Hey guys :) Sorry it's taken me so long. Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Note: I thought it would be nice to have Penelope Clearwater as deputy head mistress, she seemed like the right person. I also just copy pasted the Hogwarts letter. R&R :)
"School?" His words were completely unexpected. "You're not a police officer?"
He smiled kindly at me. "I know what you did to that boy was an accident." Seeing the worried look on my face he added. "He's going to be okay by the way."
I was relieved that Andrew wasn't going to die, but the fact that I hadn't killed him didn't make it alright that I almost had. "I-I don't know what happened, I was just holding him and then ..." I wasn't sure how to describe what had happened. "He just caught fire. "
"You've made things like that happen before, haven't you? Things you can't control?"
With a nod, I wondered how he knew. Maybe he was able to do it too. Maybe I wasn't the only one. "Is your school for people like me?"
Before he could answer, the high pitched sounds of sirens echoed through the trees, causing me to flinch. Now that the initial horror had worn off, I realized that I really didn't want to go to jail. I didn't want to be locked up in a prison with murderers and thieves.
"Come on, I'll explain everything later. We've got to get out of here before the Muggles come looking." He grabbed my hand quickly, and I recognized the loud popping noise from earlier
It felt like my entire body was being compressed on all sides, like someone was trying to squeeze me through a garden hose. I was sure for a moment that I was dying. Then we we were in London. Waves of sound hit me. We'd gone from standing in a quiet forest tp standing in the middle of a crowded city. People pushed passed us like we'd been there the entire day, talking and laughing. Huge red double buses shot by, while cars weaved through traffic expertly. It was the biggest city I had ever been to, and I wanted to look at everything, but Professor Longbottom dragged me down a street to a shabby looking storefront.
I had never been to a pub before, but as we entered, I was sure that that's what it was. A pretty blond haired woman was standing behind the bar, wiping out cups with a towel. Two people in strange cloaks were speaking in whispered voices in a corner and they looked up at us as we walked in.
"I'm back, Hannah! This is Mira, she'll be starting Hogwarts this year." Longbottom said, speaking to the the woman."
Hannah smiled at me, "Anything to drink?"
"Give her a butterbeer." He pulled me over to a table, motioning to a seat while he went and talked to Hannah. She wrapped her arms around his neck kissing him sweetly before handing him tankards of something steaming. When he came back, he put one of the tankards in front of me and sat down. "Where should I start...?" He mused.
"How did I set Andrew on fire without meaning to?" Of all the questions that were flickering through my head, this was the most prevalent.
"You're a witch."
I nearly choked on the sip of "Butterbeer" I'd been drinking.
"Probably a strong one, considering what Miss Montgomery has said about you."
Miss Montgomery? The thought that the the head of my orphanage was a witch too shocked me more than the realization that I was one. Me being a witch made sense. I'd never fit in, I had things happened to me that I couldn't control...but Miss Montgomery? "She's a Wizard?"
He shook his head, "She's a Squib, which means that she came from a magical family, but doesn't have any wizarding ability. "
I nodded trying to remember. "And a Muggle, what is that?"
" A Muggle is someone with no magical abilities-a 'regular' person I guess you could say." He paused, taking a sip of his drink before continuing. "Hogwarts is one of the best schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry there is, so we always keep an eye out for magic where it's unexpected. After all, the Dark Lord himself was found in an orphanage."
"The Dark Lord?" I asked, confused. As soon as I said this he gasped.
"I'd completely forgotten, you don't know anything do you?"
So he told me a story. He told me how the one called Voldemort had risen to power, and how he tried to kill the baby boy who was prophesied to kill him, but couldn't. He told me how the baby grew up tortured by Muggles, and then was finally taken to Hogwarts. Over seven years the child learned magic and was repeatedly attacked by Voldemort before he was finally defeated.
"...after Bellatrix died, Voldemort turned on Molly, but Harry stopped him. When the final battle was over, Harry had can't imagine how it felt. All that we had lost, all that we had worked for...it was all worth it." The small windows of the pub had turned dark and I noticed for the first time that it was empty. Professor Longbottoms story had taken the remainder of the day to tell. "You'd better get to bed, we've got a big day in front of us."
He led me upstairs to a long hallway. We stopped at a wooden door labeled 42. "You can sleep here, and tomorrow we'll get your school stuff. Goodnight!"
When he was gone, I tentatively opened the door. A standard bed lay with it's headboard against the wall. A small table sat beside it, and a window let moonlight stream across the wooden floor. It was definitely the nicest place I'd ever slept, but as I settled into the soft mattress, I couldn't help missing the orphanage. Without the loud noises of children shuffling and whispering, I found it hard to go to sleep. Instead my mind swam with all that Professor Longbottom had told me. What if my parents were part of this? What if they hadn't been? Was I muggle born, or pure blood like the Professor? As I finally closed my eyes, the last thought that crossed my mind was, "Which side were they on?"
The next morning, I awoke to the sound of soft knocking. "Come on Sophie, let me sleep for once," I groaned, turning over in my bed.
"Get up love, breakfast's done. " I recognized Hannah's voice and remembered where I was. A wizard! Neville's story rushed back to me as I got out of bed. Someone had left me clothes , folded nicely on the bedside table and I pulled them on without a second thought.
