A/N: So I've brought in two new characters this chapter. You'll definiely know their fathers.

Faceclaim for Romulus: Hero Fiennes Tiffin
Faceclaim for Isadora: Daisy Ridley (when she was a bit younger)

Romulus was a simple lad. Work hard, study hard, and you get to do great things. It was as simple as that. He pushed himself to do well in everything that he did, so that when the time came for him to decide what career to pursue, he would have a few open options. He wouldn't consider himself ambitious - oh no, he hardly had any big and bold aspirations in life, he just wanted a stable and secure future.

Finding out he was a wizard at ten and a half years of age was simply astounding. Nobody had been prouder than his mother - who revealed to him that she'd known all along and demonstrated by using magic around him. This whole new world was then shown to him, and his little brain had thought it all too much, but wondered him nonetheless.

Learning from his mother about Hogwarts was also something that made him feel joy. She had shown him the book Hogwarts: A History, and he remembered how he'd barely slept that night - he'd read it by his nightlight and stared up at the ceiling, imagining what it would be like to go there,be Sorted, learn all the subjects, make new friends…

That dream was crushed when his Hogwarts letter never arrived.

"Oh, Rom, there must be a delay or something," his mum had said, "I'll write to them for you, sweetheart, don't worry. The teachers will remember me."

Ten year old him had still felt hope in that moment, and the days following it. But when his mother had sent an owl - it never returned.

He'd gone to bed crying on the 1st of September 1991, thinking of all the new first years, how amazed they must've been feeling, and how he was meant to be among them… He'd been in such a sulk even his mum felt terrible for him. She'd shed a tear for him too.

It was a few days after that that his mum had come bursting through the door of their house, sounding excited. He'd been curious. She explained everything. "Oh my sweet boy, you won't believe it! An opportunity for magical kids that slipped through the cracks regarding Hogwarts to be homeschooled by a group of magical experts, right here in St David's!"

Eleven year old Romulus had never been more buzzing. He had jumped out of his chair at the breakfast bar and hugged his mum so tightly he feared she might've burst.

"How does it work, mummy?" He asked, craning his neck in order to see the bit of paper she'd been holding, which had gotten a bit creased in the hugging. "Will I have to move away?"

"No, honey, it's actually on the other side of the city. Everything is explained within this brochure here… It says: 'Does your child display magical abilities? Is your child of an age to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but somehow never received a Hogwarts acceptance letter? Then you're in luck! Here in the quaint little city of St David's, another magical opportunity has arisen. Upon registration, your child will be boarded and homeschooled at the same time, and receive exactly the same teaching as a Hogwarts student their age and ability. With a whole board of teachers, specialising in many things, your child's education will be second to none…' Oh, Romulus, it sounds so nice!"

The rest was history. He began attending the new secondary wizarding school barely a week after he was enrolled. The building looked like some sort of church or abbey, and was significantly smaller than Hogwarts. It still had the homely feel he imagined the other school to have, though.

Fast forward four years, and Romulus was now a fifth year. He was a Prefect of the school, and had many friends. He constantly scored nothing below A's in his class tests, and was predicted to do well in his OWLs. His History of Magic teacher, called Professor Davison, even commented once that the world was his oyster.

It was quite handy only living within walking distance from his house to the school, as he was permitted to go home on whatever days he wished and come back. He did this on weekends - he'd spend Friday evening through to Sunday evening with his mother - spend time with her, help her around the house and what not, and then walk back to school on the Sunday. He wouldn't have it any other way.

One Friday afternoon, after a particularly difficult Potions test, he spent it outside with his group of friends that were also his yearmates. They were a strange little bunch, but they got on very well. It was only a few days before Easter break - but for Romulus his holidays started today, seeing as he was going home for the weekend. There would be no point in him going back for the Monday, since that was when St David's were breaking up for the holidays.

"I still can't believe Professor Wulfric had us brew the Befuddlement Draught without the recipe!" One of his friends, Phoebe, said. She was the oldest out of the four of them.

"Phebs, you do realise that they make you do that in the OWLs?" Stefan, the only other boy in their group, said with raised brows. Stefan was a Vampire (which was probably a contributing factor as to why he didn't attend Hogwarts), though he was quite good looking. Romulus suspected if the boy maybe had Veela blood somewhere.

Phoebe raised her eyebrows comically. "You're telling me this now?"

Romulus laughed. "You dunce, it's a good thing this isn't exam day!"

"Honestly, do you ever listen in class?" Emilene, whose grandmother was a suspected half-Banshee, was barking laughter.

