Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series nor claim any rights to its characters.

Cannon Characters, Settings, Cannon Concept

(C) J. K. Rowling 2007

Original Characters, Original Settings, Original Concepts

(C) E. L. Pendragon 2007

Author's Notes: Well, this is it. I've planned this thing for about a week. I finnaly get around to typing it up. Please excuse my spelling mistakes, I was half asleep when I wrote some of this. Love or hate, reviews are appreciated. I'm going to write a free-verse poem to go with this someday. Ahh.. The antics of a delerious teen.. But anywho, as we progress through the series, you'll notice that I skip around the years. But don't worry, it'll be within comprehension. Enjoy!


Cheering Charms

Chapter One

At the Beginning

"Ella dear, if you don't hurry up, you'll miss the train!" called Mother from downstairs.

Ella groaned from beneath her blankets. As much as she was excited to be going to Hogwarts today, she really didn't want to get up. Not much of a morning person. She only had enough will power to uncover her head so she could see into the world of the living. Armando, her elderly black and white cat, continued to snooze on her feet.

After sitting there for several minutes, Ella decided to roll out of bed. "Armando, time to get up." she mumbled sleepily to her cat. The old fur ball mrowed in discomfort. Lazy yawn and the cat just fell back to sleep. Groggily, Ella gazed over at her cat.

"You're going to regret that later," Ella said with a huff. After much shifting of her blankets and quilts, a skinny, redheaded girl was revealed. Frazzled haired and groggy eyes, Ella stretched her cramped arms. For years, Ella had a small habit of sleeping in a ball-shape with her arms wrapped around her legs. She's been doing this for years despite the fact that she always wakes up with cramps in her arms. After the stretch, she pulled out the hair tie that was tangled up in her hair. She ruffled her hair a bit to make sure nothing else was in there and began the ever-so-strenuous task of standing. Upon contact with the floor, Ella stumbled a bit. She shook away the sleepiness and walked to wards her closet for the outfit she had set out. A crisp Newcastle shirt with a pair of blue jeans, her favorite outfit.

As for clothes and hobbies, Ella is about as tomboyish as possible. She despises wearing dresses or skirts and rarely wears anything that makes her look more girly. She was greatly dismayed that the robes that they were required were much like dresses. But the good thing was is that they could wear normal clothes underneath. Ella is more or less, a HUGE football fan. Newcastle posters plastered on every square inch of wall in her room. Trash talk about her team and Ella will brutally attack you until you scream for mercy. Well, that's if someone doesn't contain her, like holding her down or tying her to a chair. According to her father, Ella is rather funny to watch when tied to a chair.

After she was finished getting dressed, Ella became fully aware of the world. She stole a glance at her clock. 10: 36. A few seconds went by before Ella realized what time it was. A usual morning thing. At this moment she began to panic.

"AHGH" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE!" She ran out her room. Her hair still in tangles and she still had a small crusty outline from where her eyes were watering. A lone hair tie hung around her ear. Ella dashed down the stairs, nearly falling in the process.

"Mum! Dad!" Ella yelled throughout the house. As she went through the kitchen, she stole a glance at the clock. "We're going to be late! We're going to be la-" She paused. Ella looked straight at the grandmother clock that sits above the stove. 8:30 With a huge sigh of relief, Ella collapsed into a near-by chair. Red-faced, she began to bang her head against the table in embarrassment.

Her father, who goes by the name of Joseph, came into the kitchen with a half tied tie and a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. Why he was in the kitchen is hard to guess, but nonetheless he noticed Ella banging her head against the table. He finished brushing his teeth and spat the toothpaste into the nearby, empty sink. Joseph had a look of amusement and confusion on his face. He took a seat opposite of Ella and began tying his tie.

"What was that all about?" her father asked in a way that copied his facial expression.

Ella looked up for a second to see her father there and sat up to where she could see him. Ella's usually hazel-green eyes were now red with morning exhaustion. She jerked her head to wards the clock and continued to bang her head against the table.

Ella's father nodded with a look of understanding.

"Ah, yes. Well then, you should finish getting ready or we'll be late." Joseph said casually to Ella. Joseph stood up from his chair and made his way out of the kitchen. He paused for a moment to say, "By the way, we're stopping to get breakfast on our way to the station."

Still red in the face, Ella nodded and went back upstairs to her room. She pushed her door open. Her blankets still layed in a tangled mess and Armando snored on under her pillow. Ella let out a small laugh at Armando's determination to sleep as long as he can. But to the cat's discontent, she had the wake him up. She made her way acrossed her room to her bed and gently removed the pillow. Armando was flipped onto his back with his rather furry stomach facing the outside world. Out of habit, Ella rubbed her cat's stomach. This usually wakes him up. With a streatch and a merrow, Armando rolled onto his side, almost awake.

"Armando, we need to get you to the vet." Ella said teasingly. Armando pricked his ears and dashed out of the room. He hated the vet, espicially after he was deprived of his 'man pride'. But fortunently for him, Armando wasn't going to the vet. With Armando awake and out of her room, Ella began to make her bed. She knew that she wasn't going to be home for at least four months and her mother was definately not going to make her bed when Ella leaves. It would be in the same state until Ella came home.

About ten minutes later, in a dream like rush, Ella was sitting in a trance like state with Armando in the seat next to her in his cat box. She could hardly believe she was finally on her way to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.


Other Author's Notes: Newcastle is a football team, known mostly for their bar code jerserys. And yes, I'm trying to use as many British terms as possible. Personally, I think that a story set in a Bristish world with American terms just sounds stupid. If you find something that could be changed to a British term, please let me know. Reviews are loved, adored and overall needed. All advice is welcomed with open arms and heeded.