Please don't let that be him. Merlin, please, don't let that be him.

-

Draco

Not being around Taylor was driving Draco crazy. On top of that, detention with Blaise every weekend was torture. They had just gotten back from spring break, which Draco spent at the Manor. It was always the same. Same cold house, same demanding father, same empty feeling he got whenever his mother was being shouted at and he couldn't do a single thing about it.

He continued to avoid her at school, still hating himself for hurting her. She seemed better, she had to be better. Otherwise, this was all for nothing. 

Draco's hopes were confirmed when he turned a corner, slouching down the corridor to Charms, and Luna Lovegood was kissing Taylor. He didn't allow himself any time to react, turning around and leaving. His instinct was to shove Lovegood away from her, but at least this must mean Taylor was better. Was it selfish of him to wish he had been in Luna's place? After all, he is, in his mind, the source of her pain. He shouldn't even be thinking of her.

Why was she kissing her? It was Luna who kissed Taylor, but she kissed Luna back. She never showed interest in Luna before, they were barely even friends. Were they dating? 

Fuck. He had to stop thinking about her. He had to put her out of his mind, focus on something else. Draco was already on the Quidditch team, but he could spend more time practicing and win Slytherin the Quidditch Cup. That would make his father proud for a day or two. He made his way to the Quidditch Pitch with his teammates. And who else would be practicing Quidditch other than Taylor fucking Bristol. 

Anyone else. Anyone else could have walked onto the field. But low and behold, Taylor, her blonde friend, and a few other students Draco recognized from the Hufflepuff team came out, brooms in hand. He started flying towards the doors to the locker rooms, but Marcus Flint, the team captain, stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going, Malfoy? We have games to win," he spoke assertively, flying in front of Draco. "I don't care," he snapped back.

"Hey, Mr. Over-dramatic, relax," Adrian Pucey called, " Your girlfriend is going over to the lake."

He pointed and Draco's gaze followed to see Taylor and her friends leaving the spot they were just at. They were now flying in the direction of the lake. What were they doing over there? Draco didn't dare fly over the lake. He would never admit this to anyone except her, but he couldn't swim. More motivation to stay away from Taylor, though.

He continued practicing different flying maneuvers and tricks to slow down the other seeker. It was going well until another person came onto the Quidditch Pitch. He was getting his gear and started flying towards the lake. For whatever reason, this made Draco extremely jealous. This guy was probably heading to practice with the Hufflepuffs, one of them obviously being Taylor. 

It was Cedric Diggory, Hufflepuff's seeker and team captain. Knowing he was Cedric made him angry. Cedric had almost every girl at Hogwarts wrapped around his bloody finger. It was pathetic. Taylor wouldn't fall for him, would she? 

Jealousy, competitiveness, and curiosity got the better of him, and he started following Cedric towards the lake. The other girls Draco had seen earlier were tossing a Quaffle around while flying in strategic patterns, to confuse whoever was chasing them. They were doing this over the lake as well, as some form of advanced practice. 

Remembering the patterns and strategies must be easy for Taylor. Hell, she'd probably come up with her own. 

Cedric shouted as he neared the group, "Nice Thimblerig Shuffle! Keep it up!" 

Draco trailed behind Cedric but didn't get too close so no one would notice him. He hovered in mid-air and watched protectively as Cedric joined the game. The Quaffle was dropped into the water, everyone stopped to chat while one of them got the ball. Cedric was getting a little too close for Draco's liking. Within seconds he was thoughtlessly flying over to them. Once he was mere feet away from Taylor, he realized he didn't actually know what he was going to say.

"What are you doing here?" Cedric asked, offense in his voice. "Watch yourself, Diggory. Keep your hands where they belong," Draco kept his eyes on Cedric, sending him the coldest stare he could conjure.

"Yep, they're on my broom," he says irritated, "Thanks for checking in, Malfoy, but you can leave now. You weren't invited." 

