Chapter One: Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
I bet you've already heard the most infamous story ever told. It tells a tale of a babe who defeated a ruthless warlord and lived. This thrilling story spun of a trio of golden children who were danger magnets and no matter how hard they tried to behave, trouble seemed to find them. I'm sure you know of how they drug their friends into their messes along the way.
Everyone knows the breath catching tale of the babe who grew into a man and defeated his enemy again, ultimately saving the world. But I'm going to tell you a story you've never been told. This is the true story of Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The sun drifted through the open window, a cool morning breeze tugging at the sheer white curtains. Across the room, a young girl dozed in a wrought iron bed, plastered white. The pink sheets were warm and the white quilt was tucked tightly around her small frame. A light rap at the door stirred the girl.
"Calliope, breakfast," her mother's warm voice sang. Calliope turned to her back and sighed as her eyelids slid open. Mornings were such a drag, especially when one had to wake up from such a great dream.
After dressing in a pair of shorts and a ratty Quafflepunchers team tee shirt her father had passed on to her, she made her way down the hallway, peeking into the cracked bedroom door next to hers. Clothes, toys and books scattered the room. The bed was unmade and about 12 stuffed animals cluttered the other side that her younger sister didn't sleep in.
Calliope's shoes scuffed as she trod down the wood stairs, echoing through the high ceilings of their manor. She turned the corner just in time to see her parents break from a kiss. Her mom stood in front of the stove, a spatula gripped in her hand, poised midair. Her father's massive hand rested tenderly on her shoulder, a cup of coffee in the other. To the right, at the kitchen table, Bellamy's curly blonde hair swished to and fro, bobbing along with the movements of her head. Her legs swung, the heels of her dress up shoes slapping the rungs of the chair. Bellamy's face was wound with concentration, eyebrows furrowed so close they almost touched, the tip of her pink tongue stuck out just enough to tuck around her upper lip. She was coloring a page from the Daily Prophet comic section, the charmed caricature furiously trying to dodge her purple crayon. Calliope sat next to her sister, undetected, and placed the napkin from the table in her lap.
"Morning Ma," Calliope cooed as her mother placed a stack of steaming pancakes on her plate.
Her mother planted a kiss on the top of her head, "Good morning dear," she spoke as she snatched the newspaper out from under Bellamy's devilish hand. "Orange juice or apple juice?"
"Orange please," she said as the knife buttered her pancakes. She watched the cup in front of her fill just short of the brim with orange juice so cold that the glass perspired. Her father sat across from Bellamy, who quit pouting when a stack of pancakes plopped down in front of her with fresh berries and whipped cream to top it.
"Now that school is out for the summer what will you girls do?" Their father said, addressing them both, as the four of them began eating.
Bellamy, with as much excitement mustered by a ten-year-old possible, "I'd like to hunt dragons with you Papa!" her words garbled by the hunk of pancakes she had to work around. Mama shot her a disapproving look and she grinned sheepishly before taking a big gulp.
He gave a short chuckle, "Now Bellie, how many times do I have to tell you I don't hunt the dragons, I study them and take care of them and other magical creatures?"
"I think it'd be cooler if you brought the dragons home with you," she said with a playful tone.
"What about you dear, any exciting plans?" Mama spoke softly as she looked across the table at Calliope. Calliope pondered the question. What could she do this summer? Her only friend would be on holiday all summer and the boy she played with down the street was sent to an overseas boarding school.
She looked around the table at the faces of her family, "I'm not sure Mama. I would like to visit Flourish and Blotts if we could. I finished the books we picked up last week." Her mother's smile told her she answered well.
"You study too much. No wonder you don't have any friends." Bellamy barked.
"Bellamy, you be kind now and apologize. That was very rude," her father chastised the young girl. Bellamy glared at her sister as she apologized but did as she was told. The truth was the truth after all and that's how Bellamy saw it. Calliope couldn't be mad at her sister as much as she was hurt by how true it was. She turned over more pages than she ever had friends. In fact, Calliope could count the number of friends she'd had in her whole life on one hand, a total of three.
