A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for coming back to read chapter 2! I know that two weeks is a long time for you, but it goes by so quickly for me! I'm planning on keeping a two week schedule, so a new chapter should come out every other Sunday, though no promises exactly what time of day ;) This is the most popular fanfic I've ever written already, so I want to keep a solid schedule for you guys.

To keep things interesting, I thought I would propose a little game! No prizes for winning, unfortunately, but it'll keep you thinking and that's a prize in its own right! Can you guess what aspects of the original series I forgot about while writing each chapter? Some of them Charlotte outright forgets about, but some of them were things I had to change after writing because I forgot parts of the plot! Writing fanfiction is hard when you don't reread the series that often.

Anyway! Sorry for making this long. Let me know in the reviews if you have any guesses and next time I'll give you the answers. Have fun!

The next two years pass in quick succession thanks to the routine grandma and I develop. I spend my days meditating and reading at her house and she loans me Hogwarts textbooks that she charms to look like children's books for when I go home. Besides learning occlumency, I have a secondary goal to get through the entire Hogwarts curriculum before I start school. I have no idea how distracted I will be trying to save the world one way or the other, and being stuck in Harry's year (having finally looked that up) I know that a fair amount of my education will be sub-par. It is really a shame I can't practice spell-casting yet. I would love to be able to get the jump on some death eaters should the need arise. (I am not cocky enough to think I wid ever get the jump on Tom. I might not venerate him but I'm not an idiot).

I try my hardest to enjoy my time with my parents, but it's still a bit difficult being so young. Unfortunately, they've taken my general lack of speaking as a need to spend more time with children my age, which has been awful. I don't know if it carried over from my past life, but I'm not really a fan of kids. I struggle with how to deal with them and they're so noisy! A general play date involves me coaxing my parents to take whatever child I have been saddled with and myself to the park so that I can climb on top of the monkey bars and watch the child beneath me try to make friends with me. Thinking back on it, maybe my general reactions to other kids didn't really do anything to lessen my parent's concern...

…..

"They're worried about me, aren't they?" I inquire. I had been left to my own devices while my parents spoke to grandma. We are alone now that they have headed off to work.

"Of course they are. They tell me you haven't been getting along with the other children." She gives me a disapproving look. "I thought you said you were going to try to behave yourself."

"I have been! They're just so annoying. And they're constantly throwing me curve balls! Something that makes them happy today makes them cry tomorrow. I can't keep up with the little brats!"

"You are four years old now," I raise an eyebrow at her. "Oh stop it. You are four years old and you need to start acting like it before your parents send you to a counselor." My eyes widen at this unexpected news.

"Did they really say that?"

"And do you know how hard it was to convince them not to send you off to school? No, because you never think of the burdens you put on your sweet, old grandmother-" I cut off her fake deprecation with the biggest hug I can manage with my small arms.

"Thanks."

"You are welcome, little one."

"So I'm not going to school this year or...?"

"It took some time, but I finally got them to believe me that I'm not too old for this teaching nonsense. So I'll be your teacher until you go off to Hogwarts."

"No way!" I am bouncing with glee.

"But in return, you must behave yourself better around other children. If you can't manage that on your own then I will have to start taking you on play dates every day until you learn. Is that understood?"

"But I don't wanna!" I pout.

"How old are you?" She asks sternly.

"...Four!" I shout and run away, laughing and screaming playfully as she runs after me. Maybe being four won't be so hard after all.

…...

Learning to still my mind has been challenging, to say the least. From the outside looking in, it must be very impressive to see a six year old meditating, but even I don't know how old I really am and letting my mind wander is not going to help me see how old I can get. I just wish I would see some progress!

It doesn't help that I still haven't shown an ounce of magic. My family and I are starting to get worried.

"Grandma?" I call across the house.

"I thought you were supposed to be meditating, dear." She calls back, the disapproval in her voice clear.

"I know, but I can't help thinking-"

"You never can, dear. That's why you're supposed to be meditating."

"I know, but-"

"Then why aren't you meditating?"

"What if I'm a squib?" I shout, fear finally pushing me to say it out loud. The question hangs in the air like smog, making my eyes water and my breath hitch. What if this was all for nothing? I sit quietly as my mind spins until my grandmother appears from the kitchen and squats before me.