He started at Diggory, who predicted this outcome and pushed Draco away from him, causing him to fall off of his broom. It happened so fast. He was about 30 feet in the air and falling through it felt like hours of panic. He could feel the wind pulling at his robes and hair. He saw the lake drawing nearer. Upon hitting the water, he sunk into the lake, slowly descending deeper. There was no light, no sense of direction. His breath left him, and there was no more air.

-

Taylor

Time seemed to slow down as Taylor watched Draco slipping off his broom and tumble through the air. She choked on her breath remembering the day he told her he couldn't swim. She made fun of him before promising to one day teach him. Instinct kicked in and she swooped down after him, Cedric following closely behind her.

He plunged into the water and Taylor managed to throw her broom to Cedric and dive into the water all in one go. He was sinking 10, 15, 20 feet underwater, motionless with his eyes shut. Taylor reached her arms out and swam as fast as she could. The water rippled around them in waves, almost like magic. Her hand found his arm and she started pulling him up and swimming towards the surface.

It was getting more and more difficult, she was running out of breath and Draco's limp body was heavy. The lake was freezing cold, no matter how hot it was outside, the lake never warmed. It was pitch black, too. The only way she knew she was going in the right direction was by the air bubbles escaping her lips. She might have been imagining it, but it almost felt like the two were being pushed up by some force. There are myths about the lake being enchanted and magical creatures that live inside. No one was really sure what was true, and no one wanted to find out.

She finally emerged from the water with Draco in her arms and was met by Cedric, Heidi, and Max, all ready to help. Cedric pulled Draco onto his broom and Heidi helped Taylor get back on hers. Taylor instructed Cedric to put him down on the ground. Not a minute later, they were on the rocky shore, and Taylor, who always kept her wand nearby, was pulling it from its place, tucked into her sock. "Rennervate!" She cried. Her wand, which was pointed at Draco's chest, emitted a red light. She dropped to her knees beside him.

The spell is supposed to work instantaneously. But Taylor sat next to him, holding her breath, waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

She took in a sharp breath and tried again, "Rennervate!" The same red light sprung from the tip of her wand. Draco laid still on the rocks, his pale face somehow paler, his cold lips shades of blue. Thousands of unpleasant thoughts flooded her mind. The ground started shaking and the wind was raging.

"Someone do something!" She said frantically, looking to her friends for help. None of them liked Draco Malfoy, but surely they wouldn't let him die. It was as if they forgot where they were, and Taylor shouting at them made them remember. 

She looked down at him, red marks were spreading across his skin. The same marks were forming on her skin as well. The longer they all stayed in that spot, no one moving, the more Taylor felt like she was going to explode. Some of the rocks around them were lifting into the air.

And though this moment felt like a lifetime, only seconds had passed since she yelled to her friends to help. Cedric was pulling Draco back onto his broom and flew away with Maxine. Taylor watched them become smaller until they were no longer visible. Several grey and black rocks had floated into the air, some getting as high as six or seven feet. Heidi's voice was barely audible in Taylor's crowded mind.

"Taylor, you need to calm down." Her hand grabbed Taylor's shoulder.

She didn't feel like she could calm down. She felt anything but calm. For some reason, realizing she couldn't calm down made it worse. The wind swirled and blew the girls' hair in every direction. 

Heidi appeared in front of her, a worried expression on her face. "Tay, you're scaring me. Please calm down."

Taylor knew couldn't control her emotions so she instead got on her broom to head to the hospital wing. The rocks hit the ground behind her, the crazy wind followed. Her feet hit the stone and the broom broke in half, one end of it flinging into a bush scattered with yellow berries. 

Everything looked blurry. Something seemed to be following her through the halls and to the hospital. It stayed with her once she arrived. Whatever it was, it got worse seeing Draco still lifeless on the little bed. Madam Pomfrey seemed anxious, along with Cedric and Max. 

The candles flickered and bottles of dittany, bezoars and various magical herbs started shaking. A crack split down the stone wall, the glass from a window bursting into the room. Her legs started taking her towards the boy but something held her back. Professor Snape was pulling her into the hallway while Dumbledore and McGonagall were walking further into the room.

