A brief explanation and a request from the author to the reader can be found at the end of this chapter below, located there so that the reader can jump right into the story. Please read that as well!

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, ideas, or locations created by J.K. Rowling or Warner Bros., but I do own the majority of the characters and many of the locations and ideas that will appear throughout this series. The reader will be able to tell the difference between canon and my own creations.

CHAPTER 1 - Bruinrook House

Nothing interesting had ever happened within the walls of room 3B of Pueblo Palido Elementary until Mrs. Fredricks introduced the "new kid". In fact, the entire town of Brackett was rather unexceptional before the Selwyn family arrived. The most exciting event that anyone remembered was the "Great Sheep Stampede of '76," which, suffice it to say, only consisted of half a dozen sheep anyway. But it was the only thing besides tumbleweeds to blow through the dusty streets of the tiny town in over thirty years.

So, when the only family of foreigners to ever set foot in Brackett decided to make the town their new home, the news spread like wildfire. It sparked in room 3B of Brackett's only school, in the shouting whispers of the 13 seven-year-olds that had recently moved up to the second grade. Not long after the last bell, it was carried by foot and over telephone wires to every single house, store, stable, and field within a 15-mile radius. The next day, the middle- and high-schoolers even managed to bring it to the nearby city of Harte, where it was a hot topic as well.

At first, the Selwyns were the object of attention simply because they were new, which they didn't mind too terribly. Some of the neighbors, trying to be friendly, even offered to help them move into their new house on Lillick Lane. The Selwyns thanked them kindly but refused the offer, saying that they had already finished it all. ("My goodness!" exclaimed Patty Mae Lewis from down the street. "I didn't see the moving truck come or go!")

But after only a week and half, some of the neighbors started to get a bit too nosy. Why did the family move such a long way, and to a desert town so small that it didn't even show up on the map? Were they running from something? The government? Why didn't they ever let anyone into their house? What did Mr. Selwyn do for work? Why wouldn't they get rid of that owl that obviously made a nest in their attic? And why did they all act so odd and secretive? What exactly were they hiding?

And the strange looks never stopped. Instead, they got worse, as weirder and weirder things began to happen around the family – the worst of which at school. The first incident that caused a commotion was when the older of the two failed his first test. The paper suddenly caught fire, setting off the emergency sprinklers overhead. The entire class had to escape the flooding room, but not until Mrs. Fredricks and every single student were soaked from head to toe.

One fateful day, the youngest Selwyn tried to cover a black eye as he reentered his class after recess. Ms. Daniel caught him and sent him to the nurse. Then, she realized that the school bully didn't come back into class at all. She left her class snickering to search for him. After several minutes, she found him hiding underneath the slide, covered in warts that oozed smelly green goop.

And there were many more strange occurrences throughout the time that the two boys were in their small school. Years of mocking sneers, scared whispers, and ridiculing laughter piled up upon each other. Eventually, there was a final laugh from a student within room 3B, and immediately, thousands of cockroaches and crickets began to spill out of every desk in the school except the two that just happened to belong to the Selwyn boys.

None of the members of the family ever made a single friend in Brackett. They were all too strange, too abnormal. And the truth was, the Selwyn family was keeping an enormous secret from the rest of the world: they were wizards.

Actually, Mrs. Selwyn, being a woman, was technically considered a witch, which was rather ironic considering that it was one of the nastily-spoken "insults" thrown around about her occasionally. But regardless of the terms used, all of the members of the family were able to practice magic. They all wore pointed hats and cloaks, they all rode broomsticks in the dead of night, and they all brewed potions in the kitchen together as a family activity. The only difference between them all was that only the parents were legally allowed to own wands and cast spells - the children weren't old enough yet.

Their magic was their secret that they weren't allowed to reveal. The non-magical people wouldn't understand them. In fact, they'd be afraid of them. Even without truly knowing the secret, even only seeing the little evidences of the family's special abilities, the citizens of Brackett felt just that towards them: fear, apprehension, and hostility. And they stayed far, far away from them all.

That's why Seth was perfectly content when his father told him that they were going to move back to England. The two weeks of waiting felt like an eternity before they could finally make the journey back to their own country. But they made it. At last, Seth found himself staring up at the stone face of the enormous mansion that would be his new home: Bruinrook House.

"We're going to live here?" Seth asked incredulously.

Dad rapped four times on the weathered door with the large iron knocker. Seth didn't realize that there was no keyhole until one appeared, and Dad pulled out the enormous keychain he had gotten from the man in the train station at London.

The door creaked open. Asher clung tighter to Mum's arm, but Seth pulled forward.

