Upon the sight behind the little girl, Madam Pomfrey immediately steps into full matron mode. Without a word, she points to the door, which we all know means that we're expected to leave with no arguments. As we comply, she, however, grabs Dad's forearm, motioning for him to remain. She doesn't even give us a second glance. The door then closes, leaving us with the unfamiliar child that strangely appeared out of nowhere.

Sighing heavily, I glance down at the floor with my cheeks slightly reddened. For the past five minutes, I've just been staring at her, neglecting the fact that she was stark naked. I'm just about to offer her my robes when I notice Draco stepping forward doing so. I silently watch him drape his robes around her shoulders. He makes sure it's snug around her before stepping back from her.

"Draco," I quietly say, standing next to the little girl's bedside. I notice Draco follows me.

"What?"

"Remember that dream I told you and Dad about last night?" He nods slowly. "Well, she's that girl." I immediately notice Sirius, Remus, and Declan's heads whip towards me.

"Her, Potter?" he asked, staring at me as if I was a lunatic. His gray eyes then find their way back to the little blond haired girl. "You dreamt of her?"

"Don't look at me like that. I know it's crazy, but yeah, I did." I then sigh. I should have known that they all would have taken it this way and believed me to be crazy. "Okay, so I admit. She was a bit chattier in my dream, but that's her, Draco."

"You're sure this is the same girl you dreamt of?"

"I'm positive," I respond ardently. "In my dream, she was our little sister, and she looked exactly like that, Draco." My eyes glance towards the young girl staring at Draco and me curiously. She's been watching us for some time now as if she's trying to figure us out.

"Okay," says Sirius, holding up a hand. "So I'll admit that she does have his eyes, but, I mean . . ." Inspecting the child closer, he acts as if he can just tell by her looks if I'm telling the truth that she possibly is Draco and my little sister. The former Marauder then grimaces slightly before sighing heavily. "Dammit," he mutters. "Who knew Snape's kid would look so cute?" He joins us in watching the young girl look around the room curiously. "You know, it's not fair."

"Life isn't fair, Black," Dad drawls as he walks up to us. "Or perhaps you missed that."

"Are we honestly going to start this again, Snape?"

"Gentlemen, if you can't handle yourselves in a proper manner, then I expect you to leave my hospital wing immediately," Madam Pomfrey says brusquely as she approaches the cot the girl sits on. "Hello, sweetheart, my name is Poppy. What's your name?"

Her dark eyes glance at Madam Pomfrey for a few seconds before she glances back towards us. Biting her bottom lip, she pulls the robes tighter around herself. The smile has long been gone from her pale face. In fact, she looks as if she's about to cry.

"Dear, can you tell me your name?"

Within seconds, the little girl's arms wrap around Draco's legs before she attempts to bury herself into him. Draco glances at me with a shocked look on his face. He clearly is at a loss of what to do. However, his hand slowly finds the top of her head, which he gives a couple awkward pats. His entire body is tense as she holds him for dear life.

"All right, Poppet, I won't ask you any more questions." Madam Pomfrey's eyes dart towards Dad, and the two of them share a look before Dad inclines his head just slightly. "You see this?" she asks with a gentle voice, holding out her wand. "This here is a magic wand." Wordlessly, she animates one of the numerous flowers to start dancing. "It's pretty, isn't it, sweetheart?"

The dark vibrant eyes stare at the dancing daisy until the spell wears off a few moments later. She glances back at Madam Pomfrey before hanging her head. She draws the robes tighter around herself in efforts to protect herself it seems. She looks extremely sad as she sits on the edge of the cot.

"I'm going to examine you now, sweetie. You won't feel a thing. I promise." Madam Pomfrey silently waves her wand down the length of the little girl. Numbers quickly appear above the child, which the matron glances at before smiling at her. "Well, you're a very healthy little girl, aren't you?" Then at the sight of one of the scans, she stops and sighs. "Oh, Poppet," she says quietly.

"What's wrong with her?" Draco asks, glancing at Madam Pomfrey.

