"Good morning," lovelle greeted Severus in an almost monotone fashion. Exiting her bedroom, fully dressed, she strode past the armchair her father resided in and made way for the door. "I'm going to see Harry," she stated before reaching for the doorknob.

"Not without having eaten breakfast," the potion's master halted her, causing the girl to groan in exasperation. "Or, if you would prefer not visiting Potter at all-"

"No, I'll eat!" Lovelle hastily cut him off. She'd received practically zero sleep the night before as she had been looking forward to seeing her brother again.

Severus slightly smirked at his daughter's sudden change in heart and directed the girl's attention towards the dining room table. There, a magically kept warm bowl of porridge, along with some juice and two slices of toast waited.

Taking her seat, the eleven year old sighed once more. She was hardly hungry. Back at Wool's she would typically skip breakfast…and the other meals if she could help it. The slop was just so bloody disgusting that lovelle could never force herself to eat more than a bite or two no matter how hungry she may have been. So now, because of that, her stomach had clearly shrunken in size as there remained perfectly tasteful food before her, and still, she could not eat even half of it.

"Is there a problem?" the professor's voice rang out from behind, causing lovelle to nearly topple out of her chair.

"Geez, could you at least try to be a bit louder?" she angrily complained, righting herself. "It's like you do that on purpose."

Severus raised a brow in light of the accusation, "I assumed, as we coincide within the same rooms on a daily basis, that my presence would not startle you so," he let her know, albeit sarcastically.

Lovelle huffed and prodded her porridge harshly with a spoon, "Yeah, well, you 'assumed' wrong," she informed him.

The potion's master merely hummed curiously at that, inwardly wondering just why his child was always on edge. Outwardly, however, he'd never shown any concern as he knew he'd be unveiling many answers throughout his visit to the orphanage come Sunday.

"Can I go now?" eyes, a perfect mixture of Lily's and his own, looked up at him pleadingly, breaking his train of thought.

Despite wishing for her to consume more, Severus opted to let the matter slide for now. After retrieving the information he needed regarding lovelle's past, he'd take further action.

"Can you?" he inquired, determined to break the girl of her habit to ask questions improperly.

This, like the last time, caused said child to smile knowingly, rather than turn irate. "May I?" she tried again.

"So long as you return before it is time for supper," he complied, aware that Poppy would handle lunch.

"I will," lovelle easily agreed, "Would seven work, then?" she checked as that was when they usually ate.

Severus, watching as she embarked for the portrait once more, answered her simply, "Make it six."

Lovelle cocked her head in confusion, "But we never eat before seven," she reminded him.

"Yes," the professor acknowledged this, "however, considering that you still have lines to complete, I would prefer for you to return an hour earlier so that you may begin writing," he refreshed her memory, much to his child's dismay.

Lovelle whined, "I'd really hoped you'd forgotten about that," she admitted.

"Evidently, you wasted your time," Severus noted dryly, in spite of his current amusement.

She scoffed, "Clearly," the eleven year old mimicked his tone. She then propped the entrance open and went to leave.

"Before I go," lovelle turned back to face the man standing just a couple paces back, "I wanted to thank you," she spoke shyly, her bangs falling over her face as she peered down apprehensively.

This caught Severus a bit off guard, "Whatever for?" he asked. Just last night the girl had been upset with him; and now, here she stood giving thanks for a matter he knew not.

Lovelle shuffled her feet, finding them incredibly fascinating at the moment, "For letting Harry spend the nights with us," she said, bravely looking up, "I know you don't exactly like him…"

The potion's master took in a deep breath of frustration, recalling his conversation with Albus the night prior. "Perhaps my notions towards Mr. Potter were irrational at the time," he began only to be interrupted.

"So, you'll at least try to be nicer to him now?" Lovelle practically pleaded, "Please say that you will," she carried on, desperately wanting, no needing, for her brother and father to get along, "because I would really like to be able to spend time with both of you, and that would be almost impossible if you guys were to constantly fight," she pointed out.

'Take advantage of the family you have now, Severus…"

The professor sighed yet again, "I will try-"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" His daughter had rendered him breathless, having rather tightly latched onto his torso. Like her father, she was surprisingly strong.

Severus cleared his throat and awkwardly patted the child's back. "Yes, well," he gently released her, "I suggest you run along before I change my mind and have you start on your lines now," the man said only somewhat seriously.

Lovelle forced a laugh, her face tinged pink from her sudden, random outburst of affection. "Right," she agreed, scurrying back to the exit, "I'll be seeing you then," the girl quickly ushered out after that, leaving a befuddled yet pleased potion's master in her wake.