Her mother's voice drew Calliope out of her hurt. "Of course, we can go dear. In fact, why don't we go after breakfast? I need some new quills and there was a new book I heard about from Mrs. Levette that I'd like to pick up." With breakfast finished, dishes were making their way to the sink to wash themselves. Bellamy hopped out of her seat and trotted her way upstairs to wreak havoc through her clothing for the perfect outfit to wear.
"Cassius, would you like to have lunch with us today?" Aria asked her husband as she followed him to the door. Calliope could see them from her spot in the kitchen, just through the archway. She watched with tenderness in her heart as her mother helped her father put on his coat. He turned and with eyes closed, savored a kiss on her forehead.
"Love to," he declared just before he withdrew his wand from his belt and apparated with a pop. She smiled with a redness in her cheeks, a hand and dish towel clutched against her heart.
The summer air was warm and bordering on stiff when Aria, Calliope and a very fussy Bellamy made it to Diagon Alley just shy of 9:30 am.
"I want to go Sugarplum's Mama!" Bellamy whined, tugging at her mother's hand.
Her mother looked at her sternly, "If you promise to behave then I promise to get you a treat, but only if," her double sided promise clapped out among the bustling crowd.
Calliope always loved to visit Diagon Alley. It may even be her favorite place of all the wizarding world. People were always so jolly and cheerful to be here. Smiles as far as the eye could see, and bubbling laughter always erupted around every corner.
Gringott's glass dome glistened in the cheerful England sun as their mother took the girls by the hand and trotted down the path to it. Upon entering the cool, slightly musty building, Bellamy began to squawk and mother worried she'd say something rude at the counter. Aria pulled the girls to a small sitting area by the front door and plopped them down on the couch.
Aria Sinclair looked them sternly in the eye and wagged a finger at them as she stated, "a promise is a promise," then turned on her heel and got in line behind a lady with a hideous creature poking its head out the back of its carrying bag.
Bellamy picked at the beads on her skirt, wiggled endlessly in her seat and sighed about every three seconds it seemed while Calliope sat quietly and studied the room. It was a large room in a rectangular way with massive double doors at each end of the room. Pillars reached from the shiny marble floor displaying plenty of cracks, to the braces just under the pristine glassed dome that must have been faceted with charms or mirrors that enhanced the intensity of the light pouring in. Two work stations lined each side of the long room, on either side of the red velvet carpet lain down the middle. At the far end of the room, a heavy door was guarded by two bulky goblins while at each station, more goblins were busy counting currency or helping customers. At the entrance were two identical sets of sitting areas for those waiting. Bellamy and Calliope sat alone on the left side but across the way sat two men, both in robes.
A goblin in expensive looking robes approached them and greeted them kinder than that of their nature. The two men stood in unison. One man had on dark red robes and possessed the longest white hair and beard Calliope had ever seen on a person. He was old with plenty of wrinkles but his eyes, young and spritely, were hidden behind tiny spectacles perched on the end of his nose that most definitely had to be for show. In his hands, he held a small package wrapped in brown paper and twine. The man standing next to him looked younger by twenty some years with brown shoulder length hair that brushed against baby blue robes with golden thread embroidery. The two men followed this goblin to the far end of the room and watched, amused, as the goblin placed a fingernail into the door and zipped it around in a pattern he seemingly knew. The door popped open with a whoosh of cool air. Calliope was so focused she hadn't noticed her mother return until she stepped in the line of view. Calliope careened her head around to see what would happen next but her mother stepped in the way again to get a hold of Bellamy. By the time her mother moved toward the exit, the mysterious door had closed and the party of three was not to be seen. Calliope stood in place and stared at the door for a few seconds in curiosity before turning to chase after her family.
"Mama, can I get this one?" Bellamy asked loudly as they stood in Flourish and Blotts. She was drooling over a sugar quill while Aria looked through a jar of quills stashed atop a half bookshelf.
"I already told you no dear, now hush. We will go in a minute." Aria spoke sternly but quietly. The store wasn't as busy as normal today. Summer break tends to do that. Most children would rather be looking for activities to fill their days than books. The store had a few older witches and wizards perusing books and supplies throughout.
