▬▬▬ CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR ▬▬▬

WEEKS PASSED SINCE HER FAILED attempt at becoming an Animagus. Esmerelda decided that Camp would be the best place to try again since she was sure nobody would have any qualms with her about it. Plus, the weather was tempestuous at best thanks to Zeus being infuriated about the poisoning of his daughter-turned-tree which was a bonus since a stormy night was required.

Now that she no longer had to worry about becoming an Animagus (until the summer at least), it finally dawned on her that the year was coming to a close which could only mean one thing: exams were coming.

And she had yet to study for a single thing. She was pretty sure she had the practicals down because she practiced spells her every single waking minute, but astronomy? Herbology? History of magic? She couldn't remember a day where she actually did homework for those classes. What even were the lessons about? What were they getting tested on again?

Despite how unprepared she was for half of her exams, she wasn't too worried. Yeah, she'd definitely fail some classes, but it was Defense Against the Dark Arts that mattered to her most. That was the class where she'd learn the more useful spells against monsters.

Or at least it was supposed to be.

"Professor, are we ever going to do a practical lesson?" A student asked in the middle of lecture.

"P-p-practical? Ah, um, it's not t-that necessary, re-really." He stammered, his shaky hands reaching up to adjust his turban for the millionth time.

"But sir, our exams are coming soon!" Another student protested.

"I-it'll just be for theories," he squeaked, clutching the sides of his turban as if he was worried it would fall off. Esmerelda eyed the accessory with suspicious eyes. She had been getting a terrible feeling from that thing since the first day of school. Initially, she thought Quirrell was some sort of monster disguising itself as a human (monsters do that sometimes) and was anxious about an incoming attack. But a full school year had passed and Quirrell had yet to do anything threatening towards her so she deemed him as harmless.

But seriously, she was getting some bad vibes from that turban. And it wasn't just because of the smell.

"But sir!" A student began to whine. "This is a Defense Against the Dark Arts class!"

Professor Quirrell shook his head. "A-apologies ch-ch-children. But t-theories only."

Ah, just great, Esmerelda thought, distractedly doodling on her notebook. While she focused on her spell casting diligently, theories wasn't something she really cared about. Theories won't save her from monsters, so she didn't bother with that. Unfortunately, the one class she was good in would only be tested on theories.

Maybe she should really start studying now... Maybe.

The class was done several minutes later, and Esmerelda wanted nothing more than to return to the Common Room for a nap before heading off to the next class. On the way there, she spotted Peeves wrecking havoc as usual. As they passed by each other, she hopped up to give him a high-five as greeting. Nobody paid them any mind, so she kept on walking.

The first thing she did when she reached the Hufflepuff Common Room was collapse on the nearest couch and readied herself for a good sleep.

"You're really going to take a nap now?" Came Hannah's incredulous voice.

Esmerelda cracked one green eye open. "Yep. Wake me up for the next class?"

"Sure," the blonde agreed. "Our next class is potions by the way."

She made a face. "Ooh. Maybe you should just let me sleep through it."

"I'm going to wake you up." Hannah decided.

Esmerelda pouted, but sighed in defeat and laid back down into a comfy position. As she slowly started to fall asleep, she heard the murmured voices of her classmates discussing what to study for the exams. Thankfully, she fell asleep before she could grow a headache from it.

"It's almost time," the evil voice whispered when she opened her eyes.

No, no, no. Let me out. Please no more! She mentally pleaded with him, knowing he could hear her every thought. She couldn't speak. Couldn't move. She was surrounded by the dark and she could feel the familiar tendrils keeping her in place. They were hurting her. Digging deep into her skin, crushing her lungs, and sapping away her strength.

"We will join soon, my niece," it told her. "You are almost ready as is our army. It's futile to fight back. This is what you were created for, after all. You cannot go against your one true purpose."

She somehow managed to free one of her hands, and she tried desperately to pull at the tendril tightly coiled around her throat. She couldn't breath and she could feel a foreign energy being forced into her skin, through her bones, and—

She spotted something in the corner of her eye during her struggle. It was golden and glowing, but despite how bright it was it was radiating with a horrible and malevolent sort of power. It looked like a grand coffin...

Before she could inspect it further she was suddenly shaken awake.

