He had sent her a note the night before promising her a present. She was determined to play that up as the reason she was excited to see him. But truthfully, she just wanted to see James. She felt like a lot had changed since he went to Hogwarts and she wanted to fix that.

This summer, Black had been banned from spending more than two weeks at the Potter Manor and Emily could honestly say she was happy about that. This summer it could be just her and James as it was before. They could have one more summer together before she joined him at Hogwarts.

Attempting to maintain dignity, Emily stayed by her parents until James' messy head of hair came into sight along with the sandy hair of Remus. Before she could think better of it, Emily took off towards her brother.

"Jamie!"

Her brother laughed but caught her up in a hug, "Hey, Ems! If I didn't know better, I would think you were happy to see me.

Emily flicked her hair back over her shoulder and affected a haughty air, "Never. I am merely in it for the presents. Speaking of… Gimme!"

A few other voices joined James as he laughed at her antics and that was when Emily noticed that Lily had joined them along with Pettigrew (Emily could honestly say that she didn't know the other boy and she didn't like him either). Severus was even there, albeit at a respectable distance.

She was distracted from her people watching by a paper bag that was suddenly swinging in front of her face. The ten year old quickly grabbed the offered package and opened it up to look inside. Recognizing the bag to be from Honeyduke's (James had apparently decided that breaking rules wasn't going to be a problem and had snuck out practically every Hogsmeade weekend since the beginning of the term) Emily was eager to look inside. They had some of her favorite candies in that shop. Like sugar quills, chocoballs, and peppermint toads. Of course they also had some of her least favorites like blood pops, jelly slugs and…

Salt water taffy. Emily looked at the candy in her hand and laughed. Of course her brother would bring her the one candy she can't stand as a joke. It was chewy and salty which she hated, everyone knew she hated.

She laughed and dropped the candy back into the bag, "Haha, James. Very funny. Now where's my real present?"

James' smile faded slightly, "What do you mean? You don't like it?"

"Of course I d-" Emily's smile grew forced as she realized her brother wasn't joking, "I do. I just expected more from a brother to his favorite sister! Don't I count for anything?"

Laughter fell from James' lips and he left the group saying something about a few goodbyes he had to take care of. Emily nodded at him and turned to say a hello and goodbye to the group around her, only to see concerned expressions.

"What?"

Lily smiled gently at her, "He was really distracted during finals this year, and with Remus constantly asking him to get taffy, it's no wonder he got confused."

"Don't put this on me! It's not my fault Black made sure to eat all of the good candy on the way here!"

More laughter rang out and Emily managed a genuine smile.

"It's no worries. I'm sure he'll feel bad about it later."

Lily and Remus pretended to agree with her while Severus just snorted.

The other girl smiled at her before suddenly letting out a little squeal, "I brought these for you! I grabbed it while I was on vacation with my parents over Christmas. It was supposed to be for your birthday but I honestly don't know how much longer the stasis spell will last, and I don't think my parents would be too happy with a…Anyway- And since I can't redo the spell now… Just open it, okay?"

Emily played with the edges of the box that was unceremoniously shoved into her hands, "Should I? What could it be?"

Even that teasing seemed to be too much for the red head. She was bouncing on her toes, eyes never straying from the box in the younger girl's hands. Emily giggled at the older girl, who scowled at her in return.

"Just open the box, Emily!"

She giggled again, not really wanting to wait any longer herself. Carefully she untied the ribbon, noting the holes in the top of the decorative box. Curiosity growing, Emily pulled the lid from the box and gasped at what she saw in there. She reached a careful hand out, the instant her hand broke the perimeter of the spell, large yellow eyes turned to look at her.

"Oh! She's beautiful! I can't accept this, Lily. She must have cost you so much…"

"Not too much. And you can't give her back because my parents won't let me keep her and I already got the okay from your parents for you to have her. And-"

Severus cut in before her rant could go on much longer, "And if you don't accept it, Lily is just going to talk until you accept merely to shut her up. So save us all the ear ache and just say thank you."

Lily turned her glare onto Snape who merely smirked as Remus and Emily began laughing at the two of them.

"Thank you, Lily. She really is a gorgeous owl."

The red head blushed and ducked her head, much to the amusement of the two boys with them. Eventually though, James was making his way back to the group and Lily's parents were waiting for her. Severus moved forward and gave Emily a slight bow, which she returned in the form of a curtsy. Remus rolled his eyes before gathering Emily up in a hug.

"Have a great summer, okay? Don't forget to write."

"At least once a week, promise."

Remus smiled and stepped back to let Lily attack the smaller girl. Their goodbyes were said and letters were promised before the red head ran off to go meet her parents. Which was about the time that James appeared.

"Where'd Lily go?"

"Home."

"Oh…"

Remus looked at Emily and they rolled their eyes, "Come on then, Mom and Dad are waiting for us."

The brother and sister waved at their friend as they walked across the considerably cleared platform.

(0,0)

'Lily,

'You'll never guess who picked tomorrow to start his week long visit. Why couldn't he have come yesterday? Or better yet next week? It doesn't seem fair that day is going to be shared with him. But knowing Black that's why he planned it that way.

'Anyway, everything's going well here. James has been fretting over whether or not to write you a letter this summer. I haven't told him that I'm writing you. I don't know how he would react to that.

'Is Petunia being better to you? I'm sorry to hear that she's being horrid about your magic. I know that siblings can be horrible when it comes to each other. Hopefully she'll come around. She is your sister after all.

'I'm going to leave if off here, Hedwig is really excited to deliver her first letter, it only seemed fitting that it would go to you.

'Hope you are enjoying your summer,

'Emily'

The youngest Potter watched as her owl flew off with her letter. Her thoughts lingered on what she was feeling about Black and him attempting to sabotage her birthday.

She shook her head that was ridiculous. Black wasn't her favorite person and she was sure she didn't rank on her scale either, but come on! This is just getting ridiculous. There was no way he planned to come out on her birthday just to ruin it.

Most likely scenario was that he had actually just forgotten that tomorrow was her birthday. Or he was going to show up and pretend that he forgot. But either way, he wouldn't do something to deliberately sabotage her party. She didn't rank high enough on his scale of importance to sabotage her.

With that in mind, she waved goodbye at the white dot that was her new friend and slipped out of her room and down to breakfast.

"Good morning, Ems!"

"Morning Mom, Dad." She walked over and gave them both a hug.

