Disclaimer: Not the Rowling.
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NOTES:
Just some character background ideas...
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PERSONAL STORIES
The personal accounts some muggleborns gave of their first reactions to their new lives at Hogwarts.
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Cathal O'Keeffe
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My name's Cathal; I'm from Ireland, and I'm one of the few 'Mudbloods' (I hate that word!) sorted into Slytherin.
While neither of my parents were magical, I've known about magic all my life. You see, back in 1690 there was a bit of trouble in our country, and we were forced to bow to the rule of the Orange king, with his English religion and all. So when 1692 came around, and the Great and the Good decided that our cailleachs and draoi had to hide themselves from the rest of us, instead of being an important part of our community... well, we said to ourselves, "No more foreign rules", and we made our own Statute of Secrecy. We soon found other villages and towns where the people thought the same, and over time formed a shadow society, hiding in plain sight in both worlds.
So like any other true Irish lad, I was brought up alongside the magicals in my town, going to Primary school with them during the day, and learning the basics of magical theory with them at night. My magical ability was found out early on, when I was seven, so I was quickly taught the discipline to prevent accidental outbursts — it's one of the ways we've managed to stay hidden all this time.
Most of us get all our schooling from our own community, but every few years we let one of our own get 'discovered', so that they can go to Hogwarts and find out more about the recent doings and teachings in the magical world. The Irish school system gives us a lot of leeway, so while I was a precocious lad and started school at four years old, we gave the magicals documents that said I started at six, and when we were visited by old McGonagall (and that's a fine Irish name for a Scotswoman!), my parents asked that I be allowed to finish Primary school before going to Hogwarts. So although the usual firstie is eleven when they start, they thought I was twelve, and I was actually thirteen. The extra couple of years allow for better training in the subtlety and observation I would need to play my part.
Of course I already knew about the Sorting Hat before I arrived; it's one of the English 'secrets' we don't see a need to keep. I pretended not to, of course, but had a nice conversation with the Hat when it was my turn. I fully expected to be sorted into Slytherin, as all our previous 'ambassadors' had been: the Hat enjoys tweaking the nose of Slytherin's memory by sorting those from my world without magical parents into that House, and we're all sneaky and ambitious enough to fit besides. Of course, having grown up around magic regardless, we can all fake our supposedly 'pureblood' background well enough.
I'm making some friends here, though most of the English are unbearable snobs. I'm learning a lot too; there's some trouble brewing in the English magical world that we should keep an eye on. Maybe something we can take advantage of...?
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Danielle (née Daniel) Heath
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Hi, I'm Danielle. I was born with all the bits and the name of a boy, but even before I started nursery school, I knew I was really a girl.
Luckily my parents are pretty well-off. It was a pain at first, as they kept dragging me to expensive psychiatrists to try to 'fix' me. It took quite a bit of time, and a lot of tears and temper, but my parents finally listened to what the professionals were saying, got over their expectations, and accepted me for who I am. They've been very supportive since.
My primary school were surprisingly okay with it all, and in my fourth year I was re-registered under my new name and true gender. And before puberty kicked in, my parents took me off on a holiday to the Far East, where I had my bits remodelled to match my inner self, and got my first hormone implant.
It was only then that I discovered I was magical. Somehow my magic was bound up with my true identity, and couldn't come out until I had finally transitioned to it. It was glorious; nothing like the stories other kids have told about breaking vases or summoning toys to themselves. My mum saw it; she says I was lifted into the air, bathed in a golden light, and slowly spun around as my hair finally grew to the length I wanted it to be. She even swears that she saw angel wings sprout from my back, though it was probably a trick of the light.
When I got my Hogwarts letter, I was so excited. I made a couple of new friends on the train up — it was so nice to have friends that had no memory of my former self. The Sorting Hat said I was the bravest person it had ever come across, and immediately sorted me into Gryffindor, along with one of my new friends.
Everything was perfect. Right up until it was bed time, when I tried to go to my dorm room for the first time, and the stairs turned into a slide...
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Fatina Reza
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Hello, my name is Fatina Reza. I'm the first magical in my family. My ancestors were originally from Pakistan, but the last three generations were born in Glasgow (except my Gran, who moved here when she was a baby). We still follow the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him); the schools in Glasgow are well used to Muslim kids, so it's not too hard to stick to the rules there. Hogwarts on the other hand...
I bring up my background only because it's causing a bit of a problem for me now. Thing is, my birthday is late July, and I started school when I was four. That means that when I received my Hogwarts letter, I had already been at Hillhead High School for a whole year, and was just about to start back again. (And let me tell you, that extra year of education in science and sociology shines a very interesting light on the magical world!)
So there I was, having a fun summer with a lot of my friends from primary and some new ones from the High, and making all sorts of plans for the new school year. Then suddenly, as the first term's about to start, I tell them that I won't be going with them after all. They see me at a couple of weekends, then I vanish, taken somewhere that my parents can't explain to anyone.
Some of my friends are really worried about this. They've all heard stories about Pakistani girls being forced to fly back to the old country to get married to some horrible old man, and they think that might be what happened to me. I wrote to them to tell them I was fine, but as I couldn't explain what was happening beyond "I've gone to another school, you won't have heard of it", it didn't put them off. I suppose I should be glad to have such caring friends, but they've got their parents involved, and they're starting to ask questions that no-one can answer without the word 'Obliviate' being involved. Now I'm getting worried about them...
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Alistair Naesmith
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I'm Al. When I was seven, my dad and I got hit by a drunk driver as we were crossing the street. My dad's legs were messed up pretty bad, but I broke a lot of bones in my neck and back.
The doctors were amazed that I survived at all. (Turns out my magic probably kept me alive, though we didn't find out about it for another few years.) They did their best to repair the damage, but I can only turn my head a little side-to-side, and my back is completely stiff from where the bones fused together.
It doesn't cause me that much trouble. I can still run around with the other kids, play football a bit, and I can manage things like stairs, chairs, and so on just fine. It's just if I have to bend or crawl... not happening.
The Sorting Hat thought I was very brave for getting through all that without letting myself be a victim. So it sorted me into Gryffindor.
The House that you have to crawl through a hole to get into.
So much for your House being like your home. I can't even get in the door.
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Peter Goode
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Hi, my name's Peter; I'm a Muggleborn and a twin. My brother Paul (yes, my parents have no imagination) and I knew we were different from the other kids for... well, forever really. We've always known what each other was thinking and feeling, and sometimes we'd be able to pass things between us without actually handing them over; they just seem to jump from my hand to his or back again. We had some 'normal' accidental magic happen sometimes too; usually when someone was winding one of us up, the other one would lash out.
We've been together forever. All through Primary school, we were in the same class, on the same teams, and so on. We work together, play together, even share the same bedroom. We've never felt the need for space from each other, and the few times we had to be apart... let's just say it wasn't nice.
We got a letter just before we were due to start High School. Apparently there's a name for what we are ('wizards'), and a school where we can learn to use our abilities safely (Hogwarts). But Hogwarts has some very strict entry requirements, and that inflexibility has caused us the first real injury either of us has suffered.
You see, I was born at 11:15pm on the 31st of August; Paul was born at 12:53am on the 1st of September.
I was sorted into Hufflepuff, but I feel broken... incomplete... alone.
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