Stewart Ackerly
A Different Take on Hogwarts

by S. Thomas

A story of an adolescent, muggle-born wizard who comes to Hogwarts School of and Wizardry seeking answers to his questions but finds faith, hope, and a purpose unbeknownst to all.

Disclaimer: All elements of the story you recognize from the Harry Potter books and/or movies are copyrighted by J.K. Rowling, Scholastic Press, Bloomsbury Books, and/or Warner Brothers, Inc. I am merely a fan of the truly witty Ms. Rowling and am using her brilliant masterpieces as a crutch for my own imaginative tale. No copyright infringement is intended, implied, or induced.

I further apologize to any authors of fan fiction on the Fiction Alley, , and Portkey networks from whom I have unintentionally stolen ideas. Please let me know if this is the case and I will change it immediately – I have read so many that sometimes I tend to think an idea I've read is my own.

A Word from the Author
J.K. Rowling's Magic

I feel that before I begin it may be necessary to explain why I am basing my story off of Ms. Rowling's works, as this could quite easily be a stand-alone piece merely in the same genre. Firstly, and quite importantly, this is my first novel; I have never so much as written a short story of my own accord, and would have no clue where to begin were it not for Ms. Rowling's basic outline of a small, believing child traveling to the mysterious Hogwarts School of and Wizardry where he finally belonged, and where he could achieve such mythical powers of which he had only ever dreamed, yet knew existed.

The capability of a tiny child holding so much unforeseen power seeming to come from little more than a twig is clearly impossible, but it is the belief of the child in himself, fostered by the great Albus Dumbledore, which portrays the magic of Harry Potter to common boys and girls across the globe. At age eleven, the same age as Harry Potter in the fictional world created by the magnificent J.K. Rowling, I first experienced the true magic of Harry Potter – not that of swishing wands and billowing robes, but magic to hold a child's attention through the laughing and gasping, as Harry, a perfectly ordinary boy, boarded Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and headed off to Hogwarts School of and Wizardry where his drab, unforgiving life would change forever.

As I read the first book, I was mystified along with Harry as he was mistreated by his Aunt and Uncle, whisked away by the formidable Hagrid, bought his "very curious" wand, and ogled over a broomstick. My fingers could barely keep up as I turned page after mesmerizing page. Soon, the three-hundred-page novel was over (the longest one I'd ever read, by the way), but my hunger for Rowling's magic was far from satisfied, so I tore through the second one as well, sorrowing after the plight of the victims, kept on the edge of my seat as Harry descended into the Chamber of Secrets, pulling Godric Gryffindor's glimmering sword out of the tattered sorting hat and slaying the basilisk (although I must admit I liked the first better). After this, I waited a few months, and to my great delight a third book was released, and I enjoyed it far greater than the previous two combined, if that was possible. Finally, at twelve I laid my hands on the fourth book – a core chapter of Harry's story, in which one of his classmates died. However, this fourth book, rather than satisfying my hunger for Potter's tale, intensified it!

I would have surely lost it were it not for a good friend of mine who introduced me to the community and especially the Harry Potter section. There, I could read of Harry's adventures as much as I liked. I daresay I have read dozens, if not hundreds, of pieces of fan fiction for Harry Potter, and have felt almost the same as when reading the Harry Potter books when reading the Draco Dormiens series, more recently, Harry Potter and the Prisoners of the Dark Lord, and many others.

After three years of feasting on the works of lesser authors, the great Rowling, remarried with another child, emerged again with The Order of the Pheonix, my newest favorite. So, after beginning several times, I finally plan to write, mimicking the sagely J.K. Rowling as I take a different hero through her world. But enough of my rambling, without further ado let the story begin!