Emily settled at the table with a bowl of oatmeal topped with strawberries and honey. She eagerly dug into her breakfast and joined her parents' conversation. They were unofficially planning their shopping trip for Emily's school supplies and James'. Since she hadn't gotten said letter, everything was 'theoretical' her mom was against jinxing anything.

"Good morning, James."

The appearance of her brother brought a halt to the conversation. They all took the grunt sent their way as a 'Good morning to you as well, my lovely family' or something along those lines.

(0,0)

'Emily,

'It really doesn't surprise me that he would try to step on your toes like that. Black has acted like a child since I met him and, according to you, even longer than that. I am rather ashamed on his behalf though. It sounds like eleventh birthdays are an important day in wizarding culture and I can understand why. That is so rude of him!

'Anyway, I'm doing alright. Tuney is still being righteous about this and determined to prove that she's better than me even if I do have magic. There are some days I wish that we could be friends again, like we used to be, but I don't think I could ever wish that I didn't have magic.

'I was really glad to see Hedwig (and that really is an amazing name for her) and honored to be her first delivery! I may write to James in a few days… maybe. I don't really want to be his friend, but I want to be yours, do you want me to write to him?

'Have a happy birthday,

'Lily'

Emily couldn't help snorting at the last line in the letter, she didn't want Lily to be James' friend either, even if she did want him to stop whining about everything. She ran the feathered tip of her quill over her bottom lip a few times before deciding what the best solution would be.

'Lily,

'It is rude, but mostly I'm just sad about it. When James got his letter there were hugs and laughter all around and while I may get a few congratulations this year, it won't be the same since Black is going to be here. I'll still get a party with the family, so that will be nice. It's just…not fair.

'But that is enough of my sob story (although I really want to tell you the story about how he put wizard's paint in my hair this morning! Thankfully, it was the children friendly one so it comes out of practically anything, but mother was still furious!) I'm sorry to hear about Tuney, but maybe she will come around. It may not be the same as it was, but she'll get used to it, I'm sure! I loved hearing some of your stories about her, it would be nice to meet your sister if she was like she is in your stories.

'I don't actually think you should write to him. At least not first. Maybe if he finally gets up the courage to write you (some Gryffindor he is) then you can decide if you want to write back, but I selfishly want to keep you to myself a little longer. It's nice to have friends who aren't James' friends who occasionally say something to me because they feel guilty. Or his friends who seem to be scared of me (I once 'accidentally' knocked one of them of their broom. He only fell a few feet and the bush broke his fall. Unfortunately for him, it was a rose bush. Oops?)

'Thank you, it's almost eleven here so I better send this off and get to bed! It wouldn't do to be exhausted tomorrow!

'Hugs,

'Emily'

(0,0)

Emily's 11th birthday was supposed to be a day of excitement. She woke early on the 31st of July and found herself in a room filled with owls hooting in her direction, all of them carried a letter and most of them had packages tied to their legs as well. Emily hurried to untie the birds from their burdens.

She made sure each owl got a treat and the chance for water, leaving the window open in case any of them decided to leave now that their gift had been delivered. Two or three of them took that offer and Emily set those packages to be answered last. They were obviously not expecting a reply, she had best start with those that were.

Emily was shocked to see the letters before her.

Remus. Severus. Lily. Regulus. Cissy, Bella, and Andy. All of her friends had written to her. Even those who she hadn't talked to since Yule. She smiled gently to herself as her fingers brushed over the parchment tentatively, almost afraid they were going to disappear when she touched them. But the letters stayed in front of her eyes all bearing cheerful letters curling around themselves and forming her name.

Eventually she talked herself into opening the first one that was awaiting a response in return. It was from Andy and her sisters. Andy was the female Black closest to her in age, but the girl was still 9 years older than her. It was hard for them to connect at all, they usually treated Emily as either a doll or someone to babysit.

This was one of the few times she had received a gift from them. She tore the brown paper of carefully, somewhat afraid of what she would find inside the small box. She gasped quietly as she pulled up the delicate silver chain. Gently fingering the charm that hung heavily at the bottom. It was a beautiful necklace with the Black coat of arms.

A small note fell out with the necklace, 'This goes to the youngest Black girl in the family. Andy declared that she felt you were as much a Black as we are with your mother and all. So we are proud to pass this charm onto you. Congratulations on this wonderful day, sister.'

Emily was shocked to say the least. Her brain needing a few moments to understand even as her fingers undid the clasp and settled the necklace over her head. Brushing her fingers over the charm that now rested between her collar bones she reached for a quill and began penning a thank you note to the Black sisters.

By the time she had finished the note she saw that it was nearly eight o'clock in the morning. If she expected to get any breakfast with the teenage boys hanging around she would have to be downstairs soon. She sent off the letter to her cousins and hurried down the stairs, barely noticing the pendant now bouncing against her chest.

(0,0)

Thankfully, neither of the boys were awake when Emily walked through the doors. She was greeted by her parents with a warm hug and birthday wishes that made her smile and think that maybe today wouldn't be so bad. Even if Black was here for the sole purpose of overshadowing her special day. Breakfast appeared and Emily was ecstatic to see waffles along the usual spread. They were her favorite.

James appeared a few minutes after they all sat down to eat. And gave his sister a huge smile when the door remained closed behind him. He bent over to give her a hug before taking his seat next to her with a grin.

"James?" Her mother asked the question they were all wondering, "Where's Sirius?"

The boy shrugged, "Dunno. I guess I just forgot to wake him up this morning. Ah well. I guess we'll just have to save him something for later. Happy birthday, Emsy."

"Thanks, Jamie."

He smirked a little and piled his plate high. Emily couldn't even find it in herself to be upset when James stole three of her waffles. She still had two and James deserved it. How many brothers abandoned their best friends for their little sister's birthday?

They all settled around the table and Emily enjoyed a nice simple birthday breakfast with her family for the first time in what felt like forever. Especially since Black didn't come down until the table was cleared and they were all settled in the parlor, Emily opening the few gifts her parents had gifted her with for the occasion.

The first paper wrapped package she tore into contained a familiar green and cream cloak. Her laugh bubbled out of her throat as she looked at her parents.

"I was wondering where that had gone…"

"Yes, we decided it wasn't necessary for you to have a new cloak. But a girl doesn't turn 11 every day, you know. It seemed a good reason for a little extravagance."

Her green eyes looked up into her mother's and she gave a solemn nod, "What a wonderful thought, thank you for the lovely and quite unexpected gift."

