The atmosphere in our house changed after their announcement. I continued to never say a word, but Natalie and Brandon seemed tense whenever I was in the same room as them. Their sent not-so-subtle glances while I completed my homework or watched cartoons. I wanted to watch something like Criminal Minds, but six-year-olds didn't watch shows like that.

And the show hadn't been created yet. Imagine my surprise when I found out I was born in 1959. Even more proof I was in the past.

Natalie's stomach eventually began showing a baby bump, seeing it was weird for me. Never had a chance at meeting a pregnant woman in my last life. In December, near my seventh birthday, I cornered her in the kitchen.

When she noticed me her whole body jolted in surprise. That was the usual response from her. I barely made any noise even when walking. Now after the strange occurrence in the living room, when they broke the news about my new sibling, her reaction to me was more severe.

"Rosabell." Her voice shook with the force of her sigh, her hands resting on her protruding belly protectively. "Was there something you needed?"

I flicked my eyes away from hers to look at her stomach. Raising my hand I reached forward in silent question. Her and Brandon always sat on the couch talking to her stomach, and touching it to feel the baby's movements. It always intrigued me, but I never thought of actually doing the same thing until now.

Natalie bit her lip. "You want to feel your brother?"

I grimaced at her reaction. Natalie used to give me goodnight hugs with a kiss on the forehead. Now she didn't dare step foot in my room. Brandon was the one to tuck me in, and even then he no longer kissed the top of my head.

No longer interested in her stomach I retreated to the living room and mechanically began coloring a cartoon puppy. School was the only constant for me now. My home life made me want to cry. Before the strange occurrences they still treated me like a daughter: with love and affection. Now they both acted hesitant.

The weird things that happened around me were not my fault. I didn't want them to happen, they just came out of nowhere – mostly when I get very emotional. Brandon and Natalie only knew about the shattered mirror, and broken light bulbs. I knew about the time I tied a bully's shoelaces together, and changed one of my shirts from pink to black.

None of these things made sense. I never did supernatural stuff in my last life – a life I certainly yearned to get back. I had people who truly loved me there.

On the afternoon of March 29th I sat at the dining room table with my kindergarten homework laid out in front of me. I heard Natalie moving around in the living room, followed by a gasp and a quiet thump. Worried, I jumped out of my chair to see what was wrong.

Natalie had collapsed on the couch with a damp patch on the carpet by her feet. Seeing the spot was all I needed for me to rush into the kitchen, push a chair up to the phone, and dialed 999.

"9-9-9 what's your emergency?"

I tried speaking, but my words got caught. Licking my lips, I cleared my throat a few times before my voice finally emerged, "Need help." The sound of my voice surprised me. It was different from my last life and very ragged. No doubt from never speaking for nearly seven years.

"Can I get your name? What's wrong?"

Unable to push much information from my unused throat, I said in a raspy tone, "The baby's coming."

Brief silence and then, "Okay. Can you tell me your address?" With a voice as disused as mine I gave our address as clearly as I possibly could. "Alright, I've dispatched the nearest unit. Could you tell me how far apart the contractions are?"

I blinked rapidly. The question was hard for me to answer until a drawn out yell came from the living room. "I think that was one."

Another silence before I heard the woman come back with a confused voice. "Who's in labor, honey?"

I huffed, now understanding why she asked me about the contractions. "Not me."

Slapping the phone onto the receiver I scurried back into the living room to see Natalie resting her head against the back of the couch. Her face was pale, and her hair stuck to her forehead with sweat.

Cautiously reaching out I grabbed her clenched hand in mine. Her breathing stuttered, and she cracked open her eyes to look at me. "Rosabell, I think your brother's coming." Her uneven breathing signaled her panic. "I need to get to the hospital."

Natalie tried getting up, but another contraction must have come because she groaned in pain and collapsed back. I kept my hand on hers, but brought up another to rest on her shoulder. I shook her until she looked me in the eye, and I mimicked deep inhaling and exhaling. I continued so she'd copy my actions. We sat there, looking one another in the eye, until the sound of sirens and flashing lights could be heard.