The foyer, though aged, was grand. There was a black chandelier from which hung many cobwebs, but with a flick of Dad's wand, the cobwebs vanished and the candles sprung to life. There were arches on either side leading to more of the house, and a great staircase made of dark wood led up to where a banister lined the second level.

An eerie feeling hung in the air with the smell of dust and mold, but the electric feeling in his gut pulled Seth forward. He stepped on the fraying rug, leaving a footprint in the grime.

"It's filthy," Mum finally said.

"It's been years since anyone's been in here," Dad replied. "It's a fixer-upper, but we can get it looking good as new."

Mum sighed. "Yeah. Let's get these things inside – looks like rain."

"It's so big," Seth whispered.

"It's so dark," Asher mumbled as he helped Seth lug a heavy trunk through the door.

"Your room is the first one on the right," Dad told them, pointing upstairs.

By the time they let the trunk drop to the ground outside their bedroom door, Seth's arms were sore. Then he got a new burst of energy as he pushed the door open.

The room was wide and tall. The top of the four-poster bed almost reached the ceiling, and as soon as he stepped inside, the sconces on the wall and the candles on the dresser flickered to life. There were heavy drapes on the windows. Seth ran to them and threw them open, and a cloud of dust made him cough as he did.

Asher grunted behind him. "Seth," he whined as he tried to drag the trunk in alone.

"Sorry, " Seth said as he picked up the other end. They let it crash to the floor just inside. Then, Seth was off again to look into the dresser where he found several mothballs and a dead Doxy, as well as a broken quill and dried-up ink bottle in the bottom drawer.

"How are we living here?" Asher asked. "It's huge!"

"Why are we living here?" Seth replied. "That's the real question."

Suddenly, there was a scream from downstairs, followed by a shattering noise.

Dad yelled something, and Seth and Asher dashed back downstairs. Just as they reached the foyer, Dad ran past them. They followed close behind.

The three burst into the kitchen. Mum had her wand drawn and was advancing around the wooden counter upon which was a broken jar that used to be full of pickled vegetables.

"What happened?" Dad asked.

"I Stunned it," Mum replied. "It jumped out at me when I – oh! It's a house-elf!"

"What?" Dad rushed around the counter too, and now Seth followed close behind. "Nilly?" Dad said.

"You know her?" asked Mum.

It was a small creature, far shorter than even Asher, with a head too large for its spindly legs and arms. Its eyes were currently closed, but they were obviously exaggeratedly large as well, and its ears were pointy and rather like a bat's. Its only article of clothing was a simple dress made of a silk curtain, tassels still attached.

"That's a house-elf?" Seth asked.

Mum ignored him. "You know her?" she repeated.

"Yeah," Dad replied. "I didn't know she was still alive. Rennervate."

Nilly stirred weakly as Dad's spell worked in her. She blinked softly, confused, and then seeing the people around her, scrambled away squealing. She lifted her hand threateningly.

"Nilly, no!" Dad shouted.

She froze. Her eyes, already seeming bulbous, widened even more. "M-Master Joseph?" she stuttered in a very high-pitched voice. She began to lower her hand.

Dad started to smile. "Yes, it's me."

Nilly broke into a grin and stood abruptly, rushing to Dad to throw her arms around his stomach, squeaking excitedly. Then she pulled away sharply. She took several steps backwards, eyes lowered as if she was embarrassed.

"I is sorry, sir," she squeaked.

"It's alright, Nilly," Dad said kindly.

"Nilly has missed Master Joseph very much," Nilly replied, still keeping her eyes fixed on the ground. "Nilly did not think that she would ever see him again, sir! Nilly thought that Master Joseph is–"

Dad interrupted her. "Nilly, that's enough. It's alright, I'm here now."

She finally dared to look up. "Yes!" She was smiling widely again. But then, the smile vanished. "Oh, but Nilly has not been a good elf. She has not taken care of her master's house." She suddenly looked as if she was about to cry. "Look at this mess! No, this will not do. It is my job to keep the house clean, and I has not done that. I has left when my master passed and now it is so very dirty! For Master Joseph to come back to it in this state… Nilly has been a bad elf, a very bad elf…"

Dad began to move towards her to hug her. "No, no, Nilly it's alright, you can't have known I'd come back."

Seth suddenly realized it. "Dad… you used to live here?"

Dad was patting Nilly's back as she sobbed into his shoulder muttering "a bad elf, a bad elf…". He turned to Mum. They shared a look that Seth didn't understand.

"This is my parents' manor," he stated. "I haven't been here in a very long time."

