Chapter one: Letters from home. 

When I was eleven years old I used to be young and lonely, though I would never have admitted it, I was too stubborn. Anyway it was when I went to Hogwarts after being kicked out of Dunstrang for excessive magic talent and my presence upset the students, this in English means I was too good at what they taught me and more. I was winning every one of the school challenges even the ones that the best teachers from around the world competed in. So they said I had to go to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and wizardry to train with the best of the best. So for my second year I was given a place at Hogwarts School and this is my story…

The steam from the train whooshed past the window as the day started to fade into night. A knock at the door, I turned my head to see an average height girl wearing the most striking clothes I had ever seen a girl wear. Her pants were old pair of ratty jeans covered in patches of black and blue, her shirt was skin tight and she had a jean jacket on with the sleeves missing, her hair was the color of cinnamon crimson, but it was the sight of her standing with her arms full of books and a very odd sized trunk that really stuck out. "Can I come in?" she asked. "Umm sure." I said standing up to help her in. "Thanks. Umm can you take this for me?" she asked. "Sure," taking her trunk. As soon as she let it go my arms gave way a bit. "Whoa!" almost dropping it, "What do you have in here?" I asked. The trunk may have been small but it was twice the weight of my own easily. "Oh sorry should have… warned you…" She shot me a very strange look, almost like she was thinking 'Why isn't he on the floor?' "It's not a problem, just startled me that's all." I said awkwardly putting her trunk away; I stretched out my hand "My name is Samuel." She smiled and shook my hand, "I'm Kassandra. Can I call you Sam?" "Only if you answer me one question." I said. "What would that be?" she asked. "Only if I can call you Kassi?" "Sure you can, makes things easier between people." "Yes it does." I said. "So you're a first year?" she said. "Sort of. It's my first year here but this would be my second year in magic school." "Why's that?" "When I was at Dumstrang they saw me as a threat." "How so?" "Umm they said I wasn't being challenged enough." "So you were way too good at what you do." "Yeah you can say that. I'm guessing you're a first year student?" "No I'm a second year like you." "Oh…really? Why aren't you with your friends?" "I don't have any friends. I'm too shy." "That's odd, you seem comfortable with me." "Well you are the last open seat left other than standing in the corridors." "Oh I was the last resort, I see…" "Oh please I didn't think of you that way, the thing is I don't know anyone who doesn't know me, and I wanted to talk with someone who I didn't know of." "Oh…" I said with my face turning much the same color as her hair. "Are you blushing?" she asked. "Oh uh…." I said trying to get the color out of my cheeks. "You were blushing… how cute…" When I heard that something felt weird in my stomach, but I didn't want to tell her. "SO Kassi what's your last name?" "Oh pardon my manors, its Quinn." "Kassi Quinn." "Interesting name." "And yours…" "Oh sorry it's Hammermill. Samuel Hammermill." "Well it's a pleasure to have met you Mr. Hammermill." "Like wise Miss Quinn."

"So where are you from?" "America." I said. "America, I thought there was no wizard kind left in America." "Well there are a few but my family lives far from muggles. What about you?" Her whole face changed from happy to somber in an instant flat. "I live in England with my parents." "I sense there's something wrong at home…" "My parents don't like me." "What happened? If you don't mind me asking?" "Ummm I'd rather not say…" "Ok, so what do you want to talk about?" "How about hobbies you have." "Ah ok, well lets see I like reading, I love to cook, I train animals mostly birds, and I'm a fair duelist both magic and fighting." "Wow how good is your skills?" "Well just say I was good enough to be pulled out to let everyone else have a chance to win and I was putting to many teachers in the hospital with broken bones when I took them down in the ring." Her face became as white as a ghost. "Oh don't worry they were perfectly fine." "So you said you cook?" "Uh yeah I cook pretty well." I said turning crimson again. "When did you learn?" "My grandfather on my mothers' side taught me, he has thousands of recipes he's made over the years." "Wow he must cook a lot to have had that many." "Just say he has plenty of time on his hands." "OK. So what's your mom like?" "Well she's very tall, and very beautiful. When me and her spar she usually wins, but not all the time." "And your dad?" "Oh, he's a jolly old soul he's as wide as a house but he's quiet as a mouse… He scares the beejeezes out of me and mom on a regular basis." "Any siblings?" Yes my sister Alexandria, She's much like my mother in appearance but she's as quiet as my father." "How old is she?" "She's 27 and married." "Wow how long?" "About three years now. Ok it's your turn…" "I am pretty good at spells, dark arts is my best subject. My mother is on the short side but she's very…strong. My father is very strong as well they are both workers in the ministry of magic. And I don't know where my brother is." "Ah ok. Want to wizard duel?" "Nah I don't like fighting unless I have to." "Oh it's not that bad. It's only a practice thing, but if you don't want to it's not a big deal." "Thanks Sam."