"And what if your mind is holding you back because you haven't learned to control it yet?" I open my mouth to reply, but realize I have no idea what to say to that. I stare at her blankly, my jaw slack as the truth of what she said hits me like a speeding train. My greatest strength in this life is currently my greatest weakness. If I can't control my thoughts my life will quickly be made forfeit, but if I can, my life can be anything I want.

My eyes must have lit up at the thought because grandma pats my head and stands up. "By Jove, I think she's got it!" She heads back to the kitchen and I get started on finally quieting my mind.

…...

It takes me a year of constant practice, but it all pays off when I become Darth Vader. "I am one with the force and the force is with me. I am one with the force and the force is with me," I mutter. Grandma told me to find a mantra that works for me- something I could repeat endlessly in order to keep out unwanted thoughts and this one is perfect. I repeat my mantra until my mind is clear and then I stare intensely at the water bottle in front of me. I reach my hand towards it and say the incantation, "Accio, water bottle." Like the thousand times I had tried before, nothing happens, but as I turn away and pull my hand back towards me dismissively, something painfully smacks the side of my head. Lying on the ground next to me is the water bottle! I look at it, look at my hand, and back at it before shouting at the top of my lungs, "I'M DARTH VADER!". Grandma comes running pretty quickly after hearing that.

…...

I definitely feel like I have gone through an intense training montage by the time I hit my eleventh birthday. Not only have I gone through the entire Hogwarts curriculum (with some pretty intense tutoring through Arithmancy thanks to Grandma), but I am using wandless magic semi-decently around the house. I have made a few neighborhood friends that don't drive me crazy and my parents think I am a well adjusted eleven year old girl.

Seven a.m. on the dot I'm up and out of bed. I can't wait for one more second to get my Hogwarts letter. I've done my waiting, eleven years of it…"in Azkaban!"

...Too soon? Or not soon enough, I suppose.

I put those sorts of thoughts aside, it's my birthday after all, and run downstairs to get the mail. The mailman generally comes at 7 and I'm willing to sit at the door and wait for him. My parents offered to throw me a party but I politely declined. I am not waiting one more hour to have my wand and in a few days time I will be doing magic at my grandmother's house. My mom's family has this obnoxious tradition that we don't get our wands until we get our Hogwarts letter and my patience has been growing thin.

"What are you waiting for?" Dad asks. I've been sitting here for ten minutes now, cross legged just in front of the mail slot.

"My letter!" I chirp.

"What letter?"

"My Hogwarts letter?" I say slowly, horrible realization dawning on me.

"Didn't Mom say you would be getting that in July?"

Oh dammit!

…..

Six months pass slower than ever. I don't know when my letter will arrive in July so I stop trying to think about it. There's no point in riling myself up every day over something that might not even be there. One morning as I'm wandering down the stairs I notice my dad waiting for me at the landing.

"There's someone in the kitchen to see you," he says mysteriously. I look at him quizzically. Who could be here this early? Grandma had spent the night so he shouldn't be talking about her. "Instead of wondering, why don't you go see?" After so many years of being a quiet child, (I never broke the habit) my parents are totally used to my silent stares and long pauses of thought. I'll probably end up being labeled a weird kid at school, but better that than being ousted as an adult, I suppose.

I run to the kitchen excitedly, still trying to figure out who could be here when my eyes are drawn to the owl happily taking bacon from my mom's hand. Oh, duh. After eleven years of magical living, I thought I'd be used to it by now, but something always catches me off guard.

"Look what came, Charlotte!" Mom announces. She even left the letter attached to the owl's leg so I could take it off. She knows me so well!

"Can I?" I ask quietly, reaching for the owl.

"Of course! This is your big day!" My grandma answers. I didn't even notice her at the table when I walked in.

I carefully reach for the owl's leg and untie the string holding my letter. It is addressed directly to me. Without any further ado, I rip it open and take in the words I've waited so long to read,

Dear Miss Charlotte Campbell,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Yes!"

….

I had been to Diagon Alley a few times before today and had enjoyed it immensely, but the trip to get my wand feels like the first time all over again. I can feel the adrenaline coursing through me as I bounce down the cobbled streets. Today I don't have to fake anything- I feel exactly like an eleven year old on her way to get her wand.

"Do you want to get ice cream first?" Dad asks.

"No!" I immediately shout, running past the ice cream shop. My family laughs. They all knew that's what my answer would be, despite my love of ice cream. "After!" I add as an afterthought. Ice cream after dealing with Ollivander does sound nice.

