Chapter 1

The Leaky Cauldron

12:00 pm

August 30, 1973

Theo wanted to be sick. She was sure she was going to be. She had been warned by the government official that came with her portkey that traveling across an ocean was going to be an exceptionally unpleasant experience, but was still in a right state when she landed rather clumsily in a room of the inn she was going to be staying in for the next two days. She had been told that her parents could not accompany her, as they were no-maj and would not take the trip well. She looked around and found someone standing near the door, anticipating her arrival. She was right on time as to be expected with portkey usage.

"Miss Clarke?" Theo would have nodded, but the slight turn to face him made her stomach twist and turn in threatening ways so she grunted in affirmation instead, leaning on her knees and closing her eyes. Could she always feel the Earth spinning beneath her feet?

"I am David Douglas. I'll be assisting you with your transition over the course of the next two days." Another grunt from Theo, as the world continued to spin.

"I recommend that we exchange your currency and attempt to finish all of your school shopping today so that tomorrow you have time to relax and perhaps explore the more interesting stores that Diagon Alley has to offer."

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea." She hoped she didn't sound as terrible as she felt.

"Whenever you're ready, I will take you to Gringotts to-"

Theo could guess what he said next, but it was hard to think when she was emptying the contents of her stomach onto the already worn floor and a little on poor Mr. Douglas's shoes.

(^^)

"I am so sorry," Theo had been chanting non-stop since she and David Douglas had left the little inn (pub?). She was so embarrassed that she managed to puke on the first person she met in this new and strange place.

In between her apologies she was looking in wonder at all of the stores that surrounded her. There were, of course, many wizarding communities in America but Theo had only experienced the one somehow hidden in Chicago. Since she was still new to this whole magic thing and didn't get out much as a now thirteen year old girl she didn't expect to see many others but here she was and she could not take in enough. Everything about this place screamed foreign and exciting.

"As I've already said, it's alright. You handled it quite well, I must admit. The puking usually happens immediately." Douglas was rather amused, Theo noted with both mortification and annoyance. Since nausea was a rather common occurrence with that particular method of travel, he came prepared with a potion that would help ease her stomach, which she had been sure was planning a coup. She was feeling much better now, she noted gleefully.

"So is having to escort small foreign children through a crowded alley to shop for school part of the job description or am I a special case?" She wasn't even looking at Douglas, but she heard his snort from her left.

"I am actually here as a favor to Dumbledore. My working for the Department of transportation is just a bit of an added benefit."

"Oh gosh, are you even getting paid for this?" Theo looked horrified at the prospect of puking on a volunteer. As if she didn't feel bad enough.

"No, but I'm happy to help. Dumbledore is a good man, and I understand why he might be reluctant to let you travel London on your own for the first time."

They were silent as they continued to navigate through the alley, stopping first for money, then books, potions supplies and, finally, Hogwarts robes. By the time they had finished, the sun was setting and Theo was feeling the emptiness of her stomach. Douglas took her back to The Leaky Cauldron, gave her a small amount of money to pay for dinner (which she tried to refuse but failed miserably) and stated that he would be back a day after tomorrow to take her to King's cross station.

Theo didn't sleep a wink that night. Nothing about this was even a little reassuring, and more than a little frightening. She also didn't want to think about her mother and how she was handling Theo's absence. She was reluctant to let Theo leave, despite the fact that she had already agreed to the whole thing. Her last few months at home had been strained, with shifty glances and the occasional screaming match. Even Theo's sister was upset with her, begging her not to leave and getting mad when she refused.

Theo wondered if she was going to have better luck making friends in this new school than she did at the last one but knew the chances were slim. She knew she was a little different, and less than average when it came to attractiveness. She couldn't even get along with people who were apart of her own culture, how could she expect it to go any better when she was so far from home with people who have already known one another for two years? She felt her stomach squirm at the idea of having to talk to people, and move into her room, and oh god she had to be sorted all over again. As she rolled around until the early morning light streamed into her windows, she wished desperately for some of that potion Douglas had to calm her stomach.

