Chapter One

139 years before Harry Potter

Professor Snow's Transfiguration class was in an uproar. A pig ran chaotically through the classroom, chased by several Ravenclaw and Gryffindor students.

Melathina Hanson buried her face in her hands. "Oh no, not again," she moaned, "Professor Snow is going to kill me!"

This was the seventh time in a week that her spells had gone wrong, and school had only been in two weeks and today was only Wednesday!

Melathina watched through her fingers as Professor Snow's expression turned from exasperation to annoyance. Professor Snow wasn't a stern looking woman, but her dark eyes were intimidating enough to demand obedience even from the Malfoy boys. Finally she lifted her wand and turned the pig back into its original form a needle.

"Melathina Hanson, if you would please see me after class." Professor Snow said mildly.

Melathina gulped 'hoolies that doesn't sound good'. She thought then said aloud, "Y-yes, Professor Snow."

The class began packing their things. When the bell rang they left giving Melathina sympathetic looks. Melathina slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way over to the professor's desk. The professor's long blonde hair was coming out of its braid. Her small round glasses were slipping down the edge of her nose. She was a kind looking, but at the moment looked exhausted.

"Miss Hanson." Professor Snow started. "Miss Hanson, you're not in trouble."

Relief swept over Melathina and Professor Snow smiled the looked at her seriously.

"I think there's something more to you then we know, Melathina. How does you wand feel in your hands?"

Melathina looked at her professor surprised, then looked at her wand. It was pretty, twelve inches, elven hair, Rosewood, but it felt little more then a weight in her hand.

"Like a stick, Professor, a shaped and crafted stick, but just a stick."

Professor Snow's smile returned and she stood up from behind her desk. "Miss Hanson, would you please follow me."

Melathina followed her not quite sure what was going on. They stopped in front of Headmaster Flemel's office. Melathina felt her face flame as the Gryffindor Quidditch captain walked by with a pretty red head giggled and whispered something to him. He winked at her as they passed.

"Wait here," Professor Snow said and walked in.

Melathina sighed, dumped her bag on the floor and leaned against the door crossing her arms and ankles. This was a perfect way to start a school year. Didn't help that her parents were already mad at her for throwing their precious set of history books out the window when she got mad at them. Didn't matter that she hadn't actually touched the things and that it was just a bit of uncontrolled magic.

About fifteen minutes later the door was suddenly gone from behind her. Melathina found herself on her rump.

"Ouch!" She cried softly.

"Miss Hanson; please come in." Professor Snow said, a hint of amusement in her voice and twinkling in her eyes.

Melathina quickly stood grabbing her bag, blushing furiously, and followed Professor Snow into the headmaster's office. Headmaster Flemel sat behind his desk his hands folded neatly on top.

"Professor Snow has told me that you're having a lot of trouble with your assignments."

Oh no!, she thought panicky, they're going to expel me!

"Sir, I'd swear that I was doing it right," she said in a rush, "but it just won't work. The only thing I'm good at is Potions and Herbology and that's because we don't use wands in those classes."

The headmaster studied her for a moment, then said calmly, "Miss Hanson I want you to turn Professor Snow into a mongoose."

"Sir?" Melathina squeaked, "wh-what if I mess up? O-or worse, sir, what if I hurt her?"

"Say Herpestes edwardsi." Flemel told her ignoring her protests.

Melathina looked at the headmaster as if he had just grown another head and told her wizards didn't exist, then sighed when she realized he was serious. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat then pointed her wand at her professor. "Herpestes edwardsi," She said with dread.

Blues mist shot out of her wand and circled Professor Snow. The professor began to change into a mongoose. Melathina looked at her teacher then her wand with relief and wonder.

"I did it." She said amazed.

"Miss Hanson you did a seventh year spell." Flemel said his eyes smiling yet his face serious.

Melathina's mouth fell open in shock. "Seventh year?!"

"Miss Hanson we're going to transfer you to the seventh year, if your grades do not improve or drop we'll move you down. But I believe you will do just fine. But in the meantime I'm going to talk to the Ministry about getting you a staff."

