Chapter 2

AN: Hi Guys

I'm so sorry that it's been so long. I went through a heavy bout of depression so thanks for your patience! I wasn't sure on how to introduce Jade to the Magical world… I hope you all like my solution, I didn't plan it, it kinda wrote itself. Thank you all so much for reviewing, you were my fuel in the last couple of days pushing me to finish this as a gift to you in 2018! Caution Unbetaad Story ahead and obviously I don't own any of the harry potter content duh!

Jade glared at the Owl as she took the letter from her head. The envelope was made of parchment and bore a seal with a lion, eagle, badger and snake on it. She snorted, who still used parchment these days… She flipped the letter and in fancy green lettering it said:

Ms Azrael Potter

The fifth Bedroom

Old Abandoned Warehouse

London

England

Jade blinked twice before letting out a suppressed giggle, this situation was just too weird. That freaking Owl didn't even deliver the letter to the right person, but it had what may as well be their hideout as an address, well there was no harm in opening it now was there? She looked around hastily to check no one was watching her, it was quite creepy, that the letter had her bedroom on it. She broke the seal and pulled a letter out of the envelope also made out of parchment.

Dear Ms Potter

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 the 31st of July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

What the hell, Jade innerly screamed, Witches, Wizards… They didn't exist. Magic isn't and will never be real. If it was why was she living like this. No, no, no, whoever this Azrael person was, someone was playing a mean prank on her. Jade shook herself and dumped the letter in the nearest dumpster she found. Idiotic Owl she thought and snorted. She might be able to change her appearance but she wasn't stupid enough to believe in fucking wizards or Magic for that matter.

So she put 'the incident' as she newly dubbed it behind her and went back to her daily routine of pickpocketing till twelve, going back to base at one, fending off Mer's worried remarks and playing with Raven, the little cutie.

The whole gang was already smitten with him and his doe like brown eyes and midnight black hair. He was babbling about something or other as she played with him with an old soccer ball. She tried paying attention but at the back of her head 'the incident' kept occupying her thoughts. Jade quickly shook her head she shouldn't be dwelling on a prank letter.

Oh well she thought as she fell into bed that evening, tomorrow everything will be like normal again. She couldn't have been more wrong.

The next morning, when Jade dragged herself out of bed and blearily opened her heavy eyes, she saw three letters akin to the ones yesterday on her windowsill.

"Bloody Hell" she swore, the sight of the letters waking her up immediately. One prank letter delivered to the wrong address was a coincidence, saying four were a coincidence was pushing it. It was time to do a little investigating…

She decided to bring it up casually at breakfast. "Hey guys, do you happen to know anyone who owns an owl?" Mer and Raven looked at her like she was out of her mind while Raven gurgled happily, clapping his hands, "Owlie, Owlie, I want an Owlie", his chocolate brown eyes sparkling. "I'll take that as a no, since you to have lost the capability to speak." She said sarcastically and left the table, "I'll be off now, I have some investigating to do." She yelled over her shoulder as she left the large hall where they had breakfast. Before the company that had owned the warehouse they now called home had gone bankrupt, automobiles had been manufactured in that hall. "Be careful" Mel called out to her, concern showing on her face. "When aren't I" Jade replied, just as the door slammed closed behind her.

0ooo0ooo0

Jade's POV

I stood in front of the large hall that housed the black market for the second time in two days, that was a new record. As I stood before the quite intimidating building, I thought that maybe it would be wise not to go as Jade, but perhaps as Rouge. My eyes darted around, checking if anyone was watching me, before shifting into the form of Rouge. Blowing my red locks out of her face I entered the hall with quick confident steps. Looking unsure or afraid was fatal in this part of town. The stall was in the same part of the hall as usual.

"Back again, Rouge? That's a new record."

"Don't sound so happy Bear, geez. This time its kind of different… It's for me"

"How so? Now I'm kinda interested…What's this about? Ya've never asked me for a favour before. Ya sure ya're not sick." He joked, his grey eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Stop teasing you idiot." I handed the letter to Bear. "Have you ever seen anything like this?"

