Allison Whitney was a young half-blood witch of nearly eleven years of age. Her mother, Victoria Whitney, was a hairdresser and a muggle. Her father was… absent, but Victoria claimed he had to have been magic. In his place was Gerard Stern, a half-blood wizard who helped his partner with her hairdressing job and had an interest in wandlore. He had a long-eared owl named Caecilia. This was Allie's family. She loved them a great deal.

She was born on the twelfth of July in the year 1961, exactly one year after her best friend. Her best friend was a certain John Smith. John was trans; a fact his parents were unaware of when calling him by the wrong name. Allie didn't really care too much, and was much more interested in climbing trees in the forest with him. Currently, she was eleven and John was twelve. He'd been absent the previous year because he went to a boarding school.

Allie was excited to attend Hogwarts, as she was now the proper age. Her mother couldn't get out of work when she got her letter, but Gerard was free and Allie couldn't wait to go shopping for her school supplies. She'd been waiting for her Hogwarts letter ever since Gerard had told her about the school. Gerard hadn't gone to Hogwarts of course, being from Germany, but there wasn't a witch or wizard alive who didn't know of the school. He apparated both of them to the Leaky Cauldron after getting ready and Allie's head was spinning but her excitement drove the nausea away.

The two of them went to Gringotts to withdraw funds from Gerard's account before going to purchase the more boring items on Allie's list of supplies. She whined practically the whole way and it wasn't until they were leaving Flourish and Blotts that she stopped. She'd seen the shiny new Nimbus 1001 on display at Quality Quidditch Supplies and her whining quickly turned to begging. Her mother had told her she couldn't have a broom before, but Gerard had always been easier to sway. Of course she wouldn't try to sneak it into Hogwarts. What in the world makes you think she'd do that? How absurd. A tap on her shoulder made her turn around and she was startled to find her best friend.

"John?"

"Y-you're a-" John wheezed. "You're a witch!"

"You're a wizard!" Allie exclaimed. Both of them stared at each other before letting out excited squeals and hugging each other. Gerard stood to the side, rubbing his ears.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"I wanted to! You have no idea how much I wanted to!"

"Melanie!" John's mother called out as she approached the group. Allie had to take a moment to remember her friend's birth name.

"Ah, don't worry Mrs. Smith, everything is fine." Gerard said, holding his hand out for her to shake. "Your kid just saw Allie is all. They didn't know the other was magic."

The adults spoke for a bit and Allie ignored them, excitedly babbling to John about magical things and explaining the blood status of her family. John didn't seem to care too much about the later. Allie didn't either, if she was being completely honest. She wondered where they were going. Looking at Gerard, who was carrying all of her supplies, she realized the only things she was missing were her wand and her owl. She giggled, jittery.

Gerard had indeed been leading the two children to Ollivanders. The establishment was cluttered and filled to the brim with stacks upon stacks of wands. The single lantern that illuminated the whole place caught dust in its light and made it sparkle. Ollivander rolled into view with a sudden clatter, perched high on a ladder like a strange owl. Allie jumped, startled.

"Why hello there, what's your name?" Ollivander asked, leaning closer.

"A-Allie Whitney." She stuttered, leaning away.

"Yes, I remember your father…" He murmured but moved onto Gerard before she could ask any questions. "Did I sell to you?"

"Ah, no, I'm from Germany. Bought my wand at Gregorovitch Zauberstäbe and went to Durmstrang." Gerard told him. "I've been meaning to buy a second one though. My first one has a core of dragon heartstring but I've looked into wandlore and I believe I'd be better suited to unicorn hair."

"I believe you may be right, young man. Gregorovitch was never the best at finding the wand's perfect match. And his wands themselves…" Ollivander shuddered.

Allie supposed he didn't like Gregorovitch very much. He asked how John was getting along with his wand, which Allie thought was sort of an odd question, but she also wasn't the wand expert here so she didn't question it. What she did question was what her friend's wand was. The answer didn't really mean anything to her so she smiled and nodded, not asking any further questions. Ollivander kept speaking.

"How is your mother?" He asked, large silver eyes staring unblinkingly into Allie's brown ones.

"Oh, she's brilliant!" Allie chirped, smiling at the measuring tape that had come to life. "We went to the London Zoo a month ago. I got to see Guy the gorilla and a ton of birds in the Snowdon Aviary!"

"Yes, yes. Let me see here…" Ollivander seemed very pleased with the answer. He carefully removed a wand from the shelf. "Try this one. Twelve inches, English oak, dragon heartstring. Bendy." It was ornate.

"Alright then." Allie took the wand, giving it an experimental wave. A shelf quickly caught fire and Ollivander snatched it back.

"Good, good." He slid it back into place without looking as he walked further into the store.

"Sorry!" Allie apologized, though she didn't feel too bad as Ollivander hadn't been upset. He came back before too long.

"Try this one. Maple. Phoenix feather. Twelve and a half inches. Rigid." Ollivander handed a second wand to her.

