When I was eleven, just like everyone else, I received my Hogwarts letter and I was ecstatic beyond belief. I thought I was going turn out a squib, although that thought process only came through because of Frank. Older brothers are just great, aren't they?

But I digress.

I was overjoyed, elated, thrilled even; I was going to the school my mum and dad went to, where they and all of their friends had adventures, heartbreaks, and triumphs. The place where magic was created every day, I was going to have it all - first I would be sorted into Gryffindor and then James would see me as something other than his friend's little sister.

That was my ideal turn out. I would get everything I ever wanted at the blink of an eye.

I had played my eleventh year on this planet to be the best and when I arrived at Hogwarts, it almost seemed like it would have panned out. If only for a moment, I saw the world flashing congratulations.

From the boat's, Al, Rose and I marched up to the Great Hall. Even at fifteen, I barely know what happened. The sorting, losing everyone - it all happened so quickly. Since then, I've dedicated too much time, well Al thinks so, dissecting every movement, every thought.

To this day, I still wonder wow had all my nightmares turned into reality.

When I was a little girl, my father use to always say "It is better to be hated for what you are, than to be loved for what you are not." I guess I never truly understood what it meant until I was the one that was hated for who I was. It was sort of ironic that my dad, not just my hero, but England's hero, was the one that broke the words he so often threw around.

There was about twenty of standing at the front of the Great Hall in front of the steps on that day, waiting to be sorted into houses by the hat, just like Teddy had said in the stories. The word excited didn't seem to grasp what I felt. I felt free like I was flying, the wind blowing through my hair.

I was called back to reality when someone shoved me. I looked up and realized my dad, Deputy Headmaster Neville Longbottom, had just called my name. I ran up the steps and the sorting hat was placed on my head.

"Charlotte Longbottom, just like you parents aren't you? Ah, but what is this? I believe you have a bit of your grandmother, don't you? A fighter."

"I guess so. My dad always said I am my grandmother's granddaughter." I stated proudly.

My eyes found the Gryffindor table. I longed to be seated there just like everyone else, to just be able to sit there and actually belong. I looked over at James, but he wasn't looking at me, he was eyeing my sister. I didn't know he liked her? Why did he like her and not me? Did she like him back?

"Calm down Charlotte. He probably is just having a conversation with her" I muttered.

"Someone has a crush on the eldest Potter."

"No, I don't." I quickly retorted. "Besides, he doesn't even like me anyway."

The sorting hat sighed "I see you wish to belong to Gryffindor, but I believe you child could be one of the hardest I have ever sorted. You are so brave and courageous, and yet you are sly and have ambition. You are intelligent, witty, kind and caring. You have the characteristics of every house but I think Slytherin is out of the question. You wouldn't survive there."

"Hey! I could be a snake if I wanted to!" I thought back.

"Yes I know you could be - I was just making sure of something."

I rolled my eyes, "and what could that be Mr. Sorting Hat?"

"That you only wish to be in Gryffindor because of your family's history there, because the one you long to love is there. You were taught Gryffindor all your life and it's hard to picture anything else. It's what is wrong in the world today. It's all about history and not about the future." he paused for a moment before continuing. "I know in time you will discover many things about yourself and I believe I found the right place you for Charlotte."

Before I could retort the sorting hat was already speaking out loud, "better be RAVENCLAW!"

It took a few seconds to process what had happened. A Longbottom not in Gryffindor, better yet a Longbottom in Ravenclaw? At the moment, I knew something had changed. I had looked up when the sorting hat yelled Ravenclaw. I looked at my father's face, I looked at Frank and Alice - both wore red and gold and a shadow of disappointment. I saw the wheels turning in their heads as I made my way to cheering Ravenclaw table, who were just overjoyed to have a war hero's daughter in their house.

I knew what dad had been thinking. It was something he and mum spoke about in hushed tones at night when they thought I was sleeping. I wanted to read and stay indoors. I wanted to listen to music and see theater. I was and always had been the outsider in the family. Yes, dad enjoyed reading and mum enjoyed going to see the plays of Old London, but never to the extent I did. Nothing was ever to the extent of what I did.

What did they say, what did they all say? 'Why couldn't she just be normal? Why couldn't she be in Gryffindor like the rest?'

