Hey guys, this is my first fanfiction so please bear with me. It's a Harry Potter fanfiction set in the next generation era during Dominique Weasley's first year. I had Dominique being born in December 2001 and just to warn you a lot of my characters are OCs.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything else you might know or recognise. All rights go to J.K Rowling.
Chapter 1: The Letter
The blinding sunlight had found a way to filter itself through Isabella Carmichael's eyelids, waking her up. She didn't move but instead just lay there, silent, until her little brother found his way into her room.
"Hi," Elliot said blinking at her.
"Morning, kiddo," she replied, sitting up in bed. Elliot Carmichael was a small boy with blond curls that flopped slightly down onto his forehead. Like Isabella, he had light blue eyes with a grey tinge to them. He smiled slightly; she always liked it when he showed emotion. For nine years old he didn't show much.
"There's a letter for you downstairs."
Her heart swelled with anticipation, she hoped this was the letter she had been waiting for her whole life. She didn't say anything dramatic though but instead something far more amusing.
"I must be popular," she said smirking slightly at him. He simply tilted his head and left the room.
She hastily got dressed and tiptoed down the wooden stairs. She wasn't sure whether their father was up or not. Elliot would wake up quite early sometimes. Their father, Wesley Carmichael, owned his own business in Diagon Alley called Wes's Toys and Games. It was a rather new business, only 14 years old and he made all the products himself. Isabella, Elliot and their father lived in a homely two-storey apartment behind the shop. Their family had once been four people but Isabella's mother was long gone. Three years ago their family was visiting friends in Albania when Miranda Carmichael was attacked by a werewolf. She died two nights later in hospital. It had put their family into disarray and Isabella herself winced at the memory. Since then, werewolves had been a sensitive topic in their house despite all of them knowing the werewolves were normal people the rest of the time and that they don't remember anything the night of the full moon. She quickly shook the thoughts away and found herself in the kitchen, staring at Elliot. He silently passed her a letter over the table and peered at her, anticipating her reaction. She moved her gaze from Elliot to the emerald writing on the page.
Miss I. Carmichael Second-Story Bedroom 15 Diagon Alley Central London London
She flipped the letter in her hand and saw the Hogwarts stamp on the back. Isabella's heart skipped a beat. She had grown up around magic and had seen her father perform spells but the idea that she could actually do magic had always seemed so foreign to her. Now she had proof and could go to Hogwarts. A million questions swarmed her mind. What house will I be in? Will I make any friends? Will I be any good at magic?
"It's from Hogwarts, isn't it?" Elliot inquired, pulling her out of her thoughts.
She nodded absentmindedly, her eyes still glued to the letter.
"Well, aren't you going to open it?"
"I'll do it when Dad's here."
"He's in the workshop if you're wondering," he said, standing up.
A large grin spread across her face and she could already see her dad's proud expression as he read her letter.
"Great, I'll go show him now," she said, already climbing the stairs. Elliot had to hurry to catch up and by then she was already half way down the second-floor hallway. Together, they peered into the wooden room and saw their father hunched over his desk, working on a new toy. Isabella stepped into the room and Elliot shuffled in after her. Wesley Carmichael looked up at them and a smile broke across his face. He was a rather tall man with brown hair that flopped over his face and the beginnings of a beard.
"How are my two favourite children this fine morning?"
"Pretty good," Isabella said, still beaming.
"Isabella got her Hogwarts letter," Elliot said bluntly. Well, Isabella thought, there goes my plan for telling Dad dramatically.
"That's great, now you can do magic," Isabella's dad was grinning from ear to ear, "you're going to have an amazing time at Hogwarts."
A smile tugged at Elliot's lips while Isabella was daydreaming about all the things she would do at Hogwarts.
"Are you going to open it?" Mr Carmichael said playfully.
Isabella nodded and gently opened the letter. Her eyes scanned the contents, taking everything in.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall
Dear Miss Carmichael
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours Sincerely,
Horace Slughorn Deputy Headmaster
Isabella's insides felt like they were doing somersaults. She stood still for just a moment, not saying anything. Realising Elliot and her dad were staring at her she quickly read the letter out loud.
