The Italics are her flashback moments.
Please review because this is my first story and I want to know how I'm doing.
The day Danielle got her letter was followed by days of utter silence, when none in her family were willing to even speak of what this letter might have meant because obviously it meant something. Then her parents, one quiet evening, took her in the living room and sat her down and told her, it was time to tell her a story.
Her mother started in a wavering voice, "Before there were witches and wizards in this world there were those who worshipped the great goddess Hestia. She was the witch goddess of Ancient Greece and her followers got a lot of power in following her. That was when her worshippers split. One side thought Hestia was angry at the world for the way her followers were treated and because she was no longer of primary worship, they then became the dark Hestians. They had no mercy when it came to stomping out humans or beasts alike. If they didn't respect Hestia they were fair game."
At this point Danielle's father interjected in a clear tone, "It doesn't mean they were right or wrong in what they did the moral judgment of which faction you believe comes from you."
Once again Danielle's mother started, "Anyway, The other faction that broke off was the Light Hestians. They were heavy into believing that Hestia was all good and cared for every being as though they were her own followers, that included non Hestians, or those with no powers at all, just regular people."
Danielle's mother stopped thoughtfully for a minute, "If you think about it," she mused, "this was probably what could be considered the equivalent of how the purebloods are split now. Some believe that muggles are…."
"Wait." Said Danielle "what are muggles?"
"They are non majickal folk and to purebloods they are considered dirt, just like a half blood, or a witch that had children with a human and their child would then be a half blood. Continuing, the pure bloods, or ancient wizarding lines, believe that muggles are not to be even bothered with, but back to the story. There was a final faction, one that was very small and very well hidden, because they were not liked by either of the other sides. This final faction was those who believed Hestia was a balance of light and dark, vengeance and mercy, they believed Hestia was just like them."
Danielle's head was swimming with all of the new knowledge being pushed her way, what did this have to do with her? She couldn't guess at least not at 11.
Her father and mother exchanged meaningful looks that she couldn't comprehend and then looked straight at her and slowly her mother spoke, "You, Danielle Marie Yagodich, are a Hestian, the last remaining heir to be exact next to your brother, but I believe that he has chosen a regular life, while you, you can go to this school and learn your craft, or you can continue a normal life, but there is still more you need to know."
So the story continued.
"You see Hestians aren't like normal witches or wizards, they were the first, born of a sacred bond between goddess and followers, that can't be created in this age anymore. Witches and wizards were born of chance. A young Hestian had been trying to create something new, her power leaked from her because she didn't use the proper wards, now this was ages ago, we wouldn't be that stupid now, but the power found a few susceptible humans and absorbed into them, and thus the first witches and wizards were born."
"Danielle," her father began "this is your choice to make, but know that you come from a great lineage one that not any other can touch. We chose to not raise you with this power all around you, but now you have to make your choice. Know, that your power is more than the average wand waving, you contain everything the ancients did because we have all married and had children within the bloodline, we know you will be the last, we've been a dying race since the war back in ancient Greece, but just remember all the elements are open to you, you could control what you wished, but if you choose that, be gentle with it, as you know……….Power does indeed corrupt."
Danielle smiled at the reference, it was to her ever-present belief in her politics, but all that seemed so small now and with assurance she didn't believe she could have possessed she said, "I'm going."
The look on her parents' faces seemed so mixed that she couldn't even pin down one emotion, but with muttered acceptance the handed her the letter addressed to her from Moonbane's School of Majick.
Dear Miss Yagodich,
You have been accepted to Moonbane's School of Majick. The school year will begin on the fifth of September. We look forward to guiding you on your majickal journey.
Sincerely,
Headmaster,
Eldolphans Firewaste
Enclosed is the list of items you will need to begin your school year.
September 5th! That was only 4 days away. Her parents told her that they would take her to Bishou market place the next day to collect her school items. Danielle slowly stood up and like a zombie went down the hall to her room and shut the door behind her.
That night she had a dream it was of vampires, werewolves, guitars, tattoos, ice filled eyes, and darkness. She awoke the next morning to her usual wake up call by her mother and dressed herself in a stupor while her mother called for her to get some breakfast. She wasn't the least bit hungry. As she pulled her shirt on she noticed something as she walked past her mirror, there was something on her back, Silently screaming she thought it was a spider because there was that crawling feeling on her skin, but as she backed closer to her mirror tripping over many things in the process she saw the shape of what it was that was now occupying her right shoulder blade. It was a triangle with an eye inside it. The eye was open and staring with every emotion Danielle had ever felt. On the left side of the triangle a rose and accompanying vine wrapped around the diagonal line the bud blooming just on the peak of the triangle, on the right side there was a crawling flame and Danielle could have sworn she felt it burning her back, and finally on the bottom was a serpent, hissing wide mouth, long fangs and Danielle had to fight back another scream when she saw it slither into it's final position on her back.
