HAILEY POTTER

CHAPTER ONE

Hailey Dorea Potter was never one to laze around doing nothing. Nor did the idea of indulging herself in twelve Krispy Kreme glazed donuts really appeal to her. Yet here she was, snoozing between her aunt Petunias' favourite rose bushes. It's not like she was enjoying hiding from her family. Well, family wasn't really the best way to describe her dysfunctional relatives. Her uncle was a diabetic (in denial) with the resemblance of a walrus who actually enjoyed talking about finance on a daily basis and satisfied himself in teaching his only son how to be a misogynist. His wife and the only reason Hailey had any real connection to this family, Aunt Petunia; a superficial, materialistic woman who enjoyed spying on her neighbors and gossiping about the latest scandals of Britain's elite. Last and definitely not least: Dudley Dursley. The reason of Hailey's choice of whereabouts and also the bane of her existence. Dudley was a spoiled boy who wanted nothing but to follow in his father's footsteps; to become an overweight bore. All he did in his spare time was watch T.V and satisfy his appetite on an hourly-basis. That was when he wasn't searching for his dear cousin. Like he was now.

Hailey knew that if Dudley was to spot her in her enclosed space, she'd become his punching bag. She also knew, unlike many other times when she could outrun him, she wouldn't have enough time on her hands if he saw her now. She sighed in dismay. If only she had one of her favourite novels with her to pass the time.

Hailey adored novels. She quite liked reading non-fiction, but fantasies about magic and dragons always won over her heart. There was always just one problem with the books she was reading. Every plot seemed to have a damsel in distress with a knight in shining armour. Really though, it got on her nerves. Why couldn't a woman save herself? Why couldn't the woman save the man? Just once, Hailey would've liked to see a heroine or a story in which the female protagonist actually did something useful. Oh, how Hailey despised princesses.

Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow white. All these princesses and yet the common goal of each of them was to marry a man. So, what if he was a prince? What was so great about men? After all Dudley would one day grow up to be a man and she really couldn't find anything appealing about that.

"Dudders! Mrs. Polkiss called. Piers would like for you to come over, shall I say yes?"

There came aunt Petunia's sweet and sickly voice. Hailey had never heard it used towards herself, only to Dudley.

"Alright. I'm bored anyway." He moaned.

Hailey could picture Dudley in between mouthfuls of chewed donuts, shrugging carelessly. Oh well. At least now she could get up.

When Hailey arrived in the kitchen, Dudley was gone and aunt Petunia was still on the phone.

"Really though, I don't think he'd appreciate that. You don'tunderstand, Yvonne, she drives me loopy. Whenever she's around, all the attention falls onto her and quite frankly, I don't know.."

Hailey ignored her aunt's useless ranting. She looked around for something to do. Her stomach began to growl but it wasn't dinner yet and she wasn't allowed to open the fridge. The Dursleys never minded if she left the house, just as long as she was back before Dudley. Hailey herself never understood this logic but she was content. As long she had a little piece of freedom, she could survive the next 9 years living under their roof.

The city of London was always busy and bustling, so it was there that Hailey chose to roam around. She didn't live very far from there anyway, only thirty minutes by car? It wasn't like she counted down time during her walks anyway. Anywhere was better than Little Whinging. Or Surrey altogether. Hailey actually really liked the city. She found the lifestyle very attractive. In fact, it was her dream to one day own an apartment in the city, to be able to overlook the passing cars, constant stream of people and sparkling city lights at night. People watching was also a hobby of hers. It's how Hailey came to understand people's emotions and actions from a young age. It was also a coping mechanism that came with living with the Dursleys.

So as she sat on a wooden, park bench, she watched for a while. She watched how a young man and young woman held hands and smiled at each other in affection. She watched as an old woman dragged her trolley along with her across the road, how a man walked his dog around the block and how a mother scolded her three children. It was always interesting to observe other peoples' lives when you disliked your own.

The sky was a perfect blue and the fresh breeze of morning air rushed by gently. The buildings of the city; old and antique, yet fresh and empowering with their tall silhouettes and exclusive standpoint. Hailey felt empowered and independent. She couldn't wait to turn 18 and live her own life.

"Excuse me, dear? Are you lost?" Came an old voice, beside her. A middle-aged man approached her bench from the right, blocking the rays of the sun. Suddenly, the air turned cold and a chill sent shivers down her spine.

"Dear?" The man's voice sounded deep...raspy. Just by his appearance, she imagined his life story. A thirty something year old man, single and lonely. Enjoys telling raunchy jokes to his friends to make them laugh and the type of person that would do anything to be humorous or to generate laughter from a crowd. In public, seen as a great jokester and party favourite. But alone? Who knows what kind of behaviour this type of man got up to.

Okay, perhaps it was a little early to judge based on his appearance and tone of voice, however Hailey's gut instincts usually were correct. She just liked to spice things up with a little exaggeration and a story.

She stared at him, unblinkingly. "Er.. Kid? You there?" He waved his hands in front of her face, awaiting a reponse. She stood up and began to walk away when he reached for her hand. Fear trickled into her emotions and she tried to tug away.

