose thought for a second and eventually nodded. With a dark smile on his face, Lucius removed his cane and Ambrose took that opportunity to take Adella's hand and hurry away to the Leaky Cauldron. Adella looked behind her to find the two watching them, like a predator to their prey.

It was a little after lunchtime when Ambrose and Adella finally sat down at the Leaky Cauldron, both exhausted with the events transpired. Wishing to put away the awkward encounter with the Malfoys, Ambrose decided to treat Adella to something he enjoyed back when he was younger from his time at Hogwarts. It was Adella's first time enjoying a pint of Butterbeer-the non-alcoholic version-while Ambrose enjoyed his mulled mead. Energized by the drink, Adella was busy kicking her legs under the table, entertaining herself with Hoodini as Ambrose caught up on the Daily Prophet.

"I shudder to think about how addicted you will be to these drinks," said Ambrose as he folded a corner of the newspaper to look at his daughter, who was now bouncing in her seat. "Especially if Rosmerta is still serving the extra sweet version at the Three Broomsticks. I can almost taste the sugar shrubs up to now."

"Extra sweet?" squeaked Adella as Ambrose let out a booming laugh.

He glanced at his watch. "That should be everything, but cross-reference the list with the items inside the bag to make sure we have everything," he reminded, folding the newspaper and taking one last swish of his drink. He motioned to the barman and Adella watched as the glass floated in the air and back to the bar. "We don't want to miss the train back home."

He stood up and walked around to Hoodini's cage as Adella busied herself with her task. He brought the cage up to eye level for a closer look at his daughter's new companion. The owl bundled up after ruffling its feathers, staring Ambrose down with her beady, black eyes. "Are you sure you're perfectly content with this owl? I could always lend you Titania."

"No thank you," Adella immediately answered, grimacing at the thought of Titania. "She hates me and you know it." Her father's owl and she never got along and taking her to Hogwarts would only spell disaster. At least I can form a loving relationship with my precious Hoodini. "Such a precious boy!" The said owl looked up as Adella showered her with praise and simply turned around on her perch.

As if by coincidence, Ambrose was alerted to a familiar screech. A flash of brown and grey swooped in from an open window above. An owl fluttered over them, eventually roosting on the edge of their table. Ambrose's great grey owl, Titania, dropped a parcel in his hands and made sure to screech at Adella. She took notice of Hoodini and examined her as Ambrose opened the letter, still periodically screeching.

Adella watched as his features hardened as his eyes scanned through the contents. Without so much as a word, he shoved the paper in his suit jacket and feigned a smile. She knew where this was headed. "Della, I-"

What Ambrose didn't realize was that his daughter was accustomed to the routine. "Was that work?" She asked under her breath, keeping her head down as she kicked at the ground to play off her disappointment. If she looked at her father, she would've lost it. She didn't want to see the pity on his face, knowing that he wanted to stay, but work took precedence. While she respected his work ethic, there was a part of her that wished he could just say no.

Ambrose tried to give a reassuring smile, but the dejected look on Adella's face made the guilt almost unbearable. "I promise I won't be gone long. I'll be home in time to tuck you in." Checking his watch again, he clicked his tongue. "I wanted to wait until you were older, but as much as I don't want to attempt this, I need to Apparate us home. It's unsettling first, but this is the most convenient, but dangerous method." He reached over and tried to hold her hand. "I wish there was an easier way for this."

Shoving her papers at him, Adella pushed herself away from the table, grabbed Hoodini's cage, and proceeded to leave the establishment. "Everything is accounted for. Let's go home now if you're in such a rush," she spat out, hoping her father could hear the displeasure in her voice. She knew she was being overdramatic, but at that moment, Adella couldn't care less. To her, this outing was supposed to be a momentous event in her life since this was her first year at Hogwarts, but, as usual, her father always managed to find a way for work to intervene.