"Sir? Only been a 1st year for 2 wee-a STAFF?!" Melathina cried when his words sunk in.

"A staff, You are remarkably gifted and we believe you would be able to use one quite effectively."

Melathina was still confused when the headmaster dismissed her.

Melathina looked at her schedule then up at the door. 'This is it' she thought 'Professor Oakwood's Arithmency class.' She had spent the weekend reviewing herself so she would be up to par with her fellow seventh years.

She remembered most of it from her Muggle Math class before she turned eleven. Her and her sister had been living in an orphanage, and while their schooling wasn't all that well, Melathina had been skipped to the tenth grade level math and a lot of other classes, she picked up on things easily and made it through the class quite well. She walked into the class, just a few students were there, and one of which was Albus Dumbledore, the most gorgeous guy in the entire school. He had wavy brown hair that was always in place and the body of a god, at least that's what the seventh year girls thought. He had bright blue eyes that shined with mirth and looked far older then seventeen. He smiled at her when she walked in and waved her over. She looked at him surprised but walked over to him.

"Hi." She said.

"Hello." He said, "You the smart girl?"

Melathina blushed, "I'm not all that smart." She mumbled.

Albus chuckled, "Smart enough to be sent to the 7th level, when you're really a first year."

A very pretty girl with long curly blonde hair and baby blue eyes walked up to Albus wrapping her arms around his and sent Melathina and glare that clearly stated Albus was hers.

Melathina just barley suppressed a sigh, "Um, Bye."

Albus looked slightly annoyed at the girl, then smiled at Melathina. "See you around."

Melathina nodded and took a seat in the far back of the class. They only knew she was there when the professor introduced her.

Melathina received the results from the fifth year OWL's that she had taken during lunch. She had been required to take it using her wand because she had not received her staff yet. She past them all with only one mistake (she over did it again). She was legally in the seventh year. She was still a Ravenclaw but had to attended classes with the Gryffindor's, because the seventh year Ravenclaw class was full. The Headmaster had consulted the Hat as to where they should place her as an alternative and it had told him that "Gryffindor was were she ought to be, if Ravenclaw was not to be."

After lunch she had Transfiguration, Charms and Care of Magical Creatures then dinner. Then she headed to her common room.

Albus stopped her in the halls. He had been helping her in her classes with catching up and she had been helping him understand the newer things. They usually studied together and were becoming fast friends.

"Hey, Mel." He said with a smile that clearly said he was hiding something.

"Hi." She said wearily. She was tired and desperately wanted to get her schoolwork done before to late.

"You are going to the dance this weekend?" He asked.

"No, not allowed." She said.

He looked surprised and the smile left his face, "Why not? You're seventh year."

"I'm also still eleven years old. Professor Snow, and Professor Flemel, didn't think it was a good idea for me to interact too much with the seventh year boys."

Albus looked disappointed and Melathina briefly wandered if he was going to ask her to the dance, but quickly dismissed the idea, that was absurd, she was to young for him.

"Well see you tomorrow." He said with a wave and walked down the hall opposite of her.

She shrugged and tightened her gripe on her book bag. Her bed was calling to her, she decided to do her schoolwork tomorrow. She fell asleep before her head touched the pillow, and hadn't bothered to change her cloths.

The next week a group of eight owls flew in carrying a large package. A ninth flew ahead of them carrying a letter. They deposited their burdens before of Melathina.

"Geez Mel, that's some gift." A Ravenclaw said from beside her.

She ignored him and grabbed the letter and read:

Miss Melathina Hanson,

This package contains your staff. It is much more powerful than any wand. You are to be extra, extra careful with it. Professor Flemel will instruct you in its ways.

Sincerely,

The Minister of Magic

Conner Barwen

And The Department of Advanced Magical Use

Kirsten Desmond

Melathina grabbed the package and quickly went to her common room.

