Chapter one "Change" or "Starting New"

I look at myself in the mirror. My cold blue eyes stare back at me. I take in my curly brown hair, my angular face, and my okay figure. I stare at my locket, the only thing I have left of them. Flashes of unwanted memories claw their way out of the locked box I try to keep them in. I resist, trying to keep my mind blank like I have been able to do for the last few days, but fail miserably.

The first unwanted memory is of me yelling at my mom because she wouldn't let me go to a popular party that was known to have illegal activities going on. I never said I hated her, but I thought it and I sure acted like it and that is just as bad. I thought I would never forgive her. She insisted that I stay at home with them and participate in their movie night. What a fool I was to refuse.

The second painful memory is of me packing my bag. I jumped out my second story window and ran away to our local park. I was hoping to scare them a bit, I think, or maybe to show them that I could take care of myself. I don't know, maybe I wasn't even thinking. Now I know how stupid I was, how selfish I was.

The third and last memory is the most painful of all of them. I had come back the next day, not being able to stay away. I had had a bad night sleeping under the slide and just wanted a nice hot shower and breakfast. I wouldn't get either of them that day. I came back to see my home burnt to the ground. Two body bags were lying on the sidewalk. It didn't really hit me till I saw my aunt from London there. She was talking to one of the firemen when she spotted me and gave me a look. Those looks I have grown to hate. It's the look that has pity written all over it. I have gotten that look too many times these past weeks.

My parents' funeral was, well, I don't really know. I guess you can say I have been in a daze since that life-changing day. I don't remember ever leaving my home or any of the conversations I have had with anyone. All I can do is replay that day trying to think of how I could have stopped it from happening or try not to think of it all, try not to think of anything just keeping my mind blank. You see I am a witch, the best in the states, actually. I have graduated from the Salem School for Advanced Magic Users two years ahead of people my age. I was going to go and train next year under the greatest wizard ever born, besides Merlin of course. I was going to train under Dumbledore. There goes that dream.

I sigh and shake my head. Whatever, I have to stop thinking about it, but I can't help but think that I've missed something really important about that night. I hear my aunt calling me from down the stairs. If you haven't guessed already, I live with her now. I sigh again and walk down stairs to see what she wants. I get the shock of my life when I walk into the kitchen where my aunt is. Sitting here in the kitchen sipping on tea with my aunt is Albus Dumbledore as if it is the most natural thing in the world for him to be here. I thought I was past being shocked, but apparently I'm not.

"Brook dear, say hello to Professor Dumbledore." My aunt says as she coxes me to sit down and stop gawking.

I get a hold of myself and finally get my jaw off the ground. "Hello Professor Dumbledore." I reply.

He smiles with a twinkle in his eye and I feel a warmth go all through my body. I instantly relax, which is odd because I haven't relaxed since that day, or at least, I don't think I have.

"Hello Miss Taylor. I imagine it hasn't been a nice couple of weeks, but I'm going to try my best to make it better okay?" he says as if he were talking to a small child that is near insanity.

Does he think me insane? Okay maybe not insane, but near it? Come to think of it, with the way I have been acting, that's probably how it seems. I feel guilty for getting my aunt so worked up to the point of asking this man for help. This man I have idolized nearly all my life, but who doesn't know me at all. Yet, I feel like he does know me, but that's impossible. Isn't it? I don't know. After being in the haze I was in for so long it's hard to know anything for sure.

"Let's talk about that training you had wanted to start next year shall we? Now, your aunt and I have been talking for a few days now and believe it is probably best for you to come train with me sooner than you expected. I wanted you to start training this year at the beginning of school, but your aunt didn't want you to be treated differently than others your age so we have come to a compromise." He pauses and takes a sip of his tea.

"Compromise?" I ask eager to know what is going to happen to me.

He smiles and goes on. "We have decided that it would be best if you re-take the sixth year classes to be with people your age and so you can be treated the same. So you don't get bored, you will also have extra training with me on a few select days. Then, next year, you will start your official training as my apprentice. How does that sound?"

He sits there patiently as I think it over slowly in my mind. I mean, what's the worst thing about it? I was planning on waiting a year anyway, might as well get a head start on it and maybe, if I'm lucky, I can make a few friends wile I'm at it. Besides, with all this happening I won't have time to focus about that stupid day or why it bugs me so. I realize that this is the most thought I have had since locking my mind away. Maybe Dumbledore will teach me how to really lock those memories in my mind so I won't have to obsess over them. Besides I'm sure mom and dad wouldn't want my main memory of them to be their death. I look up to see the hopeful expression of my loving aunt. She really does want what's best for me, and worrying her like this is killing me. I smile for the first time in weeks and agree to everything. We then discuss what I should bring and all that I need to know. I walk up the stairs hour's later feeling re-born. Thinking back on it, I was stupid, yet again. I shouldn't have acted like that and worried my aunt so much. I mean, she lost her bother, my father, and I don't see her acting like I had been acting. I make a vow to myself to live life to the fullest, to never dwell on the bad parts, and to always look on the bright side of things. After all, that's what my parents would have wanted. I smile, seeing everything in a new light. I just hope I can keep my thoughts happy and not think about that dreadful day.

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Author's Note: Well this is my first time posting on here. I just wanted to try it out and see how it goes. Constructive criticism is what I live for so feel free to drop a few words. This is more of just a prolog so there's not really much going on now. It will speed up soon, but I'm going to wait a wile to post the next one just to see how this one goes. Yes, this will be a Sirius Black story, but no she won't fall in love with him in the first seconds she meets him. There might be some OOC ness but I try my best to keep it to a minimum. Also for the legal part of this I don't own any characters you recognize. I do, however, own Brook, her parents, her aunt, and maybe other random characters that come up. Yes I already have the whole plot line written down, now I just need to write the story to it. Thank you for you time, I'd love it if you would talk to me even if it is to just say hi.