A Good Time For Change

Chapter 9

What It Finally Came To

At Hogsmeade Station...Before the Sorting Ceremony...

"God, I'm so nervous," Kelli said, looking quite pale and close to hyperventilating. Ron put a comforting hand on her shoulder. He gave her a quick squeeze, which seemed to calm her down a little bit.

"You'll be fine. You, too, guys," he nodded towards Matt, Gwen, and Shawn, who all looked quite pale, too. "Honest. It's not that bad. It's not like you have to wrestle a troll, or anything."

Shawn looked relieved. "Well, that's good. 'Cause Fred and George said--"

"They didn't!" Hermione squealed, sounding angry.

Matt and Gwen nodded. Then, Gwen said, "We've been trying to convince her they were joking."

Harry bent down and looked Shawn in the eye. Her own, bright-green eyes could rival his. He smiled. "I promise you, there's no wrestling a troll involved. But I'm not telling you anything else. It's supposed to be a surprise." Shawn nodded, quickly, with a smile.

"Okay, Cousin Harry. I trust you." She flung her little arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. Harry blushed, but hugged her back.

"First years? All first years please come here! You don't want to miss your boat, now, do you?" The voice came not from Hagrid, but from an extremely large, female house-elf. Extremely large for a house-elf is about four feet tall, by the way.

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry asked the elf.

She looked around, warily as the first years started climbing into the enchanted boats. "Massa Hagrid is on top secret business, Mister Potter, sir," she whispered. "Only four to a boat, please, young masters and missies!" she called, loudly. "I must go!" she said, climbing into a boat.

"See you guys, later!" Kelli called, waving. Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny climbed into a carriage, and Gwen, Matt, Kelli, and Shawn climbed into a boat.

***

"Bugger," Draco muttered as Pansy followed him into his carriage, along with Crabbe and Goyle. "Can't you go find some annoying, little friends, Pansy?" Pansy looked indignant and sniffed, turning her pug nose up in the air.

"How can you say that Draco? You know there's nobody anywhere near our league here." She sneered at Crabbe and Goyle. Crabbe just stared at her open-mouthed, looking confused, but Goyle had the decency to blush.

"That was uncalled for, Pansy," Draco said in his usual, slow drawl. Pansy looked sulky. They spent the rest of the ride to Hogwarts in silence. Upon their arrival, Pansy did, indeed, go find some annoying, little friends.

Draco sneered as she left, and didn't watch where he was going. He bumped into somebody, who fell down. Helping her up, he noticed the shocked look on the girl's face. "Problem, Granger? Sorry for knocking you down, by the way." His prefect badge glinted in the September moonlight.

She stood staring at him, open-mouthed.

"Whatever. See you later, Granger." Draco turned and stocked off towards the castle.

Ron and Harry came up to Hermione. Ron looked quite awed. "Was Malfoy just acting decent?"

Hermione nodded, and then realized her mouth was still hanging open. She closed it. "Er...yeah. Well, we'd best get inside. We want good seats for the sorting."

***

"This way. Time for you to be sorted," Professor McGonagall said, leading them into the Great Hall. The ghosts waved cheerfully, and vanished through the opposite wall from where they came in.

The first years gave a general gasp as they entered the Great Hall. It was decked out with candles, floating in midair, and the golden plates and goblets shown on the four house tables and head table. They were marched to the front of the room.

Kelli gave Shawn's hand a squeeze as Professor McGonagall placed the sorting hat on a three-legged stool. "It'll be okay," she whispered. Shawn gulped, but nodded slightly.

The hat opened at a rip near the brim, like a mouth, and began to sing.

"Oh, many, many years ago,

But 'twas like yesterday to me,

A pretty witch did pick me up,

And giggle with such glee.

She purchased me, fair Ravenclaw,

And gave me to her beau,

I came into Godric's possession,

Happy Ravenclaw in tow.

Now, if you feel so nervous,

Don't, because now you must see,

There's nothing wrong with this old hat,

I just tell you where you'll be.

If cunning and sly and crafty you are,

Then Slytherin will suit you by far.

If hard-working and cheerful are yer chief traits,

You'll find you're sitting in front of Hufflepuff plates!

But if you're smart, and bookish, to a fault,

At the Ravenclaw table is where you'll halt.

Now, if you're brave, and courageous, well, then,

To the Gryffindor table is where you will wend!

So don't worry, my dears,

Don't get in a flap,

Just try me on,

I'm Gryffindor's cap!"

[A/N: I apologize for my atrocious song-writing skills. On with the show! *whispers* Pretend you like it.]

The hall burst into loud applause. Oh, Shawn thought to herself. We just try on a hat. That's a bit of a relief. But do we really have to do it in front of everyone?

Professor McGonagall shattered her quiet reverie. "When I call your name, come sit on the stool, and I will place the hat on your head." She looked down at her list, and said, "Alitaine, Cathleen."

A girl with reddish-gold hair and freckles, who looked extremely pale, quickly made her way to the stool and sat down. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head, and it immediately screamed, "RAVENCLAW!!!"

The table that had a blue banner above it broke into applause. A now-relieved Cathleen sighed, happily, and made her way to sit down there. Cho Chang was seen clapping her happily upon the back.

"Alitaine, Duncan." Duncan had sandy-brown hair, freckles, and was looking slightly green. However, as soon as the hat touched his head, it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Seamus Finnigan could be heard shouting, "That's my cousin! Yep! Good, old, Duncan." As Duncan took his seat, his over-enthusiastic cousin clapped him on the back, nearly sending him head over heels onto the table.

"Bulstrode, Abelforth." This time, it was a huge, hulking young man, with black hair and a sharp-featured face who made his way to the stool.

The hat hadn't even slid entirely over his eyes when it shouted, "SLYTHERIN!!!" The green-bannered table broke into applause. Is it just me, Shawn thought, or do they seem like an unpleasant lot?