Bear looked at the letter in wonderment. "Who the hell still uses parchment in this day and age?" He burst out.

"Keep reading," I ordered.

Bear turned the heavy envelope around and opened it, taking the letter out and slowly reading it, I could see the disbelief and wonder spreading on his still childlike face.

"So?" I asked, "Do you know anything about this?"

That snapped him out of his trance, blinking he turned back to me and laughed.

"Rouge, this is a joke right?"

"That's what I thought too, until this morning three more identical letters turned up."

This time Bear looked at the letters more carefully.

"I dunno Rouge, I've never seen anything like this, I'll ask Gramps but ya know I can't promise anythin'."

"That's all I ask, thanks Bear. Do you know when he should be back?"

"Nah, sorry. Your best guess would be ta come back t'morrow."

"All right, I'll be back. I've got some more errands to run…"

I turned away from the stall and browsed the black market a little longer; perhaps I could find a new toy for Raven. His life was very lacking in the toy compartment.

Well turns out looking for a toy in a black market isn't the best idea one could have, I mean why have ten weapons stands when you could have twenty right? I mentally face palmed. Not a single toys stand to be found. Anywhere! I cursed and made my way out of the large hall when something caught my eye, a small stand in a hidden corner I had never seen before. It wasn't really a stand either. It was a type of deep purple velvet tent. Curious as to why I had never seen it before I walked over to it, eyeing it suspiciously from a distance at first to assess the danger. I'd prefer to avoid fight as much as possible, killing is rather clean cut; fighting on the other hand is annoying, messy and takes to much effort to be honest. As I approached the mystery tent small runic markings on the velvet became clear.

"Hello" I called softly "Anyone there" as I parted the tent openings and was shocked by what I found. If I had thought the outside of the tent was peculiar it was nothing compared to the inside. The walls where a deep red and it was full of gadgets and gizmos that flew around or moved around on the floor beneath me. Some weird pixie like creatures I had never seen before screeched and clawed at a cage under a table upon which dusty old books had been piled. These too wore strange runic markings. In the middle of the room sat a very round sleeping old lady with a cat on her lap.

"Hello" I tried again, this time louder and more forceful. The old Lady jumped up from her slumber and glared at me shortly before smiling. Weird.

"Ah, a dear customer" she croaked as the cat sniffed and jumped off her lap "Welcome to Madame Mazies Magical Oddities for the young Witch and Wizard, how may this old witch help you youngin today?"

Witch, wizard, magic? It couldn't be a coincidence that I had heard those words so often in the past day, perhaps she would know more about this Hogwarts thing as well…

"Yes, um, hello" I stammered before pulling myself together…"I'm looking for a toy for my little brother, nothing dangerous, preferably something that can't fly." I didn't yet know how Mer and Blondie would react to flying things.

"Ah yes laddie, we have a few things here, you might like. A Board game that can take you into new worlds or a soft owl plush that makes noises and can walk perhaps or a toy wand, perfect for illegally practising the first bits and pieces of magic." The old woman croaked whilst pottering around the tent, that at a second glace was much bigger on the inside.

"I'll take the wand and the owl." I said, and hesitantly I added "so what's up with that Hogwarts…"

The old 'witch', I guess, turned around sharply, more so than I thought possible, and took a quick intake of breath.

"Hogwarts laddie? Now what would a laddie like you want in some freezing old castle all the way in Scotland." She spat with obvious distain.

I backpedalled, don't irritate the source of information, I said to myself, calm her down.
"Sorry, ma'am, I obviously don't want to go there." I said quickly placating her. "It's just, well, a friend of mine might be going there, and I wanted to know-"

She cut me off at that.

