Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. (Take this one time as covering the entire story, because I can and will forget to add it, undoubtedly.)

Author's Note: This is very outside of my usual writing style. Almost everything I do is first person, and the perspective will shift after this chapter. However, there is a lot of information to dump on you here, and not all of it is known by my main character. This a piece that (I think) will start in third year, after this chapter. I can write teenagers, but small children are hard, which is why this isn't in first person. Sally-Anne Perks is a canon character, with one mention in the first Harry Potter book, who then vanishes, never to be mentioned again. I don't think she's even in the character list for Fanfiction . Net. So, because I'm essentially going to consider her canon characterization a blank slate, I'm going to list this under Original Character (for now). I'm going off the books (which I haven't read in several years), so any info or canon not in the books is going to be considered a suggestion. The story should pick up a bit in the next chapter.

Perks, Sally-Anne: Chapter One-Introductions

/There weren't many people left now. "Moon" "Nott" "Parkinson" then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil" then "Perks, Sally-Anne" and then, at last - "Potter, Harry!"/ (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 7)

/Ten minutes later, Professor Flitwick called, "Parkinson, Pansy - Patil, Padma - Patil, Parvati - Potter, Harry."/ (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 31)

Sally-Anne Perks of Number Seven Owl Court Road was not much different from other girls her age (on the outside, at least), excepting that she had a very serious face for so young a child. Her cold, silver eyes seemed to stare right through you, going off into forever. They were cold, ghost eyes, inherited from her late mother, Constance Rogers-Perks.

Constance had been considered an aloof beauty in her youth, one of those people who seemed to be only temporarily before your eyes, before vanishing like a dream. She had been tall, with raven hair and an alabaster complexion, resembling an old-fashioned cameo more than a person. Sally-Anne had very little of her mother in her looks, excepting her eyes, and a strong, determined chin of someone stubbornly used to getting their own way.

Sally-Anne's cheeks were rosy, almost ruddy, and it took no effort at all to turn her face into a bright, unbecoming blush. She had her father's dark blonde hair and round face. She was a bit short for her age, but at only ten (soon to be eleven) years old, she had plenty of years to grow taller.

Leonard Perks sometimes had trouble meeting his daughter's eyes, and this troubled him to no end. He had loved Constance, in a desperate way, and by some miracle fluke of fate she had loved him back. However, Constance had died in a car accident seven years previously, and he had been devastated.

It was only at the funeral that Leonard had finally met Constance's parents, who had disapproved of their union heartily, and learned why: Constance Rogers was a witch. And when they learned that the two had had a daughter, they fought him for custody.

Mr. and Mrs. Rogers didn't like Muggles, more so really that they didn't trust what they couldn't understand. After living through World War II, and the Wizarding War with Grindelwald, they had retired from any and all interactions with Muggles. They had seen enough of life's cruelty's to last a lifetime. And they had thought they had successfully saved their daughter Constance from Muggle influence. At 30 years old, she had been a successful Healer, perhaps not widely praised or famous, but truly competent at her job. She had a passion for helping people, and that had been her downfall (in their eyes).

In truth, Leonard Perks did not really know about his first meeting with Constance. An illegally obtained dragon had gotten loose on his college campus, and he had been taken to St. Mungo's for treatment, where he was attended by Constance, who fell in love with him over the two months he spent in the Hospital. At the end of that time, his memories were taken, and he was returned to the Muggle World, believing he had only been in an unfortunate chemistry accident that blew up the entire building.

Constance was the sort of woman who went after what she wanted, her parents' expectations and society's feelings be damned. Leonard had unknowingly wooed her with his bright, upbeat attitude, love of astronomy, and tendency for corny pick-up lines of an academic tenor. It didn't matter to her that she was six years older than him, or that he could never know about where she had spent her formative years. She loved him, and she was willing to move heaven and earth to get him back.

Six months later, Constance found Leonard again, for what he would come to believe was their first meeting. She had found him at a local pub, having a drink with his friends, and she had walked up, all nerves inside, and told him that she would be buying him a drink, and then they would fall in love and spend the rest of their rest lives together. It wasn't her beauty that convinced Leonard to have a drink with this strange woman, it was the absolute conviction in her eyes that she believed every word she said. And so they had their drink, and then arranged their first date, and slowly, ever so slowly, Leonard came to love Constance as surely and as fully as she loved him.

They got married four years later, and an additional two years after that, they welcomed their daughter, Sally-Anne Seraph Perks, to the world.

However, even the greatest happiness in the world must come to an end. At 40 years old, Constance Rogers-Perks was hit by a car while jogging in their neighborhood. The injuries had been severe, but could have been cured by magic, if only Constance's parents hadn't disowned her because of her choice in a husband. This knowledge, imparted to him by Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, haunted Leonard as he raised his daughter as a single parent.

Leonard Perks tried his very best to be a loving and involved parent, but sometimes he was just a bit too distant, and it was this behavior that had led to Sally-Anne's serious, somber nature. She was careful, in a way that children shouldn't have to be careful, of making her father worry. She never strayed far from the front lawn, even when her neighborhood friends went on adventures. She never swam in rivers, or climbed trees, or accepted dares. The one time she had fallen off her bicycle and broke her arm, her father hadn't slept for a week. And so Sally-Anne grew up somber, serious, and very careful.

