When Brandon picked me up from the train station he told me we'd have a family discussion when we got home. I nodded and worried about it the entire way home.

At home the four of us sat at the dining room table. Kevin kicked his legs out of boredom while I relaxed back in my chair. Brandon sat across from me with his hands folded on the table; a serious expression on his face. Natalie sat across from Kevin with an uncomfortable look. She shifted every time I glanced at her.

"Kevin, Rosabell," Brandon nodded to each of us in turn, "your mother and I have been talking. I'm sure you both noticed that our relationship has become a bit strained recently."

I grimaced at the reminder. All of their arguments basically centered around me. Me and my magic were tearing this family apart. I remembered their relationship before I went to Hogwarts, and they obviously loved each other very much. I may not love them deeply, but I still felt guilty for the change.

"The two of us took the time to talk, and," Brandon shared a look with Natalie. He looked very sad and sighed gustily. "We're thinking of getting a divorce."

Before Kevin could ask what a divorce was I bit my lip and asked, "Why?"

Natalie looked gobsmacked. I remembered Brandon saying I never spoke a word in front of her, but I have for Kevin and Brandon. Kevin most of all, but even he noticed my selective muteness.

"I'm sorry?" Brands asked.

"Why did you decide to get a divorce? I know you guys have been arguing a lot these days, but was it enough for you to decide 'divorce'?" I kept my tone level. "I know this is because of me. I don't want to be the end to your marriage."

"We aren't getting a divorce because of you," Brandon tried denying.

"I think we all know I'm the main reason your relationship is strained. Don't you two still love each other?"

Brandon looked at Natalie, who cautiously looked back. Neither of them spoke, but words weren't needed for me to see both of their gazes softening. As a response to my question they murmured, "I do."

"You guys can't get a divorce because of me." I saw Brandon getting ready to deny it, but I rose my hand to stop him. "Don't. I know what I was like when I was younger. I was alway silent, never talked to you guys, I don't even think I ever told you I love you." The last sentence was said speculatively, because I realized I never had told them I loved them. I didn't know if I could, not yet, but the look on their faces was heartbreaking enough for me to think about it.

"It's not just – " I glanced warily at my eight-year-old brother, whom still didn't know about magic, " – my school either. It's me in general. I've been a pretty bad daughter, I'll admit. I never gave either of you a chance."

I never gave them a chance because I never wanted to. I always thought of my other mom and dad when it came to parental figures, and I didn't want Brandon and Natalie to replace them. All these years I never bothered to truly notice my presence and treatment ruined their relationship, to absorbed in my own woes. I never cared enough about them to see it, and now that I was faced with it I felt nothing but guilt.

"Don't say that, Rose," Brandon tried to defend me. "You're a wonderful daughter."

My melancholic smile kept him from saying any more. "Thank you for saying so, but I don't really think it's true. To be honest, after how I've acted all these years, I don't think I'll ever really be a good daughter for you two." I saw how they acted with Kevin. I constantly compared and judged them against my parents, so I never accepted them. However, they never treated me badly, and their love for Kevin was clear. "I'm sorry for how I acted towards you two." Unfortunately I didn't know if I could stop comparing them to my other parents.

"I'll accept your apology." Natalie's soft voice filled the silence left behind after my small speech.

Kevin huffed beside me. "You're an amazing sister."

I didn't fight my wide smile. "Thanks, Kevin. You're an even better brother." Reaching over I ruffled his blonde hair. The strands stuck up in all sorts of directions as a result.

He stuck his tongue out at me in retaliation. The interaction made Brandon smile, and even Natalie looked a little amused.

The happy feelings drained away when Kevin asked with innocent curiosity, "What's a divorce?"

"Don't worry about it, Kev." I glanced between Brandon and Natalie. "I think they're going to talk about it some more. Go play in your room."

Kevin groaned at the command, but otherwise didn't complain. His room had all his toys and a TV in there, which was all he needed.

When he disappeared upstairs I turned back to Brandon and Natalie with a calm expression. "I would like to apologize again for my behavior. Please reconsider getting a divorce. You both love each other still, and have you thought about Kevin? I could always find a place in the magical world to live." The thought of moving out to live on my own was daunting.