I burst into the wand shop ahead of my parents, despite their complaints that I should slow down. I've waited far too long for this to hold on for one more second! Unfortunately, I'm also not paying a bit of attention and run straight in to someone.

"Ouch," I mutter, taking a step back and rubbing my now sore nose.

"Oh, uh, sorry 'bout that." I hear the apology but I haven't bothered to look at this person as I'm wiping the tears from my eyes. I hit my nose surprisingly hard!

"Not sure why you're apologizing when I ran-" I stop dead as I finally blink the tears away and realize I am face to face with one of the many people I did not want to meet. "Harry…" I say dumbly, eyeing the slightly obscured scar as if that's what clued me in.

"Charlotte, who are you talking to?" My dad comes up behind me, trying to give his best scary dad impression, when his eyes also land on the famous scar. "Oh, wow."

We are now awkwardly stopped in the middle of Ollivander's shop.

"I, uh, guess you should be going?" I try desperately, wanting Harry to be anywhere but here.

"R-right." At this point we're all blushing from the embarrassment of the situation.

"Oh, Harry!" My mom starts (when did she come in?). Harry stops in his tracks and turns back and I can't believe it when she says, "Why don't you come get ice cream with us?"

No!

"Oh, um, I…" Mercifully it seems like Harry wants to get ice cream with us as much as I want him to.

"Are you here by yourself?" I gently direct the conversation towards calmer waters.

"Oh, no, Hagrid," Harry leaps for the lifeline I've thrown him as he clumsily tries to put a sentence together. "I have someone waiting for me. I should probably go…"

"Bye!" I say before my parents can butt in any further. They both seem like they want to say more, but I drag their attention away from The Boy Who Lived by walking up to Ollivander's empty counter. "Hello! Can I please get a wand?"

Ollivander eyes me creepily, albeit totally expectedly. I try to be patient as he sizes me up, but I end up fidgeting.

"Interesting...Very interesting." Isn't that what he said to Harry in the movies? He can't even think of different phrasing for me? So rude. Ollivander suddenly turns away from me and reaches for a wand. He speaks as he turns back to me, "Ash, 10 inches, with a unicorn core."

I take the wand slowly, completely awestruck. It's beautiful. I absolutely love it...and it's snatched out of my hand in a moment.

"Close, but not quite," he mutters. "Ah, this one." He moves further to the back of the cramped shop and pulls out a different wand. "Beech, 9 inches, with a dragon heartstring core. This is a wand not for the narrow minded or intolerant," I smile at this description as he hands the wand to me.

As soon as the wand touches my fingertips, I know it's the one. I can feel my magic coursing through me, as if for the first time, and it shoots from my wand before I even realize what's happening. A bright light fills the room, quickly becoming blinding. Just as I close my eyes to the light, there's a sudden loud bang, and the flow of magic stops.

"D-Did I do all that?" I whisper, wide-eyed. My parents look flabbergasted but Ollivander just looks contemplative.

"A beech wand is for a witch wise beyond her years. It seems that your wand anticipates much wisdom from you."

I can't tell if I want to laugh or feel threatened. Even my wand has me figured out! I guess I should expect nothing less from such a powerful magical object.

Ollivander takes the wand from my grasp and puts it back in its box before handing it to my parents; I'm still technically underage, after all, and they pay while chatting amicably with the old man. My grandmother stands quietly in the background so I make my way over to her.

"Ironic, huh?" I joke.

"Wands know their owners better than they know themselves," she agrees. "Now, let's go get that ice cream."

We all leave the shop with my new wand in tow, my unfortunate meeting with Harry all but forgotten.

….

I've had to be patient for so long (so, so long) but now the moment has finally arrived- I get to use my new wand! I don't know how my grandma got it in her possession but here it is! I spend a few moments holding it, getting used to the feel of it.

"I love it," I whisper happily.

"Are you ready?" Grandma asks me.

"So ready!"

Grandma knew that I wanted to work on spellcasting as soon as I had my wand, and since I know the limitations on checking for underage magic, I know we don't have to worry about the law coming down on us in her house. She was more than happy to help me, but we agreed that it wouldn't be sensible for me to practice first year spells. I would have to learn and practice them in class anyway, and it could look suspicious if I'm better than all my classmates. Instead we would focus on more practical, albeit simple, spells. Just because I have more knowledge of magic doesn't mean I'm magically (pardon my pun) better at its practical application.

