A/N: Title name is pending. Hi. So I usually don't like to leave long chapter notes, but I feel like this story needs one. I'm not sure how many people will be interested in this, but it's part of a challenge I accepted. I am part of a writers group in my city. Once a month, we draw a project out of a hat for a writing challenge. This one is going to be a little hard for me, and I may change things up a bit. The funny thing is, this is the challenge I put in as an idea. I had no idea that it would be me who would draw it. So I guess I was meant to write it.

My challenge: Create a character either for a fandom or in your own story, and write a diary entry each day (or as many as you can. We realize that people have real life responsibilities) for a year. It doesn't need to be the current year. Just make sure to put the real date at the top of the entry, just as long as it does go over a real year.

So, I've decided to write an OC Hogwarts student Post Battle of Hogwarts. I've talked to members of my group, and while I am going to see if I can just do an entry for the first year from now, until June (or whenever Hogwarts students get off) I might end up aging them if I find the first year boring to write about every day (or when I can get an entry in) but I'll do my best. I've decided to have it set in the year 2000 because that is about the time I grew up in. I feel like I can write through someone's voice better around that time frame rather than now. Although if I like this challenge enough, I might do one for 2018/2019 someday or whatever the years are.

So the reason for this long explanation is that I used to spend a lot of time on this site years ago. I know how people feel about OC's. So I wanted to explain what this is, especially since it's written through diary entries which means it's going to be first person. I've talked to my writing group, and I am allowed to change it up to third person sometimes as long as I explain and if it's part of a diary entry. This is all for fun, and I am doing this to get back into writing. It has been years since I've really written anything, probably since 2010, like my stories under this account suggest. So there might be a lot of errors, but I did install grammarly, so hopefully it catches it. I love writing, and I want to get back into it. That's why I joined my writing group. They'll likely be reading this (I hope you will :) ) and reviewing it. Mainly, this is just to challenge myself. I do work midnights, and I do have a young child and a few cats. So I may not get to it every day if someone enjoys it. I will try my best not to write a Mary-Sue! I know that's the biggest worry with OC's.

So since I'm over a month late since September first, I am going to add a September first entry, and then the next entry will be starting from October eighth summarizing the last month. I think I may even do a third person chapter after Oct 8th, but I haven't decided yet. Hopefully, I can the British school system right.

I am very sorry for the long explanation. I hope you do enjoy.

Friday, September first, 2000

I never thought I'd actually be writing in this thing. When Karen gave this to me at the end of the last school year, I put it on my bookshelf and I didn't touch it again until I packed it. Karen is my older sister, she's starting Year Nine. She told me that she wouldn't be able to get through secondary school without a journal, and she expected I couldn't either. I could understand maybe she can't, but she is also one of the most popular girls in her year. Every single day she has a friend over. She actually has something interesting to write about. Me? Up until today, I had nothing interesting to write about.

Actually, my life changed before today. Perhaps I should introduce myself. My name is Amelia Miller and I am eleven years old. I feel like I'm really boring looking. I have long brown hair and brown eyes. Karen has long blond hair and blue eyes, and she is beautiful! I bet I'm never that beautiful. I am about to start my first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Yes, you read that right. It is not a joke or a fantasy though it would be right up there with one of my fantasies. I've never actually written down any of my fantasies, but I've always pretended that I was one of those kids who found a magical place beyond a cupboard. I'm not like Karen. I don't make friends easily. In fact, I don't have any at all. All of my friends have been characters in storybooks, or ones I made up. As I grew older though, it was harder for me to play pretend as easily.

So, imagine my surprise on the sixteenth of July, the morning of my eleventh birthday when some woman came over to ask if she could speak to my parents. We were supposed to go out for breakfast as a Sunday morning for my birthday, but instead, Karen, me, and my younger brother Tony were sent upstairs. We tried our best to listen in on whatever the conversation was. Usually, all we had to do was listen through the vents. Unfortunately, for some reason, we couldn't that day.

It wasn't until later when I was called into the kitchen, so my parents and a woman by the name of Minerva McGonagall could explain. They told me that I was a witch and that I could go to a school to control my powers. At first, I thought maybe my parents were trying to give into my fantasies for my birthday. So I didn't believe them at first. Witches and wizards didn't exist, and so I couldn't be one. But then Minerva turned a vase into a mouse right in front of me. Still, I thought it had to be a trick. Why did someone like me deserve to live a fantasy life like that? She then asked me if I'd ever done anything that went against nature when I was emotional, which I have. To be honest, I just thought I wanted it to be real so much that I imagined anything odd. However, there are a lot of things I've done, such as when I accidentally spilled a glass of water on a kid who was making fun of me. I wasn't anywhere near him, and the glass was in the middle of the table.

After a while, she did manage to convince me. What I find odd is that my parents accepted it right away. In fact, they almost seemed very happy about it! I never asked them why though. For most of the summer, I was in a state of shock that one of my fantasies was actually coming true. They were excited when we went to a place called Diagon Alley to buy my school supplies. Yes, there is an actual place in London where you can magical supplies. My wand is a sycamore wand, with dragon heartstring, and it's supposed to be really flexible. It's seven and a half inches long. Apparently, it's for adventurous people, and I suppose that explains me. I'm still trying to get over the fact that I have a wand and I'll be doing magic for it!

