A/N: I started this story a looooooooong time ago and decided to start writing it again!

NEW AND IMPROVED!!!! If these chapters aren't long enough, just tell me. Also, I hope to update weekly. I might be able to put another up this weekend, though, if I get enough reviews!!! Hint hint

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing that you recognize!! (Except the plot. If you've seen that before, then it's purely a coincidink! I haven't seen it though, so I think I'm ok.)

OK! On with the story!!!

When Harry's parents died and the scar was made on Harry's forehead, someone halfway across the world screamed out in agony. Whenever Harry was hurt by Dudley, someone halfway across the world felt a stab of pain. Whenever Harry got close to dementors, or Harry fainted or slept and saw visions, someone halfway across the world saw the same thing. Who was this person that saw what Harry saw and felt what Harry felt? Her name was Maria Calder.

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It was a hot July evening and Maria Calder was sitting outside the muggle orphanage thinking. The headmaster of some school in England had sent her a letter asking her to come to the school at the start of term. She had not actually read the letter, but it was told to her by one of the adults that it was 'a boarding school in England.' "Why me?" she thought. Maria had always wanted to go live in England as a young girl, but she also really liked the girl's orphanage where she lived. It was a small orphanage, with just 30 girls, and everybody was friendly. Yeah, there were the dreaded chores that had to be done, but everybody usually cooperated and the chores were finished quite quickly. Yes, it did get lonesome at times because there were only 4 people who headed the orphanage and they were usually busy, but when they had time, they spent all of it trying to keep the girls happy. Maria Calder didn't want to leave her friends and safety at the orphanage, but her sense of adventure along with something else that she couldn't explain told her to go. In the end the latter side won and she went to tell the headmistress of the orphanage that she would like to go to the school.

The headmistress then sat Maria down in her office and said, "I'm glad that you have decided to go. You are probably wondering why you were chosen. ::long pause:: When you first came here, I knew that there was something different about you. You had a mystical type of sense about you. You were incredibly smart for a girl your age, and you learned faster than the others. As you have grown, your knowledge has increased. I finally made the connection between your abilities, the unexplained happenings wherever you were, and a special talent. I talked to a friend of mine, Professor Minerva McGonagall, about you just this past year. She is the deputy headmistress at Hogwarts, the school to which you were invited to attend. I told her about your unexpected turns at random times. She and the headmaster at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore did some detective work and discovered that you are a special child. You see, Hogwarts is not just any ordinary school, nor is Minerva any normal person. There is a world that is hidden and sheltered from most people. It is the world of wizardry. I know that it seems hard to believe that there are real wizards, but it is true. I am a squib. That means I was born into a magical family, but I am unable to do magic myself. Hogwarts is a school of witchcraft and wizardry, and Minerva is a witch. Not a witch like in fairy tales, but a real, live, friendly witch. You will meet her tonight. The three of us are going to go out for dinner tonight. You will learn more then, but I beg you not to go blabbing to your peers about this. The world of wizardry is a secret world.

She and the headmistress discussed everything about what her new life would be like. They talked about everyday things that the wizards don't use and ordinary wizarding things that muggles didn't have. Mrs. Newan told Maria about people in pictures moving, and ghosts, and apparating, and floo powder. They talked extensively about a game called quidditch, which maria took special interest in. She thought the position of chaser sounded fun. The headmistress showed Maria some chocolate frogs and licorice wands that she had just recently gotten as a present. Maria found the frogs to be really funny. Finally, at four o'clock, she went to her room to get ready.

2 hours later, Maria was ready for dinner. All the other girls in the orphanage took great delight in dressing Maria up. The headmistress, Mrs. Newan, visited the clothing store and got her a new dress. It was a pale green that looked wonderful on her skin that was really tan from being outside all summer. It fell just below the knees, and it ended in folds. Her long, curly, black hair had been done up in a glorious bun in such a way that it brought out her natural burgundy highlights and was tied off with white ribbons. Being in an orphanage, she had never gone out to eat before and had only worn simple clothes because they were always short on money. Now, though, she felt simply beautiful. This Professor McGonagall lady was paying for everything, even the clothes. She was ecstatic and her only regret was that the other girls could not go with her.

Only after she was completely ready did she begin to think about how her life was about to change. She sat alone on her bed in the room that she shared with 2 others, wondering what she was getting into, not knowing if she'd rather have what she was about to leave behind. Mrs. Newan had told her that if she did decide to go, she would have to leave tomorrow, bright and early. She felt a headache coming on. She didn't mind to much- they came a lot. Just then, her best friend/roommate Francesca came in.

"Hey. Are you ok? You don't usually like to be alone." Francesca said gingerly.