"Congratulations honey, I'm so proud of you," Mr Carmichael said, his expression echoing the one Isabella had pictured in her mind earlier. Elliot gave her a curt nod.
"Good job," he said. Mr Carmichael riffled through his drawer, bringing out a pen and paper.
"We'll reply to them straight away," he said, jotting something on the paper, "Emmett!"
The elegant family owl, Emmett, flew gracefully into the room landing on Mr Carmichael's desk. Mr Carmichael tied the letter to the owl's legs before giving the owl directions.
"Give this to Miss Minerva McGonagall at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." With that he opened the window and Emmett soared out of it, disappearing into the distance.
Isabella then read out the equipment list and looked up at her dad. He considered her slightly before speaking.
"It's Sunday so our shop will be closed today," he said, considering their situation, "we could go shop for your equipment."
Isabella beamed and even Elliot gave a small smile. Both of them loved living and shopping in Diagon Alley. None of them said anything until Elliot opened his mouth.
"I'm hungry, can we have breakfast?"
Later that morning Isabella, Elliot and Mr Carmichael stepped out onto the streets of Diagon Alley. Straight away Isabella saw the colourful displays in front of the shops and the equally colourful witches and wizards that scurried through the streets. She could see many of her favourite shops like Flourish and Blotts and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. George Weasley and his wife Angelina owned that shop. They had twin children, Fred (the second) and Roxanne who were about a year younger than Elliot and they were all good friends. The children often hung out in Diagon Alley while their parents worked. Her dad had told her that George's twin brother Fred had died during the war and Isabella's heart went out to him. Isabella had always been told that during the war many of the shops had been closed down and a large portion of Gringotts had been destroyed. Then a voice dragged her out of her thoughts.
"I have money so we don't have to go to Gringotts. Where do you want to go first?" Her dad asked her.
"Umm, Flourish and Blotts," she answered. She often spent time in that shop, browsing over books both fiction and non-fiction. Reading was one of her favourite pastimes. As they made their way to Flourish and Blotts Isabella read over the equipment list again.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Uniform First-year students will require:
Three sets of plain work robes (black)
One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One winter black cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags
Set Books All students should have a copy of each of the following: The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander A Guide to Magical Creatures (OWL and NEWT Students Only) by Morgan Lopez The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble Defensive Spells by Harry Potter
Other Equipment 1 wand 1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) 1 set glass or crystal phials 1 telescope 1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
Isabella blinked; she hadn't realised Harry Potter had written a book. They had reached the Flourish and Blotts and they spent a good fifteen minutes browsing the bookshelves. When they had bought all the necessary books they left the shop. She had also bought a copy of Hogwarts: A History. Her dad had said it would be good to have some background information on Hogwarts. They spent the rest of the morning shopping for school supplies. They managed to get her a pewter cauldron, a telescope and a set of brass scales. Next they entered the apothecary and Isabella personally thought it was a rather gloomy place. Many dark potion ingredients lined the walls and Isabella was glad to leave the shop.
They had lunch at Gwendolyn's Café and Isabella tucked into a bowl of spaghetti bolognaise.
"Can I go look at quidditch supplies," Elliot asked, "please?"
Both Isabella and Elliot shared an interest in quidditch although Elliot took it far more seriously. Isabella did enjoy flying a lot though. If she was perfectly honest, Isabella preferred the muggle sport football (or soccer).
"Isabella still has to get her robes and her wand."
"I can get the robes by myself," Isabella added quickly, silencing her father. She found it incredibly annoying when Elliot got into a bad mood so she often tried to stop any arguments from going too far.
"If you're sure…" Her father's voice trailed off before he took control of it again, "I'll give you some money and you can go when you've finished eating."
So soon after Isabella travelled to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions while Mr Carmichael and Elliot went in the opposite direction. When she arrived inside she was greeted by a kind-looking but squat woman who she presumed was Madam Malkin.