When I got downstairs, I saw Professor Longbottom sitting at a long table, reading a newspaper. When I got closer, I could see a large picture of a dark skinned wizard. He was smiling and as I watched his arm rose in a wave. There were a few people scattered across other seats, drinking and eating. When I sat down, Hannah placed a large plate in front of me, piled high with eggs and bacon.
"Thanks" I said, but she had already whisked off to scold a young boy who was throwing his eggs across the room.
"We'll be going to Diagon alley to get your things." Neville said, putting down his paper and watching me eat. "Oh right, I haven't given you your letter yet." He reached into his pocket and handed me a slightly rumpled envelope. Written on the back in golden lettering was my name, and the name of the orphanage. I opened it, and my eyes scanned down the page.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall
Dear Ms. Black,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Penelope Clearwater
Penelope Clearwater
Deputy Headmistress
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic
by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory
by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration
by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions
by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS
ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK
Yours sincerely,
Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus
Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions
"This looks like it's going to be expensive..." I trailed off. I'd never really had money before, and I wasn't sure how I was going to pay for all this. Maybe my parents had secretly been rich, and Neville was just waiting to tell me about it.
"We'll get the money from the Hogwarts vault at Gringotts. Just enough for you to get the standard things. Nothing too expensive."
I decided not to ask what Gringotts was, knowing that I would probably find out later. Another thought was already dancing through my head. "Professor...can you use magic to find out who my parents are?"
He looked away from me."Magic can't do everything, I'm afraid. I know the Muggles have a way to figure it out, but only if you're on their records, which most wizards aren't. " He was hiding something, I knew it.
"Do you know who my parents are already?"
The question hung in the air for a moment, "Of course not. Come on, let's go."
No matter how many times I attempted to bring up the subject again, Neville avoided it. In the end I gave up, knowing I'd just have to figure it out on my own. As soon as I was done eating, Professor Longbottom led me out the back door, yelling a swift goodbye to Hannah as we left. In the courtyard, there wasn't much, beside a circular brick wall and a few dustbins. I was curious to why we were here, but as little as I knew about the magical world, I knew that it was sometimes better not to ask questions.
The Professor pulled out his wand, tapping a seemingly random brick on the wall. A small hole appeared, enlarging into an archway. What I say took my breath away.
It was long winding street, cobbled with brown and grey stones. It was packed with people, all wearing cloaks that swept down to their ankles, varying in color from bright venom green ,to dark orange, to black. The sound of people cheering and yelling, mixed with the squealing of children and what I swore were owl hoots, yanking my attention from from here to there. Shops lined each side of the street, and as we made our way down, I tried to look into all of them. One was filled with what looked like animal parts, supplies for potions I guessed, another one had a solid gold cauldron that gleamed in the morning sun. A large crowd of young looking wizards were gawking at a sleek looking broomstick, while another crowd where steaming into what looked like a bookstore. I wished that I could have looked longer, but Neville pulled me down the street to a large white building at the end of the street.
"This is Gringotts." He said. "It's the safest place to keep things you don't want taken. It's only been robbed twice since it was built. "
I nodded, following him into the building. We entered a circular room, with, high emperial looking counters on all sides and white marble floors Sitting in high backed chairs, were mean looking creatures. They had pointed ears and noses, with fingers tipped with claws.
"Goblins" Neville whispered as he walked up to one of the counters. " The hogwarts vault please."
The goblin didn't look up from what it was doing. "Do you have your key, Mister Longbottom?" It said in an uncaring tone.
"Yes," Neville pulled a large iron key from his pocket, it had the letters HW , inscribed on the side in dark purple lettering.
The goblin looked up momentarily, before snapping his fingers. Suddenly another goblin appeared behind us handing gesturing for us to follow. He led us to a bronze colored door and I expected to see more marble, but was instead greeted by a dark stone staircase that spiraled downward into blackness. Descending down the steps, we came to an earthen tunnel were a grey iron mine car was standing. I tried not to be afraid, but I couldn't help the frightful image of the entire tunnel collapsing on top of us that flashed through my head. "Are you sure this is safe?"
The goblin was already climbing into the car, flashing me a sharp toothed grin as he saw my nervousness. "It's safe enough, no one's gotten lost months."
"You be fine" Neville helped me in and the car started moving, seemingly by itself. I shut my eyes trying not to look at the rock and earth that surrounded us. We were zooming along the track at lightning speed and the only way I knew what direction we were going was from the lurching of my stomach. Please let this be over soon.
The car screeched to a stop and, opening my eyes again, I saw a huge golden door. It was at least 20 feet tall with a small keyhole at the bottom and the same purple engraving as the key, etched over the entire surface.
"You stay here, I'll be back in a moment." I watched anxiously as the two other got out and approached the door. The goblin took the key and slipped it into the lock with a nice click. After he turned it, he ran a claw down the center of the gold surface, and a smaller door opened up. Neville walked in, disappearing with the goblin into the vault.
I took slow breaths and tried not to panic. I felt closed in, even by the large space in front of the door, and I longed to be back outside in the pleasant busyness of Diagon alley. As soon as they returned, Neville with a sack filled with coins, the cart began to move again. The trip back up was just as bad as the trip down, and I was thankful once we'd finally left the wizard bank.
"So I guess we'll get your cloak first, so we'll go to Madam Malkin's, then -"
"Neville! Hey Neville!" His words were interrupted by a man with jet black hair and green eyes, who called to him over the crowd of people. Even from where we were, I could see the lightning shaped scar.
It was Harry Potter.