…

April 15th, 1991

The letter had come by owl, just as Mr. and Mrs. Rogers had warned it would. Despite the fear in his heart of the unknown, Leonard felt a glowing pride. Sally-Anne, his little Sally-Anne was a witch, and would learn how to do amazing things. He hadn't had the heart to break the seal, wanting Sally-Anne to have the pleasure for herself, but he knew what it would say. In his hands he held the golden ticket to his daughter's future, and a selfish part of him, tucked away into the darkest corner of his soul, had a momentary urge to burn the letter, hide it away, and keep his daughter at home with him. But, it was no good. All children had to grow up sometime, and the longer he tried to keep her as a child, the faster she would grow up.

There was another letter with the first, addressed to him. He hadn't known that one was coming. Leonard had been sitting at the kitchen table since midnight, slowly sipping coffee that grew more stale and colder by the hour. His letter was much longer, also from the deputy Headmistress, attempting to explain the situation to him, and saying that a representative from the school would be along later today to help clear things up, and answer all of his questions. The green ink had been written with a careful hand, and it comforted Leonard only a little. As soon as she woke up, his daughter's life would be changing drastically, and he was afraid of being left behind in the dust of the boring, normal Muggle World.

...

September 1st, 1991

The train ride had been quiet, uneventful, and a bit lonely. Sally-Anne wasn't unused to being on her own, but there was a stark difference between being by herself, and being alone. Having thought ahead, she had brought a book for the ride, but she had finished it several hours ago. After changing into her robes, there was little for her to do except stare out the window at the blurred darkening scenery.

People walked up and down the train, past the door to her compartment almost constantly, but no one had looked in (no one other than a girl and a boy looking for a lost toad, which Sally-Anne hadn't seen.) It was almost easy to forget that she existed entirely as the world moved on around her.

The train stopped with a bit of thump that almost knocked her out of her seat.

Sally-Anne left her luggage on the train, as she saw the other students doing. The train station was dark and crowded, most of the students making their way towards a long line of carriages. At the other end of the station, however, was a glowing lantern, and a loud, booming voice calling out: "Firs' years follow me! This way!"

Following the little mob of other first years down a deep stairway and a steeper path, Sally-Anne could just see lots of little boats in the silvery moonlight, each with a dim lantern at the front. The lake glistened in the night, and a cool breeze sent goosebumps up her arms. Normally, she avoided boats. She'd never been in one herself, but they sounded dangerous. However, it appeared that she would just have to suck it up.

Squished into a boat with two other occupants, Sally-Anne was so focused on being careful and absolutely miserable, that she almost missed her initial view of Hogwarts Castle. It was only as everyone else gasped in awe, that she finally looked up from her white-knuckled hands, gripping the side of the boat for dear life.

Hogwarts looked almost exactly as a school of magic should, glowing in a friendly, inviting manner, while still maintaining a dark and mysterious exterior. In a way, it reminded her of her father. A professor at the local college, Leonard Perks had obtained a reputation of strictness and severity after his wife's death, however, there was no denying the love and warmth in his eyes as he smiled at his daughter. Those warm, glowing windows reminded her of her father's eyes.

After that lovely scenic view, the boat ride was over almost too quickly. They all ducked their heads as they went under a curtain of ivy, and quickly disembarked from the boats. The large man with the lantern led them up a rough stone stair, and into a side chamber of some kind, where a familiar woman awaited them.

Though it had been several months, Sally-Anne hadn't forgotten how intimidating Professor McGonagall was. She wore emerald green robes, and a tall hat.

"Thank you, Hagrid. That will be all," Professor McGonagall said. Turning towards the first years, McGonagall seemed to size them up for a long moment, before she continued speaking. "Welcome to Hogwarts. Now, in a few moments you will pass through these doors and join your classmates, but before you take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now while you're here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points. Any rule breaking, and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup."

The sorting went almost too quickly, going in Alphabetic order. A fairly even number of students seemed to end up in each house, and Sally-Anne wondered what happened if one year, a house didn't get any new students at all? Surely it had happened once or twice. Or imagine, being the only student in a House in that year? The idea was terribly lonely.

Finally, it was her turn.

"Perks, Sally-Anne!"

Now that it was time to move forward, Sally-Anne found that her knees had turned to jelly. She almost wished that she had never come, with all those eyes looking at her. Sally-Anne took a deep breath, and pushed her shoulders back. She climbed up the steps and sat on the stool, placing the Hat on her head, forcing none of her hesitation to show. Chin up, eyes defiant, the brim of the hat blocked her view of the rest of the school.

"Hmmmm." A voice seemed to whisper in her ear.

"You've a very strong spirit, you know. Fiercely independent… And, ho! When you put your mind to something, you're quite formidable!" The hat drawled slowly, as if it hadn't a care in the world. Sally-Anne wondered how long she would have to sit here.

"You're very bright, a quick mind. Quite clever. But not a Ravenclaw, I think. You would stagnate there, among too many others just like you. No, what you need is something very different."

"I thought you were supposed to place us based on what we are, not what we need," Sally-Anne whispered quietly to the Hat.

"I've been sorting students for a thousand years," the Hat said. "Sometimes, people don't fit best in the place you think they belong. Sometimes, all people need is a chance to grow," the Hat pondered. "But where to put you?"

With a tug of the heart, Sally-Anne thought of her father, all alone in their house on Owl Court Road. Home, she thought. Home is where I belong.

"Well, well, well. I think you'll do well in… HUFFLEPUFF!"

The last word was shouted loud enough for the rest of the Great Hall to hear, and Sally-Anne Perks joined that table to scattered applause.

Author's Note: Ending it here. Going to skip ahead a bit. Everyone knows what happens in first and second year. Please leave any suggestions that you have. I'd love to hear what you think. No promises on when the next chapter will be up. I'm fairly inconsistent at updating.

P.S. I swear it's going to get better once I switch to first person perspective. I am seriously out of my element here.