Hey there, I bet you all were starting to think that I wouldn't update, right? Well, it's still the 20th, so. . . Are you all looking forward to the next chapter? I hope so because I enjoy writing this story. So today, Nagini is bullied, performs her first act of accidental magic, and makes an interesting discovery. Interested?

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR except for the parts that are actually mine.

Chapter 5: A Difference Too Great

August 1986

Early morning sunlight streamed in through the windows of the Ferestael Orphanage and landed on the two dozen girls sleeping in the dorm room. On one bed, a girl yawned and rolled over, stretching her arms above her head. She had long black hair, and on her chest she wore a silver locket with an "S" engraved on it. The girl opened her eyes and sat up. She stroked her locket as she looked around the room. The other girls were still sleeping, or trying to. Nagini looked back down at her locket, a gift from her father. It had been five years since Nagini was brought to the orphanage. Her father had left her, promising to return, but now Nagini wondered if he ever would.

She stroked the "S" on her locket, lost in thought. Mrs. Cox thought the "S" stood for Nagini's family name, but Nagini knew it didn't. It stood for something else, but she couldn't remember what, if she had ever known. If she looked closely, the "S" looked like a snake. She thought the snake must be a symbol of her family. Why else would she have a locket with a snake on it? She had never shared these thoughts with anyone else, though. They thought she was weird enough without knowing she had a snake on her locket.

It wasn't as if she had ever given them a reason to dislike her, thought Nagini. As far as she could tell, the only thing that separated her from a majority of the other orphans was the fact that she had a relic from her father and that she was convinced he would return for her. Except. . . She had always felt this sense of difference, as if she didn't really belong in the orphanage with the others, as if there was something more out there for her.

She supposed that because she felt this way she always kept herself slightly apart from the others, not wanting to become good friends with any of them. And they, as a result, had also always kept slightly apart from her because they, too, could sense something different about her. Mrs. Cox, Martha, and the other adults who worked at the orphanage never noticed anything strange, but then again they were adults. The children knew, though; the children always knew.

Nagini was shaken from her reverie by the sounds of the other girls getting up. She quickly got out of bed and splashed some water from the basin in the middle of the room on her face to wake herself up. As she was drying off, Nagini heard some of the other girls come up behind her. Nagini slowly turned around. Betty Thomson and Sarah Flynn were staring down at her, arms-crossed. Betty was a big girl with mousy brown hair pulled back in two braids and an abundance of freckles on her face. Sarah was Betty's best friend. Slightly smaller than Betty, Sarah had blue eyes and blond hair. She looked like an angel, but she had a mean streak. They were both eight, two years older than Nagini. Both girls were smirking.

"Yes?" asked Nagini quietly. She wished they would just leave her alone; she didn't want trouble, especially not early in the morning. She wasn't scared of the older girls, far from it. She had fought back before, but that just made the situation worse. All the other girls would come to the aid of Betty and Sarah, and they would swear that Nagini had started it all. As a result, Nagini was generally the only one punished. She learned from that. She would silently resist the two bullies, but when she was older, she was going to take her revenge. Betty and Sarah would one day wish they had never even heard her name. The thought made her smile.

"Laughing at something, Crybaby?" demanded Betty. That wiped the smile off Nagini's face. After she had been taken into the orphanage, she had cried herself to sleep, but she was only one for heaven's sake! Admittedly, it was not the best way to start her career as an orphan. The other girls complained that she kept them awake at night and began calling her "Crybaby." Unfortunately, the name had stuck.

"Not at all," Nagini replied, trying to put all her hatred into the glare she gave the other two girls. One day, she thought.

"Well, then," continued Sarah. "Why don't you move aside? The rest of us want to clean up."

Nagini moved to her left to walk away, but Betty moved in front of her, blocking her way. She then moved her to right, but Sarah was already there, blocking the way. Nagini moved back to the left, but Betty and Sarah moved with her, not letting her get past.

"Come on, Crybaby," called Betty.

"We're waiting," added Sarah.

With a sigh of frustration, Nagini darted farther left trying to get around them. She thought she had made it, but Betty bumped into her. The older girl sent Nagini flying, and Nagini crashed into the nearest bed.

"Hey!" cried the girl whose bed Nagini had fell into. In her daze, Nagini couldn't remember the girl's name. "Go away!" she cried.

Nagini slowly got up and made her way over to her own bed. She felt bruised all over. Wincing, she sat down and began to get dressed. As she was brushing out her hair, she noticed a group of girls, led by Betty and Sarah, giggling together and shooting her looks. Obviously, they were talking about her, thought Nagini.

Nagini set the brush down and began to braid her hair. She wrenched her hair into place as the girls' laughter filled her ears. Nagini could feel something building up inside her. Anger and hatred from the past five years filled her. Her eyes flashed, and she glared at the other girls. One day they will be sorry, she vowed. One day. . .

Nagini joined the crowd of boys and girls rushing down the stairs, heading toward the kitchen for breakfast. When she was a few steps from the ground, she stumbled and fell to the ground. Behind her, she heard laughter. She got up and turned around. Betty and Sarah came down the stairs, triumphant smirks on their faces. "Have a nice, fall?" asked Sarah sweetly.

