FicWad

Bit of a lengthy chapter here, so grab a seat and get comfortable, it’s going to be an interesting and long ride.

Chapter Three: Shopping and Sorting:

It had been a long day for Albus Dumbledore, as he sat in his office later in the evening. Word had just gotten to him within the last hour that the man who was supposed to be his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for the year, Professor Quirrel, had an unfortunate accident. After returning from a trip from Albania, the young teacher had a sudden impulse to steal the Philosopher’s Stone belonging to Albus’s mentor, Nicholas Flamel. Apparently Nicholas had the Stone out of Gringotts to get his yearly supply of the Elixir of Life and thus had the Stone at his home. At that moment, Quirrell had broke into the Flamel Home to steal the stone but unfortunately for the now deceased teacher, he ran into one of Nicholas’s security traps. The Ministry still had not found all the pieces of Quirrell. Rumors that he had been working for Voldemort or rather what was left of him were discouraged by Minister Fudge. Fudge claimed that it was most likely the work of a greedy wizard, who had ambitious of making some quick gold by getting his hands on the Stone.

No matter the reason of why Quirrell suddenly went after the Stone, Dumbledore was in a dilemma. Hogwarts was a month away and he needed to find a capable teacher for one of the most crucial subjects in the school. There were no lack of applicants, but Dumbledore needed to arrange a time to meet each and every one of them in person. Dumbledore had to complete the yearly security check around the school, to ensure that there were no flaws that a dangerous threat could exploit and slip into the school. Magic tended to live a life of its own and the magic that held up Hogwarts was no different. On occasion, new flaws were discovered that Dumbledore worked hard to correct. As Headmaster, the safety of the students was a key priority.

“Come in Minerva!” called Dumbledore without looking up as his deputy Headmistress had entered the office, looking irritated, which was never a good sign. “Do sit down, take a seat, and tell me what brings you here at this time.”

“I had to visit a Muggle family to explain to them the magical world, perhaps you’ve heard of them, their name is Dursley,” replied Minerva.

“Now, Minerva, I appreciate your efforts and dedication to your job, but there was no need to explain to the Dursleys young Elizabeth’s situation, they already know of it,” replied Dumbledore calmly. “I did expect that they may put up some resistance but if a letter was not sent back within the week, I would send Hagrid along to explain the situation and convince them to let her attend.”

“No Albus, it was not for Elizabeth’s place at Hogwarts that I came although I was quite glad that I did, as I did tell you we might need to take a closer look for a long time, but Petunia’s son has apparently shown some signs of magic,” said Minerva.

“Young Dudley is a wizard then, well that was unexpected,” replied Dumbledore lightly, truthfully he had not gotten a chance to look over the class list for this year, all he knew was that the Girl-Who-Lived will be beginning this year. “Petunia and Vernon understood, did they not?”

“Only after I silenced Vernon Dursley and explained to Petunia the dangers of having an untrained wizard,” replied Minerva in a testy voice. “That’s not what worries me, I got a good look at their niece.”

Dumbledore sat, awaiting what Minerva was about to say. He had gotten a few reports from Arabella Figg over the years and while Elizabeth Potter had not been treated as well as her cousin Dudley and had gotten extremely defensive when she was asked about her life at home, there had been no signs of physical abuse from the Dursleys. As a result, Dumbledore decided not to press the issue further and take a closer look. There were a couple of instances where she had ran away from home and she had to be returned for her own safety. Even if Voldemort was severely weakened, there were others out there who wanted revenge and many more who wanted to make a name for themselves by killing the Girl-Who-Lived.

“Albus, she looks undersized for a girl her age, while the Dursley boy looks like he is eating for about three,” said Minerva. “Her clothes look only slightly above rags and the Hogwarts letter was addressed to the cupboard under the stairs. Furthermore, the Dursleys might not be abusing the girl physically, but emotionally might be another matter for all you know. And not to mention their son, he is a textbook bully if I’ve ever seen one. Petunia and Vernon have done nothing to discourage him.”

“Thank you for the information Minerva,” said Dumbledore calmly, not batting an eyelash. “Your concerns are valid, I will speak to Petunia in person tomorrow and see if the matter can be rectified.”

“It might be much easier if you just remove the girl from their care, then try to force those people to change,” said Minerva, looking at Dumbledore through narrowed eyes but Dumbledore did not back down.

“If only it were that easy,” said Dumbledore cryptically. Truthfully, Dumbledore could not tell the main reason why Elizabeth was sent to live at the Dursleys, what he had found out when he ran those tests both twins all those years ago. There was a chance that he could have been mistaken and on this account, the Headmaster did in fact hope this was one of those occasions where he was incorrect.

“I just hope that you know what you’re doing, Albus,” said Minerva in a tired voice. “She doesn’t seem like she’ll forgive you if she ever finds out that you were the one that sent her there. Right now, she thinks it was Lily and James and she’s doesn’t seem all too fond of them.”

“Yes, I was aware that Elizabeth did not care that much for the Dursleys ,this is no news to me, Minerva, I have heard of their differences in the past,” stated Dumbledore in a tired voice.

“Not, the Dursleys, that wouldn’t be a concern, I’m talking about Lily and James, she thinks it was their fault she was sent to live with the Dursleys!” yelled Minerva and Dumbledore looked surprised and only a tiny bit ashamed.

“My intention was never to make the poor girl hate her parents, Minerva,” said Dumbledore calmly. “In life, there are difficult choices, that sometimes there is no answer that is completely right from all angles.”

Minerva calmly sat, in slight confusion and mostly irritation. She absolutely hated it when Albus would talk in such an evasive matter. He had been spending too much time at the Wizengamot; it was starting to effect how he dealt with other things.

“Is there anything else that you need to talk to me about Minerva?” asked Dumbledore.

“No, there will be nothing else,” responded Minerva with a curt nod. “I’ll be seeing you soon enough I expect.”

“Yes, Minerva, good night,” said Dumbledore, as he rummaged through the papers on his desk. He had a notice reminding him of a Wizengamot meeting to talk about a new piece of legislation on vampires. The recent rash of vampire attacks had mandated this. Several witches and wizards had been found, with severely blood loss, weakened and many were clamoring for something to be done. Albus hoped that the matter can be resolved without a further restriction on the rights of magical creatures but it might be an uphill battle. Vampires hated humans as much as certain wizards hated all magical creatures.

Elizabeth was lead down the streets of London the next morning, followed closely by Professor McGonagall. Dudley also was close by them but she was keeping as far away from her cousin as possible. All morning, Dudley had bragged about knowing that he was special all of his life and how that he would be better at magic than Elizabeth was, saying that he would show her up. Elizabeth was amused at this, considering that every subject in school, she had done well and Dudley had set new standards for horrible.

