Chapter One:
Flannery Vialust stands in the center of the sage wall-papered living room
Her hair, dark, curly and messy, has been loosely braided over her left shoulder, with gold wisps hastily tucked behind her ears. Her moist eyes, a brilliant shade of emerald, flicker through the room. This is, well, was rather, her adopted grandparents' home up until about a week ago. Both of them had died, her grandfather first of a stroke, then her grandmother of what Flannery can only describe as an extreme case of broken-heartedness.
She had lived most of the memorable parts of her sixteen years with her adopted grandparents, because she has not had the best of luck with family. First, her real parents, both of whom were wizards, died. Killed, actually. Then, her adopted parents were also killed, shortly after the adoption. Her last resort was her adopted grandparents—her grandfather being a Muggle, her grandmother a Squib.
Now, Flannery has to face her very last resort. To live with her great Aunt Rue ( a real witch, her grandmother's sister), who lives in a small town outside of London, England, and to be transferred from the Salem Witch Institute to a wizard school called Hogwarts. She received a letter yesterday, that she was pre-accepted in the Ravenclaw house, based on data sent between the two schools.
Silently, Flannery slips out her wand from her boot, flicks her wrist, and conjures a small slice of birthday cake for herself. Today, the thirtieth of July, is her sixteenth birthday, and she unfortunately is celebrating alone.
"Here's to a good life in England," she whispers, with a hollow sort of echo through the soon to be unoccupied house. After taking a small bite, and deciding it tastes too much like her grandmother's cake, Flannery conjures the cake away.
She sits down on her single chest, takes one last look around the only place she's ever called home, and follows her Aunt Rue's plan to Apparate to her house. You see, Flannery has always exceeded in school, taking advanced classes, and even receiving her Apparition license early.
With a few tears, she leaves the house to sit empty, until it falls to ruins.