Ten minutes later, Professor McGonagall said, "Malfoy, Gwendolyn." There was a sudden muttering rushing through the hall as Gwendolyn casually walked towards the stool. Before placing the Sorting Hat on Gwen's head, McGonagall said, "Miss Malfoy is a fifth year transfer student." Then, the hat dropped over Gwen's silvery-gray eyes.

Gwen squirmed slightly as the hat spoke to her.

"My, my, a faerie, eh?" it asked, sounding interested. "How fascinating. And a Malfoy, too? Even more so!" The hat chuckled. "Now, where to put you...Slytherin definitely will not do, to my surprise, actually. Neither will Hufflepuff. You're not some meek, little, hard worker. Ravenclaw might suit you...perhaps...no, no. You are trying to be difficult, aren't you?"

Gwen was indignant and snapped in her mind, "Don't be silly. You know I don't mean to be, you stupid, old hat!"

The hat chuckled. "Feisty one. Courageous. Brave. Yes, yes. Only one place for you. Very well. Goodbye, darling, you're headed for GRYFFINDOR!" he shouted to the hall. The hat was pulled off of her head, and she blinked in the bright light a moment, she stood and walked over to the Gryffindor table. Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Ron were all clapping, as well as a few of the professors, but the rest of the hall was silent. Gwen sat in between Hermione and Ginny and spoke to the rest of the table. "Thanks for the warm welcome." They had the decency to blush.

Then, McGonagall said, "Malfoy, Matteus. Mr. Malfoy is also a fifth year transfer student." Matt took a seat on the stool, and the hat promptly covered his eyes.

"My, my, you're much easier than your sister. Has to be RAVENCLAW!!!" There was some applause from the Ravenclaw table, including some of a very raucous type by Cho Chang.

Matt waved at where his Gryffindor friends were sitting, and went to sit next to Cho Chang. She gave him a huge smile. Then, she shook his hand.

"Cho Chang, sixth year. I'm the Ravenclaw seeker." Matt nodded in acknowledgement. "I'm also a prefect, but I don't like to talk about that." Chang pulled a face, and he chuckled. "Any relation to Draco Malfoy?"

"Actually, I think we're distant cousins."

"Ah, I see. Well, then. Good to meet you Matteus. Or do you go by Matt?" She cocked her head to one side, and stared at him with big, slightly slanted, brown-black eyes. Her straight, black hair was pulled back in a loose braid, and a strand was hanging slightly in her face. He couldn't help but think she was rather pretty.

"It's just Matt."

"Nice to meet you, then, Matt."

***

"Patterson, Eleanor." Eleanor had huge, blue eyes, and tangled, white-blonde hair forming a sleepy halo around her head. She'd obviously not straightened herself up after her nap on the train. The hat was on the stool for nearly five minutes before the hat placed her in Hufflepuff.

On and on, it went. People were actually starting to fall asleep.

By the time Professor McGonagall called Kelli's name and announced she was a fifth year transfer student, she was starting to feel quite nervous. The whole hall was alive with whispers when they heard her last name was Potter. She took her seat on the stool, and the hat went over her eyes.

"My, my, my. What have we here? A Potter, eh? Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Gryffindor all rolled into one. Do you like being difficult?"

Kelli thought back into the hat. "Of course. Don't you think it's cute?"

"Definitely not a Slytherin."

She smiled.

"But it's almost impossible to tell whether you should go in Ravenclaw or Gryffin--oh. Well, that makes it easy."

"Ooh, what--" she began, but the hat was already shouting.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Kelli let out a sigh, and took a seat next to Ron, who gave her a quick kiss on the mouth. She smiled and waved at everyone else seated at the table. Harry clapped her on the back, and Hermione, Gwen, and Ginny were grinning.

"Potter, Shawn." Shawn meekly made her way to the stool. Everyone watched in silence for nearly six minutes as the poor girl fidgeted. Then, the hat did something it had never done in over a thousand years of sorting students.

"May I please speak to the Headmaster?" it asked. There was a stunned silence, but Headmaster Dumbledore walked onto the platform. Shawn pulled the hat off of her head and handed it to him. He nodded towards her, a smile playing upon his wizened, old face, and then placed it on his head. After engaging for several minutes in a mind-conversation with the hat, he placed it back on Shawn's head. Shawn returned her attention to the hat, quite tired of staring at her shoelaces.

"Can't you just make up your mind?" Shawn asked the hat, not meaning to be rude, but quite embarrassed and irritated.

"You're rather difficult, my dear. I don't know whether I'll be able to place you properly. You see, you're very important. Very important indeed."

"Why am I important?"

The hat continued, not acknowledging she'd even asked it a question. "I spoke to the Headmaster, and he said to go with my gut instinct."

"Oh? And what is that?" she asked.

"SLYTHERIN!"

The hall was completely silent as McGonagall pulled the hat off of Shawn's head. The tiny, raven-haired girl made her way slowly to the Slytherin table.

"Hello, there, Potter," Malfoy said, sneering. He patted the spot on the bench next to him. "Take a seat." Shawn gulped, but did as she was told.

This is going to be a loooooong year.

It went on and on and on and on...

The last student sorted was, "Zabini, Taj." An excited, nervous ball of energy with skin the color of coffee and cream, and hair charcoal-black made his way to the stool. Promptly, he was put in Ravenclaw.

When the sorting was completed, and all the students had taken their seats, Headmaster Dumbledore stood and cleared his throat. "I have only two words for you." He looked around. "Tuck in!"

After everyone had been eating and chatting awhile, Kelli looked up at the Head Table, and a conspiratorial smile shone upon her face. "Is it just me, or are a few people missing? No DADA teacher, no Potions teacher, no Care of Magical Creatures teacher..."

Hermione looked up. "You're right. Wonder who they're going to have..."

