Hey guys! My name is Lady Rosalune for those of you who haven't met me yet. This is my first chaptered story written for fanfiction! *applause* Anyway, this story is compatible with canon Harry Potter, at least for now. I will tend to follow the books as opposed to the movies with only a few exceptions. The only one I can think of off the top of my head is that, for girls, I use dresses, not dress robes. I drew the cover photo myself and you can find it and any other art I draw for this story on my deviantART page. I'm still LadyRosalune. I hope you all enjoy the story and don't forget to review. I want to know what y'all think about the story. The chapters will get longer, don't worry.
Chapter 1: Surprise
"I'm not coming back to Hogwarts next year," Harry Potter said quietly. He was a tall sixteen year old with messy black hair, round glasses, and a thunderbolt shaped scar on his forehead. He was sitting with his best friends Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Sienna Sinclair by the Black Lake on a bright, warm day that heralded the coming of summer. Dumbledore's funeral was set for the next morning, and this was their last day at Hogwarts before the break.
Ron and Hermione glanced at each other. "Er, we expected that Harry," Ron said slowly. Ron was a tall lanky Gryffindor with red hair and freckles, and he had been Harry's best friend since they'd met their first year. "You're going to find the horcruxes."
"And we're going with you, Harry," Hermione added quickly. Hermione, another Gryffindor, was leaning back against a tree with a book open in her lap. Her bushy brown hair was moving restlessly in the slight breeze.
"Guys, I can't let you do that," Harry replied. "I don't want you to get hurt or anything."
Ron rolled his eyes, "Yeah, and we absolutely won't get hurt now that You-Know-Who is back and Dumbledore's dead. Face it, Harry, we're coming with you."
Hermione nodded enthusiastically. "You'll need our help, Harry. Besides, there is no way you could keep us from coming."
Harry unwillingly began to smile, but it faltered. He looked over to where Sienna, a willowy Ravenclaw with soft brown hair and deep chocolaty eyes, was sitting silently staring at the lake. He didn't want to say anything, but he'd feel a lot more comfortable if she were coming too.
Hermione spoke for him, "Sienna, aren't you coming?"
Sienna sighed. "I'm not coming back to Hogwarts next year either, but I'm also not going with you." She took a deep breath and continued, "I was accepted to Atlantis School of Sorcery for seventh year. I'm going there."
Harry and Ron looked utterly bewildered, but Hermione's jaw dropped. "You were accepted to Atlantis?" She exclaimed. "I can't believe it. That's a huge honor! They hardly ever accept students in the exchange program."
Ron interrupted, looking annoyed. "Would someone please tell me what Atlantis School of Sorcery is?"
Sienna began to explain, still not making eye contact with any of them. "Atlantis School of Sorcery is the most exclusive magical school in the world. It accepts students from all over Europe and America, but there really aren't very many of them. It has many of the most talented teachers in the world as well. It's my life's dream to attend there and it's finally coming true. It took months of applications and tests, but I'm officially registered for next fall. I'll take my N.E.W.T.s there too."
"Do you know which house you'll be in? They do have some sort of house system, don't they?" Harry asked, trying to appear excited.
"Yeah, I'll be an Amazon. There are four different colleges: Amazonia, Elysia, Heroica, and Troy. Amazonia and Elysia are all female and all male respectively. Heroica and Troy are both mixed. Most exchange students become Trojans, it's really rare for one to be an Amazon."
"So did you have to try on a sorting hat?" Ron asked laughing.
"No, you're sorted based on tests that you must take. Don't worry though," She continued glancing over at Harry and Ron's incredulous looks. "Students don't take those exams until the end of third year. All first through third years are Trojans. The students who score particularly well on the exams join one of the other three houses. Amazonia and Elysia are the two smallest houses, but Heroica is the most prestigious. The Amazon mascot is the doe; the Elysian mascot is the leopard; the Heroes get the dragon; and the Trojans have a stallion."
The four of them continued to talk about Atlantis until lunch time. Hermione and Ron went quickly up to the Great Hall while Sienna and Harry lagged behind. "Harry," Sienna said softly. "Look, I'm sorry I can't go with you, but I just have to do this. Maybe this is my destiny."
Harry shrugged, but Sienna could tell he wasn't really okay. "Harry, you've been my best friend ever since we met on that first train ride to Hogwarts, please don't tune me out. This year will end and then we'll see each other again. In the meantime, you've got Hermione and Ron, not to mention the Order."
After several minutes of silence, Harry spoke, "You'll write, won't you?"
"Er, Harry, that's the thing: I can't write. There's no outside contact allowed at Atlantis. That is, unless I can find a way around the system." With that, she was silent a moment as she rummaged in her bag. "Ah ha!" She said triumphantly, pulling a mirror out of the bag. She tapped it with her wand and a second mirror appeared. Sienna then linked the two mirrors together through a complex looking spell. She handed one to Harry. "I'm sorry to say, I didn't come up with this idea myself," She said smiling. "If you remember, Sirius gave you a mirror very much like that one. That, of course, means you already know how to use it."
Harry smiled at her and, together, they walked back to the Great Hall.