Phoebe flushed. "When did Wulfric ever mention that?"

"Hmm, let's think… Maybe the start of the year?" Stefan said sarcastically.

His friends continued talking, whilst Romulus waited for the bell to ring - as it would signal his 'home time'. His mum was also going to order a Chinese takeaway tonight - his favourite - so he couldn't wait to have that. When it did ring, his friends stood up with him. "Well, farewell my friend." Stefan said, pulling him into a hug and clasping his hand. "Have a good two weeks off."

"Tell your mum we said hey! And don't get ran over by a bus or something walking home!" Emilene said as they hugged.

"Have a good break, Rom," Phoebe said last, hugging him tightly. "Study hard, though that's easy for a star student like you to do. We'll see you in a few weeks."

Romulus left the school grounds with one last wave at his friends, and giggled when they rushed inside again.

He walked through the muggle town centre to grab himself a snack for his walk home. He paid in muggle money before leaving to begin his ten minute walk to his house.

When he arrived back, he opened the rear entrance and took his shoes off, glad to be home. It smelt like there was a vanilla candle burning somewhere, and he was sure he heard more than one voice..

"We're in the living room, sweetie!" He heard the kind tones of his mother call out once he shut the door audibly.

"We?" He called back, suddenly intrigued.

Quickly making himself a cup of tea, he near power walked into the living room to see who had come to visit. They rarely had visitors apart from friends of his mum. Romulus did have grandparents, but his mum, Ana, had told him during his third year that her parents had disowned her when she told them she was pregnant.

The thing with his family was - Romulus didn't know who his father was. As far as he knew, he didn't have one. Or maybe he did… Phoebe had a dad, but she liked to joke how he'd "done a runner and never came back". He didn't exactly want to breach the subject and ask his mum about it in case it brought back bad memories or something.

His weekly visit home took a massive turn when he entered the living room, for sitting quite casually on the sitee was none other than Albus Dumbledore.

Romulus had frozen. "O-oh.."

"Ah, Ana, this must be your son." the Headmaster of Hogwarts said, casting his eye over him.

His mum looked proudly at him. "He is, sir."

"W-why are you here?" Was all he could ask. He was honoured to finally meet the man.

"I made a mistake five years ago when there seemed to be an error, and you weren't enrolled. I have come here in hopes of rectifying it." Dumbledore explained.

Romulus did nothing but stare at him. What did this mean? Was he talking about Hogwarts or St David's?

"Please sit, darling." His mum said, gesturing to the seat next to her on the couch. He slowly made his way over and took a seat.

"First of all, is the wizarding school here satisfactory?" The Headmaster asked.

Romulus thought that an odd question, but answered it anyway. "Yes, of course, sir. There's only about a hundred or so students, and there's odd numbers in the year groups, but it works out really well."

The man studied him. "I don't doubt it, I'm acquainted with the teaching staff at the small institute. Maybe one day they'll work for me at Hogwarts."

"Is this what this is about?" He queried.

Dumbledore smiled. "There's a boy at Hogwarts that I think you're very similar to, young Romulus. Yes, come to think of it, you two would get on exceptionally."

He looked from his mother to the most powerful wizard. "Who is it you speak of, sir?"

"Harry Potter."

He started slightly, in a good way. The man was comparing him to the Harry Potter?! Romulus had heard of the boy the same age as him, and his twin sister, who were currently at Hogwarts. I could've so easily been in the same year as them, he thought, yearning, would we have been friends? He liked to think so. In fact, all the residents of St David's knew of the boy, and most of them admired him greatly - which made them even more bummed that they could've had the opportunity to attend the same school as him.

"Why… Why do you say so?" He wanted to know more.

"Your attitude is akin to his. Both very to the point and on top of things. Yes, I can see the two of you side by side now. Such a shame, how you've never met."

There was silence for a few moments, but the man opposite him spoke again. "How would you like to attend Hogwarts?"

Romulus had never been rendered speechless before. The Headmaster of the school he so desired to attend ever since he learned he was a wizard was offering him a place at said school? This was a once in a lifetime opportunity! To think that there were so many more things to do at Hogwarts - granted, St David's was very pretty aesthetically and the building was historic in itself, but Hogwarts had much more. There would also be tonnes more people - normal kids, rather than just the rejects. He hated that word; there was nothing wrong with being rejected, but that's essentially what St David's was - a place for magical kids that didn't fit Ministry criteria. The place had a bloody vampire child! And a kid that was ¼ Banshee! Not that that reflected on Stefan or Emilene's capabilities or who they were as people, but they would most likely be looked down upon at Hogwarts.

