Yours, Sincerely

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All recognisable characters, content or locations belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Summary: The same day Elain Potter learns she's a witch, she also learns she's betrothed. The boy's name is Cedric Diggory, and he changes everything. Elain hates it all. Fem!Harry, Philosopher's Stone AU.

Rating: T for language, and mild violence.

Author: tlyxor1.

Author's Note: I've been listening to Taylor Swift all morning. That is all.

Chapter One: A Day of Surprises

When Elain turned ten, she read the dictionary. She couldn't explain why, except she'd read all of the children's fiction books she was interested in, and when she'd decided to turn to non-fiction instead, the dictionary had seemed like a good place to start. She hadn't memorised every word in the English language - not by any stretch of the imagination - but she could say, with no small ounce of pride, that her vocabulary was significantly better than the average child her age. it drove Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon barmy, but Elain had come to a conclusion that a lot of things did, and she'd stopped concerning herself with them when she'd finally realised nothing would change their opinion of her.

All the same, when a behemoth of a man by the name of Rubius Hagrid barged into their temporary home by the sea, and systematically turned her life upside down in a matter of minutes, Elain was speechless. She stared at the stranger like a demented guppy, and meanwhile, her Aunt Petunia had become hysterical, her Uncle Vernon had turned a familiar shade of puce, and Dudley, the ingrate, had used what little brain cells he possessed to come to the conclusion that it was probably best if he made himself scarce.

"You're a witch, Ellie."

Elain had stayed awake long after everyone else had gone to sleep, her gaze on the dying fire, and her mind on all she'd learned. She was a witch, her parents were heroes, Elain was a hero, and she belonged to a world which her relatives despised. They'd confirmed it though, her alleged freakishness, and her new reality, stranger than fiction but real all the same, was nearly impossible to comprehend.

Comprehend she did, however, and some hours later, as the sun climbed over the horizon, and as Hagrid escorted her to a place called Diagon Alley, Elain had already begun to make a mental list of all that she'd need to do. Apparently, her mother and father had left something of a legacy for her, and Elain would need to learn all about it. She'd need to learn the customs, as one of her friends had to do when they'd emigrated from China. She'd need to establish a basic understanding of the subjects she'd learn at Hogwarts, determine whether or not it was genuinely the best magical school in the world, and gather as in-depth an understanding as possible of the culture she was about to walk into, near blindly.

In London, Elain was escorted to a derelict looking pub called 'The Leaky Cauldron', and she watched, mildly curious, as the passers by seemed completely oblivious to its' presence. Their gazes seemed to skip right over it, and Hagrid belatedly explained that it was due to the muggle repellent wards.

To keep the muggles out, she surmised, like the Great Wall of China kept out the vikings, except invisible.

Inside the pub, a man as decrepit as the pub itself greeted Hagrid with an offer of a pint, it was refused, and Hagrid, rather obtusely, explained that he was escorting 'Ellie' as she gathered her school supplies for Hogwarts. Tom raised the question if she was Ellie Potter, and as soon as Hagrid had confirmed it, the girl was swarmed with strangers. They touched her face, her hands, her shoulders, but they all seemed to fastidiously avoid her hair, and though Elain was grateful through her anxiety, she was also confused.

"A witch's hair is sacred," Hagrid explained, after another expression of surprise when he realised Elain was absolutely clueless, "The only people entitled to touch it is family, and the wizard you'll marry."

Elain nodded her understanding, though she really didn't understand at all, and focused her attention on Hagrid as he opened up the passage into Diagon Alley. It was hidden behind a brick wall in the alleyway at the back of the pub, but at the tip of Hagrid's obnoxiously pink umbrella, the bricks seemed to fold in on themselves, and a doorway into the marketplace beyond beckoned to her.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley."

It was as though she'd walked right into a strange blend of medieval and victorian marketplaces, with the luxuries of (relatively) modern hygiene. Cobblestone streets were bordered by shops and lined with street vendors, animals of all sorts roamed the walkways, as did people, and blatantly magical beings. There were cauldrons and potions ingredients and broomsticks and all sorts of other such wares for sale, owls and cats and toads, trunks and books and too many other things Elain didn't recognise, and the entire shopping district was a sight to behold.

"It's extraordinary," she declared, and Hagrid's dark eyes crinkled in a smile.

"Come, we'll stop at Gringott's first."

