AN: This is not my first account on this site, but having abandoned my previous account for over a year now, I have decided to start afresh with this account.

I intend for this story to be the first in my Pleasantly series. To explain the name, my OC's name is Naomi, which means 'pleasant'.

Some assumptions I make in this story may not be factually accurate. However, a thorough search of several websites has shed no light on these matters. For example, the question of who was the Deputy Headmaster/Headmistress during the Marauder era. For the purpose of this story, I have given the title to Minerva McGonagall, who by 1971 would have been at the school for 15 years as both the professor of Transfiguration and the Head of Gryffindor House.

1st July 1971

I opened my eyes blearily, glancing at the ringing alarm clock that I had knocked onto the floor. I stretched, muscles straining, and snagged the alarm clock by one of its legs before switching the blasted alarm off. It had seemed to fly a little into my hand, but I dismissed the ridiculous notion as yet another result of my flyaway imagination.

Replacing the alarm clock to its rightful position on the bedside table, I slumped back onto the bed, staring at the dust particles which danced in the rays of sunlight peeking through the gap between my curtains. 9am, I thought, whatever possessed me to wake up so early?

With that thought, it came to me. It was my birthday! I was, at last, eleven years old, old enough to associate with the "cool" kids at school. Despite it being the summer holidays, I felt the irrational urge to return to school immediately.

As I sat up, a knock sounded at the door. "Naomi, dear, are you awake?" I grinned. I knew my mother would have something planned for me, probably either an exciting family outing or a fantastic birthday party with my close friends. Sometimes I felt like I had the best mother in the world.

"Of course, Mum!" I called, all traces of grogginess void from my voice, replaced by childish excitement.

However, the voice that replied me held none of my mother's usual cheer. "Get dressed then, dear, and come down for breakfast." She said, sounding… uncertain?

My mother's unusual tone of voice lingered in my mind as I threw on a shirt, a miniskirt, and some platform shoes, my birthday clothes in the latest fashions.

For the first time I could remember, I did not throw open my bedroom door, instead pushing it open gently and gliding down the stairs into the living room. What was bothering my mother on my birthday?

The sight before me seemed perfectly ordinary, save for the fact that it was occurring on my birthday, and the attire of one of the parties involved. My parents sat on the couch facing a woman, who sat in one of the armchairs. Three mugs of tea steamed on the table, yet only the stranger's seemed to have been sipped.

My mother turned to face me, and smiled at me warmly. "Ah yes, Naomi, you're finally awake. Professor McGonagall here has come to talk to you about a school." She said, gesturing at the woman, who was surely Professor McGonagall.

Before I could stop myself, I had blurted, "School? It's the summer holidays!" I clapped my hand over my mouth, shocked at my own outburst. Yes, I was loud and outspoken, but surely my parents had taught me better than to babble in front of strangers!

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "Indeed, Miss Witte. Precisely why I came to talk to your parents about a transfer. Please, take a seat." Her voice was authoritarian but not unkind.

I mumbled a quick apology before seating myself next to my mother, gaze fixed on Professor McGonagall. She looked to be about my parents' age, in the mid-thirties. A pair of black-rimmed spectacles rested on her stern nose. What distinguished her from any other working-age woman, however, was her strange clothing. A pointed black hat, one that might have come out of a book about witches, sat upon her head and she was wearing a loose-fitting dress which folded in odd places.

The witch, as I had started to call her in my head, cleared her throat again before speaking. "Miss Witte, I have been speaking to your parents about a school. A school for witches and wizards, otherwise known as magical folk."

I gaped at her uncomprehendingly, before muttering, "What kind of birthday prank is this?"

"I assure you, Miss Witte, that this is not a joke, or a prank. Have you ever done things that seem to be impossible?" Her tone, while patient, seemed long-suffering. It was evident that she had gone through this before.

I racked my brains for an unexplainable incident, before recalling with a small gasp. "Petunia Evans! She was teasing me last year, in school, when suddenly she fainted! I always thought it was just, well, karma. But now that I think about it I was imagining her falling face first onto the floor…"

I trailed off, realising I was agreeing with the mad woman. But what if she isn't mad? A voice in my head whispered. What if there really is such thing as magic?

I felt my mother stroking the top of my head soothingly, seemingly knowing my inner turmoil and confusion. "What you are, Miss Witte, is a Muggleborn." Professor McGonagall explained. "A witch, or a person with magic, who is born to Muggles, or non-magical people."

Suddenly, I found myself believing every word she said. "So, will I be going to this… school?" I found myself asking, and it was apparent even to myself the wonder in my voice.

"Yes. The school in question is called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, one of the finest schools for magic in the world. There are, of course, books and items that you will require for school. Your parents have agreed to allow a prefect from Hogwarts to bring you to Diagon Alley, a wizarding shopping street, to buy them tomorrow."

I was nodding eagerly at this point. To think, magic was real! And I could use it! It was almost too exciting to bear and I gave the professor a large, silly grin.

"Have a happy eleventh birthday, Miss Witte."

AN: So, I hoped you guys enjoyed it! Yes, this chapter doesn't tell you much in terms of plot, and it may be inaccurate regarding how Muggleborns and their families are informed about their magical abilities, but I did establish some important points. Naomi's connection with her mother, her knowledge of the Evans family, and a little bit of her character revealed.

It's the school holidays right now, so I'll be posting the next chapter likely tomorrow. Diagon Alley! (+meeting the Marauders hehe)

Please review so I can improve! Thank you!