He communicated with his father and sister by owl. Taylor wrote his first letter during the second week of term, just to let his father know that he was happy and to inquire about Sarah Tinsley. 

  Luckily, because they were first years and in the same house, Taylor and Louis had the exact same schedule. It was nice to have someone around who Taylor liked. 

  Taylor quickly learned which classes he liked and which were going to cause him grief.  Astronomy, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and History of Magic were among his favorites, while Herbology and Transfiguration struck him as more dull aspects of magic. He had mixed feelings about Potions. Professor Finnigan was an interesting enough man, but Taylor Paxton had no idea how someone as inept in the art as Seamus Finnigan could teach the subject. The man practically burned his eyebrows off every other lesson. 

  Taylor became fast friends with most of the Ravenclaws, and a lot of Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors, too. For some reason, the Slytherin house didn’t seem to want to become friends with anyone outside of their own house, for the most part. There were a few exceptions. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor James Sirius Potter, was head of Slytherin house, but he, himself, seemed to be friendly enough to all of the houses. Professor Potter was a quiet man, as though time had burdened him a great deal, even though he was still so young. He couldn’t have been more than twenty... It looked as though he had just graduated. From the rumors Taylor heard, he hadn’t even graduated. Some said he had been expelled; some said he was so gifted that he left school early in his fifth year, and had been offered the post even though he was still young enough to be a student and had no credentials; everyone had some opinion, but no one knew the truth… There was something solemn in Professor Potter, though, that Taylor could never quite put his finger on…

  Sarah Tinsley was not an exception in Slytherin house. She was undoubtedly one of the most ruthless students in the school, and she was only a third year. She had a particular affinity for heckling and torturing Hufflepuffs.

  From what Taylor could tell, Sarah had no motive other than just enjoying other people’s suffering. Sarah had only two friends it seemed, and not for the lack of trying. People tried to be friends with Sarah; boys swooned when she walked in. But Sarah wasn’t interested.

  Only two people held Sarah’s affection at Hogwarts. There was Adelaide Adams—she was a rather reserved brunette of small build with a reticent demeanor. Even when she smiled, there was sorrow in her eyes. Adelaide constantly looked like she was in pain. There was no fire in her spirit, like there was in Sarah’s, and people constantly questioned the dynamics of their relationship. No one understood why Sarah tolerated this shy girl, or why this shy girl was always with someone so acrid.

  People constantly questioned how Adelaide got placed into Slytherin in the first place. She did not seem to be drawn to power or enthralled with the dark arts like so many of the serpents were; yet, for some unknown reason, on the same day that Sarah and Adelaide had been sorted into Slytherin house, they had become the fastest of friends.

  The only other person that interested Sarah Tinsley was Albus Severus Potter, and the word interest was too soft in that situation.  She was obsessed with him, and everyone saw it—the way she looked at him. He was a Gryffindor in the same year as Sarah and Adelaide.

  He was the son of the famous Harry Potter, and he looked a lot like him. He had his father’s emerald green eyes, and an adventurous spirit. He was brave, and reckless, and he was already president of the Dueling Club, though this was partially because of his heritage, in Taylor’s opinion.

  Considering Albus’ brother James was professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Taylor would go so far to say it was nepotism, but everyone knew that James loathed his brother. Taylor heard the other third years whisper about how badly Professor Potter wanted to fail his younger brother, but couldn’t because of his brother’s exceptional classroom work. Albus had his father’s blood in him, and was on his way to becoming a great wizard. No one was sure why the two brothers were so conflicted between themselves.  

  Their sister, Lily Luna Potter, would take no part in the feud. She was on good terms with both of her brothers. She was more often seen with Albus, them both being students and in Gryffindor house. Lily was a year behind her brother Albus and a year in front of Taylor. Taylor thought she was beautiful, but he saw her so seldom at the beginning of his first year before he got used to his schedule.

  It was hard to get used to—being in the presence of people who were so close to celebrities in the wizarding world. There were war heroes teaching him. There were children of the Chosen One learning beside him. There was someone who could be his own relative that was practically the school villainess…

  His father’s response letter came at the end of the third week of term:

Dear Taylor,

  We’re so glad to hear that you’re liking the school so much. I had high hopes you’d love it: your mother adored it so, and spoke fondly of it often.

  What are your classes like? I never inquired about them to Sarah; it seemed like such a miniscule detail compared with the rest of the magical world as a whole… Now, in retrospect, there are so many things I wish I had asked.

  She would be so proud of you, Taylor, if she were here. She IS so proud of you, and she’s watching over you now. I am proud of you, too, son. I know that things have been rough, and I’m glad to hear you’re happy there. I only hope it can carry over when you come home.

  We miss you—Susan and I. It was hard for her. I ended up buying her a dog. (It’s a Labrador. She’s named it Dot.) That seemed to quell some of her discomfort. She started grade two last week; she seems to enjoy it, but I know she wants to be there with you.

