Erin loved going to the Astronomy Tower and do stargazing in the morning. The telescope seemed to be a useful tool indeed. At night would be a perfect time for gazing the stars but she didn't want to risk being caught after curfew hours. Those were the days when she wanted nothing but to earn points. But today was different. Beezus had been busy with lots of things, from Quidditch and other people. She even got herself a new bestfriend. Erin was gone for the longest time, but couldn't Beezus owl her about this blossoming friendship to a fellow Ravenclaw?

"Dobby is a free house elf. The very first."

"You told me that house elves were slaves, right?"

"Yes."

"Why do you think he wanted to be free? House elves enjoy having masters and being slaves."

"Hermione Granger's influence, I guess," Erin answered towards her sister's enquiring questions.

"But Hermione's not a house elf."

"Yeah, she wasn't. She's a witch. And witches are different from house elves."

"What you needed to do is just sleep your thoughts out. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

Erin felt like she needed care for Kristina since she was still young when their Mum died.

"If you could be sorted again, what house would you choose?" her friend Lily asked Erin. This question made Erin think hard. She loved Ravenclaw. She loved blue. She loved Eagles. And she kind of anticipated this house ever since Diagon Alley. She's not clever enough but she knew that being part of this house makes you one and if you weren't really fit, it'll hone you to be a great wizard. She liked Slytherin too because of their ambitious nature. She wanted to be the Minister of Magic someday but she'll reach it in a fair and square fight.

“Charms at the Forbidden forest?”

“Yeah, I heard.”

“What do we do in there? With Professor Bellaire alone and no other professors to assist?” Erin asked Alice during their conversation at the Hogwarts’ Playground. Erin wasn’t at all the person who would risk her life at the Forbidden Forest and she didn’t fully trust the Charms Professor. If only Romanos or Williamson would come to protect the students.

“I’m not so sure, but she said that pygmy puffs should be brought. I bet the Prefect Pygmy Puff will enjoy the night,” the one who’s obsessed with her royal Kent. Pfft!

“I could rewind my life, like change the past and make a new present or set my future?” Erin asked Enya about the timeturner. This was all new to her and she wanted to know it now, and no other time.

Erin shifted her seat to look at the younger Ravenclaw. They were actually in class so, she just gave the information in a whisper. “Yeah. Sort of. But you can’t change what you did, like if you punch someone in the face. But in a twisted way, you can somehow do something to change the present or the future.”

Aside from Arithmancy, Erin was so sure that Care of Magical Creatures subject would not be her forte in the near future. Even the smallest of creatures were hated by her, how much more the entire creatures family? She even cursed butterflies for their mere existence. And the fact that she adored the new CoMC professor makes her think twice about her priorities in life. That's how Erin was. She was easily influence by outward forces and usually, she gives in. Sneaking in at the staff room was not allowed but she'd done it many times. Erin Heyman was spunk.

"This is going to be your home from now on," Mrs. Rhodes greeted her long lost daughter. She missed her a lot and she wanted little Erin to feel as comfortable as possible. She even asked her other daughter, Jasmine to evacuate her own room so that Erin would have hers. Jasmine was Erin's older sister from her biological parents. She had a son while she was still studying in college and ended up being a single mother to her now two-year old Ely.

"Er, thanks!" Erin smiled to her mother. It still seemed too awkward to call her Mum.

It's the first day of the term when Erin decided to take a walk outside the castle and she ended up on a newly added feature at Hogwarts, the vegetable patch. Erin loved it instantly for she grew up dealing with them. Grandmomma Dora maintained a garden where she planted various vegetables.

There, she met Oakey Gunter and Ariadne. The girl seemed to be quite nice and the boy too. When Gunter tried to go after the two girls, he accidentally destroyed his dress robes. Erin being a nice girl ended up offering him a favor of fixing his robes.

Erin reached out for a pencil at her schoolbag for the teacher told them to take some notes. They were in Potions and with the subject; it was kind of a norm to take down notes. Her seatmate nudged, "Erin, we use a quill to write."