"Don't even think about leaving this house, Rosabell. You aren't allowed to move out until you're at least nineteen." Brandon looked at Natalie. "I think it would be fair to think more about this. It isn't a light decision."

I smiled. "Good. How's Kevin doing?"

Surprisingly it was Natalie who answered. "Nothing out of the ordinary so far. He gets good grades, and misses you while you're at school."

It was good to know my brother got on well when I wasn't home seventy-five-percent of the time. I couldn't help but feel disappointed that he hadn't shown any magical abilities. It would've been nice to have another family member I could relate to and talk to about magic.

The thought of having other magical family members circled through my mind for several weeks afterwards. There must have been hundreds of people out there related to me in some way. Jeffery and Tilly, an aunt and uncle I hadn't seen since before Hogwarts, had family elsewhere. There could be someone in our family who had magic like me, and I didn't now it.

I found it unlikely that my magic cropped up out of nowhere. I imagined I had a relative some generations ago who came from the Wizarding world, and magic laid dormant in my family ever since.

The possibility of a magical ancestor, or even magical cousins I didn't know about, was too exciting a prospect to ignore. I waited for the school owl to deliver my Hogwarts book list and test results. To my pleasant surprise I got an Outstanding in Charms, Defense, Potions, Arithmancy, and Care of Magical Creatures, an Exceeds Expectations in Ancient Runes, Astronomy, Herbology, and Transfiguration, and an A Acceptable in History.

After glancing over the equipment list I folded the parchment, and tucked it into my back pocket. I left my room and went downstairs to find Natalie and Brandon watching TV in the living room. I walked up to the side of the couch and stopped, waiting for one of them to notice me.

Natalie spotted me first. Her eyes widened as she nudged Brandon. He looked at her first then followed her gaze to me. When we made eye contact he smiled gently. "Hi, Rose."

I returned the smile. "Hello. I got my Hogwarts letter, and I was wondering if I could go to Diagon Alley by myself this time."

Brandon straightened while Natalie looked between us with wide eyes. I didn't realize how much not speaking affected her, so her reaction to me speaking was a surprise for me. Although I couldn't really blame her since I chose not to say anything to her fro 14 years.

"By yourself?" The amount of concern in Brandon's voice touched me. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea."

"I'm almost fifteen," I pointed out. "The Leaky Cauldron isn't too far of a walk. Nothing bad will happen, I promise." With a dark lord on the loose that may not have been the best promise to make.

However, neither Brandon or Natalie knew about the Wizarding War. If they did their response might've been different. Instead, they silently communicated with each other before Brandon nodded. "You can go, but please be careful. Take my card and don't be out too late."

I smiled in satisfaction. "Thank you." Running back up to my room, I put on a pair of slacks, and the white long sleeved shirt of my Hogwarts uniform. Wearing a robe would look weird in the muggle world so I discarded it.

I stashed my wand in the waistband of my pants, and tied the pouch connected to my vault to my belt loops. With my supply list and vault key in my back pocket, I swiftly climbed down the stairs, slipped on a pair of shoes, grabbed Brandon's card, and left for the Leaky Cauldron.

Cars filled London's busy streets and even more people walked on the sidewalks. The Cauldron was several blocks away, and the experience of walking alone somewhere gave me strong feelings of independence.

As I walked I thought about what I would need to get besides school supplies. Clothes were a must. Brandon took me to a Muggle doctor every time I came home from Hogwarts, and I apparently grew three inches since last year. My chest size also grew, so I needed to buy new bras. Usually I got them from the Muggle world, but this time I would try getting them from Madam Malkin's. The rest of my Muggle clothing still fit me since they were all so baggy.

Once I made it to the Leaky Cauldron I politely asked the barkeep, Tom, to open the passage for me. He happily obliged me, and I set off for Gringotts first.

The great marble structure impressed me just as much as it always had. I nodded to the goblins guards as I walked by, but received no more than a curious glance.