Everyone chuckled lightly at the formal words and Emily happily pulled the cloak over her shoulders before she opened her next gift. James gave her a necklace and hair clasp that had a gorgeous dragon fly design in blue and green. She smiled and clasped the black ribbon behind her neck letting it rest just below her collar bones, settling right under the Black coat of arms. She gave her brother a huge hug and then began to pout when he messed up her hair. Running his hand through it.

That was about when Black walked in, "James Potter! How could you let me sleep through breakfast. Don't you realize that's the most important part of the day?!"

The Black heir at least had the decency to blush as he took in the family scene he had barged in on. He looked at the torn paper that now decorated the floor and almost paled as he added two and two and got four.

"Is today your birthday, Emily?"

She felt her forehead crease in a frown as she nodded, "Yes."

"I… I had no idea. I can go if you like? So you can celebrate with your family?"

James was the one to speak up, "I told you her birthday was on the 31st when you asked to come over."

"I though you meant last month or maybe even next month."

Green eyes careful scrutinized his face for any deceit or trickery, but it seemed the boy truly had thought her birthday was some other day. She thought about it for a moment before nodding to a thought in her head.

"I see no reason for you to leave. The house elves are keeping a plate of food warm for you."

He gave her a thankful smile, and Emily returned it. Maybe he wasn't as horrible as she thought. Brothers and their friends were supposed to tease the younger sister, right?

And then he saw the pendant hanging just visible beneath the cloak she'd clasped.

"That necklace looks like…"Black's face grew cold, "Why do you have a black family heirloom?"

Her mom's eyes followed Black's to the necklace around her daughter's neck, "Why do you have that? It's supposed to go to Andromeda…"

"The girls all sent it to me. Andy said that I was as much a Black as they were. Apparently it's supposed to go to the youngest girl in the family. So they decided to send it to me. Should I send it back? I haven't sent the letter thanking them for it, yet…"

Her mother shook her head with a quiet, "Of course not."

Meanwhile Black shouted his own opinion, "Yes you should! It's not yours. You're a Potter not a Black and you don't get to wear our family name!"

James frowned, "I thought you didn't get along with your family."

"I don't! But this is uncalled for, just because I don't like them doesn't mean I'm not one of them! People still treat me like a Black and I refuse to be tied to her!"

Emily said nothing. All good will for the older boy gone in an instant.

Instead she reached for the next package, a small flat one wrapped in brown wrapping. She opened it ignoring Black's speech to find a stack of papers in an envelope. Frowning she saw her name but noted that it was to be opened by her parents. With a curious look she handed the papers to her parents to look at.

Black's voice immediately trailed to a halt as he took in the obvious Black seal on that paper as well.

"Please tell me that's not what I think it is?"

Her father's eyes narrowed as he skimmed over it. He started muttering under his breath and probably would have done something regrettable had he not realized all eyes were on him

"What is it, Father?"

"Never mind, Emily. It's not an appropriate gift for you, much less on this day. I'll deal with it, but we won't accept it so you don't have to worry."

James started to say something but was cut off by his friend, "Oh thank goodness. I'll go grab that breakfast now then."

They watched in shock as their mother glared at the future Black heir, "Never mind him. We'll tell you both tomorrow, today is for only good things."

The two siblings shared a look and nodded. If their mother was glaring at someone it probably was not something they wanted to know about anyway.

Without preamble a house elf popped into their presence, "Would Miss Emily be liking her other presents as well? Mimsy could be bringing them down."

"That would be wonderful! Thank you, Mimsy!"

The elf gave a little curtsy before popping away, reappearing with the gifts from her friends.

"If little miss be needing anything else, Mimsy be but a call away. Happy Birthday, Miss Emily!"

"Thank you again, Mimsy!"

With that the elf popped back to the kitchens and Emily got to face the surprised looks from her parents, "What?"

"Who are those all from, sweetie?"

"My friends, or the ones I stole from James anyway. Remus, Lily, Severus, and even Regulus."

The now eleven year old could have sworn she saw her parents flinch at the last name, but dismissed it as a coincidence or her overactive imagination.

"Oh and the present from the Black sisters. Which was really nice of them."

Her father placed a hand on her mother's knee before gesturing with his other hand, "Well I guess you better get to opening then."

She sent him a quick smile before tearing open the paper. A charms book, a beautiful green headband (it was a muggle trend that Emily simply loved), and some owl treats from Lily. A transfiguration book, with chocolate, chocolate, and sugar quills from Remus (he really was a horrible enabler). From Severus she got a letter stating he might be willing to allow her in his presence the following year along with a potions book that he had taken the time to fill in with his own opinions and notes on how and why things worked. It was a second hand book which she attributed to the aloofness in the letter, he was probably embarrassed, but she thought it was one of the nicest presents she had gotten since he obviously took the time with it to make it something special.

Regulus' gift on the other hand was confusing to say the least. There was no book, unsurprising seeing as that family usually frowned upon her reading so much. But there was a ring. A simple ring, black with a red stone in the center, it wasn't a ruby but she wasn't sure what it was. The confusing part was that the letter and the ring were both snatched out of her hands by her mother and banished.

"Mom?"

"We'll explain tomorrow. I just sent it back to his parents, maybe you can get it when you're older."

She nodded slowly trying to put all of the pieces together to understand what was going on. But she was obviously missing something… Her parents left the room after she finished opening the last gift, a stationary set that had the Potter coat of arms at the bottom and snitches flitting around roses along the edges, along with a wax seal and some quills. And it all came in a nice little kit she could take to Hogwarts with her.

"I still can't believe that Snivellus thought you'd like such a filthy piece of trash. Look it's all written in and everything."

Emily turned to see him holding her gift like it was going to bite him and give him rabies or something. And moving it towards the fire.

"No, James, it's fine I like it. Just give it back."

"Look, Emily. I get you don't want to hurt his feelings, but you really don't need to keep something when it's obviously beneath you."

"James. Don't. Don't!" The book fell from his fingers, "No!"

A burst of wind filled the room, the fire disappearing in a torrent of smoke and James thrown against a wall. A shelf fell above him and a huge crash echoed through the manor.

"James! Emily!" her mother and father rushed into the room, worry clearly etched into their features.

Emily stared in shock at the mess she had created. Her mother's cry had her moving across the room towards her brother.

"James?! James! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean too!"

Her father pulled her gently away while her mother ran a few charms over him. Emily let out a breath of relief when her mother's own shoulders relaxed.

"He's fine. He's unconscious, but he's fine. He just hit his head."

Just then, he opened his eyes, blinking at them in confusion, "Mum? Dad? What happened?"

