A/N I took this story down from this site a little over a year ago because I had decided to discontinue it. However, upon re-reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I forgot how much I loved the universe and characters in Harry Potter, and decided to re-write and re-post this fic!

Chapter 1: Coffee

The smell of freshly brewed coffee drew Amelia into the kitchen that morning as she ran down the stairs, twisting her thick copper hair into a knot at the back of her head and anchoring it with bobby pins.

Her niece was hunched over a steaming mug at the kitchen table, poring over a large copy of A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration that Amelia had bought her only a week ago. Julia looked exhausted – her grey eyes were bloodshot; her chestnut hair pulled back in a knotty ponytail.

"Tell me you haven't been up all night," Amelia asked, shocked. Her niece, whilst over-eager, wasn't exactly the studious type.

Julia didn't even glance up. "I haven't been up all night" she parroted.

Amelia sighed, pouring herself a cup of coffee and slid into a chair across from her. "Honestly?"

"I've been up since two. I couldn't sleep," Julia amended, pulling a face.

Amelia frowned, taking in the young girl's messy hair and tired appearance. Was this the kind of thing, as designated care-giver and responsible adult that you were supposed to yell at? Put your foot down on? The idea of attempting to be her strict no-nonsense mother made her want to staple something to her head. Amelia settled for: "You shouldn't be drinking coffee at your age."

"What parenting book did you read that in?"

Amelia rolled her eyes. She hadn't heard that one before. "It's your first day of school."

Julia couldn't argue with that, so she turned back to reading her book. "What are you learning about?" Amelia asked, after taking another sip of coffee. She felt the much-need caffeine begin to take effect; the sugar singing in her bloodstream.

"The background concept of all basic transfigurations."

"And do you understand it?"

Julia's expression turned vaguely hysterical. "No…what's the matter?"

"Just having a flashback to why I had to re-take OWL Transfiguration."

"Oh God I'm going to be the dumbest in my class!" Julia cried, slamming her head into her crossed arms that rested on the table.

"You're going to do fine. The reason you go to school is to learn all that stuff. Now, what have you had for breakfast?"

"Coffee," came Julia's slightly muffled, slightly tearful reply as she spoke into her elbow. "I don't even like coffee."

"What about bacon and eggs? You need your protein."

Julia lifted her head to eye Amelia suspiciously as she magicked two eggs to crack themselves into a frying pan with a wave of her wand and set two strips of bacon by them. Julia had good reason to be suspicious – Amelia didn't cook often, and when she did, it was rarely edible. Domesticity had never been her strong point.

"Have you made sure everything's in your trunk?"

"Yes."

"And you've packed your robes?"

"Yes."

"Your new books?"

"Yes."

"Pudge's food?"

"Yeah-no!" Julia sped out of the room and then Amelia heard her thundering up the stairs. "I CAN'T FIND IT!" she yelled, a few seconds later.

For the life of her, Amelia would never understand why Julia had insisted on calling her new owl Pudge, she was sure the girl would regret it in a few years time, but for now it was something to quietly snicker over when her niece was out of the room.

"Check on your shelf, it's in a brown paper bag!"

"I STILL CAN'T SEE IT!" Julia yelled.

Amelia rolled her eyes. "It's next to that photo of you and I in France!"

"WHERE?"

"Oh for God's sake…" Amelia muttered to herself. "I SAID IT'S NEXT TO THAT PHOTO OF-"

"I FOUND IT!"

Amelia sighed, slipping the cooked pieces of bacon onto a plate for Julia and started scrambling the eggs. Julia appeared a few minutes later looking slightly breathless. "Smell's good" she said, appreciatively.

"It's about done, here."

Amelia fixed her niece with an unwavering stare until she had finished the whole plate. When she finished eating Amelia magicked it clean (she would never understand how Muggle's had the patience to wash each plate individually) and checked her watch.

"I've got to be at the office for ten to eleven – is it okay if I drop you off at King's Cross now?"

Julia's face turned slightly green. "Erm…sure."

"It's okay if you want me to stay with you, I can owl them and say I'll be late –"

"No, no it's fine – really."

"Julia."

"Amelia…"

Amelia chewed on her lower lip for a second, a guilty feeling lodging soundly in the pit of her stomach. She was trying to work her way up the ranks of the Department of Security - at the moment she was purely a researcher – but she hated it when that ambition sometimes placed her job before Julia. "Okay fine," she said, still feeling absolutely awful. "Let's go get your trunk and…Pudge."

"Right."

"And don't forget to brush your teeth!"

"I know."

Five minutes later Julia and Amelia were standing outside their little house on the outskirts of London hand in hand, Julia towing a magically enlightened trunk and Pudge's cage.

Amelia stole one last glance at her niece – the bitten half-moon fingernails, the freckle behind the ear, the zigzag in her hair – and saw instead the toddler who'd wait at the babysitter's window at sundown, because she knew that was when her Aunt came to get her.

Amelia felt a lump fill her throat as she realized how lonely she would be with out Julia in the house to keep her company.

"Ready Jules?"

Julia squeezed her hand slightly. "Ready."

Amelia took a deep breath and spun on her heel and the world went black.

A/N I'm not entirely sure how many people still read new fics on this site seeing as the last Harry Potter film came out almost three years ago, so if you are interested in this, please review so I know to continue it!

Last Of The Lilac Wine