Aella spent the first month of her summer in blissful laziness. She had completed her homework during the first week of break so she wouldn't have to deal with it later, and then did nothing at all.
And then, Sirius Black broke out. Aella had woken up very early one morning, went down to the kitchen, and collected the paper. Richard and Minerva were already sitting at the table sipping tea to wake them up. Aella handed Richard the paper, and he unfolded, took a brief glance at the front page, then flipped for the comics. He had just begun pulling them out when he went very white and flipped back to the front page. The large gulp of tea that he had just sipped went spraying everywhere.
"What is it?" Aella and Minerva asked simultaneously. Richard simply tossed the paper down on the tale so that they could read the headline.
Sirius Black Escapes Azkaban
Sirius Black, notorious Death Eater, escaped from Azkaban Prison last night. Black was imprisoned twelve years ago, just day's after He-Who-Must-Be-Named was defeated, for killing twelve muggles and a wizard, Peter Pettigrew. It is believed that Black also informed He-Who-Must-Be-Named of the Potter's whereabouts.
The guards and Dementors aren't sure how he escaped, but we have been assured that every available Auror is on the task of recapturing him. It is believed that Black escaped in order to finish his old master's, He-Who-Must-Be-Named, job of killing Harry Potter.
But that was all that Aella got to read before her grandmother snatched the paper away from the table to inspect it more closely.
"Grammy?" Aella asked fearfully. "What does this mean for Harry?"
Minerva shook her head. "I don't know, dear."
That year, Aella took the train to Hogwarts, ""just to experience it", as she told her grandparents. Richard took her to the platform, his 6'6 frame easily parting the sea of students for Aella, who was still only 5'0 at thirteen.
"Aella!" screamed a delighted Padma. "Oh my God, I had no idea that you were coming!"
Aella threw her arms around her best friend. "I know; I wanted to surprise you."
Padma grinned. "Label me surprised, then. We have so much to talk about!"
A deep chuckle reminded Aella of her grandfather's presence.
"Oh, yeah, this is my grandpa. I'm not sure if you've ever meet him."
Padma stuck out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. Aella's told me a lot about you. I think I've seen you at the staff table a few times."
Richard shook her hand. "A pleasure as well, Miss Patil." He chuckled. "But I think you two need to get on the train, it's five minutes till eleven."
Aella hugged him. "I'll see you soon, right?"
"Of course, now go." He shooed her towards the scarlet steam engine. Aella scampered onto the train, Padma close behind. They situated themselves in a compartment opposite one that had a fast asleep, older-looking man in it.
"So, what happened during your summer?" Aella asked, eager for any gossip.
"Well, as you asked so nicely... I met someone." Padma said, a huge grin on her face.
"Oh sweet Merlin, who?" Aella screamed. Padma made shushing gestures as she went to the door and closed it, then tapped it with her wand.
"What did you do to it?" Aella asked, her natural Ravenclaw taking over for a bit.
"Silenced it, but anyway. This guy, he was so hot." Padma fanned herself to show how cute he was.
"What does he look like? Where'd you meet him? How old? What's his name?" Aella rattled off questions as fast as he could.
"One question at a time, geez!" Padma laughed. "He's fifteen, his name is Jake."
Aella gasped. "No way!"
"Yep. We met when I went on a morning run; he was running too. Get this; he was only wearing shorts. He has the best abs!" Both girls sighed as they imagined this.
"So, what does he look like?" Aella pressed.
Padma pulled a picture out of her pocket. "Here." She handed the picture to Aella. It was a muggle picture, but the boy in it was delicious.
"Wow." Aella sighed. Jake and Padma were standing arm in arm. He had short cut, blond hair, and was a great deal taller than Padma, maybe 5'10 or so. Jake was wearing nothing but long shorts, and his eyes were a nice brown.
"Yeah." There was silence in the compartment for a bit.
"So... is he a good kisser?"
"Aella!" shrieked Padma.
"What?" Aella smirked at the Indian girl.
"He's amazing." The girls sighed again. "So, how was your summer?" Padma asked eventually.
"Nowhere near as exciting as yours." Aella rolled her eyes. "There were two big points. One was when Black escaped."
"What?" Padma interrupted. "I though he was a Muggle escapee. He was on our news!"
"Really?" Aella asked, curious. "He killed a lot of muggles right before he was caught; he was a big supporter of You- Know- Who. Apparently, he wants to kill Harry."
Padma gasped. "Oh my God!"
