It was a torrential downpour outside, as it usually was in England. Helen watched as each drop rolled down the window. She had been there for what felt like hours, her elbow starting to sore from resting it upon the window pane for such an extended period of time. Her family had gone into the city and she was stuck at the estate per usual. Helen could already imagine Sarah's voice as her older sister spoke of London in awe. The lady's in their beautiful dresses, the handsome men bowing to her, and then how it all contrasted with the smoke puffing out from the countless factories. It had been ages since Helen had gone, but she understood why.

As daughters of a Baron, a Lord if you will, they were expected to act in a certain manner. Her father had always said that he was gifted with the best children in the world. Victor was well on his way to knowing all the ins and outs concerning the details of Lordship. Warren had started working under a prominent lawyer in the city, one who was rumored to counsel the Royal Family in fact. Sarah was going to be a wonderful catch for a noble man, and Helen had even overheard her mother speaking about arrangements with a son of a Earl. That'd be quite a jump, but Sarah was wonderful, and Helen had no doubt her sister could woo any man she pleased.

And then came Helen. She had always been a bright child, and her parents couldn't ask for a more well behaved one either. In fact, her parents were prone to talk incessantly about every little achievement their accomplished. One day, though, it all changed for Helen. Her parents love for her never wavered, but fear was an emotion that had seeped in as well. It was all because of what she had done at the dining room table one day when she had been seven years young. Her anger had gotten the best of her, with Warren and Sarah teasing her a bit more than usual. It was then, that all the dishes began levitating in the air. They lingered there for a few seconds, only to come crashing down in one big blow.

Helen could still remember the utter silence that had fallen over the room when that happened. At the time, Helen hadn't even realized she had been the cause of the disruption. Her parents knew, for some reason, they knew. And although she maintained the behavior of a proper lady, her parents, her father particularly, didn't want to risk something happening in public. And suddenly, Helen Lyon became a name that was only rarely mentioned. She didn't blame her father, he had an image to maintain. That didn't mean she didn't pine for the balls and dinners she had always dreamed of attending.

Fate had planned something different for. She had just turned eleven, and only a few weeks later after her quaint celebration, an unknown carriage had pulled up to the front of their estate. And for what was surely a first, the guest had come for her. A man dressed in incredibly strange garb came with a letter and a very long explanation. It had ended up being a very long day for the entirely of the Lyon family, but it all ended with one single conclusion: Helen was a witch. It had taken Helen weeks to fully grasp what it meant. And when she did, it finally hit the young lady that she'd be leaving her family...to attend some school called Hogwarts.

It was a strange concept, but Helen knew it'd be best for everyone. Her parents wouldn't have to worry about any embarrassment and Helen would get to finally be free. Besides, she was a naturally curious person, and this whole concept of magic highly intrigued her. And just as she thought that, her eyes caught sight of the horses pulling in through the gate. Jumping up from her seat in excitement, Helen ran to the door to meet her family. She waited patiently, hovering by the doorway, opening the large oak doors at the very last minute. Her sister walked hurriedly across the gravel in an effort to avoid the rain. Sarah met Helen with a smile and a kiss on the cheek. They immediately started to chatter about everything Sarah had seen. It only ceased when their mother came a few moments later, partially dry thanks to the cover of her cloth umbrella.

"Good Afternoon, Mother," Helen said sweetly. She received a wide smile. "How was the city?"

Placing the umbrella in the corner of the hallway, her mother turned and said, "It was lovely. Of course, the rain made it a rather inconvenient visit but pleasant nonetheless." Helen looked to her mother expectantly, excited to gather as much information as possible. She knew Sarah would give her all the latest gossip later tonight. Her mother would give her the more important things a lady was expected to know this in day in age. But Grace, her mother that is, simply looked to her with a shimmer in her eyes, "It was wonderful, Helen. And tomorrow is your opportunity to see it." Grace wanted nothing more than for her youngest daughter to be free in the world, and tomorrow would be the start of that experience.


