Hi guys! Long time, no see! To make up for it (slightly), have a nice long chapter to start the year off right! Thanks, as always, for your kind words and encouragement! xxx

A/n: I've taken a few... liberties, shall we say, with some of the spells and potions that exist in the Harry Potter Universe, and included a few of my own so please, any die-hard Potterheads (which I will confess to being), don't hate me. Anyway, enjoy!

Natalia's first trip to London had been eventful. She had to wait until the summer of her eleventh year before being able to buy her wand and books, but had been in regular correspondence with Headmistress McGonagall, and felt confident in her choice.

She'd tricked information about her mother from her Mistress, discovering her heritage and her wealth, and left her Mistress in Moscow. The Wizarding bank had not wanted to open her vault for her without her mothers' key, arguing that she "could be anyone's brat."
She'd simply stood there, asked to be Blood Tested, waited whilst they floundered and reluctantly retrieved the potion for her. She'd pulled her own knife from her satchel and nicked her thumb to allow some of her blood to run into the vial of liquid held out to her; the potion contained her mother's blood and, if they did not have a familial match, would turn a dark green. The Wizarding Bank had implemented the measure after the Second Wizarding War, when droves of survivors descended upon the bank hoping to lay claim to the fortunes of dead Death Eaters through a familial link, yet couldn't prove such ties existed. The Bank had panicked, and the potion had been created by Hermione Granger, the magic focused on, and based around, the unique characteristics of Polyjuice Potion.
The potion in question turned the most beautiful golden colour the second her blood dropped through the neck of the vial. She'd simply smiled at the goblins, and requested an escort.
She only took out enough money to see her comfortably through to the start of the school year, reasoning that she could always get more out if she had need of it now that she had her key, and her own Blood Potion.

She made her way to Madam Malkins' to be fitted for her robes, and took the time to admire the various cuts of cloth and styles of robe available. The witch herself was measuring three witches and wizards simultaneously, the tape measures and pins moving of their own volition as she chatted to a middle aged witch with a kindly face and warm brown eyes. She watched in fascination as a needle finished sewing a hem and moved to the sleeve of the robes it was sewing, a pair of scissors snipping the last of the thread neatly. Everywhere she looked was a new minor wonder, everything that Madam Malkin took for granted as common place filling Natalia with excitement and making her even more eager to learn all she could.

Finally, she was noticed by the Madam.

"Oh, dear, I am terribly sorry! I didn't see you there, little thing," said Madam Malkin as she made her way over to Natalia, "You must be a new Hogwarts student! I'll see you right for robes, dear, they'll last all year AND will grow with you so you don't need to come back until next Christmas, at the earliest!"
She ushered Natalia onto a stool, taking measurements and clucking occasionally to herself.

"Did I see Hermione Weasley in here the other day, Fortuna? She's getting big, isn't she?" The kindly looking witch asked Madame Malkin as she rummaged through robe material and her equipment set themselves up.

"Yes, Susan, she was requesting christening robes for the new little one," she replied, a fond smile spreading across her face, "and little Rose! She was trying to convince her mother to get her blue quidditch robes, just to annoy her daddy! Oh, she'll be a Gryffindor, that one, what with her parentage."

Susan leaned closer, amusement lighting her brown eyes, "Really, Fortuna? Her mother was nearly put in Ravenclaw, you know!"

Natalia listened with rapt attention as they argued good-naturedly, learning about the War Heroes' lives after the war. All she had known was their names, all six of the young ones, and that they had married and were almost all settled in their new positions across the Wizarding World.

Finally, Madam Malkin- and her enchanted materials - finished with her.

"Now, dear, where are you staying until the train comes?" She asked.

"I'm staying in room 219 in the Leaky Cauldron, ma'am."

The Madam jotted it down quickly, along with her name, and pinned it to the unfinished robes.

