Chapter 5

Athena first meeting with reality come in the form of a boy. Messy curly short hair, short ,skinny stature ,brown eyes. At first glance he looked like the nerdy mouse type, at second glance though it was like all the air was sucked out of her. This boy that looked at her flabbergasted, with mouth hang open and paling face was without a doubt Peter Pettigrew. His sixteen years old self at last.

If her Da wouldn't have considered a proper punishment reading Hogwarts Rule Book, identifying potion ingredients and his old D.E. colleagues, she wouldn't have a fucking clue. She still doesn't have a fucking clue how this happened, she just wanted to buy her school books and he just popped beside her...or was he there the whole time. Huh, no wonder he was a spy with that weak presence.

'' Can I help you?'' Athena asked when he didn't move or...was he even breathing?

'' A..-'' he say finally out of his daze ''- you just look really familiar..'' he pales further a quickly adds '' I'm sorry! I didn't mean-and i know i have no right- just you look so...''

'' Familiar eh?'' she say sarcastically. Inside she was trashing though, it was so obvious, so fucking obvious. If Athena didn't know what this guy could do she would actually let her guard down, but looking closely she could already see the signs. Clenched fist, tight eyes, too earnest apologies and hands that wants to come too close for comfort. Fucking hell.

'' Just a feeling! Nothing more- and I already- think I misspoke!'' he stops fiddling with his fingers, his nails were chipped ''- how about shopping with my friends as an apology? '' he tries to step closer to her, to take her arm but Athena straighten herself at full height making Peter look up and freeze for a couple of seconds. She was at last 10cm taller than him, that made him automatically to take a step back.

Using your height to your advance is one of the first things her father though her to do. And she always made sure to use it as it fullest.

'' No thanks.'' she grabs the rest of her books and gets out of the shop before she could bump in a Marauder.

Her next stop was Parchment and Ink, were her bad luck strikes again and literally bumped in Alice Longbottom or Fortescue I suppose. At the very last Lily Evans wasn't trailing after her.

'' I'm so sorry!'' Alice had the most stereotypical feminine voice she ever heard, it was kind of disturbing really

Both of them begin to gather Athena writing supplies from the ground, all the while Alice chattering away about her friends

'' - and there's my friend, Marlene has clothes so similar with yours is so excited, she has this pair of leather pants that make her look fabulous and her make-up skills are the best in our school-''

Athena tries to escape she really does, but with no escape. Frustratedly enough she couldn't even get mad at her, the girl was just so bright and cheerfully looking so much like Neville when talking about plants that it actually made her homesick.

In the end she couldn't finish all her supply list. Potion ingredients and robes remained for the next day.

Alice Fortescue was like a Neville that never had his confidence crushed and talked about plants at every change. They even have the same habits, talking with their hands all over the place.

She was lucky though, not meeting Black or James or worse her father. She know at some level what the situation between them was. She know about fifth year and the hanging in the air thing. Her father though, never talked about any of those, no matter the situation. And so all she know about this was told by Harry or yelled at her by Black. It was plain bullying, she never found what the actual level was though.

She exercised with her new wand that night. Shields most of all, then transfiguration. Surprisingly enough transfiguration worked much easier with this wand or was it herself?

-

Next day she was standing for her uniform and like usual or at last since she arrived here, she was sure her luck wasn't that bad before.

Athena didn't really recognize this boy now buy he sure looked almost sick, pale sick, staring at her. He was tall, at last 5 cm over her, with sandy blond hair, muscular body, strong jaw and straight nose, warm whiskey eyes. There were some scars poking our of his sweater and some of his hands as well but for the live of her she couldn't recognize him.

He was painfully handsome. Like that guy that could be the softest marshmallow and still have a mean hook.

His robs were ready faster than hers and so with a last glance at each other they parted ways without exchanging a word. Athena couldn't stop the painful little stabs in her stomach all day.

Two shops away from Madam Malking Robe's, the sandy haired boy was trying to regain his breathing. He was gasping like he just runned around the Forbidden Grounds all night and got to classes without breakfast.

He isn't sure if he is stupidly happy and can't control his emotions or if he is just plain terrified.

Athena spend her time the same since she got in this timeline with additional reading ahead of her school books, destroying a wall or two of that blasted white room and calming her emotion. She can't, under any circumstance, sob on his father younger self.

And so when it was time to enter the train, she dressed herself in the plainness clothes she has, a black outer robe and with her Featherless chest in one hand and her wand pulsing warmly on her skin she stepped on the train and begin to search for a compartment.

Finally she was lucky enough to find an empty compartment and after spelling it locked and soundless, Athena begin to occupy her mind with other things.

Like the joys of Transfiguration that just now begin to work with her. She spend an entire hour changing her writing supplies, the curtains and even parts of the window in ice. She wasn't always paying attention to McGonagall lessons but the idea of using Elemental Transfiguration was always intrigued for her, the professor being a Master in Earth Manipulation herself. George and Fred Weasley were one such example, using Fire and Earth Manipulation together in the battlefield. When Fred died, George covered himself in fire and just throw himself in the middle of chaos.

When the second hour of travel begin Athena hear was already beating to fast and her hands were trembling a little too much. How was she suppose to make an appearance like this? She can't embarrass her father younger self by being a mess. She spend another hour organizing her thoughts and locking away unnecessary feelings.

An hour before they would arrive at Hogwarts, Athena took with her what she needed and begin to walk calmly to the bathroom. Before she could enter, a boy, tall wearing a leather jacket runned past her, bumping in her shoulder. He didn't stop to apologies or anything, but behind him, at Athena feet a Muggle eyeliner was rolling innocently on the ground. Athena snatched it before she could lose it.

'' Hmm...'' she say looking in the bathroom mirror.