Despite the fact that it was Amelia's 11th birthday party, it was business as usual in the Cunningham house. Father was preparing to go to work, mother was making plans to go and visit friends, and the house elves were helping Amelia get ready for a day filled with private lessons and dull conversation. At 9 she had etiquette with Mrs. Thomas, then she would be going to piano lessons at Ms. Morningwood's home, after that she was to finish her latest painting so that her mother would have something new to display at the next gala that was being hosted at their mansion. In the afternoon she would be meeting with her tutor Alexander to review what he'd taught her about charms, transfiguration, and herbology. She hadn't even gotten her Hogwarts letter and her parents already expected her to be top of her class.

She wasn't really surprised by any of this, but she couldn't help but be disappointed. She was sure that if her family was like any other, instead of lessons all day she would be enjoying a day of fun. Her parents would cancel any and all plans and instead would take her to the park or somewhere else fun. They would spend the day playing and laughing before finally heading home to enjoy cake and presents. Unfortunately they weren't like other families and her parents had more important things than to do than spend time with their only child. If she was lucky the house elves would make her favorite meal for dinner, and her mother would buy her a new designer dress while she was out shopping with the other mothers. Her friends would have presents for her the next time they met up, but that might not be for a while.

The only bright side that Amelia could find was that she was finally old enough to receive her Hogwarts letter. All of her studying would soon be put to use, and she couldn't wait. Because of all the work she'd done over the summer her classes should be easy, and she'd have plenty of time to socialize with the other children in her house. Amelia hadn't had many chances to make friends growing up, having limited contact with other children and finding that most of the ones she did meet were rather shallow and stuck up. Because of this her only real friends were her cousin Theodore Nott and his friend Blaise Zambini, and while she loved both boys dearly she was excited to make some female friends.

The day few by and while it wasn't the birthday celebration she had dreamed of, it wasn't by any means a bad day. Mrs. Thomas had been lenient with her because it was "her special day" and even let her off early. Ms. Morningwood was a very kind old woman and never failed to make Amelia smile, when she had arrived at her home her teacher had fresh cookies for her and played a beautiful rendition of the birthday song for her. Painting was always something Amelia found to be relaxing and since her parents were both out of the house she was free to listen to whatever music she wanted and take her time finishing up the final details. Her latest painting was of a garden as it transitioned throughout the seasons. It had taken her nearly an entire year because she had started in the Fall and was just now finishing as summer came to an end. The finished product was well worth the wait though, the colors blended beautifully and it had a sense of realism that her other paintings had failed to capture. Her time with Alexander was probably the worst part of her day and even that wasn't too bad. They spent the entire time reviewing subject matter but he made a point of congratulating her for turning 11 and encouraging her that she was certain to be top student in her year.

It was already almost 6 by the time she was free to do her own thing. Her mother wasn't home yet and her father had already informed her that he would be working late. She sighed as she made her way to the dining room, she might as well have an early dinner and then retire for the night, it would be pointless to wait up for her parents and she didn't fancy spending the rest of her birthday alone. She was just about to sit down when one of the house elfs appeared and informed her that her mother was home and required her presence. This wasn't at all surprising to Amelia. Every time her mother went out shopping she found at least three new outfits and two new pairs of shoes that she just had to show to her daughter when she got home. If Amelia got lucky her mother would remember to buy her something, but most of the time she was sadly forgotten.

"Darling, you just have to see what I found while I was out for the girls. We went to this charming little town in France. They had the most wonderful boutiques; one had the most beautiful dress. I knew you were meant to wear it the moment I saw it."

Amelia was shocked when her mother pulled out a floor length peach dress with cap sleeves, a sweetheart neckline, and an empire waist. The sleeves were made with a sheer fabric that was a lighter pink than the rest of the dress and there was a peach ribbon that went around the waist and was tied in a bow at the back. She was hoping that her mother had bought her something but she would have never dreamed that she would receive a dress this beautiful.

"Well don't just stand there go try it on. I want to make see it on you."

"Th-thank you mother, it's beautiful. I love it."

She grabbed the dress from her mother and all but ran to go try it on. Her personal elf Binky was waiting for her in her room to assist her in putting on the dress. Once she had changed the elf insisted that she be allowed to do Amelia's hair and apply some light makeup before she headed back downstairs. According to her, "that dress is just too wonderful not to go all out," and Amelia had to agree. The entire process took almost an hour, and she was starting to worry that her mother would be irritated with her for taking so long.

It was already 7 by the time she slipped on a pair of sandals that matched the dress and carefully made her way back down stairs. She went to the living room first but found that her mother was no longer there, in her place was another house elf Dinky who informed her that the Mistress of the house was currently residing in the backyard and wanted Amelia to meet her there. She sighed but made her way to the back doors, she had just stepped out onto the patio when a loud noise startled her.

"Surprise! Happy Birthday Amelia!"

A chorus of voices sounded and the entire garden seemed to illuminate itself suddenly as a large host of witches and wizards seemed to appear out of nowhere. At the front of the crowd were her parents along with her two closest friends. As soon as the cheering died down her parents approached her, her mother pulling her in for a hug.

"Well darling what do you think? Do you like your party?"

"I… I don't understand, I didn't think we'd be doing anything special for my birthday this year."

"What do you mean dear? It's your eleventh birthday; of course we would do something special! Every well to do witch and wizard has a coming of age party on their eleventh birthday."

