IN WHICH family reunites again

(A/N: Trying a new writing style... it seems okay so far)

AUBERY LUPIN did not know why she was standing in front of Number 4 Privet Drive, along with her mother and Hagrid. The young girl had been interrupted during the middle of her playdate her best friend, Eliza Peters, by her father and rushed out of the house by her mother, but not before her father placed a chocolate bar that they both favored into her tiny hands, reminding her to eat chocolate. Her mom then apparated to this house, where they met Hagrid, Aubery's soon to be groundskeeper at Hogwarts. She was sorely annoyed, not just because she was interrupted seeing her best friend before boarding the train to Hogwarts, but because her mom had just now revealed that Aubery had 2 cousins. 2 potential playmates! She sourly kicked the curb with her sneakers, then grabbed her toes in pain, hopping around. 

"Dear god. Aubery, please sit still!" Her mother called out.

"I'm trying!" Aubery huffed, still hopping around. It definitely didn't help that her ADHD kept wanting her to move some more, but soon the pain subsided, and Aubery could finally sit down in peace and settled down to rip pieces of grass from the neat lawn outside, and braiding pieces into a piece of rope. Did she really care about the person's property she was messing up? No, not really.

"Goodness gracious. Aubery, please stop that!" Roselie Lupin sighed, walking over to the neighbor's house to find the whereabouts of the residents of Number 4, Privet Drive. A short woman, with dark brown curls, and green eyes definitely did not look like Lily Evans, but a bit more like Petunia Evans, whom Aubery had only seen pictures of them when they were little. Roselie loved her daughter, along with her husband, not because she was the only child the couple could have, ever since the terrible accident that had befallen Roselie when she was pregnant with her, but because her personality that no one could help but fall for. 

"Hello, Aubery! Excited for Hogwarts, eh?" Hagrid sat down beside her, grinning widely. Aubery looked up in awe of the half-giant and smiled widely.

"Very! Dad gave me his special notebook." She held out a worn journal, titled MOONY at the front. "And it's filled to the brim with spells he and his mates made during Hogwarts! I'm going to add much more!" The light-brown haired girl started flipping the pages quickly, showing the white pages of the book. "I want to try to make a spell that will bypass the protection spell in the Girl's dormitories!"

"I'd bet yeh do it." Hagrid chuckled.

"Yep! Dad's taught me so many spells!" Aubery gleefully flipped the pages, remembering the times where her father lent her his wand, and taught her magic at a young age, much to the amusement of her mother. 

"Apparently they headed off to a lighthouse somewhere. Good heavens, just to ignore letters from Hogwarts." Roselie shook her head.

"Mum, why don't they like Hogwarts?" Aubery asked, peering up at the woman.

"Sweetie, their Muggles, and I and Auntie Lily were Muggle-born witches, it's a bit natural for them to be wary of us." Roselie explained, trying to eject some details, such as the menace called Vernon Dursley in Roselie's head.

"So, Harry's a wizard, but Dudley and Auntie Petunia and Uncle Vernon are Muggles?" Aubery confirmed.

"Right you are little fox!" Roselie laughed, rustling her 10-year-old's hair.

"Auntie Petunia and Uncle Vernon sound mean. Mr. Peter's is a muggle, but he doesn't hate magic!" Aubery huffed, as the trio began walking in the forest, so they could apparate near the address that the neighbor had given Roselie.

"Some people are different like that Aubs." Roselie sighed.

"We'd outta head off now, don't want ter miss Harry again." Hagrid interjected, and they held each other's hand as they apparated right next to the ocean that the Dursley and Harry were. Aubery felt a bit queasy, after feeling like she'd been pushed through a tight tube, and stumbled a little as they landed. Her mother then conjured up a boat, and by the time they crossed half away across the sea, Aubery had already fallen half-asleep, lulled by the waves, and the gentle rocking of the boat.

"I forgot Harry's present!" Aubery sat up quickly, looking at her mother. "It's his birthday correct?"