"Is your shelf okay?" Allie asked, but before she could wave it around he'd already taken it back. "Is that a no?"

"The shelf is just fine." Ollivander murmured as if not hearing her. He returned, opening another wand box. "This one. Spruce with a core of phoenix feather. Twelve and three-quarter inches. Sturdy."

The wand inside was very simple and natural; a stark contrast to the first wand he'd pulled out. She removed it from its box and felt a tingle go through her body. Warmth spread from her fingertips to her toes, and though she'd never felt she were half-finished, in that moment she felt as if she were complete. Words left her mouth, though she didn't hear them, and she gave it a swish. A shining golden rabbit sprouted from the tip of her wand and bounced around in the air before dissolving in a golden powder.

"A good, strong wand, that one. I must warn you, however, that the combination of spruce wood and phoenix tail feather make your wand prone to performing magic on its own."

"That's alright, I think we'll get along just fine." Allie kissed the tip of the wand, twirling it between her fingers.

They left Ollivanders and Allie tucked her wand behind her ear. She convinced Gerard to buy John a broomstick (an old Swiftstick) before they went to Eeylops Owl Emporium. Inside was dark and the air was filled with soft coos and ruffling sounds. Owls of all shapes, sizes, and colours went about their business. They paid the humans no mind. Allie looked around, her brown eyes settling on a small, sad looking tawny owl. She'd been planning on getting a barred owl and naming it Pepper but decided she couldn't leave the poor little thing. The name Pepper could stick though. He wasn't very peppery but she was sure he would grow into the name.

Finished with their shopping, the three of them went to the Leaky Cauldron to meet up with John's parents. They all went home and Allie spent the rest of the summer with John and his Swiftstick. September 1st rolled around and Allie's mother and Gerard were taking her and John to King's Cross Station. Allie marvelled at the train, asking Gerard if he would buy her a scale model of it. Her mother shot her down. Perhaps she'd get it later. Hugs and reluctant goodbyes were exchanged as the train whistle sounded and soon the two children were on the train. Allie stopped before they could walk down the train in search of a compartment.

"I've got to sit with other first years of course, so this is where we leave each other." She stated, matter of fact.

"Sorry, what?" John's brows shot up.

"If I sit with you and your friends I won't meet anybody!" Allie exclaimed. "I don't want to be socially stunted!"

"Well, I guess you're right. I sat with first years too." John admitted.

"Don't worry, I'll find you later."

Allie gave him a hug and looked for a compartment to sit in. It didn't take her long to spot one empty save for a pale, blonde girl. She went inside, closing the door behind her. After asking if it would be alright for her to join the other, Allie put her supplies away and sat across from her. She had hazel eyes and was rather small. Allie suspected the wind could knock her over and thought she would be wise to avoid quidditch.

"My name's Allie." She introduced herself, holding a hand out to shake.

"I'm Ashley." Ashley smiled, shaking Allie's hand. Allie took care not to crush her fingers.

"Are you a first year too?" Allie asked, making herself comfortable as she pulled Pepper's cage onto her lap.

"Er, yeah." Ashley mumbled a bit.

"I was so excited to get my Hogwarts letter. My mum's boyfriend is a wizard and he knew I was magic from the start." Allie moved the cover of the cage so she could undo the latch.

"And your mum?"

"Oh, she's a muggle." Allie told her. "Is anyone in your family a muggle?"

"Er, my dad was a squib…" Ashley said, avoiding eye contact. "I've never really lived with muggles though."

"They've got all sorts of fancy gadgets." Allie said as Pepper poked his head out of his cage. She scratched under his chin. "Like the telly. Have you ever watched a movie?"

Ashley shook her head and much of the train ride consisted of Allie running her mouth. She chattered on about whatever she could think of in the moment. By the time they were changing into their robes, Allie thought the other girl had warmed up to her. They stayed together as the train stopped and they left their compartment after Allie coaxed Pepper back into his cage.

A large, hairy man caught their attention and they were guided toward about twenty boats. In the distance, across the grand lake, they could see the castle. It was an impressive sight, the castle on the hill, looking out over the glassy water. The seventy-ish first years got into the boats and began their first journey to their new home. Allie leaned over the side of the boat, blinking rapidly when she thought she saw a large tentacle. She leaned closer to the water. Ashley, the only other person who'd sat in the boat with her, looked wary.

"Allie, maybe you shouldn't-"

"Is that an octopus? A squid?"

"It's a squid." Ashley told her.

"I want to- oh! It's so close!" Allie grinned, leaning further.

There were several screams as their boat flipped over. Allie coughed up water as she surfaced. As soon as she got a grip on the overturned boat, she let herself laugh. This impeded her ability to help get the boat upright and Ashley glared at her. She rubbed her arms, shivering. Allie tried to stifle her giggles. It took her a while.

"I t-touched the squid!" She laughed.