“Now, there are two ways to get into Diagon Alley,” said Minerva in a calm voice, speaking of the place where she had informed the two children that they would find everything that they required from Hogwarts. “Most people use the entrance through the Leaky Cauldron, that pub right there.”

She pointed it out, with Elizabeth looking at it, memorizing exactly where it was located, but Dudley just seemed to be only mildly interested. He did have a rather short attention span on many things.

“Now to get into Diagon Alley through that way, you must go to the back of the pub, and tap on the wall three times with your wand, which will open Diagon Alley,” said Minerva. “Now most people are comfortable, especially those with Muggle relatives, by going through this way, by travelling through this side street right here. It is charmed so that only people who have the ability to do magic can pass through it or lead their relatives through it towards Diagon Alley. Now come, we have much to get, but first off to Gringotts, the Wizarding bank.”

With that, the two children followed the Hogwarts Deputy Headmistress down the Muggle street towards Diagon Alley, mostly because Minerva knew that if they had went in through the Leaky Cauldron, there would be a mob scene if they found out the Girl-Who-Lived was in public and thus they would not get their business done. Minerva still had a few more Muggle families to visit after this was concluded and did not wish to be stalled up by idiots trying to make a celebrity out of a girl who barely just found out that the world she was famous in existed.

Harry was excited about his first year of Hogwarts and most importantly getting his first wand. He managed to practice a little wandless magic before and read any book that he could get his hands on. His adopted mother had followed Harry from the Leaky Cauldron into the alley. Right now, Harry had the appearance of short straight brown hair and blue eyes, thanks to the Metamorphmagus abilities that he received in the blood adoption ritual. The Black family had Metamorphmagi in the family occasionally for generation and Harry thought it was much easier to have these abilities. There were potions and spells that altered appearances but since they needed to be occasionally reapplied to maintain the altered appearance. Metamorphmagus abilities varied from person to person, but even most with slight ability could alter there appearance to fool anyone of their identity, providing of course they kept a low profile and did nothing to draw attention to cause someone to take a closer luck. Harry’s powers was slightly more advanced than his older sister’s, as while Nymphadora needed to concentrate to change form, Harry could use his abilities as naturally as taking a breath. Other than that, there were no differences between their abilities.

“You have your list, Harry?” asked Andromeda calmly.

“Yes, Mum, I have it right here,” replied Harry with a nod, double checking the list. “I still can’t believe that we aren’t allowed a broomstick during our first year. If I wanted to go outside and just fly to have fun, I have to borrow one of the school’s brooms and if they’re even half as bad as Nymphadora says…I mean, it’s not like I want to even play Quidditch or anything..”

“Every child complains about that rule, although it’s mostly because they want to play Quidditch,” said Andromeda calmly. “Second year will come before you know it and then you’ll be able to bring your broomstick.”

Harry just nodded, it would be one thing to deprive first year students of playing Quidditch, there was always a chance for injuries. Still, banning them from being able to even bring a broomstick was criminal as far as Harry was concerned.

“Andromeda fancy meeting you here of all days,” stated the voice of Minerva McGonagall that caused Harry to snap out and see that Professor Minerva McGonagall, with two figures in the distance that Harry could not exactly see, as they stood in the background.

“Hello Minerva, I’m just taking Harry here to get his school supplies, we’re about to go into Gringotts right now,” remarked Andromeda.

“Hello, Professor,” added Harry.

“Mr. Black, I trust you are doing well,” replied Minerva and Harry nodded in response. “Mr. Dursley, Miss Potter, this is Andromeda Black and her son Harry. Harry will be starting his first year soon.”

“Pleased to meet you both, I’m Elizabeth Potter,” replied Elizabeth in a polite tone, after all, these two had done nothing to offend her yet.

“Pleased to meet you Elizabeth, are you going into Gringotts as well?” asked Andromeda calmly, trying to mask the shock of meeting Harry’s twin, but if the girl had noticed something, she did not say anything.

“Likewise with me too,” said Harry in a calm voice, as if he was greeting someone for the first time, not a long lost twin that he had been separated from for ten years. He knew this moment was coming for some time and had prepared himself for it, but it was a bit sooner than he had hoped. “So, are you looking forward to Hogwarts?”

“It sounds very interesting, learning at magic, up until last night, I thought it didn’t exist,” remarked Elizabeth calmly, as she looked at Harry curiously. She was getting the strangest feeling that she had met him somewhere before but did not tell Harry this. The last thing she wanted was Harry to think she was insane, he did seem nice enough, at least for right now. “I hope that Hogwarts will be a great experience.”

“It normally is,” replied Harry with a nod, as they walked into the bank, trying not to look like he was taking the shabby state of her clothing in, but it caused Harry to wonder about the Dursleys. Ever since he learned about them, he feared for his twin sister. Physically she looked fine, a bit undersized and the clothing was a bit shabby. The duct tape on her glasses also stuck out to Harry. “Don’t worry Elizabeth, I’m sure you’ll do great.”

“You’re just saying that, because I’m famous,” said Elizabeth in a slightly defensive tone of voice and Harry just raised an eyebrow.

“You’re famous?” asked Harry, even though he knew the answer, but he saw that she seemed to be a bit defensive on the subject.

“Of course, you know the Girl-Who-Lived, the savior who defeated Voldemort, despite being barely old enough to walk,” said Elizabeth who thought everyone had heard of her by the way McGonagall was talking.

“I might have read something about that somewhere, once or twice,” stated Harry, which caused Elizabeth to give a brief smile towards him. “Now, you’re not going to be hung up on your fame, are you?”

“Absolutely not, they don’t eve know who I am and I bet they don’t even want to bother to know the real me,” said Elizabeth. “I know, I should be grateful but…”

“No, you shouldn’t be, those people aren’t worth it,” said Harry. “The same people who suck up to you one week, will stab you in the back the next week.”

“I never had any friends when I was at the Dursleys and I don’t think I’ll have any real friends here, but that’s all right, I’ve survived before and I will again,” said Elizabeth. “Who would want to know the real me anyway if they can just hero worship a celebrity?”

“I would,” said Harry calmly. “Believe me, your fame doesn’t make any difference to me and for the record, I know you’d do great even if you didn’t have a lightning bolt scar on your head.”

“Thanks,” muttered Elizabeth trying not to look too desperate, as she saw Professor McGonagall and Andromeda up at the front desk, with some horrid looking creatures and Dudley seemed to be looking at her and Harry with an expression on his face, that Elizabeth quite frankly did not like. Dudley stepped forward right between her and Harry.

“You, I want to talk to you know, Black,” grunted Dudley.

