Okay, summary:  This is set during the Marauders' and Lily's times.  There are three new characters.  This story is about their first years and will eventual lead to their transition (nice word) to adulthood.  Might contain spoilers for all the books.  I don't anything.  Please read and review! ~villageidiot333~

Chapter 1: Bad News

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Briana Sullivan was having a strange but wonderful dream.  She dreamt that she was walking around a garden full of flowers.  She stopped by a flower to smell it, and then a butterfly fluttered onto her nose.  She looked at it but it flew away.  She ran after it but the butterfly was fluttering away ever so swiftly away from her that she just stopped to look after it.  That's when she felt a finger touched her cheek.  She looked up and saw a bright light.

She didn't know if she had woken up or not.  But the next thing she knew was that she was sitting up on her bed. 

  "Who's there?" she called out in the darkness. Some source of light illuminated the room.  "Mummy? Daddy?" That's ridiculous, she thought, they're in vacation at Greece. "Mummy?" she called out again.  She squinted to try to make out who was standing in front of her, but it was too bright to see. 

  "My dear Annie," someone whispered in her ear.  She knew that voice; it was her mum's. "Annie darling, I will always love you forever.  Take care, my dear Annie."  She felt her mum touched her cheek gently.  She closed her eyes and drifted back to slumber.

When you first look at Briana, right away you would think that she was a normal ten-year-old girl.  But what you don't know about Briana is that she was brought up in the wizarding world.   Her parents are great wizard and witch.  Great as they come, some would say.  Her father is Francis Sullivan, a man who promoted equal treatment between nonmagic (muggles as the term of the wizarding world) and magic people.  Her mother is Amelia Sullivan, a dark wizard catcher or an auror as they were called.  Briana admires both of her parents.  They influence her in a lot of ways. Everyone would always say that Briana had looked a lot like her father (bronze colored hair and hazel eyes), but have her mother's personality (free-spirited and energetic).  As Briana thought, they were vacationing in Greece and so Briana has to stay with her uncle for the next two weeks.

Another thing you need to know about Briana is her uncle. His name is Albus Dumbledore and he is the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the best school (Briana thought) in the world.  Now, Briana is staying at Hogwarts for the next two weeks because of her uncle.  Many people admire Albus Dumbledore and Briana thought that he was all right.  You see, Briana felt somewhat distant from her uncle, for they don't really know each other.  The only time Briana ever see her uncle was during the Christmas holidays.  The only reason that their meeting was early is because Mrs. Turningcoat, the Sullivans' housekeeper, was on vacation and no one could possibly be left behind with Briana as the Sullivans' vacationed in Greece.      

The sun was creeping slowly through the curtains of the window and the hangings of Briana's four-poster bed. Briana turned over with her arms around her teddy bear, Francine.  The light hit her face as she turned over. It had woken her up.  She slowly opened her eyes.  It's a brand new day, she thought.  Only 11 more days till mummy and daddy come home.  She sat up and rubbed her eyes.  She had completely forgotten her dream but can vaguely remember what happened last night.  She pulled the hangings back and saw that the sun was completely shining through the windows.  She sat on the side of her bed and looked at the picture frame and the card on the side table.  She picked up the card and read:

My dearest Mia,

Florence was wonderful.  I wish you were here to see it. Your mummy and I absolutely loved Italy.  Don't worry; I have already bought you those bon bons you have wanted.  Let's see, when you get this, we are probably on our way to Athens.  I miss you so much and mummy does too.  Can't wait till I see you again.  I love you.  See you in two more weeks! Take care of yourself!

With love,

  Daddy

Every time she read the card, it made her smile.  "Mia," only her father called her that.  It was like a special nickname for her, but to others, she would prefer to be called "Annie."  She put aside the card and picked up the picture frame.  It was the picture she and her parents had taken last Christmas.  Like all pictures in the wizarding world, this one was moving.  They were standing, beaming, at her. She put in back where it belonged and got dressed.  She skipped down the corridors of Hogwarts to the entrance hall and to the Great Hall for breakfast.        

The Great Hall only had one long table that was located in the center that would seat about fifty people.  Some teachers were still there eating and others were getting up to leave.  One of them, a professor whom Briana rarely talks to, greeted her, 

  "Good morning, Briana."

  "Good morning, professor," smiled Briana.  Briana sat on an empty seat next to the Astronomy teacher.  As she was spreading marmalade on her toast, about a dozen owls came soaring through the window.  To a normal person, this would be outrageous, but as I mentioned, this was the wizarding world.  The owls, some with letters and some with newspapers, found their owners and delivered their parcels to them.  