(^^)

The next day, Theo spent some time in the pet shop, looking at all the animals and asking questions. After about two hours of this, the owner finally seems to get fed up with Theo and shooed her out none too nicely. After that she found a bench and sat down just to watch people pass. She knew she probably looked strange, people watching like this in her muggle clothes. She stuck out like a sore thumb but after spending such a restless night in her room she could not suffer it for another minute. She had one of her school books, the one about magical creatures, but she was reluctant to start reading. It seemed like too nice of a day for her to waste it reading, and everyone around her seemed to have a similar idea.

A glance at her watch told her she had been sitting on this bench for about an hour. It was decidedly less interesting than the pet shop she concluded, because she felt rather sure that she had been there for hours. With a heavy sigh she made to get up, but a strange feeling came over her. It urged her to remain sitting, so she did. It urged her to close her eyes, so she did. It urged her to relax, and as soon as she did she suddenly felt like she was in a totally different place. It smelled of old paper and gave off the distinct feeling of being old. The feeling urged her to relax further and as she did she saw a room come into view. It had shelves upon shelves of books, with windows lining the wall. It was raining outside, she noticed. The sound of ran splattering the window filled her ears.

She spent no more than a few seconds just observing her surroundings when she heard a large crash coming from her left. She whipped around and saw two boys dashing in her direction. She pressed herself against the wall behind a shelf and watched as they skidded to a halt right in front of her. She looked on through the books, wondering if they had noticed her. She held her breath, waiting.

Theo had no idea what was happening, but she was entranced. These two boys were taller than her, both with black hair. One had hair that was smooth and shiny and longer than most thirteen year old boys kept their hair. He was strikingly handsome, even for someone so young. Theo could see how he would look when he started filling out and felt a pang of envy in the back of her mind. The other was also handsome, but in a different way. The first boy was elegant and refined, but the second was all rough edges and messy hair. His round glasses were hanging loosely on the tip of his nose.

"What the hell were you thinking James," hissed the long haired boy. He looked up and Theo noticed his striking grey eyes. Where the hell did this boy come from to get so lucky with the gene pool?

"Well, Sirius, I was thinking we need that bloody book if we're going to help Moony!" They both stood to full height, glaring lightly at one another.

"So you thought climbing the shelves like a ladder was the way to go?"

"I didn't see you coming up with anything!"

And suddenly Theo was sitting on a bench in Diagon Alley once again. There was a man across the way who was giving her a strange look. Theo gave an awkward smile and hustled back to her room to avoid talking to anyone ever again. She realized that she may be over reacting to the strange things that were happening in her life, but she was also sure that it was her job as a thirteen year old girl to panic and be self-conscious. Besides, she'd never heard of anyone else having strange dreams that felt real and tended to actually happen.

She wondered briefly if she was going to actually meet those boys or not. She hoped not, since her track record with boys her age usually ended with them laughing and her going red in the face. She wanted to worry about why she was seeing it in the first place, but it was hard to concentrate right now. Every time something like this happened, she felt strange after. It was like her body was adjusting to the fact that it had just dipped into the future and was having a hard time with it.

She remembered briefly, the first time something like this happened. She was young, and she had seen her aunt dropping her sister's birthday cake because she tripped over their dog. Theo had been five at the time, and simply cried and cried until her parents gave her a piece of chocolate to make her feel better.

It wasn't that Theo was upset about the loss of cake (she was actually glad because she was not at all fond of vanilla), but she remembered the distinct feeling of something being wrong. It was like her bones no longer fit in her body in the right spot, almost like the distinct feeling of wrong one feels when they put a sock on backwards. You knew what it was supposed to feel like, and were uncomfortable when it wasn't quite right.

Theo felt the effects melt away slowly, and began thinking of the strange site she had seen. She'd never seen those boys before, she was sure. They wore robes over their casual clothes, so Theo could only assume that they went to Hogwarts. Maybe she was seeing the school library? It seemed to fit the situation as well as anything.

Theo sometimes wondered what these things were that she was seeing, but never brought it up with anyone other than Professor Dumbledore. She knew it sounded strange, and impossible even. She knew impossible wasn't the right word, though, because she had actually looked into it at Ilvermorny and had read a bit about Seers. She became fairly aware from that point on that she might not necessarily be a seer, but she definitely had a functional "Inner Eye". However, she still didn't feel comfortable telling anyone of actual authority about the subject, seeing as she found she was often wrong.