"Well these robes are currently plain, but will be enchanted to change the lining colour to match your house colour when they're done. Your school tie and scarf are provided there once you've been Sorted, so there is no need to worry about that, dear. Shall I send you the robes to your room or would you prefer to collect them yourself," asked Madam Malkin as she finished with Susan.

Natalia thought for a moment, unsure, "I think I'd like to collect them myself, if you don't mind?"

"Of course! They should be ready by Thursday, I'll send a note to you. You can pay for them then, dear. Enjoy your time here in Diagon Alley!"

"Thank you," she said as she left the shop.

Blinking in the bright sunlight, she paused before retrieving her school list and scratched "Robes" of the list.

"Right. Just... Twelve more things to buy," she thought, before turning and scanning the street, hoping to find a used book shop.

Just then, Susan, the kindly looking lady, stepped out of the shop behind her.

"Oh, sorry!" She said, moving out of her way.

She smiled at her before saying, "Heavens, no, no trouble, miss! It's your first school shopping trip, right? I'm Susan Banner, my nephew is two years above you. He was terrified, the first time he came here on his own! He wasn't surprised to be Sorted into Hufflepuff, I think he rather wanted to be Sorted into that house. Much less intimidating than the others! So, looking for school books next, miss?"

Natalia walked with her, smiling faintly as she rambled about her nephew's innate sense of kindness and how hard a worker he was, as they walked to Flourish and Blotts.

"Can I get them second hand here, Mrs Banner?" She asked quietly.

"Of course you can, and call me Susan. Mrs Banner is Bruce's poor mother," She replied, before pointing at a boy taller than her standing near a stand of books about Astronomy, "That's my brother's boy, there, with the curly hair. My Bruce, best finder Hufflepuff has ever seen!"

The boy shifted and turned to look at them, hearing his name across the store.

"Aunt Susan," he cried, starting towards them, "who's this?"

Up close, Natalia could see his eyes were as kind as his Aunt's, and just as dark a brown, whilst his hair was darker and far wilder. He exuded nervous energy, his hands toying with his grey cardigan as he smiled shyly at her.

She stuck out her hand for him to shake.

"Natalia Romanova, pleasure to meet you," she said as he shook her hand lightly.

"Robert Banner, but everyone calls me Bruce." He smiled and his dimples showed.

The three of them set off around the shop, finding dog-eared copies of all her required books. Though she knew it was necessary, part of her wished for shiny new books, like the rest of her year were sure to have.

Something must have shown on her face, as before they reached the till point, Bruce stopped her.

"You know, I still have all my old books from first and second year. You could have them, if you wanted. I take good care of them," he said, chest puffing out slightly with pride over the condition of his books.

"I don't need your charity, but thank you," said Natalia, as politely as she could manage.

"Wha- Oh, no, not as charity! I just don't need them anymore and they're in much, much better condition than these, so thought you might want them. I'm going to get rid of them soon anyway, and I'd feel better knowing they're going to a good home. Please, take them! We can bring them to you before the start of term," he said earnestly, and for the life of her she could see no pity in her eyes, only the kindness his aunt had rightly said he possessed.

"Are you sure you don't mind? I don't want to be a burden. I can take care of myself."

"I believe it, honestly. Have you got your pet yet? We can go to the Magical Menagerie next if you haven't," he said as they squeezed through the crowds of school children to put the old books back. Aunt Susan waved them off from where she stood near a collection of Divination books.
Finally reaching the door to the street, they chatted lightly about the school, Bruce setting her at ease even as the crowds of people in the Alley set her nerves on edge.

"I have a tawny owl," He said as they pushed open the door to the Magical Menagerie. "They're really useful, owls, if you want to write home. I hate relying on the school owls, they can be a bit unreliable."

She sighed almost inaudibly.

"If I had anyone to write home to, I'd get one. We're allowed cats?" She asked, closing the topic of writing home firmly.