Hermione was interrupted, as the doors to the Great Hall slammed open with a "BANG!" Three silver-haired figures walked to the Head Table in the silence. More than half the male population of Hogwarts gaped. One of them was Fleur Delaceour, dressed in silk, sky-blue robes, her hair long and straight to her waist, with almond-shaped eyes the color of the ocean. The next was decked out in military "camo-style" clothes, complete with hat and combat boots, had straight hair trimmed neatly to her chin, a grim look upon her sharp-featured face, and eyes like chips of blue-gray ice--the infamous Colonel Grace Bern, one of the top military workers for the United States. Last, but not least, was Chelsea Grayson. Chelsea had curly hair to her shoulders, was dressed in a muggle sweat suit of baby pink, and had frightened, brown eyes, which reminded one strongly of a doe, stuck staring at the headlights of an on-coming vehicle. She had resided in the Irish countryside, until lately, defending with her astonishing powers against all sort of horrid creatures.

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to digress a bit. You'll thank me for it in the long run. The three aforementioned young women are actually triplets, separated at birth, and adopted by three different families--each in a different part of the world. So, of course, the three of them are almost completely different. Fleur: flirtatious, infectious, but with a serious side. Grace: cold, harsh, but with a good heart hidden somewhere behind her military regalia. Last, but certainly not least, Chelsea: sweet, sometimes timid, sometimes 'no-nonsense take-charge woman', with a temper that could flare up most unexpectedly, but only if very strongly provoked.

By this time, everyone had stuffed themselves silly, and Headmaster Dumbledore stood, after directing the three women to seats at the table, and silence reigned. For a moment, he simply stared out at the students, and several could've sworn they saw tears brimming in his eyes. He seemed to give himself a mental shake, and then began to speak.

"My fellow staff and students," he began, "I welcome you back to another year at Hogwarts. However, it is great sadness that I do so, for our number is less than it has been. Let us have a moment of silence for those we have lost." They hall was silent for nearly a minute, and more than a few tears were shed. "Thank you," Dumbledore said, wiping a tear from his long, crooked nose, "I needed that.

"For those of you who do not know of the events of last year's Triwizard Tournament," Fleur shivered, as did Harry and half of the Hall, "let me say that it has come to our attention that a great evil has again fallen upon our world. Let us pray there is still hope for us all." He paused.

"First years, and some of our older students..." he paused, and his eyes flickered in the direction of the Weasley twins, who had conjured floating halos above their heads, and were smiling unconvincingly, "will please note that canary creams, butterfly busters, and ton-tongue toffee have been added to the list--which may be seen in Caretaker Filch's office--of forbidden items." Fred and George snickered happily, high-fiving, low-fiving, and side-fiving each other. "You will also note that all students--with the exception of prefects, of course," Hermione beamed, "will be required in their common rooms or dorms at a curfew of eight o'clock every night." There were some indignant comments, but pretty much everyone understood the precaution. "The Forbidden Forest is, as always, off-limits, except for special circumstances." He paused, and looked at the Weasley twins, again. "You'll know what the special circumstances are if they ever happen."

Dumbledore smiled. "I would also like to inform you that several esteemed members of our staff will be gone for at least part of this term. Professor Snape--" cheers broke out and Dumbledore had to struggle to keep a straight face, while most of the other professors laughed, openly. "Yes, yes, that's quite enough. In his position will be Professor Delaceour." The male population of the hall cheered as the French witch waved, smiling hugely. "As usual, we have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, this time Professor Bern."

The commando-like witch standing up and shouting interrupted the cheers. "Quiet for a second!" she shouted with a strong, American accent, which made Kelli and Shawn feel quite homesick. Silence fell. "Er...I prefer Colonel, or Colonel Bern, if that's alright." Professor Dumbledore nodded, and the applause resumed as the now-red colonel took her seat.

"And last, but certainly not least, in place of our Groundskeeper, Keeper of the Keys, and Care of Magical Creatures Professor, we have Professor Grayson." Even more cheers. "Off to Dreamland. I, myself, have got a date with the sand man." He waved, cheerily, and then walked off the platform, followed by the silver-haired triplets.

"Slytherins this way!" Charlotte Zabini said, leading the Slytherins out of the hall. Kelli slipped a bit of parchment into Shawn's pocket as she passed. Shawn pulled the parchment out and read it.

Don't go near the couches, or the wing-backed chairs, or the boys' bathroom, or the fireplace.

"What've you got there?" Draco asked, putting an arm around her shoulder. She cringed. Stuffing the piece of parchment back in her pocket, she smiled.

"Nothin', Draco. Um...Cousin Draco?" she asked.

"Yes?" he replied, as they entered the Slytherins' common room in the dungeons. Somehow the 'cousin' part just seemed to fit coming out of the little girl's mouth, in reference to himself.

"Goodnight!" She planted a kiss on his cheek and rushed up to the girls' dormitories.

Draco's hand rested where the little girl had kissed him. He rubbed it softly. His reverie was interrupted by a dreadfully familiar voice.

"Oh, Draaaacooooo!" Pansy squealed. Draco made a mad-dash for the boys' dormitories.

***

[A/N: This sequence is going to seem completely unrelated to the story, but trust me, at the end it will become clear...sort of... BTW, this chapter's going to get VERY long...just a warning...]

"Master Lupin," came the inquiring voice of the house' ghost/servant Charles. Charles was very stuffy, and very dead. "You have a caller, sir." Though Remus was only five years old, he knew all about callers and such, and immediately got up to follow Charles to the parlor.

The Lupin family had always lived on a large estate in a gargantuan mansion an hour's flight from London. This Lupin was no different--except for the fact that he'd recently been bitten by a werewolf in the woods on the far side of the estate, and was now one himself. Lupin was a name to be reckoned with--one of the oldest and most highly esteemed pureblood families in the world. Right up they're with the Malfoys and the Potters--not that they associated with the Malfoys. They did--however--associate with the Potters, though since "The Incident" as it had become called, the Potters had been conveniently busy.

