In the rush to gather her belongings and leave the train, Calla found she had become separated from the three friends she had traveled with. However, the first years were all being called to "Follow me!" by someone with an exceptionally loud voice, so she walked along with the others. After a few minutes, the group stopped at the edge a still, black lake. Several of the students gasped and began whispering amongst themselves, for the loud voice belonged to an extremely large man with the wildest black and grey beard Calla had ever seen. After nods and hellos to a few students standing up front (one of them was Calla's cousin Lily), he introduced himself as Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper.

"We'll be taking the boats across," Hagrid told them, indicating with a wave of his arm a fleet of small crafts floating by the shore. "Go on and get in, no more than four to a boat, careful now and we'll be off." Calla, settling herself into a boat with another boy and girl, thought that maybe she could help row if volunteers were needed, but before she could even look for the oars, the boats magically began to move themselves across the lake. The boy, who introduced himself as Corwin Creevey, excitedly began to tell the two girls about a huge storm that caused his dad to fall into the lake when he had been a first year. It was a silly story that made them laugh, for tonight the lake was as smooth as polished black granite, with barely a ripple created by each gliding boat. With no landmarks along the way, the students found that their gazes were naturally fixed upon the sight of the castle as they moved swiftly forward.

After disembarking at a small dock alongside the castle wall, Hagrid strode up to a heavy door and knocked loudly. "Professor Taggert will come and get yer," he told the students. While they waited, Calla took a few moments to observe those who stood nearby. Lily Potter's bright hair caught Calla's attention; she was standing with another ginger boy that Calla remembered as one of the cousins she had briefly met last summer. Two girls, both who had an older, more sophisticated look than the rest of the group stood closely together, already deep in a private conversation. Well, I guess there will always be girls who seem more grown up no matter what school I go to, Calla thought, remembering some of the girls from her old school that were already talking about clothes, boys and shopping at the age of nine or ten. Apart from a few boys who seemed to like shuffling about and pushing one another, most of the students remained silent, looking at the surroundings. Finally, the door opened.

The man who stood before them seemed imposing despite his rather average height and appearance. He introduced himself as Professor Taggert and welcomed them all to Hogwarts, yet his demeanor seemed cold and his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. They were given a short speech about the four Houses of Hogwarts, after which they were instructed to line up and follow along to the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony.

Entering the Great Hall for the first time was an overwhelming experience. The ceiling resembled the night sky, and the floating candles created a serene and beautiful effect. I'd like to remember this forever, thought Calla, but the combination of being on display to the older students and the upcoming Sorting Ceremony left her feeling more jittery than she cared to admit. As soon as they all had reached the front of the hall, an old, battered looking Hat that sat upon a stool sang a song about the four Houses of Hogwarts.

"When I call out your name, come up front, sit on the stool, and place the Sorting Hat upon your head," instructed Professor Taggert once the Hat finished singing. "Morgana Barnes," he announced. The small, dark haired girl sat down on the stool and confidently placed the Sorting Hat upon her head. She was promptly sorted into Hufflepuff and, amidst cheers, fairly skipped over to the table. No wonder she hadn't looked scared, thought Calla, as Morgana was welcomed not only by the Prefect from the train but also a large group of older students. She must be his sister.

The next student whose name was called, Basil Collinswell, looked less sure of himself as he walked up to the platform, but smiled at the enthusiastic applause he received once he was Sorted into Slytherin.

Corwin Creevey became the first Gryffindor, and pumped his fist as he ran over to join the cheering students at his table.

The Sorting Hat seemed to take a long time with Neville Dilworth, but it was actually less than a minute. Calla could see Neville's head nodding in agreement underneath the Hat's broad brim, followed by the Hat's loud shout of "RAVENCLAW."

Calla was next. Putting a small smile on her face to hide her nervousness, she walked over to the platform, sat down and set the Hat on her head.

"How very interesting," said the Hat.

"How so?" asked Calla, belatedly adding the word, "sir"so the Sorting Hat would not think her cheeky.

"Calla Dursley, you are related to many who've come through before, but yet you are quite different. Hmm, I see a very worthy combination of loyalty, ambition and a great deal of cleverness, but not the kind that comes from books." Calla sat silently, holding her breath. How did the Hat know these things about her? "There are two possible paths for you," the Sorting Hat continued. "Hufflepuff is an obvious choice; you would do well there and find the friendliness and loyalty of its students very welcoming. But," and here the Hat paused, "this could be a route that is too easy for you."