"Yeah, they're really popular! The house elves love them, they keep the vermin problem at bay. In a big old castle like Hogwarts they're a nightmare, but the cats and the owls do their bit to keep them under control," said Bruce, smiling.

"I'm sorry, house elves?"

"Ah yeah, they're little elves with these massive eyes and ears, they do all the work in the castle, tidying and cooking, cleaning and whatnot. They live in the kitchens, which is right next to our dormitory. Hey, what house do you think you'll be in?"

She felt unsure as his eyes bored into hers.

"Honestly, I don't know. Probably Slytherin, but maybe Ravenclaw? I'm not nice enough for Hufflepuff and Gryffindor... I'm not brave to the point of stupid," She replied as she turned to look at a cat in a cage to her left. At the front of the store, a woman argued loudly with the owner about the origins of a cat she had bought a month ago, insisting the owner had lied about the cat's parentage. A group of parrots squawked back at her, repeating every third word.

"Slytherin isn't a bad house. They're certainly hardworking, and ruthless in pursuing their goals, they just have a bad reputation thanks to Voldemort, and a few other bad wizards you're gonna love learning about it History of Magic. Ravenclaws are different, they love being individual and work just as hard as the Slytherins, they just get distracted sometimes by the pursuit of knowledge. Personally," he said, a gleam of amusement in his eyes, "I love being part of Hufflepuff, we're like a big loyal family. And, as I said, the kitchens are right next to us. Midnight feasts are never hard to get for us!"

They both laughed. The woman at the front had reached screeching levels, demanding the proprietor take the cat back, or she'd make him regret it.
"I don't want a refund, you blibbering humdinger, I want rid of the infernal beast!" She screeched, causing both children to turn and look at her.

The cat itself was huddled in its cage by her feet, a beautiful black little thing with eyes as green as Natalia's.

Her mind made up, she strode forward. She forced herself to grow several inches, changed her hair to a straight dark brown, and aged her features slightly. Or at least, she hoped she did. It was hard to perfect without the aid of a mirror.

"Madam, I would like to take your cat off your hands." She stated baldly.

"What? Why would you want it? It's a demon!"

"I just do. I'm happy to take it and leave now, no need to disturb the poor man any further, and my sister can finally have a cat that will perfectly compliment her atrocious personality. It's a win all round, yes?" She hoped fervently that the woman didn't see through her façade.

"I'm happy to see the little demon gone!" She thrust the cat in the cage towards her, turning on her heel and storming out of the shop.

"Thank you, miss," The proprietor said from behind the counter as he turned to check on the parrots still squawking in their cages.

She turned back around and adjusted her appearance back to normal, remembering at the last moment that Bruce had seen everything.

"Wow," He said, "How do you do that?"

She shrugged. "I've always been able to do it. It's come in really useful back in Russia, you never know when you're going to need to hide."

"Well, it was incredible. Do you want to get ice cream when we've got everything for school? I'd love to see you do more disguises," he said smilingly, "What are you going to call your cat, Natalia?"

"Oh. I hadn't thought about that," She paused, thinking for a moment. "I think, I think I will call her Esmé. Short for Esmeralda, for her eyes."

Bruce smiled at her winningly, taking the cat carrier from her, the cat within purring loudly, butting its little head against the bars of the cage. They went to the shop adjoining the Menagerie to buy food and bedding for Esmé, then crossed the street to the busy ice cream parlour.

"What kind of ice cream do you like? My favourite has to be their pumpkin pasty flavour, it's almost better than eating the real thing!" He said to her, weaving in between full tables of children and parents enjoying the cool treat.

"Honeycomb," She lied quickly, "I think. Do they have it here?"

"Hi, Mr. Fortesque! Could we have one big bowl with a scoop of every flavour, please? And an extra scoop of honeycomb and pumpkin pasty, if you don't mind," said Bruce, smiling widely at the young man standing in from of them.

"Does he ever stop smiling?" She thought.

"Of course, master Banner! Though surely you know your favourites by now?"

