A/N: so guys, I don't think this will make very much sense without reading or knowing about a dignified reminiscence, but considering I'm writing this first, I should probably clarify a few things:

Instead of having dark magic be something they cast, it's a magical affinity

They can have affinities for different elements, (water, earth, fire, etc)

Dark magic isn't inherently bad

Ilvermorny and hogwarts do an exchange later in the story (hopefully maybe 5-6 chapters in)

In my world, trans people do exist, and they do have gender confirmation options (in fact, Atria is non-binary!)

This story will grapple with bigotry, sexism, racism, fascism, transphobia, etc. It can be very triggering, so please be warned before continuing

This is an oc-centric story who may turn into a mary sue at some point, but this is just a fun little project for me. Don't worry, she'll become more bearable as time goes on, I promise.

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Summary: OC centric. Atria's main goal was to discover herself, and with the help of very many people she becomes more than she ever dreamed. Crossover happens 3-4 chapters in, just as she participates in an exchange program with Hogwarts. Akatsuki/Team 7 as Harry's body guards and protectors of the exchange program. just a giant mish-mash of self-indulgent tropes. Eventual Lucius Malfoy/Atria Auxatia, not essential to the plot (will probably be a whole other fanfic). dark!protagonist, dumbledore bashing, smart!harry, character deaths resulting in a happy ending

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"Can you do this for me? Can you prove to them that you're worthy of them?" Atria still heard her mother's voice echo through her thoughts as she took the floo to arrive at Ilvermorny school. It was different from her home in Florida, where it was perpetually hot and sunny, but..she didn't mind it, even if it was cold.

She was herded in with the other first years that were attending Ilvermorny school, and though she was pureblood, she didn't know any of the others. It was...the curse of her family, or her mother and father's actions, she supposed. Their divorce caused a rift between all parts of their family, from her mother's side, to her father's side. She once was considered for the heir position for both families, but due to their actions, that was no longer feasible.

Her mother still hoped that she would be able to become heir, but it would be hard. Atria always managed to do things that were harder for most people, her no-mag classes were passed with flying colors without any real studying, but she wasn't sure about magic. Her mother didn't have enough magic to be considered for the school, and her father had attended a small, private school in the mountains of west virginia, the same as their entire family. Atria was the only one to attend Ilvermorny since her grandfather, James Madison, two generations before.

She was a split down both families- she had the Clare's famed copper and bronze hair, their eye color, but the rest of her, her shape, nose and mouth, her skin tone- was all Auxatia.

The pressure on her shoulders was astounding-and Atria could feel every bit of her mother's expectations upon them. "Hey!"

"What-? Sorry!" Atria returned to her senses, throwing herself out of her thoughts as she tripped into another person. "I didn't see-"

"Just be careful next time," the person that spoke was a very pretty girl with dark topaz eyes, very dark skin and frizzy hair that was straightened and then pulled back into a half-ponytail. She offered her hand without a second thought, a look of chagrin on her face.

Atria nodded a little, a hesitant blush pooling across her pale face, dipping into her chest and floating up into her ears. "Thank you.. Uh, what's your name?"

"Jasmine! Jasmine Grave." Jasmine's smile was stunning, her eyes lighting up with something other than anxiety. "I know you're probably nervous over the sorting, so don't worry about it. Here, my mom gave me these-" She reached into her set of deep blue robes and pulled out a small chocolate strawberry, and offered it out in her hand.

"I'm Atria Auxatia. I've been thinking 'bout taking the Clare name too, you know?" She took the strawberry with a hesitant, shy smile, and pulled something out of her robes as well. "My mom made me a couple protection runes. She gave me double, so.. here, an aventurine and a...black tourmaline quartz!"

The small necklaces caught the light just right, showing the runes scratched into each one. "My mom is good with rune magic," Atria gushed. Both necklaces were snagged in Jasmine's hand, the tourmaline went around her neck, and she held the black tourmaline up to the light in the chamber. "Pretty!"

"So you're a Clare-Auxatia! My mother's a Bonneville! We're cousins somewhere down the line!"

"Really? I haven't read the family texts yet. Maybe we can look it up in the library later," Atria's voice was relatively relaxed now, and she startled a little as Jasmine yelled, "ANSON! OVER HERE!"

Atria ducked at Jasmine's waving hands, giggling a little at her new friend's enthusiasm. A boy with brown hair and deep brown eyes walked over hesitantly, a shy look on his face. "Hey, Jasmine," he said, "Who's this?"

"This is Atria! Here, her Momma made her two, so I'm gonna give you one, too!" She held out the black tourmaline rune necklace and Anson's eyes went wide. "I can't-she didn't-"

"Take it," Atria said, pushing Jasmine's hand to him, and he took it with a nervous smile. He stuck it around his neck fast, his hand coming up to run over the smooth-quartz, his fingers moving over it in a soothing, repetitive motion.

"Anson here's No-maj-born, and Atria's a pureblood, so if you can't find me, you can talk to Atria about anything! Lucky, you get two sponsors!" Jasmine smacked her hands together excitedly.

"Students! Students!" The three's attention was immediately drawn to a small witch at the front of the door, clapping her hands together loudly. Stars and sparks danced around her fingers as she did so, and most of the students were in awe.

"Welcome to Ilvermorny! I am Headmistress Danika Cross! Soon after you speak to me, you'll be sorted into your houses, be chosen by your wands and undergo your affinity ceremony!"

The students watched in rapt attention, their eyes directly on the white-haired witch, unwavering. She blinked a couple of times and smiled, her brown eyes closing as she continued speaking, "Here at Mount Greylock, Ilvermorny, there are four houses, each of them representing a portion of a wizard:

Horned Serpent represents the mind of a wizard, and is usually considered to be the most scholarly house.