She felt inexplicably hot and her brain was fuzzy. The wooden doors to the hospital closed, and Taylor writhed out of Snape's hold. She tried to get inside, but it was locked. Her hands balled into fists and banged on the wood. Taylor started screaming, not saying anything, just yelling and sobbing. She knew Snape was speaking but couldn't register a single word he was saying.

The only thing Taylor could think of was Draco's paler-than-normal face, his blue lips, the red marks on his skin, how lifeless he looked. Heidi was now rushing over to them, exchanging words with Professor Snape that Taylor couldn't comprehend. 

She tried to hold Taylor's hands in a firm grip but was pushed away. Not by Taylor herself, but whatever it was that was with her. Heidi was pushed off her feet and into the air, her back colliding with the wall.

Professor Sprout and Professor Lupin arrived, helping Heidi before talking with Snape. Sprout ushered Heidi away. More words that she couldn't hear, she could barely recognize their faces. 

Nothing felt real, like none of this was actually happening. But, at the same time, it felt all too real. This confliction of feelings often caused a numbing sensation in Taylor, something that was normal for her by now.

She felt anger, regret, terror, despair, hopelessness, sorrow, and about ten other similar emotions. 

Then, she felt nothing. Nothing at all.

-

She was lying in the sand. It was warm, but not so warm that it was uncomfortable. The sky was clear and the sun was blinding. She could hear the ocean waves crashing on the shore and birds flying over her. She stretched her arms out in the sand, enjoying the feeling of it touching her skin. Her hand ran into a hidden shell and she turned on her side to look at it.

It was beautiful. The most perfect, proportional shell she's ever seen. Colors of purple danced down the smooth edges. It was so soft sitting in her hands. Everything was okay here, she was okay here. She sat up at the sound of a voice.

It was a familiar voice. One that brought a smile to her face. The person walking up the beach had gorgeous golden brown hair that shone orange and red hues in the sunlight. Her eyes looked like caramel, her smile was sweet and loving. She was wearing a silver necklace, and Taylor could just make out the shimmering 'A' dangling at the end.

She couldn't hear what the girl was saying, but she threw her arm into the air, waving at Taylor. In her other hand, she was holding a stuffed bear. It was perfect and new, with no dirt or lose threads. The girl sat in the sand near Taylor.

"Let's play a game," she said. Godric, her voice was so friendly, like she knew her.

"Alright," Taylor responded, trusting the girl for no reason. But, she felt safe.

Her smile widened at Taylor's answer, then she dragged her finger through the sand. She made 9 little boxes, Taylor knew this game. Everything about this place and this girl seemed normal and happy. They took turns drawing shapes in the sand, but the other girl won.

"Again?" Taylor asked.

And so they played again. Then again. The sun never went down and clouds never blocked the warmth. No one else was at this beach, and that was perfect. Taylor liked how the rest of the sand remained untouched. 

"What's that?" Taylor pointed to the stuffed bear that now sat in her lap while they played.

She picked it up and placed it in Taylor's hands. "It's for you," the girl smiled her sweet, somehow familiar smile. 

"I'm afraid I must get going. I will see you again one day," she said, standing up, the sand falling from her clothes. Taylor didn't ask why she had to go or when she would see her again. She knew that the girl would be back someday; that they would be together again. The girl walked back down the beach in the direction she came from. Taylor laid on her back, holding the stuffed bear over her face with her right hand. In her left sat the shell, perfect in every way possible.

She didn't know who the girl was, but it didn't seem to matter. They just met but Taylor felt like they've known each other for years. She didn't know the girl's name, yet she felt like she could tell her anything. 

-

Her eyes opened, she was sat against the wall, still in the same corridor. Her clothes and hair were still damp. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and Lupin were all discussing something important. 

"She should know," McGonagall whispered.

"She will, when the time is right," Dumbledore responded. Lupin said nothing and stared at the floor.

"She's awake," said Snape. 

