Disclaimer: Not mine; it all belongs to the mighty JK Rowling (Bowing down before the great one)


Prologue: Hopes, Dreams and Fears


“Hello, Lily, how are you doing today?” Allison McKinnon asked as she let in her best friend. She and Lily had been best friends since their first year at Hogwarts.

Lily came in out of the rain, holding her infant son. Harry was just about six weeks old and already destined to look a great deal like his father, James. “I am doing all right, Allie. It is just that this latest string of attacks has set me on edge.”

Allie shook her head, “Wizards or Muggles this time? Wait, I don’t want to know! Let me get some lunch out and we can forget about this for a little while. I want to eat before Rachel wakes up again. How does potato soup and fresh cheese bread sound to you?” Rachel was Allie’s daughter, born on the same day as Harry. Both of the young mothers thought it was very funny that they had given birth on the same day.

“That sounds wonderful. Is Brad at work?”

“When is he not? It is all right though. Marlene normally comes by and helps me out, except she has a project she is working on today. I think Rachel is her favorite granddaughter already.” Suddenly a wailing was heard from another room. “Pardon me, Allie, but apparently your son’s future wife wants to join in.”

Lily laughed at that. She and Allie had been joking about that since the two were born. They also bet that it wouldn’t happen if they tried to set the two of them up. Allie quickly got Rachel and the two women settled down, chatting happily over soup and warm bread.

Lily couldn’t hold it in, “What if Voldemort finds us, Allie?”

Allison paused, and then slowly answered, “If the worst he can do to me is kill me, I don’t care, as long as my baby would be safe. I hate not knowing, but I can’t join the Order. I am just a stay-at-home mom, which isn’t what they need. I help out Marlene when I can, but other than that. . .” She trailed off and shrugged, “My main area of expertise is pulling pranks and I don’t think that will help stop Voldemort.”

“Come on, Allie, your best subject in school was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Though you weren’t the best in the class, you were still better than me, and you wouldn’t be useless to the Order. You, Alice, and I could trade babysitting nights. That would be helpful.” Lily paused and made a decision. She quickly told her friend, “Voldemort is getting information out of the Order. Since you do help out, I will tell you this. We believe that he is gunning for the McKinnon family. All of you.”

Allie nodded, not at all surprised, “Well, Marlene and Thomas are two of the Ministry’s top Aurors, and the whole family is so skilled in Occulmency and Legilimency that he would consider us all very dangerous. Thank you for the warning, Lily. Now, let’s change the subject before we both turn into a bunch of leaky faucets.” They both laughed at that.

(Two months later)

Lily Evans Potter gaped up at the Dark Mark. The Order of the Phoenix had arrived too late. It was Halloween, and Voldemort and the Death Eaters had struck again, but this time was worse. The McKinnon family had been celebrating when they were attacked. Everyone, from sixty-five-year-old Thomas McKinnon to his two newest grandbabies, Marian and Rachel, both about three months old, was dead.

James came up and stood beside her, “We have found everyone’s bodies except for Rachel.” He glanced over at the prone form of Allison Rachel Trent McKinnon, “Allie died fighting to protect her daughter, which is what she wanted. I know it is hard Lily, she was my friend, too.”

“She was more like my sister, but you have known her longer.”

A sudden wailing broke through the night. The Potters looked at each other, not daring to believe. Emmeline Vance began sifting through the rubble that once was the kitchen, trying to find the source of the wailing.

“Would you believe this?” she cried, “A secret compartment underneath the stove, and look what is inside of it.” She quickly pulled out a wailing infant girl. It was Rachel, the last of the McKinnons.

Lily quickly ran over and took the baby from Emmeline. Rachel began to quiet, probably recognizing her mother’s longtime friend.

“She was wrapped in this,” Emmeline held out an invisibility cloak. That had been Allison’s, given to her by her father when she started at Hogwarts. It had saved the girl’s life.

Dumbledore quickly strode up to the trio. “No one, other than us, is to know Rachel survived. Lisa is still alive in America, and I will send her a message about what has happened and to see if she will care for Rachel. Lily, you take her home with you and care for her until Lisa can come and get her. I know it will be difficult to have two infants to take care of…”

Lily quickly interrupted, “Allison was my best friend. I consider it an honor to care for the one part of her that remains with us.”

After the funeral a month later, Lisa Marlene McKinnon left with her brother’s daughter, and Lily was left to care only for her son. She knew that, somehow, she would soon follow her friend in death. Well, if she died so that Harry could live, she didn’t fear death. She was just like her friend in that regard.

Rachel McKinnon stared out of the window, wishing her life to go back to the way it used to be. Two weeks ago her aunt, the only family she had left, had been killed. When Lisa McKinnon died, Rachel’s visa hadn’t been renewed, and so she was going to get deported.

“Hey, Redtailia?” she turned her head toward the speaker.

“Oh, hi, Candace. What’s up?” Candace was one of the witches who Rachel went to school with. They were good friends, and Candace, along with Ruth, Amy, Ashley, and Amanda, were the only things helping Rachel keep her sanity.

“We are all worried about you. What is going on?”

