Chapter 1 – Romance Novels

Hogwarts School of witch craft and wizardry was my home away from home. At school I was liked and appreciated by my peers. Too bad school is on the other side of the world. Home is in the United States while school is in Scotland, but a part of Scotland that no one has ever heard of. In America witches weren't liked so when I received my letter to Hogwarts I was happy but had to keep it secret. Hogwarts, I had read, was 'a school made up by English storytellers for un-human like creates,' like me. I'm a witch.

I was the first American descendent of a wizard to be accepted to Hogwarts. My Grandfather had been a wizard when he was younger, which was passed on to my mother. My mother wasn't into magic. She was a goody-two shoe and was disappointed when I decided I wanted to go. She had lived her whole life around magic, but rejected it as something she wanted to take part in. My grandparents moved to the United States after they were married to start a family here. Since my grandparents moved here the rest of my family was American. I guess it was an honor to be the first American but I wasn't given any special treatment for it.

The beginning of my seventh and final year was like being at a family reunion. The school was my second family and I loved being there. Being a Gryffindor I was despised by everyone in the Slytherin house except for a few second years who thought they had a chance with me. They didn't. Boys weren't a main concern when it came to school. My mind was focused on good grade. I wasn't a study freak and I didn't do most of the homework. All that mattered to me was passing my classes any way I could and the people closest to me.

I arrived the day before school was start to Hogwarts that first day. I had left home because of a fight with my father. I didn't want to be around him so my get away was Hogwarts. I had set up my bed and belongings in the same room I had had from my first year. The room I shared with my two best friends and three other seventh years. Raven Judd and Elizabeth Morgan, or Liz for short, were both from pure blood families and the first people to talk to me, while Nina Caprice, Skylar Moon and Kendra Brooks started a petition to get me kicked out for being American.

The room was cold with no one there to talk with. I finished setting up my pictures on the nightstand and putting my clothes away before heading toward the common room to sit by the fireplace. I grabbed Gone with the Wind out of my book bag and walked down the winding stairs. I had started to read when I reached the bottom step and ended up walking into somebody. I looked up to see a pair of brown eyes.

"Lucia Lang, what are you doing here so early? The Hogwarts Express doesn't arrive for another day." It was Oliver Wood. Wood, as most people called him, was a friend of mine although we didn't see eye to eye on everything. He too was a Gryffindor and was keeper and captain of our quidditch team. If there was one guy that most of the girls wanted it was Oliver. He was tall with light brown hair and deep brown eyes. I had to admit he wasn't bad looking.

"I can ask you the same thing. But I had a fight with my father and I couldn't stand being home anymore. Plus I didn't want to be on the train with all the first years; they can be so annoying. What are you doing here?"

Wood made his way over to one of the couches and I joined him. "I wanted to have some peace and quiet to work out some new plays. I have a feeling we're going to win the quidditch cup this year. You know that we have to win. We haven't won since I've been here and I'm not graduating without a quidditch cup in my hands." Oliver held his hand up as if he were already holding the cup.

I giggled softly. "I wish you the best of luck. I just hope that you don't get too crazy with your tactics. Promise me that quidditch won't be your only concern this year. Last year Melissa Haven broke up with you because all you talked about was quidditch."

Wood sighed, "Luc, why do you care about what I do?"

"We're friends and I just hope you have fun this year and don't waste it on quidditch."

"Promise me that you'll finally date someone this year. Every year you go to the dances alone and spend most of your free time reading romance novels. You're a great girl and beautiful might I add. A girl like you should be the main character of a romance novel," Wood took my book and put it on the side table.

I knew I blushed and couldn't try to hide it. I looked at Wood and thought of him as my hero in my so-called romance novel. He fit the description: tall, mysterious, handsome and a little sensitive. We were just friends and I honestly didn't want anything else. A girl always wants to be loved and I'm no exception but I had different priorities. Having a boyfriend really didn't matter to me. "We'll see. I'm not going to guarantee anything."

"Okay, so promise me that you'll go to the homecoming dance with me, as a date. And then if you don't have a date to any other dance I can be proud and say I was the only lucky one to get a date with you." Wood put his arm around me.

"I'll go with you, but don't expect anything to happen after the dance. And you will probably be the only lucky one to have a date with me." I turned to him and saw the face of someone who cared. He was going to make sure this was one year I wouldn't forget and secretly I swore to do the same for him.

"Do you want to stay here tonight and just watch movies? Those dorms can be awfully lonely," he said getting out his wand.

I nodded my head, "Yeah that would be nice."

I watched him as he cast threes small spells. One spell to put out the fire, anther spell to dim the lights and the last one to play a movie on the wall above the fireplace. As the movie started to play I gasped. It was Gone with the Wind. I had seen the movie several times before and that's what got me reading the book.

"Are you more of a Scarlett O'Hara kind of girl or a Melanie Hamilton?" Wood asked as the opening credits rolled.

I laughed, "I'm definitely a Scarlett. I'm stubborn most of the time and spoiled rotten when it comes to my grandfather. You can't expect a California girl to be like Melanie Hamilton."

"I've never met a girl from California before you so I wouldn't know."

Wood placed his arm around my shoulders. I hesitantly placed my head on his shoulder. I stayed like that until about the time that Ashley returned home from war. I fell asleep as did Wood. We had no idea how our lives were going to change this year. But at that moment I didn't really care because after the fight I had with my dad, I was happy.