"You f-f-flipped the b-boat over." Ashley hissed.

"Yeah, b-but I touched the squid!"

Ashley rolled her eyes and tried to wring the water out of her hair. She was unsuccessful. Allie felt a little bad, but she thought it was worth it. How many other students could say they'd touched the giant squid in the lake? Before being sorted, even! She promised Ashley she would make it up to her somehow and Ashley sighed, giving her reluctant forgiveness.

The giant of a man (had he told them his name?) told them to watch their heads as they reached the cliff the castle was perched on. There was an opening in the cliffside hidden by ivy that led to an underground harbour where they clambered out of the boats. Up through a passageway, out onto the grounds, and to the grand double doors of Hogwarts. The large man knocked on the oak and the first years were transferred to a severe looking woman by the name of McGonagall. Allie also learned the man they'd been following was named Hagrid.

Professor McGonagall led them through the castle and Allie wished she had several extra sets of eyes. The moving paintings were things she'd only heard of from Gerard and seeing them now was a new experience altogether. She wondered how often she would get lost over the course of her schooling. The group stopped walking, their attention on Professor McGonagall as she cleared her throat to speak.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall you will be sorted into your houses." She told them, and Allie inched forward, wondering how sorting would work. She'd never thought about it before. "The Sorting is a very important ceremony because…" McGonagall spotted Allie, who was soaking wet from falling into the lake. "Because, while you are here, your house will be something like your… family within Hogwarts… Sorry, but what on earth happened to you?"

"I wanted to touch the squid." Allie shrugged.

"Sh-she tipped the b-boat over." Ashley informed Professor McGonagall, still shivering.

"Please try to be mindful of who your actions may affect, miss…?"

"Whitney." Allie provided. Professor McGonagall nodded and pointed her wand at the two first year girls.

"Tergeo." She said, causing the water to siphon off of them and onto puddles on the ground instead. Allie was strongly tempted to splash about in them but she refrained. "Now, as I was saying, your house will be like your family here at Hogwarts."

Her speech continued as she told them the names of the houses and explained the House Cup that would be awarded at the end of the year. Allie only partially listened to her, so busy was she in looking at all the other first years. None of them stood out to her, but that could very well change in the future. McGonagall told them to await her return before leaving the room and everyone shuffled about nervously. Allie brushed her fingers through her short red hair, deciding there wasn't much she could do about her appearance.

McGonagall soon came back and ordered the children to follow her. They walked into the Great Hall and Allie was nearly pushed over as she stopped to stare at the ceiling. The night sky was full of twinkling stars, the moon barely a sliver in the air. She wondered what they did when it rained? Surely it couldn't be convenient to have the ceiling open all the time. Somebody who was either smart or had heard stories from their family said the ceiling was simply enchanted to look like the night sky and Allie felt silly. The professor placed a rickety old stool in front of everyone, along with a ratty old pointed hat. Allie wondered if they were supposed to clean it but she failed to see how that would have anything to do with sorting. It twitched, a rip near the brim tore itself open, and it began to sing.

Word Count: 2,661

Hello! This chapter was originally going to include the Sorting Ceremony as well as the feast, but it was getting ridiculously long so I cut it! I wanted to say I would post chapter two tonight, but I'm unsure if I will be able to do so because I just spent about 6 or 7 hours drawing the cover image for this fic (I draw all the covers for my fics), which I would have included the title in but it just didn't look good that way, but it also doesn't look much better with all that empty space so idk;; I also apologize that Allie's house is already revealed in the latest chapter of John's fic, but this chapter was too long and that chapter was too short so I had to just deal with it.

This is the side-fic of my other Harry Potter story, the first part of which is titled John Smith and the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You can find that one on my profile. This fic, on the other hand, will be OC-oriented, and I may or may not move on the continue into the First Wizarding War after Allie graduates Hogwarts.

All OCs that were submitted to my John Smith story will instead be used here! John will still be a character in this story, and him interacting with other OCs will now be in this story instead of that one! You are more than welcome to request your OCs meeting/interacting with other people's OCs! Suggest things for the story and I very well may decide to write it! This story is much less plot driven than John's story so yeah, go wild.

I'm still figuring things out so please feel free to PM me and shit. I literally don't have any of you guys's OCs that are in the same year as Allie so that's one reason my irl friend's OC (Ashley) is there instead. The OC submission template is in the A/N of my John Smith story so if you want to submit an OC either get it from there or ask me for it through review or PM. I only require that you have an actual account. I won't accept guest submissions. I'm also accepting DADA professors! So like send some in if you want. I already have 2 or 3 so I'm good for now but hey if you wanna, go ahead.

I'm sure there's way more I could be saying in this A/N but I can't think of it in the moment, so I'll be ending it here. I hope you read it?

Anyways, feel free to leave reviews, I love reviews. I love all of you guys, hope you enjoyed, and I hope to see you next time!

(wow I hope a lot of things, huh?)