Seventeen, fresh from her brother's wedding in Spain, she glanced up to the sound of Dudley knocking on her front door. She had finished her breakfast, eating quite early, and she had thoroughly searched through her closet for something Muggle appropriate. She had a pair of slacks and a very nice shirt. She didn't want to look too fancy, but she wanted to look nice. She had twisted up her hair into a loose braid and then some low heels. They had such a height different, she wanted to help that.

She called a goodbye to her mother, who was in the dining area, and assumed it was her daughter heading out for her few hour long run, and then Aquila would return near dinner time. Her mother offered no response. Aquila flung open the door, grinning at Dudley as he shifted in his button up shirt and slacks. "Morning," she greeted, shutting the door behind her.

"Morning," he returned.

"You look smart," she continued, glancing him over. "I thought this wasn't supposed to be fancy?"

"It's not," Dudley admitted. "Come on, I'm driving."

"Driving?" Aquila question, reaching for his hand as they turned to the garage of Number 4. He let her take it, a smirk showing as he glanced at her. "Those... cars?"

"Yup. It'll be fine. Your method of transportation is a little... life threatening."

"Couldn't these cars hurt you?" She questioned. The metal contraption in the driveway of Number 4 was large, bulky... It didn't seem too safe. But she got into the passenger seat as he held the door open for her. He shut it before getting into the driver's side.

"Well, yeah, but not if you're doing what you're supposed to." The machine started, giving Aquila a bit of a jump. "Er, sorry." She just gave a small blush of embarrassment, watching him as he took a strap and make it click to something attached to the opposite end of his seat. "Er, you gotta buckle up."

Aquila took hold of the strap by her and hesitantly pulled it across her chest, down to the thing it clicked in. She had no bloody idea what to do. So she pressed the red button and nothing happened. Merlin, didn't magic work for anything? He took hold of it from her and slid the metal platform into the red buttoned thing, making it click and it was secure against her. "Is it comfortable?"

She nodded slowly. "It's strange. I feel confined. Why do you wear these?"

"Safety thing. Makes sure you stay in the car if we get in a wreck."

"Oh," Aquila murmured. He began to back out and then he was driving. She wasn't particularly amazed by it, as it seemed every non-magic folk could drive. "So, are there certain things that I need to be aware of before we get there? What customs I should know?"

"Act like you do now, don't mention anything about Merlin or anything. And if you want to know what something is or means-"

"I won't ask," Aquila interrupted. "I know that would be strange if I didn't know what the most basic things are."

He nodded. "Then we're fine. And tonight's the rugby match with the mates. I don't know what time you leave in the morning, but if you want to hang out-"

"I'll leave at ten forty-five, so I have plenty of time to hang out," Aquila smiled towards him. His eyes never left the road but he seemed to like what she said. "Where's the match?"

"I told you, surprise."

She smirked. "Yeah? Well, does it involve a long drive home?"

"No."

"A long drive to get there?"

"As long as this one."

She humphed. She had no idea. Not that she thought she would anyway. "Well, then."

"How did your Mum react to the mirror?"

"Mental. She covered all of them up and refuses to leave the house. She doesn't suspect enchantments, but rather a magical anamoly that will only get worse as the days go by." Aquila smiled at him innocently. "I couldn't dare break her heart, you know. I keep telling her she looks like the same mother to me."

"And?"

"And, she's furious and convinced that whoever she bought the mirrors from rigged her. Apparently no one ever told her she looked like that because the charms to make you look nice when you look in the mirror supposedly wore off. Of course, there are no such charms on mirrors. Just ones that talk back to you."

"Like Snow White?"

Aquila glanced at him in surprise. "You know of her? She was a very powerful witch, a Pureblood despised by her step-mother and cast away to be raised by house-elves. When she returned, there was public out cry and her step-mother was beheaded after a ten year stay in Azkaban - our prison."

"Er, not quite the same story I've heard," Dudley admitted. "It's a children's fairy tale. She was rescued from the woods by dwarves, whom she cleaned for and stuff... and then she fell victim to the evil step-mother in disguise as an old woman and ate a poisoned apple. Putting her in a sleep until true loves first kiss."

Aquila frowned. "That's such an odd version. I've never heard it before. And children believe this?"

"Er, sort of. Little kids especially do, but you're always taught they're not real."

"To be taught at such a young age that magic doesn't exist," Aquila murmured. She glanced at him. "What do you believe in instead?"

"Well, dreams, I suppose. Like monsters under your bed, being an astronaut, and being a princess," Dudley shrugged. "Your equivalent?"

