From the very second that I had found out that Hogwarts was a boarding school, I should have known. But living with the Dursleys without Jamie. It was lonely.

It didn't hit me until the third week without him when I was picking a very frustrating weed in Aunt Petunia's front garden. It was nothing special but a simple weed, but it made all the difference to me.

When we were little Jamie and I tried our very hardest to make chores fun. From playing basketball with all of the trash in Dudleys room, to seeing who could make better food to fatten up Uncle Vernon more. That last one did not have much of a winner as our Uncle was already fattened up enough that you couldn't tell if he had expanded at all.

When we were out gardening, we'd play a game to see who could get the most weeds out of the garden that either the other person missed, or more favorably, Aunt Petunia had missed.

So when I pulled the weed out and laid it on my pile, looking seficencially large, I turned over on instinct to see how large Harry's was. Only he was not there.

Suddenly, this game did not seem much fun anymore.

Not all was bad though.

I would regularly get mail from Jamie telling me about his adventures at Hogwarts. His new friends Ron and Hermione. Something about a troll that I highly doubted was true. Sometimes even Minnie would bring a letter with her on her weekly visits. Those 2 things were the things I looked forward to the most.

School was also a relieve from the Dursley. While there I didn't have to worry about Dudley, or Aunt Petunia and her yelling at me about chores.

I also had Eddie.

From the very first day of school Eddie and I had been inseparable. Always playing together, we worked together on group projects. Every year we would always be in the same class.

He was there for me when Jamie couldn't be.

Letters from Jamie, visits from Minnie, and school with Eddie.

So every week. On every Tuesday at exactly 8:30 on the dot. Minnie would ring the bell and wait at the door for me to open it. By the 2nd week of Minnie coming I learned to be dressed with shoes on and hair and teeth brushed. Ready to start the adventure that awaited.

Every Tuesday, regardless of school, she would take me. The Dursley's had spun the tail that a therapist comes and picks me up at 8:30 every Tuesday morning to take me to behavioral therapy. When Eddie would ask where I would go every Tuesday, I would just smile slightly and shake my head. I couldn't lie to Eddie.

Really on the Tuesday's that Minnie visited we did not do much. Go to the park and run around for a bit. Then go and grab a sandwich from a bakery down the road. After finishing lunch Minnie would pop us somewhere she thought would be fun to visit. Every time was different. Sometimes it would be muggle London, others out would be in the wizarding world. A couple times we went to visit a small red haired girl who lived in a crooked house with a wonderful mother and a funny and lovable father.

One time Minnie took me back to Diagonally. She had business to attend to, so instead of going with her I decided that I would look around Flourish and Blotts. I had always enjoyed reading, and now with an entire new genre to read from I was utterly fascinated. On the last trip to the alley with Harry I had grabbed some first year books that were identical to his. Filling them out and taking notes in them was another small distraction that I had at the Dursleys. So looking around at the section of transfiguration books, I was content.

Along the shelves I had passed there was a book called, 'Guide to the Animagus', and so with my curious nature I couldn't resist. Grabbing the book I placed them with the Ancient Runes book I had grabbed. Once Minnie had returned I was sitting on one of the chairs near the window with a pile of different books on topics that were most likely above first year level.

So the visits continued. On and on. Every Tuesday at 8:30 Minnie would come and sweep me away. Like a prince sweeping away a princess from her tower. Only that the prince was a witch and could turn into a cat….On one of these visits while visiting the Weasleys, Ginny and I happen to cross paths with a blonde girl standing in the creek by the Burrow.

"Hello Luna." The blonde girl, Luna, looked up from where she had been intently staring at the creek.

"Oh hello Ginny. I was just looking for millbers. Daddy said that they come out at this time of day and that they may be around. He went to go and search the creek over on the other end." Luna pointed toward where a man with long blonde hair was standing in the creek.

"Oh. Well, that's cool Luna." Ginny looked over at me to gauge my reaction to her interesting friend.

"What's a millber?" I couldn't help but ask. Luna turned her gaze from Ginny over to me.

"It's a creature that lives with the frogs in the creeks. It has healing properties and keeps the lipmlids away." She said in a dreamy voice. Her blue eyes locked on mine. Most, it would seem from looking at Ginny, would dismiss those blue eyes for being aloof and not in the moment, but would be sorely mistaken.

Luna's eyes, while seemingly gone in her own land were really stuck on mine. As if seeing if I would dismiss her. Only from years at the Dursleys made it possible for me to see it, but her eyes sharpened ever so slightly. Jaded and clouded not from aloofness, but from pain. And thank to the Dursley's, I happen to know pain.

"That's cool." I said, giving her a small smile. "Ginny and I were about to go swimming in the lake in the back. Do you want to come with?"

Luna's eyes widened a fraction. Maybe it was from the invitation itself or from not having a dismissal from her creatures. I couldn't be sure. She hesitantly looked back at her father and then over at us. And have a slight nod.