Her eyes snapped to the door when the paramedics burst in carrying a stretcher. "What's going on?"

Two medics quickly helped her onto the stretcher while a third explained why they were there. "We got a call saying someone in the house was in labor."

Natalie spluttered, "But I didn't call anybody!" Four pairs of eyes looked over at me as I innocently stood in front of the couch. Natalie shook her head, "Rosabell doesn't talk. How could she have – " another contraction cut her off.

The two paramedics rushed her to the ambulance while the third held out a hand for me. "Rosabell?" I nodded. "Since your daddy's not home you'll have to come with us." We quickly made our way into the ambulance and raced to the hospital.

I kept my silence the entire ride to the hospital, and in the chair outside the delivery room. Someone must have called Brandon because he came racing through the hallway with his hair in disarray and a pale face. He saw me and smiled weakly. "Hey, Rosabell. How's your mum?"

Nobody told me anything since they entered the room, so all I could do was shrug. Brandon only nodded and quickly slipped into the delivery room.

I sat outside that room for hours. A nurse gave me a few coloring pages, but one can only color for so long before getting bored. All I wanted to know was how Natalie was doing.

Near midnight was when I finally heard the loud cry of a baby. I sat anxiously in my chair. Being a big sister hadn't felt real until then. Thoughts about whether or not I would be good enough circled through my head.

Apparently it didn't matter. Natalie didn't like me being around little baby Kevin. She never mentioned it when I was around, but at night I snuck out of bed to hear her expressing her concerns to Brandon. She thought I housed a demon, or some supernatural being inside my body. It was the only way she could explain the unnatural events, and the fact my teachers wanted to move me up several grades.

Natalie thought I did something weird to get the ambulance to the house. Brandon took the rational route and asked me.

"Did you call the police that day? When your mum went into labor?" I stared at him for a few moments before nodding solemnly. "And you… spoke?"

I rose an eyebrow. No doubt it looked weird on a seven year old, but of course I spoke. They wouldn't have gotten to the house otherwise.

He gave a weak chuckle. "That was a good thing you did. Brave, too. I know you don't like to talk." I just shrugged. It's not that I didn't like talking, I just had nothing to say. Natalie going into labor needed it, otherwise Kevin would have been born in our living room.

If I ever wanted to get close to Kevin I had to visit late at night, when Natalie and Brandon both thought I was asleep. If Kevin was sleeping I didn't bother him, but if he was awake he greeted me with a toothless smile. I let him tug and suck on my fingers before I had to slip out of the room to get some sleep. A seven year old body wasn't used to falling asleep at odd hours of the morning.

Nothing interesting seemed to happen after Kevin was born. School stayed laughably easy, and I hoped it would last through high school. Even without the love a kid my age should be getting from their parents, I thought it was alright. I still struggled to fit Brandon into the image of father, or Natalie a mother. Kevin was easier to add to my life since I never had a younger sibling.

The next time anything interesting happened turned out to be life-changing. It was the year 1970, December 22nd, my eleventh birthday, and Kevin just turned four earlier that year. Natalie was cooking dinner in the kitchen, and Brandon arrived home from work roughly an hour before. Everybody was quietly doing their own thing when a knock sounded at the front door.

Brandon got up to answer it, and I was at the dining room table, so I couldn't see who it was. I couldn't hear what was said, but I heard Natalie leave the kitchen, and I finally got curious enough to get up and check it out.

Sitting on the armchair opposite from my parents was an older woman. Her clothes looked like something I would wear on Halloween: black and green robes, and a witch's hat. The two of them talked with the strange woman, and after a moment all of them looked over at me. Not knowing what else to do I raised my hand and waved.

"Rosabell, could you come here?" Brandon called.

Moving to the living room I made sure to keep a respectable distance between me and the three adults. I gave the strange woman a friendly smile, and held out my hand. She smiled in return, softening her stern expression, and shook it. "You're Miss Rosabell King?"

I nodded and Natalie sighed. "Rosabell, please use your words."