Hannah's wide eyes met her. "Essie are you okay?" She asked immediately.

Esmerelda responded by taking heavy breaths. "I—I..." She couldn't complete her sentence, too busy trying to breath.

"You were choking in your sleep. You were turning blue..." Hannah informed her. "I was scared. I was just about to call for help but everybody already left to get to their next class."

Esmerelda let out several coughs before finally speaking. "I... I'm fine now. Thanks for waking me up." It made her wonder what would've happened had Hannah not shaken her. Would she really have died?

"What happened?" She asked in concern.

"Don't know," the haggard girl mumbled. "It's... it's never happened before..." Her nightmares were horrific, yes, but she had been hurt in them countless of times. It never affected her physically before...

They're getting worse, she realized. But then she suddenly remembered something from the voice said from her dream.

He called me his niece.

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Her mother had quite the complicated family tree so trying to find out who the voice belonged to was harder than staying awake in her history of magic class.

Hecate had no siblings, meaning she had no uncles. But she did have tons of great uncles and great great uncles. It literally could've been anyone. It could've been Astraeus and Pallas, her great uncles. Or any of Uranus and Gaia's many sons. The possibilities were endless and she gave up trying to create her family tree (which was just so messed up).

The nightmares were getting worse and more consistent. She was practically drowning herself in Wide-Eye potions and the lack of sleep was damaging to her health. But she persisted. Because that voice absolutely terrified her. His words... his power...

It scared her.

She wanted to tell Ethan, or Alabaster, or the Stolls about this voice, but something just kept her from doing it. They had enough on their plates.

(Though a part of her wondered if Ethan was experiencing the same thing. Or Alabaster, or her siblings, or anyone else from the Hermes cabin)

When exams finally came, she was no close to finding out the identity of her 'uncle' than she was when she first started her search.

The exams were torture. Each classroom was boiling hot and it only made her wish that Hogwarts had an AC system in the castle. For the exams, she couldn't use her more efficient pens and pencils, instead every student was given a special quill that had been bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell. She was half-curious about what it would do, but didn't dare test it out.

She didn't need to anyways, because halfway through her astronomy exam, Zacharias Smith suddenly let out a cry when his quill squirted ink at his face. Professor Sinistra tutted at him and instructed him to go to Dumbledore to get his face cleaned up.

She tried not to look satisfied as he walked past her.

History of magic was her quickest exam, mainly because she didn't know anything and just faked the answers. Thankfully a good portion of the questions were multiple choice so there was a chance she got a passing grade. A small chance but... it was a chance.

Potions was where she struggled the most. Snape instructed them to concoct the forgetfulness potion, which was easy enough for Esmerelda except for the fact that he purposely bumped her desk which caused her fully-finished potion to spill before she could catch it with her hands or powers.

"Fifteen minutes left," he droned, giving her one last look before carrying on.

Muttering Ancient Greek curses under her breath, Esmerelda furiously cleaned up the spill. Thankfully, she had some leftover ingredients for the potion and quickly made it again before time could run out.

He begrudgingly gave her an Acceptable.

The last exam for the day was Charms where they had to make a pineapple dance across the table. He was giddy by the time it was her turn.

"Do you think you can attempt it wandlessly?" He asked with hope in his voice.

Esmerelda gave him a sheepish look. She could wandlessly do some spells, but making a pineapple dance was not one of them. "Er, sorry sir, I don't think I can..."

His face fell in disappointment, before he nodded in acceptance. "Ah, alright then. If you had been able to do, I would've given you ten extra credit points!" He chuckled. "But alas.."

She gave him an apologetic smile before waving her wand and muttering the right incantation. The pineapple grew legs and began to twerk across the table.

Her face flushed. "Sorry. I'm, um, American."

Flitwick, who was so innocent that he didn't even know what twerking was, stared at the dancing pineapple in pure confusion. "It's, er, fine? Full points, Miss Esmerelda."

She let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Professor," she said before returning to her desk.

"Twerking, really? That's the first dance you thought of?" Justin asked with a small grin. He was one of the few people in the room that knew what twerking was thanks to being Muggleborn.

She grinned back and said the same thing she had told Flitwick. "What can I say? I'm American. How did you do?"

He grimaced. "I, um, well one leg was missing. But Professor Flitwick allowed me another try and he gave me an Acceptable."