"Yeah, but I'm sure that the Aurors will catch him soon, though." Aella waved an airy hand.
"So, what else happened?" Padma asked.
Aella blushed. "You sure that the door is silenced?" she asked.
"Yes, why?" Padma asked suspiciously.
"I... got my period." Aella mumbled.
"No way!" Padma said, smirking.
"Yeah, but it gets worse. Grammy was helping Dumbledore find the new DADA, and Grandpa, Aunt Aurora, and Snape were there. I tried to tell only Aunt Aurora; I whispered it in her ear, but, apparently, Snape has really good hearing!" Aella said, almost laughing.
Padma did laugh. "Oh no! That really stinks!"
"Ugh! It was horrible. And then Grammy took me out to go bra shopping. That wasn't so bad; she went to another store while I got bras." Aella said, grinning. That particular adventure was fun. Unknown to her grandmother, Aella had gotten a few... racier... articles of underclothes for fun. They were hidden at the bottom of her trunk at the moment.
"No way! You're so lucky, Mum gets all of that for Pavarti and I." Padma whined. "I'll bet you didn't get only the nice, appropriate bras, did you?" She fixed her friend with a knowing eye. Aella blushed again, and soon their laughter filled the compartment again.
A few hours later, the train started slowing down.
"We're not there already?" Aella said, confused.
"No, we still have a few more hours, I thought." Padma peered out of the window. "Something's out there, I think." She whispered, sounding very frightened. Suddenly, the lights flickered out. Padma screamed a little, and both girls felt an unnatural coldness seeping into their bones, freezing them. Their door slid open, and a horrible, rattling sound came from the doorway. Padma wriggled closer to Aella, but Aella couldn't do anything to comfort her friend.
Her mind was filled with the sounds of the worst moments of her life. She heard shots ring out, and her fathers pained yells as they were killed, and her own screams. Then there was another woman's scream, one that she didn't recognize, shouting. "No! Tasia, Harry!" It ended abruptly, and Aella allowed herself to sink into unconsciousness.
She was woken by the sharp 'snap' of something being broken. Aella opened her eyes to see the man from the opposing compartment breaking some chocolate in half.
"What happened?" she made her consciousness known. Padma and the man bent down next to her. "Who are you?"
The man chuckled a bit. "I'm Professor Lupin." He said in a mild tone. "How are you feeling?"
"Alright. What happened?" Aella repeated her question.
"A dementor attacked you. They basically make you relive your worst memories." He said calmly, leaning toward her to give her some of the chocolate.
"Oh." Aella accepted the chocolate.
"Professor Lupin did some spell, it drove the Dementor away." Padma said quietly, still shaking from the coldness and the fear for her friend.
"Yes, the Patronus Charm." He heaved a sigh, then frowned suddenly. "What's your name?"
Aella blinked. "Erm, Aella McGonagall."
Remus nodded. "Your grandmother would be Professor McGonagall, and your father is Mark, then?"
"Mark was my daddy, but he and Tim, my other dad, died when I was five." Aella swallowed back some tears.
The Professor's brow furrowed further, and seemed to breathe deeply. Aella looked at Padma, trying to convey that the guy was slightly off his rocker. He stood abruptly.
"I'm sorry to hear that. I have to check on the other students." He strode out of the compartment.
"What the hell was that about?" Aella looked at Padma with a blank expression.
"No clue..."
The two girls had barely stepped out of their carriage when Professor McGonagall intercepted them.
"Aella, are you alright?" she pressed a hand to her granddaughter's head.
Aella stepped away. "I'm fine, why?"
"Professor Lupin sent an owl saying that you had fainted from the dementors, and I know you were there when they... you know." Minerva pursed her lips, a faint sparkling of tears shining in her eyes.
"I'm fine." Aella reassured Minerva. "I heard it again." She frowned as she remembered something else from the attack. "Grammy, do you know who Tasia is?"
Minerva looked at her strangely. "Yes, I used to baby sit her every so often. She was Harry Potter's twin sister, but she didn't survive Voldemort's attack. They never... never even found her body." She sniffed. "Why?"
"Oh, no reason. Can I go to the feast now? Padma's waiting for me." Aella asked.
"Are you sure you're okay?" her grandmother asked again.
"Yes, Lupin gave me some chocolate." Aella said, already starting to walk away to join her friend.
Professor Lupin's classes were, to say the least, interesting. In their first class with him, he introduced them to a boggart.
