Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way with J.K. Rowling or Warner Brothers, and I claim no rights to anything about Harry Potter. I am simply a fan of the books. However, all the original characters, places, items, spells, etc. in this story are figments of my imagination.
Author's Note: In the book, a place called Salem Witches' Institute is mentioned. So, rather then write about any canon characters in Hogwarts, I decided to write about some young witches and wizards who attend school at Salem Witches' and Wizard's Institute. Yes, I changed the name so it would sound less like an all-girls school. In this story, Harry Potter is five years old, and living in number four Privet Drive; he will be completely uninvolved and I probably won't mention him much, if at all. While I realize he mentioned the all-girls sounding name in Goblet of Fire, please bare with me. I'm just writing about a different magical school in the USA, and leaving Harry out of the story. Hopefully you can overlook the small detail that makes it unbelievable from a canon point of view. Thanks.
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There are many tourists in the city of Salem, Massachusetts; people come from all over to explore the area and learn about the witchcraft trials of 1692. You could even find a good amount of muggles around that seem to think they are witches, for reasons unknown; since their blood could not even be considered to call them a squib. The beauty of living in such a place is that when something odd happened, the muggles would usually blame it on the "witches," "ghosts," or whatever other silly thing they believed to cause trouble in their homes, shops, and restaurants. And though this tactic did continue to draw in the tourists, it annoyed most of the magical world so much that they would move to homes elsewhere. The few witches and wizards who did live in the area were either fascinated with muggles, or lived similarly to them and understood them - to a point.
When witches and wizards heard that muggles thought it was magic to move a planchette around the ouija board with their hands, they usually became shocked or annoyed; no real witch would consider that a form of magic. But no matter how silly it sounded, the muggles continues in their ways to draw in tourists and kept the area active.
Since few magical people lived here, there were never many younger witches or wizards; and none around the age of 11, except for Mandy Porter. Though spending time with her muggle friends was alright, Mandy longed for the day when she wouldn't have to hide her magic from most everyone around her. So when the time came where she could finally attend a school of magic, Mandy was very excited to go.
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After leaving Witchway Pass, the magically-hidden shopping mall for wizard-folk (similar to Diagon Alley), Mandy and her mother, Claire Porter, walked towards the nearest park
The young girl wore an expression of excitement on her freckle-covered face that wouldn't let her smile fade. The child's brown hair had recently been cut short, so it was only long enough to touch her ears. Like many children do, she participated in the haircut rush right before school started again. Her outfit was simple: tennis shoes, jean shorts, and a shirt promoting a muggle hockey team. Her mother accompanied her in a similarly simple attire: sandals, jeans and a red shirt.
Mandy held her mother's hand as they walked across a busy street into a small, but beautiful park. The past week had been filled with shopping, and Mandy was getting too excited about her first year of school to try and focus on finding the right books, or being fitted for her school uniform. Though she sent applications to a couple schools, including Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she and her mother finally decided on the school closest to home, Salem Witches' and Wizard's Institute. Formerly called Salem Witches' Institute, the private all-girls school had come under new management and became a more public school, allowing a larger variety of witches and wizards for the past three years. Some new staff was hired, and the school was rapidly being looked at in a more positive light. The student's accomplishments were becoming more notable, and it was becoming the school of choice, next to Hogwarts. Mandy was very glad to be a part of it, and her mother was very happy the school was so incredibly close to home.
After they were across the street, she let go of Claire's hand and plopped down on a bench. She let the three bags she was carrying drop on the ground in front of her, and looked up at the sky with a tired sigh. Claire smiled, and sat on the bench next to her daughter. She also put the bags she was carrying down, and looked up at the sky, "So, are you excited about school?"
Mandy smiled and nodded; it was such a beautiful day with the sun in the sky, and the wind flowing gently through the park. "I can't wait! I'm tired of going to my muggle school, and I can't wait to learn some serious magic!"
Though she was sad to see her only daughter go off to school, Claire knew she had to let Mandy grow up. She looked at the sky and laughed, "Be sure not to cause any trouble, okay?"
