Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, only Rhea so far.

What comes first, the owl or the letter?

Rhea's POV

I woke up to the sun shining through my window, the rays softly hitting my eyelids. The first thing I noticed was a soft cooing sound coming from somewhere near me. I slowly sat up and looked around my relatively small room, than I saw it. A large purely while owl with amber colored eyes is sitting on my dresser looking at me with something like mild amusement. I stood up slowly, trying not to startle it in case it tried to attack me. I know the owl probably won't, but try waking up to see an owl on your dresser and tell me how that would be a calming situation.

When it saw me moving it snapped its head towards me, making me jump about ten feet into the air, stupid owl. Then it began to flap its' wings! Oh sweet nectar this isn't good. Just then it settled down enough for me to realize there was something strapped to its' leg.

"Good owl, good pretty owl." I cooed over and over again as I slowly walked towards the beautiful and strangely intimidating creature, wait didn't I read somewhere they aren't herbivores? Oh well, too late now. The owl looked at me as if I was crazy as I talked to it, well I don't care ya dumb bird! You're the one who found their way into my bedroom, not the other way around! Oh dear lord, I'm going insane. I snatched the letter from the owl's leg as quickly as I could and decided to book it over to my bed in case it decided it wanted to eat me.

I wonder what the letters about, who sends a letter attached to an owl. Not normal people, that's for sure. Dang this letter is loud, it crinkles when I touch it. I stole a quick glance at the owl still perched on my dresser, it's staring at me as if I'm a nut case. But I'll leave that for you to decide.

"Ok, I'll read it out loud." I informed the strange owl with a defeated sigh.

"Dear Miss Griffin, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." I began, I need to stop though, witch craft? Wizardry? Those things were pretend, things that were told to dreamers much like myself to lift their spirits and make them believe in things larger than their own capabilities. There's no way this could be true, but being me I want to read more. "Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31. Yours sincerely Minerva McGonagall Deputy Headmistress." And just as the letter said there are lists telling me what I need for school.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WHICHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
sets of plain work robes (black)
plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales

Students may also bring and owl, cat, or toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

There's so much information here that I don't understand so I decided to do what every child has done since the dawn of time!

"MOM!" She was in my room in a matter of seconds, that is a new record. Where did I put the record books…oh wait, school gotta remember that first.

"Sweetie you scared me, I thought something was…." She trailed off when she saw the owl still perching on my dresser, if that thing tries to poop on my clothes he's gonna get it.

"Mom, can you make sure thing doesn't poop?" I asked her, she gave me a small smile that I always seemed to coax out of her.

Well, I'm sitting with my mom right now and she told me everything! Yay, did I mention that she's a witch and she never told me? Nope, oh well then, as it turns out the owl on my dresser belongs to the school and that's the only way they communicate. Ha, ha, I wonder how people feel when an owl delivers their letter and they get their car pooped on. Hmmm, questions to ponder upon when sleep doesn't come at night.

"I'm sorry honey. I just wanted to protect you, there was a war not long ago, a terrible war. So many were killed…." She trailed off, ya she told me about the war. Turns out that a lot of people were killed, but not in the ways I know of. By a curse, my mother told me not to speak of it though. It was forbidden and unforgivable to recite one of the curses. Apparently there are three, all of which my mother has had the displeasure of seeing.

"Why did you protect me if the war is over?" I asked her, she looked at me and gave me a tight smile which meant she didn't want to talk about it, or she was going to try and lie.

"There have been rumors spreading around about the dark witches and wizards that followed…..the dark lord, some think…." She was interrupted by a girl coming into the kitchen, I can honestly say she is a complete stranger to me.

"Don't tell her these things Sophie, it's too much to take in for her. The wracksperts are already clouding her vision." The petite blonde said as she removed a pair of strange glasses from her eyes. Wow, she seemed…..weird, that's the nicest thing I can say.

