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DISCLAIMER

Me: So, you're Daniel Radcliffe?

Daniel Radcliffe: Yes.

Me: Harry Potter won't let me have his ear…or his nose. Can I have yours?

DR: Um, no.

Me: But-

DR: SECRUITY! *security drags me outside*

Me: *bangs door* Awww, c'mon, guys! I STILL don't own Harry Potter!

Holly

Chapter One-Little Did I Know

I sat under an oak tree in my Massachusetts backyard. I took a sip of lemonade from the glass beside me. I leaned my head back onto the tree and inhaled. I loved the smell of summer. It was a melting pot of fresh-cut grass, daisies, and cotton candy. Yeah, cotton candy is the odd one there, but it comes from the town fair a little farther down the road. What a perfect way to spend my birthday. I could simply relax uninterrupted in the warm August air. I let my eyelids slip closed. I found that I could feel and smell the air much better when I couldn't be distracted by sight.

"Holly!" my mother called. Had I fallen asleep? "Holly!" she repeated. I grabbed my lemonade glass-now empty-and dashed the ten yards to my porch where I saw Mom.

"Hey," I said. Mom took my glass. Mom and Dad were my sun, and I was the orbiting planet. Mom studied my grass-stained shorts. She game a small, disapproving grimace. The beige fabric reaching my knees had become blemished with green smudges.

"What am I going to do with you? There's someone looking for you at the frost door." Mom smiled and patted my shoulder. Her blue eyes glinted. I made my way inside our house and through the halls. By the front door, I saw Dad with some inhumanly tall man with a huge black beard. Seriously, I couldn't picture how this guy fit through the door!

"Here she is!" Dad gestured to me. "This is Holly." I looked at the man. He looked at me like he was about to cry. Over sensitive much?

"'Olly! Las time I saw yeh, yeh, was only a baby!" Oh. He must be another frightening old relative who uses foot cream. Yuck. Auntie Agnes was enough, now I have to deal with this guy? I am not rubbing smelly ointment on his feet. I wonder what kind of fungus grows under his toenails.

"Hi, um...What may I call you?" Not liking this guy is no excuse to be impolite. Stupid manners.

"Rubeus Hagrid, m' lady." The ma-Mr. Hagrid-bowed and flourished a pink umbrella. I noticed his heavy accent. He sounded Scottish.

"Holly," Dad began, "Hagrid here is going to take you to a special school." Special school? Special school! Special schools are for below average children who can't learn! I can assure you, I'm well above average. Strait A+'s since kindergarten? Not just any girl can do that!

"I'm not sure that I need to-"

"Ah, don't scare the girl! Hogwarts is a school fer special boys 'n' girls. 'Ave yeh noticed anythin' strange when yer upset, 'Olly?" How did he know? Terrible things happen to that infuriating neighbor of mine when I'm around. Once, he was being so rude to my mother and a tree branch fell and landed on his foot. It wasn't even windy. Last year, when that neighbor was my teacher, he treated all of us unfairly. He got me so upset, that the chalkboard fell on his foot. I thought they were secure.

"Well, uh, yeah. How did you know, Mr. Hagrid?" I stepped an inch and a half back. I didn't know if this man was some creepy stalker or anything.

"Call me 'Agrid," he chuckled. "Yer not like the others yer age. Yer a witch, 'Olly." Ha ha ha. Very funny. Magic? Witches and wizards? Does he think I'm four?

"A witch? Are you serious?" I glanced at Dad, who was all smiles. What was he proud of?

"I got summat fer yeh here. Didn't sit on it, like I did with yer cousin's." The man produced a homemade cake with bright blue frosting from his cloak. It had many large pockets. The cake was simply lovely. Hagrid handed me the dessert and I noticed the 'Happy Birthday, Holly!' in white icing.

"Yer mum and dad here, Holly. Ain't yer mum and dad." I raised my brow to the large bearded man in a dark coat. Mom and Dad never said that I was adopted. My parents didn't want me? How could they? Adoption is wrong. Not the adopting part. I just don't agree with the giving up part.

"Now, before yeh go assumin' things, yer parents were killed." Does he think that makes it better? I found out that I'm an adopted orphan witch today. Happy birthday to me…

"Here's yer letter. Yeh should read it." Hagrid extended his long arm out and handed me the letter. I detached the seal and unfolded the parchment.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss Evans,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minevra McGonagall

Minevra McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

I had so many questions about this letter. It felt like bombs going off in my head. I decided to ask, "They await my owl? What does that mean?"