Upon reaching the parlor, Remus was stunned to see a girl of his own age, dressed in a pretty blue frock, her dark-brown hair braided into a tight bun. The girl was fidgeting, her legs dangling from the couch, until she saw Remus. Then, she smiled broadly and winked at him. Remus blue-green eyes grew wide as he took a seat on the couch across from the girl and her blonde-haired mother, and sat next to his own mother, who had the same sandy-brown hair as himself, along with a very tired look.

"This is my son, Remus," Camellia Robinson-Lupin said, smiling as she hugged her son. "Remus, this is Mrs. Robin Gray, and her daughter, Elisa Nanette Gray. They just moved in next door. Mrs. Gray has come to set up a play date for you and Elisa. Isn't that nice?" Camellia beamed at her werewolf son.

Remus had respectfully nodded at both of the visitors before turning and looking at his mother. Then, he looked at little Elisa. She had a broad smile on her face, and a mischievous twinkle in her blue eye. He liked her at once. However, being a gentleman, he had a strong sense of duty to inform the young lady of the unfortunate circumstances. "You do realize, Miss Gray, that I'm a werewolf."

To Remus' immense shock, Elisa's smile broadened, and she nodded, a stray curl escaping her tight bun, bouncing merrily into her face. "Oh, yes, quite aware. I think it's intriguing!" Elisa had a strong, Scottish brogue. "I was wondering, do you want to come over to my house for tea, sometime? Maybe then we could go to a muggle cinema!" Elisa seemed thrilled with the idea. "May he come today, Mrs. Lupin?"

Camellia seemed shocked. "Is--is it okay with your mother?" Camellia looked at Robin. Robin's grim face became a smiling sun. She nodded, silently. "Would you like that, Remus?"

"I'd like nothing better, Mum!" the young Remus had cried. Ten minutes later, as they were exiting the mansion, Elisa grabbed hold of Remus' hand. He smiled and gave Elisa's a familiar squeeze.

With a mischievous twinkle in her eye, Elisa gave a small giggle. The witch, the squib (or at least, they thought she was at that point), and young werewolf entered the muggle limousine. "I think this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship," Elisa said with a grin.

***

"Arabella! Lily! Alex! Molly!" Elisa called. "I'm giving you three..." she paused, looking down at her watch, " ten seconds to get down these stairs before I come up there, dress you myself, and physically drag you to Hogsmead!" The Marauders and Arthur smiled. That was Elisa, all right. "One, two--" The four girls appeared before their eyes.

"Ready!" Lily said, breathlessly, shoving a lock of red hair from her freckled face. Her emerald-green eyes darted automatically to her beloved James. Such a wonderful couple, the tall, dark and handsome James Potter, Quidditch player extraordinaire, and the beautiful, small, mysterious Lily Evans, top of the year, and damn proud of it. "Just...uh...finishing our Transfiguration homework!" She looked to the other three girls for help.

"Uh...yeah...Transfiguration homework," Arabella said, putting her arm through Sirius'. Arabella was tall with hourglass curves. Her long, silvery-blonde hair and blue-gray eyes were her trademarks. She pretended to shove a finger down her throat, gagging.

Alex chuckled as she latched onto Peter's arm. Peter and Alex were both short and athletic-looking. Which made sense--they were the beaters for Gryffindor. They looked rather like brother and sister, dishwater-blonde hair; cut short, and dark-blue eyes, both of them. "Definitely. Except for the fact that," she shot this remark at Lily, "we don't have any," she turned back to Peter with a smile, " that's definitely what we were doing." She smiled and laughed.

Molly tossed her long, curly, red hair over her shoulder and grasped Arthur's hand, firmly. They both had freckles and vivid red hair, although Molly's tended to be curly and fluffy, and Arthur's tended to be straight and silky. Arthur's eyes were a bright blue, and Molly's eyes were a chocolate brown. Arthur was Gryffindor's keeper for Quidditch, and Molly was his number one fan.

"Come, now, Elisa," Molly said. "We didn't take that long."

Elisa rolled her eyes and grabbed Remus' hand. "Come on, I want to get to Zonko's before the crowds." She shook her dark, curly, brown locks out of her face, and then tucked them neatly behind her ears. "Plus, Lily and I want to check out that new bookstore, what's-it-called...The Inkblot. That's it." Smiling, she added, "Plus, I think that James and Lily want some extra time to snog."

Lily let out an indignant cry, and dashed after Elisa, who was already out the portrait hole. James merely looked pleased. Laughing and joking with one another, the rest of the "old crowd" followed.

***

Upon their arrival at Zonko's, the group disbursed, gathering prank 'supplies' from all over the store. After the shop started to fill up, the group left with their purchases, weighed down by bags, but definitely not as much money. Then, the group split up: Lily, James, Elisa, and Remus headed for the bookstore; Peter and Alex headed to the sweet shop, Honeydukes; Arthur and Molly headed for Gladrag's Wizardwear (Molly had her eyes on a new ball-gown for the Yule Ball that Christmas); and Sirius and Arabella headed to the broomsticks for 'butterbeer and quiet conversation'. Everyone had laughed at this. Before everyone had split up, Elisa had made an announcement.

"We're going to join ranks at the Three Broomsticks at 12:17."

Peter looked puzzled and asked, "Why 12:17?"

Elisa seemed shocked by his question. "Why not?"

Lily and James headed for the Quidditch section of the bookstore. Elisa lost herself in the new, Transfiguration textbooks, and Remus became totally absorbed in a book on Medieval Potions. However, he came out of his trance when he heard Elisa yelp, "OUCH!"

Remus rushed to find her. She was clutching a large, leather-bound book in her left hand, and her right hand disappeared behind her back. Elisa was actually wiping blood off on the back of her red sweater, feeling her magic flow to heal the wound. "You okay, Lee?"