"So how do things work here at Hogwarts?" "Pretty much just like any other school there's the geeks, the potion masters, the Quidditch teams, so on and so forth." "Ah so nothing really different." "Not really. So do know what house you'll be in?" "Uh no they have to sort me during the opening feast." "Oh man I hated that they call you up like some criminal and they stare at you till that silly hat makes up his mind." It's easy at Dumstrang they just put you in one of seven houses based on age or year." "Oh really so how were the guys dormitories?" I blushed a bit. Well we all slept in a big room." "Oh, what about the girls…" "There aren't any." "So both sexes slept in the same room?" "No, there are no girls at Dumstrang, just male students/staff and the few women teachers." "Oh that would explain some things." "Like what?" "Like why you blushed just a minute ago." "Oh…" I said blushing again. "See you just did it again…" "I'm sorry…" "Don't be like I said it's cute…" The sound of the train slowly pulling into the station of Hogwarts interrupted our conversation. "Ah the trains stopping we must be here, you'd better get dressed I'll be back in a few minutes." "Oh ok. I'll only be a minute."

I stepped out of the compartment and leaned on the wall space between the rooms. And at that time I felt my whole heart being pummeled next to my ribs as I sweated bullets all over the floor. "Oh this is going to be a LONG year…"

As I entered the castle from the carriages I saw the whole place was decked out like Easter and Christmas all on the same day. It was very bright it kind of reminded me of home in a way only this place was a school and mom didn't have cookies backing in the oven. As I walked a very tall woman who had to have been in her 70's or close to it came to my side and she said something I would never forget. "Don't worry Mr. Hammermil. We know who you are." At that point I definitely knew this would be a very long year.

"Welcome first year students, this castle shall be for the rest of your wizardry schooling your home away from home. You all have nothing to fear from anyone or anything. So relax and eat your fill. But first our sorting ceremony." said the tall woman holding up a very old and tattered old hat. "Benjamin Parkinson, please step forward." A small blonde hair boy stepped forward and took a seat on the stool. The hat sat on his head but a moment then it declared, "HufflePuff!" "Krista Zabini" A much taller blonde girl stepped forward. The hat barley touched her head, "Slytherin."

As the ceremony went on the crowd became less and less, until I was left stand here all alone. "Samuel Hammermill, Would you please step forward." I pulled myself up and walked quietly to the stool, my heart felt like it was going to explode. "Now everyone this is Samuel Hammermill, he is a transfer from Dumstrang academy. He will be taking his schooling here with the best and the brightest of the Wizarding world. Please make an effort to make him feel welcomed here at our school. Would you like to say anything Samuel?" "I would. To my fellow students I bid you good tidings. It is an honor and a privilege to be a student here at these hallowed halls. And I hope I can be an asset to this school as much as this school will be to me." I said that to be polite but I would rather be just not noticed but I didn't have a choice… "Now it's time to be sorted." She placed the hat on my head and I could hear the hat speaking to me. "Hello Samuel, what house would you like to be in?" "Uh Could I just be put in Gryffindor please. I don't want to be bombarded by people." "Ah I see then Gryffindor it is. GRYFFINDOR!" As the hat came off I looked around and saw the red table on the right of the room, I rushed toward it hoping to let the night take me away. Oh boy was I in for a surprise… As the party broke up and things were squared away I followed everyone else up to the seventh floor and ushered inside where the room looked like an antebellum sitting room. It was decked out in reds and gold's; the walls were made of sandstone and granite. "Now this place feels like home…" "I think you're the first one to have said that about a place like this." said a voice from behind me. "Huh? Kassi I didn't know you were in this house…"I said blushing. "Sorry I never told you but we had to go so fast that I forgot to tell you. I guess fate wanted you here." she said grabbing my hand and pulling me up the stairs. "Where are we going?" she giggled, "Up to the guys' dormitories. You need to find your bed silly." "Oh ye…" I said falling into the room and flat on my face. When I snapped out of my stupor I looked around to see Kassi on my bed rummaging through my stuff. "Hey don't look in there I have a lot of personal stuff in there." "AWWW but I want to know what's in here." I ran to the trunk and closed it with a flash. "Whoa, you're fast…" I straightened my clothes and proceeded to put my trunk away. "So what's so important about that trunk?" "It just has something in there that are kind private." "Like what?" she said sitting on the end of my bed. "Like my skivvies and other stuff. They are my business till it's time to show people." "Show peoples your underwear…" "NO, and you know what I mean." She smiles and gets up, "Well Mr. Hammermill you are one mysterious guy… I wonder why?" "If you knew that, I wouldn't be mysterious anymore." "Good answer…" she said walking out of the door and closing it behind her.

