CHAPTER 1

— ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴᴛʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ —

India Mikaelson

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As much as she liked to think of herself as someone who could control her emotions, India Mikaelson wasn't like that. Well, at least not with the positive emotions, she was actually pretty good at bottling things up but she would tell you that's genetic. Right now it was one of those moments she couldn't help but show her joy and pride, along with Hope, Silas, and James. If anyone would've looked over at the Gryffindor table at that moment they would have seen four teenagers goofily grinning at each other. But who could blame them for looking as if they had just traveled universes? No one! Because they had actually done it. And India wasn't quite sure she believed it yet. They had (accidentally) traveled to the place of unnecessary lack of progress. The Wizarding World. Where robes were worn and you had to communicate via parrot.

Not that that was a concern for India or either the four world travelers at the table, they were too concerned about enjoying the tremendous act of magic they had just achieved, or better yet James had achieved by accident, to think about things like medieval clothes or fully process the meaning of it. Because even in their lives, as chaotic they were, universe traveling wasn't something that happened every day.

"Our parents will be so proud of us," said Silas with a grin, "I mean my mom might kill me but we're in another universe so. . . ."

"Do you want to say it louder?" India snapped at the boy throwing a potato at him. It was weird for her to be the one being 'responsible' as she usually wasn't. She was reckless and impulsive and like her mother didn't really have a filter when it comes to dangerous situations but she surely wasn't daft and she knew that talking about traveling universes with hundreds of students surrounding them wasn't the best option — either because they would get busted and killed (or imprisoned) or they would be deemed as crazy (not that that was much different from their usual school. . . .).

"Scar is a Puffy. . . ." James, her brother, said off-topic, looking thoughtfully — which made India slightly worried for him. She looked over at the Hufflepuff table and saw Scarlett, their blonde cousin, smiling as she talked to the boy beside her, "Who would've thought? Just yesterday she made my skin go green when I was trying to talk to Atlas. . . ."

"You pushed her off the way, " Hope rolled her eyes and India snorted as she remembered what happened.

"So? She could've been a tad supportive while I talked to the love of my life!" James exclaimed in disbelief, dramatically throwing his hands in the air with a huff. India and Hope bit their lips and looked at each other before bursting out a laugh that got harder as they saw Silas making gaging noised and throwing a piece of chicken at James.

"Dude, that's my sister!"

"And she's a lesbian, " India pointed out with a smirk and Hope nodded. James's eyes grew two sizes and his jaw went slack and India couldn't help but think he looked like a cartoon character as it's being hit in the stomach by a firework which made her tilt her head amused.

"What?!"

"How did you not know?" Hope asked looking baffled, "She announced it to all of us on Christmas."

"I was too focused on her face," James mumbled as he played with the food on his plate, pouting — this made India scoff, what was he a baby? "I think it's time to start a new obsession — I mean... Uh, crush." He said with a sheepish smile and all of them gave him a blank look trying their best not to laugh. "What do you think of Stefanie?"

"I think he's too old for you," Silas said simply.

"Not bunny muncher. Stefanie Salvatore." James said with a grimace smacking Silas upside the head.

"Wait, you're gay?" Hope asked with a blank look. India saw as her brother's ears grew red and scowling while she, Hope, and Silas stifled laughs at his expense.

"I was talking about fucking Stefanie Ellie Salvatore."

"You're fucking her already?" India asked faking baffled causing James to groan and bang his head against Silas's shoulder as the three others laughed.

"Why don't you branch out a bit?" Silas said. "Like get away from my sister and Stefanie and I don't know. . . . Meet new girls?"

"He can't," India snorted, "That's why he loves Atlas. He doesn't have to meet her again."

"Oi! I can so talk to new people!" James exclaimed with a frown.

"Oh yeah?" Silas raised an eyebrow, "Go talk to that cute blonde over there then, " he said pointing at a blonde girl around their age talking to a red-haired. James turned slightly red in the face but nodded with his jaw clenched.

India watched along with Hope, and Silas as James took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes at the girl. He then stood up promptly dusting nonexistent cust off his clothes and started to make his way over to the girls — well, he was walking to the girls but then India saw him shake his head and turn on his heel sitting back down.

"See?" she said with a smug smirk prompting her brother to glare at her.

"It wasn't like that! I just don't want to interrupt their conversation, you berk!" James huffed. "I'm a confident guy!" he said fiercely and the other three pursed their lips fighting the urge to laugh. It was indeed true James was confident, India couldnt deny that, and once he got introduced to people everything would be fine with the world, his true problem though was going up to actually introduce himself to girls — which is why he usually got Silas or her to do it; not that he needed it as he was so in love with Atlas.

"Yes, you are!" Silas said encouragingly clapping his back and James nodded.