So from that day forth, whenever Minnie took her to visit the small girl with red hair. A petite blonde girl happened to join.

Through the weeks at the Dursleys the loneliness away Jamie became bearable. Slowly I was starting to become okay with only having letters as my main mode of communication between us.

And that's when Christmas came.

Usually Christmas at the Dursleys was busy for Harry and I. We had to make sure that the house was sufficiently cleaned. Cook Christmas breakfast and dinner. And once dinner had been cleaned up and the family of 3 moved to the living room for further celebrations, me and Jamie hid away in our cupboard. We would sit on the small cot and empty our pockets of the food that we had stolen from the kitchen. So we we eat our small feast, and as the Dursley's would listen to the loud movies on the television we would sing Christmas songs. Which had always been a fun time considering our terrible singing voices.

But not this year.

This year there would be no Jamie singing terribly to Christmas songs, or the small celebration we would have together with bits of stolen food.

There would be no Jamie.

So as Christmas Eve rolled around and I sat at the steps of number 4 before 8:30 on Tuesday. I was decidedly less happy than normal. Minnie arrived and we said our hellos, mine more subdued than normal. So we continued on like every other Tuesday.

We went to the park where Minnie even joined me in kicking around the football which definitely lifted my spirits. We grabbed our sandwich, with an extra cookie just for Christmas Eve. Our day continued as we sat in comfortable silence eating out lunch outside the bakery.

"What is the problem?" My head snapped up at Minnie's question. Swallowing I answered.

"What do you mean?" She gave me a look that said she didn't believe me. So I put down my half eaten sandwich, suddenly not feeling very hungry anymore.

"Aubrey." I kept my head down. "Sweetheart look at me." Hesitantly looking up at Minnie, I could see her eye looking at me in a loving way. "Tell me what's wrong." She said softly.

"I don't get to spend Christmas with Jamie." I said quietly, tears pricking my eyes. Understanding crosses her features. Before she gives me a sad look. Standing up she moves toward my chair and crouches in front of me.

"Darling." She started. Putting her hands in mine. "This afternoon, instead of going somewhere London or diagonally like I normally would I was going to take you somewhere special." I bowed my head to where her hands held mine. "I was going to take you to Hogwarts."

My head snapped up so quickly that I was pretty sure that there was a crink in my neck.

"What." I asked quietly. Scared I would burst the bubble and she would tell me it was all a joke.

"I know that you don't like to spend time with your Aunt and Uncle. So for Christmas I thought that you would like to spend it with your brother at Hogwarts." Not realizing what I was doing I threw my arms around her and hugged her tight.

Later that night, after getting a tour of the castle, Minnie and I arrived in front of the great hall where everyone was eating dinner.

"Go on." Minnie said motioning toward the big doors. Putting my hands on the doors I slowly push them open. On the inside was a great big room filled with only one small table in the middle. In it was what I assumed Hogwarts teachers, 4 red headed students, and a black haired boy.

"Jamie." I breathe.

Harry's head snapped up and looked at me. A smile spreads across his face so wide I think that it might just break it. Not knowing how, but we somehow ended up in each other's arms halfway between the table and the doors.

"I missed you so much." He said into my auburn hair as he pulled me closer. I laid my head on his shoulder and just hugged him tighter. Tears spilling out of my eyes and onto his new jumper that Minnie had bought him. Pulling away slightly I take a good look at him.

His figure had filled out slightly and his eyes were much brighter than they had been this time last year. His hair was a crazy mess as always, not much had changed with my Jamie.

"What are you doing here? I thought that you were at the Dursleys."

"No. I was. Minnie brought me here."

"Minnie?" To answer his question I just pointed over my shoulder where Minerva was walking over toward us.

"How about you go sit down and enjoy the feast Aubrey." Minnie said. Nodding, Jamie took me over to where the rest of the red headed people were sitting.

So the best Christmas of both mine and Harry's lives continued, meeting the rest of the Weasleys (As I had met Bill and Charlie a week earlier when I visited Ginny and Luna), and enjoying time with my brother.

--

After Christmas I went back to the routine from before. Chores with the Dursley's, Tuesdays with Minnie, school with Eddie, and only Letters from Jamie.

Over the years school had become somewhat of a safe haven for Jamie and I, and when me and Eddie would take refuge at the swings we deemed it as our safe space.

No one would touch kids who were on the swings.

Whenever me and Eddie were on the swings neither of us talked. It was a testament to our friendship that we could be in each others company comfortably and not need to speak.

So it took me by surprise on a day in April when he did.

"You know Brie." Eddie said. "My parent have decided that I'm not going to go to the secondary school in this area next year."

"What!" I was aghast at that. And then it hit me. Even if he would have stayed I would not have been able to see him either. I would have gone to Hogwarts.

"Yeah. Mom and Dad have decided that I'm going to a different school. It's a boarding school. Mom and Dad both went there when they were my age."

"Oh." I just responded. Trying to seem indifferent. It was hard when you learn that you essentially won't be able to see your best friend ever.