They followed the man in the odd garb through an awful establishment called the Leaky Cauldron. Her father had a near heart attack entering the building, but according to the man, the muggles (non-magical people) couldn't see it. The only reason Grace and Richard could see it was because its existence had been explained to them, they couldn't have 'young wizards and witches exploring this new world by themselves' as the man so plainly put it.

The man's name was Harland Coventry, and he carried him with such a presence that as they navigated through the crowd of drunks, Helen couldn't help but ask, "Were your parents..muggles? Are you the same as me?" Her mother gave her a stare, as if the question might be rude, but Mr. Coventry took it well.

"They were indeed. In fact, Lord Lyon, I believe you know a Lord George William Coventry." Helen had never seen her father more surprised. Richard stared at the man dumbfounded. Speechless in fact.

It was Grace who spoke up for her husband. Although unusual, the woman felt that these times were far from usual. "You're related to the Earl of Coventry?"

Harland nodded, "That would be my father." It was Grace's turn to be stunned. She was obviously expecting it to be some distant relation, nothing so immediate that's for sure.

Helen seemed to be the only one not befuddled by this information. It was Harland's attractiveness that had Helen speechless at times. He said he was a student volunteer for the school, showing new students around. All that Helen knew was that in another world she would've loved the prospect of a marriage to such a titled, attractive man. She wasn't in another world though, so she simply replied, "I think that's wonderful." Harland looked at her with an odd expression, so she explained, "To know that there really are other people like me. That i'm not some freak." That earned her a smile. Helen made a note to say more things that got him to smile.

Once outside of the Leaky Cauldron, the Lyons and Harland were faced with a brick wall. Helen's parents wore looks of confusion, but Helen knew there had to be something more. Her mind reeled with possibilities. There was to be nothing of mechanics in this new world, so she presumed that the wall was meant to disappear. Perhaps it was even an illusion. Reaching forward, her hand rested against the cold brick. Nothing. Now a tad confused, she looked over her shoulder to Harland who simply wore a amiable smile. "Step back," he said kindly.

Doing just that, Helen watched intently. He first pulled out a stick of wood from his robes...a wand. It happened so quickly. A few taps along the wall, and suddenly the bricks were folding inwards. And on the other side was… was… magic.

There was single street bustling with men and women, all dressed clothing similar to that Harland. Rustic buildings lined the street, selling goods of all sorts. Helen's eyes darted everything, unable to stay on one place for long. Looking towards her parents, her father was still taking in the whole sight, but her mother was looking right at her. There was a soft smile on Grace's lips, and all Helen could do was smile back.

Her attention shifted to Harland once more who had began speaking. "I recommend getting your wand at Ollivander's, as it's an essential part of being a witch. Then I would move on to buying your school supplies, robes in included. And lastly, if you so desire, a pet to keep you company. Owls are particularly useful in communicating with those back home." The words flowed from his mouth easily, as if it was everyday jargon. Then Helen remembered that it was.

"How are we expected to pay for all of this? Does your sort take the pound?" This was her father talking. The talk was blunt, but Helen couldn't blame he, not really.

Harland made a soft exclamation, as if he had forgotten something. "The money I asked for when we first met, I had it changed into our currency." Reaching into his coat pocket, he handed a bag filled with coins. "Galleons are gold, sickles silver, and knuts are bronze." Harland went on to explain the equivalence between the coins. Helen listened carefully, after all, this is what she'd be using more often than not. When Harland finally finished talking, there was silence amongst them, as they stood in the middle of the loud crime.

So, taking this opportunity to pipe up she asked, "Can I go get my wand now then?"

There were faint smiles on all their faces, some more real than others. And with that, Harland led her to Ollivander's. Her parents had drifted off to look at some of the more fascinating vendors. That's when Helen knew things had really shifted - her parents would've never left her alone with some boy she barely knew.

Walking up to the storefront, Helen gawked at the date written on the sign. "382 B.C. They can't be serious, can they?" Harland simply shrugged at her. He proceeded to open the door and gestured towards the entrance. Walking in, she stared around the dusty store. There were boxes upon boxes stacked on one another. And they were all wands.