"More so boggarts under the bed," Aquila told him brightly. "They're these creatures that show you your greatest fear. Terrifying. And I don't know what an astronut is."

"Astronaut," he corrected, shrugging lightly. "Sort of this person that trains to go into space. To like walk on the moon and stuff."

"You can do that?" she gasped. He glanced at her in surprise. "But the moon has no air to breathe! We've been taught that it's impossible and-"

"Well you have a mask and suit and stuff on so that you can breathe... we'll have to watch some movies together. Your Muggle pop culture is lacking," he laughed. But it wasn't a laugh as though he was making fun of her. "But yeah, since the sixties. America did it first, beat Russia at it."

"That's so amazing! Do you explore the stars then? Constellations? Astronomy in a sense?"

"Sort of," he admitted. "We aren't that good at it, but yeah. We can get to the moon and a little farther, but that's about it. We're trying to find aliens."

"Aliens?" Aquila asked. Were these like magical creatures?

"Yeah, like people that live on other planets." It was like something of a fairytale. They believed in this stuff? Merlin, this was astounding! "A lot of people think it's crock."

"And you?"

"Well, the universe is a big place, innit?" Dudley asked. "I mean, I can't say nothing lives out there, because they could be thinking the same thing about us. Something's got to be out there. Not like Star Trek or Star Wars stuff, but some kind of life."

"Star Trek?" she questioned.

He smiled to himself, shaking his head. "We'll need to watch these. They're films. About space and stuff, like the future. It's our interpretation of the future, because we can't see it like you lot can. It's a bit... unrealistic, but we have a lot of interpretations."

"Really?" she asked, intrigued. "And these films... what are they, exactly? Like a ... game? You said watch."

"They're like your moving pictures... or those portraits. They move and talk, but they're a whole bunch of pictures put in succession so fast that it makes it seem like the picture is moving. And you can replay it as often as you want. They're on these boxes called VHS tapes, and you put them in the VHS player. It's all really fascinating technology really. But that's what I thought your posters were at first. Like movies in really thin posters. And they tell a story, I suppose. Like the television programs do."

"And you just buy these tapes and you can play them in the player? No matter what tape it is?" Aquila asked.

He nodded. "We have hundreds in the cupboard. After Potter moved into my spare room, I moved all my movies to the cupboard." Where did Potter sleep before, then?

"And are they expensive?"

"Not really, no."

She hummed and shifted slightly, the seat belt moving with her. "And your princesses... well we don't really have those. Girls dream of being married to the hottest Quidditch star, to the Prince or something, but the royal family is very exclusive. If you don't know them by birth, you probably won't marry into them. That's what I've always been taught, and it's pretty much widespreadly known, that. But if it's not marrying a Quidditch star, it's marrying a Pureblood. They have the money, the power, and the homes of a royal family, I suppose... They used to be noblemen in the old days, until Grindelwald began to crusade against Muggles and Purebloods no longer would protect their counties."

"Is that what you dreamed about?"

Aquila shook her head. "I never want to get married. I never have..."

"So you wanted to be a Quidditch player for as long as you remember?" Dudley asked. "No princesses or anything?"

Aquila giggled. "No... Before I wanted to be a Quidditch player, I wanted to be a dragon tamer. You have to fly a lot and it's super dangerous. I... had a fascination with fire." She gave him a smile as he glanced at her sharply. "I'm kidding. I was an adrenaline junkie, though. I love giving my mum a heart attack over everything."

"Interesting. So your world doesn't have most diseases mine does, but you still have heart attacks."

"Oh, yeah, quite often, really! It's the number one cause of death." She adjusted herself, as the seatbelt was uncomfortable on her shoulder. "Well, natural way to die, that is. Avada curse is the number one cause of death."

"Avada curse?"

Aquila nodded, her hands piled in her lap as she stared out the window to the country passing by. "It's a curse... It... well, it's sort of like love at first sight, really, except death. You say the spell, and you're hit with it, you die instantly. People say there's no pain, just sheer panic to get away from it. It's forbidden in my world, but it's still used - widely, in fact, by the dark side. Potter is the only person in the world known to survive it."

"That's what killed his parents, then?"

"Lily and James Potter," Aquila confirmed. "Two of the best Order members the Order ever had. James was an excellent Auror, and Lily was a charms tutor during the summers to children that needed help in the subject. For kids that, um... well, let's just say that once the war became more public, she couldn't tutor anymore... Muggleborn, and all that-"

"And that led to her being killed?"

