Harry, Hermione and Ron arrived at King's Cross right on time to take the Hogwarts' Express. Ron clutched his pet rat, Scabbers, who - Ron firmly believed - was constantly under attack by Hermione's new ginger cat, Crookshanks. All three were a bit worried to find that Romina had not contacted any of them to at least apologize for not being able to meet with them at the Leaky Cauldron. Although, they also admitted that she had not written to them at all this summer.

"Don't feel that bad," Harry said, "Something's been up with Rom. She barely talked to me and Arden at all."

"Hey, maybe we can ask Arden then, " Ron suggested when he caught sight of the muggle-born girl saying goodbye to her family across from them.

"C'mon, Lilah, we have to go," Arden was tugging the arm of a slightly smaller brunette girl beside her.

"This isn't fair! I want to go too!" Another boy, seeming even smaller than the two girls, stomped his foot. "Muuuum!"

"Hush," went Mrs. King who pulled the boy back. She began fixing the small girl's collar shirt, telling Arden to look after her. "You're her big sister, Arden, and Lilah will need all the help she can get. And you Lilah, follow all the instructions they tell you, alright?"

Lilah King rolled her eyes but nodded her head. "Yeah, Mum. Can we go now, Arden?"

"Yes!" Arden said, looking relieved. She grabbed her sister's hand and pulled her towards the train.

Just as the two girls went in, Hermione called out to them. Arden whirled around, her now longer brown hair whipping in Lilah's face.

"Hey - oh, nice cat," Arden petted Crookshanks in Hermione's arms.

"Thanks. Listen, we wanted to know if you knew anything about Romina," Hermione said for both her, Ron and Harry. "We thought she would come meet us at the Leaky Cauldron but she never showed."

"Doesn't surprise me," Arden mumbled. "I think she went to Diagon Alley way before you guys. But if anything she should be here now."

"I can help find her," Lilah volunteered, making her presence known to the Gryffindors.

Arden sighed and pulled her younger sister beside them. "Everyone, this is my little sister who's starting her first year here...and who's exceptionally nosy so I'd keep caution of your words around her."

Lilah shot her sister a glare before putting on a big smile for the others. "Hi! I'm Lilah! And I know Romina too but she's been very sad for a while now."

"Go find somewhere to sit!" Arden hissed and sent Lilah down the corridor. "I'll catch up! Go!"

"She's not wrong," Harry muttered. "You know something's wrong with Rom…"

Arden agreed but had to remind them that they were all just as lost in the dark as she was. With the time ticking down, the four students had to find somewhere to sit, but Arden had to go find Lilah anyways. When she split from the three Gryffindors, she went into each compartment, poking her head inside to search for Lilah. She passed various students, amongst them ones who wouldn't even lift their heads up from their Daily Prophets.

"You're so rude!" Arden hissed at a particular girl who had ignored her. She never looked up from her copy of the Daily Prophet. Arden moved to slam the compartment door shut when she took a double take. "Wait - Romina!?"

The girl finally raised her head, blank of any expressions. "What?"

"What?" Arden was close to losing it. She forgot about Lilah and walked into the compartment, taking the seat directly in front of Romina. "You're...your hair! What did you do to it!?"

Romina reached to touch an exceptionally short, black curl hanging from her tie-up headband. "What about it?"

Arden snorted and leaned back on her seat. "Are you kidding me? You cut it! Like you just chopped it all off! What an insane thing to do!"

Romina's medium-length hair had been cut up to above her shoulders. It was now in a pony-tail barely staying together due to just how short it was. The tie-up headband Romina usually donned was making no difference; curls were sticking out all over her head.

"Does it look different?" Romina simply asked. Arden nodded her head. "Well then it's good."

"What?" Arden laughed. "You're so - how did you get away with that? Your aunt and uncle okay'd this?"

"Sort of..." Romina said. Changing one's hair is like Transfiguration and as it turned out, she was getting real good at it. She'd read up all on it leading up to September 1st because that's when she would be able to do magic again. The theory transcended into practice beautifully. She was actually kind of proud of herself for pulling it off and the best part was that her aunt and uncle wouldn't know a thing until December.

"Romina, I can't believe you," Arden was still getting over the fact. "You've never cut your hair before! Why'd you do it?"

