Chapter 1

Kiara had only ever heard about witches in books about daring knights and beautiful princesses. Or perhaps the often rude comment Mr Dursely blurted out in anger, describing a particular work colleague who had annoyed him that day.

"A witch?" murmured the bewildered young girl. "How could I possibly be a witch?"

She stared up at the looming dark shadow of a man standing in the corner of the room of the dusty shack…

Today had been one of the most peculiar she had ever experienced. This morning she had awoken, like any other, in the cupboard under the stairs at Number 4 Privet Drive. Now to any other person that would seem quite odd, but that in fact was her room. She lived with her Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and her loathsome cousin Dudley.

"Up!" yelled Aunt Petunia banging on the cupboard door. "Get up you ungrateful child."

Kiara rose from her cramped bed frowning at the door and reached to turn on the light.

"Into the kitchen now and help me with breakfast" she snarled at the door before scurrying away into the kitchen.

It was nothing new to Kiara to be spoken to like that, she had experienced it all her life. It was no secret to her that she was not wanted here. The only reason she stayed was because they didn't want to make a bad impression with the neighbour's, as she had heard on numerous occasions.

Kiara often wondered what it would have been like if her parents were here to look after her. They had been killed in a car crash when she was only a baby, though she could not remember it. She had been told in one of Uncle Vernon's daily rants, she rubbed her tired eyes remembering the moment.

"I'm sick to death of you!" yelled her Uncle, his face turning red in anger. "Always being ungrateful, always asking for new things."

"I've just grown out of my clothes" whimpered the small girl cowering before the angry figure.

"You don't stop growing do you!" he shouted with annoyance.

"If Lily and James Potter, your selfish parents, hadn't gotten themselves stupidly killed in a car accident I wouldn't have to waste all my money on their rotten child"

Kiara recalled herself that day running from the room with tears in her eyes, they had never talked about her parents before and she had always been too afraid to ask.

She pushed the harsh memories out of her mind as she crawled out of the cupboard to stand in the hallway. She stood trying to brush out any tangles in her long black hair with her tiny fingers, when suddenly a letter flew through the letter box. Her bright green eyes widened in surprise. She had never seen a letter move by its self before.

"Perhaps I imagined it" Kiara whispered to herself.

"Imagined what?" grumbled Dudley as he clumped down the stairs.

"Nothing to do with you" she replied indignantly.

Dudley started to scowl and was about to come out with a nasty retort when he spotted the letter lying on the floor.

"What's this?" He said curiously, as he reached down a pudgy hand to pick up the mysterious envelope. His curious expression turned black with jealously.

"Dad!" screamed Dudley "Why does Kiara have a letter and I don't!?"

"What's all this racket?" muttered Mr Dursley as he came stopping out of the living room.

"Look!" said Dudley shoving the letter under his father's nose.

Mr Dursley started to read the front aloud "Kiara Potter….Hogwarts School" and his voice cut off, his normally red face starting to lose some of its colour.

"Nonsense" he said to himself, crumpling the letter up in his hand. "We have no need of letters of that sort delivered to this address please."

"But…that was mine" objected Kiara "That letter was addressed to me!"

"Nonsense" he replied again angrily "And don't mention another word about it"

He then stormed from the hall, closely followed by a smug looking Dudley, who too often had his own way.

The small black haired girl stared after them, contempt starting to build up inside her pushing at her chest to be released. When a sudden noise from behind startled her and she swung around.

There sitting innocently on the unfashionable carpet was another letter. She laughed aloud and went out to reach for the peculiar thing when Mr Dursley came clobbering out of the living room once again.

"What now, keep the noise down" he complained.

His eyes came to rest on the mystical letter, his face started to turn an ugly purple colour.

"No!" he shouted, "No more of these letters here!"

He bent down to pick it up when suddenly another flew through the letter box. He glanced at it and his eyes started to open wider, giving the appearance they were about to bulge out of his head. As soon as he had reached across again for the magical envelopes thousands of them started pouring out through the door. The furious man stood up in a futile attempt to grab the flying pieces of paper.

Kiara started to laugh and was in a fit of hysterics when Aunt Petunia and Dudley came rushing into the hallway to see what on earth was going on.

"Vernon!" cried Aunt Petunia

He turned towards her voice and shouted "Pack some things, we're leaving. Now!"

And that is how they had arrived at this dingy shack. Then a few hours later the huge giant of a man had come bursting in the doorway, demanding to see the young lady Kiara. Uncle Vernon certainly had a few things to say to this and none of them pleasant. The large man with shaggy black hair insisted and there was clearly nothing the balding man could do to stop him.

The enormous man approached Kiara and spoke gently as not to frighten her "Hi I'm Hagrid, I brought you ter yer Aunt and Uncle when yer was just a baby but you probably don't remember me."

He sighed when the girl shook her head.

"I have yer acceptance letter from Hogwarts School o' Witchcraft an' Wizardry".

The young green-eyed girl looked puzzled "From where?" she replied.

"Hogwarts…wait, yer mean to tell me yer don't know bout Hogwarts?" exclaimed the man called Hagrid.

"Uh...no" she replied confused.

"Why, yer a witch Kiara!"

End of Chapter