Pulling her shirt on as quick as possible Danielle raced out of her room to the living room where her parents sat waiting for her, startled at her sudden race from her room.
"What's the matter." Asked her parents simultaneously.
"Nothing, I'm just, just………excited to be going to get my school stuff."
Her parents knew that it would be better to let this go and did. Her father then from his pocket drew his ever present and familiar pocketknife and told Danielle to grab hold just as her mother was. Doing as she was told, Danielle placed her hand gently on top of it and stared at her father curiously, wondering if he had finally gone mad, he uttered one word "Portius" and she was sucked away from the floor and to goddess only knows where.
Danielle's head was spinning from her relatively violent trip through the fabric of reality and it took her a few minutes to notice she had just ended up in some squished alleyway out of what looked like a mixture of a medieval city street, then down another alley it looked like a gypsy camp, and down yet anther like a trip to a tropical island market. There were streets branching off in every direction imaginable and the street they were on was like a 1900's French boulevard.
Her father noticed her confusion and began to explain, "Wizards and Witches from all over the world come to shop here because each alley is connected into one large one called Diagon alley. We're in Bishou Alley which is the one easiest for us to access but the one we really should go to is Diagon Alley, the main stream area." He ended with a flourish gesturing to every ounce of space in this, for lack of a better word place. Danielle then did something she hadn't done in a very long time and grabbed her mother's hand and they began to walk down the crowed bustling street.
Her eyes were gazing so open in wonder at the sights she was seeing, at one shop there was a tortoise with a shell covered in precious gems that she could only dream of possessing and in another shop roses that bloomed bigger than her head. Then she noticed that the small crowed street was opening into a larger alley it was then she saw a sign that said, in beautiful, elegant script, "Diagon Alley" and in no time her parents had steered her away from more shops then they had ever done in her childhood greed, before this. There was a shop with ice cream that looked better than any she had ever seen and then a shop with brooms, but not house brooms, brooms to fly with. A bookstore also caught her eye, she loved reading, and she could only imagine what the books in that shop would possibly hold. This world she was in now was filling her head with wonderful things all sweet seduction by power that she could have, but a naïve urge beat that out and she knew that all she wanted to do was have fun until she heard it call her. Towards her left there was another alley branching off "Knockturn Alley". It screamed of midnight and things she loved like velvety night and something that at the time she didn't recognize, but it was darkness.
"It's beautiful." She purred to herself. The way the sunlight seemed to shy away from the alley made her even more curious to be inside of it. Her body was tingling with apprehension as her parents neared the alley; surely they weren't going to go in? It would be a beautiful surprise if they wanted too, but she doubted it. She next found they were only going into Gringotts, what they said was a wizarding bank.
"Danielle, you need to stay out here, Goblins aren't known for their love of children so it would be better if you just waited for us. Now we may be a while so here", they slid her a piece of gold, "feel free to look around Diagon Alley, but be careful." With that final word her parents entered the bank and they where gone from her sight.
Danielle knew exactly where she was going. Knockturn alley.
Nobody noticed the little girl with gold and silver bangles halfway up her right arm and just plain colored bracelets on her left. The girl with a different ring on each finger and a neck covered in antique necklaces. The little girl with her dark brown hair flowing down past her back and it was like liquid chocolate in the wind, dark chocolate. The little girl with big, deep brown eyes and specks of gold, that looked like sparks, continually flashing and full lips that at the time were in a rather un-complimenting gape at this new setting for her curiosity. Those were the only things that made her stick out because all she was wearing was a black peasant dress with embroidery in a rainbow of colors, all over the dress. She was like a cat on the prowl, but even she didn't know what she was prowling for until she saw the two pairs of eyes that were watching her.
A pair of stormy gray eyes and of oceanic blue ones where watching her cautiously waiting to see what she was doing in this alley of all alleys.
She was falling into their eyes at a terrifyingly rapid speed. Danielle felt like she had now choice but to approach them so with slow steps she did. The world around her blurred as those eyes pulled her in. As she reached them they began to stare her up and down in all likeliness, just sizing her up, but it was very disconcerting to feel their eyes on every inch of her.
With a silky voice the gray-eyed one began to inquire of her, "Who are you? I've never seen you anywhere before and my family knows everyone."
"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." Came her wavering reply.
The boys both smirked and stared deep into her eyes, "Do you really feel like we're strangers?" the question was filled with a knowledge they had and slight mocking.
With anger in her voice Danielle answered, "How can you not be, you just admitted yourselves that you don't know me, so why should I assume you are anything but strangers to me."
"Well, the least you can do when you walk up too, two strange people is to give them your name." The boys statement made Danielle's cheeks blush in embarrassment. How could she have just walked up too