Seth's eyebrows knitted together. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Dad said nothing, so Mum answered: "Now's not the time for that conversation."

"So, what, you inherited it?" Seth tried.

"Yes," Dad replied. Then he held Nilly at arm's length. "Nilly, how long has it been since you were here last?"

Nilly sniffled and blew her nose into her curtain dress. "Three years. I has left right after my master– after he–"

"Passed away," Dad finished. Nilly nodded shortly and began sobbing noisily again. "Hey, that's okay, that's what you should've done. You couldn't stay here. Nilly, please, stop it." Nilly immediately inhaled sharply and held her breath, eyes bulging. "Why did you come back?"

Now Nilly looked at Mum. "Nilly is still loyal to her family, sir. My master asked me to protect the house, and when Master Joseph came back, Nilly thought it was in danger."

"But how'd you know that we were here?"

Nilly blinked. "Master Joseph and his family came in and Nilly knows it, sir."

Mum spoke up. "Nilly, did you put some kind of detection spell on the house?"

Nilly furrowed her brow. "I knows not how it works, ma'am, I just works the magic."

"It's been years since you left, Nilly. Have you found other work yet?"

Nilly suddenly became very still. She shook her head, but only barely.

"Why not?" Dad asked.

Nilly's eyes widened. "I– I cannot tell." Nilly shuddered.

Dad and Mum looked at each other again. Then, Mum put her hand on Seth's back and began to steer him away. "Seth, Asher, let's let your father speak to Nilly alone for a moment."

"Why?" Seth asked, confused.

"C'mon, let's go." Before they knew it, they were out of the kitchen and climbing the stairs.

"But if Dad's parents lived here, why have we never been here before?" Seth asked quickly. "And why didn't you tell us that we were moving to his old house?"

"Seth," Mom said as she spun him around, "I promise that we'll answer all your questions one day. But not yet. You two need to unpack."

Seth knew it was no use arguing more. "When we finish can we explore?"

Mum hesitated, then said with a soft smile, "Yes, that's fine, but be careful. There are some very dangerous things in this house."

The next week was a mixture of unpacking, cleaning, and exploring. Seth couldn't believe that this building was meant for just one family. It was one of the biggest buildings he had ever seen outside of the city, and absolutely filled with rooms of every kind. Seth found two sitting rooms, two studies, a library, a dining room, and at least five bedrooms in the house, some with more than one bed and each with their own bathroom, along with three more smaller bathrooms. And those were just the unlocked rooms.

Of course, being the house of a wizarding family, there were more unusual things in the house as well. There was what Seth's father called the "trophy room," which was filled with the stuffed bodies and heads of strange and often frightening-looking beasts. The conservatory was entirely overrun with plants and small bulbous creatures with long stingers (Seth slammed the door quickly on that room, as one tendril started to snake towards him the moment he peeked his head in). And in the kitchen, Seth found potatoes and wheat in various states of decay, as well as jars and vials full of ingredients meant for potions.

Seth also couldn't believe just how old everything was. The furniture, floors, and walls were all faded to the point that everything was coloured in different shades of black and grey. All of the rugs were fraying around the edges. The curtains were peppered with tiny rips and holes. Everything was shrouded by a thick layer of dust and mold. Though Bruinrook was quite obviously elegant and luxurious at one point, its age and abandonment had taken their toll.

It appeared that whatever Dad had said helped Nilly in some way: she only rarely cried as she aided the family in cleaning the house. Mum was very careful to warn Seth and Asher against abusing Nilly's help, but they soon found that she was more than willing to do anything that they didn't want to.

One day, Mum mentioned to Nilly that she didn't have to stay there, that they could free her. That seemed to upset Nilly in a very different way than she had been before – this time, she was offended. She quickly huffed away, muttering under her breath about "not having done nothing," and Seth didn't understand why. When Dad got back from work, he told Mum behind closed doors (with Seth eavesdropping intently) that house-elves didn't like that kind of talk.

"They think that you're threatening them. They like to serve, at least when they're treated well," he said. "And despite their other flaws, my family never mistreated her."

In fact, Nilly was not the only thing about the manor that Seth didn't understand. He hadn't necessarily had much exposure to many parts of wizarding culture, and he was starting to realize that his parents were trying to protect him from things. Even one of the doors that had been open when he and Asher were looking around the first day was now locked, and they couldn't figure out how to open it.

But on the other hand, the mystery of it all was so exciting. He felt that he had barely scratched the surface of all that Bruinrook House hid, and there were still the grounds that he could investigate. And he had until the end of summer break to do it all. Even the nearing end of summer break itself was exciting: it was almost time for Seth to go to school.

