On that fateful Halloween night, Lily and James survived while Voldemort apparently 'marked' Harry Potter as his equal.
Aria Potter, twin sister of the boy-who-lived was proclaimed a squib, abandoned by her family and given to the care of the Dursl...
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The smell of sea water was different than what she was use too coming off north Scotland. Add in that her bed was moving slightly, Aria was pretty sure that she wasn't in her bed in the dorms.
Laughter and low voices could be heard on the breeze that wafted in through a window over her head, as well as the gentle lapping of water against fibreglass. Yeah, definitely not in Scotland.
She forced herself to sit up, and squinted slightly, her eyelids fluttering as she tried to make sense of the space around her. It took her a moment to realize that this wasn't her room, not even close.
As her vision cleared, she noticed the surroundings, the soft linens beneath her, the gentle sway of the room that made her feel as though she was floating—she was in a cabin. The details started to fall into place: the polished wood, the subtle hum of an engine below, the view of the endless ocean just beyond the large windows.
Before she could fully process where she was, the door to the cabin opened with a soft click, and Pepper walked in, her expression one of mild surprise as she saw Aria awake.
"Oh, you're awake," Pepper said, her voice warm and soothing. She moved to Aria's bedside and sat down beside her, cradling Aria's cheek with a tender hand. "Good morning, sweetheart."
Aria leaned into the touch, a sense of comfort washing over her as Pepper enveloped her in a gentle hug. They had hugged already on the jet, but this one felt different—deeper, more needed.
There was something about the way Pepper held her that made Aria feel safe. Nothing like when she'd been forcefully hugged by James' wife.
When Pepper pulled away, she didn't let go completely. She kept holding Aria's hands, their fingers intertwined in the space between them.
There was a quiet understanding in Pepper's eyes, a reassurance that Aria clung to as the fog of sleep continued to lift.
"Where are we?" The girl asked, her voice still thick with sleep as she looked around the unfamiliar room.
"Tony's yacht in... Miami," Pepper replied, a soft smile playing on her lips as she watched Aria's reaction.
Aria blinked. Slowly, she let herself fall back onto the bed, the plush pillows cradling her as she staring at the ceiling.
"Your dad thought a little vacation would do everyone some good," Pepper added, her tone gentle, but there was an underlying current of concern in her words.
Aria swallowed hard, memories of the day before crashing back into her. The way Dumbledore had looked at her, the resolution in his voice as he told her she was to stay with the Potters, the fear she felt as they tried to force her into a life she didn't want. It all came rushing back, filling her with a sense of dread that made her stomach churn.
Pepper must have sensed the shift in her mood, because she gave Aria's hands a reassuring squeeze. "Breakfast's downstairs whenever you're ready," she said softly, her eyes searching Aria's for any sign that she was okay.