"The only drawback is that you can't strike up a conversation with pretty girls," Hope pointed out and James huffed.

"I can too! But getting to know them it's different!" James shrugged, "Anyway aren't you going to comment on the amazing act of magic I performed?"

"The chair thing?"

"Yeah! I wasn't gonna a sit in an uncomfortable chair." James said with a grin and the others smiled amused. Though she would never admit it, India found her brother funny and she might even go as far as saying she liked him. She had to tolerate him, after all, he was her twin and she could have ended up with worse, in her opinion. Deep down, she knew she loved her brother, James had always been the loud and goofy twin and she couldn't deny her life wasn't entertaining — one hour with her brother and she was gasping for air (either because of a joke; because of something stupid he did; or simply because he hit her with a spell).

"Using the fake wand was smart," Silas said making James smile smugly and India to roll her eyes, even though she agreed with Silas.

"I'm not as stupid as I look." James scoffed and India watched as realization dawned on him about what he said and he glared daggers at the three of them as they laughed in his face. He cleared his throat over their laughs and said trying to change the conversation, "You should conjure some wands too, you know."

"We will," India said simply putting more food on her plate. "But not now. Now I'm hungry. You know why? Because of that stupid fucking essay! And all this universe — What, Hope?" India huffed turning to Hope who had just nudged her in the ribs. Her cousin jerked her head to the side and India turned to see the girl with fiery red hair they saw only a moment ago and a boy with messy jet black hair and squared glasses in front of them. The girl smiled at them.

"Hi. I'm Lily Evans, I'm head girls and also a Gryffindor," she said and they nodded unsure of what to do as she sat down next to Hope — the boy glasses by her side.

"Aren't you going to introduce me, Evans?" The guy next to her smiled cockily, his lips twitching into a smirk causing the redhead, Lily, to roll her eyes and sigh. He was pretty good-looking, India would be a fool not to notice it. She watched in amusement as his eyes seemed to glint as the redhead huffed in annoyance.

"This is James Potter. Somehow he is Head Boy this year, " she said reluctantly as the boy in question grinned. "We'll be showing you around and see that you're well oriented."

"Not to worry, darling," James, India's brother not the other one, said smugly "I know this castle. I've been in the Underworld with Hades, my — OW! INDIA!"

"I'm sorry for my brother. He was released from an asylum last week and he's been doing worse." India said with a sad fake smile as he patted his head across the table after having kicked his shin. Sometimes she couldn't believe how on Earth she was related to James — she just couldn't; to the point where when she was seven she asked her mom for their birth certificate as some sort of proof and even then she was convinced he was somehow adopted."You're going to be okay, Jamie. You just need your medicine."

"An asylum? Medicine? India, I was just telling them our grandad showed us this—"

"For fuck's sake, shut up, James!" Hope said loudly making much to India's entertainment as she saw James purse his lips and send a glare in Hope's direction as Silas snorted.

"I wasn't even talking!" the specky boy gasped pretending to be baffled as another three boys joined the group, the three of them sitting next to them which caused India to raise an eyebrow as she turned to the others — they looked just as confused as she was.

"Who are you, again?" India asked the messy-haired boy not noticing the amused glances his three friends exchanged — to be truthful she hadn't totally processed that they were there either.

"James. James Potter." He said with a smirk as he extended his hand to her. India promptly ignored the hand and turned to the others, her eyebrows raised.

"Is he related to Harry Potter?" India heard Hope's voice in her head and saw Silas and James subtly shrugging.

"I think it's his dad," India sent the others the messages and she saw their lips fall into an 'o' of understanding.

"I'm sorry for my sister, " James, her brother, said snapping India out of her stupor. He had noticed the boy in question move his hand awkwardly way and the other strangers on the table looking between each other in confusion. "I'm James Mikaelson."

"We know mate. We saw your performance," said one of the other three boys with a laugh. India had just noted his presence and she was seriously impressed. If that's how they make them at Hogwarts why didn't she come sooner? The boy had a charming smile and elegant black hair and his eyes were grey, not as silver as her grandfather's though, it was more to the blue side. "I'm Sirius Black. And this here is Peter Pettigrew," He said thrusting a thumb towards the little blondish boy on his side. The boy was also not bad looking but he looked shy, not half the confidence his friends had, India noted, but he looked sweet and grounded unlike the handsome guy she had forgotten the name of already, and the specky kid with the smug smile, who had the same name as her brother. That reminded her —

"There's another James here?" India asked with a grimace getting laughs out of everyone bar the two boys in question who instead scowled at her.

"I'm Remus Lupin, by the way," the last boy introduced himself making India aware of his presence. She just couldn't help but be flabbergasted by the boys in Hogwarts. This one had shaggy sandy brown hair and pretty cool scars on his face that added to his geeky rebel look.