It was more than that, she knew. She knew that reason she never told anyone was the same reason she never told anyone she sprained her wrist when she was nine or when she hid the fact that she had a crush on one of her classmates when she was eleven. She was scared that people would yell at her, make fun of her, or worse, call her a liar. Her mother had accused her before of faking pain for attention, and she wasn't the only one. Theo found from a very young age that she was a fortunate person, and because of this fact, she was not really allowed to complain about the things that were bothering her, because what did she have to complain about really?

So this, she kept to herself. She could not explain why it was that she opened up to Professor Dumbledore when all he had done was smile at her. Her parents and Professor's had been badgering her since the incident, demanding she explain herself and all she could say was "I thought she was going to hit him." She never explained that she dreamed it the night before, convinced that they would get even more upset, and just hoped that if she apologized and kept her head down, it would all be over.

But when Dumbledore asked, she told him. She told him everything, even that this wasn't the first time. He didn't say he did or did not believe her, but he let her attend his school. That must have been saying something, right? It also could mean that he thought she was crazy, and he really owed whoever phoned (owled?) in the favor.

Theo continued to wonder Diagon Alley, admiring the many ins and outs of such a strange and wonderful place and for a second really believed that maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

(^^)

Theo and David Douglas had no real relationship at all but as it stood, he was the only one in the country that she knew and parting with him was an upsetting thought. Theo hated being alone and more so than that, she hated not knowing anyone. At least at school she knew the people pushing past her and knew what to expect, but here anything seemed possible and not in the "chase your dreams" kind of way. Theo was sure she was going to be sick again but felt secure in the fact that she wouldn't since she hadn't eaten anything since she landed in this stupid country.

"You'll be fine," Douglas muttered. Theo jumped slightly and looked up at her temporary companion. They were in King's Cross Station, Theo pushing her luggage in front of her as she tried to maneuver her way through the crowd. She felt small for the first time in years.

"I'm not scared." Theo's voice betrayed her, cracking right at the end.

"No, of course you're not. Right up here," Douglas motioned, pointing at a very solid looking wall between two platforms. Theo didn't question it, familiar with the fact that few things were ever as they seemed in this world of magic. Theo lined her trolley up with the wall between platform 9 and 10, and walked forward confidently like she wasn't walking head first into a wall.

Platform 9 ¾ seemed even more intimidating than the no-maj one. There she knew who she was, here she just felt awkward and out of place. Douglas pushed her forward toward the train and took over pushing the trolley, while Theo just looked around in wonder. There was such an interesting mix of people here, some in robes, others dressed more normally. She supposed to the ones dressed in robes, they were the normal ones.

Theo knew from experience that when one was not looking where they were going, they were bound to run into something unpleasant, and this time was no exception. She was so taken aback that in colliding with what she assumed was a person, she lost her footing and landed unkindly on her arse. She grumbled to herself and looked up to apologize to whoever she had run into but she was frozen in place.

This woman looked capable of killing with a glance, her grey eyes piercing Theo's souls as a look of rage crossed her face. Her hair was neat, her face sharp, and her eyes burning in their sockets. Theo opened her mouth to apologize but had issues getting words to come out. This angered the woman further, as she began to scream.

"How dare you! Do you know who I am?!" Theo shook her head, sliding backwards slightly. This woman reminded her fiercely of her mother, with the same disgusted look and such similar, bone chilling eyes that Theo would have thought them related if she hadn't known better. She even has the same thin lips, Theo thought briefly before the woman was screaming again.

"You filthy little witch. Have you nothing to say for yourself?" Theo once again felt her mouth open, and yet still no words came out. She curled in on herself, waiting for the woman to scream again.

"Mother, you're causing a scene." Theo dared a glance to the woman's right to see a strangely familiar site. The boy had long black hair, his face housing a pair of striking grey eyes that matched the woman in front of her. What had his friend called him? Sirius? It didn't matter. The woman seemed to still instantly. Ah, another woman frightened of others perception. However, while Theo's mother simply hoped for normalcy, this woman seemed to have a status she was attempting to protect. Theo could not have been more grateful in that moment for such pettiness.

