Fred and George will not appear until Chapter 3. Sorry, but I needed to provide background for another character and couldn't find a way to fit them in.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of JKR's wonderful characters or plotlines. I just like to mess around with them.

"WHAT?!?!?!?!"

My scream rent the air in the brightly lit kitchen. Sitting at the island counter, my parents, John and Kira Westermann, cringed at the sound. I stared at the two of them, unable to sort out what had just happened. I ran my hand through my long, blonde hair, trying to figure out when my life had suddenly turned into a nightmare.

Everything was perfect before I had walked into my kitchen. I lived in Santa Barbara, California, in a beach side mansion. My best friend, Amanda Hughes, lived next door, so we had spent the majority of the summer on our private beaches. Unfortunately, I either burned to a nice lobster color or remained as pale as death, while Amanda retained her beautiful, golden tan the entire year. I was having the best summer of my life, probably cause I turned 17 less than two weeks ago. Oh, and I think I might have forgotten to mention that I was a witch.

I was about to start my seventh year at the Argeneau Institute of Magic, or AIM for short, in less than a month. AIM was the Ivy League of all magical schools in America. I know that this might sound conceited, but I swear that I was not your typical stuck up, snotty, filthy rich Cali girl. While I was able to get almost anything I wanted at any time, I never wanted any of it. I didn't dress in designer labels unless completely necessary. To me, a pair of board shorts and a tight tank top was perfect. I drove a car I paid for by myself from a part time job. Her name was Priscilla and she was a black '98 Pontiac Sunfire.

I know it might sound weird that I don't use magic for everything since I am a pure-blood, but I like doing things by hand. It really calms me down when I use my hands to do something instead of just waving my wand and having it done for me. It also has to do with the fact that I lost my wand during the summer between second and third year. Since my parents refused to help me look for it using magic, I spent three months searching for it, finally finding it in the purse I had used at the end of second year. Since I wasn't able to use magic for an entire summer, I had to everything like a Muggle. I grew to love doing things the non-magical way, continuing to do so even after I found my wand.

However, the one thing I wanted the most was the one thing that I couldn't have: more time with my parents. They both worked for the Ministry of Magic in America. Dad was the head of the Auror Department and Mom was the personal secretary to Prime Minister Studer. They worked all the time and I never got to see them for more than a few minutes a day. They left for work before the sun even rose and came home around 10 pm each night, claiming they were too tired and just needed some sleep. However, it seemed that this had changed somehow over the past day.

I had just woken up, checked my phone, saw that it was 12:32, and went down to the kitchen to grab something to eat, only to be surprised by my parents sitting at the island. Mom and Dad sat there, their identical chestnut heads leaned against each other, emerald eyes locked on chocolate ones. I was still amazed that I could look so different from the two people that created me.

While it was strange to see Mom and Dad sitting in the kitchen, eyes engaged in a loving gaze, it was even weirder to see them home in the middle of the day. They were never home at this time unless it was a holiday, and since it was the beginning of August, I knew that was impossible. When they finally noticed I was in the room, my mom had smiled and told me she had important news to tell me. My stomach did a flip, telling me that whatever this news was, it would not be good.

"Angie, sweetheart, your dad and I have some exciting news for you!" Mom exclaimed.

"Both of us have been transferred to the Ministry of Magic over in London! We leave at the end of the week!" Dad smiled, squeezing Mom's hand and looking at me expectantly. It was obvious that they thought that I would be ecstatic about this move. They couldn't have been more wrong.

"WHAT?!?!?!?!" I shrieked. Mom and Dad both cringed at the sound, but I couldn't care less. They had just told me that I was going to be leaving the only home I had ever known, to move to a completely different country, where I would know absolutely no one, right before my final year of school. I had just received my letter from AIM naming me captain of the seventh year Quidditch team. AIM was not separated into houses, just years, and each year had a team. The teams played against other teams of the same year from different schools. I had been a Chaser every year since second year. I even bought myself a Firebolt in my fifth year when it first came out. I had been hoping to finally captain a team for years. It was completely unfair that now that I finally achieved my dream, it was being ripped away!

I guess I must have been silent for quite some time after that, since Dad cleared his throat loudly, causing me to focus on the two of them across the island.