Seth had listened to the stories of Hogwarts for his entire life. Despite every aspect of his life being filled with wands and cauldrons and broomsticks, he knew that Hogwarts was an especially magical place. For one, he could finally learn to control his powers, to direct them and make them do what he wanted, when he wanted it. Up to this point, his use of magic had been entirely accidental. But with a magic wand and other such tools, he could actually use magic. And on September 1st, it would be his turn to begin that journey.

The letter came the second Tuesday at Bruinrook. Seth was sorting through the old cloaks in the closet, throwing the ones with holes in a trunk that was currently being used as a rubbish bin, when there was a tap-tap-tap on the window of the nearby parlour. "SETH!" Asher's voice suddenly sounded around the corner. "It's here!"

Dropping the cloak in his hands, Seth ran to his brother, who was delightedly fiddling with the latch. Seth practically shoved Asher aside as he helped him undo it. They threw open the window, nearly hitting the large brown owl that was waiting patiently on the windowsill. The owl looked away from Hermod, the Selwyns' own owl, as it shuffled to the side to dodge the window. Asher snatched the letter that it was holding in its beak, and the owl hooted irritably and flew away.

"Asher! That's not yours!" Seth tried to grab the letter from Asher's hand.

"I just want to see!" Asher complained as he pulled the envelope out of Seth's reach.

"Give it here!"

"I just want to see!"

"It's not your letter! Give it!"

"Just let me see it for-"

"Seth! Asher!" Mum stepped into the parlour. "Stop it now!"

"But he's got my letter!"

"I just want to see it!" Asher repeated a final time.

"Seth, please, just let him see it for a moment."

"It's not his!"

"Seth!"

"Mum!"

"SETH."

That was clearly the end of the conversation. Seth huffed and threw himself on the sofa. "Fine!"

Asher hopped happily over to the chair next to Seth. Mum relaxed a bit, taking a seat on the arm of the sofa. Seth sulked.

"Mr. S. Selwyn, First Bedroom on the Right, Second Floor, Bruinrook House, Cumbria." There was a reverence in Asher's voice as he read the envelope aloud. "Seth, they even know which bedroom is ours!" His fingers slipped under the flap.

"Don't open it!" Seth shouted. He lunged for the letter again.

"Seth!"

"Mum! He was gonna open it!"

Mum sighed. "Asher, give him his letter please."

Asher pouted and glared at Seth, but released his grip on the letter. Seth read the words written in deep green with his own eyes for the first time. He flipped the envelope over, running his thumb over the wax seal. Then, not being able to wait any longer, he popped the seal off. He removed the thin papers from within the envelope. Asher looked at him expectantly. Seth smiled, a nervous tingle in his stomach.

"Dear Mr. Selwyn–"

But before he could read any more, there was a flap of wings by the window as another owl landed. It was a different one this time, pure white, and carrying an envelope with a strange seal that Seth didn't recognize.

"That's for your father," Mum said suddenly. She rushed to the window and took the letter. She read it and, feeling Seth and Asher stare, folded it and shoved it into her pocket. The owl hooted. "Could you two find something for her to eat?"

Asher started to head towards Hermod, who pecked at him irritably as he neared. Deciding against taking the dead mouse at Hermod's feet, he instead picked up a moth from the floor and set it by the other owl's feet. The owl looked at it in disgust, hooted again, and then took flight. "I think it's gross too," muttered Asher.

"Who's the letter from?" Seth asked.

Mum started to walk away. "The Ministry."

Seth's brow furrowed. "The Ministry? Of Magic? Why did Dad get a letter from the Ministry?"

But Mum was already almost around the corner. "You need to finish sorting through those cloaks."

"Can I read my letter first?" he called after her.

"Cloaks first," she called back. "You'll have time to read your letter when they're done."

Seth would've been angry, but he was too curious about what had just happened. As he grudgingly left his letter on the side table ("Don't touch it," he warned Asher) and returned to the cloak closet, thoughts danced through his head, all about the contents of Dad's mystery letter.

The cloak closet was a lot deeper than it seemed, but finally Seth neared the end. The pile of cloaks in the entryway grew bit by bit, spilling out of the trunk. Seth was so deep in the closet that he almost didn't hear the pop like a gunshot when it sounded outside. Moments later, a dozen footsteps clicked up the stone drive.

Seth pushed his way out. Mum suddenly appeared from the kitchen doorway with Asher, dragonhide gloves filthy with muck. A look that Seth didn't recognize was pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"Seth, Asher, go upstairs please," she commanded while staring at the door.