"Oh, undoubtedly. The Dark Lord recruited those with skills," Aquila nodded. She glanced at him, but he seemed confused. "The Potters were asked three times to join the Dark Lord's ranks, and each time they refused - how they escaped with their life... it's a miracle in itself, I heard. And after refusing to join him the third time, there were no more chances for the Potters. With Lily's excellent Charms skills, and James' fighting abilities, the two were untracable... And then Pettigrew exposed their location, and they were murdered. . . even though she may not seem like much," Aquila continued, "she gave the entire Wizarding World hope with her death..."

"What do you mean?"

"She envoked ancient magic in order to protect Harry," she informed him. "Magic that saved his life. That's why he lives with you."

"Lives with us?"

"Your mother's blood runs through Potter's mother's... so Potter's protected in your residence... It's weird magic. I didn't understand it when Evan first explained it to me..." She cleared her throat and gestured out ahead of them. "How far of a drive, again?"

"An hour."

"Oh, well, let's not talk about Potter, then. It'll be a long hour if we do... what about..."

"Have you ever heard a Muggle radio?"

"Bits," Aquila admitted. "It's on sometimes when I come over."

He nodded and reached forward, turning on a machine in the front to low volume. She could hear a catchy beat drift through the speakers all around her. "Well, isn't it ironic? Don't you think?" the woman was singing.

They sat in silence for a while, listening to the radio, until they got to the school. It wasn't exactly as impressive as Hogwarts, but it was intriguing. There were students in groups, laughing and talking, and daring someone to do something stupid. Just like her own friends did. But just as Dudley got out of the car, the bell rang and the people began to disperse. "What's a diggity?" Aquila asked as they followed the crowd.

"No idea," Dudley chuckled. She hummed in comfirmation to having heard, but walked beside him as they approached the doors of the school. "What do you think, so far?"

"It's... small," she admitted. "But I like it. Very intimate. And not as much walking to classes."

"Not all of us go to school in a castle," he teased.

Aquila laughed, "I apologize. This is your school. Show me."

"Will I ever see your school?"

She bit her lip, tilting her head as she thought. "It depends."

"On?"

She laughed. "It's far too soon in this to talk about that. But, there's a possibility, yes."

"With this war?"

She considered it. "Less of a possibility, but we'll see." There was an awkward pause, which was interrupted by Dudley holding the door open for her. It was strange, Aquila found. The walls had rows of metal boxes with doors on them, stretching on down the hallway, only interrupted by a door to classrooms. And the amount of people. Aquila highly doubted Hogwarts had this amount of students.

"Like it?"

"There are so many people," she blurted. She quickly recovered, however, trying to act normal. "It's great."

"Come on, orientation's in the gym."

The two of them followed the crowd and grabbed two bleacher seats in the gymnasium, something Aquila learned to be somewhat of a Quidditch pitch for Muggles. It was where they practiced most of their indoor sports and got in shape... an exercise room, Dudley had mumbled to her. She didn't see how they had room to practice, but she supposed it wasn't for that football sport Dudley watched, nor rugby.

The orientation was quite boring though, and she had to elbow Dudley frequently to keep him from falling asleep. But he managed quite well, and as everyone was sent to explore, Dudley said he already knew where his classes were and they could just walk around, if she wanted.

So, he showed her everything she asked about. The Great Hall - or as he called it, cafeteria. The pitch, or as he called it, the practice fields. They were massive and about the same size as the Hogwarts pitch. There were individual classrooms - Chemistry was like Potions, Maths like Arithmancy, History much like History of Magic, and Transfiguration was a form of Art. They were all things Aquila hadn't ever seen before.

"It's fascinating," she admitted quietly. She held one of the textbooks from the Chemistry class in her hands as she flipped the pages of the book. "So much like mine, yet so different. More colorful, for that matter. And much easier to read. The pages are glossy..." She trailed off as the saw the Professor enter the room. "You're taking this class, correct?" she asked Dudley.

He nodded, glancing at the book with vague interest. He didn't seem quite as excited about Chemistry as she was about it. "Hello," a woman's voice chimed. Aquila looked up and spotted the Professor, an aging woman wearing a floral print dress. "Are you two taking this class?"

"Oh, no, not me," Aquila admitted kindly. She gestured towards Dudley. "He is, though."

"And you would be?" the woman asked, glancing at a hard board in her hands, with pieces of paper atop it.

"Dudley Dursley, ma'am," he answered.

"And who would you be?" the woman questioned.

