Cerise

A pale, gaunt face glared at me accusingly. His eyes bored into my soul, and he screamed at me "Why? Why did you do this to me, you WITCH?"

Wings fluttered, waking me from my nightmare.

Could it be? Already?

Today was my 12th birthday, and I was waiting for an invitation from Hogwarts! An owl swooped down from the open window, and dropped the parchment on my duvet.

"Cerise Ashthorn,

We would like to invite you to attend Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Magic"

My eyes watered, and my hands trembled. This moment was what I had been waiting for since I found out I was a witch! Well, I am muggleborn, but I do have magic!

Taking a closer look at the parchment, my heart sank. My imagination got the best of me sometimes.

"Cerise Ashthorn,

We would like to invite you to attend the Ministry of Magic to be present at a hearing for the misuse of Magic on the 29th of August. Do not be late.

Cornelius Fudge."

Stifling a sob, I stashed the letter where my parents wouldn't find it. Perfect timing, they burst into my room with a cake. "Happy Birthday Cherry!" They looked so happy for me, I couldn't bear to give them the bad news. "We saw the owl! Congratulations darling! If you like, we'll even drop you off at Diagon Alley this afternoon!"

"Thank you! You guys are the best!" I had to keep a charade going, I couldn't disappoint them like this.

"Bye sweetie! We'll pick you up in a few hours, OK?"

I waved to them until they were out of sight. Sighing, I leant against the brick wall that led into Diagon Alley. My backpack pushed into the correct brick somehow, and I fell backwards into the feet of some wizards.

"Well well, what rabble do we have here?" A tall, blond man sneered down at me. His miniature clone, albeit with shorter hair, imitated his sneer. I got to my feet, brushed myself off, and took a closer look at these snobs.

"Cerise Ashthorn, at your service," I bowed mockingly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have places to be."

"Oh, by places, I assume you mean that hearing which you must attend?" The father smirked. I froze. "Oh yes dear, I know about you and your little, shall we say, mishap?" I had to get out of here. Pushing past the younger one, I made it to the main alley, and headed straight for Ollivander's Wand Shop. Perhaps I would be safe from them there.

I was wrong; the little snob followed me, sans father, and cornered me in the store. "Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," he introduced himself, extending his hand. Warily, I shook it. "Sorry about my father back there, he can be a little… snooty at times."

"What kind of a name is Malfoy Draco Malfoy?" I asked him. Malfoy snickered. "There is a lot I must teach you, Cerise. I introduce with my last name, as it carries more weight than my first name. Now, where have I heard Ashthorn before? Are you of an ancient pureblood family?"

He looked hopeful, expecting me to say yes. "Um, I don't know" I mumbled.

"How could you not know?!" Draco exclaimed. "Ugh, oh alright then, I suppose I'll have to take you under my wing. A fragile one such as yourself wouldn't last a second at Hogwarts."

"I'm..not…" I whispered. "You're not what, Ashthorn? Not coming? Well you better." He finished my sentence for me.

Dragging me through all sorts of odd stores, he made sure we both had the correct equipment for our first year at Hogwarts. These would make great souvenirs to come home to from my regular school this year. Finally, we were at the bookstore, which was filled up by a giant man, and a young, dark haired boy.

"Alrighty then Harry! Come this way now, will yeh" The giant ushered the boy along.

Draco tugged on my sleeve. "That's Harry Potter! The famous Harry Potter!" He whispered.

Harry paused and frowned, as if he heard his name being said, then turned to leave the store. His eyes met mine for a fraction of a second; they were full of excitement, confusion and awe. I wished that I would be put in the same house as him, then I realised. I would never be in his house, nor any house for that matter.

Draco

I was starstruck. The Boy who Lived, The Harry Potter, was casually standing merely meters away. I tugged on Cerise's sleeve.

"That's Harry Potter! The famous Harry Potter!" I whispered to her fervently. He must be the greatest wizard ever, having faced the Dark Lord and lived. I had read the articles of his feat at least 10 times! My father disapproved of my admiration of Potter because it was "weakness" in his eyes. I didn't care. Harry and I would be great allies, perhaps even friends, at Hogwarts, and together we would make our mark on the wizarding history books.

He turned, paused, and walked out of the store. I had to introduce myself to him, and give a good first impression. I'd have my chance on the train to Hogwarts, perhaps I would sit in the same cabin as him.

Cerise looked at her watch, and gasped. "Oh no, my parents will be waiting to pick me up! I must go back!"

"I'll take you back, then." I offered. She smiled gratefully, and turned to leave the store as well.

A piece of paper fluttered out of her jacket pocket. "Hey, wait, you dropped…" I picked it up, surprised that she carried her Hogwarts letter with her – it would have been safer at her home.

Wait a minute, this wasn't an acceptance letter – this was summons for a hearing at the Ministry of Magic! I remembered the snide comment my father had made to her earlier, and now it all made sense.

"You used magic accidentally, and the Ministry of Magic wants to charge you with it?" I exclaimed.

She spun around. "How did you… Oh." Tears brimmed; she must have been carrying this burden for a while. "I should have told you before, that I'm not… I'm not going to Hogwarts." The tears spilled over, and streaked down her face.

I scoffed lightly. "Oh you silly fragile thing. You should have told me earlier! From my knowledge, you couldn't be banned from Hogwarts for something as small as accidental magic use!"

That sentence only seemed to worsen things. She snatched the paper from my hand, and ran for the exit of Diagon Alley. "I can help you! Please, let me be there for you," I called after her. Without slowing down, she raced through the exit, and disappeared from my world.

Cerise

And I thought he was nice. He must have stolen my letter from me when I was off-guard. That utter bastard, making me cry in public like that. As I ran towards the exit, I heard his smug, mocking scoff over and over, along with "you silly thing." I should never have spoken to him. I felt more tears run down my face.

I wiped at my eyes when I walked through the exit, and saw my parents waiting by the car. "Cerise! What perfect timing! We just got here!" They smiled at me.

Just as I was loading my books, or should I say souvenirs, into the car, Draco appeared. "Please, I never meant to laugh at your situation. I know you must be scared, but it will be ok!" He tried to explain himself. I glared at him. I trusted him, and he mocked me.

"Oh, who's your friend, Cherry?" My mother discovered Draco.

"Pleasure, Mrs Ashthorn, I am Draco Malfoy." He extended his hand, like he was a gentleman or something. "I just met your daughter in Diagon Alley."

Mom gave me the look of "ooh he's cute."

"I would like to ask for permission to accompany Cerise when she goes for the hearing at the Ministry of Magic" Draco asked her surprisingly politely, although his words were about to ruin what should have been the best day of my life.

"Hearing? Ministry of Magic? What's this young man talking about, Cerise? You're going to Hogwarts in 2 days' time!" My mother exclaimed.

My eyes began to water. "I'm sorry mom, but I'm not actually going to Hogwarts. They want me to attend a hearing about the, uh, accident."

Draco piped up. "That's what I have been trying to tell you, they can't stop you from going to Hogwarts for accidentally using a bit of magic!"

"This wasn't just any accident, Draco," my mother told him. "Cerise, you should have told me sooner about this. I had no idea you were carrying this the whole time, and on your birthday too!" She patted my shoulder. "Everything will work out fine, I promise," she reassured me. For a moment, I believed her, but memories of the accident haunted me. They would never let me into Hogwarts if they knew what I did to that boy.