Chapter 1

When Freddie first saw a little owl fly through her bedroom window and land on her desk with a letter tied to its leg, she could only imagine it to be another one of her outlandish dreams. However, when she heard a piercing scream erupting from her mother behind her, she knew it must be real. Cautiously, she approached it, and eventually took the letter as the tiny, white owl stuck out its leg. The letter had a bright red seal on it with a complicated crest she didn't recognise. Her mother screamed for her father and he came rushing down the stairs; when he saw the innocent bird, he stopped dead in his tracks.

Miss Frederica Green,

The Bedroom on the Second Floor,

Number 13 Derilla Road,Swanley, Kent,

England

was the address beautifully handwritten in black ink. Why would anyone want to write to her? It wasn't her birthday until the 23rd of November which was the only time she usually received letters and it was still July. Besides, it looked very professional... She opened it tentatively, completely at a loss as to what to expect.

However, before she could read so much as a word, they heard a loud bang on the front door. What was going on? They never usually had visitors besides the kids at Halloween. Finally seeming to come to his senses, her father hurried down the stairs to open the door, but as he did he became, once again, momentarily speechless. A giant of a man with beetle-black eyes beneath a large amount of black bushy hair, was crouched, a smile just distinguishable beneath the forest growing on his face, in the doorway.

-"Don' mind if I come in, do yer? I would love a cuppa sommit nice as well." he said, and with that he strode into the house, brushing the ceiling despite crouching so low, and plonked himself down on the sitting room sofa. Freddie's mother, Katherine, was staring, most impolitely Freddie thought, at the unexpected visitor as if he was a dinosaur that had just hatched on the couch. Shaking herself, she scampered off to the kitchen to boil the kettle.

-"Righ'", he said, "Down ter business. I've got some news fer yer. How do I say this... Have you ever been able to do things, without knowing how? When yer angry or scared?" He looked at Freddie expectantly. She thought back to all the times she had been angriest, or most scared. She remembered when she fell from the roof, but landed softly, without a scratch. Or when a boy bullying her in nursery, had suddenly had his head set on fire. She nodded timidly.

-"Well, it's not as unexplained as it seems. See... yer a witch." he paused, "Yer can perform magic." he added when she didn't respond. All of a sudden her father seemed to burst into life.

-"I'm sorry sir but I will not have strangers barging into my house claiming that my perfectly normal daughter is a... a... a witch! It's... it's... just get out my house! Now!"

-"Dad... we could just listen to what he has to say couldn't we? We both know I've had some weird stuff happen to me over the years..."

-"Finally! Somebody speakin' some sense!" the giant muttered angrily. "Righ'," he started clearly, before anyone could interrupt him, "I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys an' Grounds of Hogwarts. Hogwarts is a school for people like yerself, magical people. There, yer'll learn how to use an' control yer powers. Headmsater's Albus Dumbledore an' he's the greatest wizard yer'll ever meet. Now, yer'll be starting on the firs' o' September an' yer need to visit Diagon Alley ter get all yer supplies before tha'. I'm guessing yer already got yer letter which is good 'cause tha's got a list of everything yer'll be needing... Er yes?" he stopped as he saw the look on Katherine's face.

-"And what makes you think she will be going? She has already received a place at her secondary school and..." but she was cut off as Hagrid had stood up (as much as he could), took a large pink umbrella out from his enormous coat and pointed it at the coffee table. In the blink of an eye it had transformed into what looked like a misshapen, wooden rabbit.

-"Well, I never was too good at Transfiguration meself..." he muttered, face glowing bright red. The Green's all stood, utterly speechless, unable to believe what they had just witnessed. But Freddie felt not only flabbergasted, but excited and exhilarated. She could learn to do that!?

-"Ok..." she started stupidly, "Well um... how long till... Dragon Alley or whatever it was?"

-"Good righ' well someone'll arrive... not really sure when to be honest... or who... migh' even be me! but um... anyway, they'll take yer to Diagon Alley, yer allowed a cat, toad, or owl by the way. I don' recommend the toad though, not very popular anymore. Well I only came here ter tell yer bou' yer powers really so... I'll be off then!" And with that he marched out the front door and disappeared before anyone had even had time to register the enormity of what had just happened.

Frederica Green was a witch.