:O Is this an update that I see before me? Already?

X: Chloe's Tale

Harry was lying on his bed, nose buried in a book that he'd taken from Robin's room; a worn paperback version of a book he'd once had read to him in Primary School- 'The Hobbit'. He was just reading about Bilbo Baggins' run in with three hungry Trolls by name of Tom, Bert and Bill when a knock on his bedroom door made him jump out of his skin.

"C'min" he called sliding a scrap of parchment into the book to mark his place and setting it on his bedside table.

The door opened to admit his godmother, who was today dressed slightly more like her muggle counterpart in his old world would in a blue pencil skirt and a white blouse that had its top button undone; her hair hung loose, probably recently freed from the band around her wrist.

"How're you doing Harry?" she smiled. "Settling in ok?"

"Yeah" Harry nodded. "When did you get here?"

"About two minutes ago" was the reply. "I need to talk to you"

"What about?"

"Me" Chloe told him. "Other than little Mary you're the only one who doesn't know my story, since you're back in the family now I thought it might be time to change that"

"Ok" Harry nodded again and patted the bed inviting her to sit down

"Alright" Chloe began once seated. "A lot like you I was raised in a Muggle home, that involved primary school and that was where I met your mum…"

It was a lovely summer's day and the pupils of St Andrew's Primary School were beginning to trickle into the playground for their dinner-play time. Six year old Lily Evans retreated to her little corner of the yard, so as to avoid the hateful taunts of her big sister.

"Hi Lily"

Startled, Lily flinched and looked up into a pair of large, dark brown eyes, half obscured by messy dark blonde bangs. "Hi Chloe"

Chloe Cockgolde was the oldest daughter of the local vicar and a convicted tomboy, much to her mother's chagrin. Chloe normally played with a group of the boys in the class, so why was she talking to Lily now.

"Do you want something?" Lily asked politely

"Yeah" the taller girl nodded. "Do you believe in magic?"

"Yes" Lily nodded, smiling slightly. "In fact, please don't tell anyone this, but I'm a witch"

Chloe grinned a Cheshire cat grin. "I know"

"You know? How?"

"Because it wasn't me who lost her temper and made the light bulbs explode when Kyle pulled her pigtails"

Lily gasped. "You're a witch too?"

Chloe nodded. "Half blood, my mum's a Squib- which means she should be able to do magic but can't. My Gran and Grandpa are a witch and wizard"

"You should meet my friend Sev, he's a wizard" Lily told her

"Cool- do you want to come and meet my gran and grandpa?" the blonde asked. "I'm sure they'd be happy to teach you some stuff before Hogwarts- your friend Sev can come too if he wants to"

"That'd be great- I'll ask him when I see him again"

"Hey Clo!" Dennis Astley called. "You aren't turning into a girl are you? Come on, we're gonna play Knights of Camelot"

"Coming" Chloe called. "See ya Lily"

~HP~

Lily and Chloe became great friends after the revelation that she wasn't the only Witch at St Andrew's Primary School. However when she introduced Chloe to Severus it was obvious that the two would not be able to tolerate one another if not for Lily playing the mediator.

For some reason Severus appeared to resent Chloe from the moment they met. Chloe at least attempted to accept his presence at the classes that her grandmother gave them. Ursula Graham taught them how to brew basic potions which wouldn't come up on the Hogwarts syllabus. She taught them the basics of how to read Runes and how to recognize different magical plants. Her grandpa, Erik Graham gave them lessons on how to care for magical creatures, and, much to Lily's terror, how to fly.

~HP~

As the years separating the three children from Hogwarts slipped away Chloe's relationship with her father deteriorated. Reverend Kenneth Cockgolde wanted her to stop using her magic, claiming that she was heading for an eternity in hell if she didn't. Chloe, in defiance of this, took to experimenting more blatantly with her powers.

"You're going to go too far one day Chloe" Lily told her friend as she helped her clean the latest injury she'd sustained from reverend Cockgolde's belt- they were holed up in a cubicle of the girl's toilets.

"I only have to put up with it until argh…" she winced. "I get my Hogwarts letter- then I'm free"

"What about during the holidays?"

"Gran and Grandpa" was the blonde's reply. "They're too old to look after me full time, but they can manage during the holidays"

"You haven't told them about what your dad's doing, have you?"

