A/N: I know it's choppy and all over the place, but bear in mind this is my first. Some facts will be correct, others, not so much, I know this already. Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to JKR. Who is obviously not me. Or else this wouldn't be fan fiction. Anything you don't recognize is mine. Namely, Annette and her family. Enjoy.
Chapter One: Make Believe and Magic
One hot sticky morning in the middle of July, John and Judy McAllister had their first child, a daughter whom they named Annette. She was born with her green eyes wide, the same shade they would be for the duration of her life.
Her first and favorite word was why. She was always asking questions, seeking answers. Her parents did the best they could to answer them. Her teachers, however, were not so understanding.
Her first grade teacher could often be heard snapping, "Stop asking so many questions Annette." And eventually she did. She would look things up instead.
About the time Annette, or Annie, as she was nicknamed, turned ten, all her friends had stopped believing in magic, and playing make-believe was deemed 'un-cool.' So Annie did what most children do to fit in, she pretended that she thought it was un-cool as well.
At home was a different story. Her younger sister Elizabeth, who was eight at the time, would always have a new story to act out, a new game to play. Annie was always happy to oblige. And so Annie had a happy childhood.
One morning, Elizabeth wanted to play Cinderella again, this time outside, in the backyard. Annie reluctantly agreed, after much persuasion and some cookies.
The backyard in the McAllister household was practically non-existent. When Elizabeth had said she wanted to play in the backyard, what she really had meant was that she wanted to play in the large forest located behind their house. And their parents had agreed, relishing a few hours of freedom of the girls yelling.
Elizabeth took a plastic tiara from her dress up box, and put it on her head. "Last one to the Oak tree is the fairy godmother!" she yelled, darting down the stairs.
Annie gave her sister ten seconds head start before racing down the stairs and out the back door.
The old oak tree in question was a big old thing, with branches low to the ground, making it easy to climb. It was the site of many games of Rapunzel and Jacky and the Beanstalk. There were many fond memories to be had there.
Elizabeth was at the tree first, as usual, but instead of standing by the tree, smiling, cheeks flushed, like usual, she was stopped stock still, twenty feet away, staring at the higher branches of the tree.
In it were three boys, all mock fighting with wooden sticks. Elizabeth seemed to recover when Annie drew level to her.
"Hey you lot! Get out of our tree!"
All three boys stopped fighting and looked down at the two young girls. The eldest, who looked to be twelve or so, snorted. "Your tree? I don't see your name on it."
Annie could see Elizabeth getting angry. She balled her fists and shouted up at the boys again. "I don't see yours either!"
"Get lost princess," he yelled, eying her crown and her shining eyes, "Go home and cry to your mummy."
Elizabeth burst into tears, and Annie quickly hugged her. She was filled with fury that some random kid would have the nerve to be mean to her little sister like that.
"Hey! That's my sister you're talking to! Apologize!"
The kid snorted. "Fat chance. Now run along and play your little games."
"Apologize," Annie said, deathly quiet, but somehow it carried to the boys in the tree. She knew she was picking a fight, but somehow, quiet little Annette who never did anything bad, was itching for it.
"Make me."
Those two words made Annie explode. "Fine!" she shouted wanting something to happen to make the boys listen, and a crack echoed through the woods like a gunshot. The branch the kid was sitting on broke, and both plummeted fifteen feet. The child sat up, and started bawling.
Annie couldn't resist the little quip, "Go home and cry to your mummy." She turned on her heel, and taking the gaping Elizabeth with her, went home.
From that moment on, Annie loved tricks and pranks, often complicated, and set off in ways you wouldn't think off at first.
Her mother was surprised to open the closet door one day and get a load of packing peanuts spilled on her. Her father would open up the garage to see his car had gotten for sale signs taped to it. For the life of them, neither parent could figure out what prompted the change in their eldest daughter.