"Miss Clarke, are you alright?" Douglas was at her side, pulling her up to her feet again. For some reason standing seemed to bring back some of her courage as she looked at the frightening woman yet again. She simply scowled before turning to the boy at her side. Theo was grateful for the blatant dismissal and turned to Douglas who led the way to the train. Theo had had enough of people and the day had barely started. She was eager to sit and wrap herself up and hide for the rest of eternity or at least until the train ride was over.

Oh god, she was going to have to sit somewhere, with someone. Oh gods above what was she going to do? What if everyone saw her? What would they think? She had run into the woman after all. it was all her fault…

She didn't feel her breath quicken so much as she heard it ringing in her ears, drowning out other noises. She couldn't do this, what was she thinking? This was a mistake, this was a huge mistake. She just wanted to be home and pretend none of this ever happened. She couldn't breathe, everything hurt, why couldn't she breathe?

"Miss Clarke! Please, calm down. You'll be ok, just look at me." Theo barely registered the words, but managed to look down at Douglas who was now kneeling in front of her next to the train. She had yet to actually look at David Douglas's face, but now that she did she noticed immediately the freckles that covered his nose, and his tan skin. He wasn't thin, but he certainly wasn't pudgy either. He wore thick glasses and looked to be about the age of forty or fifty, the greys hairs peppering his light brown hair. Scanning his face helped distract Theo and in turn, calmed her down.

"There's a girl. Can you do this?"

No. No she couldn't. This would be the third time she'd have to navigate her way through a new school with knew people and given the way it went the last two times she was fairly certain she was going to mess it up again, just like she did every time before this one. She swallowed hard and nodded.

"Good, good. I'll pack up your trunk, and you just worry about finding a seat, ok?" Theo nodded again, certain that if she spoke she'd vomit and she would feel awful if she puked on this poor man twice. Theo climbed onto the train and looked out again. The whistle blew and Theo knew they would be leaving soon. This was scary. This was so scary.

Douglas was still on the platform, waving at her. She smiled a little to herself, grateful that Dumbledore had thought to send someone along. She never would have gotten anywhere without his help and she was determined to make it up to him somehow. The whistle blew again and the train was lurching forward, beginning the trip. Theo waved to Douglas until he was out of site, and felt the weight of the world rest on her shoulders. This was it, she was really alone now.

Finding an empty compartment seemed laughable at first but it seemed there was a god and he was smiling down on her at least a little because she'd managed and plopped herself down quickly before something else could go wrong. She scooted as close to the window as she could get, pressing herself against the wall. She knew she didn't have too much time before other students came looking for a place to sit and just hoped that it wouldn't be too painful.

Theo wasn't truly aware of how tired she actually was until she felt her heavy eyelids fall. She wanted to fight it, but she had not been kind to her body the last few days and it was demanding a break. She didn't even know who joined her in the compartment until someone was lightly shaking her shoulder. Theo blinked lazily a few times, setting her eyes upon the person who roused her from her unexpected slumber, her breath catching in her throat.

This girl, whoever she was, was far too cute to be legal. She had dark brown hair that reminded Theo of chocolate, and bright blue eyes that reminded Theo of a clear sky in the summer time. Already she reminded Theo of two of her favorite things and felt it impossible for Theo to find her any more appealing until she smiled. Honestly, this wasn't fair.

"Hey sleepy head. I'm sorry to wake you but we're getting close to the school and you'll need to put on your robes now." Theo nodded dumbly, not saying anything as she dug out her robes and changed into them. It was around this time that Theo noticed the other two girls in the compartment, both attractive in their own ways, but neither of them compared to the girl who'd woken her like princess charming.

"I'm Isabel, by the way." Princess Charming smiled as she changed. "We didn't want to wake you up, and there were no other seats. I hope you don't mind."

"No!" Theo internally cursed when the other two girls shot her strange looks. One word and already she was off to a terrible start. "I mean, I don't mind at all. I'm sorry if my sleeping bothered you guys or anything. You didn't have to worry about waking me…"

Isabel just giggled, causing Theo to blush.

"We actually weren't being quiet at all," said one of the girls as she plopped back down. She had black hair and tan skin, and eyes so dark they almost looked black. It was unnerving to have them staring at you like they were doing to Theo right now.

"Yea, some stupid boys burst in screaming trying to scare us. When it didn't wake you we assumed that regular conversation wouldn't either." The other girl spoke this time. Theo found that she had a very soothing voice. The kind of voice you want reading you bed time stories when you can't sleep. Theo wondered that if she had done that two nights ago if Theo would have been able to get to sleep.

