Hi everyone! Thanks for reading Out of the Shadows. I changed the setup of my chapters, so Chapters 1 and 2 that I already made are split up. I finished Ch. 3-5, so I really hope you like! Please review and enjoy! :D
"Amby, Amby!" a young voice chanted happily, "Amby, wake up! Wake up!"
"Hmm? Ugh, what do you want, Sadie?" eleven-year-old Amber Chase moaned, half-asleep.
"But, Amby," Sadie Chase whined, a bit disappointed, "It's time for Hoggywars!"
That woke Amber up, "Hogwarts! Oh, Sadie, thank you! Thank you, I love you… So much left to do… so much to get…"
Amber hopped out of bed, kissed her little sister on the head, and rushed to change out of her pajamas. She pulled her pre-decided outfit off of the ottoman that was placed at the foot of her bed as little Sadie hoisted herself up onto the bed and watched her sister in awe as she ran around, grabbing various objects; Amber was Sadie's role model. Amber was smart, kind, pretty, and talented; she could beat all of their cousins at broom racing, control her own magic, and see the bright side of dark situations when even Sadie could not. The four-year-old thought of all of the things she would miss when Amber left to attend Hogwarts, a boarding school for young witches and wizards. Alas, Amber would come back, no matter what; she always came back for Sadie, always made her happy when she was sad. The tyke climbed off the bed and ran downstairs to see her mother; there were still many questions that she had about Hogwarts.
Amber stepped out of her bathroom and pranced to the full-length mirror past her bed. Stepping forward, she looked at herself. Amber was slightly taller than average and had a lean, but slightly muscular build; though she was far stronger than she looked. Her hair was a glossy, golden color with light blonde sun-streaks and her skin was fair. Though she was very beautiful, even for an eleven-year-old, there was one feature about her that stuck out: her eyes. They were an electric green color, with light blue rimming, and a few dark green and blue flecks strewn here-and-there. If there was one way to remember Amber, it was by her eyes.
She was very pleased with her first day of school outfit, but the nerves of soon departing from Kings Cross Station had finally hit her full on. In just two short hours, she would board a train, leaving her family and the life she had come to know behind. She would be propelled into a world full of potions, charms, and unfamiliar faces: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Needing something to relieve her anxiety, Amber reached for her new wand on her bedside table and ran her hands over the surface happily. The glossy 10-inch piece of dark ebony infused with a tail hair from a female unicorn eased all of her worries. Amber pulled a book out of her fully pack trunk entitled Keeping and Caring for Your Wand. From the time she bought it two days ago, Amber had probably read the book three times. Flipping the pages, she landed on Polishing Your Wand. Then, she retrieved a wooden box with the words Wand Care from her trunk and began properly polishing the wood as her mind drifted to what her family members had told her about Hogwarts.
Amber's cousin, Oliver Wood, had told her most everything about the school already, but all else she knew she had learned from the book Hogwarts: A History. Mrs. Chase had told Amber that her little siblings, Sadie and Jacob, looked up to her and followed her lead. That is how Amber felt about Oliver; he was her idol. Oliver was only two years older than Amber, but he seemed so much wiser than his age. He had great judgment and was a fantastic Quidditch player. Actually, Oliver had taught Amber how to ride a broomstick, but back then he didn't know that soon she would be able to outride him, and even score against him during their games of pickup Quidditch. Oliver had given her two birthday presents this year: a Broomstick Servicing Kit (for her hand-me down ride) and a book about the Holyhead Harpies (Amber's favorite Quidditch team). They were both tucked carefully away in her extremely full trunk, along with schoolbooks, a cauldron, robes, and some other supplies. Amber frowned, knowing that she, as a first year, couldn't bring her old, but prized, Tinderblast broomstick. It was probably the slowest Quidditch broom ever made, but Amber had the skill (and patience) to make it speed a tiny bit faster than even Oliver's new Nimbus 1500; mainly because she rode it more than three hours each day, and gave Quidditch more dedication than schoolwork (which was saying a lot).