Gringott's was an enormous structure made of marble, run by goblins and apparently the wizarding bank. There were three sets of doorways into the lobby, bronze doors opened by the guard goblins, silver inscribed with a poem (and threat) she took to heart, and a significantly smaller set of gold doors that opened into the afore-mentioned lobby. It was a grand affair, with black marble floors and a stained glass domed ceiling. The tellers were goblins, as were the guards, but the greater majority of customers were wizards, and like all of the others, Elain and Hagrid stepped into the shortest line available.

The ensuing proceedings passed quickly, and soon enough, Elain found herself in a vault - left in trust until she came of age - full of gold, bronze, and silver coins. She stowed a few handfuls of each in a bag provided by Hagrid, but as she moved to leave, Elain caught sight of a couple of other things hidden behind the vault door. A trunk, and a satchel, both of which were adorned with a cote of arms Elain didn't recognise, but very clearly left for her.

Her breath hitched, and Elain was filled with a longing she thought she'd suppressed years ago.

Could it be?

It was.

With a delighted smile, Elain deposited her money pouch into her new satchel, pulled the strap over her head, and dragged the trunk around the door. Hagrid picked it up for her with ease, Elain accepted the key back from the goblin with thanks, and she watched, thoughts elsewhere, as the goblin closed the vault behind them. She clambered into the cart, but paid no attention to Hagrid and his none too subtle delight with whatever 'Hogwarts Business' the headmaster had him on. She was too busy with inspecting the satchel, in which were a number of velvet boxes of varying sizes, a couple of parchment envelopes, and a leather bound book she belatedly realised was a photo album.

After that, Elain's day passed in a blur. She retrieved all that her booklist required of her and then some, Hagrid had gifted her with a stunning snowy owl, a boy at the robe shop had shoved his foot in his mouth, and eventually, Elain was dropped off at her home, settled herself comfortably in her small bedroom after a dinner of chicken and mashed potatoes, and she finally turned her attention to what she had been anticipating all day.

With care, Elain emptied the satchel out across her bed, four ring boxes, two wand boxes, two envelopes addressed to 'Lulu', and a photo album. She touched them each with reverence, imagined her mother and father had held them at one time, and eventually reached for one of the two envelopes, the penmanship an elegant cursive Elain could only envy.

The letter within read:

Elain

This letter is a contingency plan should the worst come to pass, and neither your father and I are present to tell you this information ourselves. We're in danger, and neither James or I are nearly so shortsighted as we would have others believe. All the same, as I write this, I hope with all my heart that this precaution is unnecessary, but as you read this, it is clear that our family has not been so fortunate.

I could spend an age writing a list of all my hopes and dreams for you, but there is information that must be shared, and beyond that, I would rather you live your life as you wish, rather than emulate those hopes in a misplaced desire to make me proud. You need not try, my love, because I'm already so very, very proud of you.

To the matter at hand, I must tell you the most important details you must know. Your father's letter will explain what precautions we have taken, and what we've left for you as well. To begin with, however, I will tell you this: all we have done was with your best interests at heart, and I hope that one day, you will understand.

When you were born, James and I were surprised beyond belief that you were born a girl. There hasn't been a female Potter born for an age, and almost as soon as it was announced, we were inundated with requests for alliance, for betrothal, offered money and prestige in exchange for your hand in marriage.

Understand, it was dangerous times, we were desperate, and the list of those whom we could trust had drawn short. We were afraid for our lives, but mostly, we were afraid for yours, so we made a judgement call. We made an alliance with a family we knew we could trust, symbolised by a betrothal agreement between yourself and their son, Cedric. For the loss of your freedom to choose, I apologise from the bottom of my heart, but the choice was not made lightly. The family's name is Diggory, the boy's name is Cedric, but that is all i will tell you about him.

A lot would have changed in ten years, after all.

…

The letter continued to explain the existence of a prophecy that heralded the downfall of Lord Voldemort. Evidently, it referenced a child to be born at the end of July, and the only two applicable were she, and a girl named Eleanor, and though neither were certain of whom would become the subject of prophecy, neither James nor Lily intended for their daughter to be unprepared for any scenario. It finished with an expression of Lily's hope that Elain took the opportunity of life at Hogwarts to get to know Cedric Diggory, and after that, the closing 'With love, Lily.

Elain settled the letter down with care, dropped back against her pillow, and stared blankly at the ceiling overhead. Her mind was blank, absent of thought, and Elain wondered if this was what shock felt like, because surely she'd been given far too many surprises for one day. And so she fell asleep, exhausted, and promised herself she'd worry about everything in the morning.