The rest of the class time went on and finally, the charms exam was finally over with. As the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors filed out, Esmerelda caught sight of Harry clutching his forehead as if he was in pain. She hesitated, before falling into step with him.

"Is your head okay?" She asked.

"It's—it's my scar," he told her.

She furrowed her brows. "Your scar?"

"Yeah. My scar's hurting. It's been giving me this stabbing pain for a couple of days now." He explained.

"Have you seen Madam Pomfrey? She has potions for everything," she gushed. "But it's really weird that your scar's hurting though. I mean, scars aren't really supposed to do that..."

"I'm not ill," he protested. "I think... I dunno, maybe it's a warning? I feel like... danger's coming."

She stopped walking. "What."

He flushed a bit. "Er, just forget about it." He said before making a speedy exit.

She stood rooted at her spot, staring at the back of his head as he scrambled away to search for his friends—Ron and Hermione most likely. His words kept echoing in the back of her head. A warning? Danger coming?

She'd have to keep away from Harry Potter and whatever mess he was in.

That night, she waited for her roommates to fall asleep before sneaking off. As she quietly walked down the hallways, she heard Ron's voice whisper, "Oh, let's kick her, just this once!"

Suspicious, she peeked around the corner and spotted Mrs. Norris alone in a hallway. Ron was nowhere to be seen. However, her ears suddenly picked up the sound of walking. Two footsteps... No, three? She had a feeling the other two belonged to Harry and Hermione, but where were they coming from?

And then she heard another voice. Peeves.

"Who's there?" He asked in the midst of loosening the carpet on the staircase. Esmerelda peeked again, and saw Peeves floating at the stairs, nobody else with him. Where on Earth were Harry, Ron, and Hermione? When no reply came, Peeves squinted at the air and taunted, "Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen."

To their surprise, a hoarse voice replied, sounding almost similar to the Bloody Baron. "Peeves, the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible."

Esmerelda would've laughed at the way Peeves nearly fell out of the air in shock if it hadn't been for the fact that she was trying to remain hidden. If a ghost could turn pale, Peeves would be it.

"So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, sir," he apologized quickly. "My mistake, my mistake—I didn't see you—of course I didn't, your're invisible—forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir."

"I have business here, Peeves," the supposed Bloody Baron said. "Stay away from this place tonight." He ordered.

"I will, sir, I most certainly will," Peeves obeyed, rising up in the air again. "Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you." And then he left.

It took several seconds before Ron's voice was heard again. "Brilliant, Harry!" Ron whispered excitedly.

"Smart thinking," Hermione commended. "Now let's hurry before any more ghosts find us."

"Right. Any ideas on how to get past Fluffy?" Harry asked hopefully. Esmerelda could hear them ascending the steps.

Who's Fluffy? She wondered.

"No..." Hermione admitted. "Let's just hope Snape's finished him off for us."

Snape? What are they doing with Snape? And seriously, who's Fluffy?

The footsteps were gone at the point, leaving Esmerelda to mull over what she just heard.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were clearly sneaking out to do something that involved Snape, which just screamed danger. Perhaps she should intervene? But she had monsters to kill and she really didn't want to get involved in whatever crazy mess they were in.

...Ah, they'll be fine, she told herself.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

So it turned out they weren't fine. Oops. But, hey, they were alive at least. Ron and Harry ended up staying in the hospital wing for several days before Ron finally woke up. It took three more days for Harry to do the same.

Esmerelda had no idea what happened between those three, but it wasn't her business and she refused to get involved. However, she did hear whispers about them sneaking into that forbidden charms corridor they had been warned about in the beginning of the year. The same one where the knock-off Cerberus laid...

Tonight was the end-of-the-year feast and the day after she would get to return to Camp. She had been receiving updates from Ethan and the rest of her friends and siblings and the camp's condition had yet to change. Thalia's Tree was still dying, her cabin was still being ostracized, and campers were still dying from the attacks.

She just wanted to go back home and give them whatever support she could.

That night, the Great Hall was decked out in Slytherin colors of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin winning the House Cup for the seventh year in a row. Everyone was chattering loudly but it suddenly quieted down when Harry walked in, and then, the chatter returned tenfold. Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived right after and hushed everyone.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts."