But then again, he did have a soft spot for St David's. He was friends with most of the people there, and the teaching staff were great. He genuinely enjoyed the smaller year groups and class sizes, as the Professor's had a chance to really connect with you and get to know you. He'd never been to a big school, but could picture the larger classes. Plus, he was lucky enough to be able to walk to and fro school, and if he went to Hogwarts, his mum would be on the other side of the country to him. He'd never really been apart from her, she was the only family he had. He would literally be apart from her for nine months of the year, excluding holidays.

There was plenty of conflict going on in Romulus's head right now. Should he stay or should he go? "Sir, I… I might need time to think about this."

"Not a bother, Romulus. There would be no point in you joining us this academic year anyway - there's only one term left before summer. You could join us on the 1st of September, providing you pass your OWLs."

He was thankful for that - for if he had to make a decision now, he had no clue what his response would be. Plus, if he did agree to go to Hogwarts, he needed time to say his goodbyes to all his friends, and set up ways for them to keep in touch. He nodded, and sat back in his seat slightly.

"There's something else." His mum said, and when he glanced he saw her looking down at her hands.

"Me and your dear mother have been in correspondence for a few weeks now, my boy. I have come to realise that I made a grave mistake not sending you a Hogwarts letter - I hear you were initially crushed. Not to worry, you are learning magic anyway. But what I'm about to speak of is a different matter entirely." Albus Dumbledore said.

He urged the man to carry on. "Sir?"

His mother quickly stood up. "I'll go make more tea…"

Wondering where on earth this conversation was about to go, Romulus straightened up. "I'm sure you've gone through life wondering why it's just you and your mother here, and nobody else. It's cruel for a child to not have a willing father figure in their life, truly a tragedy. Even more sad considering that the father is alive."

"M-my dad?" Rom asked shakily. Was he finally getting closure as to who his father was?!

"Yes, my boy," Dumbledore nodded patiently, "your father. Your mother has given her permission for me to tell the story of him."

Romulus urged him on, not knowing if he was going to like this story or not.

"Your mother and father were students at Hogwarts. Your father was already a second year when dear Ana first joined us, and they were quite exceptional - your mother was a Hufflepuff whilst your father - a Slytherin. Many were surprised by this coupling, especially considering Slytherin's opinion of the badgers, and your fathers…. Beliefs, we shall call them. Nobody even knew how they'd met, especially considering your mother is muggleborn. Their relationship lasted until after they graduated - and it was there that your father suddenly left."

Shocked and angry, Romulus gave a sorry look to his mother, who'd just come back with tea. You could tell she was trying to keep a calm face and look happy.

"I loved him," his mum said after a few seconds, "very much. But he'd always been influenced by the wrong crowd… his brother roped him into dark activities, and his family are pure-bloods anyway. There's no way we could have worked out."

"B-but you dated him for years, mum!" Romulus exclaimed, not in an accusing or nasty tone at all, he was as hurt as she was.

"When your father left school, he became a Death Eater." Dumbledore continued.

"What?!" He shrieked. "I'm the son of some pure-blood supremacist?"

"He wasn't always… like that. After all, I'm a muggle born Hufflepuff, and he dated me, didn't he?" His mum tried to play it off like it wasn't a big deal, but her eyes were getting glassy and watery.

There was a slightly awkward silence, as Romulus took that all in. His mum continued: "It was all a game to him, in the end. Not even a week after he graduated seventh year, he asked to meet me. He met me outside Hogsmeade… to talk. He claimed how his brother managed to get him Marked by Voldemort himself, and how he almost immediately got to go on raids with the rest of them. He… He explained how they terrorised Leicester, and how the younger recruits were given simple instructions - to murder and… rape muggle women. Your father… he took pleasure in that."

Horrified, he almost flinched. Dumbledore was looking down at the table. So his dad was a rapist as well as a Death Eater? It was going to be really bloody difficult to even like this man, once he was named.

"I broke it off with him, there and then. It broke my heart, despite myself. Then when it came for me to graduate - he sent me an owl, wanting to meet. He was that desperate to get me back that he gave me a Love Potion. Long story short: when it eventually wore off, I discovered that I'm pregnant, and he had abandoned me."

The man who was his biological father was some sick freak, Romulus deduced. He wanted nothing more than to meet the man - so he could harm him for hurting his mother.

