NIK FOUND HERSELF SURROUNDED by gingers within the minute. They peered down at her, the majority towering over her malnourished form.

Fred and George proudly stood either side of her, happy to show off the girl who wasn't trusted to be alone. (Though they didn't know the reason why), and introduced her to their siblings. The eldest was Percy, who paid no mind to her, he was fifteen. Then there was the twins, who were thirteen, a boy called Ron, who was eleven, and a girl called Ginny, who was ten.

"Gang, meet Nik, Nik, meet gang." Fred introduced, holding his hand out dramatically.

There was a brief moment of silence as neither side said anything. Eventually Ron sullenly rolled his eye's, "I'm Ron, I'm going into my first year at Hogwarts."

"So am I." Nik said automatically, the realisation just dawning on her. She'd been so caught up in the fact that she was no longer in Azkaban, she hadn't realised she'd be attending Hogwarts.

"Cool." Ron said, kicking the ground. "What house do you want to be in?"

There was no hesitation in her voice as she blurted out- "Gryffindor! Where dwell the brave at heart."

The boy visibly brightend, "Really? Me too! Hey- do you play Quidditch?"

"I've never had the chance too, but I've heard all about it. Why? Do you play?"

Fred and George shared triumphant grins over the top of the two's heads and slowly back away. Percy rolled his eye's at them.

"Well- yeah, I'm not very good at it," Ron admitted, ears turning red. "But I play keeper, what position do you wanna play?"

Nik furrowed her brows, attempting to recall the one Sirius had been. "B-bat... beaters bat... a Beater! I would like to play a Beater."

"The twins play the position in school," Ron informed her. "Well, they did last year. They might be replaced this year though. Are you gonna try out next year?"

Nik shrugged, "I don't have a broom. And I can't see very well."

"Do you need glasses or something?"

"What are those?"

Ron gave her a funny look, "You don't know what glasses are? You know, those uh... those things that Dumbledore is wearing," He pointed at the old man's face.

Nik squinted at them, "I thought they just held up his eye lids."

Rom snorted, covering his mouth. "What? Do- do they not do that?"

"You can't say things like that! He's Dumbledore, he's gonna be our head teacher in a week!"

"What happens in a week?"

"School! Coh Nik, have you been living under a rock?"

"No, but I've been living on one."

***

Nikita woke with a startling cry the next morning, the room spinning around her. Her head pounded painfully and she clapped her hands over her ears.

Her bed sheets fell up the floor, twisted and tangled. Her pillow had been scrunched up by her fitful tosses and turns in the night.

Tom opened the door, wand in hand with a small ball of light at it's tip. His eye's darted around the room, looking for the disturbance before they fell on Nikita, who had tears streaming from her eye's.

A small sigh of relief escaped him and he placed down his wand before approaching her, "Calm down lass, you're awake now, they can't get ya."

He brought her into a gently hug, and she instantly latched onto him, her fingers gripping his pajamas as though they were her life line. "They- they're gonna take me back-" A hiccup escaped her lips, "Please don't let them take me back! Please!"

"They won't get ya," He promised."Not while I'm around."

She continued to hold onto him, though no longer crying. Her eye's opened before quickly closing again. "I- I don't like it."

"What don't ya like?"

"T-the dark. Can't you make it bright again?"

"I don't control the sky lass. Does the dark scare you?"

Her eye's opened again, staring at the shadows. "No," She replied quietly. "But what's in it does."

"Well, I promise you there's nothing hiding in my shadows, besides a few cobwebs, alrigh'?"

She nodded, eye's trained on the corner, wondering what on earth cobwebs were.

"Good, now let's get you back to sleep, okay? Big day tomorrow."

He placed her back in bed before untangling her sheets. He hummed while doing so. It was a nice tune, though Nikita didn't know it. He placed the blanket back on top of her, before doing the same with the quilt. Tom tucked her in, sitting at the edge. "There, better?"

"Thank you," She whispered. "W-what's tomorrow?"

"Your eye test."

"What are they testing my eye's for?" She asked seriously.

"Well... they're worried you can't see properly, so they're gonna give you something to help with that."

"Glasses!?" She shot up, quickly feeling excited.

Tom grinned, "Well somebody learned a new word today, who taught ya that?"

"Ron did!" Nik replied, a proud smile on her lips. "So is that what they're going to give me? Glasses? Am I going to get one's like Albus'?"

"A boy huh?" He asked, a teasing expression on his face. She tilted her head to the side in confusion, "Well, I don't know, I never asked. Sirius said it was important to ask. Oh no... what if he hates me now?"

Tom paused, the name Sirius echoing in his skull. He cleared his throat, "I-it is. Did uh, did Sirius look after you then? When you were in Azakaban?"

She nodded, looking distracted at the thought of Ron hating her. "Siri taught me my name. And how to speak, and spell, he used to tell me I was named after a goddess, and that I was the bravest person he knew."

A smile fell on his lips, "I'm sure you are. Now, lay back and get some sleep, you don't wanna knacker yourself before the day's even begun."

"What does that mean?"

"What one?"

"Kn.. knacker, and day, what do they mean?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow, get some sleep."

***

A/N

Don't mind me, just re-writing.
Monday twenty ninth of June twenty twenty.

Q: Fish fingers?