"Hold on! Wait, wait, wait. I'm sorry, didn't mean to scare ya'," he let go. "Just wait a sec'." He came down on his knees so he could be at eye-level.

"Is your mum or dad around?" He asked gently.

Hailey nodded. She'd watched far too many movies to trust any random guy from the street.

"Okay, do you want me to take you over to them?" He spoke in that tone usually reserved for babies. The one where they assume you're dumb or don't speak English. Hailey hated that tone.

She shook her head and began to back away slowly before breaking out into a run. She didn't even look back when she heard him shout, "Hold on!"

When she reached a safe distance from the stranger, Hailey decided to wander around some more. It made her feel miserable that she had no money to buy anything; especially when she could see all the beautiful scones, crumpets, books and clothes staring from behind the windows. She grew bored as she walked around the city lonely and unknowing. She stuffed her hands in her pockets and stared at the ground as she walked. She should probably head home now. Although it was still early afternoon, it took at least an hour walk to get home and she didn't want to risk getting there after Dudley.

As she made her way, Hailey was suddenly sent flying towards the ground after an impact with something hard and heavy.

"Oomph!" Uttered the stranger she'd walked right into. As she stood up and brushed off the dirt from Dudley's hand-me-downs, Hailey looked up at the dark-haired man apologetically. A few people stared as they walked past but ignored the scene nonetheless. She wasn't used to drawing attention from anyone when she went out. In fact, usually when she went to the city, it was as though she was invisible. How odd.

The stranger frowned and shook his head. "Watch yourself, hooligan! I have no time for little pests. Now get out of my way,"

What an unbelievable twit! How rude. It was just as much as his fault than it was of hers.

He sniffed in distaste and scurried away, clutching a heavy, leather bag. It looked real; probably was. Hailey could just tell, from the man's posture to way he eyed everything around him, he was definitely from money and deemed himself of higher class than those around him. What Hailey found unusual, was how the man seemed to vanish right before her eyes. She could've sworn she'd watched him turn into an alleyway, but right before he could fully turn into it, he'd just vanished. Poof. Gone.

She rubbed her eyes and her jaw dropped. Could it be a trick of light? When she ran to the same spot and peered into the darkness of the alleyway, she found it empty save for a garbage bin and a dead-end. This just wasn't logical.

Hailey herself had watched the snobby man turn into the alleyway. She'd watched him pop out of sight. Now, she found the supposed alleyway empty. Her eyes weren't lying. She'd just witnessed a real-life transportation. Like the ones from the movies the Dursleys never allowed in their house.

Amazed and quite frankly, dumb founded, Hailey walked back home thinking about what she'd seen today and what it would be like if her fantasies were true. Could it be?

Did magic exist?

The next two years passed by peacefully and uneventfully. To the Dursley's, that is. Ever since that fateful day in London, where Hailey had first witnessed her first piece of real magic, she became obsessed. She went to the city more often and usually to that same Alleyway. She always hoped to have another run-in with the Snob, she'd named him. What a surprise when he actually showed up on the same day the very next week, and the week after that, and the week after that. In fact, Hailey noticed he walked to this very spot every Tuesday, at the exact same time. It made her wonder why.

She never did get the chance to ask him. He stopped coming after a month. But she never gave up. Until now, every Tuesday she went to the city. Now, she took public transport. She'd been making some money doing activities, such as house-sitting, pet-sitting and even baby-sitting. It was very difficult to find someone that would agree to let her wash their car or mow their lawns. Instead, she was expected to only fulfil the 'women's duties'. It was blatant sexism.

But she complied, for now. She needed a way to make money, so, what if she babysat a few vomiting babies and hyper excited dogs?

Hailey was heading home from the city one very cold, rainy day. She wore one of Dudley's old winter coats but it was very thin and patched up so it didn't do a great job of keeping her warm or dry. She was half-blind due to the heavy rain, so it was no surprise she didn't immediately react when an owl approached her. It was only when it landed on her shoulder and pecked her ear that she jumped in fear and tried to shoo it away. She stopped when she realized there was an envelope with her name hanging off its foot.

After arriving home and having a nice, hot shower, Hailey made a beeline for her cupboard where she knew she wouldn't be bothered once her relatives were asleep. They didn't say anything to her when she walked in the house, except for Aunt Petunia who yelled at her for dripping water in the house.

Opening the envelope, which read:

"Ms. Potter
Little whinging, Surrey
The cupboard under the stairs"

Hailey was even more shocked once she'd read the first page.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Ms. Potter

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Tomorrow was going to be a long day and she needed to work out what to do with her relatives. If this letter was true, and why wouldn't it be? Magic was real, Hailey had confirmed that for herself. She just needed a way to contact these people so she could accept her position. And what on earth did it mean they await her owl? She sighed and switched off her light, unsure of what to do next.

A/N: I apologize for the way this chapter turned out. I wrote it on Word but when I pasted it onto here it came out all mushed together. This Chapter is pretty slow, nothing happens, so feel free to skip to the next chapter!