Since he was mere seconds away from learning his dad's name, he probed the Headmaster for it anyway. "Who is my birth father, sir?"

The headmaster looked at him over his half-moon spectacles, and said in a placid and formal tone, "Rabastan Lestrange."

"This place… wow. How will I ever choose just one bedroom?!" Blaise Zabini had exclaimed. They had Apparated all together to Black Manor as soon as they had arrived back in King's Cross, and the two newest housemates were still taking everything in. You could imagine that they were even more shocked when Regulus Black and Buckbeak stood out in the front garden, waiting for them. The Slytherin boy's reactions were simply priceless. They were also pretty confused, but once they sat down and had it explained to them they were pretty amazed yet chill about it. They also swore not to tell anybody.

Another nice surprise was that Mrs Nott had baked them about three batches of chocolate chips & also white chocolate cookies in anticipation of them coming back from another hectic term. The house elves, Ditsy and Dippey (who had become utterly devoted to Ophelia in their absence), had helped her out apparently, and everyone agreed that the cookies were delicious - perfectly cooked but still a bit gooey in the middle, just how they liked them. It was lovely to see the woman light up when she saw her son come through the doorway as well.

"Oh, you've brought your friends!" Ophelia had said a bit surprisingly, yet grinned at Blaise and Barnaby in welcome.

Sirius explained the two boys' situations to her, and though she looked shocked, was pleased that they now had a place to stay.

All of the kids were currently upstairs, helping Blaise and Barnaby to choose a bedroom. Dorea and Theo were with Blaise, investigating one of the many bedrooms that were on the same level as Harry's one. Amelia and Harry were on the level below with Barnaby. "Come to think of it, this one has the exact same view as the room we've just been in…" The boy was muttering.

Dorea shared a glance with Theo, and they seemed to be thinking the same thing - "does that really matter?" "I hope you have a preferred wall colour scheme, mate, because Sirius also sorts that out for you." Theo said.

"What, really?" Blaise whipped his head round.

"Yeah, and bedroom furniture." Dorea added, smirking as his mouth dropped.

Blaise finally made a choice - a bedroom four rooms down from Harry's and on the other side of the corridor to Theo's. Ten minutes later, Sirius arrived to decorate it. Blaise was quite standard - he chose a simple dark blue on all of the walls bar one. Barnaby's was quite plain as well, though his blue lighter in colour.

They all sat around the table for lunch - which was delayed a bit simply because Blaise and Barnaby had to unpack. Nobody minded though, for it just meant they had a bigger lunch. Ophelia, being a darling, had already started making the gorgeous chicken noodle soup that morning, so it just needed heating up before it was served. "I've missed your cooking, mum," Theo had said in a dreamy tone.

"This is simply delicious, Mrs Nott." Dorea said politely, though wasn't overtly sure she could even call her Mrs Nott anymore. The others made noises of agreement.

There was a comfortable silence, as everybody elected to just eat their soup. However, uncle Regulus soon spoke up. "There's been some news."

They all looked up expectantly. Ophelia Nott broke out into a smile. "I was required to attend a meeting at Gringotts yesterday…"

"And?" Theo was instantly demanding.

"My solicitor, Fawley, had received an owl from the Magical Committee for Practising Law - they had reviewed my application… And they accepted it!"

The table erupted into sympathetic cheers - Ophelia Nott, after years of a horrible marriage, was free at last. Dorea felt her heart warm - the woman deserved all the happiness in the world, and was finally getting to live her best life with her son.

Theo looked almost as ecstatic as his mum; he couldn't stop smiling, and kept hugging her. "Let's get the butterbeer out!" Regulus voiced, "for I'm sure there's a toast to be made!"

Dorea's father and his younger brother sprinted through to the pantry to get it out, and soon came back. Everyone's glass was quickly filled. Sirius got back to the head of the table, and they all stood up. "To Ophelia," her dad spoke the toast, "and to the start of peace."

They all murmured "To Ophelia," and clinked their glasses before drinking. Ophelia Fortesque looked honoured, and teary eyed as she smiled and thanked everyone.

After lunch, the kids decided collectively to head out to the quidditch pitch and have a game. Regulus shook his head but laughed when they all ran past him like a herd of elephants around the back of the house.

