Prologue
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. The prologue is in first person and she's Talking/Memory and it is after the "ordeal" (is what I'm calling it for now). To clear up any confusion: You'll find out later one why she knows about the memory wiping.
Did you ever wonder that your life could change in the blink of an eye? None of us did, but it happened. I am Sally-Anne Perks.
I was sorted into Ravenclaw just before the wizard that had been marked as the greatest of all; The Harry Potter. He didn't even know about his own past, but I know mine.
I'm not very popular or exceptionally pretty. I don't have great skills as a witch, but I get by. My grandmother was a Muggle-born witch and she married a Muggle. They had two children: Eve, and Rosemary. Rosemary died of pneumonia when she was six, and my mother, Eve, wasnormal--no magic in her at all.She too married a Muggle, my father: Richard Perks. They had three children: my older brother Gordon, my little sister, Kayla, and then there's me. Kayla and Gordon are normal, but I'm not. I'm a witch.
We all used to think my grandma was crazy; ranting and raving about magic, wizards, and her wand. I remember when I was nine she pulled me close just before she died…
"Come closer, child," My grandmother said weakly with a raspy voice. She didn't have many wrinkles, which I guess was because of her magic, but her leathery skin constantly smelled of peppermint. She pulled a long, slender stick of wood from under her pillow. "Listen carefully, Sally-Anne. You have to believe me; I am a witch," she pointed her wand at the vase of flowers by her bed and sent it whizzing across the room where it shattered. Then, as if she was rewinding a video, it whizzed back and the pieces put themselves back together—not even a scratch was left on the antique crystal vase.
My mouth was hanging open—It must have been a hallucination or a mere trick of light, I thought. I was always taught that grandma was crazy and to pay no mind to her talk of Hogwarts or magic. I saw grandmother sigh as she looked at me. She must have known what I was thinking. "Listen to me Sally. Now you're my last hope."
"What about Kayla or Gordon?" I asked.
"That girl is blunter than a butter-knife and it's already to late for your brother—he's 12." Grandma replied. "Sally," she pulled me even closer to the bedside, "You marry yourself a wizard. We must keep the blood in our family always." She squeezed my hand. " Leave me now—I am ever so tired." Grandma Rose snored…
She died two days later. I had always thought that it was just another bit of crazy talk, but my curiosity had been enticed.
They told us it was an accident, but we knew better. They didn't tell us what they were going to do to us, but it was easy enough to figure out. Our memories had been wiped clean of the whole ordeal. They put us back where we were just before it happened. The exact same place and time of day, so we wouldn't know the difference…
(Blink) our lives changed forever and it was erased completely from our minds. (Blink)
--Sally-Anne Perks