"Oi! Potter!" one of the older Slytherins taunted. "I'll be sure to have someone run around under you with a mattress. Couldn't have The Boy Who Lived getting hurt, can we?"

Sirius snorted as he watched a younger Hermione pull a young Nova back, trying to keep her from beating the boy, who was nearly triple her size, to a pulp. 

"You know, in Elizabethian London people claimed the bigger your forehead was, the wiser you were," Nova sassed, glaring at the elder boy. "That clearly isn't your case, is it?"

"Awe, look!" Lily pointed to a young Harry, who was looking at Nova in admiration. 

"Whipped!" Regulus snorted. 

Ron threw a pillow at him while Harry blushed and Nova smirked. 

"What did you say?" the boy growled. 

"Oh joy!" she rolled her eyes. "You're hard of hearing too!" As Nova continued, her words were slow and very loud, attracting everyone's attention. "JUST. BECAUSE. YOU. LACK. THE. ABILITY. TO. COMPREHEND. BIG. WORDS. AND. FEEL. INFERIOR. TO. AN. ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD. DOESN'T. MEAN. YOU. CAN. BE. A. PRETENTIOUS. DOUCHEBAG."

"Miss Black," Flitwick squeaked. "There is no need for such volume and use of language."

"Sorry, sir," she turned to him with a sincere face. "I was simply helping a fellow student of mine understand that people actually have talent beyond the basic functions of life."

Something passed through Flitwick's eyes, before nodding sadly and rolling his eyes. As he walked away Ron and Nova turned to Harry. 

"You better catch the snitch," Ron nodded. 

"I've got money on you, Harold," Nova added. "I want my galleons."

Harry gulped. 

"Oh stop you two!" Hermione hooked her head. "You're making him worried!"

"It's not that bad!" Nova objected. "It's not like he needs to save the world or anything!"

"Sirius, Remus," Harry turned to his godfather. "Do you happen to have any seerer blood in your family?"

"I don't think so," Sirius's dark brows furrowed. "Why?"

Harry shrugged. "It's just that Nova has predicted a lot over the years."

"I didn't predict that much-" Nova stopped mid-sentence. "Okay yeah...I predicted a lot."

Ron, Nova, Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean the West Ham fan up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. It said Potter for President, and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. ThenHermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colors.

"Ugly rat," Ginny growled. 

"You should've drawn the lion eating a snake," Nova huffed as she elbowed Dean. 

"That's too violent!" Hermione reasoned, flicking Nova's ear. "You'll scare the children."

"We are the children!" Ron exclaimed. 

"Besides, if we can look at Snape's face and not be traumatized, we can look at a lion tearing a snake to shreds," Nova huffed as she took off her scarf and handed it to Neville. "It's annoying me. You take it."

"I'm alr-" Neville tried to object, but Nova sent him a small glare and he was quiet. 

"You're not allowed to get sick, Nev," she huffed. "Take the bloody scarf."

"Um...I get you are trying to be nice," Dorcas snorted. "But I don't think glaring at someone is gonna-"

"Hey!" Harry objected catching his Quidditch number on the end of the scarf a young Nova had given to Neville. "That was mine!"

Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand. 

"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said, once they were all gathered around her. Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a sixth year. Harry thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing Potter for President over the crowd. His heart skipped. He felt braver. 

Nova, Ginny, Ron, Marlene, Regulus, and the Twins were in hysterics. 

"Feeling the love," Harry rolled his eyes. 

"Mount your brooms, please." 

Harry clambered onto his Nimbus Two Thousand. 

Theo had opened his mouth to say something but both Blaise and Nova placed a hand over his mouth. 

"Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself," Draco hissed.

Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle. Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off. 

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor — what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too —" 

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Professor."

The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall. 

"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, agood find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve — back to Johnson and —no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gainsthe Quaffle and off he goes — Flint flying like an eagle up there — he's going tosc— no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and theGryffindors take the Quaffle — that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nicedive around Flint, off up the field and — OUCH — that must have hurt, hit inthe back of the head by a Bludger — Quaffle taken by the Slytherins — that'sAdrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a secondBludger — sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which — niceplay by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of theQuaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes — she's really flying — dodges aspeeding Bludger — the goal posts are ahead — come on, now, Angelina —Keeper Bletchley dives — misses — GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"

The Gryffindors erupted into cheers. 

So did James, Sirius, and Marlene.

"Budger up there, move along." 

"Hagrid!" 

Ron Nova and Hermione squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join them. 

"Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"

"Nope," said Ron. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet." 

"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry. Way up above them, Harry was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of his and Wood's game plan. 

"Keep out of the way until you catch sight of the Snitch," Wood had said."We don't want you attacked before you have to be." 

When Angelina had scored, Harry had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let off his feelings. Now he was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once he caught sight of a flash of gold, but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasleys' wristwatches, and once a Bludger decided to come pelting his way, more like a cannonball than anything, but Harry dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing after it. 