Harry, ever a leader, came up with an idea - him, Amelia and Dorea against Blaise, Theo and Barnaby. There would be no Seeker's or Beater's, just two Chaser's and one Keeper. They soon got playing. It was chaotic and simply hectic from start to finish but fun. Amelia and Barnaby were both Keeper's. After half an hour, the score was 40 all. Harry decided (since they'd been playing for quite a while and were getting tired) that the first team to get another goal would be the winner. It was tense and very competitive. To the OG Black Manor team's chagrin, the Slytherin boys had won. Theo had even said, "Sorry, babe!" When he launched the quaffle at the one hoop Amelia couldn't reach. It was fair to say they didn't hear the end of their celebrations until dinner time.

That evening, Dorea found herself up in her bedroom trying to get a bit of revision ticked off. She was completing a past exam paper for Ancient Runes - specifically last year's one. When she was done, she got the answers out and compared hers to the mark scheme - and was pleased when she got an A, for she was only five marks off an E. It was only things such as grammar in the translations holding her back, and things like not enough depth or examples in her answers.

Thinking that a good start, she filed the paper and mark scheme away in her bag, and left her revision at that; she didn't want to bombard her brain with information, no matter if it was new or what.

Finding herself with not that much to do and a bit bored, Dorea suddenly remembered something she and Fred had talked over before break - regarding a way to communicate over their two weeks apart. Fred had been brilliant with his idea - they would send each other letters… via the Floo. Of course, there was a chance it could go horribly wrong - biggest risk being the letter getting burned. But she could easily make duplicates of the letter, magically of course.

So she began writing. It was a bit silly, they had only last seen each other hours ago when they got off the platform, but she wrote nonetheless. She told him about all they had done that day - got Blaise and Barnaby settled in, learned of Ophelia's successful divorce, and the Quidditch game. Satisfied, she let the ink dry and smiled whilst thinking of her boyfriend. At the end of June, it would be their one year anniversary. It was weird to think that - so much had happened since then. She was as yet unsure whether he was 'the one' or not - she'd been confused about it ever since Amelia had told her that her and Theo had said 'I love you' to one another. Her and Fred had said that phrase to one another many times, but now that she thought about it - she didn't think they'd ever spoken it seriously, as in, said it by itself and meaningfully. She made a mental note to speak to him about it when they returned to school.

The time was half past ten at night, and it was lights out soon. The ink on the letter was finally dry, and she could send it off. Writing Fred's name on the envelope, she sealed it and thought of a plan.

The Floo in the living room was her obvious ideal fireplace to send it off in, as that was the main fireplace that they used that was connected to the Floo Network. Getting up, she threw her dressing gown on - it had an inside pocket, so if she suddenly came across her father, uncle or Theo's mum she could slip it in there discreetly and pretend she was going to get a glass of water or something before bed. She practised slipping it in there quickly just in case.

Opening her bedroom door quietly, she poked her head around the doorframe and out into the long corridor. Nobody was there, and it was peacefully quiet. She could see a trickle of light coming from underneath Amelia's bedroom door, and assumed she was still up.

Walking to the staircase, she made her way down as quietly as possible, and tried to keep the creaking of floorboards to a minimum. For some reason it always sounded much louder at night than it did during the day. Once she got to the bottom, she walked as casually as she could towards the living room, keeping her eyes and ears peeled.

She came across Ditsy, who was moments away from loudly saying hello, but she quietly shushed her. The house elf didn't say a word, and instead waved. She nodded at her as she went past, and smiled gratefully.

The living room door was slightly ajar, and there was no artificial light or sound coming from it. Her dad always left the curtains in the room open, as it was an unplottable location anyway, nobody could find them and there was nobody around them. Because of that, the moonlight was the only thing lighting the room.

Poking her head round to make sure there was nobody there, she was relieved to see there was nobody in there. The Floo was mere feet away. Taking one last glance round, she quickly and quietly stepped inside and shut the door so she wouldn't be sneaked up on.

Tip-toeing rather comically over to the unlit fireplace, she kneeled down in front of it. Taking a breath, she took the envelope out from her inside pocket. Staring into the collected ash from the previous fire, she prayed this would work. In fact, she willed it to. Taking the plunge, she placed her left hand into the hanging bag that contained the all-important Floo powder. Taking a handful (and feeling a bit weird when bits of it got under her fingernails), she placed the letter in. Then, calmly said, "Number 12, Grimmauld Place!" before quickly releasing the powder from her hand and drawing it back, making sure most of it landed on top of the envelope. Before her eyes was a flash of fire, and she saw the letter get pulled and absorbed into the Floo Network (hopefully, with any luck).

Making a fist in celebration, she prayed it had gone to Grimmauld Place, and that Fred wasn't currently looking like an idiot on the other end just sitting in front of a fireplace. If it had work, he would send her a reply tomorrow night (they had previously agreed times to send their letters, which were almost always in the evenings).