With that all eyes turned to Emily, "We were just wondering the same thing…"

She could feel that she was pale and a little shaky. She hadn't had a burst of accidental magic that bad in years. Since James stole her stuffed dragon when she was six.

"He was going to burn my book, cause it was from Severus. I didn't mean to. I just wanted to be able to read it. Lily says he's like a potion prodigy. And James was going to throw it in the fire and I panicked. I didn't mean to!"

Her father pulled her closer to him, "You can't help your accidental magic, it happens. James' shouldn't have been attempting to burn any of your gifts. It's not okay, you're not going to be allowed to fly for a week or so, but that's it. Deep breaths."

It was then Emily realized she wasn't breathing. She really did hate it when she hurt people, at least when it was an accident. Dropping a jerk on a rosebush she had no problem with. A few breaths later her breathing was under control and she squeezed her father's hand to let him know she was better.

He returned the pressure before turning to his son, "Why exactly did you feel it appropriate to try and burn one of your sister's gifts? And don't tell me you weren't going to, I can see it on the hearth at the moment."

"It's from Snivellus. He's a horrible little Slytherin who's always getting us into trouble at school. He's corrupted Lily and now he's trying the same thing with Ems and I'm not going to allow it!"

"Snivellus?"

Emily glared at her brother, "His name is 'Severus' he's a half-blood and because he's poor James and his friends torture him. Starting with that horrid name!"

"He deserves it!"

"No one deserves to be treated horribly. He can't change his parents anymore than you can!"

Their father cut them off with a harsh look, "What exactly has he done to deserve the way you treat him?"

"He's nasty. He knows all these horrid spells and he uses them on us all the time, but whenever we retaliate we get detention. Plus he's always giving Lily these horrid looks, he doesn't take care of himself either, he's always greasy and gross plus he's just creepy!"

"Severus only attacks you because you attack him. And don't talk about him that way. He spends all of his free time with his potions, of course his hair is going to be greasy!"

No it was their mother's turn to frown, "So you don't like him because he's different and doesn't look the same as you think he should?"

"I thought we taught you better than that, James."

The boy huffed, clearly thinking everyone else was being unfair, but Emily had gotten enough letters from Lily and Severus to know that they really were just bullying the other boy and it really needed to stop.

But just watching her mother and father talking she could see her brother wasn't taking anything they were saying seriously. Not even that he was damaging their family name. He just didn't care.

Eventually they must have realized it to, they gave in with a sigh and turned back to Emily. She lifted the book from the ashes carefully, it didn't look like it had been damaged at all, for which she was grateful. Her parents probably could have fixed it but a lot of Severus' notes would have been lost.

They herded her out to the garden where they continued the celebration leaving James' and Black to do whatever they wanted to inside. But try as they might they couldn't quite dispel the solemn atmosphere that had developed. The only thing that managed to lift it was the sight of a Hogwarts owl and the letter clasped within his talons.

Emily was officially going to Hogwarts next year.

(0,0)

"I thought we wanted to be there by ten?"

Her mother gave her a look, "It's going to take all of five seconds to floo through, young lady. It's not even nine thirty yet."

Emily groaned and earned a lecture from her mother on which habits were not lady-like…again.

She didn't understand why she had to be proper at home. Her family weren't going to gossip about her and ruin their family name, were they? That would be…what was that saying…cutting of the nose to suit the face?... No that wasn't it. She would have to ask Lily when she saw her again.

"I'm sorry, mother. I just want to go get my stuff. I finally get to get my wand today!"

"I know, I know. How about this, we'll head out and get your wand now. Then we'll meet your father and brother at the Leaky Cauldron at ten. Will that suit you?"

"Really?!"

When her mother nodded her ascent she soon found herself being squeezed to death by the eleven year old.

"I'll go tell James and grab my cloak!"

(0,0)

The girl stepped into the dark shop. She didn't get to do this part with her brother, it was tradition that they only went with one other person. Her father went with James, now it was her and her mother. She wondered why he didn't use a simple cleaning charm to remove all of the dust.

But maybe the magic interfered with the wands. There were spider webs in the corner and the silence was beyond eerie. The boxes upon boxes stacked upon the shelves tempted her. Each of them held a wand that would be uniquely suited to a single wizard or witch. They may be here for a day or for a century. No wand could be forced to choose a master. And until the day their caster arrived they would sit patiently on the shelf in their little box, just waiting.

Lost in her thoughts she didn't see Mr. Ollivander until the man stood right in front of her. The unblinking eyes were pale in his pale face and for a moment she wondered if he was blind. But then they latched onto her with a fixedness that was usually reserved for predators.

She shivered involuntarily.

"Good morning, Emily Rose Potter. Eager to find your wand, I see."

"Good morning, Mr. Ollivander, and I was having a little bit of a hard time waiting."

She could hear her mother's lady like cough behind her and the old man gave a knowing smile, "So I see."

She blushed and looked down at her feet.

"Hold out your arm, please."

The measuring tape, much like Madame Malkin's flitted around her measuring everything from her finger length to the width of her knee. She didn't even notice Mr. Ollivander had moved away until his voice spoke from across the room.

"That should be fine."

A few seconds later he appeared with three boxes in his hands, "One of these ought to do it I believe."

He handed her the first wand and the piece of paper on the table burst into instantaneous flames.

"I don't believe that's quite what we're looking for here…"

(0,0)

Twenty minutes, several destroyed display cases, four armloads, and three frustrated people later, Ollivander returned with one single box.

He carefully set it on the counter looking as though he was regretting even bringing it out. He gently lifted it from the box and handed it to her looking uncertain to say the least. A little worried but trusting he would not risk hurting a customer she gripped the end.

It felt as though a refreshing breeze cooled her skin and freshened the room. Her green eyes closed as she enjoyed the sensation and the smells that filled her senses. It was as if she was standing in a forest, bare feet in a mountain stream while the sun warmed her. Perfectly balanced, perfectly right. She opened her eyes to see a fading glow over her skin and sparkles falling from the tip of her wand.

"I never meant to make this wand. The core was an accident. A clumsy apprentice and too little time to focus. But the wand was created and it has sat on a shelf in my office for decades. I never meant to make it, and I never dreamed of selling it."

He looked over at her mother and lowered his voice.

"This wand is 12 ¼ inches, ebony, and quite springy. The length shows a strong personality, the flexibility a sense of your own. Not common together but not unheard of either. What makes it special is that it does not contain a single core. A phoenix feather was meant to be the core, but it was tangled with a unicorn tail. So thus you have two cores."