Amber remembered Oliver's Nimbus 1500 and how he was a shoe-in to make the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a Keeper. His parent's had purchased the broom as a present for the start of the new school year, and as a reward for doing well on his final exams. He had automatically used Floo Powder to come to his cousin's house and show it off. The two of them had obsessed over it all night long, admiring its glossy finish and prestigious flying abilities.
"Amby! Hurry, Amby! It's breakfast time, then we go!" Sadie's voice called from downstairs, jerking Amber out of her flashback. Carefully putting the wand supplies back in her trunk, Amber shut it tight and checked her room and Hogwarts supply list for the twentieth time in the past two days to make sure there was nothing she was forgetting. Not finding anything, Amber stuck her wand in the front pocket of her jeans, picked up her trunk, and took one last look at her room before running downstairs.
Jacob, Sadie, and Amber's parents were in the kitchen when she came in after setting her trunk by the front door. A plate full of bacon and pancakes stared at her from her usual placemat. Strangely, though, Amber was too scared and too excited to have an appetite, but that didn't stop Mrs. Chase from forcing it upon her, saying "It's going to be a long day, Am. I assure you that the second we get to the station, you will be starving. And, honey, we are not buying you food there." So, Amber stuffed down some bites and went to get her trunk.
"Amber, bud, we still have an hour before it's time to go," Mr. Chase said with a chuckle, looking at his eager daughter. He remembered what it had felt like when he got his letter from Hogwarts and the day he had departed away from Platform 9 ¾. Amber sighed, disappointed but the memory of something very important came back to her and she sped up to her room.
Amber crawled under her bed and dislodged a small crowbar from between the bed frame and the wall, then used the flattened iron to pry up one wooden floorboard in her closet. Under the board lay a brown paper bag. There it was. She couldn't believe she had almost forgot it. After secretly buying its contents at a ratty bookstore on Diagon Alley, she had hidden it and not spoken one word about it. She did not want to get caught before setting off for Hogwarts.
That day, Mr. and Mrs. Chase had sent Amber to get her schoolbooks while they got Jacob and Sadie lunch, then bought her cauldron for her. This had given Amber enough time to buy all of her books, as well as some most of Flourish and Blott's inventory:
Hogwarts: A History
Keeping and Caring for your Wand
Magick Moste Evile
Most Gilderoy Lockheart books
Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland
The Handbook of Hippogriff Psychology
Achievements in Charming
Dark Arts Outsmarted
Cram It! How to Soar on your O.W.L.s
Common Magical Ailments and Afflictions
A Guide to Medieval Sorcery
Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century
Sites of Historical Sorcery
Where There's a Wand, There's a Way
Spellman's Syllabary
The Noble Sport of Warlocks
Quidditch Through the Ages
Which Broomstick?
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Though all of these books were shoved into her giant trunk, making it extremely heavy, there were a three that were in the brown bag: Secrets of the Darkest Art, Improving your Wand and Skills, and Moste Potente Potions. It was very important to keep all of the books a secret, especially the last three, for her parents would absolutely not approve of the advanced, gory, and unpredictable magic that lay within the pages. Also, they were more than likely restricted at Hogwarts, but as far as Amber knew, there were no special security measures for books, as long as she kept to herself.
She had been lucky at Obscurus Books, where she had found the three most "interesting" and most likely off limits books, in the far back room hidden behind an old shelf. The door had been labeled "Adults Only" but it was obvious that the shelf had been put there to block off the dark and dusty chamber; but the young cashier was not interested and just rang Amber up with the flick of a wand while reading Witch Weekly and talking to the face of her friend in the fire behind the counter. Amber was worried that her parent's would get suspicious, but when she had stashed her treasures behind a table outside of Madame Malkin's and gone to check with her them, they informed her that they both had work emergencies and would leave her in the care of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson (Mr. Johnson was a Ministry friend of Mr. Chase's) who had a daughter Amber's age, Angelina.