“I’m talking to my friend right now, could you please leave?” suggested Harry coolly, even though he wanted to hex what he had assumed was the spawn of his aunt and her husband. While he did not know any dangerous spells, he was sure he could send this thing screaming with a few sparks. He stepped to side, to see what this inept child wanted.

“No, I’m warning you that no one gets to be her friend, she’s nothing but a loser, a nerd, a scrawny little girl who’s a wimp,” said Dudley. “You are better off learning this now, abandoning her like everyone else including her parents did.

Harry felt enraged, that this idiot would say that his and Elizabeth’s parents abandoned them and there was no doubt in Harry’s mind that this was not the first time that Dudley bullied someone that tried to be friends with Elizabeth. Only Harry would not be pushed around by something so pathetic.

“Listen here, Dursley, don’t you dare talk about anyone like that, you’re no prize yourself,” said Harry dangerously and Dudley took a step back, perhaps bullying this Black kid without back up was not a good idea. “Elizabeth is a much better person then you’ll ever be, no matter how many people you bully.”

Dudley looked dumbstruck, no one his own age had ever stood up to him, barring his cousin. Of course, when that happened, Dudley and his friends made sure she paid for disrespecting them.

“I know, you don’t want to be my friend anymore, I understand,” said Elizabeth as Harry walked over to her but Harry shook his head.

“No, the idiot thought he could threaten me, as if,” answered Harry and Elizabeth’s spirits raised slightly.

“Yes, he picks on others smaller and weaker than him to hide the pathetic Mummy’s boy he is,” said Elizabeth. “He and his friends basically ran our school, they are among the biggest in our class and not exactly the brightest, but they stuck together and everyone was afraid of him.”

“You never were though,” said Harry logically.

“No, never, I knew exactly how pathetic Dudley was,” replied Elizabeth swiftly. “Others tried to be friends with me, they only lasted as long as it took for Dudley to find out. I didn’t find it surprising after the first few times and I got back in Dudley in other ways. My marks are much higher than his ever was.”

“Good you should be proud of that, and how do you feel about him being a wizard?” asked Harry and Elizabeth sighed.

“I’m a bit scared about what he might do when he learns a bit of magic, not to me I can handle myself, but to others, he isn’t shy about bullying others much younger,” said Elizabeth. “He’ll be much worse with magic.”

“Not unless he wants to be expelled from Hogwarts and brought up on charges from the Ministry, you can’t do magic on Muggles,” said Harry calmly, as he looked over his shoulder where the two adults looked ready as a goblin stood in the distance, with a rather impatient expression on its face. “Anyway, we can talk later, that goblin looks irritated at being kept waiting.”

“A goblin, so that’s what that thing was,” commented Elizabeth as she walked over with Harry, with Dudley, Minerva, and Andromeda already in the cart, along with the goblin. She was skeptical on how five people and a goblin could fit into one cart, but she guessed that was the magic of magic.

“Yes, I know it’s hard to take it, especially when you just found out this world exists,” muttered Harry. “You’ll all learn soon enough, there are others who come in blind as well…”

Elizabeth nodded, there were others, but others did not have the exceptions placed upon them. No matter how many times she tried to reassure herself that she was better off not worrying about these people, there was still a bit of apprehension in her mind.

“This is your vault, Miss Potter,” stated the goblin in an indifferent voice, as the girl climbed out, with Minerva handing over the key.

“You’ll be needing this I believe, Professor Dumbledore has been hanging onto it for years,” remarked McGonagall. “I must take your cousin to the Hogwarts vault to get the money to…”

“Wait, how come she gets her own vault, but I don’t!” whined Dudley which caused McGonagall to narrow her eyes at the Dursley child. It was obvious now more then ever that his parents allowed him to get away with a lot at home, more than any child should have.

“Her parents left her gold to allow her to live comfortably through Hogwarts, until she has finished her education,” said McGonagall calmly. “Now come Mr. Dursley, we still have much to do today.”

Dudley looked sour, as Elizabeth looked on, with Harry watching as Dudley left.

“You enjoyed that didn’t you?” asked Harry.

“It’s not often that I have something that he doesn’t unless you count brains,” replied Elizabeth as she held up the key to the vault, which swung open. She was almost blinded by the glint of gold, along with silver and bronze. She knew nothing about Wizarding currency, but there appeared to be more money that she could ever use.

“Now it’s important to understand that the most important coins are Galleons, next are Sickles, you can get seventeen Sickles to a Galleon, and Knuts are the last important coins, with twenty nine of them to a Sickle,” explained Harry with Elizabeth nodding indicating that she understood. “For each Galleon, it roughly converts into five pounds Muggle money after exchange fees, although it depends on various factors, it’s been known to be more or less several times in the past. Unless you plan on converting either way, you really don’t have to worry about that all much.”

Elizabeth began to pile money in the bag, until she felt that she had enough and a bit extra just in case she needed it for an emergency during her first year at Hogwarts. As she walked by, as Harry turned to his vault, a growing feeling of dread appeared on her face. A look that Harry immediately caught on to.

“The Dursleys will take this all from me when they find out, they’ll never allow me to have that much money,” said Elizabeth. “Or any money for that matter….”

“Actually, they can’t, the goblins won’t allow it,” interjected Andromeda. “Your parents left the money to you, not to them. If they try to demand the money, the goblins will just throw them out of the bank.”

“With a few broken bones to remember them,” said Harry as he opened his vault. “I’m sure they have more than enough money, considering it looks like your cousin eats really well.”

“Yes, and Vernon gets a new car every year it seems,” said Elizabeth and Harry frowned at this bit of news, it just showed how misplaced the priorities of the Dursleys were. “At least now that I have money, I can finally get some decent clothes er they do sell normal clothes in this place, don’t they?”

“If you mean Muggle clothes, then yes they do, in fact, the same place where they sell robes, the only difference is they are charmed to last a bit longer,” said Andromeda who was beginning to realize that all her reservations about the Dursleys were well placed, she just hoped that she could convince Dumbledore that while Elizabeth was safe, she might not have been treated the best. Dumbledore always meant well but when he had an idea of what the right thing to do was in his head, it was very difficult to change it.

Much of there shopping trip went off as normal. Elizabeth utilized the money that she inherited from her parents to its fullest, getting a completely wardrobe, both magical and Muggle. Even though his Muggle clothing was as nice as ever, it did warm Elizabeth’s heart to know that thanks to the limited funding he received from the Hogwarts fund, Dudley’s robes would be slightly less quality than hers. Also, under Harry and Andromeda’s assistance and with the approval of Professor McGonagall, she went to a magical eye doctor that was located in Diagon Alley. It turned out her glasses were several years out of date. She hated her glasses to begin with, so when she had the option to get magical contacts she jumped to the opportunity to get them.

