DISCLAIMER: The Harry Potter universe and all it's characters belong to JK Rowling.
I'll never forget the day I found out I was a witch. The surprise, the anxiety, the skepticism, the excitement, but most of all, out of all the feelings, the one that overtook them all was the feeling of being content. The overwhelming feeling that everything felt right. I had found my place. That from here on out everything would be okay, because I had that one moment of being complete.
So seldom do we get to have those feelings. A few throughout a lifetime if you're lucky. I felt blessed to have just one. My eleven year old brain could not quite comprehend it. All I knew was that the moment was significant and that I had my whole life in front of me.
Magic. I could do magic. The world was open to me. What couldn't be at my hands now? I felt important. I felt powerful. I felt scared. Scared of what I could do with that magic. Scared of what my family might think. My mom wasn't a witch. My dad may have been a wizard but he left when I was baby, so I would never know.
Most of all, I was scared of leaving my mom. My beautiful mother who had raised me all alone and who had always tried to give me the world. Despite the fact, that I was a strange child. I had to leave her. I was only 11 and I had to go off to some boarding school, no matter how fantastic it would be, it did not change the fact that I would be gone. I would be leaving my step-dad and my little sister. My wonderful little sister who I loved more than anyone despite how annoying she could be.
Still, I boarded that train that would take me to a secluded spot in Upstate New York, where Wandlight Academy lay. Just as I never forgot that moment when I found about being a witch, I'll never forget that moment I first stepped into Wandlight.
It was beautiful. It was much more then anything I had imagined. It was, well, magical. So I dived right in to training to be a witch. There were other muggle-borns like me, so I didn't feel out of place. There were a few pure-bloods who felt it their duty to be absolute jerks. But that's the way it is in school. A few elite people, who think the world is about them and who look down upon those of us who are actually human and care.
I learned Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, History, Defense against Dark Arts, and Wandlight's specialty: Healing. I enjoyed them all, even boring History and Potions, which I always managed to screw up. But I found my real passion while at Wandlight: Quidditch.
How I had gone eleven years without Quidditch is beyond me. I felt as if a broom should of been born in my hand. It was usually reserved for third years and above but I refused to follow that rule. I practiced every minute I could and went from knowing nothing to being pretty good. I was taken on the team as a backup Keeper in my first year. One fateful game, out keeper fell down sick from some potion (nothing of my doing. I always screw up potions, remember?) and I had to take over. We won by a landslide. I was in.
But as years passed and I grew older, I found something I was more passionate in. It was impossible to ignore what was going on outside our happy little walls. Especially what was going on in Europe. A powerful wizard was growing in power. One, who hated muggles and who was a ruthless killer.
How could I not be against him? Here I was a muggle-born with a muggle family that I had to protect. At least, I think a muggle-family. My sister had potential to become a witch still. But because of this I started to read more about the Dark Arts and how to overcome them. I wasn't the only one, most students became concerned with what was going on and wanted to stop it.
Of course there were a few that didn't like that jerk, Ricky Earl, who I hexed so bad he had to spend a week in the hospital trying to be cured. He had the nerve to criticize my group. I had formed a group with students who were against dark magic. A sort of Anti-Evil group which I led. It was with that very group, that I figured out my fate and where my place in the wizarding community would be.
Our Headmistress, Constance Montgomery, had arranged a special meeting for our group, specifically for our seventh years. It was sort of a recruitment. People from the US wizarding government and other institutions were there to find people to train. I watched my friends go into rooms and come out smiling only to leave before they said anything to me. Soon enough, I found myself waiting all alone, feeling anxious and a bit pissed that no one seemed to care.
Just then Headmistress Montgomery came out of a door and smiled at me.
"I bet you're confused as to why you're the last one left."
"A little," I answered honestly.
"Because I have a very special visitor for you and we had to wait until he arrived. Follow me," She said as she went back into the door she had just walked out of.
I followed and saw the back of a magnificently tall man. He wore robes of a light blue color and his hair reached the middle of his back. He turned and smiled at me and I noticed is his eyes were the exact same color of his robes and seemed to twinkle.
"I'd like you to meet Albus Dumbledore," Headmistress Montgomery said.
