A/N: ARGH! I'm sorry if they don't exactly sound like 6- and 7-year olds. But they're both mature… and stuff… I'm doing the best I can. Also, I'm going away for about a month next week. I'll try to put one more chapter up before then but I can't guarantee it. Enjoy! Review please!

"Mum?" Nefaria asked timidly as she plopped herself down on the couch next to Bellatrix. A week had passed since Nefaria had met her new friend.

"Hmm?" Bellatrix answered, distracted. She was immersed in a book. Nefaria leaned over and craned her neck to read the title; it read Secrets of the Darkest Arts. Bellatrix had it opened to one of the few pages without gruesome drawings or sketches.

"Can I take a walk outside?"

Bellatrix replied, without looking up from her book, "You don't need to ask me, Nefaria. Just go out back." Bellatrix kept reading, but glanced up when she noticed Nefaria hadn't moved. "What?"

"Can I take a walk out front?"

Bellatrix's shoulders drooped. "I don't know… Why can't you just go out back?"

"There's more space out front," Nefaria said in a tiny voice.

Bellatrix sighed. "Fine. Take your wand. Be very careful. Don't talk to anyone. Be back in half an hour!"

Nefaria nodded. "Thank you!" she exclaimed.

"And your nose!" Bellatrix shouted once Nefaria had left the room.

"Right, mum, I got it!" she called back. The little girl grabbed her wand from her back pocket and waved it, muttering an incantation. The dreaded normal-shaped nose formed, and Nefaria stuck her wand back in her pocket, satisfied. "Bye, Mum!" she shouted, and shut the door.

Nefaria walked slowly, making sure it looked like she was just walking for the fun of it. But once she was out of sight of her house and Bellatrix, she broke into a sprint and ran all the way down the street, towards Harry's house.

When she arrived, she saw her new friend, as promised, outside mowing the lawn. Just as he passed the mailbox with a small metal number 4 attached to it, he looked up and saw Nefaria standing there. He grinned.

"I didn't think you'd come!" he exclaimed.

"Of course I did." Nefaria smiled.

"My aunt and uncle are out shopping, and my cousin is at a friend's house, so we can just sit and talk if you want. I just have to finish mowing the lawn before they get home."

Nefaria looked quickly around, making sure no one was near. "Let me do it," she said quietly. Before Harry could say anything, she whipped out her wand and waved it. The lawn mower started up and began mowing the lawn by itself.

Harry gaped. "Wha- what was that? What's happening to the lawn mower?"

Nefaria giggled. "Magic, silly."

"My uncle says there's no such thing as magic."

"Your uncle's a stupid muggle. He doesn't know anything," Nefaria replied.

"You mean, you can do magic?" Harry whispered.

Nefaria nodded. "Yep. And if you're a mudblood, which I'm sure you are- we talked about it last week!- then you can too."

Harry snorted. "I can't do magic. I'm-"

Nefaria interrupted him. "Yes, you can. You're a wizard, Harry!"

"No… I'm not… I'm Harry. Just Harry."

Nefaria shook her head. "Have you ever done something that you couldn't explain, when you were sad or mad?"

Harry tilted his head, pondering. "Last week, my aunt got me a sweater that was absolutely hideous. It was my size. But when she tried to put it on, it sort of shrunk. That's all I can think of."

Nefaria nodded excitedly. "That's it! I knew you were a wizard."

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "Do your parents have to be wizards for you to be?"

Nefaria frowned. "No… some wizards have muggle- non-magical people- parents. But they're inferior in our world. That's what mum says. Were your parents wizards?"

Harry looked down. "I don't know," he murmured. "They died when I was one."

"Oh, I'm so sorry! But- maybe they were wizards! How did they die?"

"Aunt Petunia says they died in a car crash and she says not to ask questions."

"Do you remember anything about their deaths?"

Harry squinted. "Sometimes… if I think real hard… I can see a bright green light. But Aunt Petunia says I wasn't in the car. So I don't know."

Nefaria gasped. "No!" she said. She shook her head. "That's horrible! Who would do that to you? Why would someone… if they weren't muggles, then…"

"What?" Harry asked, confused.

"A green light. It's a spell. My mum hasn't taught it to me yet. She says maybe in a few months. I don't think we're supposed to do it, but no one really knows we live here, so the government can't track us down." She took a breath. "A green light is the killing curse, Harry. I think your parents were murdered," she whispered.

"N-no," Harry stuttered. "Who would murder my parents? That's not true. That can't be true. You're LYING!"

Nefaria stood up and took a step away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you!"

Harry sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped. But if my parents were murdered, I'm going to find the man who did it!" he said with fierce determinedness.

Nefaria smiled slightly. "I can help if you want." She paused, thinking. "I have a huge library in my house. I could look through some books and see if your parents are in any of them! What were their names?"

"Lily and James Potter."

"Those names sound familiar… I think Mum might have mentioned them once. She doesn't talk much about the times before I was born," she tried to explain. "She's afraid she'll give something away about my father. She doesn't want me to know who my father is."

"Why not?"

"She says it's too dangerous. She said she'll tell me when I'm older. He was a powerful man," she said, getting excited. "From what mum says, I think he was one of the most powerful in the world. And he could read minds! Mum says he used to brag about being immortal. That means he can live forever. We're going to go find him someday!"

"That's fantastic!" Harry replied. "I wish I could go find my parents."

"I really am sorry."

"Thanks." They sat in silence for a moment. "Can you show me how to do magic?" Harry asked suddenly.

"You don't really need it until you're eleven," Nefaria said.

"But I want to get my cousin to stop chasing me. He likes to beat me up sometimes…"

Nefaria's eyes grew wide. She jumped up and said, "I'll teach you some magic, then! But you need a wand." She sighed. "We can't go to Diagon Alley. It's too far. And I can't apparate… er, travel long distances by myself."

"I could borrow yours, maybe."

"Next time. I should go before my mum starts to worry. Maybe I can find a spare wand at my house."

"All right, then."

"I'll see you next week, Harry!"

"Bye, Nefaria!"