When they reached magical creature shop, Elizabeth decided she want a pet. No matter what she got, she reasoned that it would be more intelligent than all three of the Dursleys put together. Consulting her list, she was disappointed that she could only take an owl, a cat, or a toad.

“I’d really wish I could take a snake,” muttered Elizabeth to Harry in a disappointed tone of voice, causing Harry to raise his eyebrow. “I learned something interesting at the zoo that apparently I can understand snakes, is that common?”

“You talked to it, I take it,” said Harry and Elizabeth nodded it. “It looks like you have a rare gift called Parseltongue, it gives you the ability to talk to snakes and understand what they’re saying. I wouldn’t advise advertising you have that gift though.”

“Really, why?” asked Elizabeth curiously.

“Because, people will prosecute you for having the gift, only because others who have had it in the past have not been the most noble,” said Harry. “I know, it’s stupid, but you’ll find that a lot in this world is.”

“A lot in the other world is as well, believe me,” replied Elizabeth, as she remembered all the times she was teased because of her clothes and glasses at school, as she looked around. The best choice seemed to be an owl. Quite frankly, she could see no use at all for a toad and she had her fill of cats after all the time she spent at Mrs. Figg’s house. So an owl would be the best pet for her, besides from what Harry told her it was the main way to communicate. So even if she was in the Dursley, she would have a link to the Wizarding World.

After she got a large regal looking brown owl, Elizabeth, Dudley, and Harry made their way to perhaps the most important part of the shopping trip, to get their first wands. The most famous wand maker in Britain was a man by the name of Ollivander, his family was said to be making wands for centuries, wands purchased by some of the most famous and infamous wizards in the world.

“Good afternoon,” replied Ollivander in a cryptic tone of voice and Elizabeth felt he would not be that much out of place as a character in a horror movie by his slightly creepy demeanor. “Elizabeth Potter, I must say, I had been expecting you for sometime and Mr. Dudley Dursley, a bit of a surprise. I remember seeing your mother when her sister, Miss Potter’s mother, was buying her first wand. She seemed a bit disappointed that she did not have the gift and I fear that might have translated into jealousy. And yes, Mr. Black, delighted to see you as well…”

“Mr. Ollivander, as fascinating as this is, these children do need their wands,” interjected McGonagall and Ollivander just nodded in understanding.

“Very well, Mr. Dursley, do tell me which arm is your wand are?” asked Ollivander calmly and Dudley looked a bit confused.

“It’s the same as the hand you write with,” said Harry with a roll of his eyes.

“Right,” grunted Dudley and Ollivander nodded, before he put Dudley through the paces, trying different wands. The child seemed rather impatient, as every time he had an impressive wand, Mr. Ollivander snatched it from his hands and the more wands he tried, the least impressive they were.

“Now no need to be impatient, the wand chooses the user, I have yet to fail to match a wand to a wizard, with countless possibilities at my disposal,” said Ollivander, as he held out a rather short wand. “Palm, with a hair from an aged unicorn, five inches, not that good for sophisticated spell work, but good to add a bit of brute force to your spells.”

Dudley took the wand and sparks flew out it immediately.

“And we have a match, that wand suits you, it has chosen you, Mr. Dursley,” replied Ollivander lightly and Dudley seemed a bit irritated, this wand looked rather lame, like something his cousin should have as far as he was concerned. “Now Miss Potter, your turn.”

Elizabeth waved the wands once again. Unlike Dudley, it seemed like the more wands she went through, the better they seemed to get. Ollivander was really excited.

“It appears that an unusual combination would be the one that would suit you, unique and perhaps rarely used, a mixture that can be extremely powerful but difficult to use when in the wrong hands,” remarked Ollivander as he pulled out a wand that looked sturdy and quite durable. Elizabeth could feel something as he leaned forward to hand it to her. “Try this, eleven inches, elm, with the fang of a particular venomous Runespoor within, cased in solidified dragon blood. Very useful in performing more questionable branches of magic, but considering those branches require a great deal of power to begin with, it is a useful wand all around. Give it a wave.”

Elizabeth waved the wand and she felt warmth the likes of which she’s never received before as it gave off magic.

“Very good then, this wand is made for you, rather different than the one that gave you this scar, but extremely powerful none the same,” replied Ollivander. “Perhaps even more powerful, but its difficult put a measuring stick on the power of wands technically speaking.”

Elizabeth nodded, looking at her wand, it radiated magic, it was the definition of what she felt a magic wand should be.

“And now, Mr. Black, I believe it will be your turn,” stated Ollivander and Elizabeth stuck around, indicating that she wanted to see Harry get his wand. Dudley rolled his eyes, but a stern look from McGonagall had stopped him from saying much. Harry went through many wands, but Ollivander seemed to grow curious, as he looked from Elizabeth to Harry briefly, before assuming a business like demeanor. “I do wonder, if this wand will work…”

Ollivander trailed off before he handed a wand off to Harry.

“Another rarity, eleven inches as well, Runespoor fang as well from the same beast, once again cased in solidified dragon blood within the core, but made of holly wood instead of elm, give it a way,” replied Ollivander and Harry raised the wand, he felt it had a great deal of power and Harry waved it, with sparks coming out, with Ollivander looking rather pleased. “Quite interesting and rare that a creature would give two materials to be used in a wand core, even more so that the two wands would be received in the same day, but I suppose it is quite interesting all the same.”

Elizabeth and Harry had no idea what Ollivander was talking about but it seemed like neither believed that they would get anywhere with any line of questioning. They just proceeded to pay for their wands and the two groups separated with Harry looking as if he wanted to protest Elizabeth returning to the Dursleys, but just settled on saying good bye and insisting that she write to him if there were any problems.

“That took every bit of self control I had to not blurt out we were twins,” said Harry, after Elizabeth, Dudley, and McGonagall left and Andromeda gave Harry a sympathetic look. “I don’t really like the idea of her going back to…those people.”

Andromeda had a feeling that her adopted son was going to use a different word to describe the Dursleys, but caught himself.

“I didn’t like it for the beginning, I know Lily and James wouldn’t have either and Sirius, well he most certainly would have not, but the Ministry has agreed that she’s best and safest put there,” replied Andromeda. “Every year I’ve wrote to them to check up on them but it’s done no good at all.”

“If the Dursleys harmed her in anyway…” said Harry before trailing off.

“Physically, I don’t think they would, they would have to answer a lot of awkward questions,” said Andromeda as he reached the Leaky Cauldron. “She seems rather well adjusted…considering the signs that she would be anything but. The moment I can get through to someone that can get her out of there, I will.”