"That's right; this is considered your formal introduction into high society. From now on you are expected to attend every party and gala from now on start to make your own connections within the group."

"Oh Charles really, don't overwhelm the poor girl, it is her birthday after all. She'll have time to learn the rest of those things later. Now Amelia, no need to listen to us prattle on all night, why don't you go find Theodore and Blaise. I'm sure they can introduce you to some of the others here who are your age."

Amelia nodded still a bit overwhelmed and unsure of what exactly was going on. Luckily for her the boys were more than willing to get her up to speed.

"Ah, there's the birthday girl! So how does it feel to officially be part of the upper class, do you feel important yet?"

Amelia cracked a smile at that; Blaise always seemed to know exactly what to say to make her relax.

"Oh, definitely, I might as well have my own crown, I feel just that special."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. Now, if her majesty pleases, we'll point out who's who around here."

"I guess I find that agreeable."

The group laughed as they began to wonder through the crowd, Theo and Blaise on either side of Amelia acting as a buffer between her and all the unknown people. Occasionally they would share a juicy piece of gossip or point out a particularly important witch or wizard. The crowd thinned as they got closer to the paths that lead deeper into the garden, it was here that the rest of the 11 and 12 year olds resided.

The first person the boys pointed out was Draco Malfoy. With platinum blonde hair and an almost palpable ego, he was hard to miss. The entourage of lovesick girls surrounding him helped to draw even more attention. Theo identified the girls as Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode, Astoria and Daphne Greengrass, and Tracy Davis. Standing off to the side of the gaggle of girls were two boys who honestly looked more like trolls than boys. Their eyes were vacant and she wondered if they were mentally challenged or simply stupid. Blaise was the one to inform her that they were Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle although most addressed them by their last name. They served as Malfoy's lackeys, and were just as dumb as they looked.

Amelia decided right away that she would avoid the entire group to the best of her ability while at Hogwarts. They were all decidedly shallow and drew much too much attention to themselves. And while she wasn't shy, Amelia had long ago decided that it was much safer if she avoided the spot light.

The rest of the night was spent talking to strangers, eating the little finger foods and sneaking a flute of champagne when her parents weren't looking to split between her and her friends, and opening the many pointless but expensive gifts that their guests had brought for her. By the end she had half a dozen new dresses, a new pair of earrings and a matching necklace, two pairs of shoes, and a diamond encrusted hair piece. She didn't pay attention to who gave her what but that didn't matter. Binky was right beside her keeping track of who got her what, she knew that within the next few days a stack of letters would appear on her desk and she would be expected to sign all of them, and include a heartfelt thank you, before having them sent off to each of the families.

Amelia's Hogwarts letter arrived first thing the next morning. Her mother decided they'd go to Diagon Ally to get her robes and other supplies, and by supplies she meant new clothes, a wand, and a new pet. The house elves would handle getting the books and other things such as the cauldron and more quills. Their first stop was to Madam Malkin's Robes so that they could get her robes custom fitted, while there they ran into the Draco and his parents. Mrs. Cunningham and Mrs. Malfoy quickly got to chatting while Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Malfoy excused themselves to discuss business. Amelia and Draco meanwhile stood around awkwardly trying not to make eye contact with each other. Unfortunately their mothers had other things planned.

"Draco dear, do you remember Elizabeth and Amelia Cunningham from the party last night? Amelia will be attending Hogwarts with you this year."

"Ah yes, pleasure to see you again, Amelia, Mrs. Cunningham. And might I say, both of you are looking quite ravishing today."

Amelia nodded awkwardly at his compliment while her mother just giggled behind her.

"Thank you Draco, you look quite handsome yourself."

She turned bright red as she complimented the boy in front of her. In all reality he was looking rather dashing in his dark slacks and button down shirt; however Amelia hated the fact that she had let him know. She could almost see his ego swelling and she instantly regretted ever opening her mouth. Luckily before she could dig herself into a deeper hole Madam Malkin appeared and called her back to make sure that none of the robes needed extra adjustments. The entire thing took about 15 minutes but by the time she was done the Malfoy's had moved on.

After leaving Madam Malkins they stopped by Magical Menagerie where she became the proud owner of a beautiful black male Siamese cat named Prince. Being a very proud feline Prince lived up to his name, however he seemed to have taken a liking to Amelia and lavished her with affection.

The Cunningham's final stop was Ollivanders so that Amelia could get her wand. The first few she tried were complete failures before she finally found the right fit. Her wand was a 10" Maple with a Phoenix's feather for a core. Her father was particularly proud of the wand that picked her due to the fact that both the wood and core were known to pick owners who were destined to do great things. She received the rest of her supplies from Binky when she returned home, her parents staying at Diagon Ally to socialize with some of their friends. The trunk Binky had picked out was a dark brown leather with bronze accents, and Amelia fell in love with it immediately. She had the elves pack all of her supplies into the trunk right away to insure that she didn't leave anything behind before having a light dinner and turning in for the night. As she lay in bed waiting for sleep to come to her she reflected on Hogwarts and all the great times she was sure to have while there.

So there it is, the first chapter is done! I changed the main characters name from Tatianna to Amelia just because it was easier to say and sounded more realistic. I also changed her personality a little too however I feel like it will make for a better story. Feel free to let me know what you think and if you have any ideas for future chapters I'd love to hear them!