Well here it is. The Prologue is over onwards and upwards to the events of Harry Potter. Perhaps I'll get my first review sometime soon. If anyone is still reading by this point.

Chapter 5

Before Jack could open his mouth to call up the stairs he was gripped by déjà vu as the clear voice of his daughter rang out through the house.

"Come on Mum we're going to be late!" Jack looked at his daughter, one hand on the door knob shuffling in her impatience. Her long blonde hair was tied back in a French braid and her violet eyes were hidden behind a pair of pink sunglasses.

"Nearly ready." Audrey's response drifted down the stairs to the hallway. "Did you pack the camera Jack?"

"Yeah I've got it. Come on the animals will have all died of old age before we get there."

"Haha very funny." Audrey carefully stepped down the stairs, both hands fiddling with an earring. "Is Simon here yet?"

"Not yet" Catherine replied.

"Well then it doesn't matter if I take my time does it because we can't go till he's here."

"I'm here." A small boy of Indian descent raised a hand out of reflex when confronted with Mrs Edwards the head of history. Simon Gupta was a few months older than his best friend but was still nearly a head shorter than Cat. He was wearing a tatty pair of Canterbury trackies and like Cat was also wearing a red and white Arsenal shirt. If he was honest Simon didn't particularly like football, he wasn't very good and would normally play in goal. Cat however loved the game and was easily as good as any of the boys in their year. Cat loved it and that was good enough for Simon so he practised and read football magazines and sports pages so he would be able to talk to her about it.

"What where did you come from!" Catherine yelled in surprise at her best friend being in her house without her knowing. Beaming she through her arms around the diminutive figure of her best friend and then ruffled his hair thoroughly embarrassing the poor boy.

"I let him in honey. So darling you were holding us up." He gave a cheeky grin to his wife. She scowled at him as she grabbed a coat from the rack and ushered them out the door.

"Hey Cat, what do you want see first?" Simon asked while polishing his thick rimmed glasses in the back seat of the car. "Hrmn I think I'd like to go see the big cats house first and then the reptiles. Is that ok mummy?"

"Sure Catherine, do you want to have lunch before the reptiles or after?" Audrey asked absentmindedly while trying to find the right page of the London A-Z.

"Dunno, guess I'll see when we get there."

Audrey and Jack stayed back and chatted amiably while they watched the two children running backwards and forwards around the big cat enclosures. Simon who was normally a quiet child around other kids his age, really opened up and let loose around Cat. She on the other hand who was an excitable and loud girl and who was in her mother's opinion far too much of a tomboy calmed somewhat around her friend. Watching the two children Audrey found it hard to begrudge her husband the accidental son they'd had. Audrey had been overjoyed at a daughter but lo and behold her husband had got his wish in a girl far more interested in football and adventure novels than horses or barbies like the other girls at school. Jack laughed when he saw them irritating a leopard by pulling silly faces at it. After half an hour of pestering the animals, Cat announced that she was hungry and the small family, plus one, made their way to the zoo canteen. The two kids spent ten minutes in an elaborate bidding system where they attempted to trade half their lunches. Eventually it settled with Cat getting all of Simon's salad, in exchange for half of her fries and all her tomatoes. Audrey chastised her daughter for not eating them, but it was a long running war between the two which Audrey knew she would not win. She had been determined that her daughter would not be one of those fussy children who wouldn't eat the same food as adults, to be fair to Catherine she was not fussy and enjoyed the variety of food her mother who was something of an amateur chef, served up for them. Tomatoes however were in Catherine's opinion the droppings of Satan's' herd of cows. She couldn't stand the taste of raw ones but was perfectly happy as her mother always pointed out to eat them in a sauce when cooked. Like on pasta or pizza. Giving up at last Audrey left them to it and began people watching while Jack, Simon and Cat argued over the destination of some football tournament when it got started again next season.