“I know, but I wish it was soon,” said Harry, Dudley had told him enough about the older Dursleys. Still, he would be seeing her in a month at Hogwarts and she would be away from the Dursleys for ten months of the year. It was a small consolation, at least until they could convince the Ministry to take a closer look at the Dursleys beyond what Dumbledore was saying and see that Elizabeth would be better off anywhere else. Until then, legally speaking, all hands were tied.

Lucius Malfoy stood in the Minister of Magic’s office, awaiting a meeting with both Minister Fudge and Head Auror Scrimgeour. Word of the Quirrell incident had gotten to the Daily Prophet and quite frankly Lucius was intrigued. The Philosopher’s Stone had been a coveted object by many dark wizards for years and even The Dark Lord had been intrigued by it, but decided to pursue other avenues of immortality. They sadly did not work and thus the Dark Lord was vanquished by Elizabeth Potter. Lucius had always prepared himself an out in case his former master failed, he was not as devoted to the Dark Lord, but rather to the cause that he spoke of. If anything Lucius Malfoy could do was take advantage of an opportunity to achieve his own ends and he joined up with the Dark Lord to do so. The connections that he forged throughout the years had allowed him to evade Azkaban and avoid losing his sanity and mind.

Still, life held many opportunities but it was up anyone who wished to make anything of themselves to seize them, as he constantly told his son Draco. In fact, recently, Lucius felt he had to take a more active role in his son’s life, to make sure he was ready to uphold the Malfoy family name once it was his time to take over as head of the family. The previous day, on the child’s birthday, he arranged a gathering of children of well connected Ministry officials, so Draco could be accustomed to those who he would have to work with later on. Some of them were older than Draco and for some reason, Draco felt uncomfortable in their presence. Surely, he understood the necessity of forging these alliances, rather than waste time on friends that would get him nowhere. The three individuals that Draco thought were his friends would get him nowhere, even though Lucius felt that the Black boy had potential, if guided properly.

“Lucius, I understand you have something to show us today!” called Cornelius Fudge in a boisterous voice as Scrimgeour just stood back with a stoic nod.

“Indeed Minister, Auror Scrimgeour,” said Lucius calmly. “I have heard of the recent plight of the Auror Department, as everyday robes have proved quite troubling for battle, easily damaged and ill equipped to prevent injury. We have too many dangerous threats and too few Aurors, we cannot have any indisposed due to faulty robes. So, I have paid for the best to solve this problem.”

Lucius held up a common black robe that looked no similar to any other robe.

“These robes block out most spells or at the very least lessen the impact, they are charmed to not tear, adjust for the size of the person wearing them, and also able to adjust for climate control,” said Lucius and the two wizards in the room looked intrigued. “Gentlemen, I have confidence that these robes will revolutionize the Auror Department.”

“How much to require for these robes, Lucius?” asked Scrimgeour calmly, as he looked at the elder Malfoy.

“Not one Knut, Rufus, in fact, I will be willing to donate all twelve of the robes that my associates have completed to the Auror Department and if you require more, than we can work out an agreement when that time comes,” said Lucius smoothly. “All I require is that you give me regular reports on any defects that the robes have.”

“I believe that will be most acceptable, don’t you Rufus?” asked Fudge and the Head of the Auror office nodded.

“Very well Lucius, perhaps this will allow the public to become more confident in the Ministry’s ability to maintain a stable government if our Aurors aren’t susceptible to injuries,” said Scrimgeour.

“Of course, it will Rufus, this could bring in the dawn for a new era for the Wizarding World, it should cut down on dark magical activity greatly at the very least,” said Fudge, who visualized the positive effect that this would have on his public image. “So Lucius, you have yourself a deal.”

“Excellent Minister, this will be a benefit to all,” said Lucius. “The other robes will be sent within the next couple of days, but I may see you before then.”

“Yes all this vampire business, the Wizengamot is debating for a resolution right now,” said Fudge. “Whatever way it turns, I value your insight on where to turn next, Lucius.”

“I’m certain you do, Minister,” said Lucius. “If that will be all, I need to leave to attend a meeting of the Board of Governors, the Girl-Who-Lived is attending this year and we want to ensure her safety within Hogwarts. It would be a nightmare if she comes to any harm.”

“Ah yes, Elizabeth Potter is beginning, it’s a shame that I can’t meet with her right now, it would raise the spirits of the Wizarding World, but Dumbledore insisted that it would compromise her safety,” said Fudge. “Good bye Lucius, I have to be leaving right now.”

“As do I Minister, I’m certain Rufus is busy as always,” said Lucius swiftly and Scrimgeour nodded, before Fudge and Scrimgeour left. Once he was certain they were gone, Lucius stepped forward, tapping his wand to a small cube that he removed from his robes three times before he talked into it. “Yes, I am having the robes tested, for any defects, the charms to block sunlight have been placed in. I understand, you are impatient, but trust me, both of us will benefit in the end. Yes, Elizabeth Potter, my son has been instructed to befriend her, to allow me access to her but why her? You seem obsessed with capturing her, but mind enlightening me why?”

Lucius stood but he had no response for his question.

“I’ll be in touch when I have further information on the status of the robes you commissioned,” said Lucius who had noticed that his latest associate had been very reluctant to part with any information but that was such for their type. They thought themselves to be above humans.

September First had come already and Elizabeth was already in an irritated mood, as she boarded the Hogwarts Express. Her cousin was being his usual oafish self, nearly causing them to be late because he just had to have a fifth helping of Breakfast. She got into an argument with her Uncle Vernon about the platform, Nine and Three Quarters, saying that it was likely built between the middle of Platforms Nine and Ten, due to it being magical. Vernon yelled about how he was not going to let his son run into a solid wall so Elizabeth decided to push her way through, despite a heavy trunk that she could barely carry. If Dudley had missed the train because his stupid parents did not believe her, that was his problem.

Because of that heavy trunk, Elizabeth came to the conclusion that the minute she got to school, she was looking up a spell to cause things to be lighter. The day got so much more wonderful, when a pair of red headed twins that had helped her load her trunk onto the train had found out she was Elizabeth Potter and announced that fact quite vocally. No doubt it was the shock of seeing a person they must have heard about their whole lives, but still Elizabeth hoped to avoid people knowing who she was until she got to Hogwarts. Now, knowing how fast rumors spread, the entire train would know before it even left the station.

Truthfully the moment she returned from Diagon Alley things had been a bit better. She got move in Dudley’s second room, a living arrangement that caused Dudley to have a tantrum that shook the house. She had much better clothes and did not have those ugly taped up glasses. The Dursleys had found out from their money from Dudley, but other than cast a few dark looks, they did nothing to try and force her to hand it over. Not that she would have, the Dursleys would have to kill her to get their hands on one Knut. In fact, they for the most part avoided her, except at meals. It was for the best, as it allowed her time to read her school books in peace and quite.