“I sent that letter two days after my aunt died. I had to inform the Order of the Phoenix that she was dead. I asked for help in moving back to Britain. Why hasn’t there been any answer? Of course, it is not like they haven’t been busy, but I am out of options. I need to move back and transfer to Hogwarts now, or I will be forcibly removed in about two weeks.”

Candace stared at Rachel. Her friend was looking partly frustrated and partly ashamed, probably for acting like such a brat. “Rachel, just give them some more time. You know what we have been hearing. The Ministry itself was attacked a week before you sent that letter, and two witches were just barely murdered.”

“One was Lisa’s boss, Amelia Bones; the other was a friend of hers, Emmeline Vance, who was also a member of the Order. At least Fudge is out of office, so the Ministry will probably do something about Voldemort now.” Candace nodded. One thing Lisa has always said that since he hadn’t operated in America last time, the Americans weren’t afraid to say his name. That was one thing that would set Rachel apart when she got back to Britain.

“Aren’t you worried about Voldemort?”

Rachel shook her head, “No. If the worst he can do is kill me, I am not scared. There are things worse than death.” Like slowly losing your mind after a death, and not knowing what will happen to you. That is my fear, the fear of the unknown. For now, my friends are here to help, but that will soon change, once I go back to my home country, which I can’t even remember.

Candace flung back her long mahogany hair, and her turquoise eyes softened with compassion as she looked at her friend. She knew that Rachel’s biggest fear would was no longer being able to rely on her friends. Candace also knew that Rachel would stick out, because of her American upbringing, and her friend hated that. The only time she liked to stick out was out on the Quidditch field; other than that, she just wanted to blend into the woodwork.

Suddenly Rachel jumped up, and ran toward the window, her wild dark ash blonde hair streaming out behind her. “Candace,” she said, her ice blue eyes wild with fear, “Horus is coming back!” It normally took a lot to get an emotional reaction out of her, but that had changed with her aunt’s death. Now Rachel acted like she was permanently PMSing, with mood swings all of the time, and her emotions were very close to the surface

“Good, he will have the reply of the Order. Why did you write to them instead to the Ministry? Your aunt worked for them, representing the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the American Embassy.”

“She was also a member of the Order. Besides, all that the Ministry would have said, ‘We regret the death of your aunt, but our hands are tied.’ I knew the Order was most likely to do something.” Her owl, Horus, landed on her shoulder and she pulled the letter off with trembling fingers. “I hope they are able to do something.”

Candace sat down and observed as Rachel quickly unfolded the letter and read it. “They will send someone to pick me up at the airport as soon as I can get a flight to London. There are some distant relatives of my mum who are still alive and members of the Order. They decided to let me stay with them until the school years starts on September first. It says they have a child who is around my age and there will be some others staying with them, so it will be all right. I don’t care if I have to sleep on the floor; I finally know what is going to happen with me.”

“That is great news, Rachel!” Candace exclaimed, “I think my parents can help you get a flight, but I need you to do me one favor.”

“What?” Rachel was slightly perplexed.

“That you don’t leave until after the Fourth. You are going back to your homeland, but you can still celebrate Independence Day with us.”

“Oh, I will. The fireworks and waterfights are definitely worth being teased about my nationality.”

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Remus Lupin looked at his watch, and then around where he was sitting. He was at Heathrow, waiting for the arrival of a young witch who was finally returning home to Britain. He had known several members of the McKinnon family, especially Marlene, who had been a member of the Order, and Lisa, who had been a prefect when he was at school, and had given the Marauders detention more times then he could count.

He heard the announcement that the flight from Washington DC had finally arrived and was beginning to disembark. That was the flight he was waiting for. He began scanning the passengers, and was slightly worried when he couldn’t see someone who could be young Rachel. Then he stopped. A slender girl with untamed blonde hair had come out. He couldn’t believe it. She looked just like Allie Trent, who had married Brad McKinnon.

He quickly walked up to her, “Excuse me, are you Rachel McKinnon?”

The girl almost jumped out of her skin, “Yes, I’m Rachel. Er, are you the person the Order was sending to help me get to my mum’s cousin’s home?” she stammered, looking very on edge.

Lupin smiled. Rachel had definitely inherited her mother’s looks, just none of her boldness. That could be an interesting change, hopefully for the better. “Yes, my name is Remus Lupin; I am an old friend of your mothers.”

“You are one of the Marauders? She wrote so much stuff about what the four of you did in her journals. Did you actually turn Professor Flitwick’s hair pink?” Rachel was stunned.

Lupin stopped short. They had done that when they were third years. How did Allison know that was them who had done that? “Yes, we did, and many more pranks besides that. Do you know who you are staying with?”

“No, just that they are related to my mum. Do you know them?”

“The Weasleys? Yes, I do. Molly Weasley is a niece of your grandmother, Elizabeth Prewett. She and her husband Arthur have seven children, the second youngest, Ron, is the same age as you, sixteen.”

“Nearly. My sixteenth birthday is at the end of the month. Are you sure it is all right? I feel really bad about having to ask the Order for help. . .”

Lupin shook his head, “Yes, it is. The Weasleys know of your situation. They understand.”

“That my back was against a wall and I had run out of options?”

Lupin nodded. “Don’t worry, Rachel. They won’t think less of you for asking the Order for help.”