Entering the shortest line I patiently waited my turn as the goblin teller grumpily worked through each customer. When it reached my turn I decided to be as straightforward as possible. "Can you tell me how much a blood test would be?"

The goblin never lost his fierce stare. "Two-hundred fifty galleons."

I exhaled harshly at the amount. I had nearly two thousand galleons in my vault, and I still had to buy supplies. Any indulgences I planned to make on this trip just withered away. "How many generations would that show?"

He sneered. "Depends on how much blood you give."

With that ominous answer I nodded quickly. "I'll take the blood test, and I need to convert two hundred pounds into galleons."

The goblin nodded sharply before pressing a button on his desk. Less than a minute later another goblin walked up. They spoke to one another in a weird language before the new goblin beckoned for me to follow.

For a creature with such short legs he certainly walked fast. I almost had to jog to keep up with him. He brought me to a side chamber where a normal sized door with a golden plaque that said Larzbook.

"Thank you, um," I looked down at the goblin who led me there, "what's your name?"

He looked very surprised. I wondered why he would look like that, but I didn't have the guts to ask. "I am Azoff, young witch."

I smiled politely. "Rosabell King. May your enemies… fall?" It sounded like a courteous thing to say. If there was one thing I learned in History of Magic it was that Goblins went to war a lot. I usually use the class time to study the history textbook instead of listening to Professor Binns drone on and on about the same topic.

If I thought Azoff looked surprised before it was nothing compared to the reaction to my farewell. He actually rocked back on his heels. "And may your ax stay sharp." Azoff made an about-face and marched off.

Clearing my throat uncomfortably I politely knocked on the door, waited for the goblin inside to welcome me, and swiftly entered the circular room. A rectangular desk sat near the opposite side of the room with stacks of paper on each side. Two cushioned wooden chairs sat on my side of the desk, while the goblin, presumably Larzbook, sat on the other side. He had a quill in his pale, wrinkled hand, scratching away at a piece of parchment.

I sat down in one of the chairs, and cleared my throat. I felt rude interrupting his work, but if I didn't he would probably ignore me for an indefinite amount of time. "I've come to take a blood test."

Larzbook wrote for another minute before setting the quill down. He pulled open a drawer in his desk and pulled out a blank sheet of parchment. He set a simple black handled dagger on top of it. "Three drops of blood onto the parchment will suffice."

"How many generations will that show?" I asked as I cautiously reached for the dagger.

"Nine."

"What if I used more blood?"

"The more blood you give the more generations you see." Larzbook folded his hands on top of whatever parchment he'd written on when I walked in.

"You're not going to do some weird ritual when I use more blood, are you?" I asked suspiciously. I knew there were creepy blood rituals in the magical world, and goblins were crafty beings.

Larzbook grinned sharply. "A good question. Fortunately for you we respect our customers."

That didn't really answer my question, but I moved past it. Giving the dagger a dubious look I gently laid the edge against the pad of my thumb. Closing my eyes, I applied pressure and quickly swiped the dagger over my skin. I hissed from the pain, but quickly held my finger over the paper.

One drop came slowly after the other. It got to three before I got fed up and started squeezing my thumb. Four more drops splashed onto the paper. I quickly pulled my hand back and stuck my thumb into my mouth.

The coppery taste of blood spread throughout my mouth as I watched, fascinated, as the parchment seemingly absorbed my blood. I set the dagger on the desk (the edge mysteriously clean of any blood), and stared at the small red letters filling the page from top to bottom.

Twenty-one generations appeared. The sight of my ancestors names completely enraptured me. It was set up like a family tree. Only names, though, no pictures.

I followed the lines branching off of my name at the top of the page towards the bottom. My name had a shine to it that the others didn't. I ignored it and followed the lines leading off of Brandon's name first. When I didn't recognize any names I looked at Natalie's side of the family.

My eyebrows drew together when I made it closer to the bottom of the page. All the names I read looked like normal red ink, and I wondered if it was my blood, but when I reached the seventeenth generation one of the names had an odd shine too it – the same shine my name had. All the names after it also shone.