"Yes I know Luna, it's just that I want her to understand everything before she goes." My mother said quietly as she stood up and hugged the strange girl. Me? Where am I going? The school maybe, but that was still a while away. The girl turned towards me and smiled with a dreamy expression on her face.

"Hello Rhea," Luna began, she looked as if she was going to say more and I know I don't want to interrupt, "You probably don't remember me, but I'm your god-mother." She said with a large smile, this girl was my god-mother? Her smile faded as if she saw my thoughts,

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember you." I replied carefully, she was from the Wizard World and I don't want to get on her bad side.

"It's alright." She said in a breathy tone, her voice was calming in a way. She looked sideways at the clock and sighed, "Well I must be getting back to Hogwarts now, they won't be happy if I'm late. Again." She finished with a wink, I gave her a small smile. My god-mother was strange, just than she pulled out her wand said a small incantation and a broom appeared out of nowhere.

"Wow." I whispered, my mom sent me a look saying, you-act-as-if-you've-never-seen-one-before, but she seemed to realize why I didn't recognize a broom magically flying into a girls hands.

"Goodbye Rhea, I can't wait until we meet again." The way she said it reminded me of a movie where the bad-guy would say 'until we meet again' to the hero, but this seemed more like a promise than a threat.

It's been a few weeks since my first encounter with Luna, she doesn't come by often but when she does she stays for a few hours. As it turns out she was given a job as a teacher at Hogwarts, she's teaching Astronomy. I can't help but smile at that, it's the only class I'm looking forward to taking. The others seem like something only those raised in the Wizarding World would understand, and if you haven't been paying attention I'm not one of them.

It's almost time for me to go to Hogwarts and my mother seems more worried than usual, Luna tells me not to worry about it but I can't do that. Every day I hear her murmuring to herself over and over again as if something is going to happen and she wants to stop it.

"Honey." My mom called me, waking me from my thoughts. I walked into the kitchen where she sat looking down at the lake that was right outside our door.

"Yes mom?" I asked her, she gave me a small smile. But I noticed her looking out the window every few seconds, what's wrong with her?

"Do you have any questions?" she asked me, I nodded.

"We still have time though, I'll ask you later when…." She interrupted me though, her face was worn. I can tell she' s tired, she's been up at night lately yet again muttering to herself as she walks around the house when she thinks I'm sleeping.

"No sweetie, today when Luna comes to take you shopping you're going to go to her house for a while. Luna is going to care for you, I have things I need to do. But I will see you soon, even if I just write a letter you'll hear from me." She said quietly, I know she's trying to calm me down but I can't help but be scared. I love Luna, I actually call her Aunt Luna now but I don't want to leave my mother when she's in this state all alone.

"But what about the train, you promised you'd take me." I said quietly, my voice sounded like I'm near tears, which I am.

"Honey, I'm sorry but things happen and I need to do some things." She said in the same tone as me. "Now onto the questions, what do you want to know?" she asked me putting on a fake smile in an attempt to make me happier. I walked closer to her and sat down in her lap,

"Harry Potter." Was all I said, I felt my mother relax slightly. These were some of the easiest questions to answer for her.

"He was in my year, he was misunderstood in many ways. His parents were killed by Voldemort when he was only one." She began, my mother has always been amazing at story telling this is something I will miss when I'm gone. "After words he was sent into the muggle world to live with his mother's sister and her family. They were dreaded people, they used Harry, treated him like he was their slave." I could tell how this part of the story angered her, her hands were shaking slightly but she hid it by brushing my hair back.

"Didn't he escape them?" I asked her, she didn't answer instead she continued with the story.

"When he went to Hogwarts his first year he was a legend, everyone wanted him as their friend. But some wanted him as an ally in a way, one being Draco Malfoy. The Malfoy family is a dangerous one, they were at Voldemort's right hand. They still are not a trusted family at all. Anyway, Voldemort was rumored to be rising again, but none of us at Hogwarts took it to heart. We were kids, what would Voldemort want with us? Apparently he wanted us dead, all those who weren't pure bloods he wanted dead." I stopped her there with a small question that's been nagging at me for a while now.