"A quill? But I don't have..." OH. She actually had one. But she was used to using a pencil for it was the usual writing material in the real world and not the world like this. There were times that Erin would just blink twice, just to make sure she wasn't at all dreaming.

"Hey Erin!" the Slytherin Captain called on to Erin. During her second year, the two ended up having a beautiful conversation about hair and beauty products. Erin, gaining influence from Enya about those things, she immediately captured Kimalia's interest. From then on, they became good friends and the older girl would sometime share some sweets with Erin. Erin's favorites were licorice wands and chocolate frogs.

"Kimmy!" If Erin remembered it right, Kimalia didn't actually allowed Erin to call her Kimmy but she couldn't exactly point out how she ended up on that name without Kimalia being bothered. Or she maybe?

"Why do you think he's on depression?" Erin asked Beezus. "It's been months and years Bee since Mum died!" Erin said crying so hard. She was all ready to defend herself and her beliefs towards her father. Erin was convinced that he's not anymore eligible to become Erin and Kristina's father because of his prolonged mourning.

She couldn't exactly be superior with Beezus in anything about mourning and depression and guilt. This girl had also gone through a lot and comparing everything that happened to Erin, Beezus suffered even harder. She deserved to be heard and understood. "He's just confused."

"I will do great today Mum!" Erin told her Mum. She was full of smiles before going to her preparatory school in Wellington. Her mother was tying and untying her shoelaces that go with her cute Barbie pink shoes. She was very happy because it's a new shoe from her Dad. And she wasn't really close to him, Kristina was the Daddy's girl. Erin couldn't understand their connection. They connect when Erin and her Dad didn't. There were times that she would pray and wish that Kristina wasn't even born so that she could have her Dad all to herself.

"ERIN!" Eric called for Erin. She was with Alexa that day and they were licking ice cream. Eric's a weirdo that goes with his bad choice of clothes and huge eyeglasses. He was the smartest student in class and he seemed to be not studying at all. During his free time, he would normally stalk Erin. Wherever Erin was, he was there. Alexa was the one who told her that Eric likes Erin, ever since prep.

"Do you like him?" Alexa asked curiously.

"Of course not! Just ignore him." With that, they dived deep into the pool of other students.

Never in her whole life did Erin imagined to be locked in the dungeon detention room. There was only one person who should be blamed for all of this and that was the one with her at the detention hall. Beezus was leaning on her chair and looking Erin straight in the eye, probably blaming her for all of this too. Just like what Erin was thinking. Though, they have the same mindset, they couldn't voice it out since the Potions Mistress was with them. They should behave themselves if they wanted to get out of here in perfect condition.

"The Yule Ball. I wish it could happen annually," Erin suggested her friend Tiffany while they were scanning for books at the library. The fact that she was here, at this place because Tiffany needed help was a crystal clear representation of being a good friend to her.

"Erin, we are supposed to look for Nicholas Flamel. Why are you busying yourself with those things?" uttered Tiffany without even removing her eyes on the book that she was reading at the bookshelves.

"I am just saying that having a Yule Ball will mean that we get to dance and groove."

Kristina was so spooked that she too, began to believe that she also heard the sound of the flowing faucet water earlier. The two sisters were hiding behind the covers of their bed sheet when suddenly Erin woke up because she heard something from the sink downstairs.

"I am telling the truth Tina," Erin insisted. "I heard something."

"If you're just scaring me again Erin, I'll tell Dad and he'll beat you hard. I swear!" Since Kristina was very close to their Dad and Erin being the one who's really afraid of him, she couldn't just kid her little sister.

"I was good in Potions while studying at Hogwarts. Professor Kirchoff was my instructor then. In his class, I met your father and we fell in love instantly the moment we set eyes on each other. It was love at first sight," Mrs. Rhodes said dreamily towards her daughter Erin.

"Did you ever tried to use a love potion to Father?" asked Erin curiously. It was always in her nature to be curious almost about everything.