“Just why did they give me their help? I don’t deserve it. I am no one special. I am just a Transfiguration geek with a talent for Quidditch and some slightly unusual abilities.” She was more talking to herself than to him. Lupin stayed quiet, comparing her against her mother. “I always wanted to go to Hogwarts, but not like this.”

“Rachel, your aunt was a member of the Order and a friend to us all,” Lupin quietly interrupted her spoken train of thought, “We don’t mind helping you, and never think you aren’t worthy of it. Your grandfather was one of my favorite teachers, and your mother was a good friend. I think that is reason enough for me to help you. Besides, if I didn’t, Allie would probably break my nose once I die if I didn’t help you.”

Rachel shyly smiled, “That sounds like her. So how are we getting to the Weasleys? Is the Knight bus taking us there?”

“No, we are using Side-along Apparition. It is a little faster. Do you have all of your things with you?”

“No, I checked my trunk. We will need to pick it up.”

They did just that and then found a quiet area outside of the airport. Rachel grasped Lupin’s arm and they quickly Apparrated to the Burrow.

Lupin quickly knock on the door, “Molly, we’re here.”

“Identify yourself,” a woman’s voice replied. Rachel started to tense up again. She hated doing things like this. This whole move had put her out of her comfort zone so much she was scared of never finding it again.

“It is Remus Lupin, bringing Rachel McKinnon.”

The door opened, and a short, slightly plump woman who looked to be at her wits end opened the door. “Oh, hello Lupin. You must be Rachel. You look so much like your grandfather Will Trent, except that hair belongs to my aunt Elizabeth.”

Rachel nodded, “Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Weasley.”

“It is good to meet you, too. Come on in, I have some soup on the stove. Do you want some, Lupin?”

“No, sorry Molly, I have to get back.” He turned to Rachel, “It was good meeting you, Rachel.”

“Thanks,” she whispered, looking at her shoes. He shook her hand, and then quickly Apparated away. Mrs. Weasley helped Rachel carry her things inside, and sat her down on the table, with a bowl of hot onion soup and a large slice of homemade bread.

“Now, where shall you sleep? Hermione is already sharing Ginny’s room, which is way too small for three people. I was planning on putting Harry into the twins’ room.”

“I could just crash on the couch,” Rachel sleepily suggested. Her jet lag was catching up with her, and the warm, delicious food was making her very tired.

“Oh, no, that won’t do. You are a guest.” Suddenly there was another knock on the door. “Oh, who could that be? I was expecting you and Lupin because your flight didn’t get in until midnight. Dumbledore said that he was going to bring Harry, but I thought it wouldn’t be until morning,” she muttered, then called out, “Identify yourself!”

“It’s Professor Dumbledore and Harry Potter,” someone replied. It was a testament to how tired Rachel was that she didn’t even react when she heard those names. Mrs. Weasley let them in, and talked with them for a second. Then Dumbledore turned his gaze on Rachel.

“I see Miss McKinnon has made it here safely. How was your flight, Rachel?”

She didn’t answer, due to the fact that she had fallen asleep at the table. Harry took a look at this girl. She wasn’t someone who would catch your eye, actually someone who you could easily look right through. She was rather plain, with pale skin, a few freckles and a snub nose. Yet there was something different about her.

“Oh, dear, I guess I will go with her suggestion and have her sleep on the couch for the night. Harry, dear, Professor, can you help me?” Mrs. Weasley asked. The three of them moved her to the couch in the living room and then went back to the kitchen, where Dumbledore left after a few minutes of small talk, and Mrs. Weasley fed Harry before sending him to bed.

Harry had one question, “Mrs. Weasley, who is that?”

“Oh, that is the granddaughter of my Aunt Elizabeth Prewett Trent. She was married to Professor Will Trent, who taught Ancient Runes at Hogwarts. They had one daughter; I think her name was Allison, who was about the same age as my brother Fabian. She married one of the McKinnons and was killed when You-Know-Who attacked the family. Strange, I didn’t know anyone had survived that attack until we received Rachel’s letter informing us of the death of Lisa McKinnon and of her need for help to move back to Britain. She has lived almost all of her life in the western United States.”

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Author’s note: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! Sorry about the delay, it took for ever to get this accepted.

Disclaimer: Not mine, all belongs to the mighty JK Rowling. Only Rachel belongs to me

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Rachel McKinnon was turning restlessly in her sleep. Strange figures kept invading her dreams, and she kept seeing glimpses of a building with the Dark Mark in the sky above it, and people, running, screaming, crying. A woman with short hair kept calling to her, “Make your decision, Redtailia, you need to make a choice. Accept who you are, or deny every one of the help you can give!” Suddenly, there was another person in front of her, and the sensation of a searing pain across her throat.

A hand touched her shoulder, and Rachel quickly opened her eyes and flung her left arm at whoever had awakened her, striking them hard. She was quite disoriented and couldn’t remember where she was.

Ginny Weasley held a hand to the cheek that had caught Rachel’s blow, and sat down on the floor, dazed. This girl is strong! was the first thought that came to mind.

“Where am I?” was the first thing Rachel said, and the second the words were out of her mouth she remembered. Rachel turned to Ginny, “Oh, my heck! I am so sorry. Did I hurt you badly?” Her American hick accent came out strongly.

