Riley Jennings thought she would be just another witch, with no more credibility than the next. She thought she would never do anything extraordinary. She thought Voldemort was just another old villain who had been defeated by his enemy, never to return again. Point was, Riley thought a lot of things, and often, she was not right.

I groaned as I slumped forward, one arm slung over the rail of my loft-bed, my head hitting the wall with a hard thump. My dad had been yelling at me to get up for the past ten minutes, and quite frankly, I didn't care if I missed the portkey to King's Cross. Both my mother and father were wizards, so I'd grown up in a magical household in northern Maine. I jumped down off my bed, too tired and lazy to use the wrought iron ladder.

I slammed my door shut, heading towards my closet. I slipped out of the soccer shorts and t-shirt I slept in, and pulled on my jeans and plaid button-up (that I was forced to wear, mind you). I lazily drug my hairbrush through my hair, which was auburn, darkest on top. I tucked the first few strands behind my ear, and heaved a heavy sigh. I was leaving Maine to go to Hogwarts for an entire school year. I stared at my own hazel eyes in the mirror. I looked ready to go, but inside I was buzzing with nervous energy. I pulled my shoes on, and grabbed my bag I packed last night. I pulled my door open, and stumbled down the wooden steps into our kitchen.

There, my mother stood, back resting against the countertop, eating a piece of toast. "Hurry, hurry," She ushered me towards my chair. I sat down, and quickly began devouring the toast that sat in front of me. I looked up, to see my neighbor and best friend Ace sitting across from me.

I gave him a puzzled look. "When did you get here?"

"Sooner then you decided to get up," He replied with a grin. Ace was coming with us, since his mother was ill and his father left long ago. He went to Hogwarts last year, since he was a year older than me. He had been sorted into Slytherin, despite the fact he very well might be the best friend you could ever have. He, himself, was entirely convinced the sorting hat made a mistake.

My dad bustled through the kitchen, dressed cleanly in a suit, even if my parents were only going as far as King's Cross station. My dad had been a Ravenclaw, my mom a Gryffindor. He grabbed my bag, and my mother's arm. "Come on, now! The portkey takes off in seven minute, whether we're there to hitch a ride or not!" He piled Ace's bag on top of mine, and hurried out the door. All four of us virtually ran to the portkey, which was disguised as an old discarded soda bottle tucked beneath the old willow tree atop the hill behind our house.

We just made it to the portkey on time. We placed our hands on it, and it soared up into the sky just as my mother's hand touched. We landed in the parking lot of King's Cross station. Soon, we were hustled through the station, into a stone wall, and onto the train. I took a seat next to Ace, and waved to my parents out the window.

So, this is my new SYOW! The form for submitting characters will be on my profile, please only PM your characters. Be polite to fellow readers. Thanks for reading! I will be accepting characters, no limits. Doesn't matter if I am twenty chapters in, I'll find your character a place somewhere! This story will be updated every Wednesday!

-Gwen