Chapter 1- The Beginning

They had met in downtown London a couple years after the Blitzkrieg had shattered the city. She had been shopping for groceries while one of her older siblings watched from afar, and he had been walking the streets searching for entertainment. They hadn't even been aware of each other until he almost literally bowled the little girl over. As apologies spouted from both mouths, their eyes connected and it was in that moment that both parties knew. Something was different about that person.

Lucy had been looking away from where she was walking, her basket of rations full at her side and her older brother Edmund a few feet behind when the old man bumped into her. It was a narrow miss and Lucy had to swivel on the balls of her feet in order to maintain her balance. As this occurred, she could only think about how it seemed like the man had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

She stuttered out her apologies, still trying to regain her equilibrium when her light blue eyes met darker blue ones. Suddenly the buzz that had settled under her skin ever since her trip to Narnia came alive, and the air thrummed with the feeling of magic. It wasn't something she had been expecting to feel, not here in her world. The breath rushed out of her as she reveled in the feel of something dearly loved but was nearly forgotten. By the widening in the old man's eyes, he too felt the unexpected feeling as the air became charged with electricity. It terrified her.

Having gained her balance and could now stand firmly upright, she finished with her apologies and quickly sidestepped the old man. While she sorely missed the feeling of magic, the thought of a stranger knowing that she was different, and not in the way most children were, scared her more than she cared to admit. The man made a motion as if to grab her shoulder when all of a sudden her older brother appeared at her side, a hand on her elbow guiding her away with liquid movements. Edmund was positioned in a way so that the strange old man couldn't get near his little sister and so that he blocked most of his view of her. A human shield.

As they walked by, both siblings shoulder's were tense and Edmund kept throwing glares in the man's direction. He has seen what had transpired between the two and knew trouble was on its way. So he did what any good sibling would, and stepped in. He made sure to keep a firm grip on Lucy's arm for almost another block, still throwing glances over his shoulder long after the man had faded from his sight before releasing her and untensing his limbs. By then the feeling of magic had faded away and the buzz had once again settled under Lucy's skin, allowing her to breathe much easier. She cast a look at her brother.

"Edmund," she began. Her voice was a little bit shaky from the encounter. He nodded as he gave her a quick glance, looking her over and assessing for damage. He had felt the charge as well, but nearly as much as she had. They walked back home in silence, as they thought of the old man, Edmund still occasionally throwing glances over his shoulder. Just in case.

Dumbledore was a bored man. The school season wasn't open yet and no pressing matters from the Order of the Phoenix or Ministry were occurring so he had nowhere special to be and nothing to do. So on a whim, the old man had decided to take a walk amongst the muggles. He loved to observe them going about their day, and it just so happened to be market day in London. Maybe he would buy something if it caught his attention.

The trip was short considering he had apparated into an alley. Dumbledore made sure not to be wearing any wizarding clothes at the time and that his beard appeared to be shorter than what he normally wore it. Having made sure he wasn't seen, the old man and set to wandering the streets for a while. He had been there for almost an hour looking at the vendors selling their goods in an effort to make money after the Muggle war when the incident happened.

Admittedly, he should've been paying more attention to his surroundings and that it might've been mostly his fault that he almost ran her over, but she also seemed to appear out of nowhere. The sudden appearance of the little girl startled him, just as much as it seemed to startle her and they both ended up narrowly avoiding each other. The basket in her hands swerved as she struggled not to hit him with it, both their feet practically tripping over themselves to move away. From an outsider's point of view, it probably looked quite amusing, Dumbledore mused to himself.

As an apology came tumbling out of his mouth, his wizened old eyes connected with small and fairly innocent ones. As soon as they did, his magic charged the air around them. It had only happened a few times before, but each time it did, it was because the other person was particularly powerful. Sound quieted and he could swear he heard his heartbeat, the magic that ran in his veins pulsing along in time with it.

His eyes grew wide in surprise. He had not been looking for magic and yet it seemed as if he found it anyway. The little girl's eyes seemed to grow as well as though she too felt the charge. And maybe she did. But Dumbledore watched as recognition and fear quickly crossed across her eyes, although her face was somehow clear of these emotions.

The little girl quickly gained her balance and with one more apology sidestepped him like a river does around a rock. He made a motion to try and stop her so he could talk to her a bit and find out what she knows because clearly, the kid knows something when out of nowhere a boy grabs her arm. His large hand encased her elbow, holding her firmly enough to keep a good grip on her, but not so hard as to bruise. As the boy fluidly moved her along, he threw a dark glare over his shoulder, daring Dumbledore to try and grab either of them again. He didn't.

As they walked away, Dumbledore observed them. The two children were obviously siblings, seeing as they shared some of the same facial features. But he was taller and skinnier than her yet still seemed to give off the air of someone who knows how to fight and do it well. The girl was younger than her brother that much was obvious. However, instead of trying to burrow her way into his hold, she held herself in confidence and her head up high. Like a queen would when standing before her people.

It was a weird thought, that the girl was being compared to a queen when she couldn't have been more than ten, eleven at most. Dumbledore's thoughts stopped in realization. If the girl was in fact enrollment age, then the roster for the new school year would alert him to her existence. With that in mind, he watched as the boy and girl walked off, tense and looking ready to launch an attack if needed.

It wasn't until later, after he had lost sight of the kids, that Dumbledore realized he had felt a touch of magic from the boy too.