Anything that sounds familiar doesn't belong to me. I'm not JK Rowling, but I wish I had her money. Warning story may take a while to get going, you've been warned so go easy on the flames. Also if you think you can guess any of the mysteries leave a comment and I'll send you a message to tell you if you're right. There are some slues, but I don't know how obvious they are. Now onto the story.
She was running as fast as her legs would carry her, she could still hear their screams running through her head, but she knew it was just in her head, it couldn't be real, they were dead. She felt like a coward running, but she wouldn't stop, she couldn't be found, if she did, they could find her, any of them. Would they believe her? What would happen to her? Could she trust anyone? She didn't want to find out the answer to any of these questions, she just had to find somewhere safe.
She'd hide amongst the muggles and come up with a plan, surely someone would help her if they didn't know who she was, after all how could anyone expect any horrors to be running through this four year old's mind. And after all that was the plan her god father had given her for emergency, promising that he would stop at nothing to find her, his silver angel. Although she was unsure of whether she wanted even him to find her. Her vision began to fade, shapes blurred and warmth returned to her skin and her mind began to whirl, as her memories returned to her.
Sofia felt the sun on her skin and opened her eyes, it was a beautiful summer morning, it was the middle of the summer holidays and she was in her room, in the orphanage, she was safe. A sigh escaped her lips as her mind came back into the present. There was a knock at her door and her best friend Elizabeth's voice rang through,
"Get up or you'll be late for breakfast."
"Just gotta get dressed. Save me a seat?"
"You know it girlfriend." Sofia quickly grabbed a pair of jeans and a top out of her drawers and dressed quickly. Glancing at the time Sofia saw that it was nearly quarter past eight, no wonder none of the other girls were still in the bedroom, if she didn't hurry there'd be little food left, so she grabbed her trainers and headed out of the door. She took the steps two at a time and ran into the dining hall and grabbed her seat next to Lizzie, who had already put some food on her plate.
"Cheers, can't believe I slept in, really not like me."
"Yeah I know, normally your having to drag me outta bed, although you have done it a few times lately. Anyway, what do you wanna today? And don't say read." It was true Sofia loved books, Elizabeth on the other hand didn't share her enthusiasm for the written word, she was quite the opposite and couldn't read a single page, without becoming restless. But thinking of the date, made Sofia remembered something that needed to be done.
"Well we gotta go to see Miss Marvin, remember she put that notice up for all of us moving out of primary."
"Oh yeah, wonder what she wants to talk to us about… " Lizzie continued talking but Sofia wasn't listen she noticed the man walking through the hallway and recognised him immediately, with his long silver beard and trademark half moon spectacles, it was hard not to recognise him.
"Sofia. Hello! Are you listening to me?"
"Sorry, what did you say?"
"Honestly, you need to listen to me! Anyway I was saying how weird it's going to be now that were going into secondary. I mean all the kids we knew at Saint Clive's had grown up with us and just treated us like anyone else, but Rob Greendale said that once you get to secondary, there's all this prejudice, just because we're orphans. I mean honestly it doesn't make us any different from anyone else, if anything I say it gives us more freedom, which is so much better."
"Yea' I suppose there might be a lot of prejudice, but things'll work out in the end and it wont be the end of the world anyway."
"Mmm, oh and guess what I heard. Melinda Sommerwert, you know the girl who just left, the magic one, well she said, she thought it was about time for another of our lot to go up to that school, Hog… something, could you imagine being able to do magic?" Sofia just smiled and nodded, she wondered if she would get her invitation to Hogwarts or whether, all the circumstances would mean that she wasn't on the list. She knew that it was the chance of going to Hogwarts, which was making her have the dream, well her memory that plagued her in her dreams, causing her sleepless nights. She knew things would be simpler if she stayed a muggle, yet she feared ignorance, especially ignorance of what was going on in the wizarding world, because she didn't want to be caught off guard and unprepared, not again.
"Come on it's almost nine we'd better get to Marvin's office." Sofia followed Lizzie out of the room, wondering who Dumbledore had come to talk to, and if it was her would she be able to stay calm and keep her true identity hidden as she had these past six years. Or would he see through her secrets anyway, after all he was legendary for knowing everyone's secrets, especially the important ones.
Miss Marvin's office was large with two sofas and two chairs in front of the desk and a large cushioned chair behind her desk, when Lizzie ad Sofia entered, John Matthews and Andy Thomas were already there, sat on one of the sofas and on one of the chairs by Miss Marvin's desk sat Albus Dumbledore, sat facing the sofas. Sofia and Lizzie sat on the vacant sofa and Miss Marvin announced that they now only had to wait for Toby Jones, Sofia sighed, Toby was always late for everything and she hoped that he just wouldn't be too late, as she was a little nervous and she didn't want there to be time for anyone to notice.
Ten minutes after nine Toby came running into the room, panting for breath, he was met by a rolling of eyes, as he said,
"Sorry, I'm late, overslept, then I forgot what day it was, and, well sorry." Miss Marvin gave Toby a scolding look and told him to stand by the sofa Sofia and Lizzie were sitting on, she came round to the front of the desk and sat in the seat next to Dumbledore, turning it round to face the group, making a circle.
