"I melted into the dream as if I had always been there. I knew where I had come from; I knew where I was going."
― Chelsie Shakespeare

She could still picture it. Neon lights, a stage marked with rhythmic smudges, speakers that would blow your ears out, and a crowd that would scream, gasp, and record your every movement with their eyes and phones. She could still feel the thrill in her bones as she moved and anticipated every beat. Time would go faster, and every twirl of her arms, spin of her hips, slide, pop, and jump would be a combination of mystery and comfort that would excite her down to her bones. She could still remember the countless battles she had. Win or lose, she always came out of it with a smile because dancing with or against anyone always made her day.

Her name, face, and just about everything had been different then. But it was no surprise that in this life, Aurora's parents swore that she had been born dancing. In every way, she was an incredibly wiggly, loud, and expressive bundle of thick hair and wide eyes that bore into your soul. And she stayed that way. Constantly on the move, with a brilliant smile, melodic laughter, and a mind that was equally all over the place and too keen for her own good.

For a short while, Aurora had no suspicions over her rebirth. Well, actually, that would be a lie. When you're a squishy newborn with memories of being an adult in her twenties, it's hard not to be at least a little apprehensive about life. At the same time, when you're a squishy newborn, your only life responsibilities are to sleep, eat, poop, and repeat. Coupled with an already selective attention span, it almost took too much effort to really question what was going on after that initial "what the ever living heck is going on" moment. And her first life death? Yeah, not something she cared to unpack then.

When Aurora was lucid enough to actually pay attention to what was happening around her, she could finally make out her parents waving around decorative sticks. But, when mysteriously magical things would happen after waving those sticks, she had a proper mental explosion because those were wands. They were literal, real wands, not those fake plastic ones with lights inside them you would buy overpriced at merch shops.

You would think that magic would've had a more significant impact on her childhood. You would think that learning that she had not just been born into a random magical world but one based on a children's book series she read as a child (too long ago to remember any super specific details about) would've been crazier. But there's not much you can do with your (admittedly sparse) knowledge about little wizards and witches going to a magical school and somehow not dying when your own magical parents limit their magic usage - and any other associations with magic.

Aurora's parents claimed they did this to ensure she had a good serving of muggle culture and education before she'd inevitably be shipped off to Hogwarts when she was old enough. Her dad would joke that it wouldn't matter if she learned magic before Hogwarts. Aurora didn't have a wand, and everyone would start at the same place their first year anyway. Her mom would say that she'd appreciate magic more this way. However, Aurora would say this was more about her parents not wanting her to get lazy doing her chores because god forbid waving your wand for two seconds for a cleaning charm, Mom and Dad.

So, she grew up and lived her second early childhood. Though her modern 21st-century sensibilities needed a lot of adjustment, she managed just fine - especially after she wheedled her parents into letting her make a second home at a dance studio in the city.

Then, her 11th birthday rolled around. Aurora came home from a frankly long day at primary school (she had the chance to skip grades, but her parents decided against it) and a satisfyingly difficult dance lesson. She didn't have much time to react before her mom handed her a smooth envelope while wearing a proud smile.

On it read:

Miss. A. Song
The second room is to the right of the top floor.
49 The Crescent
Liverpool

Aurora held the envelope in her hands and blinked at it in confusion, before looking up at her parents with a parted mouth.

"Well, don't be shy now. Open it!" her mom urged.

With steady but ever so slightly hesitant hands, Aurora peeled open the envelope and carefully pulled out the letter.

She only had to read the first few words, celebrating her acceptance to Hogwarts. On one side of the spectrum, an excitement not so different from her beloved musical thrill filled her body. But on the other, there was a certain dread she couldn't help but feel.

Hurray for magic, but unless some otherworldly system pops up soon, she'll surely be foraying through canon more or less blind. (Being able to fill up only a few pages of notes based on her memories of the books didn't give her much confidence. At least she remembered that the books took place in the 90s.)

Ah, whatever. Aurora had always been good at freestyling anyway.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hi y'all! I hope you guys enjoyed this and welcome to this little story idea that I've had for a while now. Long story short, I've finally decided to brave the SYOC waters! This is 100% going to be super self-indulgent, and hopefully an expansive foray into changing anything and everything we want about the original!

So this "chapter" is less of a prologue or chapter, but more of a brief character teaser and me getting back into the habit of writing again. I plan on writing the actual chapters once I (hopefully) get a good number of characters so things can flow more smoothly and cohesively. After all, the whole plot will hinge on what these reincarnated souls (your characters) decide to unleash upon canon! (Again, I don't care how crazy it is, feel free to do whatever you'd like!)

I have rules and other information all on my profile! If anyone has any questions or anything feel free to PM me about it! The submission form is also on my profile, and they will only be accepted through PMs. Feel free to be as detailed or succinct as you'd like! Note that I will accept characters more or less on a case-by-case basis as they come in!

And, of course, thank you to everyone for any interest, and I'm looking forward to seeing how this all plays out! Please let me know what you guys think about in the reviews if you're able!