"I'm fine," she said, smiling. "I just...dropped this darn book on my foot." Elisa crossed her fingers behind her back. Smiling, she hooked her arm through Remus', glancing at the large, ornamental clock that adorned the wall. "It's time to meet our friends," Elisa said, pointing at the clock.

"Let's go grab Lily and James," Remus said. Elisa nodded, and they went off to find the lovebirds. Little did they know, the absolutely unexpected was about to happen between Hogwarts' Head Boy and Girl.

***

As Remus watched Elisa's graceful walk through the snow, he couldn't help but think she looked like an angel. The softly falling snow was alighting in her dark, curly hair, which was starting to frizz up and form a halo around her pale face. There was still a spatter of summer freckles across her nose and cheeks, and her lips were curled into their normal smile. A laugh escaped them, and all he could do was stare.

"Now, Lily...James..." Elisa got a stern look on her face, doing an absolutely flawless impression of McGonagall. "I'm absolutely horrified by this public display of affection." Elisa waggled her finger in their blushed, smiling faces. "The Head Boy and Girl of Hogwarts should know better. Hey, James!" she said, dropping the façade. "Isn't that Landon over there?"

"Where?" James asked, looking around for his twin.

Elisa pointed at a dark-haired figure leaning against a wall, talking to--Kelli Grayson? "Oh. My. Gosh. James! Your brother is flirting with Kelli Grayson!" Her mouth dropped open. "I can't believe my eyes." She rubbed them, and then blinked rapidly, looking again, as if trying to make sure she hadn't gone completely dotty.

"The pretty, prefect, 'sweetest girl in the whole school', besides Lily, of course, Ravenclaw, Kelli?" James asked.

Lily nodded, smiling. "I--uh..." Everyone turned to look at her, and she flushed prettily. "I sort of set them up." She bit down hard on her lip, almost drawing blood. "Kelli's just so sweet, and I couldn't let that darn Malfoy try and go out with her. He's been bugging her an awful lot lately. So...I just suggested a pleasant alternative to the unfortunate girl."

Remus shook his head, chuckling. "Lily," he said, "you never cease to amaze me." Elisa giggled as Lily's face went as red as her hair.

"We'd best get going," she said abruptly, releasing Remus' arm and turning. Elisa started walking briskly towards The Three Broomsticks.

"Hold up, Elisa!" Lily called, jogging after her, closely followed by Remus and James. Lily caught up, gasping. "Where's the fire?" she asked.

"No fire," Elisa snapped. She kept walking at her brisk pace. Glancing at her watch she said, "I--just didn't want to be late, is all." Lily knew she wasn't telling the whole truth, but decided to let it slide.

"Whatever you say, Elli May!" Lily giggled happily. However, she stopped when she saw her friend's face. Now, generally Lily's a very serious personage, but she can be quite silly when struck with the mood.

Elisa shot her a look of pure poison. She stopped and grabbed Lily by the shoulders, shaking her roughly, to the astonishment of the two gentlemen present. "My name is Elisa May Gray," she said, pronouncing her name slowly and precisely. "No Elli. No Elli May. Understood?" Lily smiled, evilly, and nodded. The other girl scoffed, and then broke into a run, reaching The Three Broomsticks in two seconds, flat.

The other three arrived, gasping for air, just as Elisa entered. Elisa smiled, looking at the clock on the wall. "12:17, on the dot." She walked over to the table where Sirius and Arabella were snogging. To her friends' shock, she smacked the couples' heads with her open palms. "You're acting like rabbits in heat." Then, she cracked a smile. "Act decent. We're in public, you know."

Arabella pushed a lock of silvery-blonde hair from her blue-gray eyes. Blushing crimson, Sirius ran a hand through his brown-black hair. Elisa handed him a handkerchief, which he looked at, slightly baffled. The girl rolled her eyes.

"Go to the bathroom and take a look in the mirror, lover-boy. Arabella, maybe you should take it a little easier on the lipstick." Elisa smiled before seating herself at the large, round table the snogging couple had "conveniently" reserved.

A mountain of sweets was dumped on the table as Alex and Peter arrived, holding hands and gazing in each other's eyes. "Help yourselves," Peter said, waving at the candy but not taking his eyes of Alex, who blushed. Peter planted a firm kiss on Alex's mouth before seating his girlfriend. Molly and Arthur arrived, both looking rather disheveled after a quick make-out session behind Gladrag's. Arabella excused herself to the powder room, and everybody settled themselves down for lunch.

James grabbed a red lollipop and stuck it in his mouth, smiling. "Delicious," he said, voice muffled by the sucker. "Strawberry, I think."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Lily said, clapping a hand over her mouth and turning quite green.

"What? Why?" Arthur asked, looking puzzled. Then, upon closer inspection of the wrapper from James' lollipop, he, too, went an absolutely fascinating shade of green.

"That's SO not a strawberry lollipop," Elisa said, pointing to the sucker in James' mouth.

"Wha'?" he asked, taking the sucker out of his mouth.

Peter laughed. "That's sort of a blood-flavored lollipop, Jamesie. You know, for vampires? Is there something you'd like to tell us?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows. They all laughed as James started sputtering.

"I need to go wash my mouth out with soap," he said, the color draining out of his face, making his last few summer freckles show themselves proudly upon his nose and cheeks. He made a mad dash for the bathroom as everyone laughed at him, good naturedly, of course.

Madam Rosmerta--a pretty, twenty-three-year-old squib--came over to take their order. They all got the same thing they always did. As usual, they said in unison, "Butterbeer, fish and chips, and pumpkin pie for dessert." The young waitress smiled, and went off to get 'the usual'.

Arabella, James, and Sirius came back from their respective bathrooms just as Rosmerta came with their meals. "Thanks," everyone said, cheerfully, as she passed around the plates.