"Didn't give you a chance either did they laddie?" She said with a sigh, "even though even I can feel the magic radiating off you. Don't feel to bad bout it, don't give many poor kids the chance to study at that school. Give up on that friend of yours though, when they get back, they wont want anything to do with you or the true arts. Pah, claiming to teach magic and all they do is teach watered down rubbish." Muttering off to herself at the end before she turned back to me and chuckled, "but you wanted the wand and the owl didn't you? That'd be three galleons and five sickles."

"I'm sorry, what." I said in astonishment. Galleons, sickles, what the hell?

"I've only got British money on me at the moment, that work too?

"Muggle money? sure, it'd be thirty pounds then." She chuckled again "Haven't had a customer as interesting as you in years." She added as she gave me the toys.

"Bye, and thanks for the advice." I shouted as I fled the tent, I broke into a run once I got out of the tent not even stopping when I heard Bear yell something at me. I threw not looking unsure or afraid out of the window. I just ran, this was all to much for me, I just wanted to be Jade, just Jade, magic wasn't real it couldn't be, Uncle Vernon had beaten that into me. I stopped harshly my legs protesting. What, Uncle Vernon, who, who was that? Should I remember him? My head hurt as I started seeing flashes of blood and fire, a fist coming down on me, a bat then a belt. What was this? I cried and lashed out in defence, and everything went black.

0ooo0ooo0

No Ones P.O.V

Jade winced as she opened her eyes and tried to stand up, her limbs protesting every step. It was already evening, 'shit, Mer is going to kill me', she looked around and everything within a three meter radius had been reduced to dust.

'Oh fuck, was that me? Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck' she cursed innerly, okay she was potentially a danger for all those around her, now what do with that information. She decided on writing a letter to those hogswarts people, to ask them to meet her, but first she had to get home soon or Mer would start sending battalions out to search for her. She checked on her purchases, which were miraculously unharmed, and tried to ignoring the pounding in her head as she ran home.

Jade P.O.V

Mer was waiting for her and apparently the excuse "I'm sorry something happened and I passed out in an alleyway" wasn't exactly reassuring, so after sitting through a lecture on responsibility and other stuff I didn't pick up because of my pounding head, I gave Raven his gift.

"Thanks Jadie, I'll take good care of Hedwig!"

"Hedwig?"

"That's what she's called. She told me."

"Sure, sweetie. I'm just happy you like her."

I fled up to my room, not in the mood to talk to any more people, and quickly penned a letter to, oh god what was her name again?

Dear Ms McGonagall,

I shall graciously accept the offer to go to Hogwarts. As I have no way of finding the listed items, please send someone to the Critterion Café in Peckham in tomorrow at 3pm. I will await you there.

Yours sincerely,

Azrael Potter

Ha, and Blondie says I can't be polite. Opening the shutters of the half broken window I called out to one of the owls that had, since yesterday perched there, and gave it the letter with the instructions to give it to Minerva McGonagall. Now to get ready for my meeting tomorrow, I'd have to call Frank, the owner of the café to tell him to get ready. He'd once used Rouge's services for a job and he still owed me one.

Now to the most troubling part of my day, why had I passed out? From what I remember I had been running away from the magic tent and then when I woke up everything was destroyed. But why was I running so desperately? What the hell had happened to me?

Okie Dokie, finished that, not quite happy with it yet but after almost one and a half years you guys deserve a chapter. I'm going to try to upload on a bi-monthly basis, but honestly I can't promise anything… Thanks for being so patient with me!

So, what do you think Rouge's services entail?

Also comment on which house you'd like to see 'Jade' in! Or vote on my poll. Its on my profile page JCurrently:

Hufflepuff: 1

Ravenclaw: 0

Gryffindor: 0

Slytherin: 0

Who do you think is going to meet Jade?

I'm also, leaning towards Hufflepuff because I think it'd be interesting and it hasn't been done to often but please tell me what you think!

I hope you like the memory game I'm playing with Jade but don't worry I won't stretch it out needlessly!

Love it? Hate it? Please leave me a review…

Virtual Cookies out to all of you!

Lots of Love_ Luna