She watched a family across the room from them with some amusement. They appeared to be in the same situation as them with a family of three with a couple of friends along. The parents were complete opposites of each other the man was enormously fat while his wife was thin and in Audrey's opinion a bit equine of appearance. One of the three young boys was clearly the man's son and was similarly large and round. The other two boys were much more normal, one taller with spiked blonde hair in the style that was so popular these days, and a smaller boy with glasses and messy brown hair. Her amusement sprung from overhearing the conversation in which the son was arguing with his mother demanding a second ice-cream or some other pudding. Growing bored of the soap opera in front of her Audrey turned back to her own drama and carried on eating. After eating they set off for the reptile house. Simon loved cobras and while Cat could take them or leave snakes in general she had had her way when they saw the big cats so it was Simon's turn. However there was something she had to take care of first.

"Mum I'm just going to pop to the loos, meet you in there." Her mother agreed as it would give the two adults a chance to deal with a question they had been considering for a while which they could get Simon's insight on. What to do for Cat's eleventh birthday party.

Cat was just finishing in the loo but before she unlocked the door she heard someone outside her cubicle whisper.

"Is this the way out I'm not sure." The voice sounded masculine and Cat was angry at a man being in the girls bathroom.

"Hey get out of the bathroom this is the girls one." She said as she came out of the cubicle and stopped in horror at the sight in front of her. A huge mottled brown snake reared it's head almost to eye level in the otherwise empty bathroom.

"Hsss, two in one day, well thisss isss interesssting. Humansss don't normally ssspeak." The snake's tongue shot out tasting her scent as her eyes widened in fear and she backed slowly away.

"You can talk?" Cat squeaked out.

"Yesss I can ssspeak. You can underssstand me. Which way isss the way out?" It hissed in reply.

"Go right out the door and then left to the main entrance. Please don't eat me."

The snake seemed to laugh as it slithered out of the door. Cat slowly peeked round the door to the outside and wasn't surprised at all to see visitors and zookeepers running around with children and women screaming. Cat carefully ran round the chaos to the front entrance where she spotted her parents and Simon.

"Cat did you see it? The snake that escaped, it was huge!" Simon contrary to the general mood of fear and disbelief was ecstatic that he was here to see it. He wasn't the only one as a local news crew pulled up in a van carrying camera's and running to try and get a look at the loose snake.

Her mum noticed that Catherine seemed quiet on the ride home in the car she asked if she was alright? Startled as if from sleep she looked at her mum confusedly. After repeating the question she brushed off her mum's concern saying she was tired from all the excitement. Internally her mind was reeling with questions. Animals can't talk everyone knows that. But that one did. Why does weird stuff always happen around me? Like when Karen Nightly was teasing Simon about his glasses in art and the paint tin next to her exploded seemingly on its own. Or the time I fell out of the tree in the park and stopped an inch off the ground before falling again. If she'd asked her parents they'd tell her of the way her bottle would sometimes be in her hand without them knowing how it got from the counter to her high chair by itself, or how they sometimes thought they caught her toys dancing out of the corner of their eyes. Simon would wonder how if Karen cut herself or got a bruise she could rub it and it would disappear. In short when she added it all together Cat was confronted with her biggest and most secret fear. She wasn't normal, she tossed and turned that night in the dark trying to sleep with a question in her head. Am I mad? Am I going mad? These things keep happening and no one else sees them. I'm like the woman in the film. They'll find out I'm mad and they'll lock me up and do tests on me until I die. If I pretend that these mad things don't happen, then it will be as if I never did see them. No one else did. I will not go mad I will not. Cat rocked herself to sleep in bed repeating her mantra.

"Ah Professor McGonagall, here to see Mr Sampson?" An old witch Minerva did not know addressed her from the secretary desk outside the office of the head of Magical Education for Great Britain.