My mouth dropped open. I knew Albus Dumbledore. Everyone knew Dumbledore. He was one of the most famous wizards in the world. I had learned about him in history class. My sister, who had become obsessed with Chocolate Frogs, had dozens of his cards. She would freak out if she knew I was talking to him right now. This was the special visitor for me?
"So, this must be Elizabeth Ross," He said with a smile. "I've heard a lot about you."
"You have?" I asked surprised. What a brilliant thing to say to arguably the most powerful wizard in the world.
"Connie and I have been close friends for yours," He said smiling at my headmistress.
"And," He continued. "Your organization is quite impressive, I must say."
"Thank you, sir" I answered unsure of what to say next.
"I also understand you're quite the quidditch player as well. Do you plan on following it professionally?"
I laughed a little at the idea. It would of been nice but it didn't feel like the right fit. I had become so passionate about fighting the Dark Arts that I couldn't imagine doing anything else, not even the game I loved.
"No. I was thinking of doing something a little bit more substantial." I answered.
"Just as I thought." He said. He had a kind face. One full of friendliness and wisdom. His eyes seemed to be searching my face for something.
"Something like fighting against Voldemort?" He asked.
I blinked at the name. I, of course, knew who Voldemort was. But I had barely heard his name. People were fearful to say it.
"Yes. I'm very anti-vol...I'd like to do that." I stuttered.
"You shouldn't fear a name Ms. Ross. It only increased the fear of the person. There is a Voldemort resistance here in America, which is quite good."
A felt a pang of disappointment as I stared into his twinkling blue eyes. A thought had been forming in my head over the past few months. I wanted to go to England. I wanted to be on the forefront of the fight. It was like Quidditch, I could only stand to be back-up for so long and I wanted to prove that I could do it. I had confessed this to Ms. Montgomery and I thought that maybe since Dumbledore was here, it meant it was coming true.
"Yes sir, it is," I answered not sounding very convincing.
"But you're not interested in America's movement, are you?" He said kindly with a slight smile across lips.
"I just thought...I want to do the most that I can do and I think maybe, my best would be in England. I can't stand on the sidelines very long. Just ask my Quidditch coach."
Dumbledore smiled: "It's quite dangerous there. Especially for a muggle-born like yourself."
"I know, sir. That's why I want to go. I couldn't stand to see what's happening there happen here. I want to protect my friends and family. I want to stop it before it gets worse."
I felt myself expressing some of my biggest fears. I was letting my emotions do the speaking. I should of been trying to be proper and to sound intelligent. But I felt an urgency rising inside of me and I felt this was my only shot. I had to go to England, with or without Dumbledore's permission.
"Well there is no doubt that you are intelligent. You're grades show for that. And you're very determined as shown through your Quidditch career. And of course, you have leadership skills. You are exactly the kind of person, whom England needs but I have my doubts Ms. Ross."
"Doubts, sir?" I said feeling the disappointment seep through every word and run through my body.
"You can't put someone's life in danger without having a moment of pause."
"Professor Dumbledore, even if you don't recruit me, I'll go to England anyway."
"Elizabeth!" Ms. Montgomery warned.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Montgomery," I said, briefly glancing at her before turning back to Dumbledore's twinkling eyes.
"I understand why you would take pause but consider this: If I go, if you take me in, you can provide some safety for me. At least, more then I'd get on my own. So, think of it like this, this is your choice: would you rather put me in danger by surrounding me with others or would you rather put me in danger by having me jump in all alone?"
Dumbledore had his long, slender, fingers placed together in front of his face and he sat examining me through them. My heart beat rapidly in my chest. This was it. I had laid my heart on the table. I may have just screwed everything up by not thinking before speaking and now I had to wait for Dumbledore to speak. My entire future rested on whatever words next came out of his mouth.
"You're not giving me much of a choice, Ms. Ross," He said with a slight smile. "So I guess all I can say is: Welcome to England."
Author's Note: Okay, so this is a rewrite of my former story "I'm Sure." Which I deleted because it was kind of well, crap. This is the story I really wanted to write. So if any of you read "I'm Sure" I hope you like this one too. Just some name changes and more character development/background and a different beginning. I'm sorry I kind of suddenly deleted the other story, it was really driving me crazy though :X
If you're a new reader: I hope you like the story so far! Leave a review if you do! Thanks!