"I'm going to draw some blood now," the matron says gently, ignoring Draco. "You might feel some pressure, but it's going to be all right."

I watch the little girl absorb this knowledge. She seems to understand it somewhat because she instantly buries herself deeper into Draco's side. If I wasn't so uneasy with seeing the girl from my dream appear in real life, I might have laughed at the sight. She certainly acts a bit like the girl from my dream. At least, she seems rather attached to the blond Slytherin.

"Hey, um, don't worry. Here, see," I say before rolling up my sleeves. I then glance towards Madam Pomfrey. "I'll go first." She glances at me with a confused look, but ends up holding the tip of her wand against my bare arm. I do my very best not to flinch when I feel the wand collecting a bit of my blood. Numbers appear above me as a result of the test. "See, didn't hurt even a bit," I say with a wide smile in attempts to convince the child it'll be all right. "And you know what? Draco's going to take it, too, just to convince you."

"I'm doing what?" responds the blond Slytherin. He then growls quietly before angrily shoving up his sleeve and thrusting it towards Madam Pomfrey. Numbers soon appear above him. However, he quickly withdraws from the mediwitch and glances down at the little girl hugging his side. "See? It didn't even hurt. Now, just hold out your arm and let her do yours."

The little girl's eyes, however, dart to Dad. She stares at him for a few seconds before glancing towards his arm. When he doesn't make any inclination that he's going to roll up his sleeves, her teeth rake against her bottom lip in her familiar nervous manner. Her head then tilts to the side, still studying him. Finally, after a few moments, Dad rolls up his right black sleeve and holds his arm towards Madam Pomfrey. Ever watchful, the little girl watches Madam Pomfrey draw Dad's blood. Her dark eyes remain on Dad throughout the entire event before she slowly stretches her arm out to the matron.

"Such a perceptive little girl, you are," Madam Pomfrey says with a soft smile. She then presses the tip of her wand against the little girl's pale arm before withdrawing it a moment later. "Well, now, let's see who your parents are."

Looking like three ladders, three separate colorful funny looking rectangles appear above the blond girl. My eyes narrow on the projections. Breaking apart, the other ladders soon combine before overlapping with the ladder in the middle. I can tell from Dad's reaction that this means something big. However, I don't have a clue what that could be.

"Well, that is most interesting," Madam Pomfrey quietly mutters. She then rests a gentle hand on the little girl's shoulder. "You, my dear, have grown up tremendously since I last saw you. Do you know how special you are?" She softly laughs when the blond stares at her puzzled. "You see him?" she asks, pointing towards Dad. "That, sweetheart, is your father." Pomfrey then glances towards Dad. "I found evidence that suggests someone gave Aurora an unknown potion. However, it appears that whoever did this did not just stop with the induced labor. Every one of your daughter's cells appears to have had something age it rapidly. Though, there are no signs of cellular degradation. I'm not quite certain how to explain it, but she is your daughter. She's just four years old, not one month left to birth. However, you should be aware that her mental capacities are that of an infant. She appears to be learning our language, and I would estimate that she perhaps could be talking near the end of the month."

"She's healthy otherwise?" asks Dad, gazing at the little dark-eyed blond.

"As healthy as a child her age should be. I can find nothing physically wrong with her. In fact, it appears as if whoever sped along these events also altered your daughter's genetic makeup."

"Meaning what exactly?"

"No doubt you'll think I've lost my mind, but your daughter is a pureblood. I can find no material from your father in her blood work. She is entirely of Prince and Sinistra lineage."

Draco and I glance at each other. Never in a hundred years would I think that is possible. I mean, my little sister whom I thought would be a baby is a four-year-old. And on top of that, we now learn she's a pureblood. How can that be? This has to be the result of some person trying to drive us slowly crazy. I mean, it's preposterous. My little sister can't—I mean—well, maybe. I then stare at the young child. Dad's eyes stare back at me from her face. However, her eyes are so full of life.

Glancing towards him, I quietly say, "She's going to need a name, Dad." He nods in response.