“I’ve had worse. How are you so strong?”

“I’ve been playing Quidditch since I was twelve. My position for my old team was Keeper.”

“That explains it.”

“Sorry. I just couldn’t remember where I was, and that tends to scare me.”

“It is all right,” Ginny replied, noticing the bruise that was starting to form. “My mum said to wake you up, and she’ll bring breakfast out to you. What time did you get here last night?”

“Right before the cute guy with the black hair got here,” Rachel murmured, and then realized she had said it out loud. Her eyes flew open and she stammered to Ginny, “Please don’t tell anyone I said that! Who was that anyway?”

“That was Harry Potter,” Ginny replied like it was obvious, and Rachel was a ditz for not picking it up.

“Oh, okay.” Rachel shrugged, and sat up. “First item of business, Redtailia, find your contacts!”

“Redtailia, what does that mean?” Ginny asked, puzzled. This girl is insane! I don’t understand anything she’s saying, she thought.

“It’s my nickname. My friends back in Utah gave it to me. Where is my bag?” She suddenly turned to Ginny, “Sorry, I have a habit of talking to myself, especially early in the morning. Lisa said it’s something I inherited from my mom. Ah hah! Here they are!” She quickly put on her contacts, and managed to gross Ginny out during the process.

Mrs. Weasley came in, carrying a heavily laden tray. “I hope you are hungry, Rachel.”

“A little,” Rachel smiled gratefully at her, “Thank you, Mrs. Weasley.” She dug in.

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Once she was done eating, she took her dishes into the kitchen, where a brown-haired girl was harassing Mrs. Weasley about the post, and an older girl with long blonde hair was sitting at the table, looking rather bored.

“Are you sure it hasn’t come yet?” she pleaded, sounding very close to a panic.

“Hermione, I am sure. The post hasn’t yet come today. Oh, Rachel, this is Hermione Granger. Hermione, this is Ron’s second cousin, Rachel McKinnon.”

“Pleasure,” Hermione said briskly.

“It’s nice to meet you, too. What are you freaking out about?” Rachel asked.

“Freaking out?” Hermione repeated.

“Yeah, that is what you are doing. Why?”

“Because our O.W.L. results are coming today! I know I failed everything!”

Rachel sighed. Oh, boy, and I thought Amy was a freak when it came to test results. Let’s see if this also works on Hermione. It always worked on Amy. “Hermione, did you study hard?” She nodded. “Did you do your best on the tests?”

“I tried.”

Heaven help me, I can’t resist. “Do or do not, there is no try.” Thank you, George Lucas!

“What?” Hermione asked. Unknown to Rachel, two more people had come in, a boy with bright red hair, and the same black-haired guy she had seen the night before. They were trying not to laugh as Rachel talked with Hermione, trying to calm her down.

“Please don’t tell me I am the only person here who has seen Star Wars. It is one of my favorite quotes. Hey, you had it easier than me. I had to take my O.W.L.’s through the embassy, and my aunt had to tutor me for months just to make sure my education hadn’t overlooked something I would get tested on. Most American kids from out west where I lived took the ACT, and so our magical education prepared us for that instead.”

Hermione looked at her strangely, “You were schooled in America?”

“Yeah, I’m a British-born American hick. School is a little different out where I lived. There are private schools, like Hogwarts, back along the East coast. Out west, we do things a little different. We go to a normal Muggle school, but people would make sure that all of the magic kids would have the same classes and that is when we learned our magic classes. Instead of English we had Transfiguration, Charms instead of Math, and Potions instead of Chemistry, get the idea? Japanese was the only subject I took with Muggles. In order to play Quidditch, we also had to be on one of the school’s normal athletic teams. Our Chasers played basketball, our Beaters played baseball, but all of the girls were on the Drill team, because the drill advisor was also the Quidditch coach.”

Suddenly, Hermione glanced out the window and shrieked. Rachel and the two guys followed suit. They could see the shapes of four owls making their way toward the Weasley home. Hermione was freaking out again.

Rachel muttered, “I guess it didn’t work.”

The red-haired guy replied, “You have done better than Harry or I could have. I’m Ron Weasley, by the way.”

“I’m Harry Potter. I think we met last night, but you had fallen asleep.”

“It’s good to meet you both. I’m Rachel McKinnon. Is Hermione always like this?”

“No, she used to be worse.”

“She could be worse? Not even my friend Amy would have had so bad a freak-out about these things.” The four owls landed and the four of them took the letter bearing their name from the respective owl. Rachel took a deep breath as she opened her letter, scanned it and then thought, Whoa, I did better than I thought. An ‘O’ in Transfiguration, Potions, and Defense Against the Dark Arts, with an ‘E’ in Charms, Herbology, Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, and Ancient Runes. I flunked History of Magic, but who honestly cares about that subject? Who can even pass that subject?

Looking at the others, she realized that since they were all receiving their OWL results, they were all the same age as her. I am such an idiot! Of course they are the same age. I think I forgot to pack my brain when I moved. I will need to inform Candace and Ashley to send it with the next available owl. Oh, well, it could be worse. I could have realized this when we started classes.