As for Annie, she thoroughly enjoyed watching the surprise on her parents face, and accepted the punishments that went with. Sometimes, she'd go back to the Oak tree by herself, and try to figure out what had made the branch snap at that exact moment. She often fancied it was her mind power. But then she'd laugh uneasily and tell herself not to be stupid. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she was the reason the branch broke.
On the morning of Annie's eleventh birthday, there came a knock at the door that would change her life forever.
So set upon opening her pile of presents, she didn't even notice her mother leave the room, or the voices in the hallway. She was too busy tearing the wrapping paper off a present from her younger sister. It was a picture they had taken some weeks earlier on a playground nearby. The picture frame was a thin, pretty silver thing, and instinctively, Annie knew her sister had saved up to buy it for her.
She smiled at her sister, and then her eyes slid past her to her mother, standing in the doorway of the kitchen, eyes slightly worried, before she stepped aside and allowed a stranger to pass.
"Annie darling," she said, as she took a seat across from her daughter, "Professor… erm…"
"McGonagall," the stranger, a woman, replied. Her stern gaze was on Annie, never wavering. Annie shivered slightly, and turned back to her mother, who was speaking.
"Yes, well, Professor McGonagall had some interesting things to say, she says there is a school you can attend… I'm not sure about the rest."
From there, Professor McGonagall took over, and so Annie learned of Hogwarts, her powers, and finally realized that yes, she was the reason the branch fell.
"Bye mummy! I promise I'll write everyday!" Annie said, her expression one of a lost child, but her voice of that of an excited one.
Beside her, Annie heard a sniffle. She turned to see Elizabeth hastily wiping away a tear.
Annie hugged her sister tightly, bending down to whisper in her ear, "Lizzy, I'll miss you loads! And remember what the McGonalds lady said, there's a good chance that you'll be a witch too." It wasn't strictly true. There was a chance that Elizabeth could be a witch, but it wasn't a good one. Still, Annie was not one who could bear to say as much to her sister.
In her arms, Annie felt, rather then saw, her sister nod in agreement. She released Elizabeth and stepped back, fully realizing for the first time that she wasn't going to get to see her sister until Christmas. She felt hot prickles in her eyes and blinked rapidly, determined not to cry.
In the distance, Annette heard a warning whistle, and so she boarded the great scarlet steam engine. She half turned, as the train started moving, and waved to her parents until she could no longer see them.
After five minutes of lugging her trunk down the aisles of the train, she still hadn't found a compartment that looked inviting. She was ready to give up and just sit down in the middle of the long stretch of hallway when she heard a compartment door open ahead of her. An angry red-head burst out of the compartment, followed by a small greasy-haired child and a chorus of 'Oohhhs'. It was clear they were leaving for good, and Annette rushed forward, certain there were empty seats in the compartment, never thinking for a moment about why the two kids had left the compartment.
She was halfway through the door when a dark-haired child leapt up. He casually leaned against the door, blocking her from entering.
"Who're you?" he asked, feigning disinterest.
"Annette, Annette McAllister," Annie replied uncertainly, casting her gaze over the boys shoulder. Inside she saw two other boys, all three looked to be about her own age. One had messy black hair, and hazel eyes, the other had sandy blond hair, and also had hazel eyes. They returned her gaze with interest. Annie felt the heat rush to her face, and desperately fought down a blush. She wasn't entirely certain what to do here. For all she knew, she wasn't allowed to sit with these people.
The dark haired boy turned and looked over his shoulder, glancing at the boy with messy black hair. He nodded slightly, and so did the boy in front of Annie. The third boy watched the silent exchange with amusement.
"Right," dark-haired said, drawing her back to her present dilemma.
"Do you, or have you ever wanted to be in Slytherin?"
Annie was taken aback. "Erm…"
"Or Hufflepuff," the black-haired boy piped up.
"Or Hufflepuff," he agreed.
"No…" she said, trailing out the word.
He jumped aside, startling Annie, and gestured for her to enter.
