There was an awful excitement in the air that seemed to drift in between the cracks of the small pick up truck. Olivia Pruitt sat facing the window, staring aimlessly at the buildings they passed along the road. Her younger sister Alyson quietly bounced around occasionally in the seat next to her. The spill of excitement was only felt from Alyson who eagerly awaited her plane flight to England. Olivia on the other hand would be happy to do nothing but wait. She felt strange having to move to a new school not to mention a new country. And as if it weren't bad enough she was going to a school to learn wizardry. Olivia twitched slightly as they pulled up into the passenger boarding parking lot.

It was only a few months ago that Olivia and her sister learned they were of a prestigious wizard family whose named was held in the highest honor. Their mother had precisely used the word: Purebloods. However, not only did the sisters know nothing about their witchly abilities, neither of them even knew they were British.

Alyson threw her hands in the air letting out a howl of glee. She nudged her sister gesturing her to open the car door. Olivia nonchalantly got out being vigorously brushed passed by her younger sister.

"Why are you always so hyper?" Olivia asked with a hint of annoyance in her tone.

The younger sister shot a glare at her sister. "Whya sucha Debbie Downer? Geez, Liv, we're going to England for Christ's sake!" Alyson playfully hit her sister on the back and began to pull her bags from the bed of the truck.

Their mother met them on the other side of the truck. She had already grabbed Olivia's bags and had set them down beside her. Cassandra Pruitt was the youngest of the Everline family who had all attended New York's Higgleburm's school for the gifted wizards and witches. She soon married Jared Pruitt who was also a pureblooded wizard who had attended Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was his dream to have his only children attend his most prestigious school in England. So, naturally, when he passed away from a grave illness, Cassandra Pruitt would fulfill his wishes for their daughters.

"Here are you bags, Liv."

Olivia looked at her mother, briefly before reaching down and gathering her things. "Thanks Mom. Or should I say Mum?"

Mrs. Pruitt laughed. "Very Funny. Now hurry or we're going to miss our plane!"

Darn wouldn't want that to happen. Olivia thought sheepishly as she followed suit behind her mother and sister in through the airport doors.

Olivia noticed quickly that every house in England all looked the same. She didn't like it. She hated it. No matter how many times Cassandra Pruitt tried to reassure her daughter that their house was completely different, Olivia wasn't buying it. On the other hand, Alyson thought it all very picturesque and 'cute'. It took them almost a two hour drive from the airport to their fairly new home. It was classified as fairly because it was once owned by their father's family. A large family heirloom that the three women would all be inheriting.

When they finally reached the house all three women dropped their jaws and widened their eyes in astonishment. It was a huge two story home with what looked like four car garages on either side of the home. It was painted an opal white with quaint little rusty red colored shutters. Windows were placed on every inch of the home which looked to reveal lots of bedrooms. All of this was surrounded by trees and the greenest grass the three had ever seen.

"Woah." Was all Alyson could manage.

Olivia sat dumbfounded as they kept driving toward the gigantic house. This was nothing compared to their small home in the outskirts of Buffalo. She wondered if the inside was just as beautiful as the inside. Of course it is! She thought to herself. How could it not be? Just look at it! Fabulous.

"This. Is…amazing girls." Mrs. Pruitt spoke carefully while driving into the first garage on the left side of the house.

The inside of the home was definitely not a let down. It was just as beautiful as the outside. With newly refurbished hardwood floors and a large staircase that split into two different directions. On the walls that lead down a long corridor were pictures of relatives the girls had never laid eyes on. Olivia ran her fingers gently across the portrait of her father, dressed in his best suit doing his best to not smile.

"Hmm. I miss you dad." Olivia whispered under her breath. She turned to leave when there was a strange ripping noise coming from all the pictures.

"Well I miss you too, Livy."

Olivia slowly turned on her heel to face the now moving picture of her father smiling widely. There was a sudden surge of fear that soared through her body. Without another hesitant moment she ran out of the hallway screaming bloody murder.

She collided hard with another body. Alyson and Olivia both ended up on the floor of the dining room, Olivia panting for breath and still screaming incoherent babble.

"Dad's ghost is haunting his portrait!" She grabbed a hold of her sister's shoulders' and began shaking her.

"WHAT?" Alyson replied trying to calm down her sister.

Just as the two began babbling together, their mother walked in and began laughing hysterically. She eyed the two girls who were now sitting wide eyed with curiosity streaked across their faces.

"I keep forgetting you girls don't know anything about the wizarding world!" Mrs. Pruitt sighed and took each girl by hand, helping them up and explaining to them everything she possibly could about their world.

"So that's absolutely…normal?" Alyson blurted after their mother had finished her speech.

Olivia just stared at her mother trying to take it all in without criticizing her every word.

Mrs. Pruitt nodded in response.

"So, this Hodgewats place is basically like a boarding school for freaks?" Olivia spat.

Alyson rolled her eyes. "Hogwarts, and no. As far as I'm concerned we're not the only freaks anymore, Liv. Remember when we were little and you could levitate things and I could break things when I was angry? Shoot. We were always being called freaks. At least we know why, now."

"Well it'll be like adjusting to any new school, really. Liv, you'll be a sixth year and Aly will be a fifth. And hopefully you're both in the same house." Mrs. Pruitt said while getting up from her seat.

"Same house?" The sisters repeated in unison.

"Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw. Your father was in Sytherin. I didn't have houses like that in New York. So I'm not exactly sure how it works."

Olivia folded her arms and thought to herself what kind of House Slytherin was if her father had been put into it. He was very proud, confident and a bit sarcastic. Just like me. Olivia thought.

"Hmm. Weird." Alyson mumbled.

"Very." Olivia added.

Mrs. Pruitt leaned over the sink. "Well you two leave for Hogwarts in three weeks. I've already bought a few of your things and we'll have to get you some wands. But accessories aside you two are in tip top shape for school!"

Alyson giggled joyfully. Olivia sneezed.

Later that night when the three had finished dinner and had talked some more about their new lives, Olivia headed up to her room and sat at the windowsill. She had noticed earlier that there was a small pond right outside her window. It was now glistening with the reflection of the moon shining brightly over head. To Olivia it was almost mesmerizing, watching the small waves being pushed back and forth by the wind. She felt lonely for a fleeting moment before realizing that, that was ridiculous. She quietly prayed for a silent miracle to happen to her while she was attending Hogwarts. To have some meaning. To feel like she could finally fit in somewhere. A place where no one was always watching her. A place she could feel safe and alive all at the same time. Olivia prayed so badly for Hogwarts to be that place.

It was three o'clock in the morning when Olivia realized that she was tired…and that her life was going to drastically change forever.