"Remus, as in Romulus and Remus?" Hope asked a glint of amusement in her eye.

"What?" Remus, the scar guys, asked frowning.

"Romulus and Remus from Roman mythology? They were raised by wolves," Hope explained and India saw as three glasses of pumping juice — something she would not be trying — were spat out. She turned with a grimace to see the Specky-James, Handsome-guy, and Sweet-guy all looking as if they had had an epiphany. She frowned at this and turned to the side to see Scar-guy, or Remus, looking pale, his mouth agape.

"Well, yeah, I guess," he said after a few moments of silence — in which Hope, India, James, and Sillas exchanged confused looks.

"That's pretty cool," Silas said, "considering your last name is Lupin and all."

"Why?" Sweet-guy asked now having gathered himself.

"Well it comes from Lupus, it's Latin and it means wolf," Silas explained and if they had pumpkin juice, India was sure the three boys would have spit it out again. In her case, she wasn't shocked but in fact rather impressed, she never knew Silas and Hope really paid attention in Mythology class. She knew they were smart, after all, they were the smartest of their little group but to be smart and to pay attention are different things.

"Why did you transfer to here anyway?" Remus asked the group hastily trying to change the subject, which made India frown. The four of them promptly shrugged having no idea what to say. Though India knew they would do good to come up with something otherwise her brother would start blabbing about the Underworld and his obsession with Atlas Parker.

"Our family thought it was best for us to have new experiences," Silas said with a smirk saving India and Hope from coming up with an excuse, "Honestly they're mental so we're kind of glad. I'm Silas Parker, by the way."

"What do you mean by mental?" The Sweet-guy, Peter was his name, asked curiously and the four exchanged looks. How would they explain that their families were mass murderers but that that was okay?

"I mean mental?" Silas said uncertainly and the others snorted. India seriously reconsidered her statement that Silas was smart, but then again who was she to talk?

"Are you all family?" Specky-Pretty-Boy asked the group of four.

"Yup," James answered the other James — that will get confusing soon enough, India thought. "India is my awful and annoyingly bitchy twin sister, "— he grimaced in her direction and India only smiled sarcastically at him — "Hope and Scarlett (who's with the Puffs) are our cousins and Silas is our plus one. Or just a brother from another mother. You get the drift."

"So you all grew up together?" Scar-guy asked and India nodded.

"Yeah but it's more complicated than that. . . ." she said scrunching up her nose.

"Oh. You'll probably be rooming with me and the other girls," the redhead made herself present again and India frowned slightly, what was her name? Lilith? Liliana? Lily? Anyway, she was looking at Hope and India with a warm smile that made her face brighten and her emerald eyes to glint — and all India could think about was whether there were ugly people at Hogwarts because damn everyone she met was beautiful (but not as beautiful as her and her family, though). Hope and India smiled back at the redhead.

"We're also seventh years," Scar-guy explained and they all nodded in understanding.

"Wait," India said her eyes widening as she just realized something. "Does that mean we'll have to have classes?" she grimaced and the Handsome-guy let out a bark-like laugh.

"That's what a school is for, darling," he said with a flirty tone that made India give him a blank look (though she was flattered) and then turn to the others looking slightly horrified. Classes?!

"We don't have maths or history or sciences here, right?" she asked Liliana/Lilith/Lily, hopefully.

"We don't have Maths, but we do have History, and technically Potions, Herbology, and Care of Magical Creatures can all be considered sciences," the redhead said with a sympathetic smile said and India groaned.

"Well, History is a great nap time," Handsome-guy pointed out with a dashing smirk that made India scowl slightly. Did that work with other girls? All the charm and smirks?

"Wait a second," Hope said suddenly, "Can someone tell me the date?"

"Uh, September first, 1977. . . ." Scar-guy said unsure of where the conversation was going.

"WHAT?!" Both India and James screeched at the same time prompting them to scowl at each other.

"Don't do that you, prat. It's creepy," said India and James made a face at her.

"Do you guys have any alcohol by any chance? Or cupcakes?" Silas asked the group of four boys and a girl, randomly, which made India laugh shaking her head and exchanging a look with Hope.

"Alcohol is not allowed on school grounds. You could get expelled." The redhead girl said with a frown and Silas nodded with a pursed smile then scrunched up his nose.

"Believe me, Red, if I don't drink a couple of shots tonight I'll set the school on fire," he said casually, "I think that setting a castle on fire is much better but I'll settle for some shots."

India, Hope, and James were the only ones chuckling for the right reasons. As the others snorted in amusement thinking he was joking, they knew Silas wasn't bullshitting. India found it funny how everything he said was true. Because when too much information or events were going on in their family, the solution for them was always either alcohol, destruction, or hot sex. Though India apparently inherited her mother's way of dealing with stuff, which involved hiding away from the world, days in a row.