"He did on me!" Mrs. Rhodes blurted out. "I was a beauty when I was younger. He couldn't get me out of his head."

Erin would always admire herself in the mirror after getting her make-up done. Simplicity was never an option for a girl like her. Erin, being a normal person who couldn't be called a pretty girl, who doesn't stand out among others, who would always be feeling inferior towards other people, she couldn't really say she's beautiful.

"Who cares? Only a veela would be really beautiful in front of men. I am happy. I should be happy," Erin repeated to herself. She needed someone who would call her pretty even if she's not and who would comfort her for her insecurities.

"Dad?" Erin asked her Dad the moment she set her foot at the Heyman mansion. She, herself, couldn't exactly understand why in the name of Merlin would her Dad call her home, for more important reasons other than Hogwarts itself. She felt like, she wanted to slap him hard in the face.

"Erin?" two older people called on to her behind her father. The woman started to cry the moment Erin turned her gaze to her. "My child." One tear fell down Erin's eye and she couldn't process everything in just an instant. Those were her real parents. They are.

Erin removed her wand from its holster and took a clean piece of cloth from her drawer. She polished the wand so that any dust would be flying away. "You are my baby," Erin whispered.

"Erin, you're calling your wand baby?" Beezus asked Erin chuckling softly.

"I did. Why?" Erin answered with a soft chuckle too.

"It just sounded corny. Just like your name Cornelia." Beezus teased.

"Yours too, Evangelline," Erin teased back, grabbing a pillow from the side of her bed and hit Beezus in the head. Beezus, being a fighter herself, grabbed one too and they laughed together.

History of Magic Finals was posted at the Ravenclaw bulletin board.

"Choose a small person in the History who you will you write a ten-parchment long essay. The essay will consist of the person's life story, anything including their family, love life, friends, personalities, etc. You can use your book for that matter. Goodluck students!"

WHAAT? Did the finals just said love life? Was it really in there? Erin was surprised that Professor Scabior could or would write that. But he did. It was somehow a little unnoticeable between the two important categories in a person's life, family and friends.

"What's my real name Jasmine?" Erin asked her biological sister. The girl was ten years older than Erin, she should know. Erin too, wanted to know why didn't she grow up with them. Did they leave her alone in the streets? Was Erin lost during a picnic? Did they look after her? She wanted to know everything but decided to go there, one step at a time.

"Jessica. I was the one who pick it for you. I was so in love with a band vocalist that time and his name was Jessie so, we named you Jessica," Jasmine smiled.

TALL SNOWMAN

95. Snowball

What? A snowball fight at the lake? That sounds fun. Upon hearing it from Elise, Erin immediately hurried towards the Hogwarts grounds to join her friends. But when she arrived, the fight was already over and they were just doing some random snowman. She walked towards Beezus, one person who seemed to be not at all taller than Erin, who was standing in front of one snowman.

"I am kind of proud Bee, this snowman is taller than us. Who did it?" asked Erin. Beezus pointed towards the seventh year boy who seemed to be towering everyone at the lake.

Erin doesn't care what ever happens to her teeth, she would eat every sweets she see in Hogsmeade and would forget all of her problems.

She was really happy now, with her new sister Jasmine and her real parents, though, she could not deny the fact that she misses Kristina so much and her Dad. They were the ones she lost for finding her true identity. All the while, she never thought, she would ever feel this way. So complete yet so incomplete. Another year at Hogwarts somehow eases the pain but Beezus having a new bestfriend, Erin was doomed.

"That's mine!" cried a little firstie when Erin was in her second year. She accidentally collided with an owl while it was carrying a letter to its destination. She remembered how Professor Schirmer noted that owls were normally intercepted, thus Patronus were more preferred in conveying messages.

"Then, it's yours!" Erin snapped. It seemed like the girl was already judging her upon seeing the owl's message on her hand. The girl quickly reached for Erin's hands clutching the paper and owned it. "I never read it, so if you're going to make a fuss about it, just save your breath."