Amber and Angelina had become close over the period of four years but Amber attended public muggle school and the two rarely saw each other; mainly they just wrote daily letters. Being around muggles day-in and day-out, Amber had learned to control her magic extremely well, but that didn't sacrifice her power, if anything, it made her far stronger. Alas, being a witch in a world of muggles compromised her ability to have magical friends. Though she was a social person, the girl only had time to see her two best friends (Angelina and Oliver) once every few weeks. So, she filled the void with education. Both muggle and magical education came first for Amber. She finished at least one book each day, and always craved for more, whether it be translating Beedle the Bard, studying the history of the Ministry, reading Shakespeare, or studying the muggle philosophy on magic.
The other thing that mattered most in Amber's life (besides her family) was Quidditch. Though it wasn't fully the air she breathed like Oliver, it did enter every night's dream and on her mind almost every single second of the day. That was one of the things that had brought Angelina and Amber close; they both worshipped the Holyhead Harpies and Gryffindors, and both wanted most to be a world renowned Chaser. Amber was glad to be under the care of the Johnsons. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson would not ask questions about her many books, and since Sadie and Jacob had gone home, Angelina and Amber could wander, shop, talk, and stay in Quality Quidditch Supplies for hours.
Finally it was time to go to King's Cross Station. Amber hid her restricted books in the bottom of her trunk where nobody could find them and had focused on what the Hogwarts Express would look like. She excitedly fast-walked through the impressive train station, staring at her ticket and the trolley she was rolling. Then there it was, the barrier for Platforms 9 and 10. Amber's heart seemed to stop (along with the rest of her body), just looking at it. Once she ran through that barrier, there was no going back. She would hop on the Hogwarts Express and find a new home at the castle among new friends. For the first time in her life, Amber became terrified of the magical world. Would people like her? Would she be a horrible witch? What if the Sorting Hat did the unimaginable and put her in Slytherin? Though Amber was strong, she was sure that the Slytherin house would squish her like a bug; she cared too much about other's feelings. Jacob and Sadie saw their sister's hesitation and immediately went to her side, smiling through their sadness, reminding her that Hogwarts would be amazing.
Amber halfheartedly went through the barrier and was astonished by what was before her: a giant, red train billowing smoke. There were hundreds of kids running around, hugging friends and family, pointing, giggling, and jumping on the Express. The butterflies that were attacking Amber's insides momentarily melted away. This was where she was meant to be, among people who understood her (well more than muggles did). Amber spotted Oliver and his parents and immediately ran over, hugging them tightly. But too soon her family was starting their goodbyes.
Right before she was about to board the train, Mrs. Chase opened her mouth, "Oh, Amber, we all got you something special".
She looked around as her family beamed. Mr. Chase pulled something from behind Oliver's trolley. Amber squealed and reached out for it immediately. It was a small, black kitten with bright green eyes, just like hers. There was pink and green ribbon wrapped in a bow around the feline's neck. This had to be the most adorable kitten in the world.
"Oh! You are so sweet!" Amber said hugging the tiny cat, "But… I thought I wasn't getting a pet until fifth year!"
Amber's mother laughed, "We are so proud of you for being a trooper all of these years through muggle school. Think of her as a birthday and congratulations present from all of us to you."
"What's her name, Am?" Jacob asked, smiling.
"Hmm," Amber had to think about this, "Aria. She's definitely an Aria."
Sadie giggled in approval and put a box of cat necessities in Amber's trolley. A few tears later, all of Amber and things were in the Hogwarts Express and she was holding Aria, looking out of her window for Angelina with little avail. She made herself comfortable in the empty compartment and petted Aria as the train filled up. The Hogwarts Express billowed and whistled signaling that it was going to start moving soon. It seemed like all of the children were on the train and only families were waving to the windows. Amber called goodbye enthusiastically as the Express started to chug itself out of the station and ever closer to Hogwarts.