"Oh Good Afternoon darling. I presume you're looking for me." A middle aged man, with crazy black hair popped his head from around a door frame. At a loss for words, Helen simply nodded her head. It was at around that time that Helen realized Harland had not followed her inside. "Well, Gerbold Octavious Ollivander at your service. Now let's see if we can find you a wand." Walking towards a row of wands, he ran his hand along the boxes. "What's your name then?"

Finally finding her voice she responded, "Helen Lyon, Mister."

"Oh please, call me Ollivander - " His speech was interrupted by a sudden exclamation. He reached for a box and walked over towards Helen with intent. "Here we go, try this on for size." He carefully handed her a piece of wood, "10 and a ¼ inch, ash wood with a dragon heartstring core."

Taking the wand, she asked curiously, "Did you saying dragon heartstring?"

"Oh yes, only the best for our customers. Try it out now. Just give it a wave."

Helen did that just that, and she dropped it the moment she did. "Your papers, they're on fire! I'm terribly sorry!" The man seemed completely complacent about the event, and simply waved out the flames with his own wand. Without another word, he went on searching for another prospect. Helen wasn't sure how many tries it took to get it right, and she wondered if there had perhaps been a fluke in the system. Maybe she wasn't a witch. But then logic beat up her upside the head and reminded the young girl that there had to be thousands of wand in this shop, she couldn't possibly expect to get it right on the first try.

It usually wasn't proper for a lady to speak as often as she was doing today, particularly in public, but Helen felt as if those rules had flown right out the window. She certainly felt odd walking across the street, lifting her dress with one hand daintily, while all the other girls rushed past her in a hurry. So with that in mind she asked, "I'm fairly new to this all, but can you tell me, what else can you use as a wand's...core, I believe you said?"

She saw Ollivander pop his head back from a rack to give her a smile before continuing with his search. "Well, many creatures can provide the magic necessary for a wand to work properly, but my father, and his father before that, believe that only three did the job, and did the job well. Unicorn hair, phoenix feather, and dragon heartstring is where the magic's at."

Helen nodded eagerly at this new information. She wasn't as so much interested in the fact that unicorns did exist, but rather that wands required such detail and commitment. "And the woods, tell me about them, Mister. I find it hard to believe you'd be able to use any old tree."

"You'd be correct, Ms. Lyon. Some trees have magical properties that lend themselves to being excellent wand ones. Those that have bowtr - " The man cut himself off once more as he came walking over with another bow. "Unicorn hair core, chestnut wood, and a wonderful length of 9 and ¾."

Helen took this wand hesitantly, afraid that more papers might burst into flames. Instead, this time when she waved it around, absolutely nothing happen. She looked to Ollivander who simply made a tsking noise. Returning the wand to his possession, Helen stayed quiet this time around. Her words were probably distracting him from finding the one for her. It appeared that the silence caught Ollivander's attention. "You need not worry, Ms. Lyon. It is well known that the wand chooses the wizard, and you wouldn't want a wand unless it was the perfect fit." It seemed as those words were perhaps the magic ones, because he came over confidently with another dusty, rectangular box. "Unicorn hair, 9 and ½, and beech wood. If this is the one, I'll have you know that beech wood is magnificent, and it only works for those truly worthy of its magic."

This led Helen to be slightly worried, like she'd be letting her and her parents down if it wasn't this. But the moment the wand was securely in her grip, a warm sensation passed through her body and before she knew it a slow wind was passing through the store. To end the show, feathers began to appear from the tip of the wand, flying high, then slowly floating to the ground. Ollivander had a wide smile on his face. "I had a sneaking suspicion…"

Looking up with glee, Helen couldn't help herself, and asked curiously, "What's so special about beech wood?" It seemed as those Ollivander look excited to explain such things, but a tapping on the window caught both their attentions. It was Harland, and he held a pocket watch to the window with an apologetic look. "Oh, I'm afraid we have to go, though I'd love to hear more." Reaching into her pockets, she grabbed some galleons and sickles at handed it to Ollivander. He nodded graciously, and she left the store with a smile still on her face.

