Chapter 1: The Letter
"Welcome to Godric's Hollow, Smiths!" Mr. Smith said as the family travelled into the area, stopping by their new house, close to the entrance to the community.
"We need to find an Elementary school here for you," Mrs. Smith said to her daughter, Harriet.
"Honey, they call it Primary here," Mr. Smith said.
"Whatever, we need to find a school for her. She's not quite old enough for secondary here. I did my research," Mrs. Smith said.
"Where's my broom?" Harriet asked.
"You can fly later, we need to get moved in!" Mrs. Smith said before the family began lugging boxes into their new home. They finished lugging their small amount of possessions into the house within the hour, as the house was furnished, as Mr. Smith had paid for. Pictures of Harriet playing Junior Quidditch in the hot Texas weather, pictures of their cat with Harriet, and family photos were placed where they belonged with a little charm from Mr. Smith. Harriet manually put her new room together, as she wasn't allowed to use magic. Even back in Texas, she couldn't, as the American Ministry of Magic also forbade underage magic.
"Merlin, it's cold here!" Harriet said, plopping onto the couch wearing her hoodie.
"We lived in a hot climate, now we're in a cold one. You'll get used to it, honey," Mrs. Smith said, sitting next to her daughter.
A year later, when Harriet was eleven in the summer of 2011, a letter came in by a barn owl, flying in through the open window and dropping the parcel in Harriet's lap. She opened the letter and smiled.
"My friend Arthur told me about this place! Ever heard of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" Harriet said.
"Yes, I heard they were fantastic! That's also where that famous kid, Harry Potter, went," Mrs. Smith said.
"Really? Well, I still want to go," Harriet said.
"Of course. We'll take you down to Diagon Alley tomorrow, okay? I've already moved our money to the Gringott's here," Mr. Smith said.
The next day, in Diagon Alley, Harriet and Arthur O'Brian looked at the different shops, getting fitted for their school robes, buying their cauldrons and books, and finally receiving their wands. They went down to Ollivander's and walked up to the desk. Arthur rang a bell and an elderly man walked in.
"New Hogwarts students, I see. I remember every wand I've ever sold. Now, let's start with the lady. The wand chooses the wizard," Mr. Ollivander said, pulling a box from a stack.
"Try this one," Mr. Ollivander said. Harriet waved it. Boxes flew out of their shelves.
"Not that one. Try… this one," he said, handing another wand to her. She knew right then and there it was the right wand.
"That's the gem!" Mr. Ollivander said. "Hawthorne and Phoenix feather, 11 and a half inches. Seven galleons," Mr. Ollivander said, and Harriet handed the man his money. "Interesting. Twenty years ago, a boy named Harry Potter came in and bought his first wand. Holly and Phoenix feather, 11 inches. You remind me of him. Similar name, same wand core," Mr. Ollivander said. "I just hope you don't end up with similar problems."
"I'm sure I won't, but you never know," Harriet said.
"Now, young man, let's have your wand choose you," Mr. Ollivander said to Arthur. Mr. Ollivander handed Arthur the wand that hadn't worked properly for Harriet. He waved it and it worked perfectly.
"That's actually not a rare occurrence to find the right wand first. Holly and Dragon Heartstring, 12 inches. Seven galleons," Mr. Ollivander said, and Arthur handed the man his money.
It came time for Harriet to head off to Hogwarts. Her family went with her to King's Cross.
"Okay, where's platform 9 ¾?" Mrs. Smith asked.
"Yeah, I went to the Houston Academy of Magic, not Hogwarts," Mr. Smith said.
"Harriet, there you are!" Arthur said, spotting her and her family.
"Hey, how do we get onto the platform?" Harriet asked.
"Oh, you just go through that brick column right there. Won't hurt a bit," Arthur's mom said.
"Okay."
"Arthur, why don't you and Harriet go together?" Arthur's dad said. The two kids nodded at each other and ran at the column, going right through to the platform, followed by their parents.
"There it is. The Hogwarts Express. Takes up to the school," Arthur said.
"How do you know so much about it when you haven't been there yet?" Harriet asked.
"My parents told me a bunch of stories about their school years growing up. Where did your parents go to school?" Arthur asked.
"My dad went to Houston Academy of Magic," Harriet answered. "They grew up in Texas. My mom's a Muggle, no magic in her at all."
"Really? Cool. I can't wait to actually see the school."
"Neither can I."
The pair put their stuff in the train and boarded, looking for an empty compartment. They didn't find one, but they found one with only one person in it, a short girl around their age with long auburn hair, skin covered in freckles, and green eyes.
"Mind if we join you?" Arthur asked.
"Yeah, go right ahead," the girl said with a smile.
"So what's your name?" Harriet asked.
"Keen. Dana Keen. And you?"
"I'm Harriet Smith and he's Arthur O'Brian."
"Cool accent! Where are you from?"
"Texas. My accent is cool?" Harriet asked.
"Yeah, totally! I've got a thing for American accents. But I thought Hogwarts only services England and Ireland," Dana said.
"We live in Godric's Hollow."
"Where?"
"It's a wizarding village, named after one of the founders of Hogwarts," Arthur said.
"Sorry, I'm Muggle-born. I know nothing about your world," Dana explained.
"My mom's a Muggle, so I know the feeling. Well, the secondhand feeling," Harriet said.
"While we're talking about it I might as well say I'm pureblood but I digress," Arthur said.
"My dad's a pureblood. So I'm a half-blood," Harriet said.
