This was it. She had had enough of England and enough of the idiots who thought they could dictate how she lived her life. Applicants under sixteen had to get adult permission to take the exam. After Sirius died, she had no interest in sticking around England.

Especially once the idiots in the Order found out they'd have to get a new clubhouse. She wasn't a complete idiot...she went to the bank after ditching her so called friends and claimed her inheritance from Sirius. He had mentioned off hand that he had made her his heir, so there wasn't any reason to put it off.

Shortly before her sixteenth birthday, she took a little...walk... just past Little Whinging into Greater Whinging and called a cab. Thanks to the wonders of actually being observant, she knew Mrs. Figg was at the vet taking care of Mr. Tibbles and her guard was currently snoring away under a cloak. One which she considered stealing, but decided that the slight misdirection was worth just leaving.

Hedwig would follow her in a couple of hours once night fell. As far as anyone would notice, she was on a hunt for food.

She had bought a seven room trunk, complete with full kitchen, potions lab and bathroom, an entire wardrobe of new clothes that actually fit her, and one room that was entirely a grassy plateau.

Since the store also sold magical tents like the ones at the world cup, she bought ten of them of varying properties. One of them was big enough to qualify as a full mansion.

Some might have questions why she bothered buying several tents of varying sizes and luxury (the store employees had given her odd looks when she bought more than one, considering she also got a multi-room trunk at the same time). The answer was simple.

It was pretty hard to destabilize a tent inside a trunk, as the trunk itself would absorb most of the impact. The main reason was that if she had company, she wanted to have a place where they could sleep comfortably without having to give them ideas of how to find her bedroom.

So here she was at the port in London, about to board a ship that would take her six full months just to get to the right harbor that lead to her actual destination.

There wasn't much hesitation, once the captain confirmed her ticket (and the payment for six months travel, since they had to pick up other applicants).

She cast one brief glance at the harbor in London, before turning her face away with a relieved expression. Even if she didn't pass the exam or even get to the first stage, there was no way in hell she was ever going back.

By nightfall, Hedwig had even joined her.

"Oi, Red! We dock in an hour! Remember to get back on board before sunset!" shouted the captain.

Over the course of six months, Corona, or "Red" as she was affectionately known by the crew, had learned the ins and outs of sailing on the ocean. She had to admit, this was the most fun she had had in years. The Hogwarts letter and her O.W.L.'s results had come (via Fawkes since all the other owls couldn't find her) and she had thrown the list of school things overboard the first chance she had.

She had no intention of going back to that decrepit old school where she was always in danger.

This was proven when the twins finally got the gift she had sent them a month into the trip. Two way journals were very useful.

"Aye, Aye captain!" she said grinning. She practically flew off the crow's nest where she had practically lived on the ride between islands and deftly landed on the deck.

She had recently bought a few components to fashion a new focus for her magic. It had taken some tweaking, but wands really weren't that practical in the grand scheme of things.

Corona made her way to the magical district, cheerfully humming a song she heard the sailors singing on occasion. They loved having her around because she knew how to cook and didn't mind hard work.

"Welcome!"

"Do you do foci here?"

"If you've got the items needed, yeah. I can make anything from rings, bracelets and necklaces. The Ministries might regulate wands but they don't bother with enchanted jewelry provided that it's not cursed."

Corona put the blocks of wood and the pieces of magical animal that she had been drawn to on the counter.

"How soon can you make these into magical foci? I have to board a ship before sunset."

The man smirked.

"Give me three hours. Four depending on whether or not you want something bigger."

"A few carved rings and a bracelet. Anything left over can be turned into a necklace I suppose."

"Any preference to the metal?"

"Gold, since it doesn't rust or corrode."

"If you can pay for it, I can make it. Any preference on the design? We use an enchanted engraver so I just have to move my wand over the design to carve it."

"In that case..." said Corona, eyes sparkling in glee. She picked a rather intricate and mesmerizing pattern that had caught her eye as soon as she came into the shop. "How much is all that?"

"For making magical foci and the engraving, as well as how much gold is used to chain the remnants together... twenty galleons. At least."

Corona counted out twenty, but held out ten more next to them in neat stacks.

"If I am impressed by the work and it's done in time for me to catch the boat without having to fly, you get these as a thank you," she said, patting the extra ten.

"Yes ma'am!" said the owner, a pleased look on his face. Getting paid for his work with an extra incentive like that made the business man in him very happy.

He only had to record that he was paid in full for all work. He never had to put down the 'extras' like this, and ten galleons was a windfall.

Corona left the store to do more shopping, only this time she went looking for spice plants and herbs. She had an entire greenhouse full of spice plants, vegetables and fruits, never mind the grove that was carefully tended by an enthusiastic Dobby and Winky.

They had shown up at the first port, and rather than sending them away she put them to good use taking care of her plants and the bedrooms.

Winky certainly didn't have any complaints, because Corona let her keep the body of Barty Crouch Jr. in a spare room where she could tend to him like before. It wouldn't take that much work, since he was little more than a vegetable, and it kept the elf happy.

Dobby was given praise, a galleon every month, and yarn whenever they hit port. So far he had a sizable collection of yarns in many different colors, and he was positively giddy whenever he had a chance to knit.

Though she could do without the lessons from Winky. Yes, she was the head of the Black and Potter family by default when she claimed the inheritance Sirius left for her, but that didn't mean she cared about it.

What good was a title and some land going to do when she had to fight for her life against dark wizards? What good would being nice to people she hated for a status she didn't care about help in the real world? No one cared about that nobility crap anymore, and most people rarely if ever meet a king or queen. They'd be lucky to meet their politicians outside of a public event, much less have their voice heard.