"Why do some of the names shine?"

Larzbook had yet to return to his papers. He seemed ready to assist me the moment I needed it. "It means they have, or had, magical blood."

I inhaled sharply. "Magical blood?" I tore my eyes away from the paper excitedly, "They were magic?"

"That is what the test says." He sounded impatient.

"I was right then." I sat back in my chair. "I have magical ancestors. My magic didn't appear out of nowhere. It's just been dormant all these years." Surprise of all surprises when it turned out to be Natalie's ancestry that gave me my magic.

Examining the name a second time I continued down the generations and noticed it appeared next to each name. "Who were the Vermillion's?"

"The Vermillion's were an old Italian pureblood family. Their name is known to date back before the Founders created Hogwarts."

I looked at Larzbook with wide eyes. "That's a thousand years ago."

"Indeed," he drawled in a bored tone. "However, the Vermillion line began producing more and more squibs as generations passed. Eventually the name was forgotten and left in history."

"Is there anything left over from the Vermillion family? Money or maybe properties?" Pureblood families usually had a lot of money.

Larzbook nodded. "Vault 54. The last Vermillion sold all of the family properties and combined all the vaults."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Was there a reason for them to do that?"

"The last Vermillion was a squib. Her parents' Will stated all their properties be sold and their money be safely locked away. At the time a squib using magical properties or money would be scandalous, even if it belonged to their own flesh and blood."

I chewed the inside of my lower lip thoughtfully before straightening in the chair. "As a descendant of the Vermillion line, would I have access to the vault?"

"The Vermillion vault is considered the family vault. You wouldn't have access to it until you claim Ladyship. That's either at your majority or if you get emancipated."

I hummed in disappointment. It would've been nice to see some family heirlooms, or the amount of money it held. I was a little ashamed of how greedy that sounded, but unfortunately greed was part of human nature. "Can I see the vaults records?"

He grinned toothily. "I can only hand out documentation to family members who bear the family rings."

"Oh." I blinked owlishly. "Is there a family ring I could wear? Obviously not the ring for head of the family, but maybe some sort of heiress ring?"

Larzbook nodded approvingly. "There is indeed a Vermillion family heir ring. Usually it is given to the first born son, but there should be no problem giving it to you." He reached for something under his desk, but didn't grab anything. I waited for him to do something when a knock on the office door startled me.

"Enter," Larzbook barked.

A goblin swiftly did as ordered. He had tufts of white hair above and in his ears, making me think he was older than Larzbook, who had a full head of black hair. "Sir," the goblin sneered out the word.

"This young witch wishes to claim the Vermillion heiress ring."

The new goblin nodded sharply. "Yes sir." He then turned to me and barked impatiently, "Come!"

Snatching the parchment with my family tree, I rushed after the goblin. Before leaving I turned to Larzbook. "Thank you, sir. My names Rosabell King, by the way. May your enemies fall before you!" I shut the door before I could see if he would react like Azoff had.

Rushing after the new goblin made me groan irritably. I hadn't imagined a trip to the bank to be so taxing. I probably should've expected it, but I didn't have to like it.

We entered another room, presumably the new goblins office. He sat behind a mahogany desk while I sat across from him. "I am the manager of the Vermillion vaults. Anything to do with the vaults you come to me for."

This goblin managed to be the most strict I'd ever seen or met. He definitely wouldn't take any bullshit. "Yes, sir. I wished to claim the heir ring."

He sneered. "As a witch it would be the heiress ring. I assume you took the blood test? It will be proof enough for me to get the ring." Nodding quickly I grabbed the parchment and unfolded it for him to see. "Then this should be relatively simple."

Reaching into one of his desk drawers the goblin took out a simple black velvet box. He opened it before setting it on the edge of the desk in front of me. "It will go on the pointer finger of your right hand."

I nodded dazedly as I plucked the ring from the velvet cushion. The silver band glinted in the low light of the office. It connected as one thin band at the bottom, but broke off into four separate branches as it circled around the finger. Set into those branches, on top of the ring, was a red gem cut in a diamond shape. In the middle of the stone sat a design made out of silver. It looked like a stick, maybe a sword, with a cat twisting up the length.