"Please take out your wands and follow me." He said before any of them had a chance to even sit down. There were a few murmurs of interest; their last practical lesson had been from Lockhart and had involved several Cornish Pixies.
The class ended up at the teachers lounge. "Now, class, what can you tell me about boggarts?" Remus asked as soon as the entire class was assembled in front of a large suitcase.
Michael's hand shot up.
"Yes, Mr. Corner?"
"They're shape-shifters, taking on the shape of whatever the beholder fears the most. They are classified as very dangerous by 'Dangerous Beasts and Where to Find Them'. Nobody knows what their true form is." Michael rattled off.
"Very good, ten points to Ravenclaw. I happened to find a boggart in my desk, so today, we shall be facing one." Remus said. The class gasped in anticipation and fear.
"I wonder what mine will be." Padma whispered to Aella, who shrugged.
"The spell to vanquish a boggart is Ridikulus. Say it... without wands, please." Remus continued his lecture.
"Ridikulus." We repeated.
"Good, good. But. The real defeater of boggarts is laughter." A few people started at this announcement.
"Yes, laughter. Take a few moments to think of your worst fear." Remus instructed them. Aella frowned. A few weeks ago, she would've said guns, but now, after that dementor, she wasn't so sure.
"Now form a line, please." Remus' voice interrupted Aella's thoughts. There was a few moments of pushing and shoving before a line was formed. Aella was about midway through, while Padma was near the front.
"Ready?" Remus asked Padma, who nodded shakily and gripped her wand. Lupin flicked his wand at the suitcase, and out came a huge shark, maybe fifteen, twenty feet long. Aella shrank back from it a bit, but Padma stood up straighter.
"Ridikulus!" she yelled at the boggart-shark. It's teeth fell out in a comical way, and she gave a shout of laughter.
"Nice! Hannah, you next!" Remus said, amusement coloring his voice.
Hannah Abbot, of Hufflepuff, faced the dementor, and it vanished. Hannah stood there, staring at it, before yelling, "Ridikulus!" A fluffy pillow appeared and shook itself apart. The boggart faced Susan Bones and, with another crack, became a swarm of bugs that dropped dead and then- CRACK- became a gun that shot out a flag that said 'bang', and then -CRACK- was a group of brass players that were terribly out of tune, and then got muted, before -CRACK- becoming a daddy longlegs. It was Aella's turn, and she faced it, still unsure of what it would turn into. The legless spider looked at her before turning, with a crack, into a tall, hooded dementor. She stared at it, it's cold seeping into her, unable to raise her hand to defend herself.
Remus stepped in front of her when he realized that she wasn't doing anything, and the boggart turned into a moon, and then, with a wave of his wand, a balloon that disintegrated with a large shout of laughter from a Hufflepuff.
"Aella? Are you alright?" Padma asked her friend. Aella didn't move.
"Erm, alright, I think that we've had enough of the boggart for today. I would like a six- inch essay about boggarts for next class." Remus dismissed the rest of the class.
"Miss McGonagall?" Aella finally registered what had happened, and suddenly herself into the nearest person's arms. The nearest person just happened to a certain, very surprised, professor.
"Padma, could you go get Professor McGonagall?" Remus told Padma, who nodded and scampered off at once.
"Erm... please stop crying." Remus patted the crying girl's back awkwardly. As he did, he couldn't help noticing that there was something familiar about her scent... something that he had smelled a very long time ago, and then, again, rather recently. He would know that scent anywhere. But it couldn't be; the girl was dead. Aella gave a final sniffle and stepped away from her teacher. It took her a moment to realize what she had done.
"Oh, I'm so sorry for doing that, I am so, so, so sorry!" Aella didn't let Remus get a word in until her grandmother walked through the door, Padma right behind her. Aella turned to the formidable witch with tears still shining in her eyes.
"Dementor boggart." She said simply. Minerva knelt next to her.
"Again?" she searched her granddaughter's eyes for something.
"Everything." Aella swallowed. "Even the men..." She didn't say anything more, leaving Padma and Lupin confused to one side.
Once Aella calmed down, Minerva sent her and Padma to their next lesson. She had turned to go herself, but Lupin called her back.
"Professor, was Aella adopted?" he asked, getting to the point.
"Well, yes, of course she was. She had two fathers." Minerva said. "And, please, call me Minerva. You aren't my student anymore, Remus."
"Alright, Minerva. When's her birthday?" he asked another seemingly random question.