It never made sense to Esmerelda why students were restricted from practicing magic outside of school. How else were they going to be able to get better at magic if they were kept from doing it for a whole summer vacation? How else were they going to retain everything they learned?

Whoa, Esmerelda was amazed at herself. She sounded like a daughter of Athena for a moment...

"Now, as I understand it, the House Cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."

He was interrupted by an explosion of cheering from the Slytherin table.

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Yes, well done, Slytherin. However, recent events must be taken into account."

The room went very still. The Slytherin's were no longer cheering.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes... First—to Mr. Ronald Weasley... for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor House fifty points."

Gryffindor erupted in cheers that were even louder than the Slytherin's. Esmerelda could hear Percy (Weasley) bragging aloud, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"

She had no idea what that meant, but clapped for Ron anyways.

"Second—to Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor House fifty points."

The cheers grew deafening.

Dumbledore continued on, his next words silencing the whole room. "Third—to Mr. Harry Potter... for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor House sixty points."

That made Slytherin and Gryffindor tied now.

Dumbledore spoke up, and Esmerelda wondered if he was going to grant Gryffindor the one more point they needed to win. "There are all kinds of courage," he said, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

Esmerelda jumped up and started cheering along with everyone. Neville was honestly the greatest dude ever. He was the best tutor and without him, she really would've failed Herbology.

"Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause. "We need a little change of decoration." He clapped his hands. Instantly, all the Slytherin decor was replaced with Gryffindor's. Gone were the serpents, greens, and silvers. Everything turned red and gold, and a towering lion took place of the snake.

The feast ended joyously. As they all filed out of the Great Hall for their respective dorm rooms, Esmerelda ran into the Golden Trio.

"I can't believe you guys actually went back to that room with the Cerberus!" Esmerelda marveled. "So which one of you guys is the musician?"

"Huh?" All three of them said.

"You played music for the three-headed dog right? Unless you killed it, which I doubt..."

"How—how did you know about the music?" Hermione choked.

Esmerelda gave them a confused look. "What? Everyone knows you need to play music to put Cerberus to sleep. You guys really didn't know?"

"..."

"Anyways, I gotta get to bed! I'll see you guys tomorrow!" With one last bright grin, Esmerelda walked away with a skip to her steps.

The Golden Trio were speechless until Ron spoke up, his voice croaky.

"...It took us the whole school year to figure that out..."

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

It was the last day of school. All her bags were packed and she had already bid the centaurs goodbye the night before. She was glad that they'd be a lot safer now that she was out of the way.

Because she packed a little too early, she decided to talk to the Hogwarts ghosts and say her goodbyes.

"What sort of ghosties are in good ol' 'Murica?" Peeves asked curiously.

She shrugged. "Dunno. You guys are the first ghosts I've ever met."

"Do have a safe trip home, young Esmerelda..." The Bloody Baron said in his usual drawling and monotonous voice.

"Yes and no more practicing your magic!" The Fat Friar added admonishingly. "It's bad enough you're fainting in school, don't faint during your summer vacation too!"

"I'll try my best," she smiled innocently.

"Ah, you've forgotten my friend," Sir Nick spoke gently to the Friar. "Magic isn't allowed outside of school."

Esmerelda smiled even more innocently than before.

"Miss Esmerelda," a new voice spoke up, and she and the ghosts whirled around to see Dumbledore looking at her with a smile on his face. "Ah, I don't mean to interrupt your conversation with our fellow ghosts, but may I speak with you for a moment? It is of utmost importance."

Something sunk into her stomach. Was she going to get expelled again?

The ghosts all bowed respectfully as Esmerelda followed Dumbledore to the familiar path of his office. Now Esmerelda was even more sure that she was going to get expelled. What had she even done though? Was it because of her less-than-favorable grades? Did she accidentally set something on fire again? Or did he somehow find out about her sneaking into the Forbidden Forest during nights?

When they entered his office, she was surprised to find her House Head already inside. She looked deeply troubled, but managed to put on a reassuring smile when Esmerelda walked in.

So maybe she wasn't in trouble? Professor Sprout wouldn't be smiling at her if she was...

"Take a seat please, Miss Esmerelda," Dumbledore instructed, motioning to the chair across from him as he too took a seat.

She did as she was told, her leg bouncing up and down erratically.