"All right there, Harry?" he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludgerfuriously toward Marcus Flint. 

"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the — wait a moment — was that the Snitch?"

A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear. Harry saw it. In a great rush of excitement, he dived downward after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch — all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch. Harry was faster than Higgs — he could see the little round ball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead — he put on an extra spurt of speed — 

WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below — MarcusFlint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life. 

"Excuse me?" Nova roared. "Who the fuck do you think you fucking are, you mother fucking bitch ass punk?"

"Very...wonderful vocabulary," James remarked with a snort before looked at Remus. "Sounds familiar, aye, Moony?"

"Go to hell, Prongs."

"Foul!" The Gryffindors screamed.

Dean Thomas was yelling, "Send him off, ref! Redcard!" 

"What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron. 

"Red card!" said Dean furiously. "In soccer, you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!" 

"But this isn't soccer, Dean," Ron reminded him. 

Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side."They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air." 

"Well," Nova crossed her arms. "I do believe Flint is going to have painful blisters coating his skin tomorrow."

"Nox!" Hermione hissed. 

"No, I agree with Nox on this one," Blaise nodded. "He's a disgusting pig."

"Why'd you say that?" Harry asked. 

"In third year at a Pureblood Ball-" Theo began. 

"He's homophobic and transphobic," Nova cut across quickly, knowing what else Theo was going to say. "And sexist. He doesn't like to leave the old misogynies in the past where they belong."

Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides."So — after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating —" 

"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall. 

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul..." 

"Jordan, I'm warning you —" 

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinner, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue to play, Gryffindor still in possession."

It was as Harry dodged another Bludger, which went spinning dangerously past his head, that it happened. His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. For a split second, he thought he was going to fall. He gripped the broom tightly with both his hands and knees. He'd never felt anything like that. 

It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off. But Nimbus Two Thousand did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off. Harry tried to turn back toward the Gryffindor goalposts — he had half a mind to ask Wood to call time-out — and then he realized that his broom was completely out of his control. He couldn't turn it. He couldn't direct it at all. It was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated him. 

Lee was still commentating. 

"Slytherin in possession — Flint with the Quaffle — passes Spinnet —passes Bell — hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose — only joking, Professor — Slytherins score — A no..."

The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to notice Harry's broom malfunctioning. 

Well...except one. 

"What the fuck does he think he is doing?" Nova exclaimed 

The surrounding people turned to look at what Nova was talking about. 

"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom...but he can't have...." 

Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands. His broom had started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Harry's broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it. He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand. 

"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamuswhispered."

Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic — no kid could do that to aNimbus Two Thousand."

At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd. 

"What are you doing?" groaned Ron, gray-faced. 

"I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape — look." 

Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath. 

"He's doing something — jinxing the broom," said Hermione. 

"What should we do?" 

"Leave it to me."

"Oh no you don't," Hermione declared. "You'll do something that will draw attention to yourself. You've already gotten detention for the next two weeks for throwing a frog at him."

Nova rolled her honey eyes. 

"I'll do it," Hermione declared before spinning on her heel and leaving. 

"Snape didn't jinx Harry's broom," Hermione told a furious Lily Potter. 

"Doesn't mean he doesn't deserve what he got," Nova retorted. "Personally I think you should've burned him to death."

Before Ron or Nova could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Returned the binoculars back on Harry. His broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for him to hang on much longer. The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harry safely onto one of their brooms, but it was no good – every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still. They dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell. Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing. 

"Come on, Hermione," Ron muttered desperately. 

Nova stood silently off to the side, rubbing the tips of her fingers together. 

Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood and was now racing along the row behind him; she didn't even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front. Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand, and whispered a few, well-chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand onto the hem of Snape's robes. 

It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realize that he was on fire. A sudden yelp told her she had done her job. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in her pocket, she scrambled back along the row — Snape would never know what had happened. It was enough. Up in the air, Harry was suddenly able to clamber back onto his broom.

"Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing intoHagrid's jacket for the last five minutes. 

Harry was speeding toward the ground when the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick — he hit the field on all fours — coughed — and something gold fell into his hand. 

"I've got the Snitch!" he shouted, waving it above his head, and the game ended in complete confusion. 

"He didn't catch it, he nearly swallowed it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference — Harry hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results — Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty. Harry heard none of this, though. Hewas being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid's hut, with Ron and Hermione. 

"Swallow your pride and own up to your defeat, Flint," Nova had smirked. "At least he can get something in his mouth other than food and water."

"Nova Lily," Remus had smacked the back of her head. Sirius, James, Marlene, and the Twins along with Ron and Ginny were doubled over in laughter. 

"I didn't even know what it meant!" Nova reasoned. 

She knew exactly what it meant. 

"It was Snape," Ron was explaining, "Hermione, Nova, and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you." 

"Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?" 

"Have you meant Severus Snape?" Nova asked like it was obvious. 

Harry, Ron, Nova, and Hermione looked at one another, wondering what to tell him. Harry decided on the truth. 

"I found out something about him," he told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding." 

Hagrid dropped the teapot. "How do you know about Fluffy?" he said. 

"Fluffy?"

"Yeah — he's mine — bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year — I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the —" 

"Yes?" said Harry eagerly. Nova elbowed him, knowing they weren't getting much out of him after Harry opened his big mouth.  

"Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top-secret, that is." 

"But Snape's trying to steal it." 

"Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort." 

"So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermione. The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind aboutSnape. "I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!" 

"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don' know whyHarry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh — yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. Its dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel —" 

"Aha!" said Harry, "so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?" 

Hagrid looked furious with himself.

***

"I don't like that mirror," Nova groaned. The group had just watched as Harry found the Mirror of Erised. "It's evil."

"I still can't believe that was your first time getting presents!" Lily fumed. "Petunia is truly out of line!"

"Just wait until they put bars on his window," Ron nodded. 

"What?" everyone apart from the Weasleys, and Hermione exclaimed. 

"Ron," Harry groaned. "You can't go around saying that."

Outside the sound of a motorcycle roaring to life was heard. 

"Oh shit-"

***

"Oh come on!" Nova whined as Harry had thrown her over his shoulder before apparting back to Potter Manor. "I wasn't going to do anything that bad-"

"It's fine, love," Harry assured as he continued to walk down the driveway of Potter Manor with Nova still over his shoulder. "It doesn't affect me anymore."

"But it affects me," she huffed. 

"I'll make you a deal," Harry declared. "You don't overreact to anything that has happened to me, and I'll do the same to anything that has happened to you."

Nova, knowing that Harry was definitely going to overreact for some of her memories, didn't agree. 

"No can do, darlin."

***

"Just cover for me, please," Nova pleaded a younger Blaise and Theo. "I need to do this."

"Why do you need to research in a dusty library?" Theo groaned. "The party will be boring without you there!"

"I'll be back as soon as possible," Nova assured. "I just needed to check something."

"Nova, do you remember the last time you were caught?" Blaise asked sincerely. 

The trio was dressed in formal attire. Nova in a black dress and the boys in dress robes. 

"Of course I do," Nova's posture straightened She held her head higher and clenched her jaw. "But I need to do this."

"But why?" Theo asked. "Why couldn't you just do it at school?"

"Because the school doesn't have what I need," she countered. 

"What are you looking for?" Blaise asked. 

"I can't tell you that."

"Then we won't help."

Nova crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "Fine. I'll do it myself."

As she walked away, the two shared a look and followed her. 

"Noxxy, get your arse back here!" Theo hissed. 

"Nicholas Flamel," she stated. "That's what I'm looking into. Are you helping or not?"

The library was massive, to say the least. Blaise and Theo had agreed to help and told anyone who asked Nova was in the bathroom. 

Nova had looked in several books when a certain one daughter her eye. It was a black leather-bound book with the words Tom Marvalo Riddle in gold on the back. 

"Oh my Merlin," Ginny breathed out. "Is that-"

"Yeah," Nova nodded. "I didn't realize that book was the same one."

"I'm confused," Regulus declared. 

The curious eleven-year-old had reached out to grab it but stop. Something had told her not to go near it. Something told her it wasn't worth it. 

So she ignored it. 

Beside it, however, was another leather-bound book. This one was brown and more worn than the other one. This time, she did grab it. As she opened it, several pieces of pictures fell out. 

They were pictures. When she bent down to pick them up, she nearly burned them. 

There was a picture of a group of boys. Four of them. One she knew instantly was Sirius Black, her father. The other had the same color hair and eyes as she did. He was tall and lanky with scars. The third she knew was James Potter. The last was a boy that was rather lump. 

Another picture had the faces of four girls. One was a beautiful redhead. Another was a blonde with blue eyes. The third was a young woman with a kind face, dark hair, and blue eyes. The last was a woman with wonderful dark skin and hair. 

Every woman in the picture had a large X drawn over their face much like James Potter and Sirius Black had. 

Nova opened the book to find a list of names. She knew it was a hit list, most likely belonging to her adoptive family. 

She didn't care to look at any other name except one. 

Sirius Black. 

There was a line drawn through it, meaning he was out of the way. 

But why was he on the list? 

He was told to be working with Voldemort. Why was he on his hit list?

Footsteps were heard down the hallway and Nova shoved the book back onto the shelf before slipping from the room.

While she wasn't caught for being in the library, the Morgensterns were furious she was in the bathroom for so long. When the guests had left, Nova made a mad dash for her room, but it wasn't enough. 

Mr. Morgenstern pointed his wand at her. 

"Cover your ears," Nova advised. 

"Crucio."