"I just wanted to look different," Romina swallowed hard. "Thirteen and all, you know."

"Right," Arden rolled her eyes. Her eyes fell on the Daily Prophet that Romina was practically clutching in her hands. "What are you reading then?" She took the copy and read the headline. "Hey wait, isn't this the guy they keep passing on the television?"

"He's a Wizard, Arden, and one of the worst," Romina crossed her arms.

BLACK STILL AT LARGE

Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today.

"We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, "and we beg the magical community to remain calm."

Fudge has been criticized by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis. "Well, really, I had to, don't you know," said Fudge. "Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or Muggle. I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it — who'd believe him if he did?"

While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of metal wand that Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse.

Aden gawked after reading it aloud. "You mean to tell me this whole time this criminal has been a wizard?"

"Yeah, and he was a huge supporter of you-know-who so he really needs to get back to Azkaban," Romina leaned back on her chair, hoping to God they would and soon. Right with my parents.

~ 0 ~

The Sorting Ceremony was only interesting in that Arden was, of course, waiting to see where her younger sister would end up. While they waited for the first years to arrive, others at the table were interested in Romina's new look. Carolinha was the first to arrive at the table and immediately gushed that it was such a 'cute look!' and that she might get it done like that in the future.

Pansy arrived next and shoved a second year to the side in order to sit next to Carolinha. Her eyes blinked rapidly when she saw Romina across the table. "What the hell did you do to yourself?"

"She looks great, Parkinson," Arden set an elbow on the table, shooting Pansy a narrowed look.

Romina just shifted on her seat. She wasn't changing her 'look' to be 'prettier'. She was changing it to, well, for reasons that would remain with her.

"Don't you start with me, King!" Pansy snapped first and foremost.

"I'm only starting cos I knew you were about to be jealous and thus be a complete prick!"

"Me!?" Pansy's mouth opened to give what everyone else assumed would be a phenomenal snap.

"King, Parkinson, it is way too early in the year to listen to your arguments," Draco came by, Angel coming up on the other side of the table where his sister sat. "Give it a rest until tomorrow, won't you?"

"She started it," Pansy retorted. Arden mimicked her and smirked when the girl growled in frustration.

"Romina? Is that you?" Angel blinked once he'd taken a seat.

"Bloody hell," even Draco was surprised and shot Romina wide blue eyes. "I didn't recognize you, Oswell."

"Yeah, alright, I cut my hair," Romina raised her hands, sighing wearily. "Honestly, it's not that big a deal. People change their hair all the time. And I wouldn't talk, Draco, since you changed yours too."

"I'll give you points for that," Draco conceded and ran his hand through his hair which was no longer slicked back.

"You look nice, Romina," Angel complimented.

Romina gave her first warm smile in months. "Thank you, Angel."

Shortly after, Daphne arrived with Theodore and Blaise behind her. Daphne was all squeals for Romina's new look.

"Shut up! Shut up!" Arden exclaimed when the front doors opened up to let McGonagall in, leading the first years down the middle of the aisle.

"Who's your sister, Arden?" Daphne asked.

"The brunette there," Arden pointed to Lilah who was walking with big, brown eyes glued to the ceiling.

"Aw, she's cute," Carlinha chuckled at the young girl.

"I hope she gets to be in Slytherin," Arden put her hands together.

"I hope she doesn't," they heard Pansy mumble. Arden reached for the fork nearest to her but Romina silently took it away.

Because only Arden had someone in the Sorting, the minutes ticked by slowly. They couldn't be more grateful when Dumbledore finally rose from his seat to give his usual welcoming speech...though Arden kept distracting her friends with her disappointed grumbles.

"Honestly - Hufflepuff? The nerve of Lilah!"

"Shush!" Romina elbowed her to be quiet and listened attentively to Dumbledore introducing their newest Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.

Professor R.J. Lupin was a middle-aged man with peculiar scars all over his face. But what drew in a lot of the students' curiosity was the tattered clothes the man wore so casually. Still, he seemed warm and kind which was a great contrast to the previous two DADA professors.

"As some of you may know, Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher for many years, has decided to retire in order to spend more time with his remaining limbs," Dumbledore continued on, "Fortunately, I'm delighted to announce that his place will be filled by none other than our own Rubeus Hagrid!"