Gratefully, she did so, dragging her trunk in behind her. The boy shut the compartment door, and fell back into his seat. Annie struggled with her trunk for a moment before the sandy haired boy leapt up to help her. Together they heaved the trunk up into the luggage rack.
"I'm Remus Lupin," he offered.
"Delighted," she said, and then slumped into the seat by the window, away from the dark haired boy.
Thinking back to the strange conversation she had just had, she remembered what Hogwarts, A History had said about the houses. Annie knew there were four, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Huffelpuff, and Slytherin. She knew Slytherin was famed for spoiling purebloods. So she knew that one was out. She had read about Ravenclaw, and really liked it, it being the one to focus on studies. Her second choice, given one, was Gryffindor. They were known for bravery.
At the moment though, Annie felt as if she lacked the qualities for either.
Thinking about the book made her want to pull it out and read it. So she did, but her concentration wasn't so great, as she was eavesdropping on the conversation between the three boys. She gathered that Sirius was the one who had blocked her entrance, and James, his self proclaimed partner in crime, was the name of the other boy.
She was fascinated with the conversation, as it was the first connection with the magical world since the witch who had showed up on her doorstep with her letter.
She also gathered Sirius was from a long line of Slytherins, therefore, 'pureblood,' and wanted to be in Gryffindor, of all houses. So did James, who was also pureblood, and Lupin, who was not.
Eventually, they got out all they could from each other about house preference. Simultaneously, they all turned to look at Annie, who quickly tried to look like she was reading. She failed enormously.
Sirius moved over to the seat across from her, and took the book from her. He raised an eyebrow at her, reading the title, and tossed the volume onto an empty seat.
Annie felt her pulse quicken. This was the moment, where she could make her first friends, or first enemies. So much hanging on so little. For a moment she imagined she was back in grade school, the first day, when everyone tried to get to know everyone else without revealing too much.
"So, Annette McAllister," Sirius drawled, slightly mocking, "What about you? I don't think I know that family name. Do you?" he directed the last part at James.
James pretended to think, "Well… There is that bloke in the Muggle Artifacts department… But if I remember correctly, he and his wife both have black hair, and blue eyes, not brown and green." He grinned at her as he said to Sirius. "We've got a muggle born here."
Remus rolled his eyes.
Annette watched the exchange with confusion. What was a muggle born? She vaguely remembered the lady professor mentioning it, but Annie hadn't paid much attention, too preoccupied with the fact that magic was real, not something out of a storybook.
"What's a muggle born?"
"What's a muggle born, she asks," said Sirius, smacking his head in mock frustration.
Remus spoke up, "A muggle born is someone who has non-magical parents."
"Oh."
"D'you know any magic Annette?" Sirius asked.
"It's Annie, and erm… No…" Annie said, feeling terribly inadequate and stupid.
"Well Annie," James began, trading glances with Sirius, "I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you'll be far behind…"
"I will?!" she squeaked, "but- but McGonalds said-."
Sirius cut her off. "Professor McGonagall was just being nice," he said with a bemused smile. He had never heard anyone call her McGonalds. He was going to have to remember that.
"S-she was?" Annie asked, suspiciously, seriously doubting that a teacher like that would lie.
"Yes. But don't worry! There are extra classes you can take to catch up," James said.
"Yeah, but I guess there goes your chance of being in Ravenclaw. If that's what you wanted… You could still be in Gryffindor though."
"Oh no!" Annie said, faking distress and slumping down her seat. She lowered her lashes and watched her compartment-mates out of the corner or her eyes. She saw James and Sirius look at each other with triumph, and she slyly grinned.
She was just about to get her revenge, when Remus spoke up. "Stop it you two." To her he said, "Don't worry, I have a wizard dad, and I don't know that much. I reckon that lot doesn't know so much either."
Annie pretended to be shocked, and Sirius and James burst out laughing. Annie joined in, promising silently to get them back later.
After that, the four got to talking, and when they finally pulled in to the station at Hogsmead, Annie felt safe to say she had made some new friends.