"Careful," she warned. "They're hot." However, Arthur had already burnt his hand as he tried to set Molly's plate in front of her. "I told you," Rosmerta quipped with a grin, before returning to the bar.

Arthur grimaced and Molly smiled. "I'll kiss it and make it all better." Molly kissed the palm of his hand, and Arthur seemed to melt. Being the Weasley that he was, his ears turned bright red as everyone tucked into their fish and chips, merrily. Sirius, Peter, James, and Remus were busy making retching and gagging noises at the couple's behavior.

Elisa quickly and efficiently healed Arthur's hand, much to Molly's chagrin.

The boys got up a conversation about the Quidditch World Cup, which was to take place in Germany during the forthcoming summer, and the ladies occupied themselves with talking about everyone's love lives.

"So," Molly said, trying to sound innocent, "how long have you and Remus been you and Remus?" she asked, Elisa.

"Since we were five," Elisa said, before biting into a chip. Everyone stared at her.

"You little pervert," Arabella said, cheerfully.

Elisa spluttered on her butterbeer. "Excuse me?"

"Dating since you're five makes you a pervert, is what Arabella is insinuating. I do believe she has a bit of a point, dear." After making the remark, Alex waved to Rosmerta, signaling that she was ready for her pumpkin pie. The waitress brought it over, topped with a mountain of whipped cream, and Alex said, "Thank you, dear," before Rosmerta went back to the bar.

Elisa gaped. "You meant dating? We've never dated!" she cried. The boys momentarily paused in their conversation about the Hawkshead Formation, and what chasers in the league could pull it off perfectly, glancing quickly at Elisa with questioning eyes and raised eyebrows before continuing.

"Sure you haven't," Lily said with a smile. She twirled a strand of her dark-red hair around her finger. "You're only with him all the time." Lily flashed Elisa a sickeningly sweet smile.

Elisa was flushed with anger and embarrassment. "This is completely uncalled for. We're together all the time. Does that mean I'm dating you?" There was a loud scraping of chairs as the girls scooted away from her. She rolled her eyes. "Ha, ha, ha. I am so amused that I might die of laughter."

Apparently, the other girls were.

"Sorry, Elisa," Molly chuckled.

"Yeah, sorry," was all Arabella managed to get out before clutching her side with laughter.

"Come now, come now." Alex looked perturbed. "Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes!"

"Yeah," Lily quipped. "That way when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes!" The girls all cracked up again as Elisa signaled for Rosmerta to bring all of the pumpkin pie over.

"Goodness knows I put up with you lot more than you deserve," she muttered.

"Oh, and what was that, Elisa?" Arabella asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Something about transfer students?"

Elisa rolled her eyes. "Of course not!" She smiled, but it was just a false front, and all of the other girls obviously knew it. "I was talking about a bats and prune dance." At that, she pushed away her plate of pumpkin pie, which was untouched, and rushed out.

The gentlemen looked surprised, since they hadn't been following the conversation. Remus looked vexed. "What on earth did you do to her?" he asked.

"Nothing at all!" Alex said. She swiped her finger through Elisa's abandoned whipped cream. After slowly licking it off of her finger, she repeated, "Nothing at all..."

***

"Lullaby, and goodnight, my sweet, little baby," Landon Potter cooed to Kelli, his newborn daughter. He sang her to sleep in his slightly quivery tenor, slowly swaying back in forth in a rocking motion to sooth her.

Teddi came into the nursery and looked up at her father. "Daddy, can I look at the baby?" she said, quite loudly.

Landon nodded, and leaned over so the little girl could see her younger sister. Teddi's nose wrinkled in distaste. "Ugh. She's so ugly." He could barely resist from slapping the impertinent little brat. "What's her name, again?"

"Kelli. Kelli Michelle. After a dear friend of mine..."

"When was this woman your dear friend?" Teddi asked, eyes wide, staring up at her father.

"When I was in school, Teddi." He gently placed the slumbering babe in her crib, and turned on her Quidditch-style mobile. "Now," he turned to his eldest daughter, scooping the giggling girl up in his arms, "it's time for you to go to sleep."

When he reached Teddi's room, he tucked her into her little bed, pulling the sheets and blankets up to her chin. Planting a kiss on her forehead, he said, "What do you think about having a little sister?"

She looked at him. Her eyes were cold, calculating, and not pleasant in the least. "I don't think I'll like it very much. At least," she sneered, "until she's old enough to do my chores."

Sighing, Landon backed out of the room, wondering what kind of devil he had spawned in that child.

A sudden crash and loud crying came from the nursery, and he rushed to check on the newborn. The window had shattered into a million pieces, and the curtains were waving wildly in a sudden, summer gale. He mended the window with his wand, and then picked up the screaming infant in his arms. "Did you do that?" he whispered.

Kelli stopped crying. She looked at him with brown eyes that expressed wisdom far beyond her years. Landon could practically see himself in this tiny child. He could see her growing up to be on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, and being Head Girl, and so much more. But...no...He'd turned his back on that life. It was time to get on with his own.

"Do you want me to stay here 'til you fall asleep?" He could've sworn he saw her tiny head nod. "Alright..."

Landon settled back in the comfortable, cushioned rocking chair, and fell asleep with his newborn daughter cradled against his chest.

***

"Stand back, girl," Voldemort snarled, his wand pointed at Lily's chest. "You needn't be killed. Then again," he smiled maliciously, "your husband I would've preferred alive. Oh well; there's always a price."

"Please," she managed between sobs, "not Harry. Take me." She clutched the baby frantically to her chest. "Just leave Harry."

"Don't be ridiculous, you silly girl. I want the boy. I'll only kill you if I must. Now, step aside. It's your last chance."