"First we'll begin with the disillusionment charm," Grandma starts.

"Wait, what? I thought we said we were going to start with simple spells!"

"That is simple."

"Are you sure it isn't just simple for you?" I argue.

"It's easier than you think. Besides, didn't you say you wanted to learn useful spells?" I grumble but grudgingly agree.

"Alright, I'm listening."

…

The weeks before school race by as I finish preparing. Grandma doesn't know that since I got my wand I've been having increasingly worse nightmares- I don't want to worry her, after all. Instead of sleeping, I've been constantly preparing myself. Due to the complexity of the spellwork, it takes the entirety of my free time to practice the disillusionment charm. I've been trying not to get frustrated with my slow progress the past few weeks; I thought it would come easily to me, but it's been harder than I expected. The rest of my time is spent fortifying my mental defenses. Having so much time to learn it, I have also been able to work on the other side of occlumency that Harry has (will?) never learn- misdirection. I have become mildly adept at taking a legilimens and leading them towards memories of this life in order to prevent them from seeing memories of my past life. Grandma says I am good enough but I still worry. I can't afford to waste a moment.

"I'm sending you home," Grandma says suddenly, after a particularly grueling attack on my mental fortitude.

"What? But I need to practice!"

"No, you need to rest. You'll be at Hogwarts in three days," she says in her maddeningly calm voice.

"I know! That's why I need to be ready!"

"When is the last time you slept?" she asks suddenly, catching me off guard.

"Yesterday," I answer automatically.

"For more than an hour at a time," she clarifies. I pause at this. "When is the last time you meditated? We've been working on your strength of mind so you wouldn't fall into these patterns, but ever since you got your wand you've been acting like you're two years old all over again. You're practically hysterical."

"I-I…" I can feel the tears coming before I come to terms with what's happening. I really am hysterical.

"You're a smart girl, Charlotte. Did you wonder why the disillusionment charm was giving you so much trouble? If you were focused and well rested you would already have it. Your fears of falling behind are what is causing you to fall behind. I was hoping you would see it for yourself, but your sleep deprivation has turned your intense focus into blinders. I've never seen you so focused on nothing." I begin to cry through her admonishment, my hands covering my face in embarrassment and sorrow. Despite being an adult at the start of this life, I wasn't naive enough to think I didn't have any growing up to do. Grandma has taught me so much and I grew up with her all over again, but just as she is about to send me on my way, I prove that I haven't learned anything. I feel like such a failure.

"I'm sorry," I whisper into my hands. Grandma pulls my hands away and lifts my chin. I can't bare to look her in the eye right now.

"Please look at me, you silly girl." I'm surprised to find that she doesn't sound disappointed or angry. I finally acquiesce. She smiles at me and lets go of my chin. "You judge yourself so harshly. I just want you to take care of yourself." I nod sullenly. "I want you to take the next few days to rest." She puts a hand up to stop me from my inevitable argument. "There are a few things I want you to remember while you're at school: you are your own worst enemy; breathe; if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to owl; and I will always, always love you."

"Grandma why do you sound like you're rushing?" I ask.

"Mum, we're here!" My dad and mum burst into my grandmother's house. She already called them over! I give my grandma a glare and she smiles sheepishly.

"Go home. Rest. I'll see you over the summer hols," she says quietly as my parents come over.

"You're not seeing me off?" My parents come up beside me as I speak.

"I unfortunately cannot. I'll send you an owl as soon as I can, okay?"

"I know you want grandma to be there, sweetie, but we'll take you to the Hogwarts Express. Maybe we'll get ice cream beforehand. How does that sound?" Dad tries to make me feel better and it sort of works.

"I guess so." Grandma and I hug and finish our goodbyes. I still feel like it's too soon, but before I know it I'm in the car on the way to my house.

….

I spend the next few days replaying what Grandma said over and over in my head.

"I'm my own worst enemy," I mutter to myself as I stare at my ceiling. I've been doing a fair amount of flying to blow off some steam, but other than that I've taken Grandma's advice and rested. It's been more difficult than I care to admit, but a mixture of meditating and flying has helped me finally get some sleep. That being said, I didn't sleep at all last night, but I think that's a normal eleven year old thing.

"Are you ready, sweetie?" Mum shouts up to my room. Today is finally the day.

"Coming!" I shout back. I don't know how ready I am, but I'm excited to finally get on that train.