He glanced at her still waiting mother once again, "I expect great outcomes with this wand, phoenix feathers are not everyday sights, neither is unicorn. I doubt this wand will ever work for any one else. Keep it close. And keep it safe."

The man disappeared. She glanced down at the wand, it was truly beautiful. The handle was decorated with vines that fit perfectly within the lines of her hands the grip swooping around marked with a single rose at the bottom, unnoticeable unless you were looking. The top of the handle was designed to accentuate the highlights of the wood.

This was it, she finally had her wand. Her mother frowned when Emily admitted she did not know how much Mr. Ollivander wanted for the wand. She ended up paying what it cost her for James' wand three years ago, five galleons. As they left the building, many eyes fell on them, but Emily couldn't get over the fact she was carryng her own wand.

"Tell me about your wand? Ebony, right?"

Emily was so excited she completely missed the concerned look from her mother, "Yes, and it's quite flexible which Mr. Ollivander said was rare. He also said I have a long wand compared to others. He said it's a sign of a strong personality."

"That is one thing I can definitely say you have in spades. What's the core?"

"A phoenix feather." She wanted to say unicorn hair, but she couldn't. Something Mr. Ollivander had said made her think that was something that should be kept between her and him. At least for now.

"A good core. It shows a large magical potential."

She smiled and gripped her wand a little more tightly, "I can't believe I finally have my own wand…"

Her mother gave her an understanding smile before holding her hand out, "You're going to have to believe it, because I'll need to take it from you while you wander Diagon."

"But, mum!"

"None of that. We're going into the Leaky Cauldron to meet your brother and father and I would rather take it now than wait."

She nodded slightly and handed her beautiful wand over to her mother for safe keeping. She tracked it sadly into her mother's cloak pocket where it rested just behind her mother's own wand.

"Enough pouting. We have guests to greet."

"They're not our guests just because they're here when we are, mum."

The smirk her mother cast was a little scary to be honest, "Aren't they?"

Those last words were made even more dramatic by her sudden disappearance behind the door that led into the pub. Emily moved reluctantly after her mother, not sure whether to be excited or scared by the woman's words. Her entrance was careful as she peaked around the corner. Seeing nothing suspicious she stepped through the door, only to be tackled by two slightly older bodies.

"Happy Birthday!"

Her eyes widened when she saw the people standing in front of her, "Lily, Remus! What are you all doing here?!"

Everyone started talking at once, Emily deduced that her mother had invited them to celebrate her birthday and first year at Hogwarts. It was a low drawl that drew her attention.

"I do recall being included in this outing, I would appreciate it if my presence was noticed."

"Severus! That's what you get for hiding in the corner, you know. I couldn't see you behind James' ever increasing ego."

"Ha-bloody-ha."

"James Potter! Watch your mouth."

The boy rolled his eyes, "Yes, mother."

A yelp quickly followed his words, "And don't even think about rolling your eyes at me. No matter which way you face I can tell, trust me."

The teen rubbed his rear where the spell had hit, blushing at the giggles from everyone else, even Severus was chuckling, which only made it that much worse.

"He's just a pathetic worm who's only able to give others cheap hand me downs as gifts. Even to a recipient who would rather throw it in the fire than touch it."

His words were too quiet for the adults to hear but every one of the kids heard them quite plainly. Lily glared at him and started to pull Severus away, probably trying to convince him that James might have thought it stupid but Emily never would have. Meanwhile, Emily was just staring at him.

"What?!" He practically snarled at her and she took a step back before frowning at him.

"When did you get so mean?"

Before he could respond she hurried out of the crowd after the other three. Leaving her brother to wander with her parents, not a word was spoken by him the rest of the day. Charlus and Dorea shared many worried glances. They knew their kids wouldn't be as close as they had been before James started at Hogwarts, but this rift was more than they could have anticipated. It would probably be easier now that they would both be there.

Hopefully.

But at least Emily was having a wonderful time with her friends. James and Charlus were still betting that she would end up in Gryffindor. But with every day that passed Dorea believed it less and less likely. Or if she did it wouldn't be the hat's first choice. Despite her husband's thoughts she had a pretty good idea that red wouldn't be in her daughter's future, and after all mother knows best.

(0,0)

Emily rushed towards the platform, her cart in front of her with a slightly worrisome grin on her face. Honestly it was kind of terrifying. Some of the muggles apparently thought so too because most people started walking the other way.

Her father managed to catch her only moments before she ran straight through to platform 9 ¾.

"Dad!"

"Emily." She folded her arms over her chest and the man shook his head of messy black hair, "I know you're excited but you were attracting far too much attention. We need to be calm remember?"

The eleven year old took a breath and reached for her father's offered hand, "Yes, father."

"Now let's try this again shall we?"

Calmly, both of them began to push the trolley towards the barrier. There was some laughter between them as they tried to drive in a straight line. The few muggles who had been watching them smiled at the pair before turning away. It was good to see a man bonding with his daughter. Which meant that if they did happen to see the pair disappear inches from where they were standing- they passed it off as some fun and a trick of the light.

She'd barely made it through the gate when she was suddenly swarmed and dragged towards the train.

The laughter bubbled up out of her as she tried to escape from the grabby hands, "Guys! I have to say goodbye first!"

Lily threw her the best puppy dog eyes, pouting slightly, "But you're already late! We're never going to get to sit together at this rate! Don't you want to sit with us?!"

"Of course I do." The other girl smiled, "But I'm also sure that Severus has already claimed us a space."

Remus chuckled and released one of Emily's arms, "She's right you know. It'll just take a few minutes, besides it's not like you didn't spend ten saying goodbye to your parents five seconds ago."

The red head threw her hands in the air, "Ugh fine! But don't blame me if the train leaves without you!"

She stormed off dramatically with Emily's trunk in tow, leaving Hedwig sleeping despite the other two's laughter. Remus shooed her off, taking Hedwig with him as he followed Lily's path through the packed platform.

Still laughing the dark, messy head of hair ran back towards the entrance quickly scanning the crowd in search of anything familiar. Eventually she spotted James stomping off, tracing her path it was easy to find her parents. And the source of James' annoyance, the Black family.

She thought about waiting but when the first whistle rang out she knew she was running out of time. She still wasn't sure what exactly had happened with the Yule gift that had freaked her parents out, but maybe they had sorted it out by now…

"That gift was not what I would give an eleven year old on her birthday. Especially, without talking to her parents."