"How does one becomes such a heavy sleeper?" Isabel was speaking again, and Theo once again blushed. Control yourself, woman!

"Oh, I uh, I grew up next to some train tracks so I had to learn to sleep with a lot of things going on." Isabel and the girl with the nice voice laughed slightly, while the black eyed girl smiled.

"You're not from around here, are you?" Theo looked back to Black Eyes as she sat back down.

"No I'm from America."

"Really?! What's it like? Do you, like, eat burgers and chips every night?" Nice Voice seemed to be jumping up and down. Nice Voice? That's ridiculous. How about… Siren?

"Uh, no not really, only when mom doesn't have time to cook." Siren visibly deflated.

"So what brings you here? Have you been here the last two years? I don't think I've seen you."

"Oh, well, uh…" Theo had not thought about how she was going to tell people her reasons for leaving and if she wanted to make any friends she doubted announcing that she tackled a teacher to the ground because of a weird dream she had was not the right way to go. Black Eyes was piercing her with a steely gaze, however, and she needed to think quick.

"My family just moved here for work."

"What do they do?" Black Eyes seemed unconvinced of Theo's lie and she should be. It was blatant and she doubted they'd still be talking if she told them the real reason. Theo just blushed and tried to think of something to say. Her mother was a secretary for a plumbing company so that was out. Her father was a System's Engineer, but she wondered if these girls would even know about said no-maj occupation.

"Claire!" Isabel scolded. Theo glanced over and found that Isabel looked even cuter when angry.

"What? I just want to know. I don't trust her."

If Theo was blushing before, then there was a whole new word for what she was doing now. She felt her whole face heat up and thanked the gods above when she felt the train lurch to a stop. Theo watched as the other girls stood up, each helping each other grab their trunks and was a little disappointed to note that none helped with hers.

When they finally got off the train, Theo made to follow the other students, but gave pause when she heard a booming voice shout "First years this way!" Theo wasn't sure if she counted as a first year, or if she should go with the other students. She realized quickly that standing still was not the best course of action however, and got shoved rather violently forward. She landed on her hands and knees in the mud and honestly considered drowning herself in the nearby lake. She began making her way in that direction, whether to drown herself or ask for help she wasn't quite sure yet.

"First years this way!" Theo approached the large man with the lantern that was doing all of the shouting, feeling more and more scared by the second. There was that nauseous feeling again. By now she felt as if she had developed a bit of a report with the feeling and if she kept it up, it was going to be her only friend.

"E-excuse me," Theo half whispered, half spoke. This was terrible. This was the worst thing in the history of all things. The large man, Theo realized, could not be shorter that nine feet tall, maybe even ten. Theo swallowed loudly.

"You wouldn' 'appen to be Miss Clarke now would ya?" Theo nodded and he seemed to smile under that bushy beard of his though it was hard to tell. What was it with beards, anyway? She didn't understand. "Righ' this way then! You'll be sorted with the firs' years."

Theo, seeing eleven year olds all around her climbing into boats, went and did the same. This was humiliating on levels beyond what Theo had previously thought possible. It was like this, shaky and nervous and covered in mud that Theo walked into the great hall with all the first years. Theo didn't listen, the ringing in her ears making it nearly impossible anyway. She was sure that if dying of embarrassment were possible and it hadn't already happened by now, she would in this exact moment as she tried to ignore the sniggering she heard from one of the tables. Some tried to be subtle, others didn't bother.

Theo was so lost in her own self-pity that she was only stirred when she heard a woman shout "Clarke, Theodosia!" into the crowd. She shuffled her way forward through the students, praying for an early death. This, she figured, was not much different than her own sorting back at Ilvermorny. All she had to do was walk up and magic would do the rest.

An older woman with a tight bun who had already introduced herself as Professor McGonagall held an old hat up as Theo gently sat down on the stool. She felt the hat descend upon her and cover her eyes. She waited.

'A little late to the party, hmm?' A voice spoke into her head and unnerved her in ways she thought she was immune to. She straightened slightly, refusing to show fear. She was embarrassed and tired and dirty but she made it this far and a magical hat was not going to do her in.

