A/N: Wanna know what this is about? Read the description. Most of the characters are mine and OCs, but this is JK Rowling's world, not mine. I can only dream of being as rich, amazing, and rich as she is...
Emerald Marie Winter was three when she began to comprehend what being a wizard meant. She had grown up knowing her identity; no unresolved questions left lingering in her mind. She was a witch, through and through. And for the most part, she loved being a witch. She loved the energy that she could feel building up inside of her, all too eager to burst out, raucous and loud, filling the air with a tangible energy. She loved magic.
But being a witch meant danger. It meant that people were always hunting you, whether it be no-majs or otherwise.
Being a witch meant having more power. And more power meant more danger.
Emerald Marie Winter was nine years old when she watched her parents die right in front of her. The chaos, the tears, the confusion; she remembered it as if it was yesterday. The look of horror on her parents' faces as their last whispers, their mouths soaked in blood, reverberated in her mind, delving into her dark past, "We love you. Defeat them. Stay safe, stay strong." stay strong. It had become her mantra, her way of remembering what her parents had died for, what they had dedicated their lives to fighting. Stay strong. She tried to be strong, she really did. But sometimes, it was so hard.
It felt like the world was being held up by her own shoulders, and if she rested, or tried to rest, for one second, the world would come crashing down upon it, and with it would come tumbling down her failure, her misery, her memories. Over and over again. Stay strong. She didn't stay strong. She had failed her dead parents, and the memories of them. She had just let the world come crashing down.
Then she would wake up, into the daylight, and once again run through her failures, her misery, her memories. Only this time, it would all have been real.
Emerald Marie Winter was only just turning eleven today, but somehow, she knew it all depended on her. She didn't need a prophecy to tell her that, like THE Harry James Potter. She just knew it, in her gut.
And she would do her best not to fail.
Mornings in Denver were just as busy as any other time of the day. The sun rose from behind the daunting buildings, and cars rushed through the streets, eager to move on to their next adventure. Emerald observed this with a keen, sharp eye, taking in the bustle of the beginning of the day, as she lazily stretched in bed.
She brightened considerably when she remembered what today was. She was heading off to the airport, to get on the plane that would take them to Massachusetts, where she would finally be going to Ilvermorny. She had been looking forwards to Ilvermorny practically since before she could talk, and now she was finally going!
Bursting out of bed with renewed vigor, she hurriedly brushed her teeth and jammed a comb through her, at the time a bright yellow, hair. Looking at this, she paled considerably. Yellow was so not her color. She scrunched her eyes up, and her hair turned to a mixture of turquoise and darker blues, looking like a galaxy in her hair.
She smiled at her reflection as she made her way down to the breakfast table.
Living in Denver, where housing was close to as expensive as it could get, they didn't live in anything super posh or high end. They weren't poor, actually quite well off, but their aunt didn't like spending money and was constantly fretting over their budget.
Breakfast was eaten in a hurry, Emerald anxious to go to Ilvermorny, and her aunt anxious to make their plane. She squawked at Emerald to get her luggage. Emerald was back in less than a minute, having double and triple packed weeks beforehand.
The car ride to the airport was tense, filled with three word questions and one word answers. Emerald, so excited for Ilvermorny she could barely breathe, would just manage to get out a high pitched squeak of a word before closing her mouth and eagerly bouncing up and down in her seat.
The airport was crowded yet still seemed open and overly large, as formidable as ever. They made their way through countless security lines and luggage checks, until at last they were boarding the plane.
The plane ride consisted mostly of incessant chatter from Emerald, her aunt watching through half-amused eyes. Being raised in England and having gone to Hogwarts, her aunt was, understandably, worried about the education standards of Ilvermorny. It had taken her years to finally accept that their was no way to send her niece to Hogwarts; it would just cost too much money.
Ilvermorny, to Emerald, seemed like the perfect escape. Of her aunt, who was constantly nagging her to better, at school and just in general. From the memories of her parents, whom she saw walking around every corner, making coffee at the counter, talking to her with dreamlike voices, until she shook her head and they disappeared. She just needed to get away from the nightmares, the nightmares that haunted her in the light as well as the darkness. She knew somewhere, in the back of her mind, that running away from her problems would not make them disappear, only grow larger with time, but she paid this piece of her mind no attention. She knew that Ilvermorny would be incredible.