"We'll get him something from Diagon Alley tomorrow alright honey?" Roselie replied, as the boat almost crashed into the small island. Roselie chided Hagrid, but he shrugged it off, muttering something about tea. He walked up to the lighthouse, and knocked once. The whole lighthouse seemed to shake.

"I'm excited to see my cousins!" Aubery smiled, not noticing the rather peculiar entrance they would have. She bared her canines on accident but paid no mind to it. In her eyes, she thought she looked more like her dad, which made Aubery proud. But she did love her green eyes, which she claimed to "stare at mean people for her mom" when she was little.

"I'm very excited too. Petunia's been ignoring all my calls-" Roselie muttered. 

A second knock.

And then a loud boom made Aubery jump as the door was ripped clean off of the wall and Hagrid walked in. 

"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey." Hagrid asked.

"Us?" An unknown male voice eeped out.

"Tuney." Roselie turned to stand in the doorway, as Aubery skittered in the room.

"Hi! I'm Aubery!" She excitedly exclaimed, taking note of the scared faces of whom she took to be Vernon and Petunia Dursley, and then she looked at a fat young boy with a mop of dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes, and then a boy with jet black hair, green eyes just like hers and a lightning shaped scar. "I'm your cousin!"

"Why do you have sharp teeth?" Came the first reply from the fat boy. Aubery guessed him to be Dudley, as Harry had a lightning scar according to the history books.

"My dad's a werewolf!" She cheerily replied. 

"W-w-werewolf?" Dudley stuttered.

"Just kidding!" Aubery smiled, knowing that her father did not like people knowing that he was a werewolf. 

"What are you doing here! I thought I said to never contact us again!" Petunia snapped.

"Really? I don't remember." Roselie replied evenly.

"Budge up yeh great lump." Hagrid muttered, as Dudley crept away, scared. "An' here's Harry!"

"Stay away from us y-y-you witch!" Vernon roared, although it came out as more of a mewling sound. 

"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby! Yeh look a lot like yeh dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes." Hagrid smiled.

"I demand that you leave at once, sir! You are breaking and entering!" Vernon snapped, pointing a metal shaped tube that Aubery did not know the name of. Hagrid grabs the gun and bends it upwards.

"You don't dare aim that at my daughter!" Roselie roared.

"Dry up, Dursley, you great prune." Hagrid scoffed.

"Mum, I'm fine." Aubery reassured. 

"Got something for ya Harry. 'Fraid I might have sat on it at some point! I think that it'll taste fine just the same. Baked it myself." Hagrid hands Harry the cake. "Words and all. Heh." Harry opens the cake, which reads "Happee Birdae Harry" in green frosting.

"Happy birthday! We're gonna get you a present tomorrow!" Aubery gleefully smiled, sitting next to Harry. 

"Thank you!" Harry smiled.

"It's not every day that your young man turns eleven, now is it?"  Hagrid sits down on the sofa, takes out an umbrella, and points it at the empty fire. Two sparks fly out and the fire starts. 

"Excuse me, who are you?" Harry asked, putting his cake down.

"How is it being 11? I'm ten. Until the 31st of August!" Aubery asked Dudley, who shrank back in terror, and ran to hide behind his mother, who was in a staring match against Roselie. 

"Rubeus Hagrid. Keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts. Course, you'll know all about Hogwarts." Hagrid explained.

"Sorry, no." Harry shook his head, and the 3 wizarding folk turn to him, bewildered. 

"No? Blimey, Harry, didn't you ever wonder where yeh mum and dad learned it all?" Hagrid asked. 

"Learned what?" Harry asked, confused.

"You're a wizard, Harry." Aubery smiled at him, but Harry still looked confused.

"I-I'm a what?" Harry stuttered.

"A wizard. And a thumping good one at that, I'd wager. Once yer train up a lil'." Hagrid confirmed.

"No, you've made a mistake. I can't be...a-a wizard. I mean, I'm just... Harry. Just Harry." Harry replied.