As they pulled into the station, a voice echoed throughout the train.
"Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to Hogwarts separately."
Annie was the first out the door, and eagerly continuing a conversation between herself and Remus. "So, I see why magic carpets are impractical, and so are broomsticks, but why a train?"
Sirius came up behind her. "Maybe so that the muggle borns don't get such a shock. Like culture shock maybe?" he said, in a way that meant he thought he had it right and the conversation was over.
James laughed at Sirius, "I didn't even know you knew what culture shock was."
Sirius did his best to look insulted, and failed.
Together, they all stepped off the platform and into the cool, crisp, night air. They heard someone shouting, and simultaneously turned.
"Firs' years over here! All firs' years! Mind yer step now, follow me, firs' years!" The speaker was a massive man, easily taller than the crowd. The four friends fought their way over to him, and Annette stared slack jawed. The man had to be the biggest one she had ever seen.
"Is- is he a giant?" she asked James.
He laughed and replied, "Giants are much bigger. I reckon he's a half giant, or sommat."
Annie just nodded, and followed the giant, who was named Hagrid, feeling thoroughly out of place.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts here, jus' round this bend," he called out, and there it was. A chorus of "Oooohs" went up.
There was a great black lake in front of them. Across it on a mountain was the school itself. It was a giant castle, with lights and windows glittering like stars in the sky.
Only when Hagrid pointed out the boats floating near the shore of the lake did Annie notice them, so transfixed with the sight of Hogwarts that she was oblivious to all else.
There was a mad rush to get on the boats, and Annie was put on one with the red-head from the train and her greasy haired friend. James, Sirius, and Remus were all together with a small buck-toothed boy.
Ignoring her companions, she kept her eyes glued to the sight of Hogwarts, drinking in each candle-lit window and tower against the sky.
Vaguely, Annie heard Hagrid yell, "Heads down," and obeyed lost in daydreams of the magic she'd learn. When she met those boys again, she could do more then just break a branch.
She clambered out of the boats with the rest of the group, and trudged up the gravel path to the great oak front doors. Hagrid knocked three times, and it was opened by a severe looking young witch, with black hair and green robes. Annie recognized her at once. The witch quickly ushered them inside, and closed the door behind them.
"I am Professor McGonagall," she announced, and then led the group across the huge entrance hall and into a little room on the right, past some large doors.
Instinctively, all the first years huddled closer, making the small room seem a lot larger.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said, "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because while you are here your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room."
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points." Annie missed the rest of the spiel because Sirius had just elbowed James and herself in the ribs and it hurt.
"Guess we'll loose a bunch of house points, eh?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow confidently, and Annie had to turn a laugh into a cough.
"-smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you wait," she finished, and stepped out of a door Annie hadn't noticed before.
The eleven-year-olds were left to chatter amongst themselves. Annie was nervous, not really knowing what to expect. Sirius and James seemed more confident, but the short, mousy looking boy that had ridden on the boat with them looked as scared as she felt.
"Nervous much?" she asked, hugging her arms around herself.
"Y-yes, you?" he stuttered back.
"Very much so, I'm Annie," she offered.
"Peter," he said, but was cut short by the sight of McGonagall entering the room again. Instant silence ensured.
"Form a line, and follow me," she ordered, and there was hasty chaos as people tried to get in line next to friends, and the line squished and stretched. After several minutes, the group had managed to get in a line. Professor McGonagall turned on her heel and marched into the Grand Hall.
Annie had to stifle a gasp as she followed a sandy haired boy into the hall. It was bigger than she imagined, easily could fit her house inside of it. There were four long tables in front of them as they marched up to the dais, and they stood in a line, nervously looking out at all the older children staring back at them with interest.
Professor McGonagall brought out a stool and set a dusty hat on it. It twitched and began to sing.
It took a moment to process. Hats don't sing. Then, wait, this is magic, I guess anything's possible.