Even so she continued the lessons she hated for a position she could care less for.

In every port she upgraded her wardrobe, her garden, and her library. If she found a book in a language she didn't recognize, she would get a dictionary that would allow her to translate. If she were exceptionally lucky, one of the applicants would speak the language and they could exchange conversation to the next port...usually when said applicant got off because they couldn't handle the rough seas.

She honestly didn't see what the big deal was. She faced worse weather in the air on her broom and she never got that sick.

An hour before departure, she went back to the shop.

"You're here! I hope you like the work!" said the owner.

There were four rings, two for each hand. A single bracelet that had a very intricate Celtic carving along with some stain to bring out the variations in the wood. And to top it all off, a specially treated necklace stringed with thin, woven gold chain. In the middle was a single ruby inside a Celtic knot. It had been her second choice when she picked the engravings.

The knot told a story to those who knew how to read it, and she had been very selective in what it said. The stain made the wood have a slight greenish tinge, while the ruby brought out the color in the wood and drew your eye to the engraving.

"Well?"

Corona counted out twenty galleons...then added fifteen more.

"Pleasure doing business with you ma'am."

"Likewise. You do very good work," said Corona.

Corona made her way back to the ship where she nodded to the captain before scaling up the rigging with ease. None of the applicants paid her any attention, since she appeared to be one of the crew.

By the time they made it to the next port, the captain pulled her aside.

"I thought you should know, you're the only applicant this trip who's made it this far. When we get to the next port you'll be on the right continent to make it to the exam."

Corona perked up.

"If the exam doesn't work out, you're welcome to join the crew for real," said the captain.

Once she stepped foot on land again, the captain told her where to find the Navigator. From there it took all of three hours to get to the exam site.

"One in ten thousand."

"Sorry?"

"The odds of a rookie like yourself making it this far. If you survive but fail to pass, look me up. I'll be happy to lead you here again if you're so inclined," said the man.

Corona gave him a wink, before disappearing into the room.

Once she finished the meal (anyone who made it this far and took the elevator got a free meal) and stored any cooked leftovers in a tub, she walked out.

The place was massive. There were a lot of people and it took everything she had not to shrink in herself.

"Here you go ma'am," said a voice.

She looked down and accepted the badge.

100. A nice, neat number.

She put it on her outfit and scanned the competition.

"Another rookie! And a pretty one to boot!"

Turning, she found a man with a square nose and a shifty disposition. He felt as honest as Minister Fudge, which meant not at all.

It was clear just looking at him that he was one of the people who took a special interest in taking out naive rookies.

"Care for some juice?" he asked, holding out a can.

"No thank you. I'm not some greenhorn to deception and bad tricks," she replied flatly.

She heard someone snickering nearby. It took her a few moments to locate the one laughing.

"She has you pegged," said a kid with silver hair and cat-like eyes. His tag read "99".

"You a rookie too?" she said, dismissing the disappointed number 16. It was clear she didn't trust him as far as she could throw him. Even her owl was giving him dark looks.

"Yeah, figured I'd join to see what the big deal was about. So far it's pretty boring. Is that a real owl?"

"Her name is Hedwig. I'm Corona."

"Killua."

Corona gently moved Hedwig to her fist, where the owl sat comfortably. It was clear she knew what she was doing.

"You can pet her if you like."

Killua perked up, and slowly stoked her breast feathers. His eyes lit up.

"They're so soft. What kind of owl is she?"

"Snow owl. Only the females have black specks on them like this. She's been my most reliable friend for five years now."

While the two of them chatted away with comfortable ease, it didn't take long before Corona had her tea set out. It was fairly obvious to her that they wouldn't start for at least another day or so, which meant she didn't have to stand the entire time.

Eventually she drifted over to the wall, where she propped herself against it, and placed a barrier between her and the other applicants.

She trusted them as far as she could throw them. Killua seemed nice enough, but there was something about his eyes. A certain expression that said he'd killed before and wouldn't hesitate to do so again if need be.

With Hedwig on watch, she could lightly doze in relative peace.

The elevator brought more and more people down, and what had been a hundred people had swelled into four times the size. On the plus side, thanks to her owl she made friends rather easily. One of the other female applicants, a girl name Ponzu, had been quick to strike up a conversation. She seemed rather pleased that Corona didn't really mind bugs, but she loathed spiders.

Everyone seemed charmed by Hedwig.

Corona looked at her new watch, and felt only relief when she realized the deadline was almost up. Hearing that idiot Tonpa (she had been warned by Ponzu that he liked to break the rookies in so much that he never bothered to pass) talk to three newcomers, she wandered over to the elevator. The food she has saved earlier had long since been devoured and shared with Hedwig.

Hedwig perked up at the sound of a young voice, and it didn't take long before she took flight and landed on a kid who looked barely old enough to be here. He was about the same age as Killua if she was any guess.

"An owl?" said a voice full of confusion. Tonpa made a face that he quickly tried to hide, but didn't do it quickly enough to raise the alarms of the two older applicants with the kid.

Corona walked over to the trio, and whistled sharply enough that Hedwig flew back to her.

"You must be really good with animals if she went to you without being introduced," said Corona, petting her owl.

"It's a beautiful bird," said the blond tactfully.

"Her name is Hedwig, and I'm Corona. You have no idea how effective she is at breaking the ice here," said Corona.

"Can I hold her?" asked the kid.

Corona allowed Hedwig to walk onto her fist, and the boy stood perfectly still while she walked onto his. He was definitely comfortable around animals, because it wasn't long before Hedwig was treating him the same way she treated Corona.

Without warning there was a shrill, if strange sounding, alarm going off. The first exam had begun.