A Different Perspective
Chapter 1
At six o clock in the morning the bell rang to wake the children up. It had happened everyday since Nadie Summerhold could remember, and would continue to happen everyday until Nadie was too old to live at the orphanage.
Nadie knew she would never be adopted. All the potential parent families wanted a healthy-looking, vibrant child, not a skinny blond girl glaring at them from a corner. She needed a 'sunnier disposition', Dee would say. Dee had known Nadie for eleven years, ever since Nadie had been dropped off as a baby, and the cheerful owner of the orphanage had never stopped telling Nadie to put on a 'sunny face'. Nadie never had, and she never would.
So, this morning started out much like any other. Nadie was up before the bell like always, dressed and sitting by a window in the corner of the girl's dorms. She had no reason to sit by the window; it faced a brick wall, except that it was the only corner in the room without a bed in it. Nadie liked corners. They were excellent places to watch people without being observed yourself. Nadie watched people a lot. It was a hobby of hers.
The bell rang out, awakening the orphanage, and Nadie watched as the other girls awoke. They always got up in the same order. Perky Amber first, she literally bounced out of bed. The other five girls followed at a slightly more restrained pace, ending with little Danielle.
All six of them were fully dressed and ready to go before they noticed Nadie.
"Hey Nadie!" Amber, being the leader of the group of girls, always seemed to feel responsible for including Nadie in their conversations "That's a nice shirt your wearing!"
"I wear the same thing everyday, Amber." Nadie rolled her eyes, "We all do. Dee bleaches all the shirts here white."
"Yeah," Amber would not be deterred so easily, "But it's a nice style! It looks good on you!" She was spared the sarcastic comment that Nadie would have loved to give by Dee's excited throwing open of the door.
"Rise and shine, girls! Hurry up and get downstairs before the boys eat all the food! Scrambled eggs this morning!"
"Alright!" Amber chirped back, "Sounds wonderful Dee!"
Nadie followed her dorm mates down the stairs, moving slower. She wasn't anxious for today to start. A couple was coming by to look at the children. Specifically, they wanted a girl between eleven and thirteen. There were two, Nadie and Amber.
It was obvious to Nadie that the couple would choose Amber over her, but Nadie would still have to talk to them. That meant a thorough cleaning and a lecture on keeping a 'sunny disposition'.
Nadie took her seat at the end of the long table and began her breakfast. The food was okay. Not the best, which was understandable with seventeen orphans plus Dee and her husband to feed. It was okay though, and it was all Nadie knew. She had been left at the orphanage by her father when she was a month old. Dee hadn't known much about her parents, her mother had apparently died before Nadie had been dropped off, and Dee claimed that her father had seemed nervous, and very insistent that the orphanage was small and unnoticeable. Nadie had no memory of either of them, and really didn't care.
Nadie had just finished up her breakfast when Dee called her and Amber to prepare them for the Potential Family's visit. Both girls bathed quickly, and hurried into the rec room, where they got a short talk on the importance of this visit, 'This could be it girls!', and 'Remember your actions are representing all of us!'.
Nadie almost snickered as Paul brought the Stevens in. They looked so innocent, as if they hadn't really believed that seventeen children and two adults could live in seven rooms. They really seemed like nice people, just not the kind Nadie wanted to spend much time with. Amber would love them.
"Mr. and Mrs. Stevens." Dee had put on her cheery 'customer voice', which wasn't too much different from her cheery everything else voice, "Thank you both so much for coming. As I said on the phone, we have two children fitting your requirements. This is Nadie Summerhold, she is eleven, and this is Amber Miles, who is twelve. Girls, why don't you tell the Stevens about yourselves?"
Nadie groaned. It was going to be a long few hours.
A week later, Nadie waved as Amber rode away in the Stevens' fancy-looking car. She rolled her eyes at the other girls, some of whom were crying, and turned to go inside. It wasn't like they wouldn't have chosen a new little 'leader' by nightfall.
"Hey, Nadie!" one of the younger boys called "Hey Dee! Nadie gots a letter!"
Forgoing all pretense of indifference, Nadie broke into a run. She had never gotten mail. No one had ever gotten mail. She reached the mailbox just as Dee was checking over the letter.
"Alright Nadie," Dee handed her the letter, "It does seem to be for you." The letter looked so important! It was addressed to:
Ms Nadie Summerhold
Girls Dormitory
Sunny Days Orphanage
London, England
Nadie stared at it, disbelievingly, and slowly broke the odd looking seal.
Dear Miss Summerhold,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed you will find a list off all necessary books and equipment. Term begins September 1.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
Wordlessly, Nadie handed the letter to Dee. She glanced at the list of supplies. A cauldron? And a wand? Nadie was about to pass it off as some elaborate practical joke when another note caught her eye.
Nadie,
I know this may sound crazy, my dear, but you are a witch. You can use magic, and, if all goes according to plan you will be learning how to do so here at Hogwarts. Your parents attended Hogwarts as well, I'm sure you'll do them proud. They left you some money; it will pay for your supplies. I shall send Professor McGonagall to fetch you and help you get supplies. I trust Saturday will be fine?
Albus Dumbledore,
Headmaster
Nadie handed this to Dee as well, smiled weakly, and quietly sat down before her legs gave out. This was… unexpected. Nadie wasn't sure what to believe. Magic… magic wasn't real, was it? It couldn't be.
But then again, there was that time two years ago when she had fallen out of the big oak tree. It was at least fifteen feet, but she hadn't been hurt at all. She had floated. It wasn't the first time things like that had happened either. At least four or five times in her memory, Nadie had done things that weren't normal.
Dee folded the letter carefully and put it back into the envelope.
"Dee?" Nadie stood up again, aware that the entire orphanage had crowded around them. "What do you think?"
"I think we'll find out one way or another on Saturday. Don't worry, its Thursday already. I also think it's time for dinner. Come on kids, everyone go wash up!"
At six o' clock the bell rang to wake up the orphans. As Nadie watched the other girls wake up, she saw that they had, unsurprisingly, chosen a new ringleader to replace Amber. It was a sad little society.
"So, Nadie! Big day today, right?" Nadie glared at the girl. At ten, she was a year younger then Nadie, but already much taller. Almost as chipper as Amber, too.
"Whatever do you mean, Danielle?" Nadie decided to have some fun, "I hadn't been informed that today was longer then any other."
"No, but you're doing important stuff today, right? Cause of that letter?"
"I do important things everyday."
"No, but-"
"No?" Nadie interrupted "You don't think anything else I do is important?"
"No, I-"
"Well, why not?" Nadie could barely suppress her grin.
"I dunno! Because!"
"Ah, because. The universal response of the uninformed. Or are you under the impression that you have absolute authority?"
"What does that mean? Stop using all those confusing words! I don't understand them!" The girl was clearly getting fed up. Good.
"Just because you have the vocabulary of a ten year old, doesn't mean we all do."
"But I am ten!"
"Exactly!" Nadie smirked, "I'm glad we agree!"
The girl stared at Nadie, not sure what had just happened, but expecting she had lost. Nadie only smiled sweetly as the door opened and Dee stuck her head in.
"Come on girls! You've got a big day today, Nadie!"
"I know." Nadie grinned at the look on Danielle's face, and headed down the stairs. If she was going to learn magic, she wasn't going to do it on an empty stomach.
AN: This chapter is fairly short, sorry! The next one will be longer, I promise! Please review!