chapter nine ; changes
1976

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I GOT STUCK TAKING YOU TO THE PLATFORM THIS YEAR," EDWARD THATCHER-GROVER GROANED IRRITABLY AS HE SHUT THE DOOR TO HIS CAR. He circled around the automobile and watched as his younger sister struggled to lift her trunk out of the boot. She squeaked as she nearly tumbled back and Edward stepped forward, taking the weight off her easily. A soft smile replaced the frown on his face when he caught sight of her grateful expression, and he piled it onto the luggage trolley beside them.

"It's not my fault Mum was working today," the sixteen year old Tempest shrugged, yawning as she slung her bag onto her back. She was exhausted, seeing as she had forgotten to finish the Transfiguration homework she had been set before summer, and when she saw it on her dresser, she ended up not sleeping until five that morning, only to be woken up an hour later by her manic mother.

"You know she has to get the extra hours in to pay for all your new textbooks," Edward patted her back as they turned and began walking towards Kings Cross Station, both of them wishing they'd gotten more sleep. "And now, with Dad gone-"

"Don't talk about him," Tempest interrupted instantly as she adjusted her tote bag, and Edward pursed his lips, knowing how touchy she was on the subject. "This is supposed to be a happy day, Ed. It's bad enough I have to go back to school with a different name on the roll, and I don't need reminding of it."

"Sorry, I forgot," Edward muttered as they entered the large, brightly lit train station. The pair of siblings walked in silence as they trudged towards the entrance to the platform, neither knowing what to say. They used to be close, but since the messy divorce between their parents, they too had been torn apart. Tempest was always being pushed aside more than ever now that the household she lived in had grown more hectic, but she didn't know what she could do about it. With her muggle mother working full-time all summer, she managed to pick up a part-time job at the local café to earn a bit more money and to stay out of the way.

"Onyx!"

Tempest sighed in relief at the energetic voice of James Potter caught her attention, taking her mind off the intense brooding she had been doing all holidays. He was accompanied by Sirius, who appeared happy to see her as well. It hardly bothered her that James was calling her Onyx; the group had come up with the nickname shortly after they had become Animagi. Hers happened to be the most obscure, the name referring to the gemstone with dark colours that matched her Bombay fur. Remus was particularly fond of it, noting that it was a 'powerful warrior stone' and rids fear from those who possess it. 

That made her feel quite special, she had to admit. Especially since the others decided to name themselves Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. 

"I'm assuming you don't need me to stay?" Edward chuckled softly as he watched his little sister's face light up for the first time since the divorce. He nudged her a little with his elbow, adjusting his hold on the luggage trolley. "Go ahead, Tempest. I've got your bags."

"Thanks, Ed," Tempest managed a smile, before she parted with him and walked towards James and Sirius, who cheered and rushed in her direction, tackling her in a hug. 

"Pest, we missed you so much!" James cried, his glasses falling lopsided as he buried his head in her shoulder. "Next summer, I promise you won't have to work in that blasted café, you can come and stay with me and Sirius! It'll be so much fun, and you can help us with our Charms homework!"

"I feel so valued," Tempest retorted, sarcasm lacing her tone. The two boys cuddled into her, and she patted their heads, her eyes wandering elsewhere in search for her other friends. "Have you two seen Lily? What about Fergus and Willa?"

"Lily isn't here yet," James piped up and stepped back with a soft frown, as he was clearly the one to be aware of Lily Evans' whereabouts. He remained infatuated with the fiery-haired girl, and was constantly trying to get with her through the friendship she and Tempest shared. It got on Tempest's nerves, often because he caught her at the most inconvenient times (like when she was studying for her exam and he bothered her for an hour just to figure out Lily's favourite food). "I saw Fergus earlier, he was muttering about his prefect duties or something."

Sirius still had a firm grip on Tempest as he grinned. "I bet Willa likes the look of that badge."

Tempest elbowed him softly in the stomach, rolling her eyes. "You could be a little more quiet, Padfoot. Willa doesn't exactly want people shouting from the rooftops about this."

"What, the fact that she likes Ferg--" Sirius belted out, causing Tempest to whip around and cover his mouth, the last few words appearing muffled. The raven haired boy's eyes sparkled mischievously, as he found nothing but joy irritating the fierce girl. As Tempest shot daggers at him, he merely grinned and pulled her hand away from his face, quite amused by her behaviour.

"Don't lose it, Temper," he teased, and she scoffed, rolling her eyes and adjusting the jumper she was wearing. Sirius chuckled as she turned away to face James, who seemed to be in deep thought. 

"You alright?" She asked, nudging him with her elbow as she took a step in his direction. James' head shot up in surprise, before he pouted. "What is it?"

"I just...I forgot to do my Transfiguration homework," he groaned, running his hands through his dark, messy hair. His eyes were narrowed behind his glasses as he realised his idiocy, and he irritably huffed, while Tempest's lips curved in a small smile. 

