A/N: Some of you may remember this story from years and years ago when I first posted it, and were wondering why I took it down. To be perfectly honest, it needed a massive remodel to fix all the continuity errors and plot holes I left in it the first time. So, without further ado, let's get this show on the road!

Dedication: To all of you who reviewed the first time, and to my Winx partner in crime, Chibi Horsewoman.

Disclaimer: Flattery will get you nowhere. Chocolate is another matter entirely.

Sapphire Flames

1. The Visitor

'Come on! Just a little farther!' Sapphire Cole mentally screamed at her steed. The small town was nice, when the villagers didn't come after you with torches and pitchforks. 'How could I have been so careless?' She chided herself, her deep blue hair rippling behind her like ocean waves. She'd cast a spell at the local farmer's market to duplicate an apple, but it backfired and she wound up with twenty apples and a group of angry farmers chasing her out of town.

Once she reached the border between the road and the forest, she made a sharp right and took off through the woods. Logs, tree roots and low-hanging branches did little to hamper her escape as she guided her horse deeper and deeper into the trees. Eventually the sounds of shouting stopped, and she let the horse stop for a break.

"Looks like we lost them this time, Firestar." Sapphire panted. Running away like that was a total workout!

A pair of long white ears then popped out of the saddlebag where the groceries were. "You can come out now, Snowball. They're gone." The aqua-eyed witch stated as a white bunny poked her head out of the sack and eyed her owner suspiciously. "Looks like you made it, so I guess we'd better head back." Sapphire said as she turned the horse towards a path in the woods. "Grams is not going to like this!"

Her grandmother, Ruby Cole, was a witch, just as she and every other female in her family was. Grams raised her since birth, because her mother died and her father…wasn't around.

After she tied Firestar off and unhooked the bags of groceries, she walked inside the small cottage that served as her home for the last ten years of her life. A strange female voice startled her; there were almost never any visitors who ventured this deep into the woods. Curious, she poked her head into the parlor and saw her grandmother talking with a middle-aged woman, likely another witch from her odd clothing. The older lady's violet hair twisted upward into an odd spiral, and her gold eyes sparkled with a kind of wicked wisdom. Her clothes were neat and expensive-looking, and all in shades of purple.

"Wonder who she is?" Sapphire whispered to Snowball, who looked back at her with confused eyes.

"Sapphire! Come in!" Grams said pleasantly. "I would like to introduce you to someone."

"And what she wants." Sapphire muttered as she and Snowball walked into the room.

"Sapphire, This is Minerva Griffin. An old acquaintance of our family's." Grams motioned to the woman in the other chair.

"I run the Cloud Tower School for Witches." Miss Griffin said. "Your grandmother and I were discussing the possibility of your starting Cloud Tower this semester."

"You mean you're actually enrolling me in a school!" Sapphire blinked. She hadn't been in an actual school since she accidentally set a desk on fire in the third grade. "What classes will I have to take?"

"Potions, levitation, Realm History—the basics for the freshman year." Miss Griffin waved, "But I will have to put you in several advanced incantations classes because of your mastery of spells."

"About that." Sapphire winced, rubbing the back of her head. This was soo not going to go over well! "I kinda got chased out of town again."

"What was it this time?" Grams sighed.

"Duplication spell backfired big time." Sapphire replied as Ruby let out an exasperated groan.

"Sapphire Allegra Cole, how many times have I told you not to use magic in public?" The now gray-headed woman glared at her only grandchild.

"But it worked great yesterday when I practiced on some leaves! And really, how much different is an apple? It's still a plant part, and easy to duplicate..."

"Which is, no doubt, how people noticed!" Ruby hissed. "How bad is the damage this time?"

"Um, I don't think I can go back there again without risking being burned at the stake." The teen stated. "Not without a major makeover."

"Is that a go for Cloud Tower, then?" Griffin asked, finally speaking up.

"Yes." Sapphire nodded. "It's time to start over somewhere new, I think."

"Very well." Miss Griffin smiled. "Enrollment is tomorrow; don't be late or I cannot let you into the school!"

"I understand completely, Miss Griffin." Sapphire replied respectfully.

"Then I hope you will enjoy your first day tomorrow." Miss Griffin said. "Goodbye, Ruby." She stepped onto a rug and vanished into thin air.

Once she was on, the two Cole witches got into yet another disagreement.

"What exactly are you thinking, Grams?" The younger witch spoke. "I can't go to an inter-realm school without a home realm! You and I both know it! And what about this power? How am I going to explain that away?"

"You will keep your origins to yourself." The older woman hissed. "We will say that you are from Earth."

"But they'll ask even more questions then." The turquoise-eyed girl glared. "Why can't I claim my mother's home realm? Nobody will raise a fuss about that."

"Because we were forced to flee from that place long ago, Sapphire. No, you will attend as a Freshman from Earth with a power source of Dark Fire. Any questions asked by anyone should be left unanswered, understand?"

"What about my coven? Shouldn't they be let in on all of this? You always said, and I quote, 'there are no secrets in a witching coven'."

"Use your instincts on that one, child. Provided you are so fortunate to form a coven your first year." The red-headed woman snipped. "Now off with you! You must have your things packed tonight!"

"Yes, Grams." The teen muttered, stalking off to her bedroom.