"I can't Lils" Chloe sighed. "They'd only worry about me"

"They're your grandparents though; it's their job to worry"

Chloe sighed. "Grandpa was a Gryffindor- that's where I want to be, and I can't be if I'm not brave"

"Clo, you're not being brave, you're being stupid- if you don't say something your dad's going to end up killing you"

Silence fell between the two young witches. The blonde suddenly slumped, defeated.

"You're right" she sighed. "Enough is enough"

The bell rang signalling the end of lunch time

~HP~

After that Chloe stopped coming to school- she stopped turning up after half term. The lessons her grandparents had been giving in witchcraft and wizardry came to a halt too. Lily began to get worried that her best female friend had gone too far. At the end of three weeks of silence from the blonde she skipped school and ran to the Graham house.

It was Chloe who answered the door. She was wearing what looked like pyjamas, her feet were bare and she had a serious case of bedhead

"Lily?" the blonde seemed surprised to see her, but smiled and hugged her in a greeting. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you Clo. You disappeared so suddenly- what happened?"

"Come on in and I'll tell you, Gran and Grandpa are out just now"

Mr and Mrs Graham's living room hadn't changed a bit since the last time Lily had been in there. It was still bright and airy with the wizard wireless in the corner, the open fire, and the moving photos on the window sill. There was a magazine resting on the arm of the sofa entitled Quidditch Today.

Lily couldn't help noticing that her friend was moving with a slight limp in her right leg.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm better than I was, my leg's a bit stiff but it's getting better" Chloe replied, sitting on the sofa. "I spent a week in St Mungo's- a wizarding hospital. My mum walked in when dad was trying to 'get me to renounce my occult gifts' just as the old git pushed me down the steps into the cellar.

I ended up with a fractured skull, broken rips, a punctured lung and all four of my limbs broken. The bones in my right foot were completely crushed- It took the healers a week to fix me up and now, my grandparents are my guardians. Mum and my sister show up three days a week to see me, but the main thing is that I'm free"

"So you're ok?"

"Top of the world… oh hang on"

There was a tap on the window and the two girls turned to find an owl sitting on the window sill.

"Bear with me a sec kay, Lily" Chloe gestured for her to sit before letting the bird into the house.

"That was the day I got my Hogwarts letter" Chloe told Harry. "I can't say I never saw my father again but I was a grown woman by that point. After gran and grandpa took me in I ditched my father's surname and took my mother's maiden name- thankfully the admissions list changed accordingly"

"Ok" Harry smiled, glad that he was closer to understanding his godmother. "So do you think… back where I came from, you didn't escape from your dad?"

"I think that's the most likely turn of events but for the record kiddo- just because the guy's my father doesn't make him my dad." She must have seen the apologetic look on his face because she ruffled his hair and said. "I'm sorry Harry but I just can't find it within myself to forgive what he did to me"

"That's not the whole story is it?" he asked, remembering what his father had told him while showing him around the house. "Dad said my grandparents took you in"

"That they did but that wasn't until I was a few years older." Chloe nodded her smile shifted from apologetic to fond. "I promise I'll tell you the rest later on, now I've got a bottomless pit of a husband to cook dinner for- and he gets more than a little crabby when he's hungry."

"Oh, ok" Harry nodded

"Good man Harry, I'll see you later." his godmother rose and kissed his forehead before leaving the room, and Harry to his thoughts.

Hermione Granger couldn't believe it, she had taken Robyn Potter's advice in offering to tutor Neville Longbottom in the hopes of becoming his friend, but she hadn't expected it to work nearly as well as it had. She was currently sitting with Neville in a quiet corner of the common room helping him with his charms essay. A shadow fell across their table.

Hermione and Neville looked and found that their visitor was a boy in their year. He held his own charms essay in his hand and a hopeful expression on his face.

"Yes?" Hermione asked. "Want something?"

"Um, yeah" he shifted uncomfortably before stating his business at their table. "You're good with essays right, Granger?"

"I prefer Hermione" she told him curtly. "But yes… why do you ask?"

Two pairs of eyes locked, he knew what she was doing but he was trying to retain what remained of his family pride; however, he crumbled under the calm scrutiny of her brown eyes.

Shoulders slumping he made his request. "I'm stuck with mine so I was wondering… would you help me with it?"

Hermione glanced at Neville who shrugged, returning her attention to the newcomer she patted the chair beside her with a smile.

"Sure Draco, take a seat"

~V~

Yes that's Draco Malfoy, I put him in Gryffindor because I could- I'll tell you what I did with Ron after I've brought Harry back to Hogwarts

Can't promise that I'll update nearly so quickly next time

Until next time my friends :)