"Yes I'm here to pick up the muggleborn report." The secretary led the stern professor into the office. Gregory Sampson did have the ministry standard magic window and wood panelling but the rest of his office was quite unusual by any standards, wizarding or muggle. It was covered from floor to ceiling in Ordinance Survey maps with small pins which occasionally pinged and glowed bright colours. Instead of a desk the man had a table in the shape of the British isles with major towns and cities drawn on. This resembled a pin cushion as it was covered in normal safety pins of various colours. Sampson was a very tall wizard of great age. He had been at Hogwarts when Dumbledore was at school apparently. He was extraordinarily thin and almost skeletal in appearance with long dextrous fingers which were currently manipulating a brass object rather like a sextant. With a cry of "Got her!" he selected a yellow safety pin from a 'Woolworths' box and carefully placed it on the table and wrote next to it 'Finchley'.

"Ah Minerva. That time of year already?" He smiled at her over his half-moon spectacles. "Give me a moment I need to add a late addition. You know I was sure this one was just an anomaly but there you go three incidents that's a witch." He grabbed a familiar leather folio and scribbled in a few lines on the last page with a large crow feather quill. "There we are." He tapped the parchment with his wand and then snapped the folio shut and walked around his desk/map and handed it to McGonagall. "Go get 'em tiger." He said with a wink." She raised an eyebrow and opened the folder to scan down the list of incoming muggleborn first years. She was not surprised at all upon reaching the E's to see Catherine Edwards listed. Time for me to visit my social work case again. She scanned further down to the P's, pursed her lips and the closed the folio with a snap.

A few weeks later the day of her eleventh birthday finally announced its arrival with a piercing gleam under the curtain. She knew her parents had planned a surprise for her but she wasn't all that excited.

She got out of bed and went straight to her music stand and tuned and began to play her violin. It helped her think and the smooth Bach she was working on helped her relax after another sleepless night. Simon's family had taken him to Amritsar to see family and she really wasn't that close with her other school friends. Her parents were orphans which explained maybe why they decided to adopt one. She'd never told her parents she knew she was adopted. She'd found her birth certificate a year ago. It didn't matter because they were the only parents she had ever known. In many ways she was closer to her parents than children of that age might normally be. Simon certainly didn't seem to get along with his family but would begrudgingly admit love and affection for them, even if he resented the lack of freedom. She did sometimes wonder in a quiet moment why she had been up for adoption in the first place. Reading newspapers these days she assumed her biological mother had probably gotten pregnant at a young age and was unable to support a child. Whatever the reason she gave thanks that she had been adopted by her mum and dad. She loved them so much. Jack was her best friend growing up. Playing football in the back garden, arguing over who got the last sausage and reading her bed time stories when she was younger. Her was just as loving but in a less relaxed way perhaps. With one parent who far to often tried to act like a big brother, her mum visibly attempted to be the domineering maternal figure who took care of her. But there was still plenty of humour, warmth and general love from her mother that Cat would feel guilty for her moments of curiosity regarding her biological parents. She mechanically finished the piece which she knew so well now she read the score more out of habit than need.

"Hey birthday girl."

"Morning daddy." Cat didn't turn round as she responded to her father poking his head round the door. "What time is it?" She asked while packing her violin away in its case.

"Nearly nine sweety, come downstairs mums made blueberry pancakes for you." before he could say anything more Cat barrelled past him down the hall. Ever since a holiday to New York two years ago., Cat was obsessed with blueberry pancakes and coffee. It was now officially her birthday food.

Audrey turned round in surprise to see her daughter at the table knife and fork in hand looking expectant. "Blimey you made me jump." she scolded having nearly dropped the frying pan I'm surprise. "don't you know it's rude not to announce yourself when you come into a room?"

Disregarding her mother's scolding Cat was focused on the pan. "Are those pancakes for me?" she turned to her mother and gave her best puppy dog impression with big violet eyes and trembling lips.

Her mother's 'hrmmf' accompanied the smack of a stack of pancakes being dropped on her plate. Audrey couldn't stop the smile from passing her carefully maintained frown at her daughter's behaviour as she began to devour the pancakes. She noticed her husband leaning in the doorframe shaking with mirth. What? She mimed at him. He held up his hands in response miming 'nothing'.