The four of them turned their heads to look at her. McGonagall was the first to come to her, helping her stand and asking if she felt alright. At first, she couldn't remember what had happened. Chunks of stone fell crumbled on the floor, cracks bolted through the walls, and the wooden door to the hospital was warped.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.

McGonagall saw her expression change and immediately reassured her, "He's alright, don't worry. Just resting."

"Can I see him?" Taylor asked, already walking towards the door. It was more of a courtesy question, if they didn't want her to see him, they shouldn't have made it so easy to get to him.

No one tried to stop her. McGonagall shot a concerned look to Dumbledore, who gave a slight nod and smiled through his crescent moon glasses. Taylor pushed through the doors and spotted him. He no longer looked lifeless, and she realized why.

He wasn't breathing before, he was now, but she realized that seeing someone breathe, their chest rising and falling, was something so unnoticeable until it didn't happen.

She hurried over to him. The red, web-like marks had vanished from his skin. Taylor glanced at her arms and sure enough, the marks had gone. She hesitantly reached for his hand, then held onto it tightly. The sound of someone bursting into the room made her jump and spin around.

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were running up to Ronald Weasley, who Taylor had only now seen sitting across the room. She felt awkward being there with Draco when the three of them hated him. It always felt strange talking to one of them, knowing how cruel Draco was, especially once they knew Taylor and him were friends. 

She was about to leave but Harry very unexpectedly called her name. 

"It's actually good that you're here, I need to speak with you," he looked at Draco, then back to her. "We could talk somewhere else if you like."

"Here's fine. He's asleep," Taylor said, wondering what Harry could possibly need to tell her.

"Well, I spoke with Sirius Black-"

"Sirius Black? How are you not dead?" Taylor took a step back, almost like she thought Harry was radioactive.

"The story you heard is wrong. Peter Pettigrew sold out my parents to Voldemort," Taylor gasped when he said the name, "and blamed it on Sirius. He's my godfather." Harry stopped talking, waiting for her response. She didn't know what to say.

Taylor and Harry were friendly to each other, but not even close to friends. This is something you tell your friend. Taylor couldn't understand why he was telling her. 

"He asked about you," Harry said suddenly, breaking the awkward silence. 

"Why?" 

"He wanted to know where you were, asked why you weren't with me." 

She looked around the room, avoiding looking at Harry. To her right, Hermione watched them anxiously. Ron, who was sitting up in the bed, stared with a confused look. This must be his first time hearing the story as well. To her left, Draco slept in a bed identical to Ron's. It was Identical to the dozen other beds in the room.

"Why would I be with you?" She finally asked.

Harry gulped. "That's what I said."

They stared at each other. She was waiting for him to tell her more, but he couldn't seem to find the words. They were alike in that way, and Taylor found it quite funny how awkward the two of them got in social situations.

Taylor wasn't going to crack. She wasn't going to be the first one to talk again. She was good at this game, not speaking until the other person did first. 

"Sirius told me that he expected us to be together because we're," he paused for a moment, deciding if he wanted to finish his sentence, "related. Twins, actually."

Taylor was the definition of confused. 

"Excuse me?" Taylor had never met Harry until her first year at Hogwarts. He lived with his Muggle aunt and uncle because his parents were killed by Voldemort, everyone knew that. He was James and Lily Potter's only child. They died when he was a baby, and he somehow was able to fight off Voldemort himself. His story was legendary, every single witch and wizard knew his name. Taylor wasn't in the stories. Surely, if she was his twin, everyone would know her name too.

"I know. I didn't believe it, either. Apparently, my parents - our parents - didn't tell anyone but their close friends about you because you were different." He spoke cautiously like Taylor was an unstable bomb. 

"Different? What does that mean, different?"

"You weren't how a baby witch usually is. They brought you to Sirius and Remus, and they took care of you for a few days, trying to figure out what was happening. Then Voldemort killed my- our parents. I was sent to live with my aunt and uncle. You were put up for adoption because it was too dangerous for you to be with me." 

