I'll miss you most of all Elena." James looked down at her, the troublesome grin slipping onto his face. "I promise to cause as much trouble as possible."

She couldn't help but to roll her eyes at him. "I still want to go next year, please leave the castle standing." He winked at her but saw something over her shoulder. She turned around wondering what took her precious brothers attention away and saw him. Sirius Black. The murderer? Probably? It stopped making sense after a while.

"Okay El I'll make sure to write I have to go bye!" He rushed off to his friend dragging him by the arm and onto the train. She hadn't even had a moment to tell him not to call her that.

"Elena." There stood Regulus. Taller than her of course. Everyone was taller than her, she was cursed in this life.

"Regulus." She answered back. Not coldly as was customary when she Daphne, but almost fond? They had hardly seen each other since they were two. But a certain kinship was born with shared experience.

Their parents had glanced at them and started talking she noticed. Walburga black was terrifying in life and in death. They studied her as well.

"Your brother and mine are going to raise hell." Regulus smirked at her, it was strange to see on his baby face. All chubby cheeks and red nose.

"I've already warned James not to break the castle." She smirked right back at him, her mother seemed to be staring at her with that odd smile. She didn't think that bode well for them.

"Elena, Lady Black was wondering if you would like to have a play date with Regulus at the black manor?" Her mother posed it as a question but the way she was looking at her told her what her answer was.

"Of course mother that sounds fun." Her mother was well bred, well connected, well everything. She understood even if no one else did.

Her mother beamed at her, she wouldn't ruin her mother's plan. Her father seemed to know but she wasn't sure what he thought of it. He certainly didn't discourage it with his amicable talk with Lord Black.

Regulus watched them curiously as well, calculating almost. When he saw her watching him his face went back to its normal cheer. His parents bid goodbye to hers, and her parents kissed her on the head told her to be good.

She would never be bad. Raised as an heiress, she knew even if they didn't teach her in this life. She wouldn't disgrace her name.

She walked beside the Blacks. They were intimidating forces of nature. The crowd seemed to part down the middle. The muggles looked confused, and the wizards looked terrified. The Blacks seemed to be gods even in this world.

Lord black put his hand on her shoulder and she felt the sharp tug of apiration. She hated it, she seemed to never fully be comfortable. Couldn't even get her permit legally, had to bribe some officials.

Lord black glanced at her once, but it was enough to freeze her in her spot. He was cold, he didn't move. He was a statue, carved in the likeness of god. "Regulus," he turned away from her "go off and entertain our special guest."

The plan was far more formalized then she had guessed.

Regulus smiled at his father, he walked around him and tugged on her wrist. Far more gentle then she had ever been with him.

They walked around the side of the manor into a lush garden. This wasn't the same place she knew they resided in. This must be their actual guest manor.

Regulus plopped onto the grass and laid back. Hesitant she did the same and laid next to him.

"Do you remember how you died?" His voice she noticed didn't waver. He was quiet, she could hardly hear him. Why did he always speak in such a way?

"No." She replied.

They laid there for a while longer. Neither speaking to the other.

"They want us to marry." She finally said out loud. She had thought it but never would she have been bold to say it. It seems her family had rubbed off onto her.

She couldn't see him but she could hear him shuffle in the grass. "I know." He turned on his side to face her. "That's a good thing though. It'll serve my purpose well."

She frowned and turned her head to catch his eye. "What purpose is that?"

"I want to change the world."

She burst out laughing. She felt horrible for it of course, but really she couldn't help it even if she tried. Regulus shoved her and she tilted over in the grass. Still laughing she sat up. "Honestly!"

He scowled at her. "You'd make a horrible wife."

She laughed harder, her hand moving to cover her mouth. "Take that back! Really I have no plan to do anything. I want to live my life and be normal." She smiled at him and she knew it agitated him.

"Well why not?" He had at this point sat up as well. "Do you want him to come back?" Suddenly he looked rather apprehensive. As if he had never considered her before.

"Hold old were you when you died?" She asked. Idly she leaned forward on her elbows.

"Seventeen." Curt but it was a response.

"I was sixteen, I was about to be seventeen as well." She smiled a little more sadly now. "I don't want to fight anymore. I never supported him. I did as my family asked. Then I died."

He didn't seem to be able to take the no. He grabbed her hand and begged. "Please! I can't do this alone, I was already freaking out but with you we can do it."

"How are we supposed to do anything when we're ten exactly?" Elena ("Daph.." it whispered) muttered.

He flushed suddenly. "I hadn't had time to think that far."

"You do need help." She huffed.