"Who's here?" Seth asked.

"Upstairs."

"Why?" he tried again.

Mum finally broke her gaze from the door to frown at Seth. "Never you mind. Now would be a good chance to go read your letter." Her tone was kind, but stern.

Seth began to protest again when there was a rap on the door. At the same time, green flames roared in the parlour's fireplace and Dad stepped onto the hearth. Mum looked to Dad and said urgently, "They just got here."

"Boys, go to your room please," Dad echoed.

Sensing the seriousness in their hushed tones, Seth finally obeyed. He rushed to his letter, nearly running into Dad, and then bolted up the stairs with Asher close behind.

The two entered their room and the door shut behind them without them touching it. Asher looked like Seth felt.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I don't know." Seth replied.

"Who was it?"

"I don't know!"

Asher looked distant for a minute, then glimpsed the letter clutched in Seth's hand. He pointed and said, "Open it!"

The events happening below still loomed at the back of Seth's mind, but he knew that Asher wouldn't give up until he read it.

And of course, Seth wanted to read it too.

He tore the parchment out of the envelope as he sat on the edge of the bed. He unfolded the papers and stared once again at the emerald writing of the first.

Dear Mr. Selwyn,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours truly,

Filius Flitwick

Deputy Headmaster

By now, Asher was crouched down on the bed behind Seth, staring over his shoulder and reading the letter with Seth. Both were grinning from ear to ear. Seth flipped to the list of supplies and studied it quickly. His heart pounded with excitement. Before, Hogwarts was a story told by Mum and Dad to put the two to sleep, as if it wasn't real. But here was the evidence that it existed, there in Seth's hands. He would really be going!

"Hogwarts…" Asher's breathy words tickled Seth's ear. "You're really going to Hogwarts…" Both of them beamed.

They studied the letter for several silent minutes more, but their attention was drawn back with a slam of the front door. Asher jumped, startled.

Seth rushed to the window and, drawing the curtain back just enough to see outside, watched as several people walked down the stone stairs away from the house. Most of them were wearing black, in varying combinations of wizarding and Muggle clothing, but two were wearing official-looking navy blue robes and silver badges. These people were clearly from the Ministry. Seth remembered the letter sent to his father that afternoon.

Dad himself was talking with a final man with on the steps, whose hair was as dark as Dad's, but far more unkempt. The wizard was putting on his cloak as Dad's voice floated up to Seth, but was muffled through the thick window panes. The unknown man's reply was equally unintelligible. Dad unfolded his arms and the two shook hands. Then, the man joined the others and one by one, they disappeared into the night with a pop.

Seth let the curtain drop as footsteps came up the stairs inside. The bedroom door opened, and Mum poked her head into the room. She was smiling, but she looked distracted.

"Hey," she said. "Did you read your letter?"

Seth's eyes narrowed momentarily as he debated asking again who the people were, but he decided against it. "Yeah!" he replied. "When can we go to Diagon Alley?"

Mum's smile widened. "Dad and I have to go to Gringotts this week anyway. How about we go shopping for your birthday?"

"YES!" Asher answered for Seth.

Mum laughed. "Okay! It's settled! We'll go Tuesday morning! Asher, hey. Don't jump on the bed, please."

Asher stopped his happy dance, and Seth grinned. The time had finally come.

A Brief Explanation and Request from the Author

This story is the first installment of a seven-part series entitled "Dumbledore's Army Reborn." It is based in J. 's Wizarding World, with every possible measure taken to ensure that it can coincide with all things that could be considered canon. You, the reader, will see many references not only to the original series, but also to other Wizarding World stories such as The Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Dumbledore's Army Reborn is different than many "fanfiction" stories you will read because it follows a entirely new set of characters not mentioned in any canon sources. In other words, the canon characters such as Harry, Ron, and Hermione appear at several points throughout the series, but they fill important-but-supporting roles in the journey of this new cast of characters. Thus, it is much more like a stand-alone series than true "fanfiction", but must be treated as the latter due to copyright laws.

The author plans to use this chapter and perhaps others in order to test the popularity of such an idea in the eyes of Harry Potter fans before publishing the full (still unfinished) series. As such, this chapter and any following are a kind of "teaser" for that which is to come.

This being the case, the author requests that any who read this leave their feedback as if doing a peer review of an unfinished transcript, as that is what this is. Please explain what you liked and what you didn't, suggestions on how to improve it, and above all else, inaccuracies (that includes both canonical, as the author is imperfect, and linguistic, as he is also American but is writing many characters who hail from the UK).

This has been a long time in the making, and very much will continue to be. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.