AUTHORS NOTE(s): This is my first fanfiction, so it probably won't be all that great. It was created mainly for my best friend, Courtney ((Hippielover495)) who has wanted me to become a part of this website for quite some time. Now I have. ALSO: If there are any spelling/gramtical errors, I appologize. My computer does not have spell check and I am not the best English student.

It was her 11th birthday, but there was nothing new happening. Where was HER Hogwarts letter? Was she not special the way Harry was? Was she destined to be a plain, boring muggle girl forever?

"Stella! Stella hurry down here! Your father and I have something to show you!"

Stella dashed down the dark wooden staircase that seperated her room from the rest of the brightly lit house she lived in. Rushing into the pale green kitchen, she met her parents, gasping for air. As she stood, staring frantically at both of thier faces, her parents just looked at her as though she was crazy. Was she REALLY that excited about it? If she was, then they had obviously done a great job in making her eleventh birthday special without the help of magic. But, were new shoes really this important?

"Well? What is it you needed to show me?" Stella choked as she attempted to catch her breath.

"We didn't think it would be this important to you..." her father began in a slighlty worried tone.

"But, remember those new designer shoes you wanted? Well, we went ahead and got them because..."

Stella cut her mother off in a dream induced haze. "Because I'm going to Hogwarts!"

Her mothers face went pale and her father leaned against the wall to keep from stumbling on his own feet. How had Stella found out about that? Then it hit her. Her mother knew. It was that tattered, nameless book Stella had found in a subway station a few years before. Even so, Stella's parents held their ground and refused to mention their wizarding roots.

"Thats from that book you've been reading, isn't it? I thought I told you not to dwell on dreams of other people that will never come true for anyone. Harry Potter is just another made op character in a fantasy land created by some snob trying to make a quick buck." her mother spoke quickly and Stella knew something was up just from the fear that had struck her fathers face as he slowly dragged himself from the room.

"Yeah... I guess so... and thanks for the shoes mother..." Stella took one last look at her mothers face and halfheartedly took the shoes from her mother and nearly cried as she slowly wandered back up the dark staircase leading to her already dismal bedroom. The only bright objects were the book she had been reading and a tree branch she had painted silver and called her wand. She wanted to know and be a part of that world so bad... But maybe it was just a fairy tale... Maybe her love really was just some boy made up in some snobs mind.

MEANWHILE AT HOGWARTS...

Harry Potter and his newly aquired friend, Ronald Weasly followed Hagrid and the rest of the first years to the boats that would take them on thier journey of unknown outcomes waiting to occur inside Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was the world that Stella dreamed of each and everyday. The dimly lit hallways, the enchanted ceiling of the dining hall, the dark, warm common rooms where students spent hours studying magic. It was real, but she didn't know it yet. And when would she find out? When would she discover her deep wizarding roots?

Well it just so happened that that night, Stella discovered a small, leatherbound notebook in her parents room. In the closet she had been told was strictly forbidden for her to ever even peek into. But to her surprise, there was nothing within the closet except this notebook. Why had her parents kept her away from it for so long? What horrible secret could it possibly possess?

That night, after her parents had tucked her in and kissed her goodnight, she lit a candle and read what she thought to be her mothers oldest journal. And as she read, she found out many of the things her mother had told her were false were actually true. Stella discovered that her mother had once been a great witch, capable of perfoming even the most complex spells. Stella didn't understand why she wa snot to know this, but she became so interested in this book that she wasn't finished reading even when the sun rose and the candle burned itself out. Or when her mother swept into her room to get her up after she heard no noise from her daughters room as the clocks neared two in the afternoon...

After about an hour of screaming from both of her parents, Stella was completely crushed to find out her parents had been lieing to her. There really was a Hogwarts and all of the wonderful things she had read about were true. The spells, the enchantments and even the strange looking creatures that she often doodled as a child were all real. Stella was hurt beyond belief that her parents could be so angry with her for finding out the truth that she had hungered for for all these years. How could they do this too her! They knew how much it ment for her to know the truth about everything all the time! Why would they lie so much to cover such a wonderful secret?

Soon after the yelling and long after the tears had begun to fall, Stella noticed a small, glimmering object in her bedside drawer. It was silver and smooth and had the appearance that would seem worthless to so many other people. But not to Stella. She still remembered how it felt to use that small razor to bleed her pain away. She still remembered how much better she felt afterwards. And the best part was, no one ever knew her secrets. No one ever had to know about all the small things that bothered her each and every day. But that was her old life. She couldn't bring it back. Even the mere thought of mutalationg her body as she once did stung the soft, pale skin on her arms and legs and she tried to put the thought out of her mind. And hopefully she would succeed. She knew this wasn't the right way. She knew it was wrong. But that didn't mean she didn't still want to.