"I'm fine, I'm just thinking about tonight and I have a bit of a headache"

"Are you going to be ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine, its not too bad. I think I'll take some Tylenol. That usually helps." I had another reason for taking Tylenol. Sometimes when these headaches came, I had strange dreams. I had never seen the people in them before, but they seemed real. I had told Francesca about this once or twice, but she didn't seem to think anything weird about it. When I started taking Tylenol just after the headache started, the visions didn't come. I didn't want them to disrupt me tonight.

"Why do you want to go to this school, anyway? Don't you have everything that you need here? And what about me and the other girls? We will all miss you. You are like a big sister to many of them and you definitely add a lot of livelihood to chore time." She sounded a little hurt. I thought about what Mrs. Newan had said about not telling anything to my other "sisters" as I liked to call them, but then I thought of how much my friendship with Francesca meant to me. She and I were the same age and we had both arrived at the orphanage when we were one. I never remember not being best friends with her. We shared just about everything with each other, whether they were clothes or secrets. She had always been there for me when I had those horrible headaches. Whenever I woke up in the night because of a bad dream, she was right there by my side, soothing me. She always kept it a secret from the other girls which made me happy. (Our roommate, Jenny, is a really sound sleeper, so she never woke up. I felt Frannie deserved to know.

"Frannie, you have to listen to me. You can't, under any circumstance, tell anyone what I am about to tell you. Mrs. Newan would KILL me if she found out I had even told you."

"Ok, ok. Just tell me."

"You know how there was that one time when I got really mad at Dianne because she had been picking on little Mary? Well, it was because I was mad that the vase she was holding shattered. And remember when you and I were really happy because we had gotten those Barbies for Christmas back when we were six and the Christmas tree rose a couple of inches off the ground? That was because I was really happy. You see, I just found out today that I'm a witch."

"A what?!?"

"I'm a witch, you know, like I can do magic and stuff. But it's not everything that you think it is. There are certain limits, even to witchcraft."

"Wait. You don't mean like gothic, cultishness, do you? Like voodoo and stuff? Because if you do, then I'm not letting you go."

"No, no it's nothing like that. Apparently, there is a whole race of witches and wizards out there."

"How come we've never seen them before if there are a lot of them?"

"They choose to keep themselves hidden from muggles."

"Muggawhats?"

"Muggles, their name for non-wizards."

"Weird."

"Well, when the muggles did know about them, they were persecuted, so you can understand why they remain secretive. Think about the Salem Witch Trials."

"I still don't know if I'm comfortable with you running off to some foreign country to learn magic tricks."

"C'mon, Frannie. This is my chance to amount to something. And no one's parents are at the boarding school, so I'll fit in really well. And I promise to come home over the holidays and summer vacation."

"Ok, whatever. Go run off and leave me behind."

I realized she was jealous of me. "I only wish you could come, too. I'm really going to miss you. I promise to write lots."

"I know. Sorry, it's just I don't know what life will be like without you."

"You'll get used to it. You'll be fine," I reassured her.

Just then, Mrs. Newan called up the stairs, "Maria, we have to go, or else we'll be late."

"I'll be back later toight, ok?"

"Ok, have a good time!" After one last hug, I ran out the door.

Halfway around the world, in a small town in Britain, a boy with jet black hair was finally settling down to go to sleep. He had been tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable for the last hour. (A/N: Remember, there is a 4-hour time difference between the US and Britain, so when it is 6'oclock Maria's time, it is midnight in Britain.) Why was he tossing and turning? Well, all the horrible events of the last year and years prior were flashing through his mind. The face of Lord Voldemort coming out of the back of Professor Quirrels' head. The huge Basilisk bearing down upon him and the feeling of poison running through his blood. The detentions with Dumbridge kept playing through his mind while he vividly remembered the excruciating pain of carving "I must not tell lies" into the back of his own hand. There was the time when he and his whole astronomy class witnessed the attack of his friend, Hagrid, and teacher, Professor McGonagal. He saw his friends getting injured in the Department of Mysteries for his own sake. All these images were terrible, but worst of all, were the two that kept coming back again and again. He saw Cedric Diggory being hit with that dreadful curse, Avadra Kedavra, and he saw his godfather. His godfather falling. Falling into the black archway, never to be seen again. He felt deep remorse for these two memories, and no matter how hard he tried to shove them out of his mind, they kept coming back. And the more he saw them, the more he felt that he was to blame. Finally, at about 12:30, he fell asleep.

The headmistress had called a taxi to take them from the orphanage to the restaurant. It was only a mile away, a distance they usually walked to get anywhere. Maria asked Mrs. Newan why they weren't walking and she said, "Well, we wouldn't want to ruin your nice, new outfit, would we?" I sensed that she wasn't telling me something, but decided it was best not to argue.

When we arrived at The Chicago Grill, the hostess immediately seated us, telling us that the other member of our party had already arrived. She led us to the back where they had a private room set up. It was small and cozy. After seating us, the hostess left, closing the door on her way out. There, at the table, a woman, who appeared to be middle-aged, sat daintily. Her hair was back in a tight bun and she had thin glasses on. Her dress was most beautiful, and her posture was nothing less than perfect. I immediately thought her to be strict. I would have gone straight back out the door if Mrs. Newan hadn't been there. She was the first to talk.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall, it's very good to see you. I would like you to meet my student, Maria. Maria, this is Professor McGonagall."