"Hey Dad why are you standing in the doorway like a lemon?" Cat didn't look behind her as she continued to shovel the food into her mouth.

"What's a lemon?" He asked as he plonked himself down in the chair opposite and poured himself some tea.

"You know yellow citrus fruit, goes well on fish?" She looked at her father with a cheeky grin.

"Oh you mean these things." He grabbed a lemon from the fruit bowl and tossed it at her.

"Thanks, that'll go nicely." She caught the lemon speeding towards her face and calmly sliced it and squeezed some lemon juice on to a plain pancake which she'd just been heaping sugar on.

Just as Audrey was about to berate her husband for throwing food, the doorbell rang. Glancing at the clock she was surprised to see that it was still only quarter past nine. The presents she'd ordered for Cat had all arrived well in advance so she didn't think it was the postman with a package. Frowning she checked her towelling robe was tied securely round her nightdress and opened the door a little to see who their unexpected visitor was. She was less embarrassed than she might normally have been when the door opened to reveal a familiar face. One who had in fact seen her in a similar state of dress before.

"Mrs McGonagall!" She exclaimed opening the door further, racking her brain to remember the last time the social worker had made an unannounced call. "Wow, we haven't seen you in a few years, please come in. We're still having breakfast if you'd care for some pancakes or tea…" She stopped as she let the older woman in and took in her clothes.

McGonagall was wearing a long dark green dress which brushed the ground, with a black robe similar to a graduation gown over it. On her head was the most surprising thing, was a dark green hat made from shiny satin. A dark green witches hat.

"Wow are you going to a fancy dress party?" Audrey immediately felt rude for commenting as it could just be a peculiar style the woman wore when not in the Borough Council office.

McGonagall allowed herself to be steered through the door and then went into where she remembered the living room was. Gone were the toys and baby paraphernalia or her first few visits, there was now a new book shelf in one corner covered in atlas's and history books. The mantel piece which had once held photos just of Jack and Audrey now was almost overrun with a smiling violet eyed blonde girl posing next to castles and churches all over Europe by the looks of them. Turning to Audrey McGonagall sighed, this would be harder perhaps than normal but this was an emotional experience which always left McGonagall drained. Last one and then I'm done. For another year anyway. "Audrey dear there is something important I have to tell you. All of you in fact. I'll wait here while you go get the other two ready. This might take a while. I'm sorry for disturbing your celebrations. Audrey looked shocked at being dismissed by the stern and tired looking older woman. Audrey and McGonagall had become quite friendly all those years ago as McGonagall had been a lifeline for a scared woman caring for her first child. She had given her so much information on how to look after her, she'd even made her paediatric appointments with Dr Pomfrey for them. It came as a surprise to see the woman look so agitated.

She hurried into the dining room and quickly told the two to go get dressed and then go into the living room. When Catherine came down the stairs, her hair and teeth brushed and a pair of jeans and a football shirt on, she found a tense silence in the living room and a strangely dressed woman in her late sixties sat on the sofa regarding her with a piercing gaze.

"Good we're all here now." She spoke with an aristocratic but still Scottish brogue and her lips thinned as she took in the girl before her. "Catherine would you please sit, we have much to discuss."

"Whoa hold up I hope you aren't going to do what I think you're going to do, because the answer is no you can't!" Jack suddenly burst. McGonagall had been to see Cat before but never to have a conversation with her, the way this was going it was clear the older woman was going to tell her! He wasn't going to let her spoil what they had, she was his daughter as much as if she had had other parents or not!"

"Dad!"

"Mrs McGonagall it is not your place to say this…" She interrupted the now irate PE teacher.

"I assure you Mr Edward's that you misunderstand…"

"DAD" Cat yelled to be heard over the argument. "There's no need for this, I already know I'm adopted."

"I am here to tell you that your daughter is a witch!"

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