“And how did you do, Rachel?” Mrs. Weasley asked.

“Er, I have eight OWL’s, three Outstandings, and five Exceeds Expectations. I only failed History of Magic.”

“You did better than both Harry and me!” Ron exclaimed.

Rachel shrugged. “I guess Lisa’s tutoring really paid off then.”

“Ginny, can you help me set the table for lunch? Oh, Rachel, this is Fleur Delacour, my oldest son Bill’s fiancée. Sorry for forgetting to introduce you earlier.”

“’Ow are you doing, Rachel?” Fleur spoke with a thick French accent.

“I’ve been worse. It is nice to meet you, Fleur.” Rachel quickly shook her hand. Fleur seems nice, if just a little standoffish. I guess Mrs. Weasley doesn’t care for her though.

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The next day, Rachel began unpacking a few things. Since she was only going to be here for a short time, she didn’t feel the need to unpack everything. She was able to find her boom box among her stuff, put in a CD, turned it up loud, and began putting clothes in the dresser. She had been moved from the couch and was now sharing the guest room with Fleur. Since she was the only female underneath the roof that didn’t have an instant dislike of the French woman, Mrs. Weasley had thought it best that the two room together. Fleur was at her part-time job at the moment, and Rachel was enjoying the time alone.

Harry came in, anxious for a chance to talk with this strange girl. His nose wrinkled at the music. “What is this?”

Rachel looked over at him and laughed, “What planet are you from, Harry? You haven’t heard of the musical The Phantom of the Opera?”

“No, I haven’t. Muggle musicals aren’t my thing.” He quickly got to the point, or as close as he felt he could get without seeming like he was prying. “Rachel, why did you move to Britain? Was it for the chance to go to Hogwarts?”

Rachel looked at him, and then sighed, “That question doesn’t have an easy answer, Harry. I didn’t just move here. It is more like I moved back to Britain. I am a Pureblood; I know it is hard to believe. My father was one of the McKinnons, one of the more respected Pureblood families. His name was Brad Joseph McKinnon. My mother, Allison Rachel, was one of the Trents, another old respected family. You have heard of my maternal grandparents, Will Trent and Elizabeth Irene Prewett, from Mrs. Weasley. Will taught at Hogwarts, but he was well known for being obsessed with Quidditch. Elizabeth tutored Hogwarts students until my mother, their only child was born.” She laughed a little, “My grandfather passed his love of Quidditch on to my mom and me. My mom played Seeker for Gryffindor when she was there. She was really good; at least that is what my aunt told me.”

“Wait, was your mum ever called Allie?”

“Yes, that’s her, Allie Trent.”

“She was on the Quidditch team at the same time as my dad.”

“Cool. My paternal grandparents are Thomas and Marlene McKinnon. They both were Aurors, considered some of the best in the Ministry. They were also very skilled at Occulmency and Legilimency, teaching all of their children. My aunt, Lisa, was their only daughter. Will and Elizabeth were killed, people still don’t know how, not long after my mom got married. It was really hard on her. On Halloween, when I was three months old, Death Eaters attacked my Uncle Jacob’s and Aunt Catherine’s home, where the entire McKinnon family, with the exception of Lisa, was celebrating. Everyone, from my grandfather to my cousin, Marian, who was only about two weeks older than me, was killed. Lisa told me that I had been hidden, drugged with a sleeping potion, and wrapped in an Invisibility Cloak, which are the reasons why I am the only survivor. I suspect that my Trent grandparents were also killed by Death Eaters.” Her voice had turned bitter, and her eyes hardened, looking like slabs of polar ice.

Harry was shocked. She had lost many close relatives to the Death Eaters, and he could hear the bitterness in her voice. He paused to absorb it, and then asked, “How did Lisa die?”

She gave a mocking laugh, “Compared to everyone else, it was entirely normal. She was driving home on southbound I-15, in the middle of rush hour, when the car in front of her blew a tire, and she tried to swerve, but. . .” She trailed off. “She was watching my team, Payson, play in the Quidditch State Championship. We won, and she let me fly home on my broomstick, because I was so hyper and excited she knew she would never get me off of it. If I had been there with her…” Rachel trailed off again. “I sound so silly, I know that I will see her again, and here I am moping around. It’s the separation that’s tough. She was the closest thing to a mother that I have ever known. Even though I know she is in a better place, and she’s with her family again, I still miss her, just not as much.”

“I wish I knew the same about Sirius.” The words burst out of Harry before he could stop them.

“Why do you think this way? This life is only one step in a journey we all must take. Death is merely another step. I think the reason people fear death is because they are afraid of the unknown. The only reason I fear death is because I know I can’t come back to the way I was before I died.”

“Did your aunt teach you this?” Harry asked, very skeptical about the views Rachel was talking about.

“Er, yeah,” she stammered, “That’s where I learned it, and from my friends back home. There was more, but I don’t know how to explain it. There is this, though. When we die, we don’t stop being who we are. Our personality doesn’t change. The only things we can take with us are the connections we form in this life. We will see our friends and family on the other side, and they will know us.”

“So, that’s what brought you comfort after your aunt’s death?”