"How do you do?" she asked in a rich British accent.

"I'm wonderful, thank you very much," I answered.

"Good."

"Maria, there is much I must talk to you about tonight. Let's order quickly and then we shall get started. Do you know what you want?"

I looked down at the menu for the first time. Never had I seen so many choices in my life! I didn't even know what some of these things were. I finally decided on steak because at the orphanage, they rarely had it and I loved it. Professor McGonagall called the waiter in by pressing a button on the wall. He took their orders and then left. Professor McGonagall then took out a thin rod and said some words under her breath. Suddenly, a greenish tint filled the room for a few brief seconds. A boatload of questions entered her brain and were threatening to spill out of her mouth. After the light died down, Prof. McGonagall began to speak.

"Maria, what I just did was a simple spell that prevents anyone besides us three from hearing what we say. What I just used was my wand. As you know, I am the Deputy headmistress at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is the top school of its kind in the world with the best headmaster it has ever seen. We usually take only select students and they usually come from the United Kingdom, but we are more than willing to accept you because we can tell that you have the potential to become a great witch. Patricia, my friend and your headmistress, first informed me of your abilities a few months ago. I think it was some incident to do with levitating a Christmas Tree?" a small smile played on her lips. I grinned at the memory. "So you remember this?"

"Yes. As if it was yesterday."

"Tell me, how were you feeling when it happened?"

"Immense joy. I had just received the present I had always wanted- a Barbie doll."

"I see. Yes, that makes sense. Often times, that is how we find muggle-born witches. Usually, an untrained witch will have unusual things happen when they feel great emotion. It happens in everyone with magic blood. The more powerful the emotional magic, as it's called, the higher there natural capacity for power. In your case, levitating a Christmas Tree at the age of 5 is amazing. Prof. Dumbledore and I both agree that you have great potential, which is why we really want you to come to Hogwarts."

I looked at her curiously and asked, "How does the education system at Hogwarts work?" She seemed surprised at my question.

"Well, usually, a student begins school at the age of 11 and then continues for seven years until the age of 18. Because you are only starting now, we will put you in an accelerated program so that by halfway through the year, you will be at the same level as your peers. Term officially starts September 1, but we will ask you to start now as you have a lot of work to do. That is why you must leave tomorrow."

I thought about it in my mind. Tomorrow was July 10. That was over a month and a half before the rest of her peers would be arriving. Wouldn't it get a little lonely?

As if reading my mind, Prof. McGonagall said, "We were hoping that a girl the same age as you, Hermione Granger, could tutor you before school starts and maybe part of the way into the year. She is the top witch in her class and is very nice."

Visions went through my head of a nerd with big glasses and pants that went up to her belly button and pencils behind her ear. I almost said no, but decided I could ditch her as soon as school began. Instead, I turned to Mrs. Newan and said, "Well, I think I have decided to go."

"One thing before you set your heart on it. Currently, there is an evil wizard named Lord Voldemort who is trying to take over the world. Our forces are doing all we can to stop him, but as of right now, we don't have enough people to resist against him. We were actually kind of hoping that you would join our side to help defeat him. We need everyone we can get, and with your potential, you could be a valuable asset. At least once you get trained up a bit. Before school starts, you will be staying at our Headquarters to protect you from attack."

"Wait a minute, the real reason you want me to go is so that I can add to your forces? This war doesn't even affect me right now. Isn't that kind of using me?"

"If Voldemort takes over the wizarding world, there is no doubt that he will move on to the muggle world. That means either way it will affect you, it's just a matter of whether he gets stopped before he ruins the whole world."

I could see her point, so I agreed.

"Wonderful, darling," Ms. Newan said. "I knew you had it in you!" The two of them began to talk about arrangements for the next morning. Apparently, Maria and Prof McGonagall were to go shopping for her supplies and then go straight to Headquarters.

On the ride home in the taxi, the two of them talked a lot.

"Do you really trust this Prof. McGonagall lady?"

"I would trust her with my life. I personally saw the beginnings of this war and it was not a pretty sight. Soon after he began to gain power, I fled to the muggle world, but I kept in contact with Professor McGonagall. She is a wonderful person, along with Headmaster Dumbledore."

"Ok, I'm still really afraid to do this."

"Maria, it was your choice to go to the school in the first place. You will be able to come back over Christmas and the summer. I know that I will miss you and I know that your friends will miss you, but it was a good choice. There is a whole world to be discovered at this school. I'm glad you accepted the offer."

With that, the taxi pulled into the orphanage driveway and they got out.

"Now you must get some sleep, dear. You have a big day tomorrow." And, with a big yawn, Maria went up the stairs.