It was a bright, sunny and warm June morning and yet it seemed to be icy cold at the Slytherin table. Many suspected that the air conditioning system had been left on all night but then remembered that the old castle had none. But sitting at the end of the Slytherin table, being the outcast of the group, was Serenity Silverwing, a girl with quite a few traits that made her an unusual Slytherin, let alone student.
First of all, Serenity had shoulder length raven black hair but the bottom two inches were the same color as the silver of her jewelry.
She was a Native American, although you wouldn't be able to tell from her medium-beige skin.
Finally, what really set her apart from the other Slytherins, was that she was muggle-born. The only muggle-born to ever be put in Slytherin.
She'd been hearing about other students getting letters from home, telling them that their younger sibling would go to Hogwarts the next year.
Serenity was torn between hoping that her sister had gotten in and hoping that she wouldn't have to go through the same torture as she had. See, she'd also heard that families tended to stick to one house.
Serenity looked up and searched the flock of owls for a raven hawk the color of a dark, midnight blue.
It didn't take long to find the hawk since all the smaller owls refused to come with in ten feet of her hawk and Serenity.
"Bluemoon!" Serenity calls, although to anyone else listening it sounded like a hawk's cry, and raised an arm for her hawk to perch.
Bluemoon spiraled down to Serenity's shoulder instead and dropped a yellow envelope on her plate that only had the bacon that she'd saved.
"Thank you, Bluemoon." Serenity said in a chirp while handing Bluemoon a strip of bacon.
"Thank you, Serenity." Bluemoon responds, though only Serenity could understand the hawk.
"At least someone appreciates me." Serenity mutters, slipping back into English.
Bluemoon flew off and Serenity examined the yellow envelope that was addressed, in purple, glimmering ink no less, to:
Serenity Silverwing
Hogwarts, England
Yep, it was her sister, all right. Who else would write connecting every letter she could? Serenity sighed, opened the envelope and read the yellow-on-purple writing:
Hey Sis! Guess what! I'm going to Hogwarts next year! Mom and Dad are thrilled. As for Grandpa, I haven't seen him this ecstatic since he saw your letter. Mom says that I'll come over there early into your summer break. Sometime around your birthday. I'm so HAPPY!!! I'll see you this summer!
Love from Yours Truly, Diana Featheredmoon P.S. Do you think that would help me smuggle in a broom? PLEASE!!!
Serenity lets out an excited squeak that gave her cold stares from the rest of the table.
Serenity smiles nervously, grabs the letter and envelope, and dashes outside to an oak tree by the lake then taps a root of the tree.
The root rose, revealing a compartment just large enough to hold a hope chest; her hope chest.
She pulls out the silver and blue trunk and opened it with considerable reverence for the hinges.
As the scent of lavender and rose filled the air, Serenity sifts carefully through muggle pictures of her family, candles of many colors, her mother's silver locket and other jewelry. Then she found the packet of letters that she'd kept since her first year; her letter of acceptance to Hogwarts was, naturally, placed at the front. She slips the newest letter into the back of the third section.
Serenity smiled wistfully, thinking of her friends, Lavender Rosepetal and Terra Starwind, and her family.
"Man, I miss Aunt Lauren, but since Diana is coming here, it won't be too bad." Serenity sighed as she placed the chest back into the hidden compartment.
"ACK! I'M LATE FOR MY POTIONS EXAM! SNAPE IS GOING TO KILL ME!" Serenity screamed, remembering, suddenly that it wasn't the weekend.
After skidding past Transfigurations, careening down the Charms corridor, and nearly running over Professor Flitwick, Serenity finally made it to the dungeons.
She heard Snape lecturing about the test so she zooms down the hallway at a sprint.
Snape was about to yell at Nelville for melting another cauldron when pandemonium broke out in the corridor. All the students rushed into the hallway to see what the racket was.
Snape shoved his way to the front of the horde and looked expectantly at the now toppled pile of unused desks.
When finally a desk shifted, it revealed a very bruised Serenity holding her bloody nose with her hand.
Professor Snape opened his mouth to reprimand Serenity but she cut him off by holding one of her bloody hands in, what she hoped was, a placating manner, " I know, I know. Go to Madam Pomfrey then go to Filch to get two weeks of detention; one for toppling this pile of desks and the second one for disrupting you class. I know."
Serenity points her wand at an over-turned chair and called, "Wingardium Leviosa!" The chair rose, floating a foot off the ground, Serenity hopped on to the chair, said, "Infermiere, tout suite," then zoomed out of sight.