"Well, just Harry. Did you ever make anything happen? Anything you couldn't explain when you were angry or scared?" Roselie asked, as Harry softens his expression. "That's it."

Hagrid hands Harry a Hogwarts letter, and Harry opens it eagerly.

"Dear, Mr. Potter. We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Harry starts, looking excited at the prospect of going to Hogwarts.

"He'll not be going! We swore when we took him in, we'd put a stop to this rubbish!" Vernon cried, a bit more purple in the face.

"You knew? You knew all along and you never told me?

Petunia: Of course we knew. How could you not be? My perfect sisters being who they was. Oh, my mother and father were so proud the day they got their letter. We have two witches in the family. Isn't it wonderful? I was the only one to see them for what they were. A freak! And then Lily met that Potter, and then she had you, and I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as ... abnormal. And then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up. And we got landed with you." Petunia snapped, and Roselie turned her wand on her.

Harry looked to Petunia, angrily "Blown up? You told me my parents died in a car crash!"

"A car crash? A car crash kill James and Lily Potter?" Roselie screeched.

"We had to tell him something!" Petunia snapped.

"It's an outrage! It's a scandal!" Hagrid cried.

"He'll not be going!" Vernon cried.

"Oh, and I suppose a great Muggle like yourself's going to stop him, are you?" Hagrid asked, almost mockingly.

"Muggle?" Harry asked.

"Non-magic folk." Aubery explained.

"This boy's had his name down ever since he was born! He's going to the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world, and he'll be under the finest headmaster that Hogwarts has ever seen: Albus Dumbledore." Hagrid yelled.

"I will not pay for some crackpot old fool to teach him magic tricks!" Vernon roared, and the effect was instant. Roselie and Hagrid whipped out their wands, (umbrella in Hagrid's case) and pointed it to Vernon Dursley threateningly.

"Never, insult Albus Dumbledore, in front of us." Roselie snarled. 

Hagrid notices Dudley eating Harry's cake, and aims his umbrella at his rear. He fires a magic spark at it, causing a grey tail to grow.

"Ahh!" Dudley screamed, as the Dursleys shriek in both fright and horror, as they run off out of sight. The 4 remaining laugh at this.

"Oh, um, I'd appreciate if you didn't tell anyone at Hogwarts about that. Strictly speaking, I'm not allowed to do magic." Hagrid says.

"Okay." Harry nods.

"We'd never dream of telling on you Hagrid!" Aubery smiled. 

Hagrid checked his pocket-watch. "Ooh, we're a bit behind schedule. Best be off." He goes off to the door and pulls it down again, before stepping out. Aubery and Roselie do the same, as Aubery turns to Harry. 

"Unless you'd rather stay, of course?" Aubery asked. Harry walks out. He grins, looking back at the direction where the Dursleys are gone, and grins again, before grabbing his jacket and joins the others on their journey to London.

The next day, in the streets of London, the gang are in the underground tube, heading to Diagon Alley.

"First year students will require: three sets of work robes, one wand." Harry turns to Roselie.

"Essential bit of equipment, Harry." Roselie smiles.

"One pair of dragon-hide gloves." Harry turns to Hagrid this time. "Hagrid, do they mean for a real dragon?"

"Well, they don't mean for a penguin, do they? Heh. Crikey, but not a dragon." Hagrid shakes his head.

"Penguins are funny creatures." Aubery giggled.

"But you like a dragon?" Harry asked.

"Fast and misunderstood beasts, Harry. Fast and misunderstood." Hagrid shakes his head, as they emerge from the tunnel, and start walking in the streets.

"All students must be equipped with...one standard size two pewter cauldron and may bring if they desire either an owl, a cat, or a toad. Could we find all this in London?" Harry asked eagerly.

"If you know where to go." Roselie winked. They walk towards a corner store and as they get closer, the sign above it has "The Leaky Cauldron" magically appearing. They enter the Leaky Cauldron, and music and lively conversation filled their ears.

