April woke up with sun streaming through into the dark room. It took her a few seconds to realise where she was but remembering she smiled and jumped out of bed. She looked at her watch and saw it was already eleven o'clock. April wandered down stairs in her pjs which was a white singlet and black pj pants. She walked into the kitchen and stopped in the doorway, it wasn't her dad sitting at the table, but a man she didn't know.
Remus Lupin had arrived early that morning and was waiting for Sirius to return from the attic. He heard footsteps and looked up seeing a young girl standing in the doorway looking confused.
"You must be April; I haven't seen you since you were born." April walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table across from the man.
"Yeh I'm April. I'm really sorry but, who are you?" Lupin smiled at her.
"My name is Remus Lupin I was at school with your dad", April smiled in understanding.
"You're Moony, the werewolf." Lupin nodded, as Sirius walked into the kitchen.
"Nice to see you could join us." April swivelled around in her chair and smiled at her dad.
"Morning to you to dad", Sirius walked over and hugged his daughter.
"Glad to see you two have been getting to know each other." Sirius pulled out the chair next to his daughter and sat down.
"So where have you been while I have been getting to know Remus?"
"I was up in the attic looking for this", and Sirius pulled a wand from the inside of his jacket and handed it to his daughter. April looked at it and then at her father.
"It's only a temporary one until you get your own, but I thought you would need something to practice with." April just gapped at her father.
"I get a wand, wait practice with?" Sirius and Remus looked at each other and smiled.
"Well yes you're a witch you need to learn magic. Lessons start today and will continue until Dumbledore believes you are ready to go to Hogwarts." April just looked dumbfounded.
"Your teachers will include Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore until school starts, as well as Remus, Mad-Eye, Kingsley, Tonks and myself." April looked from her dad and Remus.
"So you guys are going to teach me magic?" Sirius gave his daughter the biggest smile.
"Yep we are going to teach you everything you need to know so that you can join the 5th year sometime after Christmas break." April didn't know what to say she just hugged her father so tightly and whispered,
"I love you dad."
"I love you to, but come on breakfast time before the lessons begin."
At about one o'clock the sound of the front door was heard in the kitchen. Dumbledore walked into the kitchen to greet Remus, Sirius and April who had changed out of her pjs earlier.
"Hello Remus, Sirius"
"Hello Albus" they answered together. Dumbledore then turned his attention to April.
"Hello Miss April", April smiled at Dumbledore,
"Hello Professor Dumbledore."
"I gather by that smile of yours that you have been told you are to be learning magic."
"Yes Professor I have and I am so excited."
"I'm very glad to hear that. Now I have brought you all the school books for years one to four, and once I have finalised the staff for this coming school year you will also need the books for year five, but no need to worry about that yet." Dumbledore turned his attention to Sirius for a moment,
"Sirius, what would be the best room for April's first lesson to take place?"
"Well, any of the rooms would be fine, they are all fairly disgusting and dirty but there is nothing valuable in any of them."
"Very well, April shall we go and find your class room." Dumbledore headed out the kitchen door first and April rose and followed him looking back and smiling at her dad and Remus.
April followed Dumbledore up the stairs to the second floor, where he led her to a fairly empty room. It consisted of a cabinet, a desk, a couple of chairs and as Sirius had said a lot of dirt and dust. On top of the desk was a pile of books which were the only new thing residing in the room.
"Those April, are your school books." As April looked from the huge pile of thick books, to Dumbledore and back to the books the smiled that had been on her face since she arrived at her fathers house yesterday fell.
"What is the matter April?" April looked back up at Dumbledore and felt his piercing blue eyes reading her thoughts and feelings. She sat down on one of the chairs and Dumbledore did the same.
"I'm scared", she admitted in a quiet voice.
"What exactly are you scared of?"
"What if I can't do this, this magic stuff? What if I'm just not cut out for it? I just found my father and he would be so devastated. I was so excited to find a place I belonged that I didn't stop to think that maybe it is to late. I am five years behind and that's just in schooling, I'm never going to catch up." Dumbledore surveyed April over his half-moon glasses and smiled.
"Firstly Sirius would love you if you became a brilliant witch or decided that Hogwarts and magic weren't for you. That having been said, I taught both your mother and your father, and if you have even a third of the talent they had you will be caught up in no time. However, from the brief time I have spent with you I believe that you have more than half the talent of your parents and not just in the learning department. Now if you would like we do not have to go through these lessons but I have no doubt and neither does your father that you will be an extraordinary witch."
April smiled at Dumbledore and thought for a minuet.
"I want to make my father proud, so let's learn some magic."
"Very good decision April, very good indeed."