All the anger and hatred that Nagini had felt earlier that morning came rushing back, stronger than before. That was it, thought Nagini. Her eyes flashed, and her braid crackled from the electricity flowing through her body. All of a sudden, the hallway lights went out. There were no windows, so the children were left in total darkness. Nagini grinned. She knew somehow she had caused this. All around her, the other orphans were stumbling into each other.

"That's my foot!"

"Get off me!"

"Oh, move over!"

"Where are you, Crybaby?" called Betty from a few feet in front of Nagini.

"We know you did this," added Sarah shakily.

Nagini smiled as she listened to the other children stumbling around in the dark. Slowly, she noticed the air was getting colder. She shivered slightly.

"What are you doing now?" asked Sarah, her teeth chattering.

Betty took a few steps forward, reaching out with her hands for Nagini. Nagini backed away hastily, but it was too late. Betty had grabbed her arm. Nagini's eyes glowed briefly.

"Aha—aah!" cried Betty, her shout of triumph turning into a cry of pain. She quickly let go of Nagini and backed away fearfully.

"What's going on out here?" called Martha from the kitchen doorway. "Why is it all dark?" She flicked on a light, and the orphans breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Breathing heavily, Betty looked at Nagini, fear in her eyes, "What—?" she asked.

Sarah looked between Betty and Nagini, half-scared, half-confused.

Nagini took a step closer to Betty, ignoring Sarah. "Don't push me around, and don't ever call me Crybaby, again," she said quietly before turning away and walking toward the kitchen.

During breakfast, everyone avoided Nagini's gaze. Those who sat next to her scooted their chairs as far away as possible. Nagini mentally shrugged. Maybe it was better this way. At least now they would think twice before picking on her. At that thought, a small smile crossed Nagini's lips. What she had done, for she was sure she had done it, was amazing. She wondered if she could do it again. . .

The whispers, however, pulled her from her thoughts.

"Did you hear what she did to Betty?"

"Yeah, she touched her arm and was burned."

"Did she turn the lights off?"

"Must have. And did you feel how cold it got?"

"I'm glad I'm not Betty."

"Yeah, I would never cross her. I mean, look what happens."

Nagini rolled her eyes and looked down the table at the whisperers. They hushed up immediately and looked down at their plates. Honestly, she thought. They weren't going to die horrible deaths just by making eye contact? Or maybe they would. . . It was an interesting thought. Nagini sighed. She needed to get away from everyone to think about what happened. She scarfed down the rest of her food and stood up. The entire table tensed, and when she left, they let out a collective sigh of relief. Nagini rolled her eyes again. Honestly. . .

Nagini hurried outside and made straight for her favorite tree. The maple grew right beside the wall, and whenever Nagini needed to be alone, she hid amongst its branches. She had discovered that if she climbed high enough, no one could see her from below, and if she climbed even higher, she could slip over the wall. Getting back in would have been a problem except the east wall was covered in easily navigable ivy.

Nagini began to climb. Only once she had been settled in her usual nook did she allow herself to think about what had happened. Magic, she realized, she had done magic. She wondered if that was why she had always felt so different from the other orphans, because she was magical. It must be, she thought. Was her father also magical, she wondered, or was she an anomaly? She hoped he could do magic.

Absentmindedly, she began to stroke her locket again. She took it off and gazed at it. This locket was her only clue to her family, and quite possibly to magic because she couldn't be the only one. She stared at the snake etched on its surface. What secrets are you hiding, she wondered. If only the locket would open, maybe then she would get some answers. Unfortunately, no matter how many times she had tried to open it, it remained sealed shut. She knew Mrs. Cox and the police had also tried to open it but had had no results.

On impulse, she said looking at the snake, "Open." The silver snake appeared to dance before her eyes, and was it just her imagination, or did her voice slightly hiss? Nagini was sure it wouldn't work; however, with a click, the locket snapped open, and a folded piece of parchment fell onto her lap. Curious, Nagini picked it up and unfolded it.

Nagini,

I regret that I am not always present in your life, and I hope you forgive me. When you are older, I expect you will be at my side always. I look forward to that day, my daughter, and I hope you do as well. Never forget that you are a part of a great and powerful line of witches and wizards. I expect you will live up to the name they have given you. Always seek answers, for knowledge is our greatest weapon. Guard your heart, and be careful who you trust. I will always come back for you, and I expect you will always follow me. As always, my daughter, make me proud.

Your father

Nagini stared at the note in shock, rereading a few times to make sure she had understood it all. I will always come back for you. Good, she thought, because she would be waiting. One other piece of the note stuck in her head. Her father was also magical; she was part of a great and powerful line of witches and wizards. Nagini smiled as she carefully folded the note back up and placed it inside the locket for safekeeping. I will always come back for you. Her eyes sparkled. She could hardly wait.

Nagini continued to sit in the tree, staring at the leaves. She allowed her mind to wander from the note to the incident on the stairs. She had always known she was different, but the incident and the note from her father proved it. She supposed life would only be more difficult in the orphanage from then on out, but she didn't care. Her refuge was the knowledge that she truly was different from them all and that one day she would leave. Her father would come back for her and take her away from the orphanage and teach her all sorts of magic. One day. . .

Well, what do you think? Comments? Criticisms? Please?

I'm almost done with the chapters for year one, which means that I can promise faithful updates through at least the end of September. Enjoy!