"Ah, Hagrid, Rosie! The usual, I presume?" Tom, the bartender asked.

"No thanks, Tom. I'm on official Hogwarts business today. Just helping young Harry here buy his school supplies. Then Rosie will take him back with Aubery to their house, spend some time together." Hagrid shook his head.

"Bless my soul. It's Harry Potter." Tom gasped. The pub immediately goes silent and everyone notices. A man comes up and shakes Harry's hand.

"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back." Dedalus Diggle smiled warmly.

A witch comes up and shakes Harry's hand, as well. "Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter. I can't believe I'm meeting you at last."

A man in robes with a turban on his head appears. "Harry P-potter. C-can't tell you how pleased I am to meet you."

"Hello, Professor! I didn't see you there. Harry, this is Professor Quirrell. He'll be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts." Roselie smiled warmly.

"Oh, nice to meet you." Harry puts out his hand, offering a handshake with Quirrell, but he looks at Harry's head and hesitatingly refuses.

"F-fearfully fascinating subject. N-not that you need it, e-eh, Potter? Hehe." Quirrell stuttered.

"Yes, well, must be going now. Lots to buy." Roselie quickly ushered Harry and Aubery out of the pub.

"Goodbye." Harry waved.

"See, your famous!" Aubery grinned. 

"I don't really want the fame though, I just wanted a loving family." Harry admitted.

"Well, you have one now! Mum's going to fight every ministry member, and Dumbledore himself, so you can stay with us!" Aubery cheerfully smiled. "Dad's going to love you! Did you know he was one of your father's mates?" As the 2 cousins babbled on, they entered a back room winery in front of a brick wall.

"But why am I famous, Aubery? All those people back there, how is it they know who I am?" Harry asked.

"I'm not exactly sure. Mum and Dad never let me read the history books by myself, and they especially don't read it as a bedtime story." Aubery shook her head.

Hagrid taps the brick wall clockwise with his umbrella. The blocks then magically shift and open up to reveal a hidden, busy street called Diagon Alley. "Welcome, Harry, to Diagon Alley."

Harry grins broadly as they step into the street and walk down it. An owl screeches as a young girl with curly hair rushed past them. "

Here's where you'll get your quills and ink, and over there all your bits and bobs for doing your wizardry." Hagrid explained.

Harry is amazed as they pass by shops and owls and bats. It all seemed like a new world to him, as him and Aubery stare at a group of boys crowded around a shiny broomstick.

"It's a world-class racing broom. Look at it, it's the new Nimbus 2000! It's the fastest model yet." A sandy-haired kid exclaimed, peering through the glass.

"I wish my gram would buy me it!" A boy sighed.

"Epic!" Another kid grinned as Harry, Hagrid, Aubery, and Roselie continue walking down Diagon Alley.

"But, Hagrid, how am I to pay for all this? I haven't any money." Harry asked.

"Well, there's your money, Harry." Hagrid points to a tall, white, marble building, labelled Gringotts Bank in gold. "Gringotts, the Wizard Bank. T'aint no place safer, 'cept perhaps Hogwarts." 

"And of course, if you ever need anything Harry, you need only to ask." Roselie smiled. "We'll see you soon alright? We're going to get Aubery her supplies, and you your gift."

"Oh, alright." Harry nodded, a bit distraught, but nonetheless let the mother daughter pair leave.

"How about you get your wand, and I'll get your other things alright honey? Here's 5 Galleons, and wait for me right outside Ollivander's okay?" Roselie put 5 shiny coins in the girl's hand, before leaving to get her things.

"Mum, can I get an owl?" Aubery asked.

"Oh, alright. This will be my birthday present to you, okay? What kind do you want?" Roselie sighed.

"The northern saw-whet?" Aubery pleaded. "I'll take good care of it! All by myself!" 

"Alright, but hurry along now." Roselie shooed the girl away, and Aubery ran off to Ollivanders, 5 Galleons grasped tightly in hand.