"I don't know if I want the easy route," Calla said.

"Well said," remarked the Hat. "You have a great deal of ambition for someone so young. You have the drive, but it might be a stretch for you."

Without bothering to ask why this would be a stretch, Calla made up her mind. "I know I can do it," she assured the Sorting Hat.

"If that is your desire, then let it be so," said the Hat, and loudly yelled "SLYTHERIN."

There was a brief beat of silence immediately after the Sorting Hat's shout, after which the applause began slowly then grew in volume. Calla walked over to the Slytherin table, where she was patted on the shoulder and welcomed by one of the Prefects, a dark-skinned girl whose curly hair was caught up in a green ribbon and cascaded down her back. Sitting in one of the nearby places the Prefect had indicated, she let out a deep breath and watched as the Sorting continued. Malcolm Gordon joined Ravenclaw, proving his friend Fiona's assessment correct; however Fiona herself was Sorted into Slytherin, showing that she obviously didn't know everything. The students' names continued to be called: Damian Hightower, Lucy Howard, Damaris LeFevre. Alec McKenzie joined them in Slytherin. When Lily Potter's name was called, Calla looked up to see the Sorting Hat pause for only a few seconds before her cousin, accompanied by loud cheers and whistles, became a Gryffindor. The two chic girls, Audrina Rosier and Sophie Selwyn, were Sorted into Slytherin one after the other. The ceremony seemed to continue quickly on through the last of the students, ending with Hugo Weasley joining Gryffindor and Connor Westwick becoming a Hufflepuff.

The noise in the Great Hall died down as Headmaster Filius Flitwick stood up on his chair to greet the students, warn them about the dangers of the Forbidden Forest, and introduce the staff. Immediately afterwards, Calla and the other first years were astonished to see platters of food magically appear on the tables, and they enjoyed one of the best dinners any of them had ever had eaten.

As the feast drew to a close, another announcement informed the first years to wait for their Prefects, who would show them the way to their House's common room and dormitories. The Slytherin girls and boys were rounded up and led out of the Great Hall by the Prefect who had welcomed Calla during the ceremony. A large, muscular looking boy wearing a Prefect's badge on his robes brought up the rear.

"I'm Cassiopeia Jones," the girl Prefect told the first years as they walked through the castle's entrance hall and began the descent to a lower level. "My friends all call me Cass," she said, "so you lot may call me …" here she paused "… Cass." A few of the girls giggled, and Calla smiled, liking her.

"I'm Tim Simon," said the other Prefect, "and my friends don't call me Timothy." He gave them a fake grimace and flexed one of his arms. Predictably, the boys laughed at this. The older boy had the bulky physique of a fighter, yet spoke in a smooth, sophisticated drawl as he moved into full tour guide mode. "The Slytherin common room is down in the castle's dungeon, and is actually located underneath the lake." Exclamations of "Cool!" "Merlin!" and "Wicked!" were heard from the group. "We've just reached the entrance, and don't even try to look for a door," Tim continued. "Watch closely to see where we are, and make sure you memorize the password 'Phineas Nigellus;' you'll need it every time you want to go in." Pointing out a section that seemed to be just part of the stone wall, Tim picked out one of the boys to see if he had been paying attention and, once the password was spoken correctly, the wall opened, allowing them to enter.

The Slytherin Common room was large and spacious. Soft, greenish light came from the windows that all offered underwater views. The sofas and chairs were covered in fine fabric or leather, and a quick stroke or push at a cushion revealed them to be soft and comfortable. A crackling fire in the huge fireplace added warmth, and candles in wall sconces flickered cheerfully. A number of the girls and boys gave gasps of awe at the grandness of the Common Room, prompting the girl called Audrina to smirk and say, "Just like home," sarcastically under her breath. Calla thought the Common Room looked like a combination of a historic castle's drawing room and the aquarium where she'd had an overnight stay with the Girl Guides when she was nine. She resisted the urge to giggle, not wanting to invite another snarky remark. She thought of her smart, upscale, and yet very suburban home and wondered what kind of houses the other students lived in.

At this point the group split up. Tim took the boys straight down to their dormitory, while Cassiopeia motioned for all the girls to sit down in a small alcove near one of the windows.

