Chapter 1: Just the beginning

Someone was following her. Cecilia could tell. There were two males; one with a beard and one with glasses. She had made so many turns and gone down so many back ways she was sure they were following her. She was also sure that if and when she did lose them she wouldn't be able to find her way home again. She was lost. Why were they following her? Did they have weapons? She got more and more frightened as she progressed further and further into the dark alleys in the bad part of town.

She was only supposed to go to the store and back, but on her way home she noticed them, who wouldn't, they looked to be wearing robes of some kind, black and down to their feet. They stood out, and they were following HER. She couldn't bring them back to her home, that would have been even more dangerous, for if they knew where she lived they could just come back whenever she set foot out of the door.

She didn't think losing them would have been that big of a problem, but it had been 20 minutes since she noticed them and she wasn't any closer to losing them then before. If that wasn't bad enough, they were gaining, instead of walking their slow pace as earlier they were speeding up to a brisk walk. She started to run.

Six hours earlier.

"Professor Dumbledore you sent for me?" Harry said.

"Yes Harry, there is something I must do today and I need your assistance." Harry looked at the professor expectantly waiting politely for him to continue. "We have a peculiar case with a young girl. A potential student you might say."

"Whats so peculiar?" Harry asked.

"We didn't detect any magic from her until this summer. This has never happened in all of Hogwarts history."

"What do you mean?"

"She's sixteen years old. Old enough to be going into the sixth year at Hogwarts, but yet the ministry did not sense any magic from her until three months ago. We later learned that she lived in Ireland until this summer, but the magic school in Ireland doesn't know anything about her. Then again they do not keep such close tabs on magic there, seeing as how most everyone there has a bit of magic somehow. Though some just don't notice it. She could have been home-schooled, but i'm curious as to why."

"What has this got to do with me professor?" Harry asked. "I'll be finishing up my last year in Hogwarts this year and I don't think I'll have any time to watch over a new student, I'm eighteen this year and a'lot of students had to retake a year, due to the downfall of Voldemort. I'll be too busy trying to keep my grades up to become an Auror, I'll probably be living in the library."

"I don't mean for you to help her during school my boy, I want you to go with me to explain to her that she is being accepted into Hogwarts. We don't want to scare her, and we don't want to tell her about it in a crowded area because of the Muggles, so we'll follow her to a quiet place and I want you there. Somehow my beard scares some people off." He explained with a chuckle.

"I'd be happy to help you professor." Harry said with a smile.

They weren't running after her, in fact she looked behind her to find they were no longer there. She started to calm down until she heard a loud POP and ran right into the boy with glasses, falling down and bringing him with her. Her head hit the the pavement with a loud crack, and everything went black.

She awoke to the sound of a woman's voice, and it sounded scolding. "Dumbledore I can't believe you! Harry I can sort of understand, him being a young boy. But you! You should have known better then to scare her half to death! All you were supposed to do was inform her that she was accepted into Hogwarts! Leave it to you to make things complicated and end up injuring the poor thing!"

"Come Poppy, she's fine, a little bump on on the head never hurt anyone...at least not permanently." The man who must of been known as Dumbledore answered.

"Ohhhh. You're incorrigible!" Poppy said as she flung open the white drapes that surrounded the bed. "Oh good, you're awake! How are you feeling dear?" Cecilia didn't answer right away, she was too shocked at the change in voice. One minute stern the next like a kindhearted mother.

"F-fine." She answered finally. "Where am I?"

"You're at a school, called Hogwarts dear." The man named Dumbledore answered. "Its a school of witchcraft and wizardry. I'm sorry for scaring you so badly earlier, we were just trying to tell you that you've been accepted into the school." He smiled warmly at her.

She slowly got up from the bed opposite the side he was on, and said very slowly. "There's a school? For magic? I thought it was just something that you learned on your own..."

"So you were homeschooled!" The boy with the glasses and dark hair finally spoke up. "We were wondering why the Ireland school didn't know you."

"I was adopted about four years ago, my adoptive father taught me everything I know. But he wasn't around very much so I don't really know much. I went to a regular school, so no he didn't home-school me."

"Where is your adoptive father now?" Dumbledore asked.

"I don't know, he left about a year ago but he never came back, I was finally transferred to a foster family here in England."

"Well I'm sorry to hear that. But if you want we can get you into this school, you will be given a short test to see what level you are and of course get you into the proper house. How does this sound?"

"How could I have been accepted, I have horrible marks in school so it isn't as if I was accepted for my brains."

"Everyone that has a sense of magic is accepted into this school, whether or not you're good at anything has nothing to do with it." He answered.

"I don't think my foster family will let me go though, I'll be moving to a different foster family before the summer it over."

"One of the teachers here at the school can probably adopt you for the time being, at least until you graduate from Hogwarts. Don't worry dear, we'll take care of everything. Now you will need some money to buy your outfits, cauldron, books, wand if you don't already have one, ink and quill, and anything else you might need. A list of supplies should be sent to you, we'll put off the books though until after you take an entrance exam."

"My adoptive father left me all of his money in his will, I think I have enough for my supplies, I just need to know where to get them.."

"Me and my friends are going to be buying our supplies in a week, you're welcome to join us." Harry said.

"Thank you, I'd appreciate that. I can give you the address to my house so that you can- Oh no! My house! I was supposed to be home right away! I'm going to get switched for sure! How far away is my house form here?"

"A good couple of hours if you drive." Dumbledore said as she moaned. But a few seconds if we apparate.

"Then lets apparate! I need to be home now! Where are the grocery's that I had?" She asked. Poppy quickly handed her the three bags of items that she had had with her, and Dumbledore held out his hand to help you side along apparate. She took his hand hesitantly and quietly asked. "Um..what IS apparating?"

"Hold on tight and you'll find out." With that she was pulled into what felt like a hole of a key to end up right in-front of her house, with her stomach feeling inside out. She quickly forgot about her sick stomach when she heard Mrs. Randolf yell from the porch.

"You slow lazy girl! You were supposed to be back 2 hours ago! Just wait until Victor gets home! You'll never disobey ME again!"

I hope that that teacher can adopt me soon... Cecilia thought to herself as she walked quickly up the stairs to the porch.

Well, what do you think so far? Please review! I am open to any constructive criticism!