Wampus represents the body of a wizard, and favors warriors.

Thunderbird represents the soul of a wizard, and favors adventurers.

Last, but not least, Pukwudgie. Pukwudgie represents the heart of a wizard, and favors healers and carers.

I, myself, was a Pukwudgie."

"To be sorted, we will take you to the main hall, where you will stand upon the Gordian knot. The proper statue will react with your house. Occasionally, a person will be sorted into two houses! It is then that the student chooses which house they prefer. After, you'll go to a second antechamber, and follow the hall to the left, where your wand will choose you, and your affinity will be revealed!"

"Are you excited, students?"

"Yes! Yeah!" was the excited response, and Atria's smile split wide across her face as the Headmistress waited for the hubbub to die down before saying, "Please follow me. Your fellow students will watch this ceremony. Don't be too worried! They're happy to get who they get."

"I'm kinda nervous," Anson found himself saying quietly.

"Don't worry, we'll still be your friends," Atria said quietly, following along with the crowd.

Jasmine smiled and walked after Atria, and Anson hurried to catch up with them both. He had a feeling that they would become great friends.

It was then that they realized that the Headmistress wasn't lying when she said the entirety of the school would be watching their ceremony! The students were above, looking down at them from the next level, crowded along the banisters and cheering as they walked in.

Atria waved a little and Jasmine held her arms out, waving exuberantly at everyone. Anson waved a little bit with a small smile, and he chuckled as the crowd grew louder. And then, they went completely silent as the lights around the older students dimmed, the only bright light descending upon the Gordian knot and the sorting statues.

"Linden Antelight!"

A small boy stepped upon the knot in the floor and the wampus statue roared to life, a few of the other first years jumping and one even screaming, before the boy hurried across the way to a lit entranceway.

Atria agreed that it didn't look too bad, after all.

"Atria Auxatia!"

The crowd parted between her and the knot, and she stepped forward, only stopping in the center of it. The Wampus roared to life again, but this time, the Thunderbird beat it's wings. She was sure that everyone could hear her heart beat in those moments, and Headmistress Cross spoke, "Atria Auxatia, which house do you choose?"

I want to be free, was her thought, and she clearly stated, "I wish to be sorted into Thunderbird house!"

The Wampus statue gave a small nod and went completely still while the Thunderbird beat it's wings once more. She walked off the knot, her eyebrows raising a little as the knot pendant on her cloak changed from the Gordian knot to a small Thunderbird. So that's how they differentiated, huh? And.. her blue robes were now cranberry.

Magic was great, she decided. But.. this wasn't the only test for today. Her mother wanted her to be sorted into Wampus or Horned Serpent, Ezra had specified-had more than once said that Thunderbird was for people that had no idea what they were doing and Pukwudgie was for people that were too soft-hearted.

Atria wondered why her mother judged people like that when she couldn't even get into Ilvermorny, but that was beside the point.

The antechamber led to another room, one with chairs and a person sitting behind a desk with wands. Wands covered every available surface, and they were stacked up in boxes from floor to ceiling all the way around the room. A man sat behind the main desk, whittling away at a wand. He didn't even look up as Atria sat next to Linden Antelight.

They didn't talk at all, but when Jasmine entered, he swapped seats with her. "I got into horned serpent! But Atria! It's been an entire generation since someone was given a choice between two houses! Double lucky!"

"I know! My Mom was pulling for Wampus, but I really wanted Thunderbird!" Atria's smile was wide and earnest, and finally, the headmistress entered after the last student.

"We'll do this the same as with the sorting, children! Your name will be called and you'll go to the desk and your wand will choose you. He'll be performing an affinity test once you have your wand, and then you'll be sent to dinner, where you'll eat amongst your housemates."

"Yes, Headmistress!" A chorus of I understand and yes echoed around them.

As Linden's name was called, he walked up to the front of the room. It only took about thirty seconds before the wand in his hand actually sung- and then Atria found herself walking up to the man behind the desk.

"Atria Auxatia. Mother was Clare, father was Auxatia… haven't had either in here in a while. Birchwood, 7 inches, dragon heartstring. Give it a wave."

The wave set fire to a couple books on the desk, and Atria began stammering, "Sorry-really," and the man waved her off.

She went through many wands- blackthorn, holly, vinewood, wisteria, willow-before the man muttered something about being tricky and stumbled off into the rows and rows of wands. It had been 10 minutes at that point, and Atria was beginning to wonder if she even belonged there at all. What if she was like her mother? What if she was basically a squib?

She hated that thought. The man returned with 6 wands. Each one was better than the last and finally-the very last one, Ebony and Cherry wood, with a Phoenix feather core, 12 ¾ inches. Her entire being sung as she waved it, a few stars and a swirl of fire rolled around her in a calming spiral before dissipating as quickly as it started. "Wow!"

"Very good. Now.. focus your magic to your wand and tap it to this paper." The man held out a paper pad, and Atria did as told. Writing in red ink began to scrawl across the page, elaborate and beautiful, but…

"Fire, Water, Dark and Light Magic. Not Neutral." His eyebrows rose. "Your magical acuity is the same as two adult wizards… But with these affinities, you'll have to have special classes. We'll have to contact your parents about it… Continue on, Miss. Auxatia, to the dinner hall. Do be sure to sit with your House."

He pointed to a door at the left hand side of the room, and Atria took this time to scurry from the room, nearly running in her haste to get away. She gripped the wand in her hand tightly, wondering if it was bad-or if they couldn't accommodate her. Would they kick her out? Would she be removed to another school?

Just after she made friends, too….