"Children!" His mother's voice called out through the garden. Her eyes widened and looked down at her clothing.

Horrid, she looked like a tramp who took a roll down the hill.

Regulus was laughing.

She hadn't meant to say that out loud.

She took a deep breath and let it out. Nope she still looked like a mess. At least he didn't look better. She trudged along with him inside. Slowly, she didn't want to be there so soon.

"I can't help you much you know." She whispered to him. "I was born in the 80s, but I don't know much about how to defeat him. I'm not Potter."

He looked at her like she was an idiot. "Sorry not Harry Potter. I was a Greengrass. We didn't do that stuff." Regulus looked up for a moment seeming to stop having paid attention to her.

The loud scream was all the warning she got before she was accosted with cleaning charms. "Left alone for barely any time at all and you already look terrible! Regulus how dare you! You should have known better!" Lady Black rambled on as she cleaned the two up.

She gave them a hard glare before dragging them inside the sitting room. Daphne ("Elena, my name is Elena.") sat at on a nice couch. Idly chatting with Lady Black about Hogwarts.

"Oh Slytherin I imagine." Elena smiled blithely.

Lady Black seemed relaxed for a brief moment before dismissing the children once more. Strange that they only chatted for a few movements.

Regulus walked in front of her carefully taking her past the row of house elf's that adorned the wall. "This isn't the same universe I lived through." Regulus whispered to her. The portraits near by peered closely at them, obviously trying to listen in.

"Neither mine." Elena grimaced. "I want to play dolls!" She said rather loudly. Surely that was something ten year olds did? She knew how to act young, she still remembered being ten. But alas she was still filled with fear.

He turned and made a face at her. "Does it look like I have dolls? Let's play exploding snap!"

So it would seem she would never escape the horrid game. Time in the Slytherin commons would be spent playing it. Being one of the few acceptable games to be seen playing she spent many hours perfecting her strategy. But she loathed the game with a fierce hatred. It was so boring.

There play date went on with no less excitement. They didn't talk anymore about the future nor their pass lives. There was little to be done for it.

They said nothing of their upcoming nuptials. They didn't acknowledge the fact that they hardly knew each other. They just enjoyed their time as Elena beat Regulus in every game of exploding snap.

("How could you possibly be that good? You're cheating cheater!")

Probably one of the last moments of relaxation for her.

The weeks following their "play date" passed by painfully slow. She was bored without James, she hadn't ever been alone like this.

Astoria would be bouncing around the walls right now. Pulling out quills and multiple bottles of ink to draw beautiful pictures. Her smile would be small, her hair would be up. She would laugh and sing. She would be happy.

("Astoria?")

James was the opposite. He was loud and boisterous. Not a single artistic bone in his body. Dragging around his dragon stuffy and flinging it across the room. Screams and laughter.

She never thought she missed it. She's never felt so alone in her life.

Her mother entertained her when she could. But Euphemia as she learned was a rather busy woman. She never noticed that before. Wasn't that something? The things you can observe when you weren't being bothered by a pestering sibling.

Her father was more likely to be around though, he was like James. He was loud. She ever thought it possible for someone to be prone to screaming but yet so shy. James was like that, behind all his confidence was a shy child.

Elena didn't like being alone. She had too much time to think about everything. One existential crisis after another. Was she Elena or Daphne?

Elena hadn't existed in her own world, there was no expectation for her to uphold. The Potters weren't incredibly strict but they obviously followed the pureblood doctrine to an extent.

Engaged to be wed before Hogwarts, but never the heir. Your clothes must never be unkempt in polite company. Lady's do not offer their hand to shake, they nod. Do not speak unless you must. She learned all this in her past life. She knew the words like they were burned in her heart.

Maybe they were? She had never checked.

The more time she spent alone the more she missed her past life.

Maybe not her parents, she liked them but she preferred these ones. They were nicer. Her old ones were rather odd?

She didn't like that. She didn't like what was happening. She didn't like herself. She didn't like her thoughts. This isn't what she was like. Her old parents were her real parents. They raised her. But so had the Potters.

They were both good parents. She just preferred these ones.

With that settled Elena dragged herself out of her comfortable bed and onto the cool floor. Flinching as she felt the floor on her bare feet.

She didn't feel ten. She didn't feel sixteen either. She felt like Daphne. She felt nothing.

"Ammy!" She screamed. Why was she screaming? What was wrong with her? Why is she the way she is? Who is she? What is she? What's wrong with her?

She was so dizzy. Her thoughts didn't make sense. Her previous thoughts made even less sense now that she truly thought about it. What was she debating? Her love for her family? What? Why was she in bed? What was wrong with her?