It was a strange day for Valeria. She was having a normal day at school, boring, but normal. The teacher had them working on some math problems, she, of course, had already finished. The boy behind her, however, felt his time was better spent tugging her hair and kicking her chair. Every day the same thing. She had tried to tell the teacher but all she would say was that it meant he liked her. All she could think was that it was a loud of rubbish. She felt it was the last straw and hoped he would pay for what he was doing. Maybe lose his games, or get the chicken pox, or get a very bad itch in a very sensitive area. She didn't care which at this point. Her mom had tried to French braid her hair so that it would be harder to pull but the boy just settled on pulling individual strands.

Valeria let out a huff and tried to lean forward more so that hopefully he couldn't reach her. It didn't work. He just plucked her back and tried to give her a wedgie. Suddenly, the boy cried out and there was a snapping sound. Valeria turned around a saw the boy holding his nose, a bit of blood dripping down onto his desk. The teacher snapped at her, scolding her for hitting the boy. "I didn't do it!"

"Well, he didn't just hurt himself! Go to the principal's office!"

"But-!"

"Now!"

Valeria grumbled and left the classroom as the teacher called the office to report the incident. As she walked down the hall a water fountain seemed to lose control and spray water into the air like a geyser. Valeria gasped and barely dodged the rain. As she watched, the spray died down and eventually stopped. She hurried along to the principal's office and sat on the bench outside his door, trying to sort through what had happened. About an hour later the secretary came down the hall, Valeria's mother in tow. Valeria's mother, Jaynda, was a beautiful woman with dark brown hair and green eyes. Her light blue summer dress looked gorgeous even though it was mid fall and she had to wear a light tan cardigan over it. Valeria shrank down a bit as her mother gave her 'that' look that mothers were so good at doing. Her mother stopped and held out her hand and she wasted no time in standing up to take it. Together they walked into the principal's office, the secretary closing the door behind them.

The meeting didn't take long, and Valeria was sent home for the rest of the day. Her mother wasn't very pleased. When her father, Marin, got home from work the three of them sat down to have a talk. She learned the importance of good behavior and patience. As well as self-control. She wasn't allowed to read her books and was given more chores for the week. She also had to write a letter apologizing to the boy in her class. Valeria was a calm girl, or at least she knew how to swallow her emotions. But, just as her parents were finishing, the plates in the cabinets and the paintings on the walls began to shake and tremble. One glass even slid off the counter and crashed on the ground. The three of them looked around in worry for a second but just as soon as it started, it stopped. Her father spoke first, "Must've been an earthquake."

"Strange, didn't think they happened in this part. At least it didn't seem like a very strong one. Valeria, dear, stay in your seat while I get this glass cleaned up."

She was six back then. Many other weird things would happen after that day, most of them small and almost unnoticeable, though some of them were still big enough to draw attention. For example, when she was eight some girls bullied her because of how dark her hair was, saying that she must've dyed it that color. They were absent from school for the longest time, turns out they woke up with their hair frizzled and clipped and five different colors. Then when they came back, still acting like Valeria was their personal punching bag, a swarm of wasps came out of one of the ceiling tiles and chased them out of the school. The girls had transferred after that but most of the students remembered not to mess with her anymore. It wouldn't be until she was ten years old and just finishing school for the year that she would learn why those things happened.

One day during the summer there was a knock at their front door. Jaynda opened the door with a warm hello. On the other side was an elderly man with long white hair and a beard to match. He wore robes like a professor at a college would. "Ah, good day Mrs. Veldrin. I wonder if I might be able to speak with you and your family?"

"Well I see no reason why not. Please, come in. I will just go fetch my husband."

"Oh that is most kind of you. Could Miss Valeria join us as well? She is the reason for this visit after all."

"Oh, of course, the living room is right through here." Valeria's mother led the man into the living room before heading up the stairs to gather her family. It wasn't until the Veldrin family were all seated that the old man began to speak.

"Now this might seem a bit strange for all of you, but I am here to invite Valeria to come study at my school. I say my school on the account of being the headmaster. You may simply call me Albus Dumbledore."

"Well, Albus, it is indeed a pleasure to have a headmaster come to us to request the opportunity to raise our daughter, but I don't see while you would think that strange."