Brandon gave his wife a stern look. "Nat…"

"We know she can speak, and it's rude not to respond to company. She's eleven, Brandon, and needs to at least start being polite. Being mute can't last." The woman on the couch looked curious, but I knew this was a common argument.

"Miss King is a mute?"

Brandon nodded. "She can speak, she just chooses not to. She's only spoken once in her entire life, and that was about four years ago."

The woman's mouth grew pinched. "That may pose a problem. You see, I am the Professor of a very special school your daughter met the requirements to attend."

Brandon looked suspicious and crossed his arms. "What school? We haven't applied er anywhere, and we told her teachers we don't want to move her forward."

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

My eyes widened at the name, and even further when she pulled an envelope from her robes addressed to me in green ink.

While I slowly accepted the envelope from the woman, Natalie scoffed. "Witchcraft and Wizardry? Is this some sort of joke? There's no such thing as magic. It's all a hogwash."

The Professor rose an eyebrow, and I began to feel a sneaking suspicion on who this woman was. "Has Rosabell done anything strange? Unexplainable?"

Brandon and Natalie now looked uncomfortable, but I cleared my throat to get their attention. When the Professor looked at me I nodded. Never had I wanted to speak so badly, but the excitement welling in my gut told me if I opened my mouth I would squeal, scream, or both. Probably both.

"So, you have done unexplainable things?" I nodded again. "Do you believe it could be magic?" Outside of the things I'd done, I considered the fact I woke up in a baby's body after getting hit by a car as a seventeen year old. Magic was definitely real, and I definitely wanted to be a part of it.

"Can you prove it?" Brandon asked the Professor.

In response she pulled out a polished stick and pointed it at the coffee table. My teeth clenched in excitement, and a squeal lodged itself in my throat. I watched with wide-eyed amazement as the table turned into a dog, then a stuffed rabbit, then back into a table.

Brandon stared in amazement like me, while Natalie looked ready to faint. "Who are you?" She asked weakly.

"My name is Minerva McGonagall." Cue internal happy dance. "I teach transfiguration at Hogwarts, and I'm here to deliver Miss King's letter so I can explain the magical world."

As a Harry Potter fan in my last life, I already knew about their magical world: non-magicals were Muggles, first years got their letters on their eleventh birthday, Hogwarts started on September 1st, and I needed to catch a train to get there.

"Ms. McGonagall – "

"Professor," McGonagall gently corrected.

Natalie's corrected herself. "Professor Mcgonagall, what if Rosabell doesn't go?"

I scoffed, gaining everybody's attention. My eyes stayed on Natalie and I rose an eyebrow at her. I didn't speak, but my stance clearly screamed my choice to go. God himself couldn't keep me from going to Hogwarts. Every child dreamed of going there.

McGonagall tutted. "I'm afraid in Hogwarts you will have to speak. Spell use at your age requires verbal pronunciation." I gave her my most pitiful look, and her lips pressed together. Most likely trying to look stern, but I think she wanted to smile. "I'm sure you will be just fine. I will inform the other professors and the headmaster of your preferred silence."

I nodded in thanks, and McGonagall stood from the couch. "I will see you on September first, Miss King."

"Professor!" She looked at Brandon. "Do we have to pay for anything? Like a school tuition?"

McGonagall nodded her head. "Hogwarts has funds to help pay half of Muggle-born students tuition, and you pay the other half. What you mostly need to focus on are her supplies. If you agree, I can take her shopping today."

Looking up at Brandon expectantly I saw him sigh. "Will my credit card work in your magic world?"

McGonagall pursed her lips. "We will be visiting Gringotts, the wizarding bank. They will withdraw the requested amount from your card and convert it into galleons. I believe the amount you will need for brand new supplies is the equivalent to two-hundred pounds."

Brandon handed me the card with a stern look. "Don't lose this. And don't go over two-hundred."

Nodding seriously I slipped the card into my back pocket. I looked up at McGonagall as a sign I was ready to go.

"Hold onto my hand." I did as she said. "We have one stop to make before going to Diagon. This way of travel is always hard for first time travelers, so take a deep breath."

