I cautiously walked towards the blanket I had been eating my dinner over a moment earlier, and started to sit down, when this freaky looking guy said suddenly,

"Oh, there's no need for that. Why don't we sit in something a bit more comfortable.", and with a smile, and a wave of a wooden stick he held in his hand, three cozy chintz armchairs appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the floor. I had to hold on to my mom for support.

"It's alright, sweetie," she whispered in my ear. "we'll explain it all very soon." Albus turned around with a pleasant expression on his face.

"Well, come on then. Sit." I wobbled to one of the armchairs wth feeble knees and sank into it's fluffy depths with a shuddering breath. I had to speak, but it was hard to manage any audible speech due to my blatant shock. I successfully choked out the words

"W-wh-who...are...y-you?" The old man chuckled and sat in the chair across from me, and my mom sat in the third one beside me. She put her arm around my shoulder and rested her chin on the top of my head. "I," he replied, "am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." I laughed out loud at this point. What a crackpot old loon! A school for witchcraft and wizardry? What was this, some kind of cult? I heard my mom's voice, and ceased laughing in order to hear her.

"It's true, Ashleigh. Albus is a very good friend of mine, and...well, I'll let him explain it." She took her chin off my head and looked at Dumbledore expectantly.

"Yes," he replied. "it's difficult to know where to begin, but I will try my very best, anyway. Sixteen years ago, a young married couple by the names of Lily and James Potter were celebrating the birth of their newborn twins. They had one daughter and one son. They were as identical as a boy and girl could possibly be. Lily and James loved both each other, and their two children very deeply, but one night, tragedy struck. An evil wizard, the most feared Dark Wizard to ever walk this earth, called Lord Voldemort, came to their home in Godric's Hollow, on Hallowe'en night, and killed Lily and James. After he had killed them, he turned his wand on their babies, but...it didn't work. For a reason that we may never fully understand, the spell backfired. Reduced to something barely alive, Voldemort fled, leaving nothing but a tiny scratch on the twin's foreheads. The babies were then separated on my orders, for their own protection, if Voldemort ever happened to return. To this day, they still have no idea of their twin's existance." It was a good story, I had to admit, and I figured it must be true, just by the way he spoke, but I still had no idea as to why he was telling me this. I wanted answers! I wanted to know why he was here, why he was telling me this, why three armchairs had appeared out of nowhere in my living room, and why he was spewing out a bunch of jargin about spells, wands, witches and wizards! I figured all this may be too much to say at once, so I settled with something a bit more simplistic.

"Not that this isn't an entertaining story, but...what does this have to do with me?"

"Because, Ashleigh", he answered. "one of those twins is you." I didn't know what to do. I wanted to cry, laugh, scream, faint, and vomit all at the same time. I felt dizzy.

"Wow." I whispered. Dumbledore looked at me kindly, almost grandfatherly.

"I know this is rather a lot to take in at once, but you are a witch, and your brother is a wizard. He is waiting for you at his friend's home in Britain. I would like it very much if you were to come with me there." My trance immediately ended.

"BRITAIN!" I exploded. "That's about half-way across the world! In case you haven't noticed, this is Canada, and I don't exactly have the money for a plane trip across the ocean, and what about my mom? I can't leave her, she needs me! And you!" I turned angrily towards my mom "You're not really my mother! YOU LIED TO ME FOR FIFTEEN YEARS! HOW COULD YOU!" I couldn't hold it in any longer, I broke down crying. My mom rushed toward me and held me close to her with tears streaming down her face.

"Oh baby." she sobbed. "I'm so sorry, but I had to protect you. You were in danger, and I had wanted a baby girl for so long that when Albus offered you to me to take care of, I couldn't refuse. Oh, Ashleigh, from the moment I first held you in my arms, I loved you. You will always be my daughter to me." We stood there together, crying, until Albus Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"I realize this is difficult for both of you, but Ashleigh must come with me and stay under my protection now. I'm sure you already know the reason, and I will be sure to explain it all to Ashleigh later, but even though this is breaking your heart, you have to let her go. You've been her mother for fifteen years, and have done your best, and I appreciate that. Now it is time for her to leave and discover what awaits her." My mother cried even harder, but nodded in agreement. "Will I ever see her again?", she squeaked feebly.

"I promise you will see your daughter again, but it may not be for awhile." Dumbledore replied sadly. That's when I started to cry harder, too. I couldn't believe it. I was leaving my mom, possibly for a very long time, to go live with a bunch of strangers, including my long-lost twin brother somewhere in Britain. "Please don't cry, Ashleigh. You will see your mother again, I can promise you that, but you need to leave as soon as possible. Tomorrow morning, I think. For now, try to dry your tears, and get some rest tonight. You have a long day ahead of you. Good day." He was about to walk out the door, when a question that had been bouncing around in my subconcious suddenly came blurting out of my mouth.

"What's my brother's name?" I called. Dumbledore turned around and looked straight at me.

"His name is Harry. Harry Potter."