Chapter 7

10 Years Later…..

It was quite a long time since Lily had thought about gaining the custody of her daughter after Pettigrew's hearing. Selena would've been eleven by now since Harry was only three months younger than she was. Lily knew Harry wasn't going to be in the Potter household for long either. His letter for Hogwarts was going to arrive soon now that her son was all grown up. She would've shared that moment with Selena as well.

"Mum! Dad!" sounded the young voice of her son as Lily jumped from the chair she was relaxing in. James ran down the stairs as Harry held a parchment of paper excitedly in his hands.

"It came! It came!" Harry exclaimed as he handed the letter to his father. The two skimmed through the letter excitedly as they grinned proudly at their grown up son.

"Oh Harry! We're so proud of you!" Lily quivered with joy kissing him on the forehead.

"You have a big life ahead of you young man! I know you'll make us proud!" James added ruffling Harry's hair.

"Looks like we need to make a stop to Diagon Alley."

….

Lily and James watched their son proudly as he tested out a series of wands in Ollivander's wand shop. They flinched as Harry swished his wand breaking a lamp.

"S-sorry sir," Harry said apologetically placing the wand back in it's case.

"It's fine my dear boy! This is the best part!" Ollivander said rushing to the back of his store. He pulled out another box bringing it back to the Potter's revealing the wand. "Here was have an 11 inch holly with a phoenix feather core."

Lily and James looked in astonishment as Harry felt the warm touch of it's alliance.

"Looks like that is your wand son," James smiled as Harry gazed at the wand in amazement.

"Indeed it is. This wand has a core of phoenix feather. The rarest kinds of cores out there. The core, is believed to have a brother wand. A brother to the most powerful dark wizard out there," Ollivander explained.

"Voldemort," Harry thought in his head.

"Use this wand wisely Mister Potter."

Lily, James, and Harry stepped outside of Ollivander's as they headed towards the direction of Flourish and Blotts. Lily recognized her former transfiguration professor as soon as she saw the pointy hat she was wearing.

"Ah! Good to see you Lily and James Potter," McGonagall smiled.

"Good to see you again Professor," James said.

"Why, if it isn't young Harry Potter isn't it?!" McGonagall said as soon as she saw the sight of the eleven year old Harry.

"Yes it is! He just got his wand!" James exclaimed excitedly as Harry blushed.

"The last time I saw him was when he was a baby. You must be proud of your son," McGonagall smiled.

"Harry, this is going to be your future transfiguration teacher!" Lily said smiling.

"Professor! Sorry if you couldn't find me! I got lost after stopping by Flourish and Blotts!" a girl called out from behind the Potters.

"Ah Emma! I've been looking all over for you! It's time to get your wand!" McGonagall exclaimed smiling as the young girl pushed through the crowd with a cauldron in her hands. Lily froze as soon as she saw the appearance of the girl. Stormy blue eyes and dyed dark blue hair. The kind of hair she gave her daughter to hide her hoping she would be mistaken as a metamorphmagus.

"This is Emma Azul Jones. She'll be attending Hogwarts as well," McGonagall explained as she and Harry blushed at each other.

"I-it can't be her can it?!" Lily exclaimed in her head. "I probably shouldn't say something like this in public. Dumbledore said she would be on hold for a couple more years but I never imagined it this long! It's been ten years! I have to owl Dumbledore about this. It's a bad time to blurt it out right now. This has to be her!"

"Oh. Well that's amazing!" Lily smiled as Emma looked up at McGonagall.

"We better get going! Time to get your wand!" McGonagall clapped excitedly as the two strode off to Ollivander's.

Lily stared at the girl wide eyed as she looked upon the condition she was in. She was awfully skinny and small for her age. She compared her to Harry who apparently was about two inches taller than she was.

"Lily, you look like you just watched something terrifying happened," James said in a half terrified and half serious tone.