"Hello?" Aubery asked, opening the door, and making the small bell above tinkle merrily. "Is anyone here?"

"Ah! Ms. Lupin, I was wondering when you'd come." Ollivander smiled warmly at the young girl. He picked up a box, opened it, and held the wand out to her. "Go on, give it a swish. Maybe the 1st wand you try will be yours, just like your mother. Maybe it might take 2, like your father. Both fine wands, great for dueling and charms."

Aubery gave it a small flick, but nothing happened. Feeling slightly annoyed, she set it down.

"Oh, of course redwood won't work, it barely even works." Ollivander cursed under his breath, getting another one. "Try this one."

Aubery took this one, and swished it around. A bouquet of rose bloom out, and Ollivander clapped happily, as Aubery set her coins on the table.

"Amazing! Lime wood, unicorn hair, 9 1/4 inches, slightly yielding flexibility. That'll be 3 Galleons, save your money child." He handed two Galleons back, packaging the wand, and Aubery gleefully stepped out of the room.

"Thank you Mister Ollivander, sir!" Aubery waved. She stepped out of the shop, to see the same sandy-haired boy and another dark-skinned boy from the window of the broom shop.

"Excuse me, what do you need to do to get a wand?" The dark-skinned boy asked.

"It's quite easy, just a swish or flick, and Mister Ollivander will see if it's the right fit for you!" Aubery smiled.

"Thanks! Off to Hogwarts too?" The sandy-haired kid asked. He smelled strongly of lemongrass and cedarwood, but Aubery thought nothing of it.

"Correct! Name's Aubery Lupin! Your's" Aubery asked, holding out her hand, and sandy-hair's eyes opened wide.

"You're Harry Potter's cousin!" He gasped, and the dark-skinned boy, to had to open his eyes wide.

"That's me!" Aubery giggled.

"Seamus Finnigan." The sandy-haired kid said.

"Dean Thomas." The other boy greeted.

"Pleasure to meet you both, but I must get going. See you at Hogwarts, I hope we're sorted in the same house!" Aubery smiled, as she walked to her mother, who was holding a small, tawny owl that was hooting merrily in it's cage.

"It reminded me of you." Roselie admitted, as Aubery cooed at the bird. "Come on, let's get Harry's present." They walked off, and ran into Harry and Hagrid, who too had their supplies ready. Harry went off to get his wand, and the others went to get an owl for Harry.

"I think I'll name him Kevin!" Aubery decided. (A/N: The name Kevin holds high purpose in my life alright? I lost 2 OBOB matches answering with that name.) 

"Alright then. Why don't you chose an owl?" Hagrid asked, and Aubery took off, leaving Kevin with her mom and scanning the pet store with watchful eyes. One caught her eye however, a snow-white owl, sitting serenely in her cage. 

"This one Hagrid. I think Harry will love it." Aubery smiled, and they got the owl, heading off to Ollivanders. Aubery kept a look out for Eliza, to see if she'd come, but no luck.

They reached Ollivanders and Hagrid lightly tapped on the window. "Harry! Harry! Happy birthday!" 

"Wow." Harry gasped, walking out of the shop. 

Later back in the Leaky Cauldron, Hagrid, Harry, Aubery, and Roselie are at a long table, eating soup. Everything is too quiet, Hagrid soon notices this.

"You all right, Harry? You seem very quiet." Hagrid asks, and Aubery stops sipping her soup. 

"He killed my parents, didn't he? The one who gave me this. You know, Hagrid, I know you do." Harry pushed away his soup.

Hagrid sighed and pushed his bowl away. "First, and understand this, Harry, 'cause it's very important. Not all wizards are good. Some of them go bad. A few years ago, there was one wizard who went as bad as you can go. And his name was V-...his name was V-..." 

"Maybe if you wrote it down?" Harry asked.

"No, I can't spell it." Hagrid shook his head.

"Oh, chill Hagrid, you big mouse. Voldemort." Roselie rolled her eyes.

"Voldemort?" Harry echoed.