Or maybe not. Good news was Regulus looked almost as uncomfortable as she felt. Bad news was that Black seemed to have the same righteous indignation that her father was wearing.

"I still think I should have known. And why did he get picked first. I'm the oldest after all."

Lord Black glared at him, "You be quiet about things you do not understand. Plus, we did offer, you said something along the lines of 'death first' if I remember correctly."

"That didn't mean you had to stick Regulus with her."

His mother smacked him lightly on the back of the hand as a warning, "That family is highly respectable and has a wonderful lineage. It would be a blessing to join with them. I'm sure you'll find it less repulsive as you mature."

The elder boy proceeded to gag, quickly excusing himself and following James towards the train before his mom could land another warning.

Which was when Emily decided to insert herself before anything else could be said that she would want to forget, or worse find the answer to.

"Mother, Father." She hurried over to give them quick hugs, pretending to just notice the Blacks when she turned around, obviously not fooling half of them, the men were too busy staring each other down to notice, "My apologies, Lord and Lady Black, I didn't see you there, I just wanted to say goodbye to my parents before the train left."

"Please, call us Aunt and Uncle. We're family after all."

That… that was new, she glance over at her parents. Receiving an encouraging nod and a terse one she turned back with a small curtsy, "Thank you, Aunt Walburga, Uncle Orion. I'll be looking forward to celebrating the holidays with you."

"Us as well, we must go join the train then, come along Regulus."

He gave his cousin a slight bow before he followed his parents as they parted the crowd. Her parents swept her up as the train whistled the two minute warning.

"Have a good year, sweetie. Write to us as often as you can, and do your best no matter where you end up."

"Be nice to Minerva, she's still new to the Head of House position. And I don't want to hear you going to Dumbledore for anything but an award, for at least a month."

He gave her a grin and she laughed as he pulled her off her feet, too happy and sad to feel embarrassed by him. She gripped him tight back, she would miss flying with him every weekend but maybe they would when she got back.

"Love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Ems. Now go show them that Potter skill."

She giggled again as her mother pulled her up, "No matter where you end up, we're proud of you, we love you, and we want to hear from you immediately, understood?"

For whatever reason, mother has been making similar claims and assurances the last summer. Her father was still insistent that she would end up in Gryffindor and Emily was excited to be rooming close to James again. Her brother had been right when he said all of the Potter's as far as they could remember had been Gryffindor's. She didn't foresee that changing with herself.

"I know, Mum."

"Good girl, now hurry along! We'll expect that first owl tomorrow morning at the latest."

"Yes, Mum. Love you both!"

"Love you too, Sweetie!"

Their last words were echoing in her ears as she hurried onto the train. Pausing at the entrance to wave as the last whistle rang clear and the train started to move. She waved with the others as the train pulled from the platform, waving until she lost sight of the platform as the brick wall filled the space in front of her.

Shaking off the sudden feeling of homesickness she moved down the corridors of the train looking for any familiar bodies. Instead she heard a familiar voice.

"Well? C'mon! Let's go find her!"

"Would it not be more efficient to let her discover our location? She's more likely to stumble upon us if we sit still than if we were to wander the train."

"But what if someone else snags her?! You know how it was with James, just being a Potter she's going to be hounded by a bunch of people."

"To be fair most of those same people dislike James even if they won't show it to his face. He was a real twit his first year."

Severus snorted, "You say that as if it ended after that."

Emily caught sight of Remus' shrug as she peaked around the corner into their compartment, "He did get quite a lot better at hiding it, with the exception of you of course. You just seem to bring out the worst in him."

"How marvelous."

Emily's giggle at that finally drew the inhabitants awareness to her presence.

"You found us! Did you make it on okay?"

"She's standing before you in one piece, Lily, what do you think?" Emily grinned at Severus' obvious amusement.

The red head in question pointed her tongue in his general direction before guiding Emily to her seat, across from her and Severus right next to the door. Remus on her right so they could all chat to the best of their abilities and enjoy the ride back. They were barely seconds into a discussion of her hectic morning.

James had 'forgotten' to pack more than his books until the morning they had to leave. Which meant the entire family (since Emily had packed a week prior) had spent the hours after waking scrambling to find all of the bits and pieces that had been scattered around their home.

So the sound of Emily's stomach, signaling the end of the tale, came as no surprise to anyone in the compartment. Although it did bring a lot of humor with it. Unfortunately, the laughter was cut off with the sound of a door opening and a smirking teen.

"Well, look who we stumbled across. Glad to see you made it alright, Ems."

"Sounds like that was no thanks to you and your planning skills."

James continued speaking as though Severus had not interrupted, "Come on, Ems. We'll introduce you to some of the other Gryffindor firsties."

"No one knows which house they'll be sorted into."

Sirius grinned over at Remus, "But some people just know. The Potter's and the Longbottom's are prime examples. Not one was placed outside of Gryffindor. It's in their blood."

"You know as well as anyone, blood and family don't mean the same as anyone."

"Exactly, Potter. That parasite off your hip is a prime example."

"Watch it, Snivellus. That nose of yours is leading you into dangerous waters."

"Really, Black. If you're not careful someone's going to catch on to the fact you are crushing on Snape."

The entire group went dead silent as the new-comers words sank in. Lily was the first to laugh, but was far from alone in her merriment.

"Oh… God… Your faces!" Her choked out words brought a second round of laughter from the entirety of the group and the speaker's grin was remarkably wide as he basked in the sound. Unfortunately, Sirius had to go and ruin it.

"Reg. Don't go speaking like that. You'll get little Snapey's hopes up."

"Grow up, Black. Snape made it into Hogwarts just like you did and has managed to have friends in Gryffindor despite the fact he's a Slytherin. As far as I can tell he's done a better job at this school than you have."

"Figures you would take the slimy Slytherin's side. Brothers have no value anymore, do they?"

The blank, though slightly teasing expression that had adorned Regulus' face until this moment shattered, "You Black, are not my brother. You threw me to the wolves with the rest of the family, caring less than usual when your antics were backlashed onto me. So while you've been gallivanting around, playing with your friends I've been at home, being 'trained' as a Slytherin. And if I get into any house, except Slytherin? Well, I'm not going to be given a second chance. I've been told I'll be flat out disowned, because I should know better."

Sirius actually looked some what regretful, "Reg…"

"Forget him, Sirius. He's obviously making it up to make you feel bad. They didn't disown you, they won't disown him. But I wouldn't worry too much about it. He's definitely destined for the snake pit."

James pulled him out of the doorway, "Ems, Remus, come along."