"I do, yes," he laughed, "but my friend here has never been to London before, or tried your award winning ice cream, so I thought I'd treat us."

"Righteo, young master Banner, I'll bring it over to your table when it's ready for you," said Mr Fortesque, taking the money Bruce held out to him.
As they walked away, Natalia tugged on his sleeve angrily.

"I don't need your charity!" She hissed, "I can buy my own ice cream, I have plenty of money, and I only wanted to buy the books second hand to make the money I've taken out last as long as possible!"

His hurt expression stopped her anger as quickly as it had begun.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. Thank you for the ice cream, I know you're just being kind," she said apologetically, tugging on an errant curl of hair.

He let out a long breath, before smiling at her again.

"It's okay. We've only just met, and you're in a new country, probably away from your parents for the first time ever, so you're scared. Let's just enjoy our ice cream, and finish getting our school stuff. The apothecary is open until seven anyway, and my aunt will happily put a stasis charm on them just to be safe on the journey," Bruce said, all traces of hurt vanished from his features though he continued picking at the sleeves of his cardigan as they waited.

A tall, thin girl with long brown waves sauntered over from a nearby table, a sneer marring her lovely features.

"Hey, Big Guy, found a stray? Just 'cause Tony's not around for you to bug doesn't mean you can just pick up any old mongrel. You're pathetic," the girl said, her tone reminding Natalia forcefully of her Mistress.

"Look, Amber-"

"It's Wanda, and you know it, Bruce."

"Wanda, I don't know what I've done but please leave me alone..."

Wanda looked ready to argue again, so Natalia preempted stood quickly, grabbing Wanda's wrist and twisting it behind her back hard. Her foot swept out and caught the other girls' leg, dropping her to her knees.

"He's asked you nicely to leave him alone, now I'M telling you to scurry back to your little playmates with your tail between your legs like the stupid little dog you are. Run home, puppy," she hissed, before thrusting her out and away from her body.

Wanda scrambled up, throwing a frightened look back at them as she went, massaging her wrist gently.

Natalia took a deep breath then turned wary eyes on her companion.

His eyes were so wide she could see her own reflection in them, the blood flushing her cheeks and her curls crackling with magical energy. But within his eyes was awe and thanks, and they calmed her nerves, knowing he wasn't afraid of her.

"Thank you! That was a bit mean, but she'll get over it. I can't believe you just did that!" He gushed.

She smiled shyly at him, a dimple showing in her left cheek.

"I can show you how to, if you want. I'm pretty good at hand to hand combat, and I've taught other kids before, so it wouldn't be hard. If you wanted to learn. And it would be like repayment for the books and ice cream," she said.

"Really? I'm not sure that's a good idea, I kinda have a bit of an anger problem. It might make it worse if I know how to really hurt someone…"

She scoffed internally, unable to imagine him angry, or willing to hurt someone else, as their ice cream arrived.
The massive bowl was heaped with ice cream of every available flavour, as well as a smaller bowl of "palate cleanser, miss," as Mr. Fortesque explained.
She didn't know how they were going to eat a third of it never mind the whole thing.

"Bruce.. There's so much! Won't it melt?"

"No, there's a spell Mr. Fortesque developed which keeps the ice cream frozen until its eaten, unlike a stasis charm which wears off as soon as the spell's effects are broken, such as by a spoon breaking the seal of the spell," he explained.

"But they sound exact... Oh! The spell works on each individual type not the whole bowl. Okay, I get it. Can we talk less and eat more, please?"
The next hour and a half was spent leisurely devouring the ice cream feast before them, and chatting about general topics, until finally all the ice cream was gone.

"I don't think I've ever felt this full," Said Natalia, rubbing her slightly distended stomach lightly.

"Still think your favourite is honeycomb?"

"No, I really liked the liquorice, actually. I don't think I've ever tasted it before," she replied, eyes averted from his.