Woah. This was a lot to process. Like, holy shit.

Taylor was (1) Harry Potter's twin sister and (2) adopted by her parents. She was speechless. What do you say when you find out everything you knew about your life was wrong? The more she thought about it, the more similarities she found between herself and Harry.

They had the same eyes and somewhat the same face shape. There was a notable height difference between the two, granted there was always a height difference when comparing Taylor to literally anyone else. They looked alike but were definitely not identical. He had jet black hair, and she had dark brown hair. 

She studied his face, and he seemed to do the same to her, looking for every possible sign that they were siblings. If it was true, her real parents were both dead. At least she still had her dad. That would also mean Ana wasn't her real sister. 

Though even if she was adopted, in her mind, Ana is still her sister and her mum and dad are her parents. It's just that now, she has a new brother and new dead parents.

"You have a sister?" Ron bellowed from the bed.

Taylor forgot he was there, she forgot any of them were there. Harry ignored Ron.

"What do we do now?" He asked. 

Taylor stood silently, staring at Harry. "I have to write to my dad," she finally said in a near-whisper. "Right, yeah," he nodded.

She looked at Draco, who was still asleep. She wrote a quick note telling him to go to her room whenever he was up. She left it on the end of his bed. Taylor started walking out into the hall but stopped, thinking she should maybe say something.

But nothing came to mind. So she kept walking. 

Back in her room, she wrote a carefully worded letter to her father.

-

Dad,

I love you, and I will love you no matter what. And I will not be angry if this is true: Harry Potter told me that I am his twin sister. I need you to tell me, am I adopted? I've thought about it, and I understand all of the possible reasons why you never told me. You don't have to explain yourself. If it is true, I want you to know that you will always be my dad. Please write back as soon as you can.

Love, Taylor

-

She took the parchment to the owlery. A snowy owl flew to her, practically forced the letter out of her hands, and flew away. Alright, that has never happened to her before, strange. 

There was a lot to talk about with Harry, but she couldn't think of where to start. If her dad was okay with it, he could spend his summers with them. But, would he really want to? Their apartment only had one bedroom, lost power a lot, and they probably wouldn't have enough food for the three of them. Taylor could go with Harry to the Weasley's if they wanted her to.

Then there was Voldemort. No one really knew if he was aware of Taylor's existence. The last two years, he only went after Harry, so it's safe to assume he doesn't know. Harry did say that their parents only told their close friends. But, wasn't Peter Pettigrew one of those friends? And he betrayed them. If he knew, surely he told Voldemort. Or maybe he didn't. They really had no idea.

Harry and his two friends break most of the school rules every year getting into chaotic situations. Would that be Taylor's life now? She wasn't exactly opposed, she would just need to mentally prepare herself. She wished she could have mentally prepared herself for this. 

Taylor wanted Harry to tell her about her biological parents, too. Even though they're gone, and even though she had her own family for her entire life, she needed to know about them. She needed to hear stories and see pictures.

They also needed to talk about whatever was "different" about Taylor. It was the reason she wasn't at home with Lily, James, and Harry that night. She thought a lot about how one decision changed everything. 

Lastly, they should probably talk a little bit about their friends. Taylor spoke with Ron and Hermione very little, but they would probably get along. Harry and his friends might like Taylor's friends, and they might not. The only thing she knew for sure was that Draco hated them and they hated Draco. Maybe it won't be that much of an issue.

Damn. 

Everything is different now.

-

This chapter took me so long to write T-T I was going in a completely opposite direction, then got an idea and deleted half of what I wrote. It changes the entire story, and I'm cripplingly nervous about if you guys will like this storyline. The main plot I had in mind is the same, I just never expected this to happen.

Also, I know I said Luna and Taylor kissed and then just DIDN'T EXPLAIN. Don't worry loves, I'll be sure to give you more details later.

I'm sorry for my inconsistent publishing schedule. Please bear with me while I try to figure out what works for me, I never thought I'd have people waiting on me to post chapters.

That's all I wanted to say for now! Drink some water :)