And then it hit me. Boarding school, both parents had gone, 11 year old.

"What-" I started, "What is the school called." Trying to sound nonchalant but the hope that he was going where I was, it was too much.

"Umm...it-it's called Hogwarts."

Looking back on it I would say that I had gracefully flown off the swing and looked him in the face as he said that. But I'm pretty sure that I had unceremoniously tumbled off the swings in shock at what I had heard.

"What." I breathed. It was the only thing I could think of in response.

"Yeah. I know it's a weird name but I-"

"My brother goes there."

This time it was him who fell off the swings.

"No-but wait- that's. Oh gosh." Eddie turned to me seriously. The wood chips were digging into both of our plans and knees, but neither of us noticed.

"Your brother." Eddie began. "Is Jamie a wizard?" His voice slowly turned into a horse whisper.

"Yeah." I nodded. Then tilted my head. "Why do you still call him Jamie? You know that's not his name right?" I asked.

"Well, you introduced him as such so I just assumed. And that's all you really call him. I think I might have heard his name once, but I don't remember." He shrugged and looked questioning at me.

"Jamie is not his real name." Eddie nodded with a furrowed brow. "His real name is Harry. Harry Potter." Eddie promptly passed out.

Once awoken again, Eddie began to question me with a vigor that surprised me. When asking him about why he cared so much, he could only say that he was told bed time stories about 'The Great Harry Potter', so to learning that he actually lived in the same town as him was a bit of a shock.

"You don't understand Aubrey." Eddie began. "Both of my parents were involved in the war. My dad is a Muggleborn and my mum is a Halfblood. They don't exactly worship the ground your brother walks on, but like so many others, their thankful that he had a hand in killing You-know-who."

Only a moment later the bell rang signaling the end of recess. Walking back into school from the playground a sudden thought came to me. She looked over into Eddies blue eyes and said in a whisper.

"We're going to Hogwarts together."

The smile that lit up on both of their faces never left for the rest of the day.

--

"Harry." I whispered in the darkness of our room on August 31st.

"Yeah Brie."

"You were talking about how people in Slytherin house were bad people."

"Well….I think that Draco Malfoy and his two goons are bad, but I don't know the rest of them well enough to make that decision. But, yeah. That is most likely it with the rest of them."

"Well….what if I-I get into Slytherin tomorrow." Slowly I leaned closer to the side of the top bunk where a wooden beam kept me from falling over.

"You won't."

"But Jamie-"

"No. You wont get into that house tomorrow Brie." It was silent for a few moments. The only thing that you could hear was the rustle of sheets and breathing from both of us.

"But-No don't interrupt me Harry-what if I get into Slytherin. Just a hypothetical. What would happen?" Below me I could hear Harry blow out a breath of air. Really starting to think about it.

"Well." He started. "For me nothing would change. It would be weird not having you in the tower with me I think. But, I would not shun you or anything. I couldn't lose you over some stupid house affiliation after all that we have been through."

I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. He would still love me. He would still love me. Over and over I repeated this. A silent mantra. He would still love me. He would still love me. He would still lov-

"But." Jamie said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "If you joined quidditch I definitely wouldn't let you win. Got to make sure that Gryffindor wins the house cup. Can let Slytherin do that." We both started laughing slightly at that. Of course his head would go straight to quidditch.

As we calmed down I slowly sat up, mindful of the ceiling, and climbed down the latter of our bunk. Pulling back his sheets I crawled into bed next to him. Getting comfortable I lay my head on his chest as he situates the blankets. Lying his hand on my waist, he puts his lips to the top of my head and gives me a kiss.

"I will love you Brie. Always."

--

A little less than 24 hours later after riding the Hogwarts express with Ginny, Luna, Eddie and other friends. I was sitting on the stool in the Great Hall of Hogwarts as everyone was anticipating the house where the great Harry Potter's sister would go.

In my head, after polite introductions in which it almost made me jump from the stool, the hat remained silent. Sifting through my mind I could hear the quiet murmurings of both the students and the hat.

"Are you sure my dear? You definitely have the aspects and strength to handle it, but do you want to?" That was the question wasn't it. Did I want to one in that house where I was not sure I would be safe or the house where I knew I would. The decision I was making was decidedly brave, so much so like a Gryffindor, except it had the brash and recklessness of the decision gone.

"Yes. I love Jamie but I want to be me. And if I have to go where I am to be that...well...then so be it." The hat gave a small chuckle.

"Yes I could count you for both the houses couldn't I. If you didn't help me we would have been here all night." So opening up its brim the hat readied to shout the house where I would decidedly make a difference. Where I would be different. That would help decide my fate. Where I could keep Harry Safe.

The house which Jamie had talked about that had no good people, terrible and cared about no one but themselves. But being on the train today and meeting Astoria Greengrass and her older sister Daphne who helped me when I couldn't find my brother. I had to disagree with him.

"Slytherin!"