She thought her life was over – but fate gave her another chance, in a world of magic. Now, running around Hogwarts with James Potter and his friends, she's about to make choices that will change the future in ways she never thought possible…

Marauder's Phase

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Rescued And Resources

A slightly younger Mr. Borgin stood before me, his hair as oily as his voice, as I scrambled to my feet hastily, and half backed away.

"S-sorry, I went a grate too far." I apologized. I was covered in soot from the fireplace, and knew at once where I was.

So, I'd ended up in Knockturn Alley anyway. Who the hell invented Floo Powder anyway?

Mr. Borgin's eyes flickered to my uniform, and he said: "Hogwarts student?"

And Gryffindor at that. I thought, as I nodded silently, and looked around for my scarf.

I spotted it on the ground, and Mr. Borgin and I reached for it at the same time, and he got it first.

He picked up the gold and maroon scarf, and then glanced casually at the name tag attached to it. Then he did a double-take. "What in the…" He looked at the scarf, and then at me, his eyes suddenly wary. "Pax?"

Okay, I'd had enough of this. I grabbed my scarf from him and ran from the shop, not caring who I ran into, or the person I heard say: "The hell's a Gryffindor kid doin' here?" I just kept on running. I ran into a witch carrying a tray of fingernails (eww) and kept on running, despite her shrieks. Knockturn Alley was twisting and turning.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed my wrist, jerking me to a stop.

I turned around, terrified, and saw the eyes of a vaguely familiar-looking wizard, black hair and pale eyes…

"Lestrange!" I gasped. One of Voldemort's first Death Eaters, his old 'friend' from school.

Once I'd come to this conclusion, strangely enough, I didn't panic. I stopped fighting to get my arm back, and just let my arm go limp.

"You…" He said, as a bunch of shady-looking witches and wizards surrounded us, and I had nowhere to go.

"Me." I replied, grimly.

And that was when I heard a voice: "OI!"

Everyone turned to see a giant man standing there, silhouetted in the light from the street behind him.

"Hagrid!" I gasped.

With three great strides, Hagrid reached me, and wrenched me free of Lestrange, half dragging half carrying me by the arm, away from the dark people, toward the bright light of the street.

I was gasping by the time we'd emerged onto the street known as Diagon Alley, and then I looked up at Hagrid. "H-Hagrid," I gasped. "Thank you…"

"What were you doin' in Knockturn Alley, Emma?" Hagrid asked, looking down at me from his great height. "Durin' these times that's the last place a witch like you needs ta be." He spoke gruffly, but I could tell that he was worried.

"I got lost…Floo Powder." I said, trying to wipe some of the soot off of my skin. My scarf was hanging limply from my hands, and I was scared about the reactions of Mr. Borgin and Lestrange seeing me.

What did this mean?

***

"Emma!" Lily was hurrying toward me, with Dumbledore right behind her. To my surprise, Lily threw her arms around me when she reached me, hugging me tightly. "Are you okay? Where did you come out?"

"Knockturn Alley." Said Hagrid and I both.

Lily gasped. "No…"

"I trust that you are alright though, Miss. Pax?" Dumbledore asked me, peering at me over his half-moon spectacles.

I nodded vaguely. "Yeah…I'm okay…" For some reason, I didn't feel like telling them about what had happened.

***

We arrived at Gringotts.

"Umm…Professor…" I said, as we went inside, and our shoes made little clicking sounds on the tiles, except for Hagrid's shoes, which made big clicking sounds. I stopped, and Dumbledore and the others stopped also. "This may be the right time to tell you that…I don't have an account here…or any money…at all." I winced, waiting for the rebuke.

To my surprise, Dumbledore just smiled. "Not to worry, Miss. Pax – all his been taken care of." And he stepped up to one of goblins at the front desk. "Miss. Pax wishes to make a withdrawal from her account, in vault 179."

The goblin, whose name was Grimclaw, leaned down, and peered at me with his beady little eyes. "And does Miss. Pax have her key?" He asked in his scratchy little voice.

"Ah," Dumbledore nodded, and pulled a small gold key out of his pocket. He placed it on the table in front of Grimclaw, who took it, examined it and then nodded.

"Follow me." He beckoned.

***

My eyes opened wide when we arrived at vault 179. Inside were mounds of gold Galleons, heaps of silver Sickles, and piles of little bronze Knuts. I couldn't believe it – how could this money have been mine?

It wasn't – but then why did Dumbledore say it was? I glanced at him, but he appeared not to be looking at me, though there wasn't much to look at down here.

How can this be mine? I wondered. Is Dumbledore hiding something, just like I am?

I wasn't about to ask.

So, with Lily's help, I scooped money into a bag, an amount that Lily said would suffice, and I trusted her on that one.

***

Lily was listing a whole bunch of things she knew I'd need – Standard Book Of Spells Grade 5, protective gloves, spare robes, a hat…the list went on and on.

"I only got about three of those," I admitted, and then I saw that they had a list. "Ah…" We were passing Ollivander's and, for some reason, I slowed down.

"Do you want to go in here?" Lily asked me.

I gazed at the shop sign, and then nodded. "Yeah…I need to ask him a few things…"

"Well then…" And before I knew it, Lily, Dumbledore and Hagrid had left me there, saying that they'd go and buy all of my stuff for me, despite my protests.

I sighed, took a deep breath, and stepped inside the shop, listening as the bell above the door twinkled.

Mr. Ollivander looked only slightly younger than he does in the movies. He smiled at me. "And what can I do for you, young Miss?"

I reached into my robes, and took out my wand. "Umm, I was wondering if you could tell me where this wand came from…"

Mr. Ollivander came closer, and picked up the wand. "Hmm…" He said. "I see…hmm…ten and a half inches…mahogany…nice and supple…and…what's this?"

"What's what?" I asked, already knowing what he meant. The wolf-hair factor.

Mr. Ollivander looked at me steadily. "Where did you get this wand from?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "It…I can't explain it. But it is mine, though." I added, defensively.

"Oh, there's no doubt about that," Mr. Ollivander said quickly, handing the wand back to me. "The wand chooses the wizard, or in this case the witch…but I wonder about the wolf hair in it, miss…uh..?"

"Pax. Emma Pax." I introduced myself. "So…the wolf hair?"

"I have never seen a wand core made from wolf hair," Mr. Ollivander told me.

"Wolves are iconic in my life right now." I mumbled, thinking of my death, Remus' 'furry little problem' and my Animagus form.

"I wonder…" Mr. Ollivander said. "This is most intriguing…I only know of two other wands – and these ones were made by me, mind – that were made with wolf-hair as the core…very odd…"

"Who..?" I began but, just then, there was a tap on the window, and Lily was waving at me from outside.

"Umm…I'd better go." I realised, pocketing my wand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Ollivander."

"Yes, you too, Miss. Pax…" Mr. Ollivander's eyes followed me all the way out the door and onto the street. Lily had bought me an ice-cream, mint-choc-chip (she herself had one called Strawberry Surprise).

"What was that all about?" Lily asked me.

"Oh…just doing some research…" I said evasively. "Your ice-cream's dripping…"

"Oh!"

I laughed.

Somehow, without having been told it, but like a real-life Mary-Sue I just knew, that the wand was a ten and a half inch mahogany wand. It felt nice and supple in my hand and, somehow, I just knew, that it had a wolf hair in it. But, since