"Hogwarts, am I right? Come right this way."
Isabella was led to the back of the shop where she was instructed to stand on a stool. On the stool next to her was another girl. The girl looked around Isabella's age and was about an inch taller. She had a pale face and ginger hair that hung just below her shoulders. Her hair was curly but unlike Isabella's, it didn't curl into ringlets. She had hazel eyes and a small dash of freckles across her nose.
"Hi, are you going to Hogwarts too?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'll be in my first year, what about you?"
"Same," the girl answered, "by the way I'm Anna, Anna Miller."
"Isabella Carmichael, are you muggle-born?" She noticed Anna seemed rather uncomfortable in her surroundings.
"Yeah, I'm the first witch in my family."
"That's cool, both my parents are magical."
'Or were in my mum's case,' Isabella thought gloomily. Madam Malkin was now taking her measurements while Anna's witch was pinning her robes. Isabella turned to Anna.
"Are you excited about Hogwarts?" She asked her.
"Yeah but I'm really nervous about the classes,' Anna admitted.
"Don't be," Isabella reassured, "I'm sure you'll be fine."
The witch fitting Anna was soon finished while Madam Malkin still had a bit to go. Anna hopped down off her stool.
"Guess I'll see you at school then," She said before smiling at Isabella.
"I'll see you soon then."
"Bye!"
Isabella saw her exit the shop just as Madam Malkin had finished with her robes.
"That's you done dearie."
"Thank-you Madam."
Isabella paid for her clothes and left the shop to find Elliot and her dad waiting outside for her. Elliot was holding a new quidditch magazine.
"Hey there Belle, shall we go to Ollivanders next?" Mr Carmichael asked her.
"Yep, I can't wait to get my wand."
Ollivanders was a shabby, old-looking shop with the words Ollivanders: Makers of fine wands since 382 BC written on its door. The walls of the shop were lined with shelves filled with boxes that could only hold wands. Ollivander himself was an old man with wide, pale eyes.
"Ahh, welcome," he said in a soft voice. He then looked over at Mr Carmichael and gave him a small nod, "Wesley, good to see you again. 11 and a half inches long, flexible, mahogany and dragon heartstring. Good for transfiguration, am I right?"
"Yes you are," Mr Carmichael said before adding, "Good to see you too, Mr Ollivander."
"How did you know what his wand was?" Elliot inquired, frowning slightly.
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr Carmichael."
Ollivander then turned his gaze to Isabella and locked eyes with her. She almost gave an involuntary shudder.
"Which is your wand arm Miss Carmichael?"
"Right," she answered as she held out her right arm. Ollivander measured her, muttering to her about how no two wands are the same. He gave off a rather creepy vibe. He then carefully chose a wand from one of the shelves.
"Maple, unicorn hair, bendy, 10 inches," he told her, "try it."
Isabella tried it but nothing happened. Ollivander took that wand and gave her another wand. Again nothing happened. She tried more and more wands but still no results. Ollivander smiled while carefully browsed the shelves. He stopped and picked out another wand.
"Try this one, it's nine and a quarter, oak, slightly springy and phoenix feather."
Isabella gave it a little wave. The wand felt warm in her hands as small sparks flew from it. Her dad's face broke into a grin, Elliot gave a small nod and Ollivander sent her a crooked smile.
"That's the one," Mr Carmichael inquired, "right Mr Ollivander?"
"It certainly is," said Ollivander as he turned to Isabella, "that wand chose you, treat it well."
"I will Mr Ollivander," said Isabella, slightly overwhelmed.
"Good…" Ollivander muttered, his voice trailing off.
Mr Carmichael paid for the wand and they soon found themselves back home with Isabella's school gear on the floor of her room. That night Isabella fell asleep thinking of all the things she would do at Hogwarts.
Chapter 1 is finished! Please tell me what you thought and how you think I could improve it. Any ideas you have are also welcome. More of J.K's characters next chapter.
By the way I have nothing against werewolves and I only wrote that part in for the convenience of the plot.