"I know, I know, I know, mom! I'll do what my professors ask of me, and do my homework and write to you all the time." Mandy rolled her eyes and recited these things from the list in her memory. She thought her mom was too worried about her, but she was too excited to get annoyed by it. Tomorrow she would be away from this muggle city and finally in a real school!
"That's my girl. Hmm... How about some ice cream?" Claire noticed an ice cream vendor under the shade of a tree close-by.
Mandy smiled and nodded at her mother, who was already standing up, "Stay right here, sweetie. I'll be right back."
The two enjoyed the ice cream and the nice weather before throwing all the bags into their muggle car and heading back home. Claire, raised by a squib and a muggle, knew more about machinery and muggle-life then some other witches, and tried to live her life in both worlds. She wanted her daughter to experience, appreciate, and be tolerant of both worlds, since so many other magical people ignored, and remained ignorant of muggle customs.
Claire was very aware of how she wouldn't see her daughter until Christmas vacation, and could not shake her feeling of worry, even though she knew her daughter would be alright. She had taken the past week off work so she could shop with Mandy for school supplies, and squeeze in as much last-minute 'quality time' as she could. Even when Mandy was much younger, she had always been eager to explore new places, and meet new people. Though she never made it seem like she was trying to leave Claire, she always came back, it still made her mother nervous. Claire knew it was foolish, but could not shake the feeling of wanting to protect her child and always keep her close-by; years ago she felt slightly envious of the mothers who, when they first brought their child to school, he or she would cling to their mother's arms, and not want to leave. It was silly, but her motherly emotions never did make much sense, so she had always smiled and waved as Mandy was one of the first children to leave and explore.
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Tonight would be the most restless sleep of her young life; it was already 11 PM, and though her young body was tired, Mandy simply couldn't close her eyes and drift into sleep. Laying in her darkened bedroom, her mind felt as though it was zooming with excitement, thinking of all the others her age she would meet, and fun she would have at school. Her excitement slowly became calm, and her eyelids became to heavy to stay awake any longer. Mandy drifted asleep, feeling very confident about the good time she would have the next day.
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The next morning, Mandy awoke to her mother gently shaking her shoulder, "Good morning, sweetie. It's time to get ready; we're going to leave the house in about twenty minutes, so you can eat a pop tart in the car, if you like. Your uniform is folded on the dresser, okay?"
Mandy looked around, half-asleep, and it took her a moment to remember what was going on. As soon as the events of the day it her, she smiled and got out of bed much faster then normally, "Awesome! I'll be right downstairs, then!"
Claire smiled at her, and left the room to get dressed herself. Mandy got dressed quickly, and rushed downstairs, grabbing her backpack. The rest of her things were in a chest that had been put into the car the night before. But as she waited in the front room for her mother to come downstairs, she noticed the gloomy weather, and felt a little annoyed. It was raining outside, and the sun's light stayed blocked by gray rain clouds. Silently, she complained about the weather, as her mother came down the staircase.
Wearing a muggle attire of jeans and a rain-jacket, Claire looked at Mandy and suddenly felt very proud of her daughter. Mandy looked so grown up in her uniform, which consisted of black pants and shoes, with a dark purple belt, and black jacket over a pale purple blouse, striped with white. Mandy's smile shone on her face, full of excitement and an eagerness to attend school that Claire could only smile back at.
"Can we go now, mom? We're gonna miss it! I want to be early, so I can try and make friends on the ship!" Mandy looked out the front window as if she could see the ship right outside, and her mother nodded silently. After Claire filled her coffee cup and dug through a drawer for a lid, the two got into the car, and took off, in direction of the Massachusetts Bay Bridge.
Claire only had to drive on the bridge, and from there the glass school crest Mandy had recived from an owl would glow, and the car would be magically transported to a small docking bay parking lot - not many were arriving by car, so the parking lot never had to be very large.
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Author's Note: Okay, so obviously this was just an introduction-type of thing, still I hope it is good enough to grab you for the second chapter. If you have any suggestions or comments, please feel free to review or e-mail me – your thoughts and time would be very much appreciated.