Chapter 1

"ARANEL AKIMRA!" Professor McGonagall called out. A young girl with bright brown eyes tinged with green and dark brown hair walked swiftly up to the Sorting hat. She seemed to be floating above the ground and sat down on the sorting stool like it was a throne.

"Hmmm...an interesting one..." the sorting hat said in her ear. "You seem to have many traits...Kindness, care, love...all good for Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. Ah...and royalty! You belong in, GRYFFINDOR!"

The hat shouted the last word out. Aranel got up from the stool and walked over to the Gryffindor table smiling brightly amid thundering cheers.

"ALBERTA GREG!" came next and was sent to Ravenclaw.

"ZERATHEA GREYCAT!" was sent to Gryffindor.

Aranel watched as little by little, the crowds of fellow first years were sorted,

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts Dumbledore stated after all the first years had found seats. "There are a few rules for me to announce before we eat."

Aranel slowly nodded off to sleep listening to professor Dumbledore speak. Last she remembered was him saying was"...please stay out of the forbidden forest there are all sorts of nasty creatures there..." and all conciseness was gone.

She found herself in a dark wood the tree were slimy looking and hungry too. All was quiet except moans of pain coming from...the trees! She slowly walked up to one and touched the bark.

Aranel jumped back as a cloud of white appeared. As her hand left the bark the cloud disappeared. The tree swayed, though there was no wind. What was that? she wondered.

Aranel walked back up to the tree and placed her hand upon the bark again. Slime drizzled own her arm like thick green blood.

The white shape appeared again, but this time she did not move. A young girl stepped out and slowly solidified. Color came to her cheeks as she stretched. She turned to look at Aranel and she bowed.

"Princess, I thank you, please save my people! I beg you to meet me in the Cloars Clearing! Take this and remember me!" She looked up with fear and hope in her eyes. She stood and placed something on Aranels neck. Slowly everything faded. "Save us princess, Please!"

Suddenly everything was gone. Black fog surrounded her and tried to rip her to pieces. She gasped in pain as air left her, the fog pressed harder and harder around her. With a shriek of rage the fog was gone.

Bright light poured into her eyes when she awoke. She was lying on a bed with crisp white sheets. She was warm and the sunlight poured in from some windows above her bed. A cheerful looking lady walked briskly up to her and smiled. She handed Aranel a bar of chocolate.

"Here eat this." The nurse said motioning to the bar in her hand. "It'll help your head...I assume you have a headache? You can always tell by the color of the skin."

"Really?" she asked then sighed as she bit into the chocolate. A few minutes later she relaxed as the chocolate took effect.

The nurse smiled pulled out another bar of chocolate and placed it on the small table next to her bed.

"Here you go. You best sleep for an hour then get to your common room. I will see to it a prefect comes by and teaches you what you need to know for now." She grinned and left.

Aranel sighed and fell into a dreamless sleep.

"Hello!" said a cheery voice on Aranel's right. "I'm Meg!"

Aranel turned to see a chubby short girl of about 16-17 years of age. She had dark brown hair and eyes. She reminded Aranel of an owl, a chubby brown owl. Aranel immediately liked her.

"I'm the prefect Nurse sent for." Meg smiled showing bright white pearls of teeth. "You ready?"

"Where is my stuff?" Aranel asked.

"It's up in your dorm...In your room." Meg replied

"Oh."

"Let's go!" Meg laughed.

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Aranel fell onto her bed exhausted. The room was decorated with crimson red walls and gold borderlines. Three other girls shared the room and all are fast asleep. Aranel followed suit.