Getting back to her feet, Dorea Black felt giddy. She felt quite cheeky that she was doing this all under her father's nose. She quietly turned the doorknob and slipped out of the room quickly before going up the stairs, returning from her mission.

Little did Dorea know that her father was in the kitchen, and had seen her leave.

Making her way through London Heathrow Airport, Isadora felt something of relief. She was sure to be jet lagged later, but she had a feeling she'd be sleeping in the car and most of the night on her way home.

Her guardians met her at baggage claim. They were her adopted parents - Isadora had no clue who her parents were. All she knew was that she'd been handed into a wizarding orphanage at a young age, and that when she was three, she'd been adopted by a relatively young couple - they were named Oscar and Kate. Oscar, her 'dad', was a wizard. Kate was a witch too.

"Oh, it's good to have you back baby!" Kate nearly shrieked with delight when she spotted them and ran over to them.

Isadora engulfed her mum in a huge hug, having missed her a lot. Oscar kissed her hair when she hugged him, and she had never felt more loved.

"We have lots to talk about," Issy said, her face slightly faltering.

"There's no rush, darling. Tell us when you're ready." Oscar said, giving her a sad look.

Isadora Brown was a witch in herself, and English, yet she attended Ilvermorny in the USA. The reason for that? Well, she didn't know personally, but her mum and dad told her it was because it had much more on offer than Hogwarts - where they had been educated. However, she suspected that wasn't the full truth. She had heard them say countless times complaining about how expensive plane tickets to America were whenever they had to book Issy tickets for when she either went there or came back. If they didn't want to spend that much money for her to travel to school, then why didn't they just send her to Hogwarts? It was very weird.

She didn't complain though - well, that had changed this year. We'll get to that in a minute.

Isadora quickly located her suitcase on the moving conveyor belt and moved forward to collect it as it came past near them. She placed it on the floor, and Kate moved the handle up for her. Smiling, they started walking through the airport together towards the exit.

The weather outside was good for early morning - clouds occupied the sky, though the sun was low yet shining for half past seven in the morning. It was a pretty illumination. When they arrived at Oscar's car, she placed her suitcase in the boot and gladly sat down in the back seat, quickly stretching her legs out after they'd been cooped up and restricted in the busy airplane ever since it left Massachusetts. Soon enough, Kate and Oscar were seated, and her dad drove the car out of the car park. She zoned out a bit, due to the fact she barely slept on the overnight flight and was feeling exhausted, Her eyes kept on drooping shut, and she heard Oscar comment how quiet the motorway was for once before she fell asleep.

Their drive from the airport to their home in Salisbury was just over an hour and a half, and Issy must've been sleeping for less than that when she woke up suddenly, as they were still driving. She had no clue what had woken her, but she heard her adopted parents having a conversation - though it was a bit muffled to her.

"It just doesn't make sense, babe, why…. Everyone at the school suddenly dislike her?

"... Out of the blue…. For sure. I just feel so sad for her… she was popular."

Oh, they're talking about me. Isadora thought. She didn't want to eavesdrop, but she wanted to hear what they were saying about her. After all, they were most likely talking about her… incident at Ilvermorny. So she pretended to be asleep by keeping her eyes shut but still remaining conscious.

"I have half a mind to go over there myself and have a word with those cretin yanks…. Why do they hate her?"

Annoyingly, Oscar turned the radio up a bit then as a song he liked came on, meaning that she could only hear snippets of the conversation. Kate scolded him and said he was sure to wake up Isadora, who needed sleep. She fought the urge to smile.

When the car was about to pull into the driveway of their house, Issy acted as if she'd just woken up. They seemed to believe it.

"Finally home," she exhaled happily when Kate opened the door for her. Oscar insisted he was fine taking her suitcase into the house, and did so. Stepping back into the house she'd missed so much, she felt content - none of the people who shunned her at Ilvermorny would never be able to affect her here, within her safe haven.

"It's only coming up nine - do you want breakfast, sweetie?" Oscar asked, checking his watch.

She nodded ardently. "Please! Just toast is fine, thanks. Oh, and a nice brew."

She sat at the table in the kitchen and ate, whilst her adopted parents sat across from her. They smiled lovingly at her occasionally as they read both muggle and magical newspapers. In the background, the television was on (Oscar liked to have it on for background noise), and she caught glimpses of a news report showing the Yugoslav War.