"All of your things have been brought to your dormitory room, but before I show you the way, I would like to take a few minutes to get to know each of you a little more." Cass glanced at each of the girls one by one, and continued enthusiastically. "Assigning a prefect to the first years in every House is something new that's being tried out this year. We've always told our first year students that they can receive help from any other member of their House." At this the older girl took out her wand and drew an illuminated green happy face, which floated in the air in front of her. "What usually happens though is once we get a month or so into the term, the older students get very involved in their own studies, clubs and friends, and the first years are often left behind on their own." Here Cass created a similar colored sad face. "I am going to be your Prefect for this whole year, and will be available to any of you if you need help or have any questions." With a movement of her wand, both floating faces disappeared.

"Now for some fun," said Cass. "I'll tell you something about myself, and then you can all do the same. I'm sixteen years old, my birthday is 27th of February, my favorite flavor of Bertie Bott's is black coffee, and I spent last summer relaxing since I had to recover from taking my O.W.L.s last term! Who's next?" Cass gave the girl sitting to her left a nod.

"I'm Audrina Rosier and this is my best friend Sophie," said the girl, nodding at her friend sitting by her. The two of them were as alike as two peas in a pod – both were turning twelve in the autumn, had known each other since babyhood, and had spent most the summer vacationing and helping their mothers out with a charity fashion show for St. Mungo's. Audrina seemed to do most of the speaking for her friend, for after the mutual introduction all Sophie was able to add was that she had an older brother at Hogwarts and her favorite flavor of Bertie Bott's was mango.

"Chloe Travers," the next girl said sulkily. "I like a lot of different flavours, and my birthday is 16th of April." She seemed a little put out by the many common interests shared by the first two girls until Sophie asked her if she were related to Tamara Travers. "She's my aunt," Chloe said, and brightened considerably when the other girl smiled and told her that Tamara was an acquaintance of her mother's.

"Well, I see we have some very old wizarding families represented here," said Cass offhandedly. "So, Fiona or Calla – which one of you would like to go first?"

Fiona's accent stood out as she told the group about herself. After telling them her birthday (20th of March) and that custard was her favorite Every Flavored Bean, she spoke mainly about her horse and the farm where she lived.

"That sounds like a lot of fun," Sophie breathed. "Do you have a cute stable lad who helps you when you are done riding your horse?"

Fiona shook her head, evidently finding the question rather ridiculous. "No, I've been taking care of my own horse for a few years now."

"How … interesting," Audrina said, meaning quite the opposite. Fiona rolled her eyes.

Calla stepped in. "My name is Calla Dursley. I turned eleven on 3rd of July, and I don't have a favourite Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Bean yet. I just know I hate the broccoli flavoured one." She looked over at Fiona, who gave Calla a small smirk in response. Calla went on to tell the girls about her vacation that summer and that she loved playing sports, especially football.

"What's football?" asked Sophie.

"It's a Muggle sport where you kick a ball with your feet," began Cass helpfully, but was interrupted by Audrina.

"I've never met a Mud - ugh – Muggle-born before," she stated.

"Yeah," added Chloe, turning to Calla. "How did you know that you were a witch?"

Cassiopeia heard the two girls' disrespectful tones and did not like where the conversation was headed. "Merlin's pants! It's getting so late," she exclaimed. "Let's go downstairs to the dormitory so you girls can get some sleep before lessons begin tomorrow."

Calla lay in her four-poster bed, physically worn out, but not quite willing to succumb to sleep just yet. So much had happened in one day that it didn't seem as if it had only been this morning she had left for school on the Hogwarts Express. She wondered about the other girls in her House. Rosier and Selwyn did seem stuck up and not quite her type, but Cass had pointed out that they were from "old wizarding families." Did this mean that they were the girls she should try to get to know? The question, "How did you know you were a witch?" and the way it had been asked turned over and over in her head. I wonder what it would have been like if I'd never found that I am a witch. It's a good thing cousin Harry came over that day and told me were Calla's last coherent thoughts before her mind began to untangle and sleep finally overtook her.

A Year Ago

Dudley Dursley made a point of staying in touch with his cousin Harry, and would invite him to come by once or twice a year. Calla thought it was strange that they never went to cousin Harry's house, or that he never brought his wife or children along to visit. One time, she had asked her Dad why this was so, and his curt answer of "they live too far away" let her know in no uncertain terms that the subject was not open for discussion.