Lily straightened, and suppressed her sobs; she turned her back on Voldemort, and placed Harry in his high chair. Harry was bawling frantically as his mother kissed him one last time on the head. "I love you, Harry," she cooed. Then, turning back to Voldemort, she whipped out her wand. "You're going to go to Hell, Voldemort. You're scum," she spat, fire blazing in her emerald-green eyes.

Voldemort smiled, cheerfully. "You're dead. Avada Kedavra." She crumpled to the floor. Harry's crying grew louder.

"Now, it's your turn, my boy," Voldemort said, turning on the baby. Immediately, Harry stopped crying. He looked at Voldemort, and for a minute, the dark lord was unnerved as the bright green eyes, so like that of the woman he had just killed, stared at him. Their eyes locked for a full minute before he came to. "Snap out of it, Tommy-boy," he muttered to himself. Rolling up his sleeves, he waved a little bye-bye. "Nighty-night, Harry! Avada KEDAVRA!"

***

Kelli's screams filled Gryffindor Tower. Hermione shook Kelli awake. "Kelli, Kelli, snap out of it!" She woke up with a start.

"Harry, Voldemort, Remus, and--and...oh, so many others..."

"Is she going to be okay?" Lavender asked, looking a bit frightened. She tried to be comforting by patting the new girl on the arm. The glare she earned was most definitely not one that would be found on a comforted person, so she recoiled.

"Of course I'll be okay. Just...just a dream is all. Not all of it was awful...Just...it brought back some unpleasant memories if you must know." Parvati's and Lavender's eyes grew wide.

"Did you have a vision?" Parvati asked in a whisper.

"Do you really want to know?" Kelli whispered back. Parvati and Lavender nodded, eyes now the size of saucers. She motioned for them to bring their heads closer by waggling a finger. As a loud snore erupted from Gwen, they did. "I saw...I saw..." she paused and looked back and forth between them, "YOU!" she said loudly, causing them to jump back.

"Now, Kelli, that wasn't very nice," Hermione tutted, though she was barely concealing her chuckle.

"Sorry," Kelli said lazily. "I didn't mean to be impolite. Actually, I did. You shouldn't poke your nose into other people's business." With that, she dove back beneath her covers, and turned towards the wall. A barely audible "'Night," escaped from the down-filled blankets.

"What's with her?" Lavender asked, returning to her bed, shuffling her ducky slippers along the scarlet carpet.

"She's led a hard life, Lavender," Hermione said, tiredly. "Don't be too quick to judge. Kelli's a good person. Her heart's in the right place, but sometimes the rest of her just doesn't quite get there."

Parvati nodded, pretending to understand. "We'll give her a chance, Hermione. Of course we will. Just...tell her not to be so discourteous."

Kelli muttered something that sounded an awful lot like, "You couldn't even spell discourteous."

Hermione barely suppressed a giggle as she returned to her own bed.

Parvati was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Gwen continued to snore, her slumber completely uninterrupted by the entire ordeal.

After kicking off her slippers and hopping into bed, Lavender lay awake, staring at the canopy above her. Who are these new girls? A Potter and a Malfoy, for sure. But who? Oh well. Those things can be found out in good time. Sometimes the seemingly simple questions have such difficult-to-find answers, is what I deduce. Whoa. I know the word deduce? I definitely need to stop hanging around with Hermione so much. With a sigh, she turned onto her stomach, deciding she was going to sleep at least three hours that night or die trying.

***

"So, how do you like Hogwarts, Matt?" Cho asked, throwing herself onto the cobalt couch.

He shrugged as he settled into a matching, blue armchair. "It's okay. Didn't exactly expect to be put in this house, though. No offense, or anything, of course."

Cho waved him off. "Of course not. When I was first sorted, I was kind of shocked, too. My whole family's from China, obviously, and at the Si Wang-mu Academy, everyone was sorted into the Sun-house, which is basically the Chinese equivalent of Gryffindor." She smiled. "My parents both immigrated to Chipping Sodbury when my mum was pregnant with me. I was born just a few days after they moved. So, I went here. First in the 'family line,' I suppose."

Matt smiled. "I guess I sort of know how that feels."

"Oh, really?" Cho asked, she sounded surprised. "You'd think someone who seems as self-confident as you wouldn't have any idea what it's like to be sort of...shoved out of the picture."

He laughed. "You're kidding, right?" She smiled back at him. "My twin, Gwen, and I are the total black sheep of the family. We're sort of...from a very long magical line, but none of 'em's ever been to Hogwarts." Matt flinched at the lie. However, he knew, no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't tell Cho he was one of the Fae. "Sort of...home schooled, I guess you'd say. Gwen and I...we like to be around people."

The stressing of the word 'people' was very slight, but Cho caught it. She wasn't a Ravenclaw for nothing. No matter how cliché it might sound, she sure as hell wasn't stupid. However, she also knew when somebody didn't want to talk about something they were insinuating.

"Never you mind," Cho said with a smile. She patted him on the knee. Matt looked at her hands. They reminded him of Kelli's, the palm small, but the fingers long, thin, and artistic. The thought came to him unbidden, and he blushed under her friendly touch. "You'll fit in just fine hereabouts."

"Thanks," Matt said. "I think I will."

***

Ron couldn't sleep. He looked at Harry's bed, and whispered, "You sleepin' Harry?"

"Of course not, you git, you just woke me up," Harry groaned, chucking a pillow in the general direction of Ron's voice, though missing him by a good five feet.

"That's nice," Ron said, sounding distracted. "Harry, I need your advice about something."

Harry's head poked out of the curtains of his four-poster. "You want my advice?" Ron nodded. "Go to sleep or you'll find you have a few too many limbs." The head disappeared.

Ron sighed. Then, he climbed into bed to get to a restless night's sleep, thinking about girlfriends, blonde professors, and evil overlords.

In the next bed over, a boy who had never known what it was like to have parents who could take care of him was silently weeping himself to sleep, as he had done almost every night for as long as he could remember. Life was tough. And, as Gran said, 'When life gives you lemons, you beat the hell out of it until it gives you the papayas you asked for.' He'd never really understood it. However, it did make him feel good imagining himself beating up some huge, imaginary adversary named 'Life'.

