My room was dark and only the moonlight shone through the two windows, illuminating the middle of the octagonal room.

I had my own room at Min's and so did not have to stay in the dormitories of my house like the other students. As much as I didn't want to stand out or have special treatment, I was grateful for this one.

I would feel quite out of place with the others. I would be thrown into a community that had existed for many years and had already been through so much together.

What was I supposed to say "I'm sorry about what happened during the war but I'm sleeping in your dead friend's bed now"?

No, I certainly didn't want that, then rather this one special treatment.


The night was starry even though it had been raining all day, someone understand British weather.

A really beautiful night sky, Grandma would have loved it.

When I was little she had always told me that the stars watched over us and granted wishes if you believed in them.

As a child it had been easy to believe in them, but when you looked at the stars every night and asked them, no, begged them to bring your parents back, because there were so many stars, the two of them missing wouldn't be noticed and you still woke up every day without them, your belief in miracles dwindled.

The only thing I believed in today was that my grandmother must have really liked stars.

So how could I hate them for not granting me my wish when Grandma loved them so much?


She died at night. We had opened the curtains especially for her so that she could see the stars, but the sky had been cloudy, there was nothing to see.

Grandpa and I cried because we couldn't even grant her this last wish, but she just smiled, squeezed our hands gently and closed her eyes for good.

In a children's story, the clouds would have cleared and we would have been able to see the stars, but alas, it was not a children's story but my sad life.


A tear rolled down my face and I didn't know how I could cry anymore.

My grandma had been everything to me, after the death of my parents she had given everything to replace them as best she could.

It wasn't a sad childhood, just different, of course I missed my parents but I missed my grandma more.

It didn't sound right, as if I didn't mourn my parents, but I could hardly remember them. I was only four at the time of the car accident and the years after that, the years I remembered, I had spent without them.

But Grandma had always been there, taught me to control my magic, tucked me in at night and told me stories, braided my hair and scolded me when I messed up again. She always held my hand no matter what happened.

After her death, I didn't have a head for school any more. It was pointless anyway.

Who was I supposed to make proud with my achievements?

After all, there was no one except Grandpa.

He was always there for me but human interaction was never his thing.

He was also the reason why I kept fighting. As hard as it was, he needed me, more than ever. He couldn't cope in this world without me.

I never wanted to leave him, it felt like I was abandoning him but he wanted it that way. I was to graduate from his old school, where less reminded me of Grandma.

A good plan in itself but with one problem, stars were everywhere.


A knock jolted me out of my thoughts and I quickly wiped the tear from my face with my sleeve.

"Daisy, are you still awake?" I heard Min from behind the door.

"Yes, I'm still awake, it's not that late and besides I probably won't be able to sleep much. Even travelling with a portkey can give you jet lag," I grinned at her as I opened the door.

"You should still make sure you get some sleep, breakfast is at 7 am and classes start at 8 am. I brought your timetable with me, it's on the table with your textbooks."

"Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures and Potions," I muttered as I read my timetable.

"I wrote down the rooms and I've given you a map with the rooms that are important for you marked on it. It will show you the way if you tap it with your wand."

"I'm sure I'm the only one who walks around here with a GPS."

I rolled my eyes "Then I might as well have a glowing sign with Look at me I'm the new girl floating above my head".

Now my godmother looked at me sternly over her glasses.

"Well, find your own way around then, I can't take you everywhere. After all, I have to work and can't look after you stubborn all the time".

"Stubborn has a good sense of direction and can manage pretty well on his own." I snorted and trudged back to my room. "Good night," I grumbled before the door closed behind me.

That was a bit mean, I knew that myself but she didn't need to start mothering me now.

I'd only ever seen her a couple of times a year and just because I was now living with her and she had temporary custody of me it didn't mean she had to act like she was my mom.

She cared about my grades, that was all I was here for and all she cared about. A burden, a pain in the ass and the reason she had to move her office, that's all I was for her.


I dropped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Until this moment, I hadn't really realised that this was going to be my new normal now.

Bickering with Min, going to a new school where no one knew me, so far away from everything I loved.

The thought that no one knew me made me happy and I had to smile.

For one year I would be Daisy Harper, the girl from America who was doing a year abroad at Hogwarts to finish her degree.

No one would know that behind Daisy Harper was someone else.

No, not someone else, just a different name, because for the first time in my life I could be who I really was without fear.

With the smile still on my face, I finally fell asleep.