"What's a pureblood?" I asked, she looked down at me with a sad smile,

"A pureblood is someone who is born from a witch and a wizard with no muggle ancestors. A half-blood is someone like you, born from a witch or wizard and a muggle. And then what the purebloods call mud-bloods are those who are born from two muggles. But being called a mud-blood is a nasty insult."

"That's rude, why would anyone classify themselves according to their blood?" I asked my mother, you'd have to be a horrible person in order to do that to others.

"The Malfoy family still speaks like that." She said quietly as she looked at the lake again,

"Mom, what are you?" I asked her quietly, she turned and smiled at me.

"I'm a pureblood, my mom was a witch and my father was a wizard. But I don't share the same views as most, most of my friends weren't purebloods. After you were born my parents didn't want anything to do with me, they said I disgraced them by being with a muggle rather than a wizard." She stated sadly, poor mom, man I never want to meet my grandparents they sound horrible.

"Why did you do it then? Why didn't you just marry a wizard?" I asked her, I hope there's a good reason.

"I was going to marry a wizard named Lucas Masters but he died during the war. The killing curse was cast upon him, my life was destroyed after he was gone. But my parents didn't care, instead they began to push wizards at me for me to marry all of which I turned down." I nodded, my father died soon after I was born, a car accident. Just than Luna walked into the house,

"Hello?" she said in her dream like voice, can't help but laugh at her, she reminded me of someone who lived their lives in a dream, we're alike in so many ways.

"We're in here Aunt Luna!" I decided to yell as I wave my arms like a lunatic. She gave a small laugh and gave me a hug as well as my mother.

"Well, you two must be going now." My mom said quietly as she gave me a bone-crushing hug, dang for someone who doesn't seem to do much she's strong!

"I'll watch after her." Aunt Luna said as my mother was observing me, if it's possible she looked more nervous than she looked ten minutes ago.

"Yes I know." She said after a moment, have I ever mentioned I hate not knowing things? I know they're hiding something from me, I can't help but think it has something to do with what my mother told me a few weeks ago about the dark lord's followers.

"Bye mom." I said as I gave her a huge hug, she gave a small laugh but returned it ten-fold. I know I should be crying but she promised I'd see her soon. I looked out the window to see an owl flying straight towards us, but it didn't stop like they usually did, no, it's still flying. Where does this thing think it's going to land? Spoke to soon, geese! It's on my head,

"MOM!" I yelled, she turned towards me with a smile on her face. She couldn't help but crack up at this, it was funny but not if this thing decided to go to the bathroom on my head!

"Come here." She instructed me, I decided to move slowly. The owl on my dresser was bad enough, now I have one on my head? By the time I get to that school I'm going to have an owl phobia.

"Hey Nyx." My mother greeted the owl, it happily jumped off my head and onto her shoulder, thank goodness! "Rhea, this is my owl Nyx." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, man my mom loves Greek mythology. First Rhea and now Nyx I wonder if she'll get a fish and name him Poseidon.

"Hi Nyx nice to meet you." I said in a kind tone, "If you don't poop on any of my possessions we'll get along fine." I said quietly, my mother and Luna couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"What?" I demanded, I'm only eleven what do you want me to say, 'Nyx please don't soil my clothing with your….. I don't even know what would finish that sentence!

"It's time for you to go honey." My mom said as loud as she could through her laughs. Aunt Luna nodded and gripped my hand, I pulled her with me. If I'm leaving I'm going to give my mother another hug, with my Aunt Luna. As our group hug went on Nyx made my head her new hang-out and made a point to mess with my hair. I think she even tried to eat it!

As we left I noticed my mom pulled out her wand and whispered something to it, a dull light lit the top of it, she said something else to it and the light grew brighter until it covered the house. By the time the light began to fade Luna and I were already in the sky on her broom flying away from my home. I want to know what's going on, and I will find a way no matter what it takes.