Chapter one
It was a blisteringly hot afternoon in mid-july. The air outside felt dry and suffocating, causing all the inhabitants of the small village, a four hour drive from London, to stay inside with their doors shut and their squeaking fans on. The only ones outside were two children, neither older than eleven, who were sitting under a tree at the edge of the garden, in an attempt to avoid their chores. Unfortunately, both lived at the town's orphanage. The girl, Gabrielle, was tugging at the grass, listening to her friend's story.
"So, me and Chuck, we get to do the dishes for the next two weeks because of it." Fletcher finished, with a proud grin on his face.
Gabrielle smirked, "And shouldn't you be helping him now?"
"Shouldn't you help Anna clean your room?" He shot back and smiled when she didn't answer, his teeth looking remarkably white compared to his dark skin.
"So," he said, laying on his back, "what do you wanna do today?"
Shrugging, she ripped a handful of grass and dirt out of the ground and chucked it at him, hitting him in the face. He groaned and sat up, wiping it off of him. He was just about to get back at her as Mrs Miller, the owner of the orphanage, yelled frantically from the house.
"You two, get inside! If you think you can avoid your chores that easily, you are mistaken!" Her high-pitched voice sounded loud and angry, even at such distance. As Mrs Miller wasn't to be messed with, they got up immediately and started running back to the house as fast as possible. When they finally stood in front of her, she looked even angrier than before. Her face was plastered into a frown, making her wrinkles even more obvious.
She crossed her arms, "Fletcher, I'm extending your punishment by another week, now go help Chuck."
"Yes, ma'am" The boy shared one last annoyed look with his friend before taking off.
"As for you," she now turned to Gabrielle, "I believe you have a visitor."
Curiously, she followed Mrs Miller to the living room. Nobody ever got any visitors. The last child to actually be adopted was over three years ago, and that was by some long lost relative. But it wasn't adoption this visitor had come for, it was something far more important.
Sitting in the armchair by the fire was an old woman, with grey hair tied back into a bun and square glasses. The look on her face was severe and rather intimidating and Gabrielle didn't feel like getting on this woman's bad side.
"Good afternoon, I am Minerva McGonagall. You must be Gabrielle Black." She stood up to shake her hand. Without waiting for a reply, she turned to Mrs Miller and continued.
"Excuse me, but is it possible for us to talk in private?"
"Oh yes, of course." she said, obviously taken by surprise, "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."
It wasn't until she'd shut the door behind her, Minerva McGonagall spoke again. "Before we start I'll have to warn you that this will be a lot to take in, so I expect you to keep your questions for when I'm finished. Can you do that?" Gabrielle nodded, partly impressed by the woman's sincerity, partly scared by it.
Minerva sat down, gesturing for her to do the same. She started with a deep breath, "I heard you're familiar with your father's imprisonment?" The girl nodded again, a dozen questions already coming to mind.
Despite having imagined this conversation a dozen times, there wasn't an easy way for Minerva to say this. "Allow me to start over. Have you ever, made something happen? Something inexplicable?" The girl shook her head without much thought. Minerva sighed.
"I'm going to need you to think. Have you ever been so sad or angry that something broke, or caught fire? Perhaps when you were in danger?" Gabrielle thought about it. She had a tendency for breaking things, sometimes even without touching them. But what did it matter?
"That would be because you are gifted, Gabrielle." she continued after a long silence. "And so was your father. You come from one of the most ancient remaining bloodlines in the Magical World. Your family consists of, as people say, wizards."
"W-wizards?" She asked, as if she hadn't heard correctly.
"Yes, wizards. And that would make you and I witches. Now, there are schools for people like you. The closest and finest is called Hogwarts School For Witchcraft And Wizardry. It's located in Scotland, concealed from any unwanted Muggle attention. Muggles are people without magical abilities, like everyone else here." She added when she saw the girl open her mouth in question.
"I am the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts and I'm here because you are accepted for our school. The train leaves at 10 am sharp, at King's Cross Station in London on September first."
Giving her a moment to take it all in, Minerva grabbed a thick envelope from her pocket and handed it to her. Gabrielle opened it and read it, a frown on her face all the while. "I'm sorry, ma'am. But I'm afraid I don't have the money to go to your fancy boarding school. I'm starting at the local public school in a few months anyways. And for the record, I don't believe in fairytales anymore."
The old lady raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in the girl's attitude. She whipped out her wand from beneath her robes, a mere twig at first sight, and pointed it towards the fireplace.
"Incendio." She muttered and with a slight flick of her wand fire was set ablaze, leaving the young girl baffled.
"The world is much stranger than you may have presumed, Miss Black." McGonagall said, her face forming into a smirk. Gabrielle stared at the fire for about a minute or so more before turning her attention back to the woman in front of her.
"Say I believe you, how am I supposed to afford anything that's on this list?"
McGonagall crossed one of her legs over the other. "We have a fund for.. less fortunate students. Which means the school will lend you used schoolbooks and other necessities to participate in class. As for your wand, I'm willing to go to Diagon Alley with you before school starts."
Gabrielle wanted to ask what or where this Diagon Alley was, but didn't. She figured she wouldn't understand the answer anyways. However, she found herself believing this woman, something she wasn't eager to admit.
"I hope I've convinced you by now, as I have other places to be." Minerva said strictly as she stood up and straightened her robes. Gabrielle nodded warily and stood up as well. The old woman stared back at the girl, a certain sadness overcoming her. She remembered the time when a young Sirius Black attended Hogwarts. It was a shame what he'd become.
"Know this, Miss Black. Your father is a well known criminal, especially in our world. He did some terrible things. Most of the students at Hogwarts will also know about his crimes. Some won't be too happy with your presence there."
Unexpectedly, Gabrielle cracked a smile. "Nothing I can't handle, Mrs Miller isn't happy with me being here either."
Minerva granted her a rare smile before grabbing her things. "I'll tell Mrs Miller about Hogwarts. And, Miss Black, you can't tell this to anyone. Not even your friends. It is of the utmost importance that you keep it a secret. Can you do that?"
Gabrielle nodded one last time. After that Minerva McGonagall shut the door behind her, leaving the room. About twenty minutes later she had left the orphanage altogether, leaving a very confused Gabrielle Black alone with her thoughts.