“Elizabeth, there you are, I thought you missed the train!” called Harry as Elizabeth turned to acknowledge him. In truth, Harry also suspected the Dursleys might try something to keep her from attending Hogwarts.

“Hi, Harry,” said Elizabeth in a happy voice, it might have sounded silly considering she only knew Harry for a month, but she considered him to be like a brother that she never had. “Ready for Hogwarts?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” said Harry. “I think it would be a good idea to find a compartment out of the way.”

“Good idea Harry, I was thinking the same thing,” said Elizabeth as Harry magically dragged their trunks behind them, as Elizabeth looked on. “You’re going to have to teach me that spell.”

“It’s not really taught for a couple of years, it’s third year magic, my sister Nymphadora taught me it,” said Harry. “Although I wouldn’t call her Nymphadora to her face, she doesn’t like her name for some reason and prefers to be called Tonks.”

“Why?” asked Elizabeth, who was confused at how someone could get Tonks out of Nymphadora.

“My mother was married to a man named Ted Tonks, but he died just before I was born,” said Harry and Elizabeth nodded in understanding, before she realized something.

“But, your last name is Black, isn’t it?” asked Elizabeth.

“Yes, Mum’s maiden name, she had it changed back right after he was killed so that would be my last name I when I was born,” said Harry. “I don’t know exact reason she did that, she always changes the subject when it comes up, when someone asks why my sister and I have two last names.”

Elizabeth and Harry reached a compartment towards the very back of the train and sat down, talking about the classes at Hogwarts, with Harry keeping half of an eye on the door. Draco had said that he would find Harry once he could get away from Crabbe and Goyle. Unfortunately, after a few minutes, there conversation was interrupted by a very unwelcome to Harry presence. Harry tried to look indifferent.

“Well are you just going to stand there and gawk at me all day or are you going to say something?” asked Elizabeth in an irritated voice as she looked at the red haired boy in the entrance to the compartment.

“Er, well, I was wondering if I could sit in here, you know everything else was packed,” stated Ron nervously and Elizabeth just gritted sighed, she passed several empty compartments on her way here and in fact, she could seen an empty compartment over the boy’s shoulder. “Well, can…Black what are you doing here?”

“Talking with my friend, Ronald Weasley,” said Harry coolly. “Of course, I think Elizabeth won’t really mind you sitting here, providing you conduct yourself like a civilized human being.”

Ron seemed to want to retort but he sat down, staring at Elizabeth. Quite frankly, after a couple of minutes, he was starting to creep her out.

“What do you want?” asked Elizabeth.

“Well, I was wondering, if I could see your scar,” replied Ron as he worked on the nerve to ask what he wanted.

“Oh you want see your scar, seeing a mark on my forehead would make your day, wouldn’t it?” asked Elizabeth, as Harry winced, this was going to end badly. However Ron was oblivious to this and looked eager. “That would really thrill you, wouldn’t it, make you pleased, by seeing something that I only have because some lunatic killed my parents and tried to kill me.”

“So can I see it?” asked Ron eagerly as Harry sighed and was about to throw Ron out of the compartment, when the door slid open once again. A round faced boy that Harry knew was Neville Longbottom entered the compartment. He was nice enough, but lacked a backbone to stand up to others and Harry lacked the patience to put up with people like that.

“Yes,” said Harry coolly as he looked at Neville.

“I lost my toad, I was wondering if any of you have seen it,” said Neville nervously.

“No, we haven’t seen any toad, but perhaps you should be glad that you lost it, perhaps you could get a decent pet,” said Elizabeth and Neville did not know exactly how to deal with this.

“Well if you see him…” said Neville as he backed off as Elizabeth just rolled her eyes at him.

“So, anyway Elizabeth, about your scar?” asked Ron.

“No you can’t see it, of course if you want one, I’m sure I can have it arranged,” said Elizabeth in an agitated voice.

“Er, I suppose you’re still sensitive about that,” said Ron and Elizabeth sighed, finally he got it. “So, I heard you live with Muggles, what are they like anyway?”

“Idiots, the whole lot of them,” said Elizabeth and Harry just snickered, at Ron’s befuddled expression. “Especially my relatives, they set the evolutionary clock back. Darwin would be rolling over in his grave if he saw my cousin. If they all died in their sleep tomorrow, it wouldn’t matter to me too much.”

“Right, so…what’s your Quidditch Team?” asked Ron.

“Depends what’s yours?” asked Elizabeth.

“The Chudley Cannons,” stated Ron proudly.

“I don’t know a damn thing about Quidditch, but if you like these Chudley Cannons, then I like any team but them,” said Elizabeth. “Of course Quidditch looks to be a stupid sport to begin with from what I’ve read.”

“It is, but flying is pretty fun,” commented Harry and Ron look mortified that two people had dared put down Quidditch and his beloved Chudley Cannons, but before he could go into a rant about the virtues of both, the door slid open again.

“Excuse me, have any of you seen a toad, a boy named Neville has lost one,” said a girl with bushy brown hair, that made Elizabeth feel so much better about her own unruly hair.

“No we haven’t we told him when he came through here not even five minutes ago,” said Elizabeth.

“Right, of course, he did mention someone, but I take it you’re all first years going to Hogwarts,” replied the girl.

“No we’re seventh years who were doused with a powerful shrinking potion,” said Elizabeth sarcastically. “Of course, we’re first years.”

“Well there’s really no need to be rude,” said the girl in a bossy tone of voice but she got over any irritation quickly. “It is interesting though, well it was to me, I mean, my parents aren’t magical it was a bit of shock getting my letter. I didn’t believe it at first but after a while, it was obvious, strange things happened around me my entire childhood. I must say I’m looking forward to Hogwarts, from what I read, it’s the best magical school in the world and I’m Hermione Granger by the way.”

Elizabeth wondered if she even took a breath during that entire spiel.

“Ron Weasley,” said Ron.

“Harry Black,” said Harry.

“Elizabeth Potter,” replied Elizabeth just awaiting for the reaction that came with her name and true to form Hermione’s eyes lit up.

“Really?” asked Hermione. “Of course, I’ve ready all about you, you’re in /Modern Magical History /and The Rise and the Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century and...”

“I might be in those books but they know nothing about me,” responded Elizabeth in a tense voice, who knew exactly the type of person Granger was. She was the type that memorized books from back to front and showed off her knowledge to make others look inferior to her. They lacked any creativity. “I bet nothing in those books are remotely true, considering the fact that no one has ever talked to me that’s connected to the Wizarding World up until a month ago.”