Melathina sat down by the fire in the empty Ravenclaw common room. She opened the package. She stared in wonder at the staff that lay before her. It was as tall as her, Elven hair, Rosewood, exactly what her wand had been. Elven hair of the quality that she had was extremely rare but powerful, which was why Olivander had suggested it for her wand.

An owl flew into the room baring a letter. It was from the headmaster telling her that during her first lesson, Charms, she was to go up to his office to get a lesson in using the staff.

Melathina climbed up the stairs, which don't move yet, carrying her staff, and when she reached the top she knocked on the door. It opened up reviling the familiar headmaster's office.

"Hello, Professor Flemel." Melathina said stepping in, the door shutting behind her.

"Hello, Melathina. Are you ready for your lesson?" Flemel asked standing up.

"Yes I am Headmaster." Melathina said shifting her hand position on her staff.

"Now, I'm going to teach you the normal first year stuff today. Now you remember how your suppose to turn a match into a needle?"

"Yes, Professor."

"Good now do the same thing with your staff, only from what I've been able to discover you don't need to say the words out loud. You think them in your head and concentrate like usual. Try it on this match."

Melathina focused her thoughts on the match and thought the words to turn it into a needle. It worked.

"Well done, Melathina. Now for the next lesson..."

Despite the fact that Melathina was exhausted she slept fitfully that night tossing and turning.

She couldn't see anything through the thick fog that surrounded her. She couldn't stay still either as she walked through the mist.

"Melathina." A voice called.

She didn't recognize the voice, though she felt like she should.

Again the voice called her name echoing around her and demanding her attention.

"Come with me." The voice said.

She couldn't speak, couldn't respond.

A figure started approaching her from out of the mist. Reaching out to her.

Melathina sat up right in bed gasping for breath. She pulled her knees up and rested her elbow on them and put her head in her hand. What was that? She thought trying to calm her heart.

Unable or not wanting to go back to sleep Melathina pushed back her covers and curtains and stepped out of bed. She slipped on her school robe over her cotton nightgown and grabbed her Potions homework then went down to the common room quietly to not wake anyone. She sat on a chair in front of the fire, dangling her legs over the arm rest and propping her book on her knees then began working on the homework.

Hour's later sleep began to weigh heavily on her. Her quill dropped from her hand and fell silently to the floor.

Melathina shivered, slowly waking up, it was freezing! She opened her eyes and was surprised to find the night sky above her and not the familiar velvet curtains from her bed. She sat up and looked around. She was by the lake in the spot Albus and her usually sat to do homework. A willow tree hid it and the wind was blocked by a clutch of rocks. She stood up, What am I doing here? How did I get here?

The moon reflected beautifully off the lake. The image only disrupted by the ripples from the movement of the giant squid. A shock of magic rippled down her spin and she turned to see an old man step out of the rocks.

She couldn't speak for several moments, but when she found her voice she asked, "Who are you?"

The man responded slowly in a deep voice, "I am Urulóki. I am a wizard, from the distant past; I've been waiting for you. I have come to teach you the Old Ways. Come with me, and I will teach you all that was lost." With that he started to walk away.

Melathina watched him for a second. Her gut twisted as she started following him, drawn to him wanting to know what he meant but knowing, someone how that she would not see Hogwarts again. At least, not the way it was now.

Albus pushed back the leaves of the willow tree. The sun glinted of the lake but no one was there. Mel hadn't been in any of her classes today. She'd never missed a class before. He'd been looking for her since lunch, she wasn't in any of her usual spots and her dorm mates had said she hadn't been in there this morning when they had woken up.

Albus sat down beneath the tree with a sigh. His gut was telling him she was gone. But where could she have gone? He thought. The Headmaster would have known if she had left the grounds, but Albus had already asked and the Headmaster said no students had left the grounds last night.

He stood up preparing to go back in when the sun glinted off something in the grass. He bent and picked up a small gold ring. He knew then she was gone, but she would come back. The ring had been her father's, the only thing left to her of her family.

As he turned to go back to the castle an explosion rocked the ground.

This chapter has been edited by Frolay.