When she was finished, she went up and put her plate in the dishwasher and finished her cup of tea. Kate spoke up suddenly. "We'll talk about Ilvermorny later. Somebody rather important is coming over to see us before lunch."

This was news to Isadora. "Who?"

"Somebody who knows why all the students and teachers at Ilvermorny suddenly started hating you." Oscar replied. "We'll be talking about your education, sweetie."

She wanted ever so much to transfer schools - which hurt a bit, as she did love Ilvermorny. She had been pretty popular there; being the only English student and all, but she'd had friends in every house and every year. She just couldn't understand why, at the drop of a hat, they seemed to despise her overnight.

Issy soon left her adopted parents in order to take her suitcase of stuff upstairs and to start unpacking. Opening her door, she grinned, glad to be back to her own bed. Though she had tonnes of things to unpack - her school stuff, clothes, items and all that, she did that rather quickly. She'd already neatly folded the vast majority of her clothes, they just needed to be put in drawers or hung up in the wardrobe.

The sudden change in time zones was far from being the best thing about coming home - in fact, it was dead bloody last on that list. Her body clock was all over the place, understandably, and right now it was five hours behind. The best thing she could do was give into it and take a nap, and let it sort itself out over the next few days. So she did.

She was woken up at twelve - meaning she'd slept for just under three hours. Kate was poking her head around her door. "Sweetie, the person we mentioned is here. I'd imagine he'll be wanting to talk to you."

Immediately getting out of her bed, Issy rushed to make herself look presentably. She ran a brush through her hair and straightened her clothes out, whilst Kate shook her head but smiled.

Her mum led her down the stairs and into the dining room, where Oscar was sitting at the table across from the man.

Who was none other than Albus bloody Dumbledore.

"Oh my gosh!" She gasped, coming to a halt. One of the most powerful and recognised wizards in the world was in her parents dining room, and it was far from what she was expecting.

The old man smiled knowingly. "Miss Brown, it's nice to meet you. Take a seat."

Kate gestured for her to stop being starstruck and to sit in between her and Oscar. Still looking in awe at the Headmaster of Hogwarts, she cleared her throat and sat down.

"You are just back from the United States, Miss Brown?" He asked.

Freaking out a bit that he'd just put a question to her, she willed herself to reply courteously. "Oh, yes. Plane landed at half past seven this morning." She replied in a slight rush. Idiot, she scolded herself internally, man's a wizard, he probably has no clue what an airplane is!

The man did nothing more than smile and hum. "Yes, but this time you've left in sad circumstances."

Feeling crap, her smile almost dropped completely. "Yes, sir." Kate placed her hand over hers.

"Yes, I've been told. I do not wish to make you uncomfortable, Miss Brown, quite the opposite. But I need to verify this story - you were popular at Ilvermorny?"

She nodded. "I had many friends, and the teachers really liked me too."

The man continued. "Yes. But one day during the recent term, that all changed?"

"Yes," she made herself tell the story without getting upset, "completely unexpected. I still do not know why - whenever I tried to ask somebody they'd either flinch or hurry away, as if I was some foreign being come to earth instead of somebody they'd previously known and been pals with."

The Headmaster looked up. "Hmm, very odd indeed. The teachers were like that too?"

She nodded.

"Did you experience forms of bullying, Miss Brown?"

"Yes. I've been shunned on multiple occasions, and people have spoken of me as if I'm not in the room and can actually hear them. Most of the time I'm now isolated - I go to class, take my seat, and just do my own work. Nobody seems to care nor mind that I don't get involved, but I don't mind that. Whenever I walk the halls I get stared at or folks start eyeing me and whispering to their mates. The girls I share a dorm with - previously my good friends, - seem determined to make it known I'm not wanted. I've seen people blatantly turn around and walk the other way if I just so happen to be walking in their direction. It's horrible, sir." She explained, though it soon turned into laid a comforting hand on her back, and Kate was looking down at her hands.

Dumbledore ran a hand through his beard. "I'm very sorry to hear that, Miss Brown."

"Is there anything you can do for her, Professor?" Oscar asked, "She is miserable. We should have put her at Hogwarts in the first place."

"I do have a solution, Mr Brown. As I'm sure you're aware, the magical schools of the world are quite strict regarding who can attend them. For example, Hogwarts is only for British and Irish students, Castelobruxo for South American children, etcetera. Now, the only instances where children can transfer from one school to another are either - for a competition or event, an exchange programme agreed between the two schools, a continental move in terms of home-time residence, or in extreme circumstances. I've had a read of the said circumstances, - students can transfer in cases of bullying."