"August first, the Muggle agency that Mark got her from didn't know, but a few simple charms told us when it was." Minerva was getting even more confused.
"Minerva, I was there when Harry Potter and his twin, Tasia were born. Tasia had green eyes and brown hair. She was born on August first, twelve minutes after Harry, not on the thirty-first." Remus said in a rush, looking at the door to see if there were any eavesdroppers there.
"What are you saying, Remus?" Minerva asked, knowing where he was going with this, but scared to admit it.
"They never found her body, you know that. Minerva, I was named Tasia's godfather." Remus rushed on. "Her scent has been basically ingrained into my mind and nose. Aella and Harry smell almost exactly the same; Aella and Tasia are a complete match."
"So you're saying that somehow, Tasia survived Voldemort's attack and got to a Muggle orphanage?" Minerva raised her eyebrows.
Remus hesitated. "Well, yes."
"That's ridiculous!" Minerva threw her hands up in the air.
"How so? We both know Tasia was a very gifted with; you bore the results of that for a week or so, I believe." Remus smirked at his old professor, who blushed. After babysitting Tasia once, she had been stuck with green and red hair for a week before Dumbledore was able to fix it.
"So you think she inadvertently apparated? Why wouldn't she appear at your house, then?" Minerva questioned.
"I don't know." Remus sighed. "Is there a spell to see if they're related?"
"Dumbledore would know. I'll ask him." Minerva put her face in her hands. "I'll talk with Richard about this."
Aella ran away from the door, stunned at what she had just overheard.
"Aella! Wait!" Padma whisper- shouted. The girl just ran faster, and soon Padma lost her. After stopping to catch her breath for a second, she turned back, hoping to find Minerva or Remus.
She did, literally, run into Remus. The professor looked down at her scared expression and helped her up from the ground, where she had landed after bouncing off of him.
"Padma, what's wrong?" he asked.
"Aella..." she panted, clutching a stitch in her side.
"What? Did she have a relapse of the dementor attack?" he asked, immediately concerned.
Padma shook her head. "No... your conversation... with Professor... she ..." she gasped for breath. Remus understood what she was saying immediately.
"She overheard Professor McGonagall and myself talking, didn't she?" Remus paled considerably. Padma just nodded. "Which way did she go?" Padma pointed down the hall, and Remus rushed off, forgetting his briefcase on the floor next to her.
"Severus!" Remus called to the first teacher he saw.
"What?" the Potions master sneered at him.
"Have you seen Aella?" Remus asked.
"I haven't got time to find your missing students, Lupin." Snape snapped.
"Severus, I haven't got time for your snide remarks! Have. You. Seen. Her?" Remus growled, causing Severus to raise one eyebrow.
"She ran into ou- I mean, Aurora's rooms a few minutes ago, sobbing. Aurora said that she would sort it out." He said. Remus noted the familiarity, and the fact that Severus seemed to have been in the Astronomy teacher's rooms, and stored it away for later blackmail.
"Thank you." He said, running towards the Astronomy Tower.
"Lupin?" he halted as Severus' voice called him back.
"What?"
"Professor Sinistra lives in the dungeons." If Remus didn't know better, he would think that Severus was blushing.
"Right." A confused Remus ran towards the dungeons, all the running beginning to take its toll.
"Aurora?" he knocked on the only teacher's rooms in the dungeon.
"If Aurora lives here, where does Severus... oh." He thought as he waited for the door to be answered, suddenly realizing that Severus was, indeed, very familiar with the Astronomy professor.
"Yes? Oh, hello Remus." Aurora opened the door a crack. "What do you want?"
"May I come in?" he asked pleasantly.
"No, I don't think so." She said, just as pleasantly.
"Why not?"
"Because I was... about to have a bubble bath." Aurora invented.
Remus sighed. "Aurora, I know she's in here." She winced, then opened the door more, so that Remus could get in. he took a cursory glance around the rooms.
"I didn't know you were so interested in Potions, Aurora." He smirked as he looked around the room for Aella.
Aurora replied with a straight face. "Well, it does help that my lover is a Potions Master, and an exceptionally good one at that."
Remus cleared his throat, coloring a little. "Skipping over that... where's Aella? Severus said that she was down here."
"She left."
Remus ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Do you know where she went?"
"Duh." Aurora rolled her eyes.
"Could you tell me?" Remus said, elated.
"No." she pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips.
Remus groaned, deflating. "What? Why not?"
She strode over to him. "Because all I could get out of my goddaughter between her tears was your name." She poked his chest. "And I want to know what you did. Sit."