My hands shook slightly as I slid the ring onto the designated finger. I anticipated something horrible, maybe a shock or a prick to the finger, but instead I shivered while warmth covered my body. Both sensations faded a few seconds later. "What was that?"

"Protective enchantments," the goblin replied curtly. "It will protect you from low level spells and poisons."

I blinked in surprise. "Oh." I didn't know the ring would have any protective magic in it. "Awesome. And I can see documentation of the vault, even though I'm only the heir – sorry, heiress?"

"As long as nobody claims the Lordship or Ladyship." The goblin reached back into his desk and pulled out a thick folder. He seemed amused by my look of disbelief and horror. "These documents date back to the beginning of Gringotts."

I couldn't believe my ears. "Just how old is the Vermillion line?"

He shrugged. "Documents on the magical world and the people in it only started when Hogwarts and other major schools were built."

"Right." With a tired sigh I rubbed at my eyes. It felt like I'd been at the bank for forever. "Can I have the most recent documentation regarding what's in the vault?"

He shuffled through a couple papers before finding the one I requested. He slid it to me, and I swiped it off the desk. Learning about past family members was fun, but being in a bank for an extended amount of time started getting taxing.

As soon as my eyes found the total amount of galleons I choked. "There's over five-hundred thousand galleons!"

The goblin sneered. "The Vermillion's used to be one of the richest families in Britain. With the only income being the vaults interest rate for nearly four centuries the family wealth has dropped to the lower class among purebloods; though you will hold the title of Ancient and Noble House of Vermillion once you claim Ladyship."

My mouth worked open and closed for several moments. When I noticed the goblin getting irritated I snapped it shut. Half a million galleons and it's considered low-class. "Okay. I'd like to convert two hundred pounds into galleons please, and add them to my personal vault, seven-hundred forty-nine."

I handed over Brandon's card along with my vault key. He used the key just to confirm the vault was actually mine. With the card he stuck it into a thin slot in his desk, wrote on a piece of parchment beside it, and waited. After a moment he removed the card. "The money has been converted and transferred to vault seven-hundred forty-nine. Is there anything else you need, Heiress Vermillion?"

"That's all for today," I couldn't keep the relief out of my voice. "Thank you for helping me."

When I opened the office door to leave I finally noticed the gold plaque. "May your enemies fall, Mr. Garstaff."

The grouchy goblin managed to look something other than irritated or angry. His face was blank, which I took as shock, before he blinked and recovered. "May your ax stay sharp."

I quickly exited the office and strode towards the bank doors. Nobody paid me more than a glance before going back to their business. I'd somehow assumed everybody would start staring at me because of the heiress ring. The rise of an old pureblood family would probably be a huge deal to other purebloods, and maybe half-bloods. I mused on the reactions they'd have when a Muggle-born took the mantle.

While walking through Diagon Alley I decided to stop for writing supplies first. I still had the steel tipped quill Brandon bought me. It worked wonderfully, so I only had to buy a pot of black ink. I also bought a journal for each class I would take. I would use them to take notes while I bought a pack of loose parchment for essays.

Now 3 galleons and 2 knuts lighter I moved on to Madam Malkin's situated right next to the supply shop. Usually I went through the racks and bought my size, but this time I went right up to Madam Malkin for a personal fitting. "Can I get two new school robes? Along with one tie?" I would choose more robes and ties from the racks.

"Of course dear. What house are you?"

"Slytherin," I replied smoothly.

So used to bad treatment for being Slytherin, I was surprised she treated me like any other customer. "Step up onto the pedestal, and I'll take your measurements."

Following her instructions I stepped onto a round pedestal situated in front of three mirrors. She enclosed the space by drawing a curtain, then told me to strip down to my undergarments. Following her instructions I ordered, "I also need new bras."

Madam Malkin looked at my too-small bra and tutted. "How many would you like?"

