Shadows of Hogwarts

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters you recognize from J.K. Rowling's books. Please do not sue me.

I was always one for the shadows. Even when I was a child, I never showed off. In my first school, I always hid in the darkness. Nobody ever noticed I was there. But I was. My name always seemed to brush their minds and then just disappear. Even the teachers forgot me easily. I was invisible, but I was observant. I could tell you everything about anybody in Hogwarts. No one saw me, but I saw everybody.

I was different. I wore clothing that made me look like a tomboy, a prep, a punk, and a goth all mixed together. If anyone noticed me, they would raise their eyebrows, and look at me like, "What is wrong with you?" I acted like I didn't exist. I was quiet. I was mysterious.

My parents hated me because of this. They wanted a showgirl like Petunia, somebody they could show off to all their friends. I never wanted to be cooed at and I didn't have anything that they could brag about to their friends. I was always told that Petunia was better than me, Petunia had such high grades, and Petunia had so many more friends than me. I was always told that I was stupid and useless.

I didn't have any friends. I didn't want any either. To me, friends were just people who talked behind your back and used you to get whatever they wanted. I didn't trust anybody. I never felt safe.

The closest thing I had to a friend was Petunia. She was always there for me to cry on, even though she could have been like my parents. Petunia was my secret-keeper. She was just so kind and I envied her in so many ways. As the years went by, she and I started to fall apart because our minds and bodies were just too different.

I had deep auburn hair with deep emerald eyes. Dark lashes curled around my eyes and I grew tall and slender. My skin was pale, almost too pale. I didn't look like the rest of the family. Everyone looked just like Petunia, with her blond eyes and sharp grey eyes. My mother and Petunia both had the perfect bodies and had golden tanned skin. I never questioned the difference. After all, we were Irish so it wasn't surprising that I looked the way I did.

When I got my letter from Hogwarts, you could say that my parents were surprised. Not surprised that I was a witch, but surprised I had something that Petunia would never have. It took them two months before they finally realized that. "Wow. My daughter is an abnormal being."

My parents didn't congratulate me at all. They just laughed. And laughed. They both thought it was some prank. Petunia comforted me, but I could see that she couldn't accept that I was a witch. I didn't think she would ever. They dropped me in London, with 100 pounds a few weeks before the supposed train left. Only Petunia looked back as they all left. Never in my life did I feel so alone.

I spent the first days wandering the streets, just simply trying to find the Leaky Cauldron. I found it eventually, after tailing an odd man in an emerald robe.I entered it looking stunned that my letter wasn't a joke. Magic existed.

The weeks I was there were truly the most interesting days I'd ever had. I prowled around Diagon Alley all day, and discovered so many things that I thought never existed. I found books of spells, owls that would send letters, candy that actually moved, creatures that I though were just my imagination, and the strangest clothing. I spent my nights staring up at the dark-colored ceiling of my room in the Leaky Cauldron reflecting on my days. Every day was greeted with joy.

I wanted to stay there forever. I hailed a taxi to take me to Kings Cross Station. I was practically shaking with fear and excitement. Finally I felt as if I belonged somewhere in this world. I was the happiest I'd felt in a very long time.

I got on the train with a heart light with hopes that I might actually be happy in this strange new world. There, I met the best friends I would ever have. James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew found me and brought light to my world. They didn't criticize me for looking "weird" and they accepted me.

James was the heir of a whole line of Aurors (who were what I believed, the wizarding police). He had black messed-up hair with hazel eyes that were so clear. He was the sports fanatic of the group and was obsessed with something they called "Quiddich".

Sirius was already somewhat handsome with dark brown hair that had an elegant touch to them and lighter brownish eyes. I didn't believe it at the time, but his family was full of dark wizards. How someone as nice as Sirius ended up in that kind of family was shocking to me.

Remus had grey eyes with light brown hair that had streaks of darkish colors in it. He was mysterious to me, and he was so gentle. I knew that something was bothering him throughout the train trip, but I never asked.

Peter didn't have the elegance of Sirus, gentleness of Remus, or the pure beauty of James. He had dusty blond hair and aquamarine eyes. Peter didn't seem to be special in anyway. Perhaps that was the reason why he always was looking up to the other three. However, I found that he was almost as observant as I as the years swept by.

I entered the Great Hall laughing at their antics. They gave me a heads- up on life in the wizarding world, as they were all "pure-blood" wizards. I knew what would happen in the "Sorting Ceremony" as they called it. When Professor McGonagall called my name, I stood with my head held high and I put the Sorting Hat on.