With a sigh I put my glasses on the bedside table and lied down on my bed. As I nodded off, I dreamed I saw a woman walking slowly up the steps of a very beautiful place; the place was as white as the fresh snow. I saw her come closer and closer, the assembling of people all chanted in a very strange tongue, though it sounded familiar. Her face was hidden but her eyes were piecing straight to my soul. Her eyes were deep and they made you feel like you're going to be sucked in to the unknown waters beneath the surface. She came closer and closer until I could barely make out where her face was. Then the place shook and I felt a hand on my chest. "Hello…dude wake up?" "Dude?" "HEY, wake up!" I heard. I awoke with a start to see a very strange looking young man; his hair was a black as night and hung down in tendrils from his head. He was a tall as me, but he was as skinny as a bean pole. "Ah you're wake, I shook you and shook you but you didn't wake up. Sorry I yelled at you." he said. "Oh don't worry about it I just sleep a little deep." I said looking at his cloak I thought 'how odd…", because it had a green crest on it. "So what was I doing when you came to wake me?" "You were growling and you looked like you were possessed or something." he said. "Oh I'm Samuel By the way." I said holding out my hand. "I'm Sorron." he said. "What time is it?" I asked. "It's about three in the morning." he replied. "Whoa, I must have been tired." "Nah most times first years pass out because they are not used to the trip here and back. So you're not alone in this, all the first years are passed out in your common room and/or in their beds." "Yeah I bet…Hey did you just say your common room? I thought you were in this house?" I said looking at him as he got up. "Nah I'm from Slytherin, but I get so tired of being in that dank green room all the time." He said. "Ah, but how did you get in here?" "There's a passage way that leads from one common room to the next, all the teachers know about it, but I found it by accident. It's cool if you want to get from one place to another ad not have to worry about passwords for the most part." he said. "For the most part?" "Yeah there's only one you have to remember but it never ever changes. So it's not a problem." "Oh I see." "So I guess you like it in here because it's warmer then the dungeons?" I said. "How did you know that my house was in the dungeons?" He said looking at me sideways. "Uh I saw the Slytherin's walk towards the dungeons as the feast broke up." I said hoping he would by it. "Oh… I didn't know people paid attention anymore. I thought we all just slid into the back ground." "Well I don't know many people here so I just wanted to see who was around these parts. I have been called an opportunistic observer…" "Opportunistic observer…huh" he said with a cock-eyed smile on his face, "I guess I'll be going it's almost bed check time and they dock a lot when it comes to curfew." "Oh so they have a curfew." I said. "Yeah and it's a steep one to boot. 10:00pm sharp. No exceptions." As I sat there I said to myself, 'Yeah right, and pigs fly… I need to get out of here. I know I'll take a walk with spike.' I got up and walked over to the front of my chest. "Hey spike, are you awake or are you going to be a lazy bum." I rummaged and nothing moved. "Spike? Spike… Spike, where are you, you dizzy snake…" I looked through and nothing only his bed/basket remained. "Oh blitsnag…he's gone to explore. Dizzy snake…. I'll never find him, he could be anywhere." I looked around and no one was to be found. And I thought, 'Oh what the hay it can't be all that long till I find him.'

To be brutally honest they can't hold me in this house after 10 at night. Not the first week of being here at the least, I had things to do people to see and places to explore. But most importantly I had to go see a friend about a snake. So I walked down the stairs and went out the front door. The grounds were cold and quiet; it reminded me of home, only I didn't have my conservatory or the familiar surroundings. But I saw the Hut near the forest and I knew where to go. "Hello Professor Hagrid, are you in there?" I said knocking. "Who'd there?" I heard from the other side. "I'm Samuel Hammermill; I'm the transfer student from Dumstrang. I need to ask you question." The large door swung open and a very large rotund man step forward. "What might that be young Hammermill?" he said. "Umm I've recently misplaced my snake and he enjoys spiders, especially young Anronoamda. Do you know of any around here?" I said staring up at him. "Well if I were you I'd look near the forest about two or there kilometers westward. But I wouldn't go near there at night, you'd end up food for what ever lives in them woods." he said stretching his arms wide. "Oh thank you Sir. Your information is much appreciated." I bowed and turned to leave. "Mr. Hammermill, are ya the same Hammermill from the new world?" he asked. At that moment I stood fast in my tracks. "Yes sir, I am from that family." I replied with a heavy sigh. "Then I can't report you for being out then can I?" I turned to him and said, "You can do so sir. But the matter has already been attended to; they said it was alright from me to be out during this week. And the special weeks during the year." He nodded and smiled, "You have been taught well Young Hammermill; your mother would be proud at your politeness and candor." I bowed and replied, "Thank you sir for your kind words and your…grasp of my situation and reacting in politeness, not many would do the same, I thank you and from what my mother would say, she thanks you." He smiled and nodded. "Good night Young Hammermill, and be well." "I will sir." He turned around and walked into his hut. As I walked away I saw the light go out and the grounds became as quiet as the grave, now I was half way home.