I hummed and kept perfectly still as a tape measure started measuring me by itself while a quill and note pad took notes on its own. "Three bras." Shoes I could get from the Muggle world, along with socks and comfy clothes.

"That should come out to be around twenty-seven galleons and seventeen sickles."

Sighing regretfully I nodded. It would be almost half of the money Brandon gave me, but I needed more wizarding clothes. I definitely wouldn't be buying any more than I needed to today. "Is there any spell to have the clothes grow with me?"

"I can do it for an extra four galleons."

"Done." It would definitely be worth it, so I wouldn't have to continuously buy new clothes. Especially since puberty was finally helping me grow.

The rest of our time together was spent in silence. Madam Malkin would occasionally mumble to herself, but I ignored her. When the tape measure left me she plucked the notepad and quill out of the air. "I should be able to get this done in two hours."

"Thank you. I'll come back later today."

Pulling on my clothes, I pushed open the curtain and left the clothing store. I started with potion supplies and vials, along with a new astronomy telescope, then I headed for Flourish & Blotts.

Inside was almost as busy as Diagon itself. Several people were perusing the aisle either for a school book or just a new book in general. Books for the core subjects were easiest to find, but also the most crowded area. I managed to collect almost all of the books without a problem, but as I stretched up to grab the Charms book a body collided with mine.

I immediately lost my balance and tumbled to the floor. The books in my arms flew out of my grip, as did my shopping bags. I heard glass shatter and winced. Hopefully it wasn't the ink pot, but the potion vials had been more expensive.

The body that hit me was sprawled on top of me. It groaned before exclaiming, "Blimey!"

They scrambled off, and I opened my eyes to glare at them. "Thanks a lot." Pushing myself onto my knees I started collecting everything I dropped. When I glanced into the bag with my potion vials I winced. I would have to buy new ones.

"I didn't mean to run into you." The boy narrowed his hazel eyes. "You were in the way."

I scoffed in disbelief. "I was in the way? I was getting my school book when you rammed into me. To make things worse you shattered my potion vials. Now, I have to buy new ones. Those weren't cheap, you know."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Just buy new ones."

"Were you not listening?" I turned to get a proper look at the boy who ran into me. I sucked in a startled breath when I recognized the messy dark brown hair, round glasses, and hazel eyes. "Oh."

James Potter still seemed confused, especially now that my anger disappeared in my surprise. "What?"

"Nothing," I spat quickly. He still broke my potion vials. "That's six galleons down the drain because you weren't being careful."

"She's right, James."

I looked up to see a older woman looking at James Potter in disapproval. "You need to be more careful, dear."

The woman turned her sharp brown eyes onto me, and they immediately softened. "I'm sorry about my son, he got ahead of me."

I stood straighter and smiled. "That's alright, ma'am, it was an accident. I just got upset because of the vials."

"Which James will pay for."

James immediately started whining, but one look from his mother silenced him. "We will talk about your behavior when we get home." She looked back at me. "How much were the vials, dear?"

I bit my lip uncomfortably. "You really don't have to buy them. I can do it."

"Nonsense. He's the reason they're broken, so we'll pay for them."

I didn't feel comfortable taking money from somebody, even if they were offering it. It's not like I didn't have the money either. "Ma'am, are you sure? I really can buy them myself."

"It's no trouble," the woman assured me. "The fault is ours so we should repay you."

"Alright," I reluctantly agreed. Despite my reluctance, I felt better knowing I wouldn't have to spend more money on the vials. The trip already exceeded my budget thanks to the new wardrobe. "They were six galleons. My name is Rosabell, by the way."

She smiled, "I am Euphemia Potter. This is my son, James Potter."

I nodded politely and looked at James. My apologetic smile surprised him. "I'm sorry about getting so angry, but it was justified." I didn't particularly want to apologize, as I was sure James didn't actually care about what happened.

He grimaced. "I apologize for running into you, and then blaming you for it." James glanced up at his mother then relaxed at her approving look.

Lady Potter glanced around. "Are your parents here?"

I pursed my lips. "I came here on my own. Usually my dad comes with me, but I wanted to go shopping alone this time." I decided against specifying my Gringotts visit.