"Ella Black," Aquila answered. "I, uh, I go to a private school in Scotland, but, well... I've never been to a public school before. I've just always wanted to see, you see-"

"Oh, of course! You must be talking of St. Columba!" the woman said brightly. She set the clipboard down and Aquila glanced to see it was a list of names. Roll.

"Oh, no, it's a, uh, quite small boarding school, over by Paisley. It's nothing that special," Aquila said certainly. She cleared her throat at the woman's confused expression. "I hope it's alright, I'm here. I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, but of course! Coming from a private school myself, the public education system was so fascinating to me that I decided to teach at one," the woman smiled. Aquila gave a nod of acknowledgement.

"We should be going. We have to be back home by two," Dudley said suddenly. "Uh, it was great meeting you."

"Oh! You, too, dear! And if you ever want to switch to a public school," the teacher stated, turning to Aquila, "I'd be happy to have you in my class."

"Thank you," Aquila said, unsure of just what else she needed to say. Her and Dudley promptly left, waiting until they were a hallway away before making eye contact. Aquila began to giggle. "She was so friendly."

"She was weird."

Aquila giggled again, nodding slightly. "She reminds me of my professor." Aquila stopped suddenly, tugging at his arm. "Wait..." She furrowed her brow as she thought. "Private school... fascinated with public education."

"It's not that uncommon."

"She named St. Columba," Aquila told him. "That school doesn't exist. I know. When we first found out we were moving to a Muggle neighborhood, we looked up private schools in Scotland for cover stories." She laughed. "She's got to be a witch."

"You sure?" Dudley asked.

Aquila wasn't, but she nodded. "I'm... yeah. I'm sure."

Her eyes darted to the hall they had come from. "I'm going to ask her what school she came from."

"Aquila-"

"If she's a witch, I ... I would like to know what side she's on," Aquila told him quietly. "If she's on the dark side... well, then you'd have to be careful."

Dudley sighed, but agreed. They walked back to the chemistry room, and Aquila spotted the woman standing at the front of the room, reading her clipboard. "Excuse me," Aquila said hesitantly. The woman looked up immediately. "I never caught your name."

"Mihi nomen est Magistera Lucinda Malkin," the woman said. The use of Latin wasn't lost on Aquila.

"Mihi nomen est Aquila Black." Aquila paused slightly. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"Perhaps we've seen each other about. Surrey is such a small place," Lucinda Malkin stated. Aquila couldn't help but nod. "Do you frequent London?"

"Yes, every year around this time," Aquila admitted. "There's this really fine pub down there, called the Leaky Cauldron. I highly recommend it if you ever visit."

The woman grinned. "Oh, yes, my sister-in-law owns a shop just by it. She's a tailor."

Madame Malkin? "Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occassions, yes? I've actually been there frequently. Your house?" Aquila asked suddenly. "I'd imagine you live somewhere near by to work at the school-"

The conversation, heard by any outsiders would have made no sense. "I live in Lion's Den, much like my sister." Gryffindor then. "Yourself?"

"Eagle's Nest. Quiet little town."

"Your name... Aquila... I'd imagine that it's a family name?"

"Constellation, actually. The eagle is right next to the Phoenix in the Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them."

"Ah, Lucinda is a rather normal name, but it's often seen in tales of birth and rebirth." Order member then. Aquila sighed in relief, nodding to Dudley.

"That's a relief. St. Columba's doesn't exist, by the way," Aquila informed the woman. "It's nice to meet you, uh, I-"

"Played for Ireland a few weeks ago, I know. Prophet's buzzed about you in the sports section. It's all my husband reads." Aquila didn't even know she was in the Prophet. Aquila glanced at Dudley. "I didn't know another witch would be coming in today."

"I was curious, like I said," Aquila said lightly. She cleared her throat, nodding. "We best be going, but thank you for our little chat-"

Lucinda Malkin's sister glanced at the two, assessing them. "Are you two... together?"

Dudley glanced at Aquila, leaving the answer up to her. Aquila decided to take a leap of faith and trust the woman. "Yes." She took Dudley's hand, feeling him squeeze it back in contained excitement.

"He'll be safe here," Lucinda told the girl. "It's dangerous times we're living in."

"Thank you." Aquila nodded to Dudley. "We have to go find your physics class."

He nodded in agreement. "Uh, nice to meet you... again."

They continued to wander around the school for another hour, before they headed out to go to lunch. "What kind of food do you feel like?" he asked as they pulled out of the parking lot. Aquila had managed to buckle herself in this time, turning the radio down so that it was just a mumble.