The sandy haired boy rose to his feet reluctantly, "I have to share a room with them. Probably a good idea to avoid starting something this early in the year."

The rest of the group nodded, understandingly, "We'll see you at the feast, then."

Remus paused by the door, "Are you coming, Emily?"

Black hair shook, "No. He's not the boss of me, and he's not… just… I'm not coming, I'll see everyone at the sorting."

The other boy shut the door behind him as he migrated, reluctantly after the other two.

Regulus shifted awkwardly in the corner until Emily noticed his discomfort, "Sorry, Regulus. You can come sit by me."

Lily gave a pointed cough.

"Oops! I'm all over the place, sorry. This is Regulus Black, Sirius' slightly less annoying brother and my cousin. He's a first year like me. This is Severus, a third year Slytherin, and Lily, a third year Gryffindor."

"I'm hurt, cousin. I'm much less annoying than that child."

"Fine. His just as annoying but in a different way brother."

"Truce."

Lily grinned at him, "Nice to meet you, Regulus Black."

"Likewise, Lily…?"

"Evans. Muggleborn."

"Of course, Miss Lily Evans- Muggleborn."

"Blood purity isn't really that important, you know."

Emily rolled her eyes, "He was teasing Severus Snape. Lily said it first, remember?"

The dark eyed boy merely rolled his eyes and turned his head back to the window.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Severus Snape."

"And what, may I inquire, makes you believe I find any pleasure in it?"

The Slytherin smirk graced Regulus' face, "I've had the joy of hearing my brother cursing your existence all summer for two years. Any one who can get under his skin is either a truly remarkable person or related by blood. And I would love to learn your secret to his annoyance."

Severus smirked in return, "I'm afraid that is impossible. I earn his hatred simply by existing."

Lily and Emily rolled their eyes, amused against their desire as the two boys settled into an intense discussion relaying their hatred of the two most popular boys in third year.

(0,0)

Emily was standing in her non-descript robes as the train pulled into Hogsmeade. Which was when she was actually going to be alone for the first time since she stepped onto the platform. Well that wasn't quite true, Regulus was a first year as well. But it was kind of hard watching the rest of her friends head towards the carriages that pulled themselves and their passengers up to the castle.

Instead she followed the ground's keeper, she thought James had said his name was Harry Ruby or something, but that seemed rather insensitive so she stuck with smiling at him as they headed towards the Black Lake.

She stopped when it came into sight. James and Sirius had both said it was huge, but she had no idea… If the castle was bigger than the lake she was never going to find her way to all of her classes. Regulus went to step into another boat but Emily dragged him with her as they joined another two kids in a boat next to the ground's keeper.

"Nervous?"

"No!" He looked at her, "I'm not, just making sure you don't only sit with people you know. It's good to meet others."

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say, Potter."

"Hush you." She turned to the other two eleven year olds, a boy and a girl, "I'm Emily Potter, what are your names?"

The girl smiled at her, "I'm Ananda Rosethorp, and this is Jarold Bennett."

"I can speak for myself, you know."

"Sure you can."

"This is Regulus Black. Pleasure to meet both of you."

"I have a voice as well, Potter."

Emily shrugged, "Not my fault you didn't speak up soon enough."

Jarold gave Regulus a commiserating smile, "Don't girls just drive you insane?"

The Black boy gave a nod, "Especially when they decide to act like your mother."

Any response by the two girls was lost as someone gasped and all eyes were drawn forward to the suddenly looming visage of the castle.

"Wow."

The dark skies surrounding the brick only served to emphasize the many flickering lights from the countless windows. Light dancing all over the surface of the castle creating a magical feel that left even the most magical and experienced of viewers awed by the power, beauty, and age of the castle that stood before them.

Emily herself was stilled by the sight. All other sounds faded away as she watched the castle grow closer and closer. This would be her home away from home for the next seven years. She would meet friends, maybe find someone special as her mother phrased it, choose a career, make connections, and have a second family within her house.

The boats came to a sudden stop at the base of the castle and the large man began leading them all up towards the wooden doors.

This was going to be amazing.

Eventually the boats slid to a stop just meters from the castle and the large man encouraged everyone out of the boats and up the steps into the large stone lair. Absently, Emily allowed her arm to stretch out her fingers hesitantly approaching the stones. She jerked away instinctively half expecting to be attacked for such an action, or at least for them to be freezing from their time spent in the shadows.

But she reached out more confidently the second time. Emily's face curled up in delight as she felt the warmth from the stones, not hot enough to compare to a stove, nor uncomfortable enough to link to the warmth of an unknown human, more the feeling of curling in a blanket warmed by a fire. A comfortable feeling that made her think of home.

Beneath that she could just feel the thrum of magic. Magic that had been cast upon these very stones millennia ago. And those cast during the time since both to strengthen her and within her walls. All of which fed her, revived her, and allowed her to live as she had and harbor those who should seek the sanctuary and knowledge within her walls.

She was given no time to truly enjoy her discovery as she was whisked away by the flood of black cloaks and the firm grip Regulus had her hand in. But she just knew she would be found quite often in a quiet corner of the school simply trying to imagine all of the stories and wonders that these walls had seen over the years.

The first years were all herded into a small room upon entering the school. They could vaguely hear the voices of the hundreds of others beyond the walls when the door closed behind them. They were trapped in silence for what seemed an indefinable moment, before the door opened to reveal a thin, tight-lipped woman, who looked at them all with a stern expression.

"In a few moments you will pass through that door," All eyes followed hers to the right side of the room where most of the noise was coming from, "and you will begin a journey that will last seven years. Once you enter you will approach me and be sorted into one of four houses: Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor. Each is headed by a single member of the staff, and has six prefects all of whom should be your first and foremost contacts should you have any questions or concerns. All of the aforementioned houses have redeeming qualities and have produced extraordinary wizards, any of them would be lucky to obtain yourselves as new members.

"Once you have been sorted you will join your new house at their table. Your house will be more than mere individuals, you will eat with them, sleep with them, study with them, and take class with them. Your house will become your family and all that entails. Please take these moments now to begin learning about your fellow students and establish a connection with them. Do not allow foolish house rivalries to color your judgement, for all that your house will be your family there are times when you may wish for something else. I will see you in a few moments, shall I?"

And with that she disappeared back through the door through which she had come. Leaving them all in the silence to wait for the Sorting to begin.

And wait for the Sorting.

And wait.

