Aria had been living on her own ever since the night she lost her mother. She would resort to stealing clothes, food, and any other necessities. When the apartment building she was staying in got purchased, she would find a new one or stay in empty motel rooms. She changed cities often to keep anyone from finding her. Even though they did not wear masks, she would get this bad feeling in the pit of her stomach around certain men. She knew that they had been one of the intruders. As she grew older, she needed to constantly alter her appearance to look more like a boy. It became much more difficult when she reached puberty. She used a voice-altering charm to lower her voice. At first, she struggled to act like a boy. She would watch other boys in the town and mimic their behavior.

A few weeks after she ran away, she found a copy of the Daily Prophet, a wizarding newspaper, in a trash bin. The front cover had an article about her mother. It claimed that she committed suicide after killing Aria. There were all these quotes from people who said they had noticed her mother in a depressed state. Aria was furious since no one had seen her mother in years and it was all lies. The article called her mother unstable and referred to her father's arrest as a factor for her depression. Her grandparents were even quoted in the article, pretending that they had been attempting to take Aria from her mother for her own safety. The aurors spent months searching for Aria and even though she wanted to come forward, she stayed hidden. They gave up their search after about five months. Being on the run had changed Aria's personality drastically. Aria was no longer a cheerful, bright-eyed little girl. She became very guarded and closed-off, not trusting anyone but herself. Her situation made her grow up more quickly than other children her age. She saw the world for what it truly was under its façade, a place filled with liars and bad people.

Though the Daily Prophet reported Aria's death soon after the aurors abandoned their search, her father still sent her letters on her birthday from Azkaban. The owls were not fooled by her appearance and always managed to find her. Her father knew that her mother had been murdered and did not kill Aria. He told her that the men were called death eaters, followers of the dark wizard Lord Voldemort. They were the reason that Aria and her mother had been in hiding. Despite Voldemort being gone, his followers believed he would return and continued his work in secret. Some of his followers were in Azkaban with her father. He urged Aria to find her aunt Elyse for protection. On her 11th birthday, he sent a key with his letter. It was to a secret Gringotts vault for her. Shortly after his arrest, he got one of his old friends to set up the vault to be accessed when Aria turned seventeen. His parents did not know about the vault. Her father gave her the key early, knowing she was alone and in trouble. She never went into the vault, deciding to remain in the muggle world.

Aria had just entered a small convenience store, holding a skateboard. She was currently living in an old apartment building in Romford. The building only had a few occupants and the owner rarely showed up, making it a good hiding place. She placed various items, mainly food, into her backpack. There were birthday candles near the register. She walked over there, seeing a middle-aged man.

"Looking for something?"

"Actually, my family and I are a bit lost. We're not from around here"

Grabbing one of the tourist maps, she spread it onto the counter. She asked him how to get to a random town. The man looked irritated.

"Do I look like a tour guide, boy?"

"Just need some help, sir. My parents are hopeless when it comes to directions"

"Well you're going in the wrong one"

As the man spoke, she grabbed the candles. She pretended to be confused by the map. He moved his finger along the map to point out the correct route. She nodded and slipped candy bars into her coat pocket.

"Hey, mister! That kid's stealing!" she heard a woman say.

The man noticed one of the candy bars. "You little punk" he snarled.

Aria ran out of the convenience store. The man chased after her. She used her skateboard to go faster. After a few minutes, he stopped, panting heavily. He yelled that he would call the cops. Aria reached the apartment building. She entered her room on the fifth floor. Opening her backpack, she took out a box of cupcakes. She opened the box and put one of the cupcakes on the kitchen counter. Placing a candle in the shape of a star on top, she used a lighter to light it. Aria did this every year on her birthday, a tradition started by her mother. She made the same wish to have her father with her though she knew it was impossible. Closing her eyes, she blew out the candle.

"Happy birthday to me" she whispered.

She bit into the cupcake. An owl appeared outside the window. She untied the letter around its leg. It was from her father. She opened the letter, scanning its contents. Her father warned her to go to her aunt immediately. One of the prisoners, a former death eater, told him that his fellow followers were close to finding her location. Aria had thought of staying with her aunt many times. The day after running from her home, she found her in this enormous manor in Kensington, sitting outside while her children played with each other. Her grandparents stopped by the manor. It turned out that her aunt was on their side. She lied about attempting to help her father. Instead, Elyse was keeping him locked in Azkaban, destroying any evidence to prove his innocence. She only gave money to Aria and her mother so that she could report their whereabouts to her grandparents. Her father was not aware of this betrayal.