A horrible sucking sensation equivalent to being dragged through a too-small straw made me sick to my stomach. It lasted until I thought I would pass out. Before that happened my feet hit the ground hard, and I fell to my knees. I gagged, and a small amount of stomach acid hit the pavement below me.

"There there," McGonagall helped me to my feet, "nothing to worry about. Many first time apparaters respond the same way."

Once I recovered I followed the Professor through a cheerful neighborhood, and spat several times to remove the acrid taste in my mouth. I could see families inside their homes having family dinners, and children playing on their front lawn.

McGonagall knocked on one of the doors, and a redheaded woman answered it. She looked between the two of us curiously. "Can I help you?"

I remained silent as McGonagall explained to the woman why we were there. I watched her eyes widened with something close to understanding. No doubt she thought about her own kid, and the strange things that happen around them.

She invited us both in, introducing herself as Marigold Evans.

Her name gave me pause. I remembered the Harry Potter world fairly well, and I knew of one family who had the last name of Evans with flower first names.

Cautiously entering the house I looked around the living room. I didn't know why I expected something to just scream "Harry's mother is here!", but nothing did. Instead I saw a girl my age with beautiful red hair, darker than her mother's. My eyes were more of a leafy green, but hers shone like emeralds.

"Mum, who are they?"

Marigold smiled at her daughter. "This is Professor McGonagall. She says she's here to explain the reason behind the, um, unusual things that happen around you."

I saw her eyes widen with recognition and excitement. If I remembered correctly she was supposed to be friends with Severus Snape. He told her about magic, so she most likely knows a lot about it.

"And who's she?"

Both Evans were looking at me curiously, and I gave them a wave while McGonagall spoke for me. "This is Rosabell King. She's like you, Miss Evans."

The younger Evans gasped. "She's magic, too?"

Both her mother and McGonagall stared at her in surprise. "Lily, what are you talking about?"

Lily looked up at her mother. "Severus is a wizard. He saw me doing magic the day we met, and told me I was a witch."

McGonagall hummed. "It seems half of my job has been done for me." She reached into her robe, and pulled out a letter just like mine. "Your list of school supplies is inside. Miss King and I will be stopping in Diagon Alley, if you wish to join us."

Lily nodded enthusiastically. "Can Sev come?"

McGonagall pursed her lips. "I'm afraid I only stop in Muggle-born homes, Miss Evans."

"Wait, hold on." Marigold folded her arms. "I don't understand what's going on. Magic? Diagon Alley?"

"Of course." Minerva sat on the sofa with Lily's mother to explain the same thing she told my parents. During this Lily approached me with a wide smile.

"It's amazing, isn't it? Magic." She breathed the last word reverently.

I smiled at her and nodded. In all honesty I was just as amazed as her, if not more so. I just found out the world I'd been reborn in is the Harry Potter world. It was during his parents time in Hogwarts, but I didn't care. If anything that made it more amazing.

"Did you know about magic before today?" I shook my head, and Lily looked at me confusedly. "How do your parents feel about it?" I shrugged. Natalie and Brandon didn't seem too thrilled with me about… well, anything.

"Can you talk?"

Lily didn't say it condescendingly – she was naturally curious. Her mother didn't hear it that way. "Lily!"

"Mum!" She whined. "I just wanted to know why she didn't say anything!"

McGonagall answered for me. "Miss King is capable of speech, but chooses to remain silent." She looked at me questioningly, and I nodded to show she was right.

"I see." Marigold gave me a warm smile before turning to McGonagall. "I'm afraid I'd like to wait for my husband to get home before Lily does any shopping."

"But, mum!" Lily got ready to argue, but her mother held up a hand with a stern look. "No, Lily. We need to talk about this as a family. Maybe when we go shopping we can bring Severus."

Lily looked a little put out, but brightened at the prospect of shopping with her friend. "Okay." She looked at me with another smile. "Will I see you at Hogwarts?"

I smiled brightly and nodded. In one day I discovered I'm part of a magical world that used to be nothing more than fiction to me. Now I was a witch. This was a new part of my life that gave me a sense of purpose I didn't have before.