"Wow, Hagrid's going to be our teacher now?" Arden beamed, now clapping fiercely.

"Oh no, doesn't he like really dangerous creatures?" Carolinha nearly cowered behind Pansy.

"That class is about to turn into a joke," Draco frowned away from the professors.

"You both need to give Hagrid a good chance," Romina warned him and Carolinha, and everyone else who seemed to be on the same plan.

"If Hagrid's the new professor, then he's the one who assigned us that big monster book?" Theodore shuddered. "I still haven't been able to open that thing. And it nearly bit my hand off!"

"Yeah, sort of did the same thing to me too," Arden admitted.

"Well, I bet Oswell's figured out a way to open it since she and the new professor are such good friends," Draco said and shot the girl in question a smirk.

Remembering the big, bitey book that had been assigned for Care of Magical creatures did make Romina fear the class a little more now. It wasn't the most conventional book to assign, at least not without proper directions about how to open it. "Oh, shut up!" she exclaimed, having nothing else to say.

Dumbledore issued silence amongst the Great Hall. He was looking far more serious now. "Finally, on a more disquieting note, Hogwarts - at the request of the Ministry of Magic - will, until further notice, play host to the Dementors of Azkaban. The Dementors will be stationed at the entrances to the grounds. While they are under strict orders not to enter the castle itself, you will on occasion see them as you go about your daily activities. Under no circumstances are you to approach them. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to be forgiving."

"What's a...dementor…?" Arden asked after the feast had started.

"You seriously don't know?" Angel raised an eyebrow at her, causing Arden to sheepishly shake her head.

"What can you expect - she's a muggle," Pansy commented when she reached over for a loaf of bread.

"Oswell, you put this entire table to shame," Draco paused his eating to look at the girl who, upon hearing his claim, gasped indignantly.

"How is that my fault?" she frowned.

"You're her neighbor, aren't you?"

"So?"

"So you're ignorant in and out of Hogwarts? That's good to know."

"I will hit you with my goblet if you talk to me like that again," Romina warned and reached for the goblet to make her case. Draco rolled his eyes at her. "And the reason I never said anything about that place is because dementors are foul creatures." She shifted her gaze to Arden who'd been listening to just about everything in order to get her answer. "Dementors are the creatures that guard Azkaban. They're supposed to be one of the most frivolous creatures known to wizard-kind. And it makes sense. Only creatures like Dementors are fit to keep the worst of human scum in check."

Arden was not expecting Romina to talk like that about humans, and neither was the rest of their friends. Romina ate in silence after that, only interjecting when somehow the conversation led to the fact that a dementor had found its way into the train coming to Hogwarts. Draco was gleefully telling them how Harry had fainted at the sight of one.

"No, hold on," Romina pointed at him, brows furrowed, "That's why the train stopped? What the fuck was a dementor doing inside the train!?"

"Does it matter?" Judging by the grin on Draco's face, it did not matter.

Romina groaned. "Great. Thank you for the useless help." She set eyes on the Gryffindor table where Harry ate with his friends. She wondered why a dementor would even get that close to him in the first place.

~ 0 ~

The following morning, Romina had gotten up earlier than usual. As she sat up, she looked around the dorm room and made sure everyone was still fast asleep before she pulled a picture from underneath her pillow. She grazed the photograph, her jaw tightening.

The faces staring up at her, moving along so cheerfully, made Romina's stomach revolt.

"Never," she told herself quietly. She aggressively folded the picture again and put it underneath her pillow.

She climbed out of bed and took her uniform with her into the bathroom where she quickly got changed. Now standing in front of the sink mirror, she touched her short hair, still unused to it. It's for the best. You can't look like her. You can't look like either of them.

She tucked the short curls behind her ear and pressed them down as best as she could. "It's for the best," she told herself and walked out of the bathroom.

Breakfast was only interesting in that they were going to receive their timetables by Snape in a bit and all third years were bumbling trying to see what their friends had chosen for their two newest classes.

"Obviously Care of Magical Creatures," Arden said with a winning smile. "And I liked the sound of Divination."

"I'm taking those exact two..." Pansy grumbled from her seat and drowned her waffles in syrup.

Arden glowered.

"I'm taking Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies," Romina announced, much to the various bemused stares of her friends.