~SS~

Nearly three weeks later, I find myself finally going horseback riding at Sinistra Manor. Thinking that Mum needs time to adjust to her sudden motherhood by learning from her own mother, Dad has decided we should all spend the rest of our summer with Mum's parents. However, Mum's been spending most of the time in her room, though, which I can tell is concerning Dad a great deal.

We, and by 'we' I mean Draco and I, have all been helping Mum and Dad take care of Angel whenever we can. Yeah, that's my little sister's name, Angel Celestria Prince. In my opinion, that name is absolutely beautiful and suits her to a T. In fact, it's somewhat funny how she got her name.

For the longest time, Dad couldn't decide on what to name my little sister. Because Mum was still recovering and needed all the rest that she could get according to Madam Pomfrey, the naming of the newest addition to the family fell solely on Dad's shoulders. Unfortunately, just looking at the little girl, we could tell that she wasn't an 'Astra Selene Prince,' which was the name Mum and Dad had previously picked out. Thus, Dad had to figure out a new name, one that suited her.

Stifled sobs, however, instantly broke Dad's concentration as the young girl sitting on a cot across from him started to cry. Draco and I had previously tried to calm her, but it didn't work. Then again, we weren't experts at this stuff anyway. Dad, though, only had to pick her up into his arms and speak soothingly to her. Draco and I looked on in awe at how naturally it was to him.

"Shh, my Angel, it's all right," Dad spoke quietly as he gently rubbed circles against her back. Within seconds, the young child stifled her sobs to the point where she was barely crying into his shoulder. Dad then snorted and muttered to himself, "And I'm the Head of Slytherin." He then informed Madam Pomfrey that he had decided on a name and told her it.

Looking back on it now, Dad's right. Angel's name was fairly obvious. Thanks to my dream earlier this month, I knew that Dad, Draco, and I referred to her as Angel, El, and Celes respectfully. Of course, my real live sister then would have the same name as my dream one. Though, Dad and others claim that it isn't because I'm turning into Trelawney, contrary to Draco's constant tormenting.

"All right there, Harry?" asks Mum's Dad as he joins Draco and I in front of the stables outside.

I glance towards Orin and nearly laugh when I notice what he's wearing. He definitely doesn't dress as a pureblood would. In fact, he's currently wearing a white button down shirt and black pants. If one had to ask me to compare him to someone, I'd swear I'd say he looked like a cowboy. Though, his boots don't have the typical spurs in it as shown in the movies.

"Yes, sir, I'm fine," I reply politely.

"Enough of this 'sir' crap, Harry," he says with a laugh before placing a hand on my shoulder. "Adoption or not, I consider both you and Draco to be my grandsons."

"With all due respect, you don't appear to be the typical Slytherin."

"That's because I did that routine once, Draco," Orin drawls, chuckling. His eyes sparkle with amusement. "I did that thick-skinned routine where I acted like I was the biggest badass around. Bet you didn't think I knew your kids' lingo, did you?" He then chuckles louder before curling his lip up in distaste at a thought. "Unfortunately, I have to admit something to you both." Sighing heavily, he glances briefly towards the ground before holding his gaze with us again. "Long ago, I acted all tough and strutted about complaining how Wizarding families were turning their backs on blood purity and settling down with mangy mutt Muggles to create little dirty bloods. At the time, touting your opinions on blood purity was the one thing that made others aware that you were a proper Slytherin. You know what happened, though?" he asks with a snort. "I realized that to be a true Slytherin it meant you had to become a monster yourself. You had to become the embodiment of hatred, the vessel of destruction, and the killer of dreams and lives for thousands of innocent people. I couldn't do it. So I decided that instead of following the common path, I'd make my own. However, I was too late, though."

"You mean because you were already following Grindelwald?" I ask hesitantly.

"Aura told you then," Orin replies with a loud sigh. "Yeah, it's true. I served the original dark wizard faithfully for years. I paid for it, though."

"How?" quietly I reply rather confused.