"We do have a couple of bottles." Handsome-guy shrugged, "Meet us in our room if you're not our roommates."

"Tomorrow we have classes," Red (so she was baptized by Silas) said baffled and India smiled at her. She loved seeing people who actually worried about their academics, it made her feel so great she didn't have that problem.

"Don't fret, Lily-flower, you'll see me there," James Potter said with a smirk, and Lily (her name wasn't Lilith or Liliana, apparently) rolled her eyes and stood up as she excused herself to go and sit with her friends again. India had a feeling the redhead hadn't really connected with them.

"So you're also an obsessive type of guy?" Hope asked looking at Specky-James thoughtfully. India laughed amusedly.

"That would be an understatement," Scar-guy scoffed and Specky-James glared at him.

"It's definitely the name," India said nodding. Isn't it? In India's opinion at least Specky-James has somewhat of a chance of winning his obsession over. Twin-James is obsessed, or as he likes to call it, in love with Atlas Parker. But Atlas is a lesbian and James is not. . . . Well, he's not a girl.

India spent the rest of supper making small talk with their new acquaintances and laughing at their jokes. She had a feeling she knew their names from somewhere, though. After some talking, she finally figured out all of their names, however, she wasn't sure she would remember them the next morning. And all of them (James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew) sounded familiar she just couldn't pinpoint who they were. That theory was also proven by the weird nicknames they had for each other; Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs (?) all sounded way too familiar not to be important to the story Scarlett loved. And India noted the others seemed to think the same too.

After a while and the deserts having been cleared from their golden plates, Dumble something or Gandalf gave a little parting speech and students started to pile in order to get out of the Great Hall. India and her friends, the newly added Gryffindors, met up with Scarlett, their very own Hufflepuff and after introducing her to their recent acquaintances and seeing her reaction to them, they immediately ushered themselves into the first empty classroom they found. The moment they were inside the four Gryffindors rounded on Scarlett who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Those were the Marauders!" she said excitingly between a squeal and a laugh. India giggled finding her fangirling amusing.

"The what now?" Silas frowned raising an eyebrow at her.

"The Marauders. James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew!" Scarlett exclaimed.

"Those were their names, yeah," India nodded and Scarlett shook her head in exasperation then her eyes glinted.

"Are they good-looking? I didn't get to see them properly. . . ." she asked with a giddy smile and Hope and India exchanged looks about to answer only for Silas to beat them to it.

"I dunno about the guys but there was this brunette one table over—"

"I'm not talking about girls, Silas. I was asking about the Marauders. They're supposed to be good-looking," Scarlett said rolling her eyes, "From what I saw, they match up to my standards."

"They are good looking," India said with a smile and Hope nodded letting Scarlett to giggle.

"Not as good looking as me though," James scoffed and all three girls gave him a blank look. "What?! It's true!"

"They're definitely less handsome than I am," Silas agreed to nod and all the girls groaned.

That night when the four Gryffindors of the group go to the common room, led by James who truly had memorized the halls of Hogwarts, they sat down a bit and enjoyed their time together by the couches and talking about anything and everything (mainly about the fact that they were in the seventies and there was no internet) until everyone started yawning and they decided to go to bed.

India and Hope got to their room, which they were sharing with three other girls (all of whom were already asleep), Lily the Head Girl who had introduced herself to them, the blonde girl (or they guessed it was the blonde girl) James was supposed to talk to, and a brunette with short hair that made India frown (that cut wouldn't look bad, she thought).

Luckily for them, their roommates were already asleep which allowed India and Hope to conjure up trunks (which they copied from the other girls) with their clothes in it along with wands. The wands were pretty simple and nothing was magical about them. They had basically created thicker chopsticks with some details to look real.

The two of them quickly changed into their pajamas and got into bed, wishing goodnight to each other as they drifted off to sleep.

India couldn't explain why but she was glad about this change in her life — she still didn't know if her mother would come banging in the front doors of Hogwarts demanding her babies to come home (which would make her die of embarrassment), or if they were trapped here (though that was unlikely), but she knew she was. . . . relived? Her predicament was that all her life was much the same. She wasn't calling it bland or simple because anyone who knew her family wouldn't use any of those words to describe it. It was chaotic, messy, dramatic, and loving, but she longed for more. But then again everyone does. However, India didn't want more material things or anything like that, she just wanted something different. A different kind of chaos, a different kind of messy, new drama, and new love. She wanted to detach herself from her family for a while and not be India Mikaelson, Ellie, and Kol Mikaelson's daughter. She wanted to be India Mikaelson, the new girl with the weird friends. And hopefully, in this school, they would deem her as 'approachable' and friendly because she was, people just didn't bother to get to know her.

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