Her glare was so fierce that he sat without question.
"Now, explain."
"Alright, you know about Tasia Potter, and her tragedy?" He started, resigning himself to his fate.
"Yeah, doesn't everyone?" She said, tapping her foot. "What does this..."
"Let me finish." He interrupted her. "I was her godfather. Her scent is ingrained in my nose."
"Her scent?"
"Werewolf abilities, remember?" he said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, Tasia and Harry smelled almost exactly the same, because they were twins. Harry and Aella also smell extremely similar. Almost as if they were twins." He looked pointedly at Aurora.
Her eyes widened. "You're telling me that Aella... is Tasia? THE Tasia?"
Remus nodded. "Can you tell me where she is now?"
"No! Of course I won't!" she said indignantly. Remus stared at her before realizing that she was pointing into Severus' office.
"Fine, then." He fake- sighed while nodding his thanks. He entered the office and closed the door behind him. He looked around, but there was no sign of the girl. He eventually heard a small sniffle from behind an extremely large cauldron. He peered behind it, and there was the object of his hunt.
"Aella?" he said softly.
"Isn't it Tasia?" she said resentfully, sounding like she had just done a lot of crying, which she had.
"Only if you want it to be." He hesitated. "Would you like to come out? I'm going to call your grandparents, alright."
"Fine." Aella crawled out from the cauldron and dusted herself off before seating herself on a hard wooden chair.
"Do you want me to get Aurora, too?" he asked, heading towards the door.
"Fine." All she did was cross her arms.
"Aurora?" Remus called into the rooms without looking. "I think you should be there, too."
There was a sigh. "Yeah. Bye, see you in a bit." Remus finally looked at the room to see whom Aurora was talking to. Severus' arms encircled Aurora, and her head leaned on his chest.
"One word about that, wolf-boy, and you may find that your favorite juice has a mite more silver than is called for." Severus warned Remus; the 'wolf-boy' simply smirked.
"So, I'm adopted?" Aella asked about fifteen minutes later, after everything (including why Remus could smell so well) was explained to her.
"Yes. Two men can't make a baby. You were adopted at fifteen months from a Muggle agency." Minerva explained patiently.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Aella looked reproachfully at her grandparents.
"Your fathers didn't want you to be told until you were fourteen. Don't ask me why fourteen, I don't know." Richard said, halting Aella's unspoken question.
"So, Professor Lupin, who's a werewolf, smelled me and thought that I smelled like this girl that was thought to be, but isn't, dead?" Aella out her head in her hands, trying to make sense of it all. "And that said girl, which might be me, is Harry Bloody Potter's twin?"
"Well, his middle name is James, not 'Bloody', but, otherwise, yes." Richard said as Minerva reprimanded her for language.
"Listen, Aella, I know it's a lot to take in, so if you want a bit of time to think..." Aurora put her hand on Aella's shoulder.
Aella was silent for a bit. Then, "I have a few questions. One: can I tell Padma this?"
The adults exchanged looks, having an entire conversation without words. "We suppose so."
"Awesome. Next... what was my full name?" Aella looked at her toes.
"Tasia Lily Potter." Remus answered promptly. "Born August first, 12:07 AM, twelve minutes after Harry James."
Aella stared at him. "Okay, yeah, that's a bit creepy." She fell silent, then chuckled a bit. "So, I actually have a godfather and a godmother now, then?"
Aurora and Remus exchanged startled looks; they hadn't thought about that.
"I suppose you do." Aurora said slowly.
"Alright, I have one final question. Don't all of you have classes to teach right now?" Aella giggled as they all checked their watches. Aurora and Minerva dashed out, but Remus stayed.
"I have a free period." He explained. "Listen, do you want me to teach you how to repel a dementor?"
"With the... Patronus Charm, right?" She looked up at him.
"Yep."
"When can I start?" Her entire face lit up with anticipation.
He grinned. "As soon as this full moon is over. I might also teach you a few other things, stuff that came in handy when your biological father and I were roaming Hogwarts."
Aella's smile was almost evil as the thought about all that she could do with that. "I'd like that, thanks."
A/N: You can thank my band mates for all the boggarts... and bonus cookies to the person(s) who can tell me what Hannah's fear was! Um, please read my most recent update on my profile; it explains why there probably won't be any updates for the next two or so months. Hope this tides you over! Please R&R whilst I study for my four finals! It'll be a huge booster for them if you do!