Ten Minutes Later

Watching Miss Evans enter her hospital wing, Poppy couldn't help but to reflect back on the day young Lily had paid her a visit; the one where she'd learnt of her pregnancy. Now, looking at her firstborn, Madame Pomfrey smiled with fondness. Lovelle resembled her mother so; what with her hair texture, nose, and lips. Her skin and hair color, of course, could only come from her father. Still, it was the child's eyes which fascinated her. Unlike Harry's, that replicated their mum's perfectly, lovelle's were a completely balanced mixture of Severus' and Lily's. Anyone may look at the girl's eyes and say that they were flawed by the obsidian specks partially masking the emerald green…but to Poppy, they were stunning. They held a little reminder that even the grandest of mistakes can have a wonderful, well-worth outcome.

"Good morning, Madame Pomfrey," said eleven year old greeted, breaking her reverie.

Poppy wiped nothing from her hands onto her blouse and grinned warmly at the child, "Good morning, Miss Evans. While I have nothing against your visiting Mr. Potter, I would still appreciate it were you to behave yourselves," she set out a few rules, "he is still far from a full recovery and needs his rest," Poppy sternly let her know.

Lovelle nodded her head in understanding, "I just want to talk to my brother, that's all," she reassured the healer that nothing strenuous would be taking place.

Pomfrey eyed her for a moment before stepping aside, "I will return with lunch in several hours," she informed the future student, "until then I shall be in my office if either of you require anything."

She nodded once more, "Alright," lovelle used the manners both Minerva and Severus so frequently pressed upon her, "thank you, Madame Pomfrey," she smiled politely and soon after watched the healer retreat into her office.

Wasting absolutely no time, the girl practically ran to Harry's bed, where he currently sat upright drawing intently on a piece of parchment.

"Hey," she pulled up a chair, slightly startling her brother, "what are you drawing?" Lovelle asked interestedly.

Harry turned a bit red at that, "It's nothing," he replied shyly, attempting to hide his work.

"I doubt that," his sister tried lightening the mood, "mind if I see it?"

Looking contemplative for a second, the boy in the bed timidly offered the picture and nervously awaited her reaction.

Grabbing it carefully, lovelle became happier yet saddened by what she found sketched before her.

There, on the paper she held between each hand, remained a sloppy, however clear, image of what she knew to be Harry and herself standing between his dad and their mum. Here, she was holding their mother's hand as he held to James'. How lovelle knew what Lily looked like was based merely off of McGonagall's descriptions. Harry's father, she'd simply guessed, as she didn't know who else the man in this drawing could be.

But how did her brother know?

"Harry," she decided to ask, "how do you remember what mum looked like?"

He shrugged, "I don't really," he twiddled his thumbs, "I just dream about them sometimes."

Lovelle smiled, if pathetically. "Well, it's really good," she praised, then tried handing the picture back only to be shot down.

"You keep it," Harry told her, pleased that someone finally appreciated anything that he did.

"Are you sure?" she checked, just as content with the small gift.

"Yeah," he returned to appearing unsure of himself, "if you want it that is…"

"Of course I do," lovelle beamed, folding the parchment away for now. She then hugged her brother for the second time since she'd met him.

Harry reciprocated the embrace, if not as much as she may have liked. Lovelle knew they'd simply have to work on his issues with trust; because if she could get over that, in time, so could he.

"Now," lovelle cut to the chase, "I'm sure you have loads of questions," she started, which had to be true. Harry was probably dying to know just where he was, all about magic, his status in the wizarding world, where he'd be staying, why they had never met before, who her dad was if not James, and how their parents really died (the toughest question of them all).

So, until the midday meal came around, lovelle would be spending that time enlightening him.

Several Hours Later

"Is that an owl?"

It was nearly six when lovelle decided to bid her brother farewell for the night. She'd told him everything that he wished to know and had managed to do so in a way he'd understand. Not surprisingly, Harry seemed okay with all of the arrangements made for him. She supposed that so long as it wasn't with the Dursley's, he would be. What the eight year old didn't take as well remained the fact that he was considered famous in this world of magic and such; and Haley honestly couldn't blame him. However, after assuring the boy that everything would be fine and that she'd be there for him in every way, Harry seemed to relax and realize that his sister spoke the truth. Together, they'd manage.

Now, as she made way to leave, the other raven-haired child stopped her. Looking towards where he was directing, Haley saw, much to her dismay: Errol. The bird currently sat on the opposite side of the hospital's windowsill, her letter from Fred and George still with him.

"Unfortunately," Haley finally replied. "They're used for sending mail here," she explained.

"That's weird," her brother noted. After speaking with him for nearly the entire day, he'd really opened up and let some of his guard down around her. He basically became the Harry very few had the chance to see up until now.

And Haley loved him even more for it.

"Very," she agreed, still not moving any closer to the glass.

"It looks like it's waiting for you," Harry concluded, watching the barn owl with curiosity and fascination.

"He is," Haley sighed, "Remember me telling you about the twins?" she inquired, racking his memory.

"Uh huh," he replied, continuing to eye the bird rather than his sister.

"Well, this is their owl, Errol," she elaborated. "Fred and George sent me that letter."