"You can copy mine, Potter," she responded, and he seemed to relax a little. He was a good student, he just wasn't onto it all the time. That's what McGonagall said, at least. despite how much trouble he and his friends got into, she still remained a good sport. Sirius adored her, he thought she was the best professor he'd ever had, and he particularly enjoyed seeing how far she could be pushed before he'd get in trouble. Once, he had purposefully transfigured his goblet into a turtle, then sprouted flowers from the tip of his wand to give to all the girls in the class, McGonagall receiving five herself. 

"Have I ever told you how much I appreciate you?" He exhaled, reaching over to ruffle Tempest's hair. She rolled her eyes, though a hint of a smile was present on her lips. 

"Not enough," she retorted, and he grinned. Tempest looked up at one of the large pillars on the platform, where a gigantic clock resided. It read 10:17. "I'm going to go find Willa and Fergus. I'll see you two on the train, alright? Prongs, I'll drop my homework off if you'd like."

"Thank you, Onyx," he waved as she walked off, before he began talking to Sirius about something he'd found in Diagon Alley when he was purchasing his school books. 

Tempest already felt at ease walking down the platform, even though she wasn't at Hogwarts yet. It was safe to say that she adored the place far more than her own house, as there was nothing there to make her feel like garbage. Sure, she swapped playful banter with the Gryffindor boys and got into a few arguments with Argus Filch, but there was nothing that made her seem irrelevant, or unimportant. After being brushed aside for such a long time, it was a good feeling to be able to go back to her rightful home.

"Tempest!" The loud, unmistakeable screeching voice of Willa Beauregard made Tempest smile, and the loud footsteps that followed made the young girl anticipate a gigantic bearhug from the Hufflepuff. Willa was a blur of yellow and white as she quickly began chattering. "Oh, how I've missed you! How was your summer? I heard about what happened, and my goodness, I'm so sorry. Don't forget I'm always going to be here for you. I wish I could have seen you, but I expect you got all of my letters? I wrote you and Fergus almost every day, and I was so excited when one of you would reply! I wonder how Fergus is, have you seen him?"

Tempest felt the need to catch her breath. She looked down at her small but excitable classmate, happy to see her and hear her voice again. There was so much energy radiating from her friend, and it seemed to transfer once she grabbed Tempest's hand and tugged her in the direction of the train. 

"Fergus is helping the first years over here!" Willa chimed, rushing towards the centre carriages. As the two wove through the crowd of returning students and their families, Tempest managed to catch sight of the tall sixth year boy surrounded by eleven year olds. He seemed to be handling it well; he was possibly the calmest person she had ever met, and she was yet to see him angry or overworked towards anyone or anything. "Fergus!"

At the sound of his best friend's voice, Fergus' face brightened a little, and he looked down at the first years, excusing himself and rushing over to embrace the two girls heading his way. "Hello you two! You doing alright?"

For the next twenty minutes or so, the trio caught up with each other, introduced themselves to the young children and swapped predictions on what antics their classmates would get up to that school year. Tempest couldn't stop smiling, her insides finally warming up as she realised she was about to make her triumphant return to the only home she knew. 

She didn't even remember to say goodbye to Edward, who watched on with upturned lips, understanding that maybe his little sister's real family was something he wasn't a part of. No one looked twice at the former head boy, they just bustled around him as if he were an obstacle in their way. The tall, bearded magizoologist sighed softly, pursing his lips and spinning on his heel, walking away and disappeared in the crowd. 

★☆

"Are you kidding me?" Tempest groaned as she pushed herself up onto her elbows. It was the fourth time she had bumped into someone in the past ten minutes, and she felt like she was reaching the end of her relatively short tether. Willa glanced over her shoulder and saw her friend on the ground, her dark hair disheveled. The Hufflepuff smiled slightly and reached down to grab Tempest's tanned arm, her eyes resting on the girl's flushed face.

"What is it that the boys say?" Fergus asked from the front of the trio, his eyebrows raised in amusement. "Ah yes. Don't lose it, Temper."

"Don't call me that." Tempest snapped, only making the nickname more accurate for herself. She irritably brushed off her clothes and reached for her book that lay on the floor, showcasing all of the paper cut scars she had received in only the past week or so. She scowled as she stood up, seeing the several pages had been bent when it hit the ground. "Bloody second years. Think they rule the train."

"You complain an awful lot, Tempest," Willa chuckled, shaking her head. They were walking through the moving train in search for the compartment James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were sitting in, as they all usually sat together if everywhere else was full. Seeing as the boys could get a little rowdy, it was nice for Tempest to have access to people who were able to keep her calm, which was exactly what her two friends from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff could always do. "Ah, here we are!"

Smiling at the sight of an empty compartment beside the ones with the boys inside, Fergus opened the door for Tempest, who slipped inside and sat next to Remus, her book in hand. Fergus waved at the group, before gesturing next door. "Tempest, if you need us, Willa and I will just be next door."

"Doing what?" Sirius muttered under his breath, to which Tempest kicked him in the shin. A charming grin appeared on his face as he glanced in her direction, and she rolled her eyes, thankful that Fergus and Willa didn't hear his comment, as they had shut the door and entered the other compartment. "C'mon, Grover, it was just a joke."

"It's just Thatcher now," Tempest muttered, opening her book and continuing from where she had left off. James released a heartbroken sigh, though Tempest didn't pay him much mind. 