"Five years before Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald, I was on a Muggle raid in London. I can't tell you for certain what occurred due to the severity of my injuries at the time, but common sense would say that others and I ended up caught in between the Muggle fighting factions. From 1940 until 1958, I was lying on a cot comatose in St. Mungo's Hospital."

"You were in a coma for 18 years?" Draco and I exclaim.

"Yep," he says with a chuckle. "It's actually how I met Syra. She spent every morning before her rounds just talking to me. Of course, I didn't have a clue about that until I woke up to a beautiful blond leaning over me with the clearest blue eyes I've ever seen. Imagine my surprise to find out that I've had this witch talking to me for years. Syra was with me from then on." Shaking his head, he sighs with a soft smile. "If the Wizengamot learned of a wizard serving in Grindelwald's ranks, they'd immediately sentence that wizard to ten years in Azkaban. However, the Wizengamot decided in my case that I had served my time, since I had been in a coma for 18 years and that I had only served for six months. It is for that reason and Syra that I decided to become the man you see before you. I consider myself very blessed, which I am sure you can understand." He then clasps his hands together. "So, what do you say to us going horseback riding around the estate now?"

"Cool," I reply before glancing towards Declan who approaches with two horses trailing beside him. "Um . . . is that safe?"

"Declan has worked here as a ranch hand for years, Harry. You're perfectly safe."

"I know, but I mean, because of his . . . you know . . . condition?" I whisper hesitantly.

"You are quite concerned for others, aren't you, young Harry?" responds Declan with an amused look. "My condition, as you call it, is not that different from that lycanthrope you are friends with. You are not afraid of him, are you?"

"Well, no, Declan, but—"

"You have known him longer, yes, that is true." Declan then sighs before running a hand through his jet-black hair. "However, as I have informed you before, I do not require human blood in order to survive. In fact, my brothers and I make it a habit not to. It's not good for business, you see."

"Funny, Declan," Orin says with a snort. "Are you going to join us for a ride around the estates?"

"If you so desire, sir, I shall then," the vampire coolly replies as he bows his head.

"Oh, just get on the damn horse, you bloody sucker." Orin then holds out his hand, which gains the attention of a nearby horse. "Ah, there you are, my sweet." Gently, he runs a hand down the horse's mane. "This here, boys, is Sunny. He still has a bit of the wild in his blood, but he has a real gentle side with me for some reason. He wandered onto my land when Aura was just about to get her letter. Silly boy made me think that he was trained by the way he acted around me so I put her on him." He then scoffs. "Broke her arm in four places that time and I doubt Aura's ever forgiven me for that."

"Mum's not joining us, is she?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"Don't concern yourselves over it, boys. I bet when we get back, Aura's hexing the hell out of the old tree in the gardens." When my eyes narrow in confusion, he chuckles loudly. "Syra is planning a little mother-daughter talk. I doubt I need to tell you how that will go over. It's a good thing that I know your father and sister is in the manor with them. Severus probably is the only one brave enough to get in between the two witches. I did that once, nearly lost my eye as a result."

"Why doesn't Mum get along with her mum?"

"Well, Syra has a different way of thinking than Aura. Then add to the fact that they both have that wicked temper and are more stubborn than an arse, well, it's no wonder that they don't. But mark my words, Harry. Aurora and Syra both love each other. They just have a strange way of showing it."

"Oh, um . . . I didn't realize that you were taking them out for a ride, Father."

"Got kicked out again, didn't you, Jezzie?" Orin drawls with a knowing look at his daughter.

"Mother didn't appreciate my eavesdropping, yes."

"Well, grab your horse then and join us." He rolls his eyes glancing at us. "I'd have given my right arm to have a boy. Trust me." He then leans towards Draco and me. "Girls are a lot of work, boys."

~SS~

Five minutes later, I'm riding on the back of a fully-grown Arabian. I have to admit that this riding thing is a bit easy, but it's painful as the saddle rubs in the exactly wrong places. Groaning, I try to slide back in the saddle. Glancing towards Draco, I nearly roll my eyes. He looks as calm and collected as ever. His groin probably doesn't even hurt.