"Oswell, didn't you grow up as a muggle?" Draco pretended to make calculations in the air with his fork. "So, if I'm doing my math right, shouldn't you be taking something else?"

"Maybe," Romina nodded, "But I also think that I can teach them some things too. Bet they don't even know what electricity is. Or Abba."

"Ele — what?"

"Point in case," Romina grinned. "Besides, I didn't really take to the other ones. At the very least, it'll be an easy class for me."

"This conversation is over." And, for effect, Draco scooted to the side away from her.

"Yeah, I'll see you later when you need help on something," Romina countered and picked at her oatmeal, rolling her eyes.

"Carol, what are you taking?" Daphne asked to change the topics.

Carolinha smiled, looking pretty content with her choices. "Divination and Ancient Runes."

"Aw, why didn't you take Care of Magical Creatures like the rest of us?"

"Because my sister's a wimp, why else?" Angel chuckled from his spot.

Carolinha shot him and the accompanying laughter of Draco, Blaise and Theodore glares.

"Carol, there's no shame in admitting creatures scare you," Arden told the girl afterwards, "And if you like your classes, tell the rest of the world to shut the fuck up."

After breakfast was over, Snape and the rest of the professors came out to hand each of their students their time tables. There was no question of where to go, and since Romina was the only one with Muggle Studies she walked on her own...or at least she thought it would be on her own.

"Rom? Hey, Romina! Wait up!" It was Harry who came rushing after her, for once Ron and Hermione no where in sight.

"Harry, I've got to go—"

Harry latched onto her arm to prevent her from escaping him. "What do you have?"

"Muggle Studies. You?"

"Divination. They're almost close—"

"Except yours is upstairs and mine is downstairs." Romina then began to walk at normal speed.

Harry continued staring at her as they walked side by side. "You...cut your hair…?"

"Yes, I did," Romina sighed but kept a straight gaze ahead. "Problem?"

"No, it looks nice, but...look, I've got to talk to you about something," Harry admitted. Actually, there were various things he wanted to talk about with her including her strange behavior but he needed to prioritize right now. "It's about Sirius Black." Romina abruptly stopped and her eyes widened. "You know about him?"

"Yeah, he's...well, he's everywhere isn't he? Kind of hard to miss him," Romina's eyes flickered spot to spot.

"Look," Harry stepped closer to her, his voice hushening, "Mr. Weasley warned me that Sirius Black may be after me but..." Romina was now looking at him, terrified, "...he might try to contact you."

"Me? Why!?" Romina almost whimpered.

"Well, he was in league with you-know-who and...well...it kinda appears he was close to...your parents…"

It almost looked like Romina was going to fall apart. Her face drained of color and she suddenly went into a rushed walk, leaving poor Harry to follow in a sprint. "I'm very sorry about that, Harry. It's like, it's like first year all over again and I can't do anything about it except apologize—"

"Rom!" Harry managed to stop Romina before she ran away altogether. "Hey, I'm not — I'm not telling you this so you can apologize. What Sirius Black and your parents did is their business, not yours. I'm only telling you so that you can have your guard up. He...he might try to—"

"What? Talk to me?" Romina might have gone a shade paler. She swallowed hard. "What the fuck would he be doing trying to talk to me?"

"I don't know," Harry said honestly, "Maybe he might think you think the same as your parents—"

"I don't," Romina gritted her teeth. "I have nothing in common with those people."

"I know," Harry said, growing concerned for Romina's demeanor. She seemed to put too much effort in her words, like she had to prove it to him and probably others. "Rom...are you okay? You've been acting strange all summer and then...you cut your hair. You've never cut your hair in the time I've known you. And...you just...look like there's something bothering you…" Harry put a comforting hand on her arm. "What is it?"

Romina felt her stomach churn with his touch. "Harry, trust me, I'm solving it. Right now, actually, as we speak."

"Yeah but trying to solve what, exactly?"

"Important things," Romina reassured. "Now I have to go, okay? We'll both be late if we keep talking."

"Alright…?" but before Harry even muttered his response, Romina had rushed away.

A/N:

As always, I have a tumblr account dedicated to my fanfic works! It's a place where anyone can comment about a story or even just talk to me! I often drop aesthetic work belonging to my stories too! Feel free to check it out, my URL is "saiilorstars"