Reaching outside, she didn't get the chance to tell Harland about how amazing that whole experience was because he went straight to business. "You still need to get your books, other supplies, and of course your robes. You can't get sorted without your robes." And with that, the day continued. It was filled with countless questions and answers, but also some light conversation. All in all, Helen was just happy to be out in the world again.


The Hogwarts Express was a magnificent sight. Helen, in fact, had no other words for it. She wasn't sure how she'd explain such a thing to Sarah. It was only her mother standing on the platform with her, there to give goodbyes from the whole family. Father had some important business to attend, Victor and Warren couldn't afford the time, and Sarah was travelling to have dinner with the Earl of Essex's family.

Looking up at her mother, the two shared a smile before exchanging short kisses on the cheek. Helen wanted to embrace her mother, but such a thing would not be proper. They were both still dressed in elegant dresses, common to those who were part of families that held titles. And although Helen had started to grasp that things weren't the same in the wizarding world, her mother would never be one to ignore the rules of society, no matter the circumstance.

"I love you, Mother."

"And I you, dear. Don't worry, you'll be home for the holidays. We'll see each other in no time." She paused for a moment, distracted by some commotion of to her left, but then continued her words, "Be sure to write, we didn't buy you that owl for no reason. We want to hear from you." Her face got solemn for a moment. " I want you to know, Helen, that none of this changes how we look at you. You will always be our daughter, and we will always love you. I am so happy that you get to go and learn about these abilities you have, to control them in fact."

elen turned her head sideways slightly. She knew her mother had more to say, and it intrigued her. "If you are able to control it, we won't have to worry any longer. We'll be able to announce you to society, and it'll be on time too. You're still young. Your father wouldn't even begin looking for marriage prospects for another three years." Helen nodded and put on a smile to please her mother. To be honest, Helen hadn't thought about fully returning to muggle society. She imagined she'd be better fit in the wizarding world, where she wouldn't have to hide. But she was only eleven, and her mother knew far more than she did. And like Grace said, she was young. There was plenty of time.

Exchanging one last goodbye, Helen boarded the Hogwarts Express, looking over her shoulder to see her mother one last time. The steam engine was packed with students trying to find seats. She had to walk fairly far back before she finally found an empty one. Pulling the door aside, she sat down on the seat and stared out the window. There was large crowd, and Helen doubted that she'd see her mother again today.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door moving. Turning her head, a young man, probably the same age as she, stood at the entrance. He had jet black hair, which was fairly unkempt, and was already wearing his school robes. He stood there for a few seconds as they exchanged an awkward stare before asking, "Do you mind if I sit here, most of the other compartments are full, and I don't think the older students would be very welcome towards a first year taking some of their space."

Helen nodded, and he moved to sit right across from her. Her parents may have left her alone with Harland, but he seemed trustworthy, especially after they found out he was the son of an Earl. Helen didn't know this boy, and to be honest, aside from her brothers, she hadn't much experience talking to boys in general. Nodding inwardly, she told herself that she was in a different world now. There were different rules. And as far as talking to boys went, she didn't imagine it being any more different than talking to girls. She just had to show a little more respect, that's what her mother always told her.

Extending her hand in greeting like she had seen her mother do so many time before, she expected a short kiss on her pale fingers after saying, "Helen Lyon at your service."

The boy did not do that, instead he grasped her hand like they were two men at a business meeting. "Samuel Potter, it's a pleasure to meet you...sorry, did I do something to offend you."

Helen had been slightly taken aback, but she shook her head, and simply withdrew her hand. "No...I just...nevermind. Did you say Potter? That's a funny name." Yeah, that was the moment when she decided she was starting anew. She wasn't the daughter of a Baron anymore, she was simply Helen Lyon.

"You heard right. And I'd say that Lyon is equally funny. We don't have names like that in the wizarding world, and we don't have dresses like that either." He gestured towards her outfit, and Helen couldn't help but blush.

"Oh! I suppose I should change into my robes now. Well, I'll be right back, Samuel." With that, Helen got up to grab her robes. Wearing the same thing as a man had been an amusing thought, but she got over it, even if her mother hadn't.

"And I'll be right here, Helen."