Rachel visibly flinched at the disbelieving tone of Harry’s voice. “Yes. I know you must think I am crazy, but I’m used to it. Most everyone thinks I am slightly insane once they get to know me. I am different, and I don’t hide the differences. I am a Pureblood, but I act like a Muggleborn. I am a jock, but I act like a nerd. I am British, but I act like an American hick. What I am contradicts what I do. I am used to it, but I should have expected that people would treat me the same here. Probably worse, because I will stand out by the way I dress and talk, unlike back in Utah.”

The bitterness was back in her voice, but now Harry couldn’t place the reason. Was she upset at him, or everyone? “Sorry, I just haven’t heard anything like you had just told me, can you blame me for being skeptical?”

“No, I just thought you had an open mind.”

Harry got up to leave, “Oh, Rachel? We’ll be having lunch soon.”

“Thanks.” She was quite upset, and disappointed. So much for making a fresh start, Redtailia. You let your mouth run away with you, and already people think you are as big of a freak as they did back in Utah.

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Author’s note: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! I am sorry, but we will get to Hogwarts very soon! Also, thanks to my beta!

Disclaimer: Not mine; it all belongs to the mighty JK Rowling (Bowing down before the great one). Only Rachel belongs to me.

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When Rachel came down for lunch later that day, everyone stared at her. Rachel had on a pair of worn out jeans, a bright aqua shirt, and an aqua bandanna covering her wild hair. The clothes weren’t the worst of it. She had pierced ears; one pair of silver hoops was in the normal place in her earlobes, but a third earring was in the upper part of her right ear.

She noticed the looks everyone gave her, but didn’t say a word as she sat in between Harry and Hermione. Harry was trying not to laugh. He thought the look suited Rachel, from the little he knew of her, but most of the others seemed to be a little shocked.

Ron’s curiosity got the better of him. Rachel was his second cousin, but he didn’t know she had even existed until a few days ago. He asked the first thing that came into his mind. “So, what is Utah like?”

“Er, what?” she replied, looking very off balance.

“Utah. That is where you said you were from, right?”

Rachel smiled and began telling them about where she was from. After about five minutes, she stopped and blushed. “Sorry for going on like that. If you get me started on a subject I know a bit about, I will never shut up.”

Harry nodded, “That sounds like someone else we know. What are your favorite subjects in school?” He and Ron both avoided looking at Hermione after he said this. Hermione wasn't looking happy about what he had said.

“Well, English, Chemistry, and this self defense class we had to take,” she replied, “My Chemistry teacher was hilarious; he would actually tell us the combinations that would make our concoctions blow up, and then acted surprised when they did. I also took Japanese, because we needed to take a foreign language, and I thought it sounded more interesting than Spanish or French. I was also on one of my high school’s athletic teams.” She suddenly paused, “Sorry, I am acting like I am still around Muggles. I meant Transfiguration, Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

Conversation flowed easily around the table after that. Sometimes Rachel had to interpret her slang, but most of the time everyone got the gist of what she was saying. Rachel was just relieved that she was starting to fit in, and that she would know at least four people when she arrived at Hogwarts.

Once lunch was over, Rachel paused on her way back up to the guest room to finish unpacking. She stopped Harry and faced him, “Oh, Harry? Sorry about how I acted earlier. Since my aunt’s death, I’ve been acting like I am permanently PMSing. It has been an emotional roller coaster. Do you get what I am saying?”

Harry nodded, and then said, “While we are on the subject of what you said earlier, it did kind of make sense. It was odd, but in a weird way, made sense.”

She smiled, “Thanks.”

Harry laughed, “You’re welcome. Why are your ears pierced like that?”

Rachel touched her right ear and fingered the earrings, “It is a rather long story, but I got the pair when I was seven, and it took me until I was thirteen to get the third. My aunt said she would let me get it if I got straight A’s in Transfiguration. I did, so she let me. ”

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As the weeks before school started passed, there were more disappearances and attacks. Living in America, Rachel had always been sheltered from the reality of Voldemort’s actions. Whenever Mr. Weasley or other Order members brought news , her reaction was always different than the others because she didn’t know any of the people involved.

On the morning of her sixteenth birthday, Rachel jumped out of bed, and trying not to disturb her roommate, dressed, grabbed her CD player and headed to the family room downstairs. She donned black pants and a form-fitting black tank top. She hadn’t yet admitted to her hosts that she was a dancer, and was reluctant to admit to herself how much she missed it. But this had been a tradition of hers on her birthday since she was eight, and she wasn’t going to stop it now. It always annoyed her aunt to be woken up this way.

Harry was walking down stairs, having been woken up by some rather odd noises. He stopped when he saw Rachel dancing. What caught his attention though was what looked like. . .

“Good morning, Rachel,” he said.

Rachel gave a yelp of surprise, promptly tripped and fell down. “I thought I was the only one awake! Did I wake you up? I was trying to keep it down.”

“No, it’s all right. What is that bird on your back?” He was referring to a black tattoo of a bird of some sort with flared wings, poised to strike, about three inches below the base of her neck in the middle of her back.

“What, my birthmark?” Rachel blurted out, and then realized what she had said. “Oh, if Lisa was still alive, she would kill me!”

“That’s a birthmark?”