I had grown up around The Potters, Weasleys, Woods, Finnegans, Thomas' and the Scamanders - everyone was family. There were so many of us children, there was basically a sleepover rotation every week between all of the houses and because of our close ages, Rose, Al and I became inseparable. There was never a day that went by that I wasn't with at least one of the two. Among the adults, I had taken a certain liking to my godmother, Hermione. I would like to say she gave me thousands of books to read, but I say that was embellishing just slightly. She gave me everything, the classics of both muggles and magical writers, the romance novels the world loved to hate, and my favorite - historical gave me books and I devoured them.

I think there was a bet every time I received a new book, 'how long would it take for her to finish this time?' I absolutely adored books, and for a while it was all I loved, that is until I discovered what a crush was. Around the age of eight that I discovered that there was more to life than reading. This world also included creatures known as boys, and James Potter had charm. I wanted so much to be the object of his affection. Only at the age of eight it was more along the lines of 'oh my merlin he's so gorgeous, isn't he?'

Only Rose and Al knew of this crush, at least according to my knowledge. The crush then grew into something more, and by the time I had reached Hogwarts I was practically in love.

But enough on the subject of James Potter. He doesn't deserve to be a thought in my mind. No, not because I was devastated because he chased every girl at Hogwarts. Please do not think me so shallow as to form an opinion based on reciprocating affections.

The oldest Potter swaggered his way to the top of my shit list, not after my sorting, but when Albus scooted off the stool under the sorting hat. Because only James Potter would give his frightened, eleven year old brother the death stare for being as James would later say "the mistake of the century." So the kicker at the sorting was not me, but none other than Albus Potter. He too had been sorted Ravenclaw. I mean, the only thing worse than a Longbottom not belonging to the House of Gryffindor is a Potter. And since the Dumbledore's Army families were practically royalty at Hogwarts, the shock didn't wear off for a while. Everyone either wanted to be me for breaking boundaries or hated me for breaking tradition.

You can assume correctly that the Wotter & Co Clan (WCC for short), were the latter. The problem with that? Albus and I were excluded from all the family gatherings.

Because we were in Ravenclaw we were not allowed to join the Quidditch games the family had on weekends, as we were 'traders,' We were not allowed to enter the Gryffindor common room even though people for every house went in there, so we were left out of the family activities that ensued there as well. The more and more events we weren't allowed to attend, the farther the difference between us and the family grew.

Even Rose drifted. She became closer with the other girls in her dorm and so to cope with loss our trio, Al had tried out for the Quidditch team. I wasn't the least bit surprised when he was named seeker in his first year. I knew he loved the fact that he had beaten James at something, as James made the Gryffindor team his second year. We ignored the fact that it was impossible for James to join his first year because there weren't any open spots.

A victory was a victory after all.

All in all, Al felt accomplished. It was as if making the Quidditch team was all he was meant to do in life, succeeding before he was supposed to. He had finally done something that could spark an interest from his family. That, however, did not happen. For a while, it was Al and me against the world. It felt like we were the only two outsiders of the world, but that wasn't true. I just always felt a need for dramatics.

In late October, we befriended Scorpius Malfoy. He too was sorted into Ravenclaw. Although prejudice had ended a long time ago, you could tell that both of our parents were not happy with our new friend.

My entire life I was told that Draco Malfoy and anyone associated with the death eaters were people who could not be trusted. This of course was completely bias as I felt more at home with the Malfoy family that I had with my own for a very long time. Malfoy Manor was the second place that ever felt like home next to Hogwarts, but in the beginning, it didn't feel like I'd ever belong.

Just before the Christmas Holiday, I was attacked while leaving the Room of Requirement.

All I remember was a flash of blue and a light of red. I heard my screams and felt my body trying to move, but it was hopeless; my life was hopeless. I knew that I would be found eventually, whether I'd be found with an ounce of blood left in my body was the question I couldn't answer.

I would like to think I acted rationally in that moment, but I don't think with the training I have today would I have reacted in another way.

I raised my wand that was barely in reach and focused all the energy, wits, sense, and talent and produced a weak little thing of a Patronus. Al and Scorp had found me, and instead of doing what was sensible they took me to Valentine Bernard, a second year who had a gift for healing.

Later, I felt only slightly better knowing she knew more than a regular second year. She'd been allowed to receive wand training at an earlier age due to her parent's status. It's amazing how old we felt at the age, and all I look back on is a twelve-year-old put me back together again. Though Val did teach me a great lesson: never to underestimate someone because of their age.

I grew more and more grateful that Scorpius and Al didn't take me to Madame Pomfrey that night. As I recovered, I came up with a million and one ways my life would be altered if my family knew, if anyone else ever knew. I would be locked up, sheltered, and all I'd hear for the rest of life was that it was a mistake that I went to Hogwarts; the gossip would have been too much for me.