"Interesting. I hope we can be great friends?" Dana asked.
"I think so. Arthur?"
"Yeah, totally."
The train stopped at Hogwarts and the first years were called to the boats. The first years rowed to the school, and were brought into the entrance hall, where a teacher was standing.
"Hello, new students. My name is Professor McGonagall. In just a few moments, you will go into the Great Hall for your Sorting Ceremony," she said.
"Hello, new people. My name is Wynter. I'm sure you'd much rather hang out with the right kind of sort," a girl with white hair and icy blue eyes said to Harriet.
"I think I can tell the right kind of sort for myself," Harriet said.
"Wow. American. How are you at Hogwarts?"
"I live in Godric's Hollow," Harriet said.
"They're ready for you," Professor McGonagall said before leading the first years into the Great Hall.
"Welcome to Hogwarts! Here with us to help with our Sorting Ceremony this year is a man who was sorted into Gryffindor twenty years ago today under Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Perhaps the most famous wizard to ever live, Harry Potter!" Professor Rowntree said, and a 31 year old man with glasses and a lightning bolt scar on his forehead walked in from a side door.
"I don't normally do things like this, but I thought I would come this time, as Professor Rowntree insisted quite a lot that I come, as well as to see an old Professor of mine, Professor McGonagall, and an old friend of mine who just started here, Professor Neville Longbottom!" Harry said. "First years, when I read your name from this scroll, you will come up here and try on the Sorting Hat. It will tell you which house you belong in. There's nothing in your mind that the Sorting Hat can't see. Here, your house is like your family. There's Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart. Ravenclaw, where the wise will find their own kind, Slytherin, who, by any means, will achieve their ends, and Hufflepuff, loyal and patient. Let's begin." Harry began by calling out a name, and the kid put on the Sorting Hat and was sorted into Ravenclaw. A few names later, Harry called out a kid named Brett Ivers, who was sorted into Hufflepuff.
"Dana Keen." Dana went up to the Sorting Hat and put it on.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the Sorting Hat called, and Dana put the hat back and joined the Gryffindor table.
"Julia Malfoy," Harry called, a slight change in his tone apparent.
"SLYTHERIN!" the Sorting Hat called before it was fully placed on Malfoy's head.
"Just like her father… Arthur O'Brian." Arthur went up to the front and tried on the Sorting Hat.
"GRYFFINDOR!" Arthur smiled and went to the Gryffindor table, whispering luck into Harriet's ear.
"Wynter Petit."
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Samuel Sawyer."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Harriet Smith," Harry called, stumbling a little over her name.
"Hmm. Very interesting. Better be GRYFFINDOR!" Harriet grinned ear to ear and joined Arthur and Dana at the Gryffindor table.
Harry called out a few more names before the Sorting was done.
"Professor Rowntree, in about five years, you'll be seeing my son James here," Harry said. "I'm done here for today," he said, leaving the room.
"Harry Potter everybody! Now, there's some things I need to tell you. All of you. Reminder to all students that the forest is forbidden to all students. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products are banned, and if someone of authority, be a teacher or a prefect from any house, sees you with any of those products, they will be confiscated immediately. This does not include the little fluffballs whose names I cannot remember for the life of me. Thank you, and let the feast begin!" Professor Rowntree said.
"Alright, first years. This is the Fat Lady. She guards our common room. You need only give her a password and she'll let you in. Everyone, the new password is Harry Potter!" a prefect said, and the Fat Lady's portrait swung open like a door. The prefects led the students into the common room, and all of the first years looked around in awe.
"Yes, I know, it's very beautiful. Now, girls' dormitories are that way, boys dormitories are that way. Jason here will take the boys to their dormitories and I'll take the girls," the female prefect said before leading the girls up the stairs to their dormitories.
"My name's Melissa by the way, just in case you need to know. Okay, so we have the roommate rosters posted right here, the numbers to the doors are right here in the middle of the top, and no boys. The stairs are enchanted so if a boy climbs them, they'll turn into a slide and not let him in. The stairs to the boys' dormitories don't do that," she said. "Good luck."
"Let's see… Dana, you and I are together in that room over there," Harriet said to Dana, who then went over to the room Harriet had indicated, Harriet following soon after. They went inside the room and there were three girls already there, just meeting each other.
"Hi, my name's Temperence. This is Adeline and Leigh," a girl with brown hair and eyes with a dark complexion said to the pair.
"I'm Harriet, and this is Dana."
"Just out of curiosity, where are you from?" Temperence said.
"Born and raised in Texas. Before you ask, I live in Godric's Hollow," Harriet said.
"I see. Okay, well, I can't wait to get to know you," Temperence said with a smile.
"We'll have seven years to get to know each other," Harriet said with a smile.
"Welcome to Herbology. My name is Professor Longbottom. Yes, that Longbottom. Now, we're going to begin with the Devil's Snare. We won't actually be working with one, but should you ever come across one, the spell to defeat it is Lumos Solem. That spell produces a beam of warm bright light that the Devil's Snare hates. They like the cold and dark. I know it's the first day, but I'm assigning a two-foot essay on Devil's Snare, where it can be found, and how to defeat it. Not due for two weeks," Professor Longbottom said. "But for now, we're going to work with Spiky Bushes."
"Isn't Professor Longbottom hot?" Adeline said.
"Addy, that's a teacher!" Harriet said.
"Yes, I know, but I can at least say he's easy on the eyes."