"Oh…...it's….nothing. You two just go to Flourish and Blotts. I have to go do something. I'll meet the both of you outside the Leaky Cauldron?" Lily replied as the two nodded and headed the other way. Lily sworn the girl was possibly hers. How did she manage to be with McGonagall after all these ten years? Does she even have an adopted family? Or has Dumbledore kept her captive from anyone after all these years. She followed McGonagall and Emma as they excitedly approached Ollivander's. Lily listened through the window as she focused on hearing the conversation between the three inside.

"Here we have a 10 inch Hawkthorn, unicorn hair core."

Emma took a swish of the wand as it made the lamps in the shop explode. Emma frantically put the wand back as Ollivander shook his head.

"Not that one exactly," Ollivander explained as he went to the back of his store. His instincts went up through his body as he ran his hands through the wand boxes.

"Here, we have a 13 inch Cypress with a Phoenix Feather core, unyielding. Another one of those rare cores," Ollivander said as he handed the wand to Emma. Emma slowly took the wand as she nervously grabbed it's cold wood. She could feel a warm alliance between her and the wand as she gazed wide eyed.

"Looks like this wand has chosen you to be it's owner Miss Jones," Ollivander said as Emma held the wand smiling down on it.

"Wow," Emma said in a dumbfounded tone.

…

Lily rushed down to the entrance to The Leaky Cauldron after listening to Emma choose her wand.

"There you are Lils. Look at Harry now!" James smiled proudly as Harry blushed in his new school uniform.

"Oh Harry! I can't believe you're going to school!" Lily smiled.

….

The Potters flooed back to their home as Harry prepared for bed. Lily had to tell James about her witness today in Diagon Alley.

"James," Lily started as James glanced back at her. "It's about my daughter and…."

"Bringing her up again after ten years?" James asked as Lily hesitantly nodded.

"Yes. I'm not sure if this is true and I'm not really supposed to be mentioning crucial things about her, but I sworn I saw her today," Lily stated.

"How can you be so sure if you don't know what she even looks like after eleven years?" James questioned.

"You're right, but it was my instincts," Lily lied.

The night she gave Selena away, she specifically gave Selena the name Emma Azul Jones as her disguise name. She even changed her hair and eye color to make her look like a metamorphmagus. She knew that was her baby and she needed to demand her back.

"We don't know if that girl you saw was your daughter. Dumbledore said she would be on hold for quite a while and he's right about her fulfilling her destiny. We're not even sure if she's already done it or if she's with another family Lily," James denied. "Dumbledore did say a couple more years after Pettigrew's hearing. It's impossible for her to fulfill a destiny when she's like three or four years old. He must've been exaggerating Lily. A family could've adopted her already Lily. She might not be in the orphanage anymore."

Lily sighed knowing he had a point. How should she be so hopeful that her daughter would be in Diagon Alley this day when she could be someone else or in the family of someone else. They could've named her differently too since her last name would've changed too. But the thing that astounded Lily was the fact the girl was named Emma Azul Jones just like the name she named her that night. It was either her or James that was correct on Emma never fulfilling her destiny quite yet and that she was still in the orphanage.

"Listen, I know it's hard to never stop thinking about her again, but we have to move on and face reality," James said coolly.

"You're right. I was being foolish. It's just that, I've felt like I've forgotten all about her since I gave her up," Lily said. "It's so hard to even remember what her name was or where I took her."

"I feel the same," James confessed. Lily glanced up at James as he stared back at her with a meaningful look. "I'm her main godfather just as I vowed. I've given up on searching for her after Harry was born. I don't know about the others but by the looks of it, she seems to be adopted and loved by a family that can raise her," James said trying to make things better.

"Yes. It's all I ever wished for as well. For Emma to be loved and happy," Lily sighed as grief filled her mind.

…..

It was September 1rst, the first day of school for Harry as he rolled his trolley crowded with his trunk and his snowy owl Hedwig. James and Lily walked behind him proud and teary eyed as they approached inside King's Cross Station.

"Where is platform nine and three-quarters exactly?" Harry questioned as he stared down at his ticket.