   Now, I’ll get to what I am sure has been on your mind: Sarah Tinsley. Yes, that was your mother’s maiden name. It struck me when you sent your letter with the inquiry that this might indeed be a strong possibility. It IS odd, isn’t it, that she has your mother’s name?

  Then, I realized it might be all the more probable that someone who had become so accustomed to the name Sarah—just to have it erased… Well, it makes sense that it would come back. They call that phenomenon spontaneous recovery in the real world Muggle world…

  I did some investigation at the office; I did a few things that are not entirely ethical, seeing as I have access to more files than ordinary citizens. As you know, I made partner at the firm some months back, and this allows me a certain level of clearance.

  Sarah Elizabeth Tinsley was born to a Mrs. Virginia Tinsley, though there is no mention of the father in any public record, which is rather peculiar, but most things in the wizarding world ARE, I have come to find out…

  Virginia Tinsley has two sisters, according to the record. One was a Miss Dahlia Tinsley, never married, no children. She died eleven years back it seems, though no cause of death is listed. Also odd. The other sister was, indeed, a Miss Sarah Tinsley with the same birthday as your mother…

  After 2001, all record of Sarah Tinsley stops. This is the year your mother ran away with me and erased all memory of herself from the Tinsleys—to protect us.

  Yes, this girl—Sarah Tinsley—is undoubtedly your cousin, your mother’s sister’s daughter. And she has no idea who you are. She has no idea there is any relation between the two of you. And you mustn’t tell her, Taylor. Ever. You MUSTN’T.

  Your mother warned me that what she was doing was not well-condoned, and that if we were ever discovered, it could mean trouble. Not from the wizarding community, as a whole. There is nothing illegal about Muggles marrying witches. But...  

  Taylor, I have something to tell you that I was hoping to save until you were older. Due to the current situation, however, I am afraid I cannot postpone.

  Your mother was born into a proud wizarding family, bred through-and-through as Slytherins. Your mother, herself, was a Slytherin. And she loved it… Until she met me.

   This is hard to write because I know you respect the Slytherin house, but it wasn’t where Sarah or I aspired for you to go… Slytherin house, while it may be great, puts high value on something your mother called “blood purity.”

  People who were “muggleborn”, and in the past even “halfbloods”, have been persecuted by Slytherin house members. It would have been no different for your mother. She erased her family’s memory not only because she they didn’t like me, as we have previously told you. They never met me… They WOULD have, however, hated me. They would have attempted to kill me, and to turn your mother back towards her prejudice ways, and—if they had not succeeded—they would have killed her, as well.

  If Sarah Tinsley is anything like her grandparents or mother, then it is not safe for you to associate with the girl too much. If she becomes suspicious of your heritage, or similarities between the two of you, or investigates you, it could mean death for you, your sister, and myself.

  Tread carefully. Avoid talking about your mother. Avoid talking about your Muggle father, too; I don’t want your life any harder than it must be on my account. And above all: have a good time.

  We love you. Write back soon. Susan simply cannot wait to hear from you again. She loves the owls.

Love,

Dad and Susan

P.S.: Are you thinking about trying out for that quibb-pitch game? It sounded like something that might have been up your alley. Your mom loved to watch it in her days. 

  Taylor read the letter four times trying to soak it all in. He was having so many conflicted emotions inside of himself. He was so happy to know that he had a relative at Hogwarts. Louis, Taylor’s best friend, had his cousin Rose Weasley, a seventh year Gryffindor. She had the ginger red hair traditional to the Weasley clan, unlike Louis, and she was the daughter of Ron and Hermione Weasley—Harry Potter’s best friends from the days of the Golden Trio and the Second Wizarding War. There were songs still sung about the three of them.

  Taylor was sad, though, as the same time—because he couldn’t tell Sarah that they were cousins. And he was a Ravenclaw, so she would continue hating him. He wondered if being half Tinsley would make any difference, in the first place…

  Taylor, Louis, Scorpius, Rose, and Lily seemed to form a solid clique during the first school term. This group of friends formed during the second month of Taylor and Louis’ first year. It was an interesting group. Taylor and Louis were both first years and in Ravenclaw. Lily was a second year and in Gryffindor. Scorpius and Rose were both third years, and they were in Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, respectively. How they meshed as a single unit was beyond them, but it worked.

  It had all began in the Great Hall one day at lunchtime. Taylor and Louis had just gotten out of a block of double Potions where Professor Finnigan had singed the tips of his hair, and Scorpius had called them to come sit with him. Lily Luna—Scorpius’ girlfriend—was sitting with him already, and the four began to chat whimsically. Louis had called his cousin, Rose, over, and she had grabbed a seat next to Taylor Paxton, and the rest—as they say—was history. The five had been a tight-knit group of friends ever since that day.