Hagrid chuckled. "That's the same thing yer cousin said yesterday. I already sent one to the Headmaster." Why does he keep bringing up my cousin? I didn't know I had one. I guess we are the same age. She'll be attending Hogwarts with me.

"It's great jus' seeein' yeh here, 'Olly. With your parents bein' murdered an'-"

"Murdered!" I exclaimed. I turned to Dad. "You wanted to keep this from me?"

"Well, Holly, we didn't want to frighten you-"

"Frighten me! At least I'd know the truth!"

"Holly, this is out of line. I'm sorry your mother and I couldn't tell you the truth. We just didn't think it was the right time."

"Oh. Oh. So, you wanted to wait and let Hagrid come all the way from wherever he's from to tell me? Nice, Dad!" Dad isn't exactly my favorite person in the world, but I can deal with him. Mom's a fly girl, if you know what I mean. "Hagrid, could you tell me about my parents, please?"

I tilted my head towards the living room and stepped towards it a little. Hagrid got the picture and followed me. I sat down on the white leather couch and Hagrid took up the rest of the space next to me. I swear I felt the couch tilt slightly to the right.

"All right 'Olly, 'bout yer parents. There was this wizard, name I can't say-"

"Can't say? Why not, Hagrid?" Why could he say the name? It's just a name. Holly Evans. I'm not afraid to say my name.

"He was a terrible wizard, 'Olly. He went as bad as yeh can go. His name was…Voldemort. Don't ask me to say it again. This wizard went around, gettin' followers some twenty years ago. He got plenty of 'em, too. Some did it out of fear, or they wanted some of his power. And he was real powerful, too. No one could trust their neighbors, for Merlin's sake. He killed whoever tried to stop him. Hogwarts was one of the las' safe places. He was only afraid o' Dumbledore.

"Yer parents were great in witchcraft and wizardry. They were the nicest people I can remember. They were prefects, student authority, in their day. They weren't Head Boy an' Head Girl, though. That was yer aunt and uncle.

"Now, You-Know-Who jus' wanted yer parents, aunt an' uncle outta the way. He killed yer aunt an' uncle, Lily an' James, on Halloween when you and yer cousin were jus' a year old. He killed your parents the next night." Hagrid started to whimper and sniff a bit and pulled out a tissue. He dabbed at his eyes. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Here's the mystery. He tried to kill you and your cousin, too! As you know, yer alive, and so is your cousin. You two are famous 'cause no one's ever lived if he tried to kill 'em."

"How nice," I added. A man who can kill anyone must be feared…a lot. Is he really that bad? How can one even be that powerful? Apparently, anything is possible when you're a wizard. This green lightning kept striking in my mind…oh, what was it?

"W-what happened to him?" I asked Hagrid, keeping mind to not say the name.

"That's the other mystery!" Hagrid hollered. My, what a racket he could make! "He disappeared! Vanished!"

"Go figure. I guess that's possible, considering the circumstances," I snorted.

"'Olly, wizards can do some amazin' things. Some things yeh can' even imagine." I contemplated that for a moment. Look at the burdens that normal people have! Just think of the solutions wizards came up with!

"What about normal people-"

"Muggles," Hagrid said. What the heck is a muggle?

"Muggles?"

"Non-magic doin' folk. Some people can't do magic, but they have magic relatives. They're called squibs."

"Okay then. How do you do magic?" I asked. After all this talk, I became eager. When can I start to learn?

"Yeh don't do magic until you get to Hogwarts. That's what yeh learn there for the next seven years."

Seven years? I hope that means I won't have to go to regular school. But, oh God, I'll miss prom!

"Well, 'Olly, it's getting' late. Tomorrow, we'll get on one of those metal birds an' go back to London to get yer books an' all." Hagrid, moved to leave, but Dad stopped him.

"Have you a place to stay, Hagrid? We have and extra bedroom, if you'd like to stay up here," Dad said warmly.

"Well, that's jus' too kind o' yeh. I'd like t' stay here." Hagrid smiled at my father, his skin (the little AI could see) creasing a bit. I noticed the way his eyes sparkled.

I showed Hagrid the way upstairs, and helped him settle in the bedroom. He mentioned we'd be getting up early for our flight to London. I glanced at the clock before bed. It was nine-thirty at night. The butterflies in my stomach batted their wings excitedly, and I fell asleep with a dumb smile on my face.

Thanks to the best beta in the world, MissEsme/Tess/Blood Countess!

I'm going to try to update faster; sorry for the delay on this one.