After it had finished, there was a smattering of applause, and Professor McGonagall stepped up again, this time with a scroll. She unfurled it and began to read off it.
"Adams, Bridget."
She sat on the stool and put the hat on her head. The hall was silent for a moment, before the hat shouted out, "RAVENCLAW."
Annie's mind began to wander, knowing she wouldn't be called until middle to last. She only came out of her reverie to applaud when Sirius was made a Gryffindor.
"Lupin, Remus."
He sat on the stool for a full five minutes before the hat shouted out, "Gryffindor."
Suddenly Annie was stuck with a thought. What if she got put in Hufflepuff, or Slytherin, and was separated from her only friends at the school.
With that thought on her mind, her name was called and she stepped up to the stool. She put the hat on her head, and it slipped over her eyes.
Well well well, what do we have here? A voice that seemed to be in her head asked. Plenty of courage, not afraid to break some rules. Hmmm… Some smarts, good enough for Ravenclaw even, but you've got a mischievous streak… no, you'd cause too much of a stir to be in Ravenclaw. How about Gryffindor? Yes, I think that'll do. "Gryffindor!" The hat shouted, and Annie bounded happily off the stool and took a place next to Remus and across from the redhead she kept running into.
The sorting seemed to go faster after that. Annie was pleased to see James make it into Gryffindor, and the girl across from her seemed sad that the greasy-haired kid was in Slytherin.
Then it was over, the scroll rolled up, the stool picked up and taken out of the room. A man in purple robes stood at the head of the teachers table. Silence fell again.
"To you new students, welcome to Hogwarts. May your year be happy and you stomachs full. Dig in."
Annie was shocked to see the empty plates in front of her had filled with every kind of delicious food on the face of the planet. Shocked and hungry, she piled some of everything on her plate.
Talk turned to many things, family, classes, spells. Annie watched but didn't participate much, choosing instead to learn about her fellow house-mates.
She learned the name of the red-head, Lily Evans, and another girl named Mary. Lily was a muggle born like herself, and it made her much happier to have someone like her in her house. They leaned their heads together and talked about everything from their families to television programs they had seen, which left most everyone else thoroughly confused.
Just when she felt she couldn't have a bite more to eat, all the plates became clean, and then just as suddenly, were filled with dessert. Annie was enthralled.
When the plates were cleared once more, the headmaster, Dumbledore, as she had learned, stood up and cleared his throat.
"I have a few start-of-term notices to give out before you can all make your way up to your beds. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to pupils. Mr. Filch asked me to inform you all that magic is not permitted in the corridors between classes. He also has a growing list of forbidden items attached to the door of his office. May you all have a good year, and good night."
A flurry of motion erupted throughout the hall. Benches were scraped back as children got up and filed out to their respective houses. Annie and the rest of the Gryffindor first years followed a bossy blond girl as she led them past moving portraits and staircases. Annie, who usually had a good sense of direction, was soon lost. They stopped in front of a portrait of a large woman in pink.
"Capricorn," the girl uttered, and the portrait swung open to reveal a hole in the wall. They all clambered through and into the Gryffindor common room. Almost lazily, the girl pointed out the tower for girls and boys, and then plopped down in an armchair by the fire.
Annie, who was half asleep, stumbled up the stairs and found the dormitory that said First Year Girls, pushed open the doors, and found that someone had indeed brought her things up.
She crossed the room and opened her trunk, pulling out her pajamas and the silver picture frame she had gotten for her birthday. She placed the picture on her nightstand and pulled on the pajamas.
She climbed into bed and pulled the hangings shut around her bed. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
A/N: I know, slightly cheesy && stuff, but I think it got rather better towards the end. Some stuff I forgot up top, Sections of this, like what McGonagall says to the first years is completely & one-hundred percent borrowed from the first book.
Also, I'd like to thank my lovely beta's Van York 16 & Kalkara.
R&R people, I'm anxious to see what you think.