Adella waited outside the Leaky Cauldron, arms crossed and her foot tapping on the floor. She watched as the other children walked around with their families, happy and content in a world of their own as they bonded over this experience. If it wasn't hard enough, this isolated Adella even further. She had no one else to call family, other than her mother's side, but they were in a different country and kept mostly to themselves. Her father was a mystery of his own as he never spoke about anyone on his side of the family. Adella didn't know if she had cousins, aunts, uncle, or even grandparents. All Ambrose ever disclosed was that it was a topic reserved for when she was ready. She felt she was ready, but the better question was: was Ambrose ready?

"Della?" She heard him calling out to her, but she refused to acknowledge him, rather wanting to pay attention to the ground instead. When he finally approached her to lecture about running off, a booming voice interrupted him mid-sentence.

"AMBROSE!"

Adella looked up to find a slightly portly man approaching with a jovial look on his face and his arms outspread. He appeared to be roughly the same height as Ambrose and had a notable shock of red hair. What really drew Adella's attention was not only the flurry of commotion behind him but the fact that every member of that group had the same exact shade of fiery red hair.

She counted four boys jabbering all at once as a lone girl clung onto a kindly-looking woman that Adella had to bet was their mother. Of the four boys, it was apparent that despite their similar appearances, their personalities were vastly different. There was a stern, older boy who was clearly irritated with the pair of twins, who were one of the sources of the commotion, for babbling ridiculous nonsense. The look on the serious boy's face suggested he wished he was anywhere but here. The little girl was quiet and so shy that eye contact with Adella caused her to hide behind her mom. The woman was the other source of the disturbance as she attempted to rein in the twins from further infuriating the older son. Then, there was the last boy who was laughing along with the twins, appearing to be around Adella's age. Maybe he's starting at Hogwarts too?

"Blimey Arthur, are these your children?" Ambrose asked, full of disbelief as he welcomed the man. He gestured to Adella. "Remember I mentioned to you about her. This is my daughter and this is her first year at Hogwarts."

Another booming laugh came out of Arthur. "This is young Della?" Her cheeks burned, embarrassed that Ambrose would openly mention her by her nickname to his coworkers. "Ron here is also beginning this year." He turned around and motioned for the youngest to come forward.

Adella quickly moved behind her dad. The boy kept his head down, ignoring the oohs and ahhs coming from the twins, who were eventually scolded by their mother with a single, threatening look. He held his hand out and Adella gently took it, giving it one firm shake, as she still clung on to her father's suit. The boy immediately ran back to his family, ignoring the twins as they made obnoxiously loud kissing noises, earning another look from their mother. Adella could see the tips of his ear turning bright red.

"Were you just about done getting her supplies?" inquired Arthur as he looked around for any sign of Adella's packages. Ambrose cleared his throat and pointed to his messenger bag. "Brilliant spell that one is," he mentioned as he slapped his hand on Ambrose's shoulder. "We just about finished the older ones and on our way to get Ron fitted for his robes when Molly saw you from the distance.

Ambrose gave him an uneasy smile. "I believe we have everything. Alastor is requesting me to come in."

"I thought he retired?"

"He did, but he is busy training a Metamorphmagus. He mentioned filling me in when I arrived."

Adella cleared her throat, prompting Ambrose to cut the conversation short. "We came by train initially, but since we are pressed for time, I was planning to Apparate us back home. Although I would much rather prefer the safer method of the Muggle's train, I don't want to leave her to take it back home by herself." Ambrose ran a hand through his light brown hair, appearing frustrated with his lack of control over the situation.

Arthur's wife stepped in and their daughter followed in suit, still clinging on to her mother's cardigan. "Ambrose, we were just finishing our shopping. It's no bother on us, but why don't you let us help you?" Arthur looked to his wife, his eyes widening at her brilliance and back at his friend, nodding eagerly in agreement. "If it'll make things easier on you, we are happy to help. The poor thing. You've raised her the best you could without lovely Lisette, and Arthur and I have always tried to extend a helping hand. Please allow us just this once?"

Adella immediately looked to her father at the mention of her mother and noted the somber expression on his face. He turned to his daughter and feigned a smile. He never talks about Maman as much back home, so why does he at work?