“But, they have to be true, I mean, they’re written in books,” argued Hermione and Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Well, they wouldn’t put out any books that had lies in them…”

“No of course not Hermione, all books are written by gods who can’t make mistakes,” said Elizabeth. “Seriously don’t believe everything you see in a book. The sooner you stop trusting everything just because it’s written in a book, the better you’ll be.”

“Right, what house are you going to be in when you get into Hogwarts?” asked Hermione suddenly. “All of them look interesting, Gryffindor seems to be the best, because I read that Professor Dumbledore was in there when he went to school but I suppose Ravenclaw might not be too bad…”

Harry, Elizabeth, and Ron just sat there as Hermione trailed off, before she cleared her throat.

“Right, I’m going to see if I can find Neville’s toad,” said Hermione as she turned and walked off.

“I hope she’s not in my house, all my family has been in Gryffindor,” said Ron boldly. “Your parents have been too, Elizabeth, but I suppose that Ravenclaw would not be too bad, but imagine being put in Slytherin. It would be a nightmare, I would have to get right on the train and go back…”

“What’s so bad about Slytherin?” demanded Elizabeth.

“Well, that’s where all the evil witches and wizards come from, You-Know-Who was in Slytherin,” said Ron.

“Voldemort was in Slytherin,” replied Elizabeth and Ron winced.

“You said his name, I thought you of all people would not do it,” said Ron.

“It’s bloody pathetic to call Voldemort, You-Know-Who, it’s just a name, it’s not that he’s going to jump out from behind a chair and attack you if you say it,” said Elizabeth and Ron once again winced at Voldemort’s name. “You say you’re going to be in Gryffindor, but that’s supposed to be the house that values bravery above all else.”

“Yes, it’s the best house,” said Ron.

“Yet, you can’t stand someone saying Voldemort,” said Harry and Ron winced once again at the sound of his name. “I won’t even begin to point out how stupid you are on your limited view of Slytherin.”

“Harry, sorry I’m late, it took forever to ditch Crabbe and Goyle and Pansy kept trying to follow me,” said Draco as he entered the compartment before he saw Ron Weasley sitting there. “Harry, you just have warned me there was an infestation in this compartment.”

“Malfoy, what are you doing here?” demanded Ron.

“I could have asked you the same question, Weasley, it seems to be that this compartment could use a few improvements and that involves you getting out of here,” drawled Draco in a bored tone of voice.

“Fine, we’ll let you two dark wizards alone, I’m sure we can sit with someone else,” replied Ron, as he looked towards the door but turned around when he saw Elizabeth was following. “You don’t want to stick around with these two, they’re going to be Slytherins…”

“You know something Weasley, maybe I’ll be one in Slytherin well,” replied Elizabeth. “Get this through your Neanderthal intellect mind. I will never be your friend, I will never like you and if you come near me again, I’ll hex you.”

“But Elizabeth, they’re corrupt you just like they’ve corrupted my sister…” begged Ron.

“You heard her, Weasley, move it, there’s a blond haired buffoon a couple of carts down that looked like he swallowed the entire snack cart, he seems to be about on your intellect level,” said Draco and Ron looked about to protest, but he finally gave it up as a lost cause, before he walked off.

“That blond headed buffoon is my cousin Dudley,” said Elizabeth in amusement at his assessment of her cousin and suddenly, the boy looked rather appalled.

“There is no way that thing can be related to you,” said Draco in a skeptical voice.

“I tell myself that everyday,” said Elizabeth. “Unfortunately my family tree has a few rotten branches on it.”

“Yes, you get those even in the best families,” muttered Draco before he straightened up. “By the way, my name’s Malfoy, Draco Malfoy.”

“Elizabeth Potter,” said Elizabeth calmly and they spent the rest of the train ride just talking. Draco and Harry told her about their other two friends, Ginny and Luna, who would be starting Hogwarts the next year. Elizabeth thought she would get along with both of them based on what Draco and Harry told them, they appeared to be two young witches who had sense, which from her first impressions was a trait that many lacked in this strange new world.

Eventually the train had stopped and they got to Hogwarts where a large man with a wild black beard and hair, was taking the first years up to the school in boats. Elizabeth questioned the wisdom of taking young children, across a large lake, on rickety boats, but fortunately nothing happened when the giant man took them up to the school and then knocked on the door, allowing Professor McGonagall to take them in, to await to be sorted. Some of the students looked so nervous, one would think they were being lead to an execution instead of a sorting and moments later, they were lead into the Great Hall, where a large hat sat on a three legged stool.

“When I call your name, you will come up and sit down on this stool, where the hat will place you in any one of the houses,” remarked McGonagall before the sorting hat began to speak.

“Great it sings,” muttered Elizabeth, causing Harry to snicker as the hat broke into a song. Elizabeth subconsciously blocked it from her mind, the last thing she wanted to do was listen to a talking piece of fabric recite bad poetry but mercifully the hat finished it’s song, as Professor McGonagall began calling them up one by one. Before too long, it was Harry’s turn to walk up.

Harry sat down on the stool placing the hat over his eyes.

“Hmm, interesting, very interesting, I can see what’s in your head and you…ah, Mr. Potter, I thought this might be you, the other half to the girl that I’ve overhead so much about, the supposed deceased twin,”: stated the hat in Harry’s head. “You worry about her safety, about what she has to face and will stand by her no matter what. That loyalty is rather commendable…”

“This is so degrading, being stereotyped at a young age,” muttered Harry.

“I know, believe me, especially considering people are putting more and more stock into these placements than the Founders had ever intended, still back to the matter at hand, I must sort you, that is what I am made to do,” said the hat. “As I was saying, if above all your other qualities, you are loyal to the people you care about it. That defines you, Mr. Potter and therefore there is one place where I’ll put you…”

The hat paused for dramatic effect.

“HUFFLEPUFF!” shouted the hat and Harry pulled the hat off of his head, Hufflepuff was unexpected and he saw the speechless look on Draco’s face.

“I know,” mouthed Harry as he looked Draco’s way, before shrugging, as he joined the Hufflepuff Table.

A few people later, Elizabeth watched Dudley waddle over. She awaited eagerly to see what house Dudley would be sorted in because she knew that was not the house for her. Dudley sat on the chair and put the hat over his head. The hat was over Dudley’s eyes for a long time before it made its decision.

“SLYTHERIN!” shouted the sorting hat and Draco groaned.

“Hoping to get into Slytherin, I take it,” said Elizabeth.

“Yes, but seems much less attractive right now,” said Draco as he walked the students sitting at the Slytherin table scowl at Dudley in disgust. Not only did a Mudblood get put in Slytherin, but not a very bright one either.

Elizabeth watched Hermione Granger get sorted into Gryffindor, making it two houses that she had no desire to be sorted in.