And every day like clockwork, I pictured my sister saying, 'this wouldn't have happened if she hadn't been sorted wrong.'

I was eleven years old and I was tired of being weak and vulnerable, and the day that Val said I didn't have to be was the greatest day of my life.

She wasn't a normal second year that floated around the magic, but an agent in training. Her parents being former President of Magic Kelsey Conry, and English Ambassador Elliot Bernard, both of which were former spies. The security risks surrounding the family were astronomical and so because of Kelsey and Bernard's former positions and current agencies, Val had been allowed to receive her wand early.

With her parent's work schedules being very strenuous, Valentine was left to herself, a drunk nanny and many, many, many books. By the age of seven, it had become extremely clear that Val had a natural gift of Healing and by the age of twelve, she had the skills of a Healer right out of school.

That gift is exactly why she was a part of the very same team of underage wizards and witches that did jobs that adults couldn't do. She believed and got everyone else to believe that I was someone they could use, and eventually Val introduced Scorpius and Albus as well.

Very few people knew of our admittance into a highly secret operatives team. Kingsley Shacklebolt, The Minister of Magic, knew as he was the head of all departments (technically), Draco and Astoria Malfoy, and Teddy Lupin, as he was the head of the team (also technically), as he had grown too old to be a part of Fortis, meaning to rise in Latin, and had decided to join the Auror's department instead of continuing on into the magical counterpart of MI6, Ace.

Headmistress McGonagall was told we were part of a special internship. I never found out what the 'internship' was specifically. Technically the Ministry still had power of Hogwarts, and since we hardly ever left the school until we were 14, it didn't matter that she knew everything.

And in the case of our parents knowing, Albus and I were technically emancipated under magical law so we didn't have to inform our parents of anything. Kingsley was not very fond of this, but we continued all the same with parental guidance from the Malfoy's.

It was an experimental program that had only been around for half a decade, but almost thirty kids had been a part of it at some point. All attended Hogwarts for easy access to London and to training. We would attend school during the day, but when the bell rang, we would apparate to a disclosed facility and train for hours.

As a team, Fortis surpassed beyond what Hogwarts could teach us with lessons in Advanced Flying, Hand-to-Hand combat, Muggle Weapons, Healing, Wandless Magic, Occlumency, Legilimency, all the while studying languages from around the world.

We saved the world while I destroyed every trope my family ever put past me, but they'd never know. Sometimes secrets are hard to keep not because of repercussions, but because of a more selfish reason; no one would know I wasn't the outsider I once was.

Back at Hogwarts, walking and talking mannequins were left in our places, and nobody knew the wiser, but most days I wish they were.

Even now it's the same, with Scorp, Al, and I are starting our fifth year. Lying, even as spies, is our best weapon. I never felt like I belonged to my family, but they were family, and I couldn't ever say I was comfortable with the sneaking around. I'd spent most of the summer training along with a few missions. My parents believed I was at a dance camp - the same dance camp I've supposedly been attending since I was eleven.

The higher-ups just pay some family to send their kid who looks like me to the camp. I guess if her dream was to dance than its no trouble, at least that's what I tell myself happens. I have a level eight clearance, that means I know a lot, but not everything as I am still an underdeveloped spy.

We are still children after all.

"Stop drooling, Ringer," an eerily similar voice said, "you'll attract flies."

I looked up from my copy of The Times that read September first. Smiling, I placed my iced macchiato on the bench of the bus stop, standing up to press down the non-exist wrinkles of my skirt before launching myself at the composition of limbs that stood before me.

I knew that voice.

"Teddy!"

He recovered quickly and smoothly as he always did, wrapping his arms around my waist and squeezing me for just a moment before setting me down the ground. I was aware of our surroundings as I was trained to do, but Teddy, Teddy, was always prepared and always seeing.

"We can't talk here, but Kingsley wanted me to give you this," he dropped a bag on the ground before I quickly snatching it up, an obvious switch between us, as I slid whatever the package was under my jacket Teddy continued speaking, "owl me as soon as you get to Hogwarts," he finished before giving a final hug and rushing off.

I rushed into Kings Cross, grabbing out my coffee as I went and the people of the halls tore apart at the seams as I rushed to platform nine and three quarters. All of Fortis wouldn't have arrived yet, but my curiosity always got the better of me.

Honestly, I was worse than a cat.