Slipping my bag over my shoulders, I grasped at the lattice siding and began making my up to the open window that was on the second story of the house. As I reached the top, I slid off my bag, throwing it through the window, signaling my arrival. I leaned at the waist over the window frame and fell into the room. Deep brown eyes signaled the disapproval that I knew was waiting in the form on a frown on my best friends lips.

"Good morning Mione." I said with a large smile on my face, tossing back my long red hair and brushing off imaginary dirt from my jeans so I wouldn't have to meet her gaze. Remaining silent, she looked at me with a piercing stare that I couldn't ignore. I sighed and met her gaze as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice clipped, turning into the parent like surrogate I had learned to love.

"Mike's friends are over and they're starting to see how many beers does it take to get alcohol poisoning and Angelina is taking the nightshift at the Dancing Bunnies." I said, as her disapproving facade fell and I took a seat at the end of her bed. Brushing down her wild mane of hair, she sat up from her desk and took the spot next to me. "I got bored and now I am going to live here with you and it will be alright. Half of my stuff is already here and I brought the rest of it with me." I said, nudging the small duffel bag that was laying at my feet.

"You know they'll find you. Then they'll just send you off to another family." Hermione pointed out, always the wise one. Rolling my eyes, I started explaining my plan.

"No, you see I plan on faking my death. You know the whole tragic suicide stint, we can probably find a spell or something to make me seem dead." I said, pulling my wand out of my hair and twirling it between my fingers. "Then I'll just come live with you. Your parents love me and when you go off to Hogwarts, I'll hide in your suitcase and babysit Crookshanks when your away at your classes. That way those deadbeat assholes don't get their monthly checks and I'll be out of the system for good." Smiling at the end, she copied my signature eye roll and laughed.

"As great as that plan is you know I can't use magic outside of school and image if you did, you're under seventeen, that means it's illegal for you too. Imagine the Ministry sending a Howler to Mike and Angelina accusing you of underage magic." Hermione pointed out as my shoulders slightly dropped back. "But you coming to Hogwarts does have a nice ring to it." She teased nudging me with her shoulder.

"I am out of their systems and I plan to keep it that way." I scoffed. Ever since I had met Hermione when I was eight, we both knew that we were different. Neither of us found friendship in other people and we had been inseparable ever since. When we both turned eleven, her birthday a week before mine, she was shocked when she received a welcome letter that her prized wizarding school and I was left empty handed. I was silently relieved at this apparent "mix up" because I had, and still don't, no way to explain to my Muggle foster family that the little weird girl that's living in your house just got a little weirder. Despite all of my protesting, I was forced into exploring Diagon Alley, which was absolutely amazing, while Hermione got all of her school supplies. While I sulked in the corner, trying not to be noticed, she was out exploring and buying books and meeting new people. Happily, I stayed out of the way until Hermione pulled me out of shadows and forced me to buy a wand. What is a witch without a wand? I remember her saying as she pulled me into the ancient wand store. I once again stuck to my sulking act until Hermione had found her wand and Mr. Ollivander locked eyes with me. Sighing, I walked forward and tried out nearly twenty wands before he ran his gaze over me and walked further back into the store. Hermione and I locked gazes as the elderly man walked back in and handed me an especially older looking box. Opening it, he handed me the dark wand that I grasped in my hand. Suddenly, a warmth went through my body and I looked between the man who simply grinned at me and the wand that I was now clutching as if it was my life line. Paying for our wands, Hermione walked out with me in tow as my wand was still in my hand. When she went off in September, it was the first time in a long that that I was alone. The time went by as slowly as ever as I mostly spent all of my time over at the Grangers after I got out of school. They treated me like I was there own, but I was no replacement for their actual daughter. I kept my witchiness under wraps as my wand became a pencil that held my hair together in a pun and my accidental magic was pretty much under control. Then she came home, bright eyed and smiling, eager to explain to us everything that had happened to her. She made two new friends, who seemed like absolute trouble as they almost got her killed fighting some evil wizard with no nose. Hearing all of these stories, I had almost wished that I had snuck onto the train and gone with her. However, seeing how her parents reacted, happy, anxious, nervous, but overall accepting, I knew I couldn't go. Now four years later,she was about to go back again and I was going to go back to being the weird girl. Snapping out of my daze, I shifted uncomfortably underneath her smiling gaze. "Can I help you?" I asked, smirking slightly.

"Promise me that you won't get mad at me?" She asked nervously as I noticed that she had grasped a parchment envelope. Raising an eyebrow, I crossed my arms against my chest.

"Hermione Jean Granger what have you done?" I asked, as she handed the letter to me, smiling widely. Tearing it open, two pieces of paper fell out. One a thick piece of yellow parchment, the other a light piece of white paper. Picking up the thicker one, I ran my eyes over the text,

Dear Miss. Bradford,

It has come to my attention due to Miss. Granger, that you are in fact a witch and have no attended a wizarding school since your eleventh birthday. This strange and seemingly impossibly error has deprived you of the proper education that you need in order to be an amazing witch that Miss. Granger assures me that you can be. Now, I have been informed that your home situation does hinder you from reaching your full potential but with the help of the Ministry, we have planned for you to join us for the upcoming school year as a fifth year. Of course, you will have to be sorted along with the first years but you will join Miss. Granger and your other classmates as a fifth year. Two wizards from the Ministry will be arriving at your house in the upcoming week to discuss matters with your foster family. I look forward to seeing you in the beginning of the term.

Headmaster of Hogwarts,

Albus Dumbledore.

I dropped the paper with a flood of emotions rushing through me. Turning to face her, she was smiling at me.

"How in the holy hell did you get this worked out?" I asked, in pure amazement, running my fingers over the paper that was now laying on the bed.

"Well, I talked to Professor Dumbledore on the last day of term and I explained everything to him. Oh Alise, I feel terrible everytime I leave for classes without you. You can be an amazing witch and you can't let unfortunate circumstance hold you back." She said, smiling softly at me. Tear prickled at the corners of my eyes as I smiled back.

"How did you get me all the way to being a fifth year? I've never had any proper education." I protested, still unable to grasp this new concept.

"Well do you remember that practice exam I made you take last week?" Hermione asked, as the memory flooded back and I nodded. "It was actually an entrance exam." My jaw dropped.

"Did Hermione Granger do something devious?" I asked mockingly as she glared at me and hit me in the shoulder with a pillow. "I really am a bad influence." I said shaking my head.

"Does that mean that you'll go?" She asked eagerly, clutching one of my hands in two of hers. Thoughts, memories and emotions flooded into my mind as I raced through all of my options. Nodding my head slightly, she smiled at me as I then began nodding faster. Clutching me in her arms and beginning to laugh, I felt tears run down my face and I started laughing along with her.