"You're not in any trouble dear," Professor Sprout said soothingly as she made to stand beside her.

Finally, Esmerelda relaxed. So she wasn't getting expelled. Good. It was a miracle she managed to last this long though.

"I brought you in here in regards to your... parents." Dumbledore began gently.

She furrowed her brows in confusion. She was pretty sure she told them that she didn't know who they were. "I... see..." She trailed off.

"There weren't many foster family agencies in Gastonia, North Carolina, so it was very easy for me to find which one you came from." Dumbledore stated. "Do you recognize the name Gaston County Social Services?" He asked her.

She shook her head.

"Ah, well, it would be understandable since you haven't been there for years. They still remember who you are, if you're wondering. I've been told that you've been missing for two years after you apparently... stabbed your foster father."

"Oh. So you've... heard of that..." She said awkwardly, glancing up to see Professor Sprout looking deeply troubled once more. "I-It was self-defense. He was—um, you see—" She stumbled over her words, not really knowing how to explain to two mortals that her foster father turned into a dual-headed snake that tried to eat her.

Fortunately, Dumbledore seemed to see her struggles and raised a hand. "Take a deep breath, Esmerelda, I won't force it out of you. I came to speak to you about a different matter. Your mother."

"My mother," she said, confused. She felt Professor Sprout place a comforting hand on her shoulder to calm her down. It was working. "What—what about her?"

"The staff member who first received you still remembers the day you first arrived," he said. She wondered if what he had done was legal. Surely it wasn't okay to just go to a social services agency and start asking around for confidential information... "She was able to describe the woman who dropped you off and matched with a certain description from ten years ago..."

Esmerelda was lost again. Where exactly was this going?

Dumbledore took a deep breath. "You see, Esmerelda, a child was... abducted, you could say, ten years ago. Here, in Britain. We were never able to retrieve her."

She was starting to piece things together now. "You... You think the child's me..." She realized.

He nodded. "Yes. We're sure of it now. You have her name and eyes... Ten years ago, your father had given you to a friend of his to watch over. Your father was then incarcerated for committing a horrible crime, and not even an hour after he was taken away to Azkaban, a woman broke into your caretaker's home and took you away. He was unable to fight back. He described it as some sort of trance—she simply asked that he handed you over and he did it without thinking. He didn't realize what he had done until an hour later and quickly reported what had happened."

A trance? She thought. Like Charmspeak? No wait... My mother can do that through the Mist...!

"He was able to remember what she looked like. Pale skin, black hair... and 'deep green eyes that looked almost illuminating' was exactly what he said. Eyes just like yours." Dumbledore murmured. "And the staff worker who received you described the woman the exact same way."

"Then that really is me..." She muttered, thinking deeply now. And that woman must have been my mother. She... took me away. Esmerelda didn't know how to feel about that. Her mother had taken her away from her home. But at the same time, her father was just imprisoned and there was no Camp Half Blood in Britain.

"Who's my dad?" She asked curiously. "And why did he go to prison?"

Beside her, she heard Professor Sprout suck in a breath.

"Your father..." Dumbledore hesitated. "Is Sirius Black. And he is being imprisoned in Azkaban for the murder of twelve muggles, a wizard by the name of Peter Pettigrew, and the betrayal of the Potters."

"Potters?" She said sharply. "Do you mean—?"

He nodded. "Yes. The parents of Harry Potter. You see, the Dark Wizard Voldemort—" Professor Sprout tensed up at the mention of the name. "—Was after the Potters. In order to keep them safe, the Fidelius Charm was cast on their homes to keep it hidden from Voldemort and his followers. The only way they can be found is if the Secret Keeper willingly exposes the location. In this case, young Sirius Black was the Secret Keeper."

"And he gave up their location..." She finished weakly.

Both teachers nodded.

"Afterwards, he killed twelve Muggles and his own friend, Peter Pettigrew." Dumbledore said grimly.

Esmerelda looked down, her heart thumping painfully in her chest. While she and Harry weren't particularly close, the knowledge that her own father killed his parents was hitting her hard. She knew that the immortal side of her family was twisted and bloody, but she didn't expect the same thing from her mortal side too.

"I'm sorry that you had to find out this way, but I didn't want to leave you clueless of your own family." Dumbledore told her gently.

