Chapter One: The Letter

Ellamae Knight was a very lonely child. She had no friends and she was very rarely allowed to leave her house in Godric's Hollow. She cleaned all day while her father was at work, and at night she had no choice but to endure her father's wrath and the pain he inflicted upon her. Her father, Ignius Knight, did not love his daughter. The only reason he kept her around was so that he could force to do whatever he so desired. She was his slave. And if she did not fulfill his wishes, no matter how extreme or unattainable they tended to be, he would torture her. He especially liked to use the cruciatus curse.

Ellamae, despite being rather young, was a very intelligent child. She had, on several occasions, attempted to run away. Her father always found her. The beatings she received then were particularly brutal.

Ellamae was tall and rather skinny. She was underfed as her father rarely cared enough to actually feed her, and when he did, it was normally only scraps. Ellamae had long deep red hair and dark blue eyes that nearly looked violet. She was actually rather pretty, despite being bruised most of the time and having several scars.

She always dreamed of escaping her father, of never having to see him again. This, she knew, would probably never happen. She read fairy tales, like the Fountain of Fair Fortune and would wish that there really was such a fountain, that she could actually have fair fortune forever more. But, alas, such a fountain did not exist.

At this point, you may wonder what Ellamae's relationship was with her mother. Her mother had died when Ellamae was only 6 years old. She had died of a terrible illness that no healer could even diagnose. Ellamae had loved her mother very much and her mother had loved her. Her mother, Eleanora Knight, née Stafford, had been a very kind woman and a brilliant witch. Her death had been a tragedy and was very hard on Ellamae. Her father, grief-stricken, had taken out his pain and frustration on Ellamae. The poor child had already been through enough, what with losing her mother at such a tender age! The young girl was heartbroken! Ignius did not seem to care about what she felt, he cared only for himself.

Ellamae swept the floors while her father was at work. She needed to make sure the house was clean, lest her father beat her again. She had to make sure there was not a speck of dust or dirt on the floor. Then the young girl paused.

"Hey, I'm 11 today." she said aloud, realising that it was, in fact, her birthday. She smiled sadly for a moment and then went back to cleaning, singing quietly as she did so.

Just then, a large brawny owl flew in through the open window and landed on the table next to where Ellamae was sweeping. She noticed that the owl, which looked rather professional, had an envelope in its mouth. She went over to the owl and took the letter. She was surprised to see that her name was on the envelope. But then, with wide eyes, she noticed the crest in the top corner of the envelope, which had a lion, a snake, a badger, and an eagle, as well as a motto: draco dormiens nunquam titillandus, never tickle a sleeping dragon. In the centre of this crest was a large H. Her hands were trembling as she opened the letter and read the following:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Ms. Knight,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Ellamae stood there, holding the letter, her mouth gaping open. She would finally get to leave her father and go to Hogwarts! Her father had convinced her that she would never get to go, that she wasn't good enough, but... well, she was holding her acceptance letter, was she not? She flipped to the next page, a large smile on her face.

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)

by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic

by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory

by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration

by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi

by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions

by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection

by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK

Yours sincerely,

Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus

Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions

Her smile vanished. There was no way her father would buy any of these for her... what would she do? She doubted that her father would even let her go to Hogwarts. She sighed sadly before grabbing a quill, ink, and some parchment from her father's desk. She wrote,

Dear Professor Minerva McGonagall,

As much as I would love to attend Hogwarts, I do not believe that I will be able to. My father would never allow me to go, and even if he did, he certainly wouldn't buy me the books and equipment required.

Sincerely,

Ellamae Knight

Ellamae waited until the ink had dried and she rolled it up and, using a bit of string she'd found, she tied it to the leg of the owl, who seemed to have been waiting for her response. The owl hooted before flying back out the window. Ellamae put the quill and ink back where she'd found them and continued to clean, not realising that she had a bit of ink on her hands.

By the time her father came home that night, she had finished her cleaning. She looked over, fear in her eyes, as the door opened and in stepped her father. He looked around the spotless house, trying to find something wrong with it. Finding nothing, Ignius walked over to Ellamae.

"H-Hello father..." she stuttered as he towered over her. Ignius took notice of the letter on the table. More importantly, he noticed the envelope next to it.

"So you've been reading my mail, have you?" he growled.

"N-no, it was addressed t-to me."

"A likely story." he said sarcastically as he walked over to the table and picked up the letter. He recognised it at once as a Hogwarts letter. "You aren't going."

"I kn-know father." she replied quietly. He walked back over to her and handed her the letter. "Go throw it in the fire." he ordered. Ellamae hesitated. "I said, go throw it in the fire!" He brought his fist back, as if to hit her. Ellamae shielded her face with her hands. Ignius noticed the ink on them. "You stole my ink."

"N-no..."

"Yes, you did."

"I was just wr-writing to H-Hogwarts to tell them that I w-wouldn't be going..."

Ignius struck her. Even though he was a wizard that knew many harmful spells, he still enjoyed beating his daughter the muggle way. Ellamae whimpered in pain.

"Shut up." he hissed. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at her. "Crucio!" Ellamae collapsed into a heap, shrieking in pure agony. Then there was a knock at the door. Ignius quickly put his wand away. Ellamae remained in a heap on the ground.

Ignius walked over to the door and opened it. Standing there, in his midnight blue robes and with his long silver beard flapping slightly in the breeze, was Albus Dumbledore.

A/N And thus concludes the first chapter of my first HP fanfic. Please review and tell me what you thought!