Because she couldn't go to Hogwarts with the rest of the first years, Stella needed to study hard and prepare for the next year. She hoped she could work herself up to the level of the second years and be in the same house as Harry Potter. But studying proved to be difficult under the strict watch of her still against magic parents and the constant thought of Harry. Stella had so many notebooks filled with just his name. Just his name and the tiny black hearts she drew with her favorite quill. Even so, Stella studied as hard as she could and when her parents weren't home, she would mutter spells under her breath and wave her "wand" hoping something would someday happen.

Months passed and snow began to fall. Still, Stella had gotten nowhere in magic, but she did know an awful lot about the inner workings of Hogwarts and of many famous witches and wizards, such as the great headmaster, Dumbledore, or of the mischevious and evil, Lord Voldemort. Stella gained as much knowledge as possible, and of coursewill power, and she continued to pray for something magical to happen to her. Yet day after day, her powers seemed useless and she was starting to believe that she wasn't a witch afterall. And if she was, wouldn't someone like Hagrid be trying to rescue her the way he rescued Harry?

Then, on a particularly dark and snowy evening while her parents were out, Stella decided to try one last spell before giving up forever. It was the simple spell of unlocking doors, the one she had read about and the one she was sure would be simple enough for even the most fake wand. Stella decided she could concentrate best if she was under alot of pressure, so she raced out of her house, locking all of the doors behind her and stood on her front porch, staring at the lock in front of her as white, puffy snow feel from every where, covering every inch of her body in a chilled blanket.

Try number one: Stella waved her wand anxiously and muttered "alohamora", but nothing happened. Not even the slightest bit of sound or movement, except for the glittering snow that surrounded her.

Try number two: Stella tried a little less waving and a little more oomph on her word. And it proved to be helpful. The lock twitched just a bit. Which was good, because Stella could hear her fathers old, rattling car coming up the driveway...

Try number three: Stella's fingers were going numb as her mind raced of what she would say if her parents arrived before the door opened. But, with a sudden twist of fate, the door unlocked. Stella almost thought she was dreaming until she was able to open the heavy wooden door.

Stella raced into her house and unlocked her door with the spell she had accomplished and quickly shoved all of her magical studies under her bed. She dashed into the living room and turned on the television, hoping her parents wouldn't suspect anything of the small feet print outside of the front door...

"Stella? Stella, are you feeling alright? Your face... its so red and... OH MY! Your forhead is so warm! What have you been up to?" her mother almost didn't want to know, but Stella knew how to act. She forced a few coughs and gave herself a slight shake and managed to convince her parents that she was ill. Her mother sent her straight to bed with no exceptions. Stells didn't mind, it gave her more time to day dream about Harry Potter in her room with no interruptions.

The winter passed and spring soon arrived. But even the most fragrant smells that were beginning to arrive in Stella's backyard, she just could not feel happy for even a moment. Life became about as interesting as a squashed paper cup for Stella, but she got through it. For once in her life, she didn't even care that her birthday passed with no one around to notice. Not even her parents chose to acknowledge the fact that their little Stella was now tweleve.

What seemed like only hours later, summer arrived and Stella began to anticipate her arrival at Hogwarts. She had already panned her escape. She would wait until her parents were asleep, then leave them with a note explaining how she longed to go to Hogwarts and how hurt she was for their lieing to her and steal away into the night, off to the trainstation containing Platform 9 and three quarters. It was there she would board the train with nothing more than her homemade robes and find Harry. He would know how to help her. And she was sure he would. He seemed so nice in all the books she had read. And he was so cute...

Summer pushed thorugh Stella's life slowly. So slowly that she could hardely sit still for even a second. But she forced herslef to because her parents would know somehting was up. And she couldn't give them even the smallest clue of her plans. Not until that night. Not until she was gone and she knew what to do. Not until she met Harry Potter.

Near the end of the summer, her mother began to notice soemthing was up, but Stella refused to break. But the constant nagging and the tension that tore apart her family was slowly getting the best of her. There were so many times that the blade seemed to be the only answer to her problems, but Stella continued to fight the urge. For soon she would meet Harry Potter and be healed by all the love he would show her.Everything would be fine once she met Harry.

And soon after, the night had arrived. The night she dreamed of for months. She grabbed her backpackand loaded it with a few sets of clothing and the homemade robes she had. And just in case, she packed the blade too. She wasn't sure why, but she had a strange connectiong to the shining metal object and she just couldn't resist its presence. She left the note that took her only seconds to write and leaped from her window into the dark, starless night.