A/N: Something else I cooked up, the friendship with Harry was the birthplace. Pretty much all the property of JKR except my OC's. Please review, I love them. :)

I glared from the swing I was sitting on to the large frame of the boy towering over my best friend. He was laughing stupidly as if pushing over a boy half his size was something to be proud of. Jumping up I stormed over to the small group gathering around them. Everyone else may be afraid to stand up to Dudley, but I sure wasn't, because honestly, he didn't have it in him to hit a girl.

"Leave him alone Dudley," I growled.

"Or you'll do what, Holcott?" He guffawed. Apparently he took me, a very small girl, even smaller than the boy before him, with dirty blond hair and a freckled face, as little of a threat. Of course, I had my secrets. I could pack a mean punch if I had to and I wasn't afraid of getting into trouble. I puffed myself up and stood on my toes to get right into his face, my fists clenching dangerously at my side.

"Leave. Him. Alone." I growled once again. Something in my expression must have told him danger because he paled slightly at my words and took a step back. "Now, go!" I shouted at him. He didn't wait for me to say anything more. He plodded away, his followers running after him.

"Clear off," I yelled to the small group of students standing around. They did so.

"You alright?" I asked, turning back to the boy.

"I'm fine," mumbled Harry, "thanks for that."

"No problem." I flashed him a toothy grin before adding, "It's only Dudley after all, and he wouldn't hit a girl, so why not help out?" He smiled in response.

Many people didn't understand why I was friends with Harry Potter. He was a scrawny boy with untidy black hair and glasses. He wore hand-me-downs from his cousin, Dudley, that were much too large, only making him appear even scrawnier. But he was very kind and warm, only people never saw it because they were so afraid to be with him because of Dudley's gang that enjoyed beating him up every chance they got. Also, strange things always seemed to happen around Harry. But they seemed to happen around me as well, so I guess I didn't really mind.

We started home soon after. I lived a few doors down the road from Harry, his aunt, uncle, and cousin It was always nice to spend time with Harry and during the school year walking home with him was my favorite part of the day. We had been best friends for years, since the first day of school when I saw him sitting alone at the furthest table from the front of the room and said, "Hi, I'm Cecily. Do you want to be friends?"

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" I asked him as we arrived in front of Number 4. He nodded. "Alright, then. Bye Harry." I gave him a quick hug and sped of towards my house.

Number 9, Privet Drive was a very comfortable house and I liked it there. I lived only with my parents and we rarely had company aside from my grandmother so I was surprised to hear an unknown voice as I walked into the entrance hall.

"Mum? Dad?" I called out.

"In the family room, dear," my mother answered. I walked in to find my parents talking to an oddly dressed woman with flyaway hair dressed in what can only be described as a dirty looking dressing gown.

"Good afternoon, Miss Holcott," she began warmly. "My name is Professor Pomona Sprout."

"Pleasure to meet you," I said confused, shaking her hand briefly.

"I was just discussing with your parents your acceptance our school, Hogwarts," she continued. "It is a school of witchcraft and wizardry, where young witches and wizards, such as yourself, go to learn magic."

I stared at her in shock, my mouth hanging open rather stupidly.

"W-what?" I gasped. "Are you telling me that I-I'm a w-wi-"

"A witch, yes." she finished for me. I looked to my parents for confirmation. They looked just about as shocked as I was but nodded surely at me. If they believed it was true, then so could I. I noticed Professor Sprout holding out an envelope to me. I took it from her with slightly shaking hands and opened it, quietly reading the letter and supplies list. I listened silently as the professor explained to us about Hogwarts and where to purchase my supplies for the year, of course after we had decided that going to this school would be good.

Nearly two hours later Professor Sprout departed, seeming to vanish into thin air from our front doorstep, and we were left alone.

I wandered up to my bedroom and shut the door, lying down on my bed. I sat with my thoughts for a while, trying to wrap my head around everything had just happened. I suddenly remembered something Professor Sprout had said, "muggles, aside from your parents, mustn't know about the wizarding world. So I am afraid you cannot discuss with your current peers or other family members your attendance to Hogwarts or your abilities." Only now did I realize what this meant. I wouldn't be able to tell Harry anything, I would have to leave my best friend for ten months out of the year, and he couldn't know why. With that guilty feeling in my stomach and a heaviness in my chest I fell asleep, truly dreading the next day.