"Then why don't you get it?" Harry looked back at her, not seeing the problem with doing so.

Haley crossed her arms, her bravery slipping away. "I tried earlier," she said, inwardly wondering if her father had been the one to send Errol out of the dungeons. "It didn't go very well."

The bespectacled boy looked over Haley for a while before figuring it out. "You're scared of him, aren't you?" he didn't appear amused, but rather concerned.

Her face heated in shame. She was the eldest here, therefore, was not supposed to be frightened of anything. "Maybe…"

"I could get it for you," Harry offered, referring to the small note. Spending a great deal of time outdoors amongst his aunt's garden, very few animals scared him.

"Madame Pomfrey said you can't get out of bed yet," Haley pointed out.

"But I feel fine," he halfheartedly protested.

"Sorry," she shook her head, "but until the three days have gone by, I can't let you get up," his sister set down the law, feeling like a prat.

Harry, remarkably, didn't put up any more fighting after that. He seemed to understand that Haley truly had his best interests at heart and wasn't simply being mean.

"Okay," he whined, falling back onto his pillow. Nearly a full minute's worth of silence surpassed them before he spoke up again. "Are you gonna leave him out there forever?"

This inquiry made Haley feel a bit guilty. The poor, ratty bird was just trying to do his job so that he could return home. Also, she really needed to get over her irrational fear. That being said, the girl with the side-braid cautiously walked over to the window and gradually lifted it open.

"See? He looks nice," Harry tried returning the favor of giving reassurance.

"Alright," Haley took a calming breath, talking to herself at this point. "All I have to do is untie the letter and he'll leave," she quietly vied to build confidence.

Standing merely inches apart from Errol now, the owl lifted his little leg, making it easier for her to take.

"Thanks," Haley muttered with a small smile, focusing on the task at hand. And soon enough, the envelope was hers and the bird had departed.

"You did it!" her brother congratulated the small feat she'd accomplished. Well, a small feat for most. For her, that was huge.

Haley laughed; glad to have it over with. "I'll read this later," she decided, stuffing the parchment into her pocket with the drawing she'd earlier received.

"Can I ask you something?" Harry wanted to know.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, the time momentarily forgotten, she consented, "Of course."

"Why are you so scared of owls?"

Flashback

The Hallows Eve of 1986, a just-turned eight year old Haley Smith could be found sitting inside her bedroom playing dolls with Maggie. It was approaching the curfew of nine o' clock, but neither girl cared. They knew trouble wouldn't be an issue as Evangeline always allowed for them to stay up later than usual on this day: Haley's birthday. Also, half of the orphans were typically wreaking havoc on the thirty-first; what with being sugar loaded. So, with that distraction and Miss Turner's lenience, they really had nothing to worry about.

"I have to use the bathroom," Maggie said, standing from her seat across Haley. "I'll be right back, okay?"

The paler girl nodded, not bothering to look up, "Okay," she replied, dismissing the blonde.

After Mags had left, the other girl tossed her doll aside. "This is so stupid," she muttered, hating having to pretend that these toys were real.

Haley sighed; bored now that she was alone.

Looking out of her dusty window, she gazed up at the harvest moon in awe. It was so big, orange, and illuminating. The sphere captivated her.

Distracted, she failed to notice the door creak open from behind; a frail man in disguise stepping into her room.

"Caw-caw!" a loud voice screeched from the left, right into her ear.

Haley screamed shrilly, beyond petrified. Whoever or whatever this was remained dressed as some sort of black bird, wearing a mask that made them unidentifiable. And their persistent animal noises only made things worse.

"Go away!" she demanded; hands over her head as tears wetted her face. Much to her displeasure, however, the horrifying bird-thing did not leave, rather, it continued to torment her.

It was not until Maggie returned from her trip to the loo that Mr. Coleman finally left; chuckling the entire way back into his kitchen.

End Flashback

"I'm sorry!" Harry frantically apologized.

Not long after asking that question, his sister had turned an unnatural shade of white, simultaneously zoning off into space. "You don't have to answer-"

"No, it's fine," Haley quickly relieved him. "I was just thinking…" she trailed off sadly, no longer wishing to recall the memory. It wasn't until the next day that she'd discovered Coleman to be behind the act as he'd served her breakfast with a bird call.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Harry gently suggested, hating to see his only family/friend upset.

She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. Only Maggie knew…and that wasn't by choice.

Still, Haley felt as if she should trust her brother. Really, how could he have any faith in her if she kept secrets from him?

Also, if she did opt to share her past, maybe he wouldn't feel as alone. The siblings were actually quite similar when it came to the way they each used to be treated by their elders.

And if she told, the two would have something more to bond over.

…Which is exactly why she decided to tell him.

Haley, completely forgetting her six o' clock curfew, remained in the hospital wing with Harry, relating and comparing pasts.

Entirely engulfed in one another, neither brother nor sister took notice to the man or woman standing at the wing's entrance, intently listening in.