"Um, Mouse?" Mouse was their pet name for me. It came from when I was a baby and my cry resembled that of a squeaking mouse. I had loathed that name for the longest time, mainly because it was a baby name and was just plain embarrassing. "I thought that you would be happy about this. You have always said you wanted to travel to Europe for a vacation sometime."

I could feel rage crackle in my midnight blue eyes. "There is a huge difference between wanting to go somewhere on vacation for a few weeks and moving there permanently. Did you even consider my feelings when you decided on this?" I could feel myself getting angrier by the minute, cause my voice to rise and a sudden pressure to develop in my chest. "I'm about to start my final year at AIM and now you are whisking me away to England and expect me to be happy about it? You are forcing me to leave everything behind just because you want to go there! What kind of crack dream did you to have that made you think I would be happy about this?"

"Now Angie, you know we only want what is-" Mom started in.

"I swear to all that is magic, if you say you only want what is best for me, I will go and live with Uncle Dean and Aunt Lindy and I promise you that I will never speak to you again." I knew that this would get under my mom's skin. She hated my aunt and uncle more than anything. I never knew why.

"Angela Cecilia Rosalind Westermann." Mom stood up, fury sparking in her emerald eyes. My anger faltered, actually causing me to fall back a step. I had never seen her like this before. "Do not mention either one of those two names in my presence ever again." She spit out each word, causing them to pierce me like ice. I looked at her, sure that shock played out on my face. "Now I suggest that you either go upstairs to your rooms and start packing or go and inform your friends of our moving plans." With that, Mom turned and walked down the hallway which led towards her private office.

Dad turned to look at me. "Mouse, I'm really sorry that you aren't looking forward to this move as your mother and I had hoped. But I know that, in time, you will accept it and enjoy it as much as you can." I knew he was concerned; his gaze had kept switching between me and the hallway Mom had walked down while he was speaking.

He gave me a weak smile and followed after Mom. As I watched him walk away, I felt numb. I was still beyond pissed at both my mom and dad, but I was also starting to feel guilty about saying that to her. However, I wasn't about to go and apologize, partly because I was hoping me being angry might change their minds about the move, doubtful I know but still, but mainly since I knew she would still be upset and I really didn't want to put myself in that line of fire. Dad could handle that on his own.

I turned and headed back upstairs to my room. I had almost the entire third floor to myself. It contained my room, a huge living/rec room, my workout room, and a guest bedroom. I walked down the long hallway to the last door on the right, my room, or should I say suite. Upon opening the door, I walked into a large sitting room. The walls were pale blue, like an early summer morning. There was a cream couch against the wall to the right, two over-sized chocolate brown chairs on the left wall, a matching carpet on the light hardwood floor, and bookshelves covering almost every inch of leftover wall space. Saying that I liked to read was like saying that the Cookie Monster off of Sesame Street liked cookies. I would spend hours each night reading anything I could get my hands on.

Right across from the door to enter my suite was a large archway leading to my bedroom. As I crossed to it, I thought about how much I would miss my rooms here. The large California king size bed with light blue satin sheets, the chocolate brown walls that were covered in movie posters and pictures of me and my friends, the wonderful cream shag carpet that covered my bedroom floor. I walked over to the balcony doors to the right of my bed and flung them open, being greeted by a warm breeze. I would especially miss the view. I could watch the sun set each day from my bed, and each time it took my breath away. The pale blues and picks, the vibrant oranges and reds, the mysterious purples, all mixed together to create a gorgeous moment in time that can never be recreated. I smiled sadly and turned around to face my closet.

There were two doors on the right wall of my bedroom. I walked to the left door, opened it, and began poking around in the multiple different dressers and racks of clothes, trying to find something to wear. I finally decided on a pair of dark and light blue board shorts, a black tank top, and my favorite pair of white Rocket Dogs with neon graffiti on them. I hurried over to my adjoining bathroom, the door on the right. I dumped my clothes on the white marble counter top and hopped into the giant white marble shower.

I let the hot water run over my body, hoping it would calm me down some. It didn't. If anything, it made me even more anxious to see Amanda and tell her the god-awful news. I quickly shampooed and conditioned my hair, ran some soap over everything else, and jumped out. I magically dried and straightened my hair while drying off my body by hand. I then changed, ran out to my balcony, and down the stairs, not stopping until I reached Amanda's house.