The hat spoke to me. It was surprised that I was a muggleborn (as he called me) and I had so much power and potential. I let it open to all my thoughts, wanting to be put in a "house" that would have students just like me. After what seemed like hours, it gave me choice. Later I was told that it wasn't common that the Sorting Hat would let people choose their houses. I was given the choice of Slytherin or Gryffindor. Gryffindor seemed to be more open while Slytherin seemed more conservative. My choice was Gryffindor.

All my new friends were put into Gryffindor as well. That night, I stood staring out at the starry night through my window. A shooting star flew past me. I wished that these friends would never betray me and that the wizarding world was indeed right for me. And it truly was.

The next day, I was excited to see what I would learn here. I woke up far earlier than my dorm mates, who I learned were named Alice Prewitt, Jennifer Adams, Emmeline Vance, Claire Silverstone, and Ella Kim. James was already in the common room. We walked down to breakfast, all the while talking about everything. I eagerly walked to my first class, which was Transfiguration.

I wasn't actually the worst, which I admit I was quite shocked about. In fact, I was probably one of the first ones to do my first spell. We were to change a feather to a quill. James turned out to be stellar in this subject as well as Sirius. They both looked so natural chanting the spells.

The next class, Charms, turned to be my best subject of all. We were to charm a piece of parchment into flying across the room. Mine flew the farthest and my joy seemed to bring me through the day.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was next. I was enthralled with this class, even though I wasn't nearly the best. Our teacher, Professor Hayde, was kind and she seemed to know everything. Sirius hates her, because she deducted 10 points from him for passing notes with James. Personally, I thought that it was somewhat right for her to take away points. Remus and I were the only ones who actually didn't pass notes.

Potions was the subject that James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter all hated. The teacher, Professor Slipworth, despised all the houses except for Slytherin. I suppose that this was the first time that I felt discrimination against myself for being a muggleborn. Even though I managed to make the potion perfectly (which all the boys gave me envious looks for), I still lost points for muttering while I worked. Sirius and James both lost points for talking and not concentrating. By then, both were so angry at the teacher that they ranted on and on about him after class was over. They claimed that they were going to pull a prank on him the next day. I didn't think much of it.

Peter was by far the best at Herbology. While he was average in the other classes, he seemed to know everything in this class. The teacher, Professor Sprout, seemed to adore him.

First year went by like this. By the end of the year, Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter were known throughout the school as the Marauders. They pulled pranks on all the teachers and more commonly on the Slytherins. I became the best student in our year, and I occasionally helped the Marauders pull pranks. I was full of joy, knowing that I finally belonged in our world. /p

I went home to the summer, excited about Hogwarts. Petunia was the only one who really shared my enthusiasm. My parents ignored me as usual and I was invited to the Potters for the month before school. Mum and Dad willingly let me go, but I noticed that Petunia became somewhat sad about me leaving again. I told her that I would contact her more often during the school year. I received and sent a letter each week to Petunia. I learned of her heartbreaks and joys. We became closer than we ever were.

Second year passed almost as quickly as first year did. Sirius and James started dating girls that year. That year, Remus, James, Sirius, and I made the Quidditch team. Remus was a beater along with Sirius, and James and I were Chasers. Peter was our supporter during the Quidditch season. That was the year that the Marauders really started drilling their memory into the students of Hogwarts. I had the highest grades of the year. James commonly teased me because of my studious nature and grades.

Third year was the year that our troubles really began. I started separating from the group and became best friends with the girls in my dorms. My best friend was Ella Kim. The Marauders were the most popular people of the year. I made more and more friends as the year went by. James and Sirius started changing girls every few weeks. They were dead handsome and girls began dreaming about them.

By the time fourth year started, I was a totally different person. Shadows once again became my refuge and I grew distant from the world. Petunia was the only person I stayed in contact with. I still played Quidditch, but it lost some of its excitement. It seemed as if the only reason why I lived was to study. James and Sirius started their girl-a-week routine. I started hating them that year.

Fifth year was the worst year of my life, or so I thought then. James started becoming obsessed with me, and I lost my best girlfriend to pure jealousy. The Marauders were no longer my friends. Even though I talked to Remus and Peter sometimes, I no longer felt any connection to Sirius or James anymore. James and Sirius dated more and more girls. I lost all respect for them.

During the summer of that year, James apologized to me and the Marauders and I became close friends again. But I knew times would never be the same

So now here I am, starting my sixth year. Who knows what'll happen this year. All I know is that it's going to be one hell of a ride.