Briana was half way through her porridge when Professor Mcgonagall, the Transfiguration teacher, approached her and said,

  "Briana, your uncle wants to see you after you finished your breakfast," she said, her voice had a hint of quiver in it. She left in a hurry.  While Briana was finishing her porridge, she had thought of the reasons why her uncle wanted to see her.  Maybe he had found out about the "mess" I made along the Charms corridor.  I knew I shouldn't have let Peeves help me. Now I'm in for it for sure.  After she had finished, she got up and went to the second floor corridor to where her uncle's office is.  She approached the stone gargoyle and gave the password (Chocolate Éclairs!).  On her way up the moving stone steps, she heard some voices coming from the door that stood ajar.

  "You can't possible tell her now…It's not right…Dumbldore, she's just a child…"

  "I don't care, Minerva…she deserves to know…she will find out sooner or later…" She slowly opened the door and saw her uncle Albus and Professor Mcgonagall.  Dumbledore was pacing up and down his desk and Professor Mcgonagall was standing behind a chair looking absolutely pale. 

  "Erm, uncle Albus, you wanted to see me?" Briana said meekly.

  "Yes, I have something to tell you-" Dumbledore began but he was interrupted by Briana.

  "Look, uncle, I know that the Charms corridor was off limits because Filch was, er, cleaning it.  But I tell you, I have nothing to do with the fact that those things were there," explained Briana swiftly. 

  "What are you talking about?" a smile was actual forming in her uncle's face.

Briana tried not to look embarrassed and surprised and said,  "Exactly, so what were you saying?" She sat down on an armchair right in front of her uncle's desk.  You have to admit, Annie, that was smooth.  Professor Mcgonagall made a funny noise when Briana sat down.  Briana thought that this was because Professor Mcgonagall thought that she wasn't very lady-like.  She didn't care; for as long as she knew, she was always has been a tomboy. 

  "Yes, yes, about that, Annie," he clear his throat.  "As you know, your parents have taken a muggle plane to Greece.  This plane crashed somewhere off the coast of the island of Cyprus. Everyone on that plane is dead."

Briana was glued to her seat.  She felt instantly numbed when she had heard the word "dead." She knew what it had meant but, still, she asked,  "Are my mummy and daddy dead too?" Her uncle fell silent for a moment.  "So, so, I am an orphan?" She tried so hard not to make her voice quiver.  Then she smiled, "You lying, right? I mean it's a joke.  A sick joke at that.  You're trying to teach me something, right? Not to lie anymore? Well, I have learned my lessons.  So when are they coming back?"

Dumbledore gazed at her for a moment and said,  "I am afraid you don't understand, Annie.  Your parents, they were in the plane-"

  "You're lying! They-they are not dead! Daddy just sent me an owl a few days ago! No, they're alive! They can't-they just can't be!" Briana ran out of the room.  Not knowing where she was at that brief moment, she thought of running out of Hogwarts.  But her legs brought her to the room that she was staying in.  She slammed the door shut and sat on her bed.  She couldn't believe what she just heard.  Finally, she shut her eyes really tight. 

  "It's just a dream, Annie, it's just a dream.  When I open my eyes, I will be back at the Summer House in my room on my bed just waking up." She shut her eyes for a full minute and slowly opened them.   She looked around and saw the same stonewalls that surrounded Hogwarts, the same hangings that she had just pulled back this morning, and her trunk sitting in the corner of the room.  Her lower lip quivered and she felt a tear trickled down her cheek.  For the first time in her life, she actually cried at something that didn't injure her physically.  Her eyes traveled to the stand next to her bed with her parents picture on it.  They were standing there beaming at her. As she reached to get it, there was a knock at the door and followed by the door opening.  Briana didn't bother to see who it was because she had already known who it was. 

  "Annie, you ran out of my office to quickly that I hadn't told you one more thing," his voice had no hint of anger.  On the contrary, it was so comforting that Briana actually felt sorry that she had ran out.  "Your mother, my little sister, and your father had given me the title of your guardian.  Now as you know, as a guardian, whatever happens to your parents, I will take the responsibility of taking care of you. Well, you see what I am going on to, right?" Briana looked up to him.  He had a rather old but kind face.  His bright blue eyes have always reminded Briana of her mother.

  "You-you'll take care of me? But don't you have about a thousand other children to take care of, I mean you are the Headmaster of Hogwarts."

  "Well, I do have priorities.  And my first priority now is you."

  "You'll come and live with me at the Summer House?" she said as she wiped the tears away from her eyes. 

  "Well, not exactly, but I will be at the Summer House every now and then.  Annie, I am truly sorry to have to break the news to you like this, but you have to know." 

  "I guess," she muttered.  "Hey, uncle, can I just have some time alone, please?" He nodded politely and told her that he will meet her at dinner.  As soon as he had left, Briana laid down on her bed.  She looked up at the roof of it.  She thought of her life just several days ago.  She sighed, well, I guess I wouldn't have a charmed life after all.

Well, this chapter was quite long.  It's the introduction to Briana's world.  Well, you know the drill, please leave a review.  I don't own anything but Briana Sullivan and the plot.  Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowlilng.  Oh, yeah, I stole a bit from the television show, "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," so try and figure that out.