"Shh!!" Hagrid shushed, and Harry looked around to see if anyone heard it.

"It was dark times, Harry, dark times. Voldemort started to gather some followers, brought 'em over to the dark side. Anyone that stood up to him ended up dead. Your parents fought against him, but nobody lived once he decided to kill 'em. Nobody...not one. 'Cept you." Hagrid explained.

"Me? Voldemort tried to kill...me?" Harry asked.

"Yup." Aubery nodded.

"Yes. That isn't a ordinary cut on your forehead, Harry. A mark like that only comes from being touched by a curse...and an evil curse at that." Roselie explained.

"What happened to...to You-Know-Who?" Harry asked. 

"Well, some say he died. Codswallop in my opinion. Nope, I reckon he's out there, still, too tired to go on. But one thing's absolutely certain. Something about you stumped him that night. That's why you're famous. That's why everybody knows your name. You're the boy who lived." Hagrid said.

They took a kip at the Leaky Cauldron, and the next morning Hagrid left, and Roselie took Harry and Aubery back for the rest of the summer. Remus Lupin welcomed them back, and quickly accpected them as one of his own children. Aubery introduced him to Eliza, and the two become quick friends. Soon Aubery's 11th birthday too, had passed, and they arrived at King's Cross Station. 

"Come on kids, let's go, don't want to be late now." Roselie beckoned. 

"Excited for Hogwarts?" Eliza, a pretty brown-haired, blue eyed girl asked.

"Defintely." Harry nodded happily.

"I'm looking forward to meeting new people!" Aubery smiled. 

Roselie recieved a call on her phone. "Yes? Oh god. Alright. I'm coming. Sorry kids, I'm gonna have to leave you. Some idiot blew up the Auror's office, again. Now, your train leaves in 10 minutes. Here's your tickets. Stick to it, that's very important. Stick to your ticket." 

Harry, Eliza, and Aubery looked at their ticket.

"Platform 9¾? But, Aunt Roselie, there must be a mistake. This says Platform 9¾. There's no such thing...is there?" Harry looks up, but Roselie has vanished and left Harry, Aubery, and Eliza all alone with their carts.

They pull through, opting to find Platforms 9 and 10, before asking someone.

"Excuse me, excuse me." Harry approached a Muggle guard.

"Right on your left, ma'am." The guard said.

"Excuse me, sir. Can you tell me where I might find Platform 9¾?" Harry asked.

The guard stared at Harry incredulously. "9¾? Think you're being funny, do ya?" He walks off.

Aubery then notices a woman, daughter, and four boys walk by, pushing carts.

"It's the same year after year. Always packed with Muggles, of course." The woman shakes her head.

"Muggles?" Harry whispered.

"Come on. Platform 9¾ this way! All right, Percy, you first." The woman beckoned a tall boy with red hair, comes forward and runs towards a brick wall. Amazingly, he disappears right into it.

"Fred, you next." The woman said.

"He's not Fred, I am!" One yelled.

"Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother." The other shook his head.

"Oh, I'm sorry, George." The woman shakes her head as George moves towards the wall.

"I'm only joking. I am Fred." Fred runs through the wall and is followed by his twin brother. Harry shakes his head in disbelief.

"Wicked." Eliza smiled.

"Excuse me! C-could you tell us how to-" Harry runs up to them, Aubery and Eliza following.

"Wait up!" Aubery yelled.

"How to get on the platform? Yes, not to worry, dear. It's Ron's first time to Hogwarts as well." The woman greets, and Ron smiles. "Now, all you've got to do is walk straight at the wall between platforms 9 and 10. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous." 

"Good luck." The girl smiled. Harry takes a breath and runs at the wall, and disappearing 

"You go first." Aubery says, making way for Ron.

"You should." Ron shakes his head.

"I'll go!" Eliza declared, running at the wall and disappearing like Harry. 

"Well, let's go together then alright?" Aubery asked, and they both ran at the wall, disappearing too.