"Now, as you all know, you are all here because this year you will be moving out of primary school. Normally all of our students would go straight to Marrona Secondary School, however as you know in the past there have been the small number of our student who have gone to a school of magic, Hogwarts, which is why Professor Dumbledore is here." At this point Dumbledore smiled at them all and Miss Marvin continued, "Now you are separated as you are for a reason, I will speak to Andy and John, whilst Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak to you three." At this last part she pointed to Sofia, Lizzie and Toby, all three of whom looked at each other in astonishment it was rare enough that one in a year would go to Hogwarts, but three was completely unheard of!
Dumbledore used magic to bring his chair closer to the sofa and sat down and began to talk to them.
"As Miss Marvin said, my name is Professor Dumbledore, I am the headmaster at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. I am pleased to tell you that all three have you have shown magical potential. I know Hogwarts is well known here, but I must stress the importance of secrecy. Now do you have any questions?" The three looked at each other excitedly, they knew all about Hogwarts, anyone who went fell in love with the place, it was full of hope, opportunities and made anything seem possible. They knew about the Professors, the subjects and even how they got their school supplies, through the Leaky Cauldron and onto Diagon Alley. But most of all they knew that other than those in the orphanage, where through the generations the knowledge of Hogwarts had become universally known, no other muggle could find out about their magic.
At the silence it was assumed that their was no questions, but Sofia noticed Dumbledore looking at her intensively, so she just smiled at him and just tried to look as innocent and normal as possible. After a time Dumbledore left telling them that a teacher would come on the morning of the 30th August to buy their school supplies and they would be spending the night at the Leaky Cauldron before going to Kings Cross station, to catch the Hogwarts Express, the next morning.
The excitement of Hogwarts lasted over the next couple of weeks, with Toby, Elizabeth and Sofia all bonding together through their talks about Hogwarts and what it would be like to be students there. The weeks flew by so fast that soon it was the 29th August and everyone who would be changing schools, either going to Hogwarts or the muggle secondary school, were called up to the attic. The attic was the orphanage's storage facility, with items that past students had left behind, because they didn't want or need it anymore. There was rows and rows of worn books, racks of second hand clothes and rows of other pieces and the trunks and suitcase, all organised neatly for easy access.
Toby, Elizabeth were asked to stand off to one side whilst, Miss Marvin equipped the other for the books and uniforms they would need for their schools, once the last one of them had left, she signalled for the three children to follow her, through a door at the other side of the room where the Hogwarts things were kept. The Hogwarts items were kept in a locked room to stop the younger students from coming up and playing with them and hurting themselves.
The three of them took out their lists of what they would need for Hogwarts and Miss Marvin fluttered around gathering everything they would need and putting it in three trunks for them, crossing the items off their lists so they would know what they already had and what they still needed to get once they got to Diagon Alley and she also added a few extra items that other students had also left, such as books about wizarding traditions and a stack of copies of Hogwarts a History, all in various states of use, although over half looked as though they had hardly been used. Once it was all done, the trunks were taken downstairs and the three of them sat in Elizabeth's room talking about going to Hogwarts, whilst going through some of their new books focusing mainly on Hogwarts a History, Sofia's idea.
"Wow look at this the ceilings bewitched to look like the sky, that's gotta be an awesome sight!" Lizzie exclaimed "And all the lighting is candles, that must look so beautiful!"
"Yes and the charms protecting it from being seen by outsiders must be very complex, it's fascinating."
"Oh please Sofia, you'll probably master them on your first day, your really clever. Not like me, I'll probably get lost." Sofia smiled at Toby, it was true she was very bright for her age, but it helped that she was extremely focused, it took a lot to distract her concentration for even a second.
"I'm sure you'll be great Toby," she replied kindly, "although if what the books say is true, we may all get lost, I mean moving staircases, rooms that disappear and reappear, it's a wonder people ever find their way." The rest of the night was spent in a similar fashion discussing their opinions of what they thought Hogwarts would be like and if it was possible that it could be as magical and amazing as all the accounts they had heard, after all how could something that sounded like a fairytale, ever be anywhere near the truth.
At nine Mr Johnson came to tell Toby and Sofia to go to bed, they did so without fuss, wanting the next morning to be upon them as quickly as possible. But when Sofia went to bed she couldn't get to sleep, she was frightened of what was round the corner, the evils of the wizarding world. The other two only had the stories of the good things in the wizarding world, but Sofia couldn't help but remember the horrors that surrounded her before she became and orphan, indeed the terrifying events that made her an orphan, all at the hand of those with magical powers. No one else in the world knew that she knew about her past, or even what her real name was, if they did they, she knew that as soon as they found out what it was associated with they would shun her. She knew she had to be careful, no one could discover who she was, although she had a sinking feeling Dumbledore already knew. But even if he did suspect, she couldn't confirm it, to be known, would be to be hunted and if she was caught, well that would be death.