"You'll see Harry. This is the fun part," James said excitedly as they approached a wall in between platforms nine and ten.

"There must be a mistake on this ticket Dad. This is platform nine and ten. How can there be a platform nine and three-quarters?" Harry asked.

A family of ginger heads suddenly approached from behind the Potters as they excitedly approached the wall.

"Platform nine and three-quarters is here!" exclaimed a woman who Harry assumed to be the mother.

"Ah! Molly! It's so great to see you again!" Lily exclaimed recognizing Molly Weasley.

"Lily! Lovely Lily! It's great to see you again too!" Molly said as the two hugged each other.

"Hey Harry!" sounded a voice from behind Molly.

"Ron!" Harry smiled as Ron pushed his cart next to Harry.

"You nervous about Hogwarts?" Ron asked.

"Agreed. I don't understand how there's a platform nine and three-quarters," Harry said looking at his ticket.

"There is! It's on the other side of the wall. You have to run straight through it," Ron explained as Harry went cold.

"Straight through the wall?" Harry repeated.

"Trust me. I've seen my brothers do it loads of times. You have to concentrate on getting to the other side instead of worrying about crashing," Ron added. Harry nodded as he watched Ron's older brothers, Percy, Fred, and George pass through the wall. Ron came rolling after them followed by Molly and her daughter Ginny. Harry was about to have another go until another cart was frantically rolling behind him. A breathless girl came gasping towards the Potters as she looked up at the signs for the platforms.

"Excuse me, where is platform nine and three-quarters exactly?" the girl asked staring up at James and Lily Potter with her storm blue eyes. Lily's eyes widened since those were the same blue eyes she saw at Diagon Alley. She was sure it was definitely her. The same hair and eye color she witnessed at Diagon Alley and the wand color which was a Cypress color. Emma Jones.

"If you're looking for platform nine and three-quarters, all you have to do if run straight through that wall and you'll be on the other side," James explained as Emma went pale. "It's Harry's first year as well. Harry, why don't you give it a go to show her how it's done!"

Harry nodded nervously as he pushed his cart straight towards the wall. Emma went wide eyed as soon as he disappeared out of sight.

"Go ahead. Don't be nervous," James said softly, as Emma moved her cart of school things aiming it towards the wall.

Emma gave a great push towards the wall as she closed her eyes bracing herself for a crash. But she realized she wasn't in pain. She was in a new place full of bustling witches and wizards crowded next to a train named "The Hogwarts Express." The platform was indeed nine and three-quarters as she read the sign. She pushed her cart forward as soon as James and Lily appeared from the other side.

"Harry, wait for us!" Lily called to Harry as he turned back to his parents excitedly.

"Sorry Mum. I'm just excited!" Harry said as he pushed his trolley through the crowds. Lily glanced back checking on Emma as she proceeded forward into the station.

"We'll take that to the luggage compartment Harry," James told Harry as they headed over to the compartment.

Lily looked around the station hoping Emma's parents were somewhere around looking for her. But no one in sight was looking for her.

"Are your parents around?" Lily asked.

"Nope," Emma shook. "I'm orphaned."

"Would you like me to take this over to the luggage compartment for you?" James asked approaching Lily and Emma again.

"Sure. Thanks sir," Emma replied as she handed her trolley over to James. James went off with Emma's trolley while Harry stuck with his mother.

"Orphaned?" Lily repeated. Emma nodded.

"Thank you for helping me," Emma said as she proceeded inside the train.

"I'll miss you Mum," Harry said looking up at his mother.

"I'll miss you too son. Be sure to owl us your Hogwarts House," Lily smiled kissing her son. As soon as James returned to say goodbye, Harry proceeded into the train as well as Lily and James waved to their son proudly.

As soon as the train took off. She thought about what Emma said about being orphaned. That was all she said and if Lily was so sure that was her child, then she was right all along. It has to be her. Lily completely forgot that she even owled Dumbledore about the situation she witnessed in Diagon Alley. Was it really her?