So I guess that brings me to today. To be honest, it was a last minute decision to grab this diary. However, for the first time in my life, I have something exciting to write about. I can write about this magical school I am going to go too, and maybe I am actually going to meet some friends. Maybe if I write enough about it, I can show it to Karen or Tony and they can see how neat Hogwarts is. At the moment, I'm not really sure what is going on with my sister and brother. It's not that they've been mean to me. They've been perfectly pleasant, but something doesn't seem right. Karen's good-bye to me seemed a little... well, cold. Tony looked a bit jealous, but maybe he'll get the chance to come here too. He's starting Year Five in primary school, so maybe in two, years he'll get a letter too. Either way, their good-byes seemed weird. They haven't been the same since my birthday when the secret came out.

I hope they won't hate me. I'm scared that they will, and they are the only two people I'm close too. If they hate me, I might have to give up on this school. No fantasy is more important than my sister or brother. Mum and dad are so proud though. I have no idea what to do.

I wish I had someone to distract me at least. I guess I should add that right now, I am in a compartment on the train to Hogwarts. Want to know how I got on it? I had to run through a solid wall, or what looked like a solid wall. The platform is called nine and three quarters. Isn't that cool?

I am all my by myself. I was hoping that maybe some other kids my age would join me. Minerva (or Professor McGonagall as I'll have to call her at school) told me that often people meet their best friends on the train. So far, no one has joined me in the compartment, and the train has been moving for a while. It's why I grabbed this to write in. Maybe even at Hogwarts, I am going to be an outcast though. Maybe I'm not meant to have friends. Maybe Karen is right, and this journal will eventually seem like a friend. I enjoy writing this, but I really do want to meet some friends.

It's a Friday too, and that means classes won't be starting until Monday. What if I spend the weekend all by myself? What if by Monday, everyone has friends and no one wants to talk to me because of that? We're supposed to be sorted into houses tonight. They are called: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Kind of odd names, but apparently they're named for the four founders of the school. Get this! The school is over a thousand years.

Want to know something else odd? I thought that there was a chance Minerva was hiding something from my parents. She mentioned a war, but then when my parents asked what she meant, it was almost like she pretended she didn't hear her! It looked like how my parents act when they don't want to answer our questions. So I wonder if she slipped up and if there was a war or if there is one. I think if I am friendless, I am going to try hard to find that out. That will be my task.

Wait, I think someone is coming. I will write tonight after I get sorted and I will tell you everything! I promise.

Hi! So I've been sorted and guess where? I am now a first-year Hufflepuff! You know, for a bit there, I debated on whether or not I wanted to be a Slytherin because the name sounded cool. From what people told me, it's rare for Muggle-borns to be accepted there. That's what I am by the way. My family are muggles, which means they don't have magic but I am magical so I am Muggle-born because I was born from non-magical parents.

So, when I was interrupted earlier, two kids my age joined me. An older girl brought them in to join me. She's a fifth year Gryffindor, and they are her brother and sister. They were originally sitting with her, but she wanted them to meet people their own age. She'd noticed I was on my own when she was doing prefect patrols, and so she brought them to my compartment. I was excited but it was kind of off-putting too because it seemed like she pitied me, and she was making her brother and sister talk to the lonely first year.

They actually felt that way too. They were embarrassed, and they felt like their sister was trying to get rid of them, and that she pitied them, so she was burdening someone by making them sit somewhere else. They were nervous too! I guess I should have expected that for other kids, but it seemed like everyone else already knew each other. Their names are Brad and Belinda Wilson, and they're twins. I suppose you already guessed that though. So at least they already knew each other, but they both admitted that they only have each other and they want more friends outside of each other. Brad told me he hoped to be Ravenclaw and Belinda told me she hoped to be Gryffindor.

We got to know each other quite well during the train ride, and I think they actually really like me! I think I have finally found some friends. Unfortunately, Brad when to Ravenclaw like he wanted, and Belinda went to Gryffindor. So all three of us are separated, but maybe I'll meet friends. I mean, two people like me, so that must mean more will, right? And there is no rule that you can only hang out with people in your house. I suppose I could be meeting the other Hufflepuff's right now. I have all weekend though. Right now, I am sitting in bed and writing this. No one else is in bed yet since it's a Friday night. The other first years are still up in the common room I think. None of the girls are down here.

The Hufflepuff dorms are behind barrel top doors. We have to go through tunnels to get to our dorms. I think this suits me well. I guess I should mention how we were sorted. It was by a hat. It's very old and looks a bit burnt to be honest. It sang a song, and then each of us was called up to wear it. Once it was on our head, it actually read each of our minds. Some people were sent to their new houses right away whereas others took forever. Brad was someone who took a very long time. Mine I don't think it seemed a long time. It told me that Hufflepuff seems the best place for me and that I could find friends here. I hope it's right.

I don't need to be like Karen, or even Tony, who is mildly popular. I just need some friends to talk to and hang out with. I'm getting too old to play games, and soon I'll be a teenager. I need someone besides this journal to talk to. I'm tired of being lonely.

I think I am going to go back up to the dorm. I'll write tomorrow to let you know how it goes.

Talk to you later.