*This is just the prelude. Let me know when and if you want more.

Hey, guys! So welcome to my fanfiction. This is my first one, so let me start of by saying, thank you so much for taking the time to read this! This said, please don't be too mean! If there's something you think I can improve upon, say it kindly. The story is rated T, because of potential violence in future chapters (and because I'm paranoid)...that aside, I thought I might want to explain a bit about this fanfic before you start reading. First of all, it's going to be a long, slow process. I'm sorry but you'll have to bear with me. So, as far as the world goes, it'll stay kind of similar to the world of both of the books, save for the fact that I'll have squeezed my character in to the main plot of the story. Also, I've altered the wizard world to where I think it should be, because it irked me how primitive the wizards seemed in the original Harry Potter. As for romance/pairing and stuff, that'll have to wait till later-you'll see, trust me. All right then, now that you've read through this long, boring introductory paragraph that I kept drawing on and on just to irritate you, yes you, enjoy the story and don't forget to comment!

The mid-June sun was high in the sky when the owl appeared. Kassia Banks had spent the entire afternoon sprawled underneath a tree. It was for good reason; the trees branches were wide and provided plenty of shade, while being near to the lake. Just beyond the lake, small mountains rose, gracefully sloping upward and down. It really was a spectacular place.

The girl underneath the tree, of course, paid little mind to the view that she was missing. She was deeply absorbed in her newest symphony. It was a nice little challenge to keep the melodies from sounding to Mozart-y; this was a problem that occasionally rose with this particular symphony. She used her imaginary baton to conduct her imaginary orchestra. In her head, she kept track of every instrument and every harmony, how the melodies rose and fell, crescendoed uproariously and then fell to barely more than a pianissimo. Finally, she sliced the air in a circular motion, signaling the end of her imaginary concert. She sighed contentedly and set aside her staff paper.

"Hearing it will have to wait until later," she thought to herself as she pulled out her copy of A Collection of Classic Greek Literature. She had been meaning to read it for a while now, but all of her special projects had gotten in the way. Especially those concerning the LEP.

Flipping to the first page, Kassia rolled lazily onto her stomach. Bits of her jet-black hair had fallen out of its braid and into her face; she brushed it away with a graceful, porcelain-like hand. While one hand turned the pages of her book, the other began to absentmindedly trail in the grass, picking un-blossomed wildflowers. She brought the little bundle of green close to her face, then gazed fixedly at them.

Suddenly, the flowers began to bloom, bursting into beautiful yellows and blues and reds. She smiled, picking through the newly-blossomed flowers until she found her favorite - a pale blue one that matched her floral t-shirt. She stuck it into her hair, her other hand coming off the book and allowing it to shut.

This was an ability that she'd had for a while, making things just happen. She'd been able to more or less control plants from a much earlier age, but she could do other things as well; levitate things, make animals do tricks, set things on fire or make them frost over. Once, when she was five, she had gotten so upset about not being able to go to the symphony that she had caused a glass of water to freeze instantly. The glass had shattered and flown everywhere. In fact, the room's temperature had dropped drastically. She had still not been able to go; her mother had gently explained that the concert ran well past her bedtime. Another time, just a few years ago, she had been reading at a park on a particularly sunny spring day. A boy of about her age had begun to tease her for being tall and skinny as a rail, being pale, being a nerd. She did not usually lose her temper (she had learned how to control it in various psychology classes) but the boy had really begun to irk her. Just as she began to shout at him to go away, a thunder cloud had appeared above their heads. It began to rain in torrents, and the boy ran for cover. However, as he ran, the rain followed him, seeming to seek out his eyes and face. Kassia could have sworn she saw a raindrop fall up just to land in his eye. She came back to that park for years after, but never saw that boy again.

"Kas, time for lunch!" shouted Mrs. Banks from the nearby cabin, interrupting Kassia's thoughts. Sighing as she realized she had lost her page, she trudged over to her mother, clutching her book and music to her chest. She sat down at the picnic table near the cabin, grabbed a sandwich, and popped her book open, propping it up on the tall pickle jar. She picked through the pages, finally finding the correct one. She continued her reading as she scarfed down her sandwich.

"Really, Kas?" Mrs. Banks sighed as she sat down next to her daughter with a plate heaping with food.

"Yes, mom," Kassia replied absentmindedly. "Since we are taking a trip to Greece next month, I wanted to brush up on my Greek literature,". She paused for a moment. "And my Greek, for that matter. It's been...let's see...a month since I've read anything in Greek. I'm slacking". Mrs. Banks rolled her eyes. "Kas, I really don't think that the natives will expect you to have memorized The Odyssey. Or speak fluent Greek."

Kassia closed her book and set it on the bench next to her. She poured a glass of lemonade and sipped it, then set it gently on the table. "I think what you mean to say," she murmered softly, "Is that they don't expect a ten-year-old to have memorized the Odyssey. Or speak fluent Greek." She gave her mother a knowing smirk.

"Oh, Kassia," Mrs. Banks sighed, "What am I going to do with you?"

After a few moments of silence Kassia finally spoke "So, mom...I have a lot of things to work on...on my computer, so I was wonder-"

"No," Kassia's mother interjected firmly. "No, I will not have you on the computer any more, young lady. I specifically said no electronics on this trip, and although you did manage to sneak your laptop here, I really think you could use a break from it."

"But mom-"

"Kassia, really, is it something so important that it can't wait another five days? I mean, what exactly do you do on that laptop of yours all day?"Mrs. Banks demanded.

"Umm..." Kassia began, but was cut short as a shadow flashed across her vision. Suddenly, an owl sat in the middle of the plate of sandwiches at her elbow. Shocked, Kassia nearly leaped out of her seat.

The owl was lovely: its feathers were dappled with complex brown and black patterns. Its lamp-like eyes glowed a dazzling yellow.

And there was a letter clutched in its beak.