When it was his turn, Draco walked up to the sorting hat, fixing an arrogant expression on his face, trying not to look nervous. Despite his better wishes, his father conveyed that he would be rather disappointed if Draco had ended up in anywhere but Slytherin. There was conflicts in his mind, but his desire to please his father had won out this time. As he sat on the stool and began to place the Sorting Hat over his head, he thought of nothing but all the qualities that he had that would fit someone in Slytherin.

“SLYTHERIN!” shouted the hat as soon as the hat touched Draco’s head.

Several more students were called as Elizabeth awaited anxiously, now she wanted to get this over with.

“Elizabeth Potter!” called McGonagall and Elizabeth got up to her feet.

“Elizabeth Potter,” said a voice in the distance.

“The Elizabeth Potter!” yelled another voice.

“The Girl-Who-Lived?” questioned yet another voice. “The one who beat You-Know-Who?”

“It can’t be, she looks an eight year old little girl, not like a powerful witch,” said yet another voice as Elizabeth put the sorting hat on her head.

“Quite a complex mind we have right here, I have seen very few students who were more difficult to place,” stated the hat. “Qualities of all four of the houses, loyalty but only to those that have earned it and you are willing to work hard. Some ambitious qualities as well and a great deal of bravery. Oh, a great mind as well, with the creativity that Rowena valued in he students. Your mind is perhaps the most valuable asset you have, remember that, but now where to place you? It does seem obvious, but this is not a matter to be taken lightly.”

The hat remained silent.

“Not going to be an easy choice, but looking over everything else in your mind, it looks like there is one house that stands up above all others, yes you will be on your way to greatness in one place,” said the hat before it paused. “RAVENCLAW!”

Elizabeth could see the sour looks on the face of quite a few people at the Gryffindor table but the Ravenclaw table clapped. It was a reserved clapping, not an overly boisterous clapping, but polite and welcoming. She sat down, only halfway paying attention to the rest of the sorting. Ron Weasley got sorted into Gryffindor which he obviously wanted, even though he casted longing looks towards her before joining his fellow classmates. Elizabeth wondered if there the Wizarding World had such a thing as a restraining order, she would have to look into that later on.

“Welcome to another year at Hogwarts,” said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye, a trick that Elizabeth felt she absolutely had to learn. “For you new students, I am Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I’m sure you are all hungry and let’s not waste any time.”

Several dishes full of food appeared on the table and Elizabeth jumped on the opportunity to pile up her plate. At the Dursleys she was only given enough to survive, so she would most certainly make up for lost time when she was at Hogwarts.

“Hungry, much?” asked a brown haired girl with a smile. “No offense, but I don’t blame you, it looks like you could use a few meals.”

“Believe me, I know,” said Elizabeth, as she began to pile up her plate with more food than she ate in a month at the Dursleys. “I’m sick of people saying that I look like an eight year old.”

“I heard them muttering about that, by the way they were carrying on, they were expecting some glamorous model or something like that,” said the girl. “Lisa Turpin by the way, but I must say it’s a shock to see you in Ravenclaw. Everyone thought you’d be in Gryffindor but that just proves how little we know about the real Elizabeth Potter.”

“At least you have a good head on your shoulders, Lisa, to understand there’s a difference between me and that fictional figure they write about in the books,” said Elizabeth. “Harry and Draco are the only other people that I’ve met so far that seem to understand there’s a difference.”

“Draco as in Draco Malfoy?” asked Lisa in a curious voice.

“Yes, I don’t know many other people who would be named Draco,” said Elizabeth. “What about him?”

“It’s just he seemed to be a bit anti-social to me when I was at his birthday party, of course, it didn’t seem like much of a party, it’s just my father and Draco’s father are both on the Board of Governors, so Dad insisted that I attend,” said Lisa. “The entire party, he blew everyone off, of course, I never really got close enough, Parkinson didn’t really let any other girl get close to Draco. She’s obsessed with him or maybe his money, it’s hard to say.”

“That wouldn’t be her, would it?” asked Elizabeth as she saw a pug faced girl talking to another girl or at least what Elizabeth thought was a girl, it was hard to tell.

“Yep, that’s her,” said Lisa as she went to her food and the more that Elizabeth watched Pansy Parkinson, the more she was reminded of the girls in school that tormented her because of her clothes. Snooty, superior, and quite frankly always putting down others to make themselves look better.

“I figured as much,” replied Elizabeth as she continued to eat. It was a welcomed change to have as much as she could. Dinner was replaced by dessert, an art that Elizabeth never was allowed to indulge in. Needless to say, she made up for lost time in a hurry.

After dinner, Dumbledore stood up with a broad smile.

“I now have a few before term announcements now that you are all fed and watered,” said Dumbledore calmly. “The Forbidden Forest, as its name indicates, is strictly forbidden. First years are discouraged from going anywhere near that and I feel it is prudent to remind a few of our older students that they should not venture towards it.”

Dumbledore’s eyes snapped towards a certain pair of twins, who took a short bow at their trouble making antics.

“Mr. Filch has also told me to remind you that magic is forbidden in the corridors and also there is a list of items that are banned from Hogwarts on the door of his office that you can all view at your leisure,” said Dumbledore. “In addition, Quidditch trials will be held within the next couple of weeks. Anyone who wishes to have a place on their house team, please contact Madam Hooch.”

Dumbledore looked around, before he proceeded to make his final announcement.

“Now, there has been a staff change in the post of the Defense Against the Dark Arts once more,” said Dumbledore. “I am pleased to announce that this post will be filled for this year by retired Hit Wizard, Professor Jack Savannah.”

Savannah stood, giving the school a good look at him. He had a completely serious expression etched on his face, with an eye patch over his right eye and scars all over his arms in what was visible underneath his robes. He looked like a person that could injured someone with his bare hands, even without his wand.

Harry looked at Savannah from the Hufflepuff table, frowning in deep concentration. His name sounded very familiar, he had heard it somewhere beyond him being an old hit wizard. Yet, nothing was coming to mind, but he was famous for another reason. The mutterings around him had clued Harry in that he was not the only one that had heard of Savannah before.

“Now I’m sure tomorrow will be a busy day, so it’s essential we all get a good night’s rest,” said Dumbledore. “Prefects, you may lead the first year students to the dormitories, the rest of you know what to do. Good night and I hope that your year at Hogwarts is an enjoyable one.”

Elizabeth stood up, yawning. It had been a long day and it was getting late into the night. She turned to talk to Harry but she was being called by a prefect. Harry just mouthed that he would talk to her tomorrow before waving at her. She waved back, before she followed the prefect along with the other first year Ravenclaws. Tomorrow her magical education would officially begin.