As she burned the letter on the stove, she heard a loud popping sound. She listened to footsteps go down the hallway and stop in front of her door. The lock clicked open. Grabbing her backpack, she climbed out the window. She hid on the fire escape. Two burly men entered the apartment. They had wands in their hands. One of the men picked up her half-eaten cupcake.

"Oh, was it your birthday, little Collins? Afraid we don't have a present for you"

"We know you're here. You can't hide from us"

Aria ran down the fire escape. She twirled her necklace, creating a portal. Jumping through it, she landed outside of a diner. The portal had taken her back to London. She was anxious about the death eaters finding her again. Entering the diner, she sat at a table and ordered an iced tea. She heard a group of women discussing Azkaban and the escape of a prisoner named Sirius Black. The waitress brought her drink. As she took a small sip, she eavesdropped on their conversation. They worried that he would go after a boy named Harry Potter.

"I'd like to see him try. He'd be foolish to attack the school with Dumbledore there. It's like my mother always said…there's no safer place than Hogwarts"

"Especially with Dumbledore in charge. No one would dare to challenge him. You Know Who himself was afraid of him"

Aria remembered hearing about Hogwarts from her mother. It was a wizarding school that children in Britain attended. Her parents met at Hogwarts and started dating as teenagers. If Voldemort was scared of the headmaster, his followers would not dare to cross him. Based on that conversation, Hogwarts sounded like a perfect place to hide. It would also be a chance to learn magic. The women were leaving to go to the Ministry. She got up at the same time, purposely knocking into one of them.

"I'm really sorry, ma'am"

"Not to worry, dear. I'm all right"

"No, it's my fault. Here, I'll pay for your meal as an apology for bumping into you"

Aria put money down on their table. The women smiled.

"Aren't you sweet? What are you doing by yourself, dear? It's not safe on your own. There's an escaped convict on the loose"

"We just moved back to London. My parents wanted me to go to the Ministry to register for Hogwarts while they unpacked. I got a little lost"

"We're headed there. You can come with us"

She followed the women into the back alley of the restaurant. One of the women grabbed her arm. A second later, she landed inside of a massive building. There were fireplaces lined up along the walls. Every few minutes, people would emerge from a fireplace. Others apparated into the building. In the middle of the room was a fountain with statues of a wizard, witch, house-elf, centaur, and goblin. The women explained that she would register at the Department of Magical Education on the second floor. She was supposed to speak to a Gabriel Porter. Aria thanked them for their help and went into one of the lifts. She pressed a button for the second floor. Before the doors closed, tiny notes, folded up like paper airplanes, flew into the lift. The doors opened at each floor and a bored female voice announced the various departments through a speaker. After five stops, the lift reached the second floor. She followed the signs to the Department of Magical Education.

One of the doors had Gabriel Porter, Head of Department of Magical Education written in bright golden letters. She opened the door, revealing an office with a bookshelf and multiple filing cabinets. A young man in his 20s was sitting at a polished wooden desk. Her eyes widened, seeing her aunt Elyse in front of him. She was a statuesque woman in her early 40s with pin-straight ebony hair and dark brown eyes. When Aria first saw her aunt, she found her to be very prim and uptight. She did not appear to be the least bit affectionate. Aria messed with her hair to keep it in her eyes.

"Mrs. Montague, I will continue to contact Dumbledore. He has a lot on his hands with Black's escape and placing proper security charms on the castle"

"It's no excuse, Porter. Have those documents on my desk by tomorrow morning or you'll find yourself helping Weasley with his pointless muggle work"

Her aunt turned to head for the door. She scrunched her nose at Aria.

"Take off that foolish hat when you are here. Did your parents not teach you manners?"

"Sorry" she replied, taking off her slouched beanie.

Aria stared at the floor. Her aunt looked her over, shrewdly. With a small sneer, she left the office. Aria went over to the desk. Porter chuckled.