Ambrose kept pursing his lips, deep in thought. Arthur slapped a heavy hand on his friends back and laughed. "Go on Ambrose. We'll make sure she'll be fine," he urged, "Alastor is not a fan of tardiness, so you best get a move on."

Defeated, Ambrose backed away, still keeping his eyes on Adella. "I promise, alright?" Molly and Arthur were busy shooing him, but he kept his attention on her. "I won't be long."

Adella huffed as if she had heard that line numerous times and in a fraction of a second, followed by a pop, Ambrose disappeared before her eyes. She had always seen him do that back home when he left for work, but each time always took her by surprise.

Clapping her hands, Molly gathered everyone's attention. "To Madam Malkins!" She shouted in a shrill voice, surprising Adella as she recoiled away. Molly turned to the young girl and smiled. "We just need to finish up with Ron's robes and you can come home with us for the time being. I'll send an owl or tries yours out to inform him." With a dejected smile, Adella nodded in understanding and Hoodini squawked as if it agreed. She followed the rest of the Weasley's as they made their way down Diagon Alley.

The youngest boy, Ron, walked beside her. He cleared his throat, hoping to instigate a conversation with Adella. He ignored the looks and snickers from the twins and waved for them to leave him alone. Adella saw the movement from her peripheral and turned to look, only to find him smiling.

"Your father is pretty wicked, being an Auror and all," he managed to say, fumbling with his hands. The tips of his ears were red and so was his entire face.

Adella shrugged. "It's fine, I guess."

Ron scoffed in disbelief, looking at Adella as if the air was knocked out of him. "Ambrose Benson? Fine? He is responsible for putting a good lot of people in Azkaban. Not as much as Alastor Moody, the best Auror to ever exist, but your dad is bloody brilliant."

It was bizarre hearing praise coming from another person, let alone a kid her age. Adella was used to the visitors, all her father's age, at their home commenting on how blessed they were to have him, but hearing Ron speak nothing but praise was a breath of fresh air.

"Serious?"

Ron nodded. "Dad talks about him a lot. Apparently, they are good friends at work and knew each other back from Hogwarts."

"Dad never said anything to me," Adella mentioned, baffled with all these new things she was learning about him like he was a different person in and out of their home.

Adella listened as Ron resumed gushing over her dad, following the rest of his family as they tried to navigate through the crowd. She didn't know when it happened, but the uneasiness was starting to disappear as she paid attention and clung to every word Ron spoke regarding her dad. Even as he was being fitted, Ron had to be shushed and reminded several times by his mother to stop disrupting the measurements, but the boy continued on and on. She found herself beginning to smile and eventually surprised Ron with a genuine laugh. Ron joined in and they both were wrapped up in their conversation that Adella almost forgot why she was upset. Molly and Arthur watched as the beginnings of a friendship started to take root.

"He and the other Aurors are all over the news lately. The way they used to fight Death Eaters before? Your dad's dueling is what I hope to do one day!" Ron exclaimed, waving his hands around from all the excitement. Adella couldn't help but smirk.

I don't want to admit this out loud, but Dad sounds wicked.

Author's Note: Welcome to another plot bunny! A special and forever thank you to my #chaoshouse (I love you guys so much) for not only enabling this story and my character but most importantly, pushing me to finish this chapter. Let's always do it for Wolf Daddy ;D

If you haven't seen the pairing yet, this will be an eventual Draco/OC romance. It'll be a slow burn so don't expect romance any time soon D:

I will follow mainly the 8 films and the main part of the story won't occur until PoA/Year 3. I won't spend too much time with the first two years but they are important as the foundations for Adella's character and the relationships she will develop, both romantic and platonic. Plus, a big secret will be revealed then, so stay tuned :)

Also, I humbly apologize if some terms incorrect in regards to anything related to the United Kingdom, like slangs, spelling...practically anything and everything! I'm not from the UK and I've been relying on the Harry Potter wiki, our beloved Google, and UK friends in hopes of making sure everything is at least accurate. Please correct me if I made a mistake!

Feel free to leave a review and please check out my Tumblr for more fanficiton related tidbits: atomicgracy . tumblr. com (minus the spaces because this site is...grrrrr)