The next few days passed like a blur to Emerald. One minute she was landing, getting off the plane, getting her luggage and leaving, the next she was in the hotel, memorizing all of her textbooks thoroughly, and the next she was saying a somewhat tearful goodbye to her aunt, in front of the train that would take them from Boston to Ilvermorny.
She had read in Ilvermorny: A History, that they took a train because the founders wanted to go to Hogwarts, and had had it in mind when creating the school. The book was full of information about the wizarding school of North America, but when she showed her aunt, her aunt had merely feigned interest, and only that, and eventually had just shooed Emerald away, insisting that she had better things to do than look at that "silly old book" that would "never be considered even close to as good as Hogwarts". She had just called Ilvermorny an "knockoff Hogwarts". But Emerald knew, know, that Ilvermorny wa just as renowned in America as Hogwarts in Britain.
So now, she was saying goodbye to her aunt, who pretended to look said when hugging Emerald goodbye. But out of the corner of her eye, she could see Aunt Vesta checking her watch. Emerald felt some undefinable emotion bubbling up inside of her, but she quelled it with a quick reminder of her mantra. Stay strong, she chided herself.
After a quick peck on the cheek, her aunt was gone, back to her husband and children she loved, Brendon and Kyle. So intent on finding a compartment, she hardly noticed where she was going until she was startled out of her reverie by bumping into an alarmed girl.
She looked to be around the same age as herself, yet she carried herself in a different manner. She was lithe and graceful, and her dark skin positively glowed. Her sleek black hair shined as she barely stumbled, managing to still look elegant. Emerald, on the other hand, managed to make a fool of herself by falling flat on her face.
The mystery girl laughed at her, but Emerald could tell that it wasn't meant to be mean, but she was rather laughing at their predicament. Emerald joined in, their unison giggles growing louder and louder, until they both cut off in sync, which only furthered their laughter. When they had finally gotten themselves under control, Emerald felt the need to introduce herself.
"My name's Emerald Marie Winter. What's yours?"
"I'm Sierra. Do you always introduce yourself with your full name?"
"If you want me, you get all of me." She said, still giggling slightly.
"Well in that case, I'm Sierra Celestia Allaire Gabrielle Alessandra Sofia Blackwood," She finished, grimacing at her exceedingly long name. "Shall we find a compartment?"
The rest of the ride was spent in laughter, the two of them getting along famously. Sierra came from an old pureblood family, one with lots of wealth, with which she was eager to spend. The ride was short, as it wasn't that far from Boston to Mount Greylock. They changed into their cranberry and blue robes, barely containing their excitement. Nervously bouncing up and down, their behavior changed as they were stuck in an awed stupor when they caught their first glance of Ilvermorny.
The castle in itself was massive, sunlight glancing off of the perfectly polished marble and into the warm air. Impressive statues of Isolt and James stood at what seemed like fifty feet high, ever daunting and tremendous. Countless towers and peaks loomed above the rest of the castle, yet still managed to feel welcoming. The magic in the air was tangible.
The surrounding mountainside was just as awesome. Trees flanked all sides of the mountains and wildlife burst everywhere. Birds were singing from trees high above, and pine needles littered the ground. A small stream led down the mountains, spouting from a large lake on the east side of the school. No moving photograph could depict the incredible sight that was Ilvermorny. The sun was just beginning to set, and the sky was still blue, though the outsides were tinged pink and orange, the beginning of what was sure to be an incredible sunset.
The train came to a stop, but none of the first years dared move.
Eventually, though, they would have to, and that time came when they shook out of their stupor and realized, with increasing franticness, that almost everyone was off of the train. They hurried off, and skipped along the long worn down path that led up to the great Ilvermorny. They had finally arrived, and Emerald Marie Winter could not have been happier.
A/N: I know every fanfiction author says this, but please review! Reviews seriously make my day. I never understood what fanfiction authors meant until I actually got my first review... But they make me update! Also, leave comments of characters and stuff you want to see! I have like 0 plot, and nothing written ahead of time, but I wrote all of what's above in like two hours, so I should be fine. There will be a new main character introduced next chapter, where they get SORTED! Yay! That's all.