Since the day had been warm for early autumn, Dudley and Erin Dursley, cousin Harry, and the children had all gone to sit outdoors at a local pub, popular for its location adjacent to a park. Peter had immediately run off to play on the swings, while Calla had joined up with some other children her age who were playing football. Calla was always in demand to play on anyone's team, especially in the position of goalkeeper.

"She's one hell of a player," Harry noticed, as they watched Calla make an almost impossibly long jump, catching the ball and keeping the other team from scoring on a penalty shot.

"She takes after her Mum that way," remarked Dudley proudly, giving Erin's hand a little squeeze.

"Does she now," said Harry. Dudley gave Harry a sidelong glance, but his cousin's face was still turned towards the playing field.

After spending most of the afternoon enjoying the weather and filling up on pub food, supper back at the house was a very casual and light tea. The children were watching the telly in the living room while the adults sat at the kitchen table, drinking cups of tea and making the kind of desultory conversation that signaled the day together was drawing to a close. Harry, though taking part in the exchange, seemed to have something on his mind, and even non-intuitive Dudley could guess what Harry wanted to talk about. This was the elephant in the room. This was a talk he was not looking forward to having with his cousin.

At 8:00, Peter was told to take a quick shower if he wanted a story before bed, with Erin going upstairs with him to supervise.

"So when were you planning on telling Calla?" Harry asked Dudley once Erin had left the room.

"Tell her what?" Dudley answered, his eyes not meeting Harry's.

From where she'd been sitting in the living room Calla had heard her name, so of course she was eavesdropping, standing unnoticed in the hallway outside the kitchen.

"You know, Dudley. What she is. Calla turns eleven next year, doesn't she? This isn't something that will just go away if you ignore it long enough. Any child with magical blood has their name on the registry for Hogwarts as soon as they're born."

In the hallway, Calla was nearly trembling with excitement. What I am? she thought. Could that thing I do really be magic? With the taste of hope sweet in her mouth, Calla began to think back on some of the strange, confusing, and now and again brilliant occurrences that had taken place in her life, things that always were accompanied by unanswered questions. It was a relief to realize that all of this could somehow make sense.

Dudley groaned and hit his forehead with the palm of his hand, expelling his breath in a loud whoosh. "I know what she is. And Mum knows, for all that helps. Maybe you and I can deal with her, but what about Erin? She doesn't have the slightest idea that there is a whole different world out there with witches and magic spells and that her daughter could be part of it! What am I going to tell her?" Dudley continued. "Erin's so happy that Calla's made it into St. Dorothy's – that was her school, by the way, and she's having Calla try out for an elite girl's football league too." Dudley's last words were spoken in a defensive yet almost challenging manner, the unspoken "and what's wrong with that" evident in the tilt of his head as he looked across the table at Harry.

She will get a letter, whether you like it or not, and since yours is a Muggle home she will have it delivered personally by someone from Hogwarts who will want to talk with your whole family and explain everything." Harry put one of his hands through his hair, mussing it, continuing in an almost embarrassed sounding voice. "You remember what happened when I got my letter…"

"Bloody effing hell," Dudley swore.

"Is everything all right Duds?" Erin called as she came down the stairs. Calla, almost caught in the act of snooping, managed to slip quickly back into the living room and pick up a book she was supposed to be reading for school, thankful that the light was too low for Mum to see her guilty face. Mum headed for the kitchen, but glanced in at Calla first.

"There's not enough light in here for reading, dear, if that's what you're doing," she said. Calla gulped, turning the book the right way up before her mother commented further. "You have school tomorrow; please go up and take your shower now."

Calla groaned and stomped up the stairs. This was so unfair. She was way older than Peter, why was her bedtime only at nine o'clock when his was at half eight? And tonight especially! Calla wanted to stay where she could hear more of what the adults were talking about – it was about her after all!

Calla took the quickest shower she could manage and stood by her open bedroom door in her nightgown, running a wide-toothed comb through her damp hair. She knew that she'd be in big trouble if she were caught on the stairs, but how frustrating it was that she couldn't hear anything beyond the faint murmuring of the adults' voices. That was until she heard her mother scream.

