by
: Lainey (96819)Summary
: Before Alanna could talk, her mother died, leaving her on her own to learn about her innate magic. At seventeen, when she is invited to come to Hogwarts to learn about their type of magic and teach about hers, will she discover the secrets to the clouded past about her mother and her magical heritage?Disclaimer
: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the other wonderful works of J.K. Rowling. I do own Alanna and anyone else you don't recognize, so please don't use them without asking, if you happen to find them worth using.A/N
: I promise on my, um, Grandpa's deathbed that I will finish this story, if only this one. I have the whole thing outlined, go me! Hope you all like it. R/R please, but if you don't have anything intelligent to say, please don't say anything at all (that would be aimed at would-be flamers). Constructive criticism welcome. Prologue: A Letter of InvitationAlanna Stalmer, resident of 44 North Helming Street, Grass Valley, California, paced worriedly up and down the hallway of her house, a folded up piece of parchment clutched in her hand. She chewed on her lower lip as she walked, listening for every sound that came her way, her brow furrowed in thought.
The front door opened and her head snapped up. In walked in a middle-aged man, carrying several shopping bags; it was her dad, Russell.
"Argh!" Alanna cried in frustration. "What are you doing here? Where is Troy!" She threw up her hands, and went back to pacing.
Her dad blinked in confusion, the look on his face asking what was going on.
The silver-haired teenager ignored him and kept no pacing, staring at the green carpet. She flicked a strand of hair out of her face, and momentarily the story of her life flashed through her mind.
It had been rumored that Alanna's mother was of magical blood. She left soon after Alanna was born, and never came back. Everyone that talked of her spoke very fondly of Alanna's mother, but there was always an air of mistrust, that maybe she even transferred some of that mysterious power on to her only child.
When Alanna was just learning to walk and talk, somewhere halfway around the world, her mother died. In a blinding flash of white light that came while her father was tucking her in to bed at night, the color of her hair was stolen, and she had been imbued with a strange, perhaps magical talent.
"Is Troy supposed to be here?" Her father's voice interrupted her thoughts and pacing at once. She looked up again.
"Huh? Oh, Troy. Yeah." She returned to her path along the hallway.
The door opened again, and again, Alanna's head snapped up.
"Troy!" she announced, rapidly crossing the room. "Troy, you wouldn't believe, I--" She looked around the room to see her father still standing in the middle with his shopping bags. She grabbed Troy's arm and led him out the still-open door. "Let's talk out here."
Once they were outside, with the door safely shut behind them, and sitting on the lawn, she said, "My lord, what took you so long?"
He glanced down at his watch. "It took me five minutes."
She paused, mouth open. Finally it shut. Then, "That's not the point, look at this!" She thrust the piece of parchment in front of his face.
He unfolded the paper and read aloud:
Dear Miss Alanna Stalmer,
On behalf of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I would like to invite you to study with us for the upcoming school year. We would regard this as a mutual learning experience, for you, our students, and the faculty of Hogwarts. It is an opportunity to learn more about different forms of magic than we would normally come into contact with. Your reply by owl is requested within the week.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress
"Are you going?" Troy asked once he was finished.
"Are you joking?" Alanna asked almost angrily. "I can't just get up and leave for halfway across the world! What am I supposed to say to everyone, 'Oh, sorry guys, I won't be at school next year, I'm gonna go to a wizard school. Oh hey by the way, I can do magic.'"
"Honestly. Don't be dumb. Tell them your aunt on your mom's side suddenly called up, and wants you to do this foreign exchange student thing over in England where she's from, and you don't wanna pass up this opportunity." He looked at her with one eyebrow raised.
A little hope seeped back into her face. "Do you really think they'd buy that?"
"Sure, why not? Your mom's side is a big mystery to everyone, including you," he said, patting her hand. "Go on, don't pass something like this up."
She smiled brightly. "I knew you'd help. Thanks Troy!" She launched herself toward him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Thank you so much. I'm going to write back tonight."
"Why don't you do it now?"
She tipped her head. "Don't be dumb, Troy, owls aren't out during the day." She stood up and brushed the grass from her. "I'm going to tell Dad. Thanks again." And she ran inside, leaving Troy to sit on the lawn and shake his head.
FinÃ
Hope ya liked it. Chapter one soon. R/R!