"That was not the strange thing I was referring to Mr. Veldrin. What makes this visit strange is the nature of the schooling. The school is the Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am here to inform you that your daughter, Valeria, was born a witch."

"A what?"

"A witch? There is no way that my daughter is a witch. She may have had a bad time in school but that doesn't make her a witch."

"You misunderstand me, Jaynda, she has powers. Powers that without our teachings could cause trouble for you and her. You see, a witch's powers are connected to her emotions, causing things to happen when she is scared or angry."

Valeria's mother let out a small gasp and whispered, "Those girls being stung by wasps…"

Valeria spoke up, "That must've been what happened to Jonny that day when I was younger. He was being mean and then all of a sudden his nose was broken and bleeding."

Dumbledore nodded, "Yes that is an example. Your situation is a rare one, most times a witch is born from either two magical parents, or one magical and one non-magical. You, my dear, are born of two non-magical parents. I do not blame any of you if you do not believe me. It is a hard thing to wrap one's mind around."

"Sir, I am going to need you to be serious if you wish to remain."

Dumbledore looked to Marin and gave a small, almost mischievous grin. "I am entirely serious. In fact…" He glanced to a candle which sat on the coffee table and within the blink of an eye the wick was lit aflame. Streamers appeared from nowhere and decorated the living room with a banner on the far wall that simply read, "Congratulations"

Valeria's parents looked around, their jaws hanging slack. "So it is true then? I'm a witch?"

"Yes."

"Then… how… How does this work exactly?"

"School will begin the beginning of September. You will need to catch the train at King's Cross. One of my professor's will be there to help you. As a gift, I have already procured your necessary supplies and robes. All you need to do is get a wand, and if you would like, a pet to bring with you."

"Where do I get those exactly?"

"Well, if you would like, my aforementioned professor could take you to shop for them now."

Marin stood and shook his head, his short brown blonde hair gently swaying at the back of his neck. His blue eyes found Dumbledore's, "This is all really…hard to believe. Genetically speaking it seems impossible. Not to mention you can't expect us to just let some stranger handle our daughter."

"No, of course not. You are welcome to come too, of course. Though I must insist that Professor McGonagall stays with you on your travels in our world."

"Your world?"

"The wizarding world is held separate from the human world, hidden in secret. Wouldn't want you to get lost or anything."

Valeria spoke up again, "I… I would like to go now if that was ok. And… and the books, could I have them now as well? I don't want to go to school completely blind. So to speak."

Dumbledore chuckled softly, "Then so be it. Don't worry about funds for your trip. I have provided Professor McGonagall with all needed currency."

Jaynda sighed, "Right then, I suppose we will go get ready to leave and you could get in contact with the Professor." She stood and waved Valeria on, leading her back up the stairs so that they could go put on their shoes. Marin paced around the living room, having already had his shoes on for the day.

"What type of school is it? Will she ride a bus- or well… the train- every day?"

"No. Hogwarts is more of a boarding school. She will have her own bed in one of the dormitories, depending on which house she is put into."

"House?"

"Yes, the students upon arrival are sorted into one of four houses. Griffyndor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. The houses act as their families away from home and provides a healthy amount of competition for the students."

"Strange names for houses. What are they sorted based on?"

"Their personalities. This helps ensure that they are placed where they will receive the most help and best structure."

Marin gave a nod as his wife and daughter came back downstairs, Valeria holding her mother's hand. "Well I suppose we should go find this Professor of yours."

"There is no need." Dumbledore moved to the front door, the curious family following behind. He opened the door and a cat came trotting in, seeming to make herself comfortable in the middle of the room.

Jaynda opened her mouth to say something about the cat but didn't get the chance as the tabby transformed into a woman, also dressed in robes with her hair tied up in a neat bun. Marin spoke in her silence, "Holy crow! What, what was that!"

"Mr. and Mrs. Veldrin, I am pleased to introduce Professor McGonagall."

McGonagall moved forward and shook hands with Marin and Jaynda, "Please, call me Minerva. Oh, and this must be Valeria. I look forward to having you in my class, dear." She shook hands with Valeria and straightened.