Bellamy's voice carried as her whiny pestering climbed higher and higher to an almost outright screech about the sugar quill. Mother began to reach for her just as Calliope walked away to avoid being seen with her bratty, hard to handle little sister and her panicking mother.
What books should I get this time? She thought to herself in an attempt to drown out the noise she was desperate to escape. She rounded a corner and scurried down an aisle of books. From her position here, the blubbering Bellamy was conjuring up was subdued. Calliope walked to the full wall of books at the back of the store. Resting her hand upon the spine of one she inhaled deeply, closing her eyes.
The sweet scent of the shop filled her nose but most importantly her heart. The warm scent of paper, old and new, the tart smell of the leather was almost tangy on her tongue, the bitter scent of the inkpots and the chalky dust that clung to everything gave her a rush each time she experienced it. Books had become her solace. They had many things to teach Calliope and so few little needed in return. They comforted her, nurtured her, befriended her. She carried herself down the row of books along the wall, eyes still closed until she caressed a book with a spine furry as a creature's. She pulled it from its spot and tucked it under her arm. She took a left back down an aisle and again traced the books eyes closed. This turn her hand touched a leather smoother than a slab of granite and almost as heavy. She too, took this book from its resting place and jumped to the other side of the aisle, heading back down the way to find one more. She continued her selection process until she wandered to the very last row of shelves in the middle and was worried she wouldn't find one until a hot zap at her fingers made her jump. Her eyes popped open and she ran her hands along the books in front of her until she found the culprit. The book was solid black with a glassy texture. The book had been enchanted to look like a stormy night on the cover, flashes of lightening and bellowing rolls of thunder included. The lightening must have been the zap she felt.
Just as her eyes were about to graze the title, her mother popped around the corner, Bellamy in tow. The child was red faced with tear streaks blazing a trail and soaking the collar of her shirt. She was huffing and standing as far away from mother as she could, considering they were holding hands. Aria looked more frazzled than Bellamy but was doing her best to hold it together. Her stocking had a tear and there was a child sized foot print on the toe of her shiny black high heel. A few wisps of hair had escaped the dungeon of her tightly wound bun.
"Let's go, your father is expecting us." She turned and walked quickly to the counter, her items floating delicately behind her. Calliope placed her books upon the counter with the other things and watched the clerk patiently as she chatted with mother. Bellamy tore her hand from Aria's and stomped her way to the front door, arms crossed and ready for war. Her mother completely ignored her, to Bellamy's dismay, who peeked out of the corner of her eye to see if she would chase after her. Calliope rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the shop clerk who was wrapping the items in paper and twine. A puzzled look crossed her face only for a moment when she glanced at the black electric book. She glanced at Aria who was chattering on about some recipe calling for an exotic beetle that she really wanted to try. The clerk glanced at Calliope while she finished wrapping the book, who just shrugged. The clerk declared the total, mother paid, and the items were apparated home.
Aria Sinclair trotted to the front door, bypassing Bellamy completely - without a glance, who slipped her hand in Calliope's. The girls followed their mother out into the street. Grabbing on to Calliope's hand, she apparated them all to the Ministry of Magic, where Cassius was waiting. He had his hands tucked in his pant pockets, his coat jacket pushed behind, and a massive smile plastered across his face. He took his wife's face in his hands and planted a powerful kiss on her. Her stress melted away with his touch. She took his hand and they walked to the entrance, Bellamy and Calliope following close behind.
Upon returning from lunch Aria immediately kicked off her shoes at the door and groaned loudly in protest as Bellamy stomped up the stairs.
"Be a dear and get my book from the kitchen," she asked of Calliope, who agreed happily. Her mother dragged herself over to the couch and laid down.
"Uh Mama, we- well I- have an owl." Calliope called from the kitchen, where she stood looking warily at the glistening black owl and thick parchment envelop on the table.
"That's nice dear, who from?" Aria called.
"Uh, it says Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Mama."
All themes, characters and storyline belong to JK after all it is her world- the rest of us are just living in it.
A/N: Please note that most characters and plots will remain the same, I am just providing a different imaginative point of view to our favorite story