Aquila had no idea. "I don't know what Muggles have at restaurants. We don't have many restaurants. Just taverns."

"We have those... and we have restaurants for anything that you can eat. Italian, Greek, Thai, Chinese... Anything catch your fancy?"

Aquila shook her head. "Surprise me. I eat everything."

So he did. They got Thai food and sat in the trunk, their legs draped over the back of the car as they stared out at the sea. He had insisted on a drive to Brighton, staring out over the English Channel. "It's beautiful," Aquila admitted. "I've never traveled for a date before."

"I've never been to Brighton before, so I figured it'd be a fun experience for the both of us."

She nodded, chewing slowly on her spicy chicken. "It's all been lovely. The whole day." She glanced at him, the sun hanging lower in the sky than it had been when they arrived. "When's your game?"

"A few hours. We'll have to leave in a few minutes to get there in time."

She nodded, setting the carton down and looking back out to the sea. "Have you ever been to Europe?"

"No."

"Do you ever want to go?"

"Oh, definitely. Sounds like fun." He glanced at her. "I'd imagine you've gone."

"Spain, of course," Aquila answered. "France, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, and Romania."

"Wow," Dudley murmured. "So, where would you want to go?"

"Greece and Denmark," she answered promptly. "What about you?"

"I really want to go to Spain, Iceland... weird places, you know? Anywhere." Aquila nodded. Dudley was silent as he watched the channel.

"What's rugby like?"

"A lot more phsyical than Quidditch. Lots of knocking each other down into mud, lots of bruises. You don't break bones or anything, often, but it's more hands-on than Quidditch is... dirtier too."

Aquila grinned. "Sounds fun."

"I think you'll like it," he admitted. "Ever been to a football match?"

Aquila shook her head. "I've seen one on the television, though."

"We'll have to go to one," Dudley told her. He glanced at her, smirking. "Lots more sports in my world. Every weekend could be something different."

Aquila shoved his arm lightly "Am I that obsessed with Quidditch?"

"I think so," Dudley said regretfully. "Come on, let's go." She hopped down from the trunk and threw her trash into the bin a few feet from them. Getting back in the car, he drove them back to Little Whinging, where she was informed that the game took place in the field. Laughing quietly, at how she didn't figure out that a drive the same length as the one away was at the starting point, she got out of the car and was informed to go to the field, and to wait for him. He had to change.

The field was bustling with teens, most of whom she had seen at Piers party. Therefore, since she didn't know them that well, she found Amber and Natalie and greeted them warmly.

"Ella! You're going to the party after, yeah?" Amber asked.

"Party?" Aquila asked, confused. "I didn't know there was one, but if Dudley wants to, sure. I'm leaving for school tomorrow-"

"I'm sure Dudley wants to go. Always goes after the game," Amber giggled. "By the way, there's this amazingly hot guy that just moved down the road from me-" She kept going on and Aquila tuned her out, watching as Dudley walked by himself across the street, a jersey on and shorts. He looked ready to kick ass.

"Ready?" he asked her as he stopped at her side, staring down at her.

She grinned. "I'm so excited." She kissed him lightly on the cheek and then he ran out into the field, at a slight jog, really, and joined his mates, slapping Malcolm on the back before huddling.

It seemed a lot of the game was just run into each other. Though the violence didn't scare Aquila, she just knew that she wouldn't be able to participate. She was tiny. Barely five foot three. It seemed size mattered in this game.

Their final goal before Amber pressed the loud buzzard, making this deafening noise ring out, meant Dudley's team had won. It was a wicked game and Aquila giggled as he approached her, kissing him lightly, despite the mud and sweat that was ... well, everywhere.

"Good job," she told him simply, giggling when he jostled his short hair, sending drying mud particles everywhere. She squealed and brushed it off of her, making him laugh.

"Like it, then?"

"Wicked," Aquila grinned. "Almost better than Quidditch."

"Sorry we can't fly around," Dudley murmured, leaning over her. She let him steal a kiss before she stepped away.

"Merlin, you need a shower," she insisted, shoving him towards his house. He didn't budge, and Aquila wondered if she needed to work a little on strength training, as well.

"There's a party after," Dudley told her. "In about an hour at Piers, if you want to come..."

She shrugged. "If you want to... I'm always up for a party..." He nodded. Somehow, he was trying to get her to go. One last party before she left. She liked parties with Dudley. They were nice. He was nice.

"Then I should probably shower, and you no doubt have that girly need to change."

She laughed. "You know me almost as well as I do."