"Don't be scared of her. She's like that with everyone. We call her the Ice Queen. Can I help you?"

"My family just moved here. I need to register for Hogwarts"

"Oh, a transfer? That's not very common"

Waving his wand, he conjured a piece of paper. It was an application for new students at Hogwarts. Porter needed it for official student records. Aria had to think up a new identity. If she gave her real name, it would cause all kinds of problems.

"Name?"

"Aaron…Shaw" she said, combining her father's name with the name on a jar, containing quills, on the desk.

"Age?"

"Thirteen"

"Blood status?"

"Pureblood"

Porter asked a million questions. When he questioned her about her previous school, she lied about being taught at home. It felt like it had been hours before they finished. She needed to choose electives. There were five possible courses: muggle studies, divinations, arithmancy, ancient runes, and care of magical creatures. The list gave a description for each course. She decided on the creatures class, divinations, and ancient runes. Living in the muggle world, she knew enough about muggles and arithmancy sounded like too much thinking. He checked over the paper.

"A letter will be sent to your home with a supply list. You can get your supplies in Diagon Alley. I'd suggest going through the Leaky Cauldron, a pub near here. I will need an address so the owl knows where to go"

"We just moved this morning. It's a little hectic with all of the unpacking. Could I just get it now?"

"That would be fine"

Porter conjured a letter for her. It contained instructions on how to get to Hogwarts and a supply list. He told her that she would be sorted on the first night at the school and Dumbledore would assign her a tutor to ensure she was on the same level as her classmates. Aria left the office, heading back to the lift. As she turned the corner, she knocked into someone, causing her to fall to the floor. Rubbing her head, she looked up to see a strawberry blonde girl her age. She was very petite with an upturned nose, having a preppy style. Aria wondered how she did not trip while walking in her high-heeled boots. She helped the girl up and apologized for bumping into her. The girl smiled.

"Do you go to Hogwarts?"

"I uh just transferred"

"I'm Daphne Greengrass. I'm going into third year"

"Same. I'm…Aaron Shaw"

"Am I the first Hogwarts person you've met?"

Aria nodded. "You can sit with me and my friends on the train. They'll definitely like you"

"Thanks. I should get going. It was nice to meet you"

Daphne grabbed her arm. Taking out a pen from her purse, she wrote on Aria's hand. Aria glanced down. She had written 10 Gable Drive, Wiltshire, England, bedroom on the second floor.

"What is this?"

"My address so you can write to me, cutie" she said, tapping Aria's nose.

Aria's eyes widened slightly. Daphne was flirting with her. She forgot that she looked like a guy. This situation could not get more awkward. She let out a nervous chuckle. Going into the lift, she returned to the entrance floor. Her mind was racing with a million thoughts. How would she handle girls at Hogwarts? Aria did not think that through when she signed up to attend the school. She hoped that not all of them acted like Daphne. Going over to the fireplace, she grabbed powder from a small pot and stepped into the green flames.

"Leaky Cauldron" she said, throwing the powder.

She landed in a different fireplace in a pub. It looked very dirty and disheveled. She went over to the counter. A man with balding grey hair was cleaning mugs with a rag. He smiled at her, revealing a few missing teeth.

"Hello there, lad. Want a drink?"

"I need a room"

"We've got plenty. How long do you need it?"

"Until Hogwarts starts"

"Three days, then. You can pay at the end of your stay"

He handed her a key. It had the number 12 etched on the handle.

"Is there an owl I can use?"

"Yes, go up the stairs and at the end of the hall is a little owlery"

She walked up the rickety staircase. Finding the owlery, she saw multiple owls. A screech owl flew over to her. Aria grabbed a piece of parchment and wrote a message to her father. She told him that the truth about her aunt, including how she was purposely keeping him in Azkaban, and that she was going to Hogwarts. The owl held out its leg. She tied the letter around it.

"Listen to me. This is going to Azkaban but don't go the usual route. Wait outside the window for Aaron Collins's cell. When he writes back, come to Room 12 here"

The owl gave a soft hoot and left the owlery. Aria went to her room and used the key to open the door. The room consisted of a queen-sized bed, oak furniture, a small fireplace, a nightstand, and a mirror. Unable to fall asleep, she sat near the window, waiting for her father's reply…