A/N: This is for the Internation Wizarding School Championship: Round Eight! But, it can be read by anyone if they choose to. I would just like to make it clear that this has a big focus on innocence. Please remember this as you continue reading.

School/Year: Mahoutokoro- Year 4

Theme: Little Whinging (4 Privet Drive)- Look at the experience of those who live in fear of Muggles or Wizardkind

Main Prompt: [Plot Point] Segregation

Additional: [Setting] Muggle Playground, [Plot Point] Unlikely Friendship

Word Count: 1,506

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Harry Potter. All rights are go to J.K. Rowling and whoever else assisted her in the process of created this fantastic world.

April Munbane was what people called an average girl. She wasn't like her father who could make sparks fly out of the tip of something called a wand. She couldn't fly on a broomstick, or talk to funny-looking creatures. Instead, she could clean the floors all by herself.

And so, April had grown up in what her father called the Muggle World, where few wizards and witches resided if they weren't completely a wizarding family. It was a place where all of the people who couldn't do magic spent their time.

But, despite her lack of wand waving skills, she was still fascinated with her father's world. She enjoyed it when he would tell her stories of his own childhood and all the creatures he got to meet during his travels.

It was beyond wonderful.

And, yet, those were the only stories she had. That was all she really had to understand the Wizarding World with. So, when she had gone to the park, just two days after turning nine, she hadn't been expecting her wish to come true.

April had gone alone, seeing as the playground was only a few blocks away from her street. She'd spotted an empty swing when she'd gotten there, a smile lighting up her face as she'd run towards it and eagerly pushed off the ground.

Her gaze drifted up towards the sky, her blue eyes sparkling against her white skin. It was at times like this that she liked to imagine she was flying on her father's old broomstick, soaring high above her friends as she slowly came closer and closer to touching the clouds.

She wondered what they tasted like.

But, it seemed that her fantasies were short-lived.

Almost as soon as she had felt the sun's rays shine onto her face, April felt something push her forwards. She fell face first, tumbling off of the swing and into the grass below.

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as a stinging sensation erupted through her body after the impact. Laughter met her ears as she carefully picked her head off the ground, glancing over her shoulder to see three boys standing behind the swing, their bodies bent over as their stomachs ached.

She sniffed, wobbling onto her feet as she tried to clean off the grass stains and dirt on her once white dress in a futile attempt.

"Ha, ha! That was so easy!" one of the boys spoke up, seemingly the first one to recover from his fit of hysterics. "I can't believe how weak she was!"

"I-It's not funny." she tried weakly, hugging herself in an attempt to stop the way her figure shook.

"You're right." the boy beside him started. "It was way better than just funny!" He broke out laughing again.

"S-Stop it." She looked towards the ground, trying to blink back the tears that threatened to fall. "Please…"

"Hey, she told you to stop!"

April's head snapped up, startled by the new voice that had come from behind her. She watched over her shoulder as a boy around her age, with messy brown hair, stepped in front of her stretching his arm out to block her from the trio that had suddenly turned seriously upon his presence.

The boy's eyebrows furrowed.

"Well, well. If it isn't Kairo." the boy in the middle said, his tone filled with disgust as he practically spit out the name. "How about you just crawl back to your Muggle parents, Mudblood."

April couldn't hold back the gasp that escaped her mouth. That word… How could he even say that?

And, just as she had thought, it seemed that the one named Kairo wasn't particularly fond of it either, his face scrunching up in pain like he had just been slapped on the cheek. But, after a few seconds, he recovered and quickly moved back to what had been happening before.

"Just say sorry to her and leave, Jim."

"And, why should I do that? Everyone knows that this is our swing set."

"Oh, yeah?" Kairo looked at him defiantly. "Since when?"

"Since I said so. This girl should've known better than to mess with us." Jim cast a glance in her direction, causing April to involuntarily move further behind the boy in front of her. "Now, she's gonna pay the price."

Kairo seemed to notice the way she cowered behind him, making his blood boil even more. He clenched his jaw harder, his emotions slowly beginning to get the best of him. How could this guy treat a simple girl like this? She wasn't a toy for them to beat up how they pleased. How could they just take pleasure in watching people cry?

Distantly, he could hear a soft thrumming in his ears as something familiar creeped up from the soles of his feet all the way to the tips of his finger. It felt refreshing, almost energizing.

His eyes hardened.

How could they get away with this? How could they?

"Apologize."

"No way." Jim replied, annoyance lacing his voice.

"I said…" he started, his voice rising. "Apologize!"

His voice sounded through the air and, in a matter of seconds, there was a large boom, smoke briefly covering the area before clearing to reveal the three boys laying on the ground, all groaning in pain from the sudden explosion.

April slapped a hand over her mouth, stifling a scream that threatened to rip itself from her throat. She watched as the trio slowly picked themselves up, cradling their bruised limbs with wide eyes as they stared at Kairo like he had grown two heads.

The silence that filled the air was broken.

"You're a monster!" Jim shrieked, albeit shakily, as he took a step backwards in fear. "Look at what you've done, you… you filthy Mudblood!"

He didn't waste a second, running off with his friends trailing behind him, all of their eyes watering.

And, just as soon as they had left, she watched in horror as Kairo dropped down to his knees, cradling his head as he was overcome with shock. "W-What did I just do…?"

April stared at his back, her mind running a mile a minute. What he had just done was beyond scary. A part of her couldn't help but wonder if that was just how powerful someone's magic could be. If it could hurt someone, could it be powerful enough to… kill someone?

She shook her head violently at the thought, unable to believe it. Magic was supposed to make people smile, not cry. Surely what he had done hadn't been on purpose. Maybe, he hadn't really been thinking and had accidentally set his magic off.

Yes. Yes, that seemed much more believable to her. There was no way a boy as young as him could have ever wanted to kill someone. Plus, with the way he now looked after it had happened- all broken and devastated- had to mean something.

She looked down at him, watching as his shoulders shook.

"I really am a Mudblood…"

Her eyes widened and she immediately knelt down beside him, hesitantly placing a hand on his shoulder. She shook her head defiantly, refusing to let him think that way. "No, you're not."

The action seemed to startle him and he looked up from the ground, his face disbelieving. "Didn't you just see what I did?"

She nodded. "But, you didn't mean to. That means you're not a bad person."

"B-But, I just…"

"I don't care." she protested. "You clearly feel bad about it, which means you it was more like an accident."

But, still, Kairo shook his head, unable to believe her.

"If my parents weren't Muggles, I wouldn't have done that. I would've known better." He turned back to the ground dejectedly. His fingers, resting on the grass, came to tighten into fists as he berated himself. "If I wasn't a Mudblood, I could've controlled my magic."

"Then, I'll teach you."

His gaze snapped towards her confusedly. "W-What?"

"Well, not me exactly. I'm not a wizard." At the look he gave her, she quickly continued. "But, my father is! I bet he'd be happy to teach you until you get accepted into Hogwarts."

"H-Hogwarts?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "It's a school that teaches you all about magic! But, you don't look old enough to get accepted right now. So, if you want, my father can help you control your magic while you wait."

He stared up at her with wide eyes, his heart pumping wildly in his chest. To have someone teach him when his family couldn't…

"You'd really do that for me?" he asked.

"Of course! You did help me out, after all. If I can do the same for you, I will."

Slowly, the corners of his lips curved upwards, a genuine smile forming on his face. "Thank you." he replied sincerely.

But, April simply shook her head, sticking her hand out in front of him. "It's just what friends do."

And, with that, she watched as he stuck out his own.