She nodded in understanding, unable to look at him. "N-no. I get it. It's okay, I'm grateful that you told me. I've always been wondering who my dad is... I just wasn't... expecting this."

He was always so kind to her in her dreams. So loving and caring. Was that really the same man who killed and betrayed so many innocent people?

"It's alright dear," Professor Sprout whispered. "We understand that this news is... overwhelming."

There was a knock on the door.

Dumbledore smiled. "On a brighter note, your relatives are here."

That definitely snapped her out of her miserable stupor. "Wait, what?"

"Come in," Dumbledore said, and the door swung open to reveal two women.

They were dressed in wizarding attire, but the elder woman was dressed more elegantly than the younger one. She had light brown hair and grey eyes. Her features were sharp and she held herself in an aristocratic manner. The young woman beside her had a pale, heart-shaped face with darker eyes. Her hair was a bright, bubble-gum pink.

"Wotcher, Professors!" The pink-haired woman chirped.

"Tonks," Professor Sprout said fondly.

"Dumbledore," the older woman greeted with a nod before her grey eyes swept over to Esmerelda. They softened upon making contact. "You must be Esmerelda..." She murmured softly, trailing off as a sudden frown appeared over her face. She then began to scrutinize the girl with growing doubt over her face.

"Uhhhh..." Esmerelda responded lamely, turning to her two professors in complete utter confusion. Who were these people?

"Esmerelda, this is Andromeda Tonks. Your father's cousin. And this is her daughter, Nymphadora." Dumbledore introduced. Esmerelda noticed the way Nymphadora rolled her eyes at the mention of her name.

"Just call me Tonks—please?" The pink haired woman asked her.

Esmerelda numbly nodded her head. She still had no idea what they were here for.

Dumbledore, thankfully, began to explain. "Before your father was sent to Azkaban—" that must have been some sort of wizard prison, she noted. "—You were supposed to be entrusted to your godfather, James Potter. Unfortunately... that cannot happen. So your next guardianship will go to the safest relative you have, which is your first cousin once removed. Or your aunt, if you'd prefer."

Her eyes widened in horror at what he was saying. "Wait, are you saying—"

"—You'll be living with them from now on," Professor Sprout smiled, not sensing the panic in her.

"But—but, I can't," she tried to say.

Her Head House frowned. "I understand that you enjoy living in America, but... a camp is no place for a child. You should be living with your family—"

"—I am!" She blurted out. She had her half-siblings with her! And she needed to stay with them and make sure they were okay because their home was in danger! "I don't want to leave home!"

Everyone jumped as all the books on Dumbledore's bookshelf were suddenly thrown out, landing loudly on the floor.

Professor Sprout was spluttering. "N-now Esmerelda—!"

"—It's okay, Professor," Tonks spoke up before giving Esmerelda a comforting grin. "We get that you don't want to leave your home. We won't be taking you away from it forever, you know. You still get to visit. We'd just prefer it if you lived with us since we're your relatives. Plus, your other relatives aren't exactly pleasant so we're your safest bet—"

"—I have family at home!" She protested, unable to control herself. "I live with my half-siblings!"

The whole room fell silent.

"...Half-siblings?" Andromeda echoed, eyes blinking. She looked almost horrified at the prospect of her cousin having more children.

"From my mom," Esmerelda corrected. "We all live together at Camp. And—and we're not unsupervised or anything! There are some adults that look after us!"

"Your mother?" Dumbledore repeated. "Does she live with you, Esmerelda?"

"...No..." She muttered. "She's really busy, so..."

The adults exchanged a pitying look.

"Esmerelda," Andromeda began gently. "We'd never want to take you away from home. But we're your family too, and we'd really like it if you'd live with us. We just want to make sure you're safe after so many years of you being missing."

"But I am safe..." She mumbled weakly. That was a damn lie.

"How about this," Tonks clapped her hands together as an idea came to mind. "It's the last day of school isn't it? How about we go to camp with you, explain the situation to whoever's in charge, and we can set up some sort of... schedule, yeah?"

Esmerelda paled. That was an even worse idea because mortals weren't allowed in camp. "N-no, you can't go to Camp with me."

Andromeda arched a perfect brow. "And why is that?"

"Y... You just can't..." She said lamely.