***

Far Away...In A Castle By the Sea...

"How goes it, Lucius?" Voldemort asked.

"Very well, my lord," the man replied in his oily voice. A wicked grin appeared on the sharp features of his face. "The Imperius Potion is still working perfectly."

A smile appeared on Voldemort's mouth. He let out a cold, cruel laugh that would give anyone nightmares, rubbing his hands in that sinister way all evil geniuses/psychos seem to have. "Perfect..." he hissed. He had finally regained his true body back, his young body, with the black hair, startling blue eyes, and youthful face. It made him look no less frightening.

The door flew open, slamming into the wall with such great force that a large crack appeared down the middle, and a beautiful woman with black hair came rushing in, the slit in her long, black dress revealing a rather large portion of her leg, and the bodice was so low the her bosom was practically oozing out of her dress--if it could even be called a dress. There's probably some kind of requirement about the amount of fabric that is used for something to be considered a dress. A pout was upon her blood-red lips as she stalked up to Voldemort's throne. "Sweetheart," she said, planting a kiss on his forehead, "I'm worried. I keep having these feelings that she's fighting it. It's like...she's very close. Her will is strong." She rubbed her broach with her fingers, and a clacking sound came as her scarlet fingernails hit it.

A frown developed on the dark lord's mouth. "I don't like the sound of that. Lucius," he said, turning on the silver-haired death eater, "you have a son the girl's age, do you not?"

"Yes, my lord," Lucius, said, slowly, wondering where the conversation was headed.

"Have him watch her. Carefully. If need be, have him use more of the Imperius Potion on her. Not directly, of course. With glass, and just a few drops upon it, like you did. Understood?"

Lucius nodded, and exited, bowing low to the ground.

Voldemort pulled the woman into his lap. "My darling, Petra, are you sure about the girl?"

Petra nodded, and then paused, thinking. "I don't think she's a girl anymore, Tom. She's becoming a woman. There's..." she shut her eyes, and her brow creased, she was trying hard, "there's definitely a man...He's got red hair...it's difficult..."

"You're such a wonderful Seer, Petra," Tom said, running a cold hand down the side of her beautiful face.

She smiled. Then, she frowned. "It's a Weasley." Her brow creased. "Definitely. But which one?" Her pout returned. "They all look so much alike."

"It's alright, dearest. We'll just deal with them all. They're a nuisance. I should've killed them off long before now. Rotten muggle-lovers that they are."

Petra smiled. "Let's go to bed, now, Tommy. I'm...tired." A coy smile played at her lips.

"Yes, let's." He pulled her eagerly to the bedchamber.

Several Hours Later...

"Tom. To-om," Petra said, shaking him awake. "Wake up you lazy, little boy." She smiled, evilly. He groaned, and groggily opened his eyes.

"What is it, Pet?" he asked.

"The Weasley's at Hogwarts. He's Harry Potter's best friend."

A now fully awake Tom sat straight up in bed. He looked as if he could've kissed Petra; in fact, he did. "The possibilities..." he murmured. "Oh, this will be fun." He rubbed his hands together, his deep-blue eyes flashing. "Very fun..." With a happy chuckle, he nestled up against Petra, once again, and the woman fell asleep, spooned against one of the most powerful dark wizards to ever roam the earth.

***

In the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts...

"Grace, Chelsea, Fleur," Dumbledore said, nodding to each in turn and handing each a glass of white wine. They clinked glasses. "I'm glad you've come. The situation with Voldemort is dire. We must keep a close eye on all of the students."

"So," Grace said, turning to Fleur, completely ignoring the chosen topic of conversation, "you seemed rather cozy with the little Charms teacher, what's-'is-name, Filibuss?"

"Fillius," the French triplet hissed. Fleur turned crimson and tried to look indignant. "I most zertainly waz not!"

"Whatever," Grace mumbled, a sly smile gracing her normally grim features.

"I zink she 'az ze craziness in ze noggin, no?" Fleur asked the Headmaster.

"Quite." Dumbledore seemed to be enjoying himself.

Grace stuck her tongue out at Dumbledore.

"Grace! That's the Headmaster!" Chelsea hissed, turning a peculiar shade of purple.

"Quite right, Chels'. It seems you've mastered the basics, sis'," Grace replied, laughing heartily and clutching a stitch in her side as Chelsea blushed to the tips of her ears. Albus and Fleur joined in.

"Are things really as bad as they seem, Headmaster?" Chelsea asked, sounding worried.

Everyone sobered up promptly. Dumbledore's eyes were filled with sorrow as he replied. "Worse, I'm afraid. Professor Snape is back doing double-agent work; Hagrid's trying to convince the giants to fight on our side with Madame Maxime, the Beauxbatons Headmistress; even Mad-eye is back at work training Aurors for the Ministry. The best of the best, but it might already be too late." A single tear made it's way down the Headmaster's cheek. "Voldemort has Petra Rush on his side."

Grace took in a sharp breath. "You mean...Pet? Head Enchantress at Bronson Academy of Magic my first year, Pet?" She said it in such a rush that one wondered how she ever was able to breathe.

"No, the other one, Grace," Dumbledore replied, swirling and then taking a sip of his wine, which had been prepared by wood nymphs on the outskirts of Naples. Grace looked thoroughly confused. "I'm just playing with your mind, Colonel."

Grace grumbled. "You're mean, Albus." She stuck her tongue out at him. Again.

Albus allowed himself a small smile. "I know. But don't tell anyone. I like to see the shocked expressions on their faces when they've finally figured it out." Strained laughter escaped out the slightly open window on the September breeze, and traveled slowly to the ears of a big, black dog on the castle's battlements.

Sirius Black was back.