"Well then," Lady Potter gently grasped James' shoulder, "let's check out here, and we'll accompany you to the apothecary for more vials."

James' exclamation of "what?!" went ignored as I stared at his mother in surprise. "That really isn't necessary, Lady Potter. I could go to the store on my own."

"It will give me peace of mind if you let us accompany you. Why your parents let you come to Diagon alone is beyond me."

I felt a little offended by the judging tone regarding Brandon and Natalie. "I wanted to come here alone, and they trusted me to be a responsible adult."

Lady Potter smiled gently and bowed her head. "Forgive an old woman her worries, but with this Dark Lord on the rise it just isn't safe to go around alone anymore."

Surprise filled me at the mention of Voldemort. The first part of her sentence caught my interest as well, and I set thoughts of Voldemort to the side. "You couldn't possibly be that old, Lady Potter. Forty at the most."

She covered her mouth and laughed gently. I never knew a laugh could be considered elegant, but hers definitely was. "What a charming young lady you are, Miss Rosabell."

"Mum!" The whiny voice distracted both Lady Potter and I. Once James had our attention he brightened. "Can we go to the Quidditch store now? The new Comet model is out!"

Lady Potter have a stern look to her son. "James Potter, we are going to help Miss Rosabell. After your attitude today we'll have to see about this new broom." James looked put out, and his mother completely looked past the puppy-dog eyes he gave her. "Perhaps you won't get anything at all after what you've put this poor girl through."

The messy haired boy crossed his arms and pouted. I couldn't believe how childish the boy acted. Remus was almost the opposite. Maybe being fourteen years old was the reason for his attitude.

Our group of three collected our books, with James pouting the whole time, while Lady Potter and I made small talk. I could tell she was a very intelligent woman, but only three years of Hogwarts education wasn't enough for me to keep up with her. We stuck to safe topics such as likes and dislikes. She tried prying more personal information about me, but I remained vague.

Lady potter stopped me when we made it out of Flourish & Blotts. "Here," she tapped each of my shopping bags with her wand, making them all lighter than a feather, "makes it easier to carry."

I sent her a grateful smile. "Thank you, Lady Potter. And you really don't have to walk with me. Go to that Quidditch shop and get that new broom James mentioned."

James nodded his head enthusiastically, but Lady Potter refused. "We'll get your potion vials together."

With that last attempt thwarted, I could do nothing more than lead the way to the apothecary. James glared at me the whole time as if it were somehow my fault his mother decided to come with me. He should've been more careful if he wanted to go to the Quidditch store.

At the Apothecary I quickly found the same vials I'd bought earlier. Lady Potter took them up to the counter, and right as she got there James bolted over with a jar of familiar leaves in hand. "Mum, can I get these?"

My eyes narrowed and Lady Potter's eyes narrowed. "What for?"

James shrugged innocently. "I think Professor Slughorn mentioned we would need them for potions class, and he said he was running out."

"Can't Professor Slughorn buy his own ingredients?"

James' innocent mask didn't break, but I could tell he was fishing for another excuse his mother would accept. Pressing my lips together in irritation, I quickly stepped in. "I bought a jar myself not that long ago." If second year could be counted as not long ago.

Lady Potter thought for another moment before taking the jar of Mandrake leaves. Said boy stared at me suspiciously, and I coolly raised an eyebrow in response. I knew what those leaves would be used for.

She finished paying and handed me a bag with my vials in it. I smiled gratefully. "Thank you so much. You really didn't have to."

Lady Potter waved me off. "It was nothing, dear."

I nodded my goodbye to both James and his mother before quickly striding away. My robes at Madam Malkin's were finished, and all I had to do was pick them up, grab some more clothes from the racks and pay, before leaving Diagon Alley. All in all I felt the trip went fine. Brandon and Natalie would probably let me come again. I never thought I'd run into James Potter outside of Hogwarts, and his attitude struck me as arrogant and spoiled. Not like I was a good enough judge of character since I only interacted with Remus. I wondered if James would always be that way