Orphan of Hogwarts

Alaina looked at Miss Hopkirk oddly. Her brow was furrowed and her lips pursed; she was unsure of whether or not to accept the idea that had just been presented to her. She, Alaina, was a witch? That seemed more than unusual to her, and it was most definitely incomprehensible... although, it did make a certain amount of sense. No one else in the orphanage could send objects flying across rooms when they grew angry. No one else could break light bulbs from focusing too hard on something. Alaina swallowed the pounding lump in her throat that could have been nothing other than her heart, and spoke.

"I'm a - a wh-what, now?" she asked uncertainly.

Miss Hopkirk smiled. "A witch, Miss White, a sorceress, a female born magic user. And Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry wants you as a student. You're exerting signs of very high levels of magic at a young age, though almost any child exerting any kind of magic is accepted at Hogwarts. They would love to have you. It's easy to tell you would make a great student there."

"M... b... but I'm..." she shook her head. "Never mind it, I'll do anything to get out of here," she said quietly. "I hate it here, I need to leave, all the other students hate me because of how different I am from them, it isn't fair. I want to be somewhere where I can fit in. If Hogwarts is the place for me to go, then let me go there and say goodbye to this place."

"Now, it can't possibly be that bad," Miss Hopkirk said.

"They all hate me," Alaina said, a pleading look in her eyes. "I wouldn't loose control of the... the magic so much if it weren't for them picking on me so much, it makes me angry and the anger makes strange things happen."

"That happens to most children who don't know that they are witches and wizards because of their living situations, Miss White," she said, smiling kindly again. "It isn't that big of a deal. Few things breaking here and there, a girl wakes up with her hair chopped off from her sleep, it's not hurting anyone."

"They've been trying to transfer me to a different orphanage," Alaina said. "Mrs. Helens doesn't believe that I don't know what I'm doing or that it's happening by magic. I wouldn't dare call it magic in front of her, anyway," Alaina said. "She'd murder me if I did. Nothing in her orphanage can be out of the ordinary; that would be absolutely unacceptable."

"Well, then, Miss White, it's a good thing you won't be staying here much longer, isn't it?" Miss Hopkirk said. "You'll have a room ready in a small inn called the Leaky Cauldron right here in London ready for you by tomorrow, so I would suggest you start packing today."

"Can I go alone?" she asked.

"You'll be in amongst other witches and wizards, so that shouldn't be a problem. You'll need directions, however..."

Miss Hopkirk reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a long, thin, elegant wood carving that resembled what could have very easily been a magic wand.

"Do I get one of those?" Alaina asked.

"Of course," Miss Hopkirk said. "It's on your list of supplies that you need for Hogwarts, even. It's required you have one to do magic."

"It's a wand?" Alaina asked.

"Yes," Miss Hopkirk said, tapping the wand on Mrs. Helens's desk a couple times. A piece of paper appeared where she had tapped the wand. She picked up the paper and examined it. "Good, good," she said to herself. She showed Alaina the paper. "This is a very special map."

"It's moving!" Alaina said, gaping at the paper.

It was a map of a small portion of London. There was a label that labeled everyone in the orphanage within the building marked "orphanage" on the paper, and their dots were moving. There was another building labeled "The Leaky Cauldron" not far away from the orphanage. Alaina saw herself labeled on the picture, as well as Miss Hopkirk.

"That's amazing..." Alaina said, taking the parchment as it was handed to her.

"That's magic," Miss Hopkirk said.

"Wow.... Do I get to learn how to do this?" Alaina held up the paper to indicate it.

"Yes, but not yet," Miss Hopkirk said. "That's fairly advanced magic. You could teach yourself if you bought the correct books, I suppose, but I wouldn't recommend doing something like that. That can be very dangerous. A misused or backfired spell is one of the most dangerous things in the world."

Alaina continued to gape at the map drawn onto a piece of parchment as though in simple ink. Miss Hopkirk continued her explanation of the map to Alaina, who was barely listening.

"The map," Miss Hopkirk said, "shows you the locations of this orphanage and the Leaky Cauldron. As you can see your place marker moving on the map while you move, there's no way to get lost.

"You should leave tomorrow at noon and get a start on your school shopping. Head for the Leaky Cauldron once you've packed everything you need, which really isn't anything more than clothes and other items of importance. When you get to the Leaky Cauldron, ask for 'Tom' at the front bar."

"Bar?"

"The downstairs area is a diner and pub. Tom works behind the bar and he is in charge of the rooms. I'll have already gotten you a room, just tell him your name and he'll give you the key and a room number. At around this time of year, other Hogwarts students are just starting their shopping as well, so you may meet a few of your peers before you reach the school itself, or the train to take you there."

"I get to ride a train to the school?" Alaina asked. "I've never been on a train."

"It's all explained in your letter."

Miss Hopkirk tapped her wand on the desk again. An envelope made of yellowing parchment appeared. She picked up the parchment, examined it, and handed it to Alaina.

"There we are," she said. "Don't open that near any Muggles, wait until you are inside the Leaky Cauldron to look at it. As I said, we have to protect the wizarding world from anyone else discovering our existence. The map, however, is perfectly safe. Only witches and wizards can see the moving markers on it. There's a concealment charm placed on it that only allows Muggles to see the buildings."

"Do I get to learn how to do that soon?"

"It's still somewhat advanced magic, concealment charms," Miss Hopkirk said.

"What do I get to learn there?"

"You'll just have to wait and see."

"How many years is it?"

"Seven years," Miss Hopkirk said. "Naturally, you'll be starting your first this year."

Alaina looked from Miss Hopkirk to the envelope to the map. It was still very hard for her to comprehend what was happening. Knowing that she would finally leave behind the source of her misery for all the years past was one of the greatest pieces of knowledge she felt she could have ever come to acquire. However, it still felt unreal to her. It gave her an eerie, lightheaded feeling, as though she were dreaming a wonderful dream that she couldn't awaken from.

Alaina looked up at Miss Hopkirk.

"You don't know who my parents are, do you?" she asked hopefully. "Or does the Ministry of Magic, maybe this Hogwarts place does?"

"I'm afraid we don't, Miss White," Miss Hopkirk said. "The orphanage should have records of it, but they aren't aloud to let you have them until you're a little bit older."

"Oh well..." Alaina sighed, looking down at her feet. She looked back up, her expression a little happier. "At least I get to get out of here and be with people who won't think I'm a freak."

"That is most certainly true," Miss Hopkirk said. "I know there haven't been many students at Hogwarts over the years that have been stuck in your situation."

"I hate it here. I just want somewhere that I can fit in."

"You'll be able to fit in at Hogwarts," Miss Hopkirk said reassuringly. "Everyone there is the same as you are, in the sense that they can all use magic. You have no reason to worry at all."

"I certainly hope I don't."

"I can assure you that you don't. There are plenty of children born witches and wizards born to Muggle parents. They go through their lives not knowing what they really are, and they find out at the same occasion as you, shortly before they would be entering Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They never know what to expect of Hogwarts, either. But they always make friends, and they're always fine once they start school."

"I believe you," Alaina said, shaking her head. "I really do. I just don't know if I'll fit in. I don't get along with anyone here."

"And why is that?"

"Because... because they think I'm strange."

"And the only reason they think you're strange is because they don't know what makes you capable of doing what you do. Am I incorrect, Miss White?"

"No..." Alaina sighed, looking up at Miss Hopkirk. "But I'm assuming I'll shut everyone out at this school because I'm used to being shut out, myself, regardless of the fact that I'd fit in otherwise."

"You're not going to be forced