"So, you've said you're Russian, but whereabouts? And your parents? They must be so worried about you over here on your own," he said.

"Well I'm sure they would, if they knew I was still alive. But they abandoned me when I was a baby, and I've grown up in an orphanage on the outskirts of Volograd."

He looks hurt again, but before she can brush it off or apologise, he stops her.

"I'm so sorry. I never even guessed, but the signs were all there. Will you be going back there on the holidays?"

"I don't have anywhere else to go, Bruce. Besides, I have to look after the others."

"Or, you can stay with us, over Easter and Christmas, Aunty Susan would love it." He says earnestly, as he tidies up the mess they'd made on the table.
They stand up and leave as she's still mulling over the possibilities.

"The option of not going back at all over the year is so very tempting," she thinks.

"You can always stay at school over the first two holidays. There're loads of kids who don't want to go home, or don't have a home to go to," he pauses, then continues shyly, "I'd be happy to stay with you if you wanted. I know we'll be in different houses, but over Christmas we all basically live in the great hall. In fact, last year there was only six of them over Christmas, so they changed the Hospital Wing into a mini dormitory, complete with fire and four posters way comfier than ours and everyone, and I mean everyone, even staff, slept there all holiday. I've never seen two Gryffindors and a Slytherin get on so well!" He laughs at the memory, and his smile makes her want to smile with him.

"The best bit was, they forgot to turn it back! So we all came back to school and there were Slytherins and Gryffindors hugging in the halls, Peeves was wearing fairy wings, and the Hospital Wing was festooned in streamers and had chocolate frog cards stuck all over the walls!" They both laugh this time, and Natalia revels in how free she sounds, leaving her old world behind her.

They bought the ingredients they'd need for Potions in the Apothecary, before heading to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"This shop is the best shop in the Alley. Everything you need to get out of classes, sneak around undetected, or just prank other pupils can be found here. The guy who owns it, and creates everything, is a genius, honestly! Of course, most of the items are contraband within the school, so you've gotta be careful what sweets you bring with you."

They step into the shop which is heaving with students, adults, and toddlers alike. Everywhere she looked is some new wonder, the bright colours and noises catching her attention. Natalia couldn't help but wonder how so many things can be stuffed in such a small shop.

"Undetectable extension charm, love," Someone whispered in her ear from behind. She turned sharply, taking in the freckled face, messy long-ish ginger hair, and lurid green robes of the man standing in front of her.

"George Weasley, at your service," He said, as he swept her a low bow.

"It's incredible, how you've done this," She said.

"I must confess, I had a little help with this particular charm. Hermione Weasley, my sister in law, helped a bit-"

He's interrupted by a taller freckled man calling across the shop floor, "She did the whole bloody thing, don't try and take credit, you lout!"

"I do apologise for my brother, what Hermione sees in him..."

She smiles politely at George.

"Anyway! What are you looking for, little lady?"

"I don't really know. What else do you sell?"

George takes her by the arm and steers her through the crowded shop floor, Natalia barely managing to grab Bruce's sleeve as they went past.
"We have everything you could ever need to get out of lessons, eavesdrop on teachers, or just sneak around the halls at night. Puking Pastilles are a favourite, as are the Nosebleed Nougat, and the invisibility hats are invaluable to wizards and witches of all ages," he says as they reach a quieter spot surrounded by shelves full of useful products, "I'll leave you two here, there seems to be a commotion..."

With that he hurried off, as indeed there was a commotion brewing near the front of the store. Natalia ignored it, gazing critically at the wares presented to her.

"Bruce, what do these actually do?" She pointed to a stand of hats to her left.

"Put one on, in front of the mirror," he said, gesturing to one.

"I'd rather not," she said, fingering the rim of the hat.

He sighed, "It turns the wearer invisible, using an extended disillusionment charm. Surprisingly complex magic."

"Oh."