"Great, now I have to train myself to stop calling you Grover," he grumbled, slumping in his chair. Tempest pursed her lips, wanting to snap back at him. She held her tongue though, trying to convince herself that James didn't mean to prod her where it hurt. She was still incredibly sensitive over the events that had occurred in the holidays, and the constant reminders weren't at all pleasant. 

"I think Tempest is just a little tired, how about we let her read her book?" Remus interjected, and Tempest subtly flashed him a grateful look, to which he nodded slightly. He always managed to understand her when no one else did, and she was always grateful for it. She didn't know where she'd be without him, he was too good a friend.

The boys did leave her be for the first half hour, though Tempest was aware she had received a few worried stares from each of them. She hated being pitied, but she also couldn't help the fact that she was an open book when it came to emotions, and at that point in time she had a lot to spare. She had eventually learned to tune the four Gryffindors out, attempting to focus on the black and white of her novel.

"Why do you read so much?" Sirius whined, going against Remus' words from earlier, as he had just asked her a question, but was only ignored. His lips were downturned in a stroppy fashion, and he was leaning over a little bit so that he could prod her knee. "It's so boring."

Not lifting her eyes from the page, Tempest replied, "The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid."

Remus snorted, and Tempest could only imagine the dumbfounded look on Sirius' face. Remus smirked at the boy and chuckled at his expression. He had warned the long-haired boy, after all. "It's from Northanger Abbey, one of her favourites."

"Never heard of it," the pure-blood replied, and Tempest scoffed a little. It was quite clear she wasn't in the mood for games. She didn't know why her mood had changed so quickly, but it was probably due to the fact that once the train left the station, she realised she hadn't said goodbye to her brother. That small occurrence managed to dampen her happy attitude, so now the whole world had to know she was upset. 

Trying to distract herself, Tempest placed her book down and ran her hands through her hair, before grumbling in frustration as it tangled between her fingers. She hated her damaged raven locks, and along with her present irritation, she was reaching her wits end. She hated that she was causing such a fuss over something so little, but she had bottled up all of her anger inside her all summer. And of course, of all convenient times, she was about to burst now. Feeling dejected and frustrated, Tempest stood up and grabbed her tote bag, before storming out of the compartment. 

"Tempest?!" She heard confused voices call out after her, but she was already halfway down the carriage, in search for the bathroom. The corridors were mainly empty, which made it easy for her to angrily stomp past the compartments like a toddler. 

"Onyx!" She heard James call out after her, but was out of sight, entering the Slytherin carriage. She had a few friends in the house, but since they were the sworn enemies of Gryffindor (for some ridiculous reason), she rarely spent time with the members of the green and silver. She could see the likes of Severus Snape, Emma Vanity, Barty Crouch Jr, Evan Rosier, and Regulus Black, who nodded politely as she passed him. 

Tempest had nearly made it to the restroom, though her path was quickly blocked by the tall Evan Rosier, who sneered down at her. The dark haired girl glared in his direction, before stepping to the side to try and pass. "Excuse me."

"What are you doing in this carriage, Grover?" Rosier snarled, and Tempest could feel the anger inside her chest bubbling once again. She couldn't stand the boy, though it was clear things weren't going to work out in her favour during this train ride. 

"I'm just going to the toilet, Rosier. Don't worry yourself," she grumbled, pushing her way past and making her way towards the end of the carriage. Before she could make it, Rosier grabbed her wrist. Tempest quickly snatched it back and shot a death glare his way. "Don't you dare touch me."

"What, like this?" Rosier grinned filthily, reaching over and tugging at Tempest's hair. The girl clenched her jaw and whipped her wand out of her sweater pocket, defensively pointing it in his direction. Rosier's eyes trailed down to the weapon in her hand, before he hesitantly released his grip on her. Even he knew not to meddle with one of the best witches in their year. 

Tempest then whipped around and marched into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind her. She felt worse than she did before, and she looked up into the mirror to see her reflection staring back at her. She had gotten used to feeling disappointment when she saw herself, but this all seemed quite new. 

Her hair felt dirty after the encounter with the invasive boy, so Tempest swallowed irritably, before opening her tote bag and rummaging around. After a moment she pulled out a pencil case she had carried with her, and set it on the sink, opening it and pulling out a pair of scissors.

Before she knew it, Tempest had lifted the scissors to her hair in an angered daze, only realising what she was doing when she shut her hands and cut half of her dark locks off, the remnants falling into the sink. A soft gasp escaped her lips once she realised what she had done, and her eyes flickered back into the mirror to see the ends of her hair now brushing against her shoulders. 

There was no turning back now, and seeing her reflection made a twisted smile appear on her face. She opened the scissors once again and gather more of her hair, inhaling sharply before she decided that maybe this was what she needed to start something fresh. 

"Well, here's to freedom."

★☆

THIS IS A REALLY LONG CHAPTER I'M SORRY

ALSO TEMPEST IS SUPER ANGSTY BUT SHE'S A SIXTEEN YEAR OLD WHOSE REALISING HOW INSIGNIFICANT SHE IS LEAVE HER ALONEE