For many hours I felt at peace with the world no cares, no worries, just a small but important purpose to focus on, maybe I was just tired, maybe I was just 'doped' up on the sights and smells of the grounds. Either way I felt like me again, maybe the moon had something to do with it, but I really don't care at the moment. Right now I wanted to be with spike and talk to him, see what he thinks. "Now where are those bloody spiders? Hmmmm, this is going to be a long night but I think if I can find one, then I'll find spike near by, hopefully. He's as elusive as a Dicrawl. I walked along and saw a group of strange lights, "What could that be?" I walked closer and closer till I was just under them. "Wow, you all are beautiful. But what are you?" And like a divine sign, they all swooped down and grabbed me. Hey let me go…I mean it…" I tired to fight them off but it was no use as I knocked out one, seven took its place, and then I knew I was caught by pixies they all were carrying fireflies in their hands and throwing them about like balls. As I swatted them away they accidentally caught my foot on a branch and they pulled and pulled but they couldn't pull me and the branch. So they just let me go and there I hung by my feet. Well at least I don't have pixie problem anymore, now to just bend up and free myself, I made one big swing but I fell short, the next time shorter and shorter till I couldn't get anywhere because I was so tired. "Oh come on why is it so hard, it's not morning… I promptly took my glasses and used them to look behind me. "Well that explains it, it is morning. Gah…Well I have three options stay here till dark then get myself free, struggle and maybe fall from here or wait till someone hears my cries and help me. I can't wait till dark and I really don't want to fall so… HELP SOMEBODY ANYBODY, HELP ME DOWN FROM HERE!" Not a sound was heard from anywhere. "Perfect…"

For an hour I hung there trying to hold my head up sp I would drown in my own blood, and I heard my savior or savior's. "So what do you think he will say?" said the tallest blond. "I don't know but he better tell me soon." said the other blond. "Umm excuse me, I hate to interrupt but could one of you lovely ladies please get me down from here." I said. "Umm where's your wand?" the tallest said. "Uh down there." I said pointing to the ground. "Oh well I don't know how to get you down from there." said the tallest. "I think I can, DIFFENDO." yelled the other. "No! Not that one!!!", I yelled but all I could do is look on in horror as the branch was sliced in two and my foot was released letting me fall 20 feet on to the ground with a heavy thud. Both of them rushed to my side, "Hello boy, are you alright?" said the other blond. "I'm going to feel that in the morning…" I croaked out. "Could you please help me up?" I asked. They promptly helped my up and brushed me off. "Umm could you two help me find my snake please?" "Um sure but shouldn't you go get some medical attention." said the tallest. "Thank you but I'll go get looked over after I find him. Oh by the want Thank you for getting me down, miss…" "Zabini, Kris Zabini. And this is Cameron Malfoy." She bowed. "Malfoy, like the daughter of Draco Malfoy?" I said. "Yeah that…man is my father." "Uh huh." I said, while thinking, 'Well that explains the Diffendo spell.' "So what does your snake look like?" Kris said. "He's about 10 feet long and has as big around as your arm, he's probably munching on spiders or something of equivalence." "Alright where do we look?" said Cameron. "Well I was looking in this direction when I was ambushed, so I was going to keep going this way till I found him." "I…In there?" said Cameron. "Yes in there. There's nothing in there other than pixies and large spiders in there to harm you so just relax." I said with a smile, 'Yeah it safe for me at least.'

"So on we go." said Kris pulling up her cloak behind her. We walked along for an hour or so, going in and out of the forest searching for Spike, until we heard a long string of loud crunching noises. "SPIKE! Where are you?" I called. No answer was heard. "Why are you calling him like that he can't talk back." said Cameron. "You'll see." I said. "SPIKE! Get your green scaly butt over here." "He's over there." I heard a very familiar voice coming from the shadows of the forest. "Kassi is that you? It's dark in here I can't see you." "Look up, you dork." she said smiling from the lower branches of a large tree. "Oh, never thought of looking up there." I said with a big red face. "Yep that's why I'm up here, I like being alone but I knew that was you so I wanted to be helpful." she said sliding down the trunk. "Thank you so much Kassi." I said starting to blush a little. "So where is he?" "Uh he's up two branches in that old Cyprus tree." she said pointing to the tree across from the one we were under.