"You're far too tense, Harry," Declan kindly informs me as he trots his horse next to mine.

"Yeah, Harry, if you keep that up, you're going to be walking bowlegged for the start of the term," Jezlyn says with a laugh before tapping her horse's side to instruct the Appaloosa to go faster.

In a stupid decision on my part, I attempt to do the same. However, before my feet can, my horse suddenly goes onto its hind legs kicking the air feverishly. I immediately wrap my arms around the horse's neck and start to scream. In hindsight, that perhaps was even stupider because my horse suddenly shoots off in the direction of tall trees with me helpless to stop it.

My face stings as several twigs catch me as I whizz through the tall trees. I try to use my Quidditch skills to keep from knocking myself out. However, this horse is going like a bat out of hell. Okay, so some of that might be my nerves and adrenaline, but it feels like the horse is speeding dangerously through the numerous low branches. My eyes then widen just as I catch the black blur in front of me. Ducking as fast as humanly possible, I try to prevent the impending collision, but I'm too late. The thick branch smacks hard into my chest, knocking me backwards off the horse. I lay on the ground for a few moments in attempts to catch my breath as my horse disappears into the surrounding forest. This is just my luck.

Rubbing my chest, I slowly get back to my feet. I can't hear any sounds of a horse galloping nearby so I know that I'm alone. For a second, I think about contacting Dad through our mental link, but I decide against it. He's spending time with Angel. I'm not going to interrupt their father-daughter time.

Slowly, I head back towards where I think everyone is. I groan quietly as I feel the familiar pain in my side that I know from experience is a cracked rib. Thankfully, I still have some adrenaline coursing through my blood to numb the pain slightly.

Four minutes later, my green eyes narrow on the headstones up ahead. Orin hadn't said anything about there being a cemetery near here. I approach it and notice the common last name. It's a family cemetery, specifically Sinistra family cemetery. Moss covers most of the headstones, but the one closest to me looks fairly new. I don't know why, but I walk towards it.

 

Here lies Aria Sinistra, who now resides in the Heavens

Born May 10, 1976

Died May 11, 1976

"Thought a Gryffindor like you would end up here," Orin somberly says before dismounting from Sunny. He walks towards me slowly before placing his hands on my shoulders. "So, you managed to discover one of the family secrets. It was only a matter of time, I suppose." His eyes then dart towards the headstone in front of me before closing his eyes. "Aura doesn't like dwelling or discussing about this dark time." He draws in a slow breath. "Let's just keep this between you and me, all right, Harry?"

I can see the pain in the man's eyes. I numbly just nod. I'm in too much shock even to think. Only one thought continues to sound in my mind, which is that Mum was pregnant before.

On the entire ride back with Orin, I do the math in my head. I remember from hearing Professor Vector and others talk at the wedding that Mum is a year younger than Dad is. So since Dad was born around the same time that my real mother is, I know Dad is 35 almost 36, which means Mum's 34. The years Mum went to Hogwarts then hit me. She was a student from 1972-1979, meaning that she was just finishing her fourth year when she was pregnant.

"How . . . um . . . what happened to the baby?" I quietly ask.

"I'm not certain on the details. Like I said, Aura doesn't like talking about that time, but it's my opinion that she miscarried."

"Shouldn't Hogwarts have informed you? I mean, she was there in May, wasn't she?"

"Yeah, she was there, but I don't think my daughter informed any of the staff that she was pregnant. In fact, I'm rather certain that they were just as shocked as we were to find out. She was only four months along, so the signs weren't as obvious as they would have been during that summer."

The rest of the ride is quiet as I mull over the info. Maybe that's what Mum was trying to avoid. She doesn't want to remember her miscarriage. I then sigh. Maybe that's why she's so sad now.

"What in the world happened to you, Harry?" Dad asks as Sunny trots up to him.

"Seems something spooked his horse when we were out riding," Orin replies for me. "No worries, though, Severus. I can fix him up in no time once we get back up to the manor."

