Julia Chang Foster hated her life. Everything about it sucked—school, work, and her small home outside the skirts of Canterbury, England. Everyday, when she looked in the mirror, she saw the same Asian face with thick, long black hair, a warm smile (which rarely appeared) and dark brown eyes that wished somehow things would get better. She longed to be someone else, and everyday she wished her life would just somehow end. Julie wasn't suicidal—she wasn't brave enough to actually kill herself. Bravery. That was the one thing she didn't have, and was certain she would never have. Her father was an alcoholic who didn't care the least bit of what happened to Julie, and her loving mother, Mrs. Foster. Mrs. Foster was a beautiful Asian woman who was almost identical to Julie, physically and characteristically. She married Mr. Foster, a man who used to be so caring, so sweet. But when he lost his job, he began drinking and everything unfolded from there. He would stay at home, ordering things they could not afford to buy, and constantly buying vodka and having it delivered to their door. Nobody told her, but Julie knew they were going broke.

Gradually, Mrs. Foster became thinner and thinner, and paler and paler. The smile that always made Julie feel better after her father had gone out in a rage, now disappeared. It was replaced with a frown that pained Julie to look at. One day, on a fine June day, she came home from shopping and found her mother, down on her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. "Mum, what's wrong?" Julie asked worriedly. Her mom looked up at her, her beautiful brown eyes identical to Julie's, shining with tears. " He's gone."

Julie was so shocked, she didn't move. Her father, gone? She didn't understand. But he had to be. She didn't hear the usual breaking of glass, or the slurring of words that didn't make sense. Soon, she joined her mother in the crying.

In 2 hours time, they stopped crying, but were now hugging each other, too afraid to let go. Mrs. Foster was all that Julie was left with, and now Julie knew that her responsibilities had just tripled. She had to lead her life, and take care of her mother. She would do it. She would work even harder in school, clean the house, and make sure her mother was alright. She knew it would take a lot of bravery from her part, but she would do it. But then something struck her. Her mother could not support them with her crummy job as a waitress. They would go broke, and become homeless. She cried even harder. But then she saw a letter on the table. It was thick, and had a fancy crest, which was an "H" with 4 different animals wrapping themselves around it: a badger, a snake, a raven, and a lion. It was addressed to Julia Chang Foster, 1 River Road, Canterbury, England. Trembling, she stood up, and opened the letter. She read it, and when she was done. Was about to throw it out, but first, she decided, she should show it to her mother. Her mother looked at it and read deep and thoroughly. She sat down, and started to ponder. The letter said she was invited to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn magic that was used in a magical world made up of wizards and witches. But it was a joke. Some bully from school probably sent it to her, expecting her to get a kick out of it.

"So do you want to go?" her mother asked. "Mom, this isn't even real. What are you talking about?" she asked bewildered. How could her mom, such a smart woman, believe in such crap? "No, Julie. This is real. I don't know much about it, but I once saw a strange man in the street, dressed in these type of long purple robes. He had a long, crooked nose, a long beard, half moon glasses, and had a sort of pointy hat. He told me that I would receive a letter for my daughter very soon, inviting her to go somewhere that sounded very fake, but that I should believe it, because I would benefit from it. He didn't say a word more, and when I looked for him, he had somehow disappeared."

Julie didn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother passed her the letter, and she looked at it once more. On the other page of the letter, was an explanation of what they called, "What you should know about the Wizarding World." She quickly read through it, and at the bottom, was an estimate of how much "muggle" money was worth in they're currency which appeared to be "Galleons." She flipped back to the acceptation page, and saw the cost. It was way too much for them. They would never be able to afford it. "Mom," Julie whispered. "We can't afford this."

Her mother gave her a determined look, and responded, "We will. I don't care how hard I have to work, or how many jobs I have to get. I will send you to that school, even if it's the last thing I do." Julie hugged her mother, and thought about how lucky she was to have a mother that was willing to go to all lengths to help her daughter do something with her life.

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A/N-Okay, so this is the beginning of my story. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up real soon. I know its kinda dramatic, but I put under humor, because as the story progresses, it loses its drama, and becomes more of an actual hp story. It's also under PG-13, and u mite think its not really supposed to b PG-13, but like i mentioned before, as the stroy progresses, it becomes more PG-13. I'd luv sum reviews, so tell me what u think. -Scrapps