Amanda's house was not as large as mine, but it was still considered huge by most standards. I guess she must have seen me coming across the beach, since she was walking out of her back door and I came jogging up to it. Amanda pulled me into a hug and I suddenly felt a huge weight being lifted off my chest. I know I hadn't told her anything yet, but just being in her presence was enough to cause me to feel better. I pulled back and smiled at her. Amanda was beyond gorgeous. She had platinum blonde hair that hung in tight curls around her heart shaped face, an athletic build, yet still had curves in all the right places, bright green eyes that could stop a guy in his tracks, and a smile that took a person's breath away. Right now, she was wearing an emerald halter that perfectly matched her eyes and a pair of low slung Bermudas. She looked like she had just stepped out of a photo shoot.

Amanda and I always knew when something was wrong with the other. I think it was because of how close we were, but I'm really not sure. Like, I knew that something had happened three years ago before she told me that her dog, Duchess, had died earlier that morning. Because of this, I let her grab my arm and lead me down to the edge of the sand, where we both took off our shoes and let the incoming surf wash over our feet. After a few moments Amanda turned to me.

"Ang, are you going to tell me what's going on or am I going to have to start guessing?" She said it jokingly, but her eyes gave her away. Worry was laced inside the green.

"I'm leaving for England with my parents at the end of the week." I couldn't even look at her when I said it, looking out at where some boys were trying to catch some waves. They were really terrible, standing up on their boards only to fall two seconds later. I probably would have made fun of them if I wasn't so upset about moving to England.

"Really?" I jerked my head to look at her. She sounded….happy? I was about to ask her why when she continued. "That is so awesome Ang! You have always wanted to go there! This is in celebration of getting captain of the team, right? I am so jealous! When I got on the team, all I got was a crummy Nimbus 2001. You have to promise to bring me back something. I wouldn't mind having one of those hot Brits. Their accents are so hot!" She laughed and flashed me her winning smile, which only made me feel worse. Of course she would think it was only a vacation. But I couldn't let her continue thinking that.

"Manda, it's not a vacation." Her smile faltered, confusion flashing in her eyes. "My parents were transferred to the Ministry over there, so we're moving. I have until Friday to pack and tell everyone goodbye." Tears started to well up in my eyes, mirroring those in Amanda's. Amanda looked down at the sand, her ice blonde hair hiding her eyes. After a moment, she pulled me into a tight hug and didn't let go. Neither of us said anything, we just hugged each other and let the tears fall.

I'm not sure how much time had passed, but we finally moved from our spot on the beach and headed over to my house to just hang out, for what we hoped wouldn't be the final time. I turned on my iPod and Cobra Starship's song Hot Mess began playing. I had begun to pull some suitcases out of my closet when Amanda let out a scream. I dropped the bags and hurried over to where she was sitting up on my bed, her eyes sparkling, but not with tears, and a bright smile, which startled me.

"Amanda? What's going on?"

"I just thought of something! Do you know where you are going to be living in England?"

"I think we are going to be living in London, but since they didn't say, I'm not really sure." I really didn't understand what was going on.

"You know that pen pal that I had back in fifth year?" I nodded, still not understanding why we were talking about this. "Well I just remembered that she was from England. Just outside Ottery St. Catchpole I'm pretty sure. Anyway, we still talk every once in a while and I bet if you send her an owl, you two could wind up friends. At least then you would know one person over there."

If possible, Amanda's smile got even bigger and it finally clicked. She was trying to make sure that I would be happy overseas. She didn't want to me to be upset about leaving her behind. I smiled at her, tears of joy starting to well in my eyes.

"I think that sounds like a brilliant plan." I grabbed Amanda's hand and squeezed it gently. "What's her name?"

"Ginny Weasley."

Okay, this is my first shot at actually sharing what I've written with people other than my close friends. Please review, even if you think it sucks. Constructive criticism really works.

I'm really going to try to update at least once a week. I already have up to Chapter 4 finished, just fine tuning some last minute things. I'll have those up as soon as possible, but after that, I'm really not sure when the next chapter is going to be finished. College has been a pain so far, and it's only the first week of the semester.

Expect Chapter 2 up sometime on Friday and Chapter 3, possibly 4, by Sunday.

Thanks for reading!