"Esmerelda is there something... wrong with your camp? Something you're hiding from us?" Professor Sprout asked sternly.

"No, it's just..."

Dumbledore thankfully spoke up. "The train will be arriving soon, so perhaps you three should be off?"

Andromeda looked away from her and nodded. "Right. Come, Esmerelda, let's go get your things."

Esmerelda stood up gravely and headed to her dorms, the other two women following after her. She could still feel Andromeda's doubtful gaze on her as Tonks helped to grab her things.

"Is something wrong?" She asked her finally.

Andromeda continued to stare at her, the skin between her brows slightly pinched. "I apologize. You just look so much like..."

"Like my dad?" Esmerelda guessed.

Andromeda didn't answer. Instead, she continued to stare as if mentally trying to fit a bunch of puzzle pieces together. And then, her expression shifted. She looked as if she was seeing a ghost. "I—Y-yes... Your... father..."

Tonks gave her a concerned look. Andromeda Tonks was not one to stumble over her words. "Mum, you alright?"

Andromeda pried her eyes away from Esmerelda. She cleared her throat and nodded. "Yes, I'm fine thank you. Let us continue on."

Esmerelda and Tonks exchanged lost looks, but said nothing else.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

It was the most painfully awkward train ride ever. Andromeda was regarding Esmerelda warily, as if half-expecting her to set fire to something, and Esmerelda was staring at her shoes, pouting angrily. Tonks looked between them, desperate to slice through this awkward silence.

And so she did. "So, what's your camp called?" She asked randomly.

"Camp Half Blood."

That garnered some raised brow. "Half Blood? How odd, is it a magical camp for half-bloods only?" She asked curiously.

"Er, no. It's... it's just the name."

Andromeda, being a Black, knew very well that she was lying but kept quiet about it.

"Is it a summer camp?" Tonks asked.

Esmerelda shrugged. "Um, sort of? A lot of us stay year-round, though."

"Why's that?"

"Nowhere else to go."

"Oh..." Tonks winced. Probably the wrong thing to ask then.

"How many half-siblings do you have?" It was Andromeda's turn to ask.

"Sixteen." She answered.

Tonks choked on thin air and Andromeda nearly dropped her purse.

"S-sixteen?" Tonks wheezed. "You mean, your mum had seventeen kids from different men?!"

"Nymphadora," her mother scolded under her breath, but it was clear that she was still shocked by the news.

"Yeah," Esmerelda replied like it was nothing. "We're really close. They'll be upset if I'm gone."

"Now Esmerelda," Andromeda sighed. "We're not trying to keep you away from them. You can still visit from time to time."

The twelve year old just continued to pout angrily, her thoughts worried and anxious about what would happen.

"Why are our other relatives bad?" She asked curiously, remembering what Tonks had said about them.

Andromeda pursed her lips. Tonks was the one to answer. "The Black family's actually really famous here in the wizarding world," she began to say. "They're one of the richest and most ancient Houses here, but..."

"I'm sure you are aware of Pureblood supremacy?" Andromeda finally asked.

"Sort of..." She said unsurely. "There are some Purebloods in school who act like real jerks." She immediately thought of Draco Malfoy.

Tonks made a face of disgust. "Yeah, the Black family's no different. They're blood supremacists and Muggle-haters and You-Know-Who's most avid supporters. They knocked my mum and your dad off the family tree for not following their ideals."

"Nymphadora," Andromeda warned.

"I thought my dad supported Voldemort?" She noticed that they flinched upon hearing the name.

"It's a bit complicated," Andromeda frowned. "He's always been so against the Black ideals. He was even disowned before his fifth year because of them. I don't know what made him... switch."

"Anyways, he's stuck in Azkaban with my aunt now, so sucks for him," Tonks chimed. Andromeda shot her a pointed look, and she returned with an apologetic one before turning back to Esmerelda.

"I've got a cousin there too?" Esmerelda's jaw dropped.

She nodded. "She's a Death Eater—which is what You-Know-Who's supporters are called, by the way—and so was your father's younger brother, Regulus."

"Is he in there too?" Esmerelda asked.

She exchanged a look with her mother. "Er, no, he's gone now."

"You mean he's dead," Esmerelda said bluntly. "So everyone in our family's either evil or dead."