They wandered around the store, buying bits and bobs that caught their fancy, and would lead to any number of missed lessons, should she care to miss any.

"My wand! I don't have one yet," She said unhappily, cursing her own stupidity. It should have been the first thing she bought!

"Don't worry, he'll be open again tomorrow. Want me to escort you to your room, ma'am?" He joked, sweeping a low bow and gesturing her in front of him.

She swept ahead, all three foot seven off her calling over her shoulder, "Why thank you, good sir, I'm much obliged..."

They both broke out into peals of laughter, his low and throaty, hers bubbling up from deep within her chest, a snort-hiccough-giggle hybrid that she couldn't control no matter how hard she tried.

Tom the Barkeeper handed Natalia her room key and they awkwardly fumbled their way up the narrow stairs, jostling Esmé in her cage as they went.
Bruce placed her purchases in the desk in the corner of the room before turning back to her.

"Do you want me to bring the books here tomorrow?" He asked eagerly.

"Sure. We could get some of your things this time, and my wand!"

"Oh yeah! Okay, Aunt Susan and I should be here at around ten, if that's okay with you?"

"I think you should be worrying more about your Aunt than me, Bruce," She said.

"Aunty Susan's okay, she never could say no to me. See you tomorrow!" He said, waving back at her as he traversed the narrow stairs back to the bar.

"Bye..." She said, turning to her cat and looking her in the eye.

"So, Esmé. What am I going to do with you?"

The cat pawed at the door to the cage, her green eyes impossibly huge, so Natalia rolled hers and opened the cage, fully expecting her to sprint for the door.
Instead, the cat curled around her ankles and jumped onto the bed, curling up and purring loudly, eyes fixed on Natalia's every movement.

"I wonder... I've never tried to look like a cat before."

She turned to the mirror above the desk. She climbed onto the table and studied Esmé's reflection, focussing on making her own reflection match her cats.
She closed her eyes and allowed sensation to take over; she'd never tried to become an animal before, and didn't really want to watch the transformation.
She could feel her tail bone lengthening, could twitch her ears and new tail, and revelled in the feeling of razor sharp claws sheathed under soft, downy fur.
She opened her eyes. The floor looked ever so far away and every thing was bigger than she remembered. The light seemed different, too, in a way she couldn't define, the colours sharper and more precise, but almost like there was more of them.

The whiskers blew her mind. If it wasn't for the impracticality of them in everyday life, she'd choose to have them all the time.

A knock on her door- or her neighbours', she wasn't sure- wrought a drawn out "mreeeeooow" from her throat, before she remembered that she was literally in cat form.

She shifted her appearance back to normal quickly, patting her face for errant whiskers, and opened the door.

Tom stood there, a glass of milk in one hand and a small plate of biscuits in the other.

"'Scuse me, miss, but the young master asked me to send these 'ere up to yer. 'Ope yer don't mind, miss," he said, his wizened, toothless face creased in a welcoming smile.

She smiled back lightly, thanking him. His smiled faltered slightly, eyes focused on something behind her back and with a start she realised it was her tail, still black and shiny and moving.

"Uhm, it's a new joke product from WWW, sir, a sweet that makes you grow a new animal feature. Should wear off any moment, I'm sure."
He handed her the treats and bid her a good evening, adding "I 'ope that tail of yourn goes away soon, miss, else that'll look a mite 'culiar on the train."

She thanked him again and closed the door, holding her head in embarrassment. She could hear the other patrons of the pub/inn going about their routines around her, but spared no thought for their lives; they had nothing to do with her. She plucked the one book she had managed to buy from beneath Esmé's cage and curled up on the bed around her, book clasped beneath one hand, resting on the bed covers, the other idly stroking Esmé as she purred.

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" was slim and easy to read, and before she knew it the sun had sunk behind the horizon, candle light was bathing the room in a warm glow and she slept, dreams filled with cackling stumps, talking rabbits, hopping pots, and the means to defeat death.