Okay. What was the wait for? Surely the carriages were faster than the boats. All everyone elder had to do was find a seat. Emily wasn't the only one anxious to start. All around her the first years were whispering. Sharing the worst possibilities of how they would be sorted. Dragon battles seemed to be the most popular horror story going around. Others were beginning to panic that they wouldn't be sorted at all. As if Hogwarts could ever make such a mistake. One redhead insisted his siblings told him they were to be battling trolls.

The only ones who seemed even remotely calm were purebloods. And even then it was only those from known Slytherin blood who were able to smother the nerves. Or at least keep it from their faces.

"What nonsense. I mean, truly what are the odds that any of that drivel will come to reality?"

Emily rolled her eyes, "If they imagine the worst reality will be easier. And don't act like you're not nervous Mister-Most-Proper."

Regulus' scoffing reply was lost as the excited whispers filled the room alongside the newly emerged Hogwarts' ghosts. Spirits mingled with the living in the small room many if the small bodies huddling together against the temperature drop.

Emily rose up on her toes to see them as they glided towards the Great Hall. Regulus made what was likely a snarky comment but Emily leaned over anyway to be polite and asked what he said. Unfortunately, the student in front of her shifted slightly and she found herself off-balance and falling. Several pairs of arms reached out instinctively to catch her, the only two that were somewhat successful cut through her like ice and she found herself looking at the hovering feet of the Fat Friar.

The kind eyes looked down on her, brimming with shock and sorrow.

"Oh dear, forgive me? I'm afraid I'd quite forgotten for a moment that I … I do hope you are quite unharmed?"

"Of course, sir." She pulled herself to her feet in order to give the Hufflepuff ghost a curtsy, "Thank you for your assistance, I'm afraid I'm too clumsy for most at the best of times."

The ghost tipped his head to the side before opening his mouth, only to be cut off by a cutting voice, "Ah look, one of them has manners. A bit plebian, mind you, but still refreshing."

She was going to take a stab in the dark and say that voice belonged to the Slytherin ghost, "Monsieur Baron. I assumed this is the part in which I would state the utmost pleasure I feel at being able to make your acquaintance?"

"Do not be ridiculous. I would prefer for you to simple stand silently and in awe rather than disturb my concentration with your own thoughts."

A female ghost interrupted Emily's mental scramble for a non-insolent remark, "Are you implying you are intrigued by this child, Baron?"

She made sure to curtsey to Ravenclaw's ghost slightly overwhelmed by the spirits around her. To be honest she was cold and on the verge of running, but something told her that would not be very polite. Or well received by any parties involved.

The Baron's reply was cut off by the final grey form, "The Baron? Intrigued, this girl I must meet. Where is the obviously miraculous child?"

"Good evening, Sir Nicholas." She went to introduce herself but was caught off guard as the House ghosts continued to speak over her.

"A good evening to you as well. She does have an air of good manners around her, but there's something about her… It appears as though there should be something about her which our dear Slytherin ghost would not approve."

"She quite reminds me of that messy haired child in your house, Sir Nicholas."

The man tilted his head to the side, falling off the almost severed neck to a chorus of disgusted, intrigued, and curious noises from the surrounding eleven year olds. He flipped his head upright within a exclamation, "Oh! Quite, quite, you mean the young Mr. Potter I presume."

"Unlike that child, this one appears to have a chance at maturity at some point in the future."

"You are too critical, my dear," The friar was obviously used to being a peace keeper of sorts, "He is merely exercising his rights as a child, undoubtedly he will mature and eventually see the error of his ways."

The Ravenclaw lady gave a very un-ladylike snort, "That child will hurt more than one child on that path and undoubtedly will never realize the pain and tears he left in his wake."

"My dear lady, you ignore the healing power of laughter. He is always bringing joy to the faces of the other children."

Even the Fat Friar only had so much to say in her brother's defense and apparently that's where it ran out, "The laughter in the found in the joy of others is the most dangerous of all and will tear the soul irreparably before any of the benefits can take root. The misery of others is never a reason to take joy."

Emily fought back her blush at the thought that they were not at all impressed by her older brother, to be fair, she had not been all that impressed by him these past two years but still…

It seemed as though the Bloody Baron was the only one to take not of her reaction to their analysis of her brother's character.

"Do you not agree with our assessment, Miss Potter?"

The other three spirits turned, obviously forgetting that the children were still surrounding them, "I'm afraid I only know part of my brother's actions while attending here. Unfortunately it tends to line up with your observations." She tucked her head slightly not really wanting to admit that she was related to someone they thought so little of.

"Ashamed of him? Tsk, tis a shame to be related to such a child is it not?"

"I'd rather be aware and ashamed than naïve and irresponsible. How can I hope to convince him his actions are wrong when those very actions are concealed from me due to my own desire to ignore the unpleasant fact that not everyone is as perfect as we wish for them to be."

The ghost went to respond but Emily had one more thing to say, "Besides all of that, my brother is and always will be my brother and no matter his actions towards others and to myself. He has always protected me and I will protect him as well, from himself if necessary. And I'm more than willing to physically adjust his actions, should it be needed."

The Slytherin ghost smirked at her, "Touché Miss Potter. I look forward to seeing your Sorting this evening. Although I doubt I'll be seeing you often- do feel free to stop for a chat every now and then."

The rest gave the translucent man a strange look before slowly following in his wake and passing through the stone and into the Great Hall. Immediately after the Fat Friar slid from view the temperature shot up and everyone let out a breath of air.

"Well that was terrifying."

All eyes turned to the Potter girl and she gave her small trio of friends a questioning look, "What?"

"Nothing. You only stood up to all four of the Hogwarts' ghosts at one time and actually managed to impress the Bloody Baron, something I've only heard of in my family's dreams and they're all bloody Slytherins."

She rolled her eyes, "Trust me. All that seemed to be was really just the fact that I have no control over my actions when my family or friends are insulted. I'm lucky I sounded smart enough to avoid their derision."

Whatever response Regulus had in mind was lost as the door opened and the room fell into an overwhelming silence before they began to file into the Great Hall.

Emily reacted without thinking and reached out to grab the hands of Regulus and Ananda, she vaguely noticed Ananda reaching for Jarold who rolled his eyes before gripping her hand in return. This was going to be the start of something and Emily could only hope that it would be the start of something wonderful.

So I finally decided what to do about Voldemort. And I like it, not sure if you will. It will be coming up in the next chapter I think, or two, but it is coming! Thanks everyone for your patience and I'm going to try and get the next update in sooner, even if it is not as long as I would like it to be. Thanks again!