* * * * *
I just finished my last detention of the two weeks worth Snape assigned and I felt like flying. It was better than having to put up with the brats in the girls' dorm. I tried being friendly with the older girls but that had flopped.
I still can't believe that Draco thinks that I'm not a pureblood. I came from a pureblood line. Just because my parents are squibs doesn't mean that all magical heritage zeros out. 'And yet she still,' in the words of Draco, 'fancies herself a pure-blood.'
If there were anything in this world that I love the most, it would have to be flying through the air with only a broom beneath me.
I didn't have a care in the world when I flew about the school grounds. Except for one: I wasn't supposed to fly this well, but it was a cloudy night that would soon bring rain; who would see me?
I spiral higher and higher until I'm almost level with the very top of the Astronomy tower, then I sweep in to a steep dive.
As I plunge downward, my hair whips into my face, stinging my lips and lashing my cheeks.
I pull up two feet from the ground and extend my arm so that my hand is just brushing the grass then I zoom back up to twenty-five feet. I quickly did two and a half loops and flew upside-down for a moment or two. Then I saw trees ahead and went strait up; my hair snapping leaves off of branches.
I level out at about sixty feet then start flying in the general direction of the broom shed feeling elated because I thought that no one had seen me.
Evidently, I was wrong.
"Well, well, well, Serenity Silverwing. It seems that your wings have mended." Draco sneers from the darkness.
"Draco! I thought that since. . . since it was dark I. . . I could fly and. . . and not be seen." I stutter, fumbling for my wand.
"Guess again, Silverwing. Flitwick-Dimwick saw you flying like an ace then asked me why you weren't on the team." Flint said menacingly.
I thought about escaping but the whole Slytherin Quidditch team had ringed me in every direction except down, but when I looked, I saw Crabbe and Goyle circling below me.
"No escape, Silverwing." One of the others sneers tauntingly.
Wait! No one was above me! I quickly shoot strait up into the air. I knew that they would follow, and eventually, catch me but they wouldn't get me without a chase. My broom, a Shooting Star, wouldn't be a match for their practically brand new Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones.
"Come on, Shooting Star! Make my wish come true!" I mumble as I urge my broom to go faster.
Three brooms on either side of me blocking all but one direction and two brooms behind me with Crabbe and Goyle skimming the ground below.
Zip right! Left! Right again! Suddenly, I heard Draco laughing at me from above, then came swooping down, forcing me lower by thirty feet.
"This is where the Hogwarts Express stops for Mudbloods like you!" Draco calls down, laughing sinisterly.
I was forced to turn left again. Even though I knew it was foolish, I was snapping my head around looking for an escape.
Suddenly, all the brooms peeled off. I got a really bad feeling and decided to look in front of me. THE WHOMPING WILLOW!
"OH NO!" I scream.
I try to pull away to the right, but I couldn't avoid all the grasping branches. One knocked the wind out of me; another made a gash in my left arm, while another slashed at my left leg.
I was barely able to direct my broom to the ground. In fact, I didn't even do that! I fell from my broom at six feet up and landed on my wrists.
"AHH!" I scream as I feel something crack, snap, or shatter in my wrists.
"So, Silverwing. You've fallen yet again." Draco drawls, faking sympathy, then he stepped on my right ankle.
"AHH!" I scream again, brilliant explosions of color and light flashing in my eyes.
"Oh my, was that your ankle? I didn't see it there. Get her broom and bring it to me." Draco orders, removing his foot from my ankle.
I hear crunching punctuated by a loud crack quickly followed my two thuds as the pieces hit the ground.
"Oh, don't think we're done just yet, Silverwing." Draco sneers, "Give me your wand."
"Never!" I spat weakly, tightening my grip on my wand that's still in my right hand.
"Fine. Have it your way." Draco says then steps in my right wrist.
My cry of pain was stifled when someone, not Draco he couldn't have from the way he was standing, kicked my head. I saw a brilliant explosion of color then everything starts going black.
Before I was lost in the black fog of unconsciousness that was spreading speedily through my mind, I heard a faint, commanding voice yell, "Petrificus TOTALUS!"
Disclaimer: Although it would make me extrememly happy to be the owner of Harry Potter, alas, I only own Serenity Silverwing her sister, Diana Featheredmoon, her aunt, Lauren Blacksun, and her parents, Mr. Steven & Mrs. Kira Serrez, at the moment. I'll be owning more characters later. Draco didn't kick Serenity's head, Flint did. That and her wrists were broken from the fall off her broom. Also, 'Infirmiere, tout suite' is french for 'Nurse's office, right now'. See ya in "Chapter 2: Discovering the Truth"!You people are going to hurt me for my idea of the perfect couples!!! MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!