%%%%

"Calla's upstairs?" Dudley asked, looking a bit anxiously towards the hallway as his wife sat back down at the table. Dudley cleared his throat, and after a quick look at Harry began to speak. "Right. Erin, Harry and I were talking a bit about next year when Calla's done with primary school, and he said he noticed that Calla has some special – ugh… " Dudley trailed off, frowning and glancing again at Harry, who nodded at him encouragingly. With a noticeable gulp, Dudley carried on. "He noticed that Calla has some special gifts and abilities. Harry went to a boarding school in Scotland that specializes in – "

"Oh, are you talking about Hogwarts, then?" Erin cut in, the beginning of a sparkle of excitement in her eyes contradicting the even, conversational tone of her voice.

Harry and Dudley goggled at her, gobsmacked. This was a déjà vu moment for both of them, reminiscent of a long ago evening on Privet Drive when Dudley, his parents, and Harry had all talked about Dementors.

Erin smiled at her husband and his cousin. "Close your mouths, you don't want to attract flies. I'm sorry love, but I've kept a secret from you," she continued gently, looking beseechingly at her husband. "Please don't be angry with me, but I think I need to tell you about my best friend from primary school, Orla. She was a witch."

Erin had grown up next door to Orla, the two of them becoming fast friends from the time they were old enough venture outdoors to play under the watchful eyes of their mothers. In school, Orla was considered a little odd, but loyal Erin did not care what the other children thought of her. She had known her friend long enough that some of the unusual things that Orla could do did not seem at all strange to her.

"I accepted it as just part of Orla," Erin said. "We were quite the pair of opposites, though, with Orla being smart and into her books, and me with my sports and pretty much rubbish at everything else. When we were in year five, just like Calla is now, a woman who called herself Professor McGonagall came to see Orla. It was on her eleventh birthday. I remember her Mum calling over the fence for Orla to come home."

At this point, Erin stopped her narrative and suddenly looked at Harry, comprehension dawning on her face. "Oh, so that means you …"

"Yes," answered Harry.

Erin blushed and continued a moment later. "That night Orla told me everything at her birthday sleepover. She even showed me her letter from Hogwarts, and we sat up most of the night talking about how exciting it was that Orla would be able to go there." At this point Harry raised his eyebrows, and Erin countered with, "Well, we were best friends; we never kept secrets from one other, and I was thankful that Orla decided that even this would not change things between us."

"So you knew about magic. Didn't you notice anything different about Calla?" Dudley asked his wife.

Erin nodded her head, clearly embarrassed. "Yes, when Peter was a baby. I saw Calla do a few things that seemed so familiar - I guess she reminded me a bit of Orla when she was very young. But I didn't know who I could talk to about it, and unfortunately," she continued wryly, "your Mum got to me first." Harry and Dudley both groaned. Erin gave them both a puzzled look. "You don't sound very surprised."

"Aunt Petunia hates magic," Harry stated flatly.

"It's a, ugh, long story," added Dudley. "What did Mum say?" he continued.

"Well, your Mum denied that anything was wrong, was adamant that Calla was just feeling left out because of the new baby, and suggested I get her enrolled in nursery school or some special activity. I started her in ballet class right afterwards."

Dudley sighed. "So what happened to her? Orla, I mean."

"Orla's parents moved away during her first year at Hogwarts. We kept in touch somewhat, but we lost track of one another when my mum and dad split up and I had to move the following year. I never saw her again." Erin sighed unhappily. "I've always wondered what happened to her."

"I might know," Harry spoke up, as Erin looked at him with a hopeful expression. "I think I remember there was an Orla Quirk a few years behind me in school. Now, I can't promise you anything, Erin, especially since your friend came from a Muggle – that means non magical – family. Because of our war in the 1990s, some Muggle-borns my age went missing or didn't finish their education at Hogwarts, but I'll try to look into it for you."

Erin shrieked and jumped up, practically knocking the table over in her haste to envelop a startled Harry in a gigantic hug. "You clever, clever man!" she cried, placing a kiss on his cheek.

A few moments later, an anxious looking figure appeared in the doorway, apologizing for being out of bed and assuring her mother not to worry, that whatever happened it would be all right.

This time Calla was not in trouble for getting out of bed; on the contrary, she was invited into the kitchen to take part in a conversation that would once again change her life.