Prelude: This isn't a new story. It was formerly called Patience Princess Victoria and I wrote it in grade eight. It showed. This character, even now, is still stuck in my head. At what's not to love about her? She's a child genius, powerful witch, and fighting not only to be loved, but to make a name for herself in a world that really seems to revolve around her brother. Bring in the fact that she's illegitimate, her father is a controversial figure, and she has a lot to hide. This is one of those stories I just need to tell; this is it. The next chapter used to be the first chapter, and this one is new. Enjoy. Note that this is a new account, as my old email and password have been compromised.

Moving Forward

Victoria Evans sighed as she stood looking at the sign saying 'Platform Nine and Three Quarters.' Today she would get to go to Hogwarts. Today she would meet her father, her real, live, conscious father.

And Harry. I'll get to meet Harry!

Victoria gazed over at her guardians, Ann and Rod. They were whispering to each other, no doubt glad that they would get a break from running around after the child who managed to transfigure the kitchen table into a pig when they tried to give her fibre cereal when she'd wanted bacon for breakfast when she was nine. That was only a year after she got her first wand – taken from some unsuspecting wizard, who probably still wondered what had happened to it. Once the wand was hers she took advantage of it. Once she'd gotten used to controlling her magic, and using the wand with nonverbal magic, she'd moved on to wand-less magic, and currently she was perfecting her nonverbal wand-less magic, among other things. Given the choice, she still used her wand, as spells and enchantments seemed to have more power that way.

"Stand by the train," Ann said, waving her camera, "another picture for your scrapbook."

Smiling, Victoria stood tall (for her age anyway) and proud, giggling as the Hogwarts Express emitted some steam just as Ann clicked the photo for her. She wondered, briefly, as she moved over to see the picture come out of the camera, how the other kids felt with their parents. She had only ever known Ann and Rod in that way; they took care of her to the best of their abilities. Somehow it wasn't the same. It was more like they were hers to get what she needed from to thrive while her own parents couldn't give that to her.

"Before you get on the train," Rod started, pulling her aside, "be careful. Severus Snape is a very closed man. Understandable-"

"Rod! I've heard it all already. Let me go on the train now, I want to get a good seat."

"Okay, okay!" Rod said. "You want to be rid of us."

Ann laughed, "We'll write every week okay. And if anything happens-"

"Thanks Ann, Rod," Victoria said, pulling her small suitcase behind her as she headed to the train. Undetectable extension charms are very useful.

Once on the train, Victoria found an empty compartment, and stared out the window to see that Rod and Ann were already leaving.

Victoria decided to focus instead on a family of red heads; the perfect image of family, of love.

"Where are Ron and Harry?" The mother said, gazing around.

"Probably on the train dear," The father said.

How sweet.

"Mummy," a girl with beautiful red hair said, "can I get on the train now?"

"Of course dear," the mother said, "Fred, George, will you take her trunk on the train? And I mean it when I say I do not want another letter from Dumbledore about the trouble you two cause."

"That reminds me," one of two red-headed twins said, presumably Fred or George, "We still need to do something with the Hogwarts toilet seat that Madam Pomfrey wouldn't allow into the Hospital wing.

The girl started laughing, as her brothers pulled the her trunk along and lifted it onto the train, in the closest entrance to where Victoria was. Several moments later the girl was peaking into Victoria's compartment.

"Hey," she said, "can I sit here?"

"Of course!" Victoria said, smiling, "I'm Victoria. What's your name?"

"Ginny," she said, pulling her trunk in.

"Is this your first year?"

"Yes," Ginny said, "is it yours?"

"Yeah," Victoria said, "but I've done loads of magic already."

"I haven't done much," Ginny said, "but mostly accidental magic to help me deal with all my brothers. I've got six."

Victoria laughed. "I've got one brother but I've never met him. I will today I think."

"How come you don't know him?"

"We, uh, have different fathers," Victoria said, her cheeks turning a light pink.

"Oh," Ginny said, "well so far all my brothers are in Gryffindor, so there's a lot of pressure for me to get in."

"My mother was a Gryffindor," Victoria said, smiling again.

Soon the train was moving, and Victoria and Ginny had changed into their school robes. When the train stopped, Ginny and Victoria went in a boat with a boy named Colin, who seemed to be taking pictures of everything, and a girl named Mandy.

"I can't believe it." Victoria said, "there's Hogwarts."

"We're here!"

As magical as life had been before, nothing held such promise as the sight of the castle over the lake.