Tonks nodded, a bright grin on her face. "Yep! Everyone except for us, of course! We're the good guys." She gave her a wink before her hair turned into a bright blonde.

"How did you DO that?!" Esmerelda asked excitedly, looking utterly awed.

"I'm a Metamorphmagus," she stated proudly, her hair turning back to bubblegum pink. "I can change my appearance at will. Watch!" Her nose suddenly morphed into a pig snout, and a loud OINK! came from her before the snout elongated into a duck beak.

"Can you teach me how to be a Metama—metemo—" She stumbled with her words.

"Metamorphmagus," Tonks corrected. "And sorry, but this is a sort of ability you're born with."

Her shoulders slumped in disappointment. "Well... then I'm definitely not leaving my home for you guys!" The twelve year old said stubbornly.

Tonks dipped her head back and groaned.

After what felt like forever, the train had finally reached the station. Nerves bubbled in Esmerelda's stomach as she grabbed her things and boarded out with the help of her two relatives. While they were pleasant people, she was adamant on staying in camp. It was her home after all...

"Do you see your guardians?" Andromeda asked as Esmerelda looked around. Esmerelda bit the inside of her lip at the question. She had yet to explain to them that it would be her thirteen year old friend, Ethan, picking her up rather than an actual adult.

After a few minutes of searching, she finally heard someone call out her name. She turned and saw Ethan and much to her delight, her older half-brother, Alabaster.

Alabaster, who was the most powerful child of Hecate and the best manipulator of the Mist.

Her eyes widened and she didn't hesitate to sprint at him, ignoring the startled cries from Tonks.

"Alabaster! Alabaster!" She shouted, practically squeezing him into a hug. "Help me!" She whispered discreetly.

He hugged her back, puzzled. "Uh, with what?"

Tonks and Andromeda finally arrived at the scene. The elder woman looked quite displeased with her.

"Esmerelda," she began to scold. "It would do you well to not run away in such a busy area."

"Who're you?" Ethan asked them suspiciously.

Esmerelda looked up at her brother with pleading eyes. "They're my relatives! They want to take me away from camp!"

Alabaster's grip on her tightened and an odd glint appeared in his eyes. "Oh..." He murmured under his breath.

Ethan's eyes bugged out. "You want to what? You can't do that! She needs to stay at camp!"

Tonks sighed, "You have to understand that we can't just leave her at a camp. She needs to stay with her family, it's more safer." She explained to them as gently as possible.

"Actually, she's already with her family," Alabaster stated, putting on the most charming smile a fourteen year old boy could manage. Esmerelda could practically see him laying the Mist on them thick. "I'm Alabaster, her half-brother, and Essie's the most safe at camp."

"She... she is safe there..." Andromeda murmured as she and her daughter's eyes clouded over as if they were in a trance.

Alabaster's smile widened victoriously. "Exactly. So you're going to forget this whole thing ever happened and leave her under our care."

"Right..." Tonks agreed. Together, she and her mother slowly began to walk away from them.

"That was so cool," Ethan grinned wickedly.

"Yeah!" Esmerelda finally pulled away from Alabaster, looking up at him with eyes shining with admiration. "You gotta teach me how to do that!"

He scoffed, playfully ruffling her hair as he and Ethan began helping her with her bags. "You gotta get the basics first, Essie. You still got a loooong way to go to get as good as me."

"What was that about anyways? Were they really your relatives?" Ethan asked as they exited the station.

"Yes..." She answered slowly. "There's some stuff you need to know..."

— author's note —

I actually tried to recreate Essie's family tree (with first cousins, second cousins, and the whole 'once removed' shit)... and I wouldn't recommend attempting it.

So Essie's dad is Sirius Black?! Whaaaa?!?!

Ok but seriously, I'm sorry about the cliche. I know that it's overdone, but I couldn't help myself. In my opinion, he's the best character and I wished he stayed alive so he could give Harry the proper family he deserved, okay?😭 😭 😭

But anyways, what do you guys think was up with Andromeda? Hmmmmm????

NYMPHADORA TONKS
played by TUPPENCE MIDDLETON

ANDROMEDA BLACK
played by KEIRA KNIGHTLEY

(I like fancasting you guys so if you don't like who I picked for Tonks, then you can just imagine her as the original actress if you want)