'I've already heard of you. You're quite the hero, I dare say. And you sit so proud, despite your fear.'

Thank you.

'You're a very smart girl, I see. You get told that often though, no need to dwell on it. You're also protective. And brave, definitely brave.'

I'm not brave.

'And modest too, I see. But it's not modesty, is it? No, it's not at all. But trust me when I say I know bravery when I see it, and you have it. But where do I put you? You will excel anywhere you go, but I think I know where you'll benefit most. Better be…

"GRYFFINDOR!" There was cheering as the hat was lifted off of her head and the hall was in front of her once more. She numbly stood up from her seat and made her way to the Gryffindor table (which she gathered since they were the ones cheering), noticing for the first time that the girls she met on the train were definitely not in Gryffindor and felt her shoulders sag. There was still some residual cheering as she sat and only fully died when the next student was called to get sorted. Theo watched with almost no interest as students one by one were placed into their houses. After the days she'd had, she was ready for sleep. Even eating seemed to be more effort than it was worth but she managed some chicken and a little mashed potatoes before following the prefects like the other first years.

Despite Theo's exhaustion, she could not help but take in the beauty of the castle as she walked through it. It was grand and beautiful and different from her school. Ilvermorny was different from anything Theo had ever really seen. She guessed it must have been established around the same time as the revolutionary war, as the structure and design closely matched that of paintings she'd seem from that time.

It was a beautiful school, but this was different. This had history and feeling pouring out of it in waves. This building was alive and pulsing with energy from all the magic embedded in its very core. Theo felt strange, as if she were merely floating. She wondered if it was because of how little she's slept and eaten over the last few days, or because of the magic swimming around her, or both. Probably both, she decided.

She felt a strange feeling of calm wash over her and suddenly she was urged again to sit and relax and let whatever happens happen. She fought it knowing what would happen if she gave in. The middle of the staircase was not the time to fall into an unresponsive trance, especially on her very first day. They reached a portrait of a Fat Lady and watched as the prefect declared the password ("Ursa Minor"), and the portrait swung open. In they piled, and watched as the prefect pointed everyone in the right direction.

Theo made her way up to the prefect, intent on asking her if she was actually bunking with first years or if she was going to be with other girls her age. She was cut off however, by someone calling her name from the portrait hole from which she came.

"Yes?" She hated how small and weak and scared she sounded but she was so done and ready for sleep to take her. Professor McGonagall seemed to notice the bone deep ache that was taking over her entire body and smiled in a way that was probably meant to be reassuring.

"Hello dear, I just came to inform you that you will be rooming with other girls in your year, there should be a sign on the door. You'll find that your things have already arrived." Theo nodded, grateful that it was taken care of already and awkward conversations didn't need to happen. "And also, Professor Dumbledore requests to see you tomorrow morning after breakfast. Simply ask one of the prefects to bring you when you're ready and I'm sure they'll be happy to assist you."

Theo smiled, nodded, and thanked the woman. She was fairly certain she had done all three, but couldn't be too sure with how tired she was. She assumed she at least managed to smile because the woman smiled back before turning and leaving from whence she came.

Climbing up the stairs and finding the room titled "Third Year Girls", Theo knocked lightly before shuffling in. The other girls all stopped what they were doing just to stare at the mess that was Theodosia Clarke.

"Aren't you a first year," a dark skinned girl asked. She looked incredibly unamused and Theo figured she would be too if the positions were reversed. Theo seriously considered just going back to the common room and sleeping on the couch to avoid this part but instead she just looked down at her muddy shoes.

"No, I just transferred." A red headed girl raised her eyebrow at Theo, but chose to just ignore the whole thing and continue unpacking. The other girls followed suit.

Theo wasn't sure if she expected the others girls to be receptive of her but she expected introductions at the very least. It seemed that they were content not knowing who she was, and given her current state she couldn't blame them. So instead of trying to talk, trying to make friends, or anything of the sort, Theo just went to her bed, changed into her pajama's and crawled into bed. She was grateful for the curtains and quickly shut them. The girls were making idle conversation outside, but didn't invite Theo to join.

So feeling miserable and alone, she curled up into the smallest ball she could make herself and pretended like she was back at home with her sister and her dog and things weren't absolutely terrible.