Prologue
I get a toad in the face
My mum called downstairs for breakfast. "I'll be down in a minute!" I yelled down to her. I quickly changed out of my sleeping clothes and ran downstairs. I grabbed the mail and went through what was left on the doorstep. My new Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book was in and I was still excited to see it even though I've read it about a million times. When I reached a very thick letter, I turned it over to see who it was from. I gasped and dropped the letter, letting it slip through my fingers.
I hand gotten my very first Hogwarts letter! I quickly picked it up and, carrying the other four letters, walked into the kitchen an as down in my seat at the table. "What's that, honey?" my mum asked from the sink. "A Hogwarts letter," I replied cautiously. My family thought Harry Potter was a joke and thought I was mental for believing in magic. The words running through my head was something Hagrid told Harry the first time they met, "ever had somethin' happin' to yeh? Somethin' yeh can't explain?" That had happened to me plenty of times. I was ripped away from my thoughts as my mother let the pan in her hands fall to the ground. I watched her curiously as she ran up the stairs. My older brother Jacob sat down next to me just as she disappeared into her room. "What's that you got there, Cass?" he asked.
Oh, I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Cassia, but everybody calls me Cass or Cassia. I'm 11 years old and I live in London, England.
"A Hogwarts letter . . ." I breathed, still running my hand over the smooth surface of the envelope, not daring to open it. He snatched it from my hands and then my father ran down the stairs and snatched it from him. I looked up at them confused. "What's the matter?" I asked, not knowing what everybody was making a big deal about. My parents ignored me and kept talking under their breaths. " . . . We can't send her! She doesn't even know who her real parent are, how will she understand it all?" I overheard my mother whisper to my father. "I know that but she doesn't." my father said. I was adopted? "What don't I know?!" I yelled, sick of the whispering. "Nothing, honey. We have some news for you, though." my father said, sitting down across from me and my mother sitting between him and Jacob. "We can't afford to send you to Hogwarts. I'm sorry." my mother said, reaching for my hand from he seat across the table. "No you're not!" I yelled, standing up quickly. "You all thought Harry Potter was stupid an now you're telling me I can't go to the place where I won't be called a freak every day, where people won't be scared of me for my /unique/ talents." "It's your birthday, you should not be stressing out over this. I know! Lets go shopping!" my mother grabbed m hand and pulled me out to the car. Jacob groaned and followed he and my father followed him. Little did I know that this little trip would change /everything/.
It was inside the market that I remembered that it was also Harry Potter's birthday. I smiled to myself and pulled out Deathly Hallows, which had come in the mail that morning. I flipped through the page and then opened up to the first page and began reading. It was when Jacob poked me that I was torn away from my book. "Cassie, don't you think that guy is dressed awfully strange?" I looked up as to where he was pointing. Without seeing his face; I immediately knew who he was and who the boys next to him were as well. I broke off at a run, and followed them down the alley to the brick wall. Harry spoke to his sons about Diagon Alley and all the fun things about it. I slipped through afte them, letting the wall close behind me. I pushed my way through the crowd, starting to form around Harry. I made it to the doorway of the shop and pushed it open, feeling the wonderful breeze and smells of Diagon Alley. I went to Gringotts first and exchanged all the money in my wallet for nuts, sickles and galleons. I had about 700 galleons, 67 nuts, and 43 sickles all together. I went to get my robes and then my cauldron. After that I headed on to find the other things I needed. The last things on my list were a pet and my wand. I ran over to Ollivander's and took a picture, capturing the perfect moment. Walking into the shop, I waved my hand in front of my nose, sniffing up the dust particles. "Hello? Is anybody there?" Mr. Ollivander came out from behind a shelf. "Ah, hello. Wait one moment please." He came back and handed me a wand like it was the most precious thing in the world and to me, it was. I took it confidently and waved it. Immediately, red and green sparks flew out of it. I had my wand. "The wand chooses the wizard." I muttered under my breath. "Exactly. Your wand is 12 inches ivory wood with a unicorn's tail as a core." I paid him the seven galleons required and went to the pet shop where I went straight past the toads and to the cats. I purchased a ginger cat and named him Stanley. It just seemed appropriate. I was walking towards the door when somebody bumped into me, knocking me into the toads. I peeled one off my face as a girl helped me up. "Oh my god, I am so sorry about that." I looked up and gasped -
"Y-you're Rose Weasley!" she gave me a confused look and nodded. She apologized again for bumping into me. "It's all right. I wasn't paying attention anyways. Are you getting a pet?" I asked besides the fact that my brain was still stuck in the fact that I was going to Hogwarts, I was a witch, I was in Diagon Alley and I had just bumped into Rose Weasley. This day could not get any better. "No, just looking. I don't have the money for it right now." she said, nodding towards the sign that showed how much the pets were. I nodded and then said, "I've got to go. I hope to see you in the train!" I picked up my kitten and ran back the way I came, slipping through the brick wall again, knowing my family would wonder where I was. "What's all that you got there?" My father asked, when Jacob nudged him and pointed at my cauldron where I had put everything except my kitten. "My Hogwarts things. I'm going to need them for tomorrow." I shrugged it off as my mother stared at me with rage. "Cassia! We do not talk like that in this family!" I shrugged again and walked of to the car lleaving all three of them stunned. I probably could have gotten a broom while I was in Diagon Alley, but first years weren't allowed brooms yet. I was devising a plan as I pet Stanley when the rest of my family entered the car and slammed the doors. All three of them looked at me with cold-hard faces and then turned away like they had already decided that they disowned me.