I wince slightly as I gently slide off the back onto the ground. Dad glances at me, but says nothing. I smile softly at Angel who is curiously peeking out from Dad's cloak. She looks rather cute right now. But then when doesn't she?

"Hey, El," I say, smiling towards the little blond. I have to admit that I do love that nickname, and the fact that Draco calls her 'Celes' still makes me laugh. "How was your walk with Dad?" I watch her slowly pull herself back from Dad's side before walking towards me. I kneel down slightly, ignoring the sharp pain to my side. I softly laugh when she hesitantly reaches towards my face. She gently runs her fingers down the side of my face where my scratches are. "I know. I kind of look like Uncle Remus, don't I, El?"

"Not anymore you don't," Draco quips, motioning with his hand at my face. "Seems our little sister had her first incident of accidental magic," he drawls, leaning against the white fence.

I glance towards Dad instantly. Dad, is he right? Did she heal me? He only inclines his head slowly before sighing heavily.

"So it seems," replies Dad, folding his arms staring at the little blond who is curiously glancing at us. "However, you are incorrect, Draco. That is not her first incident." His eyes then catch hers, which makes her glance down at the ground. "In fact, I was the lucky one to witness her first incident."

"What'd she do?"

"I was not paying attention to her when she attempted to inform me that she desired her bear." Dad then sighs. "Therefore, she decided to conjure a room full of teddy bears."

"Wicked," Draco and I both reply with a laugh. We, however, both glance down when Dad gives us his 'It was most certainly not' look.

"What is it, Celes?" Draco suddenly says after dismounting. "What are you looking at?" His gray eyes then narrow on our little sister. "Is it the horse? Do you want to pet the horse?" Draco then glances towards Dad and Orin, who only nod their consent. "Come on, Celes. It's all right. He's not going to hurt you." When the little girl walks close enough, he gently picks her up. He slowly shows her how properly to pet the horse, which she immediately mimics.

Loud, familiar giggles soon erupt from the little girl as the horse nuzzles her small hand. Her face lights up with sheer happiness. She then leans forward before kissing its nose. More laughter bubbles from her as her dark eyes shine with rich warmth.

"I think the horse likes you, Celes," Draco says with a laugh. "Maybe you should kiss him again to see if he will let you ride him. Do you want to ride the horse, Celes?"

"She's four, Draco," Dad quietly reminds. "I very much doubt even Aurora rode a horse at four."

"You're correct, Severus. She rode one at five." Orin then chuckles. "Of course, she didn't ride alone. I usually took her out riding at night just to get her to fall asleep. It's actually how Aura learned all those constellations. She kept looking up whenever we went riding, so I finally just decided to use riding as a way to teach her about Astronomy. Of course, I'm rather sure she enjoyed riding, too. You're more than free to use one of the horses to take her out. You do know how to ride, right?"

"Yes, I know how to," Dad responds with a sigh.

"What do you say, El? Do you want to ride the horse with Dad?" I say, grinning.

"Yeah, Celes, want to ride with him?" Draco replies, joining in.

"Boys," Dad warns, glancing at us both.

Angel then glances up at Dad. Her dark eyes are rather full of warmth as she stares up at him. Biting her bottom lip, she glances at the horse and then back to Dad. She does this for several moments before finally whimpering and glancing at the ground. Kicking the dirt, she sighs. Slowly, her head comes up. She starts to mouth something before puffing her cheeks out as if a chipmunk.

"H—hor—hors—horsy," she stutters out, staring straight at Dad.

"Oh, come on, Dad," I drawl before laughing. "Now you have to take her riding."

Dad sighs before shaking his head. He gently pulls her out of Draco's arms and settles her against his hip. Ever so slightly, his lips curl upwards before he presses a kiss against her forehead.

"That's my Angel," Dad softly says as he pushes back her curls. "Your next word, though, better be 'Slytherin,' 'Potions,' or 'Father,' understood?" Angel nods before nestling herself into the crook of his neck. "Let's go ride the horse then."