Rachel nodded, “Well, since I have already opened my big mouth, I guess it won’t hurt if you know. The birthmark is a Hawk, which I can turn. I am an Animagus, a born Animagus, meaning that I was born with the ability.”

“That’s what you meant by ‘slightly unusual abilities’. Is that why you are good at Transfiguration?”

“Yeah. The born Animagi are quite rare, so most people think there are a lot of mystical powers assigned to us. All it means is we can turn into an animal without any markings, and are very talented with Transfiguration. At least that is all sets me apart from everyone else. I keep hearing that there is other stuff we can do, but I think it’s just speculation, because I know I can’t do it.”

Harry blurted out, “Is that the reason Voldemort killed your family, because of what you are?”

Rachel shook her head, “No. I think the only people who knew were my mom and Professor Dumbledore. She told him so he would be prepared when I came to Hogwarts. Dumbledore told my aunt when she adopted me. The reason Voldemort killed my family is because my grandparents were Aurors, and members of the Order. I had nothing to do with it.” She paused, and then suddenly looked at Harry, her eyes bright with mischief. “Want to see me transform? My aunt would kill me, but I think I am safe, since she is no longer among the living.” She laughed, “I can’t believe I just said that. I guess I must be accepting it, finally.”

Harry laughed also, “I agree, you are safe from your aunt’s wrath. I would like to see you transform.”

Rachel closed her eyes, and smoothly transformed into the big hawk. The species of hawk she transformed into was a common type called a red-tailed hawk. She turned her head toward Harry, screeched at him, and took flight out into the morning. He was smiling as she came back in through the window.

Once Rachel returned to her human form, she stood next to him. “My American friends thought my aunt had taught me how to become an Animagus when she tutored me for my O.W.L.’s. Rachel is such a common name and they wanted to call me something else, so they gave me the nickname Redtailia, because I transform into a red-tailed hawk. My friend Ashley was called Skywalker because she is a Star Wars fanatic and a good flier. She played Seeker on our team. Josh was Twit to me because he would never stop asking me out. He also gave me the nickname Brit because I’m British. There were a bunch of other dumb names the magic kids would call each other. It was rather funny.”

They both sat down on the couch, chatting comfortably. When Harry began telling her about the Marauders, and how his dad was one of them, she suddenly perked up. “My mom was a friend of theirs. Hang on for a moment; I have something I think you might like.” She ran upstairs and was back in two minutes. She handed Harry a picture. He took it from her and stared; it was of the Marauders when they were still in school. Two girls were in the picture with them, one of which was his mother.

“That’s odd… where is Wormtail?”

Rachel took the picture, flipped it over, and gave it back to him. Written on the back was: We had to force Pettigrew to take this. He was upset because he also was one of the Marauders, and should also be in the picture. I told him I would write that he took it so I wouldn’t forget he did it. From left to right: James Potter (Prongs), Lily Evans (Charmed), Sirius Black (Padfoot), Allison Trent (Me, also called Cursed), and Remus Lupin (Moony). Picture taken by Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail).

Harry turned it back over, and looked at the girl next to Sirius. Her hair was cut short, and she appeared to be short, comparing her to Sirius and Lupin who were on either side of her. He then noticed that Rachel bore a strong resemblance to her. “You look a lot like your mum,” he told her.

“Thanks. She was called ‘Cursed’ because her best subject was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and she liked to duel the Slytherins. Lily was called ‘Charmed’ because she was best at Charms, and as my mom joked, Lily charmed James even when she hexed him. Your mom really didn’t appreciate that. Finally, in their seventh year, Sirius, Remus, and my mom set the two of them up on a blind date. Your dad was given strict instructions to behave himself, and not to show off. Lily promised that if it didn’t go well, she wouldn’t do anything bad to Allie. The date turned out well, even though Lily still regretted being bound by that promise.”

Harry laughed. He could just imagine the look on his mom’s face when she had found out that she had been set up with James Potter, and couldn’t get her friend back. “Did she still retaliate?”

Rachel laughed, “Yes, by setting my mom up on a date with Sirius. James helped her find the loophole in her promise. I know all of this stuff because my mom wrote everything down in her journals. Lisa gave them to me for my eighth birthday, so I would have a chance to get to know my mom. It worked. I feel like I know her. She was also a photographer. She took lots of pictures when she was at school. I am working on scrapbooking them all. I just finished her fifth year.” She motioned to the photo that Harry held, “Do you want to keep that one? It was one I liked, so I duplicated it. I think I’ll give another to Lupin. Do you think he will like it?”

Harry nodded. “Yes, considering that he is the only one in this picture who is still alive. Thanks, Rachel.”

Rachel nodded, and headed back upstairs, “Oh, by the way, Happy Birthday, Harry.”

“Happy Birthday to you also, Rachel, or Redtailia.” He grinned at her.

“Just stick with Rachel,” she replied, smiling back.



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Author’s note: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! Also, thanks to my beta! Please review, I really like knowing what you think about what I'm writing!

“Come on, everyone. We need to leave now! The cars are here for us!” Mrs. Weasley called up the stairs. Rachel quickly shoved her feet into the first pair of shoes she picked up, grabbed a jacket (she was still acclimatized for triple digit temperatures), her purse, and headed down. “Oh, Rachel, do you have everything?”