Isadora felt relief - was she getting to move schools? Truly? She had to pinch herself. I could have turned my back on those bullies for good…

"So, that means she can transfer to Hogwarts?" Kate asked, almost demanding.

"With express permission of the Headmaster of the desired school. As that is me, I do formally give permission for Isadora here to start a new life at Hogwarts."

Her heart leapt, and she was sure her parents did too; she wouldn't have to travel to the USA anymore! Though she was a sixth year (going on a seventh year after summer), meaning she'd literally only spend a year at Hogwarts, she just knew she was going to get more out of it than she would've if she remained at Ilvermorny. Hogwarts was sure to bring her new friends and new possibilities. It only made sense she attend the magical school that corresponded to her country anyway, not the one on the other side of the Atlantic.

"There is paperwork involved in the process of the transfer, but I will be more than happy to owl it to you at a later date." Dumbledore said whilst looking at her parents and smiling.

"At a later date?" She said out loud. "What does that mean?"

"Well, since both Hogwarts and Ilvermorny's spring breaks have now started, it means there's only one term left - which is a little over six weeks. It would make more sense if you started attending Hogwarts on the 1st of September, to mark your seventh year."

"But.. that means I have to go back?" She felt a bit terrified in that respect. She departed Ilvermorny yesterday thinking it was her last ever day at the institute, but now she had to go back once more?

Dumbledore explained some more, and she eventually saw sense in it. She would just have to toughen up for six more weeks and ignore virtually everybody.

"There's something else. I have figured out why you were suddenly a hated person, Miss Brown."

She nearly lurched forward. "Have you?"

"Yes." He then started to tell the story. "The reason it happened so suddenly was because it was a pretty sudden discovery. The schools board of directors had a meeting, and were discussing students' grades in accordance with what house they were in. Now, I do not know how they found out about this information, but one of the directors found a confidential letter I had addressed to the previous Headmaster - a friend of mine, - years before. It detailed that you would be coming to the school when you turned eleven for your own safety. In that same letter, I detailed who you really are."

"Who I really am?" She was confused.

"As in, your birth parents."

She perked up at that. All she had ever known was the orphanage, and then Oscar and Kate. They were her parents as far as she was concerned. She had wondered countless times who her real mum and dad could be, but it had never gone past thinking.

"We think you are ready to know." Kate said suddenly, and gave her hand a squeeze.

"You guys know?" She looked between them.

Oscar nodded. "We've known for a few weeks now."

She gaped at the Headmaster. "Tell me."

"The news of your parentage spread like wildfire - which is why the school collectively decided to treat you like a foreign species of Streeler. Now that I think about it, they were probably more scared of the news than you yourself."

She was getting a bit impatient, desperate to know. Although she wasn't sure if she was going to like this news or not. "I want to know."

The man nodded. "Your mother was a muggle - or what the American's call a No-Maj. In fact, she didn't have any magical blood at all. Your father… He's an entirely different character. He's a wizard, and a very good one at that. He's feared by everyone, yet respected among the people he associates with. It's unclear how they met, but I have records and memories from your orphanage - your mother turned up one day, pregnant. She seemed a bit incoherent, but her memories were also taken once she… had died, giving birth to you. Your father, in a cruel act, had seen her in a bar where he'd been sent to spy on someone else. To make a long story short, he had seen her, thought her pretty, and decided to take liberties. He also took advantage of her. He never returned to her after… that event. He'd left your mother pregnant with his child - you."

Isadora felt a bit horrible hearing that story - was her father a sexual abuser? It certainly sounded like that, though Dumbledore hadn't gone into detail. Though it felt good to get some closure about who they were, she wasn't jumping for joy at all - in fact, she could cry over the fact her mother had been abandoned, pregnant with a random man's child, and scared out of her mind probably.

Shakily, she asked the all important question. "What were their names?"

"Your mother was called Alice Swanson. Your father…"

"Go on," she urged.

Later, she'd wish she hadn't. For Dumbledore replied:

"Antonin Dolohov."

A/N: I really don't know if you guys actually like the idea of Romulus and Isadora yikes haha. I like them though, so they're here to stay. They'll obviously make an appearance when the gang goes back for sixth year.

Also, I got the idea to create them both after seeing some TikTok's where people cosplay as imagined children of Death Eater's. I really like some of the ones I seen, so I guess thats where the inspiration for them came from ahha that's probably really crap imagination on my part. As always, comment if you like em or not.