Rachel checked, “Yeah, I’ve got everything. Wait, why am I wearing my boots? People are going to think I am a cowgirl or something! I’m proving I’m a hick! Can I change?”

“Not enough time. You are riding in the back with Harry, Ron and Hermione. We will be meeting up with additional security when we arrive at the Leaky Cauldron. Have you been to Diagon Alley before, Rachel?”

“Once, to get my wand from Ollivanders. I also got my owl, Horus at the same time. I remember it pretty well. It was only five years ago.” Mrs. Weasley rushed her out to the waiting car. She climbed in next to Hermione, and pulled out a well-worn novel.

“What is that you’re reading, Rachel?”

“Oh, it’s The Fellowship of the Ring, by Tolkien. I love his stories, except sometimes he drags on a bit. Let me know when we get there. If I am reading a good story, Voldemort could show up and I wouldn’t even notice.”

“You’d notice if he kills you,” Mrs. Weasley replied, glaring at her.

Rachel flushed, having forgotten how tense Mrs. Weasley had been lately. Great, something else I have to change. I am not mentioning that the Americans aren’t as frightened of Whats-his-name. I will need to not let that show. She buried her nose into the book, and quietly read during the whole trip, oblivious to the conversation.

“Hey, Rachel, we’re here. REDTAILIA, COME ON!”

“Hey, what, Frodo, er, I mean, Harry. Sorry, I was right in the middle of the council of Elrond.”

“Are you planning on staying in the car all day, or are you going to come shopping with us?” Harry asked her, trying not to laugh at Rachel’s disorientation.

“Hmm, reading or shopping? That’s easy, shopping wins. I’ve already read this anyway.” She shoved the book into her purse and climbed out of the car. Harry walked next to her, and then Rachel saw Ginny. She had the oddest look on her face. “What’s up with Ginny?”

“I don’t know. That’s odd; she’s got a boyfriend. I’d almost swear that she looks jealous.”

“About what?” Rachel asked and entered the Leaky Cauldron. The pub was empty, except for the old guy behind the bar and the huge guy who was waiting for them.

“Hi, Hagrid,” Harry called out, “So you are the security they sent for us?”

“I am. Dumbledore said I’d do better than a bunch of Aurors like the Ministry wanted. Hello, all of you, and I haven’t met you before,” addressing Rachel.

“I’m Rachel McKinnon. It’s nice to meet you, Hagrid.”

Hagrid looked at her closely, “You’re Allie’s daughter, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Rachel answered. “Did you know my mom?”

“I did, and your grandparents also. Will Trent was a nice bloke. You look a lot like him, and a bit like Elizabeth.”

“Thanks. I wish I could have had the chance to know them.”

Hagrid smiled, led them out back, and tapped on a brick in the wall. It opened up the archway into Diagon Alley.

Mrs. Weasley took charge. “Okay, Rachel, you will need school robes and dress robes. Harry, Ron, you probably will need new ones as well, you’ve both grown so much, and Hermione wants some new dress robes. Hagrid, can you take them? We’ll go to Flourish and Blotts to pick up schoolbooks. Ginny, stay with us please. We’ll then meet and head over to Fred and George’s shop after we finish getting the school supplies.”

The five of them headed toward Madam Malkin’s. Rachel was shocked by how little interaction the shoppers had with others who they didn’t know. If this had ever happened in the mall back home, you’d know that the end of the world was near. I don’t think I have ever seen so many people who look so scared. Then again, they are in the middle of Voldemort’s war, not observers like the Americans are, even though that can change quickly. I know that I was really sheltered back home, and I’m in the middle of this war. Redtailia, you are going to need to grow up fast. Dumbledore told Lisa that the reason he didn’t let on that I had survived was so that Voldemort wouldn’t know he had done an incomplete job killing the McKinnons.

“Rachel, are you coming in?” Hermione asked.

She jerked in surprise, having been so deep in thought she hadn’t noticed the others enter the shop. “Er, yeah, sorry, I was just thinking.”

“I’ll wait outside,” Hagrid offered, “Might be a bit cramped with all of us inside.”

The four entered, and Rachel was surprised to see that they weren’t alone in the shop. A small witch was fitting a set of robes on a boy with blonde hair. He almost could be attractive, if it weren’t for the fact you could tell he thought almost everyone was below him. Another lady, also with blonde hair was with them. Rachel stared at her. This lady looked like a washed-out version of Bellatrix Lestrange, who was dark. She must be a relative, she thought, then realized, Wait, I am related to Bellatrix Lestrange! That is what I hate about being a Pureblood. I am related to the idiots who like and support Voldemort.

The blonde haired boy caught sight of them in the mirror, “Mother,” he sneered, “If you are wondering what that stench is, two Mudbloods just walked in. Potter must have found another stray.”

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Author's Note: Thank you everyone who read and reviewed! Please tell me what you think, and I know Rachel seems a little Mary-Sueish, I will not let that happen. And thanks to Andrea, my beta!

Additional Author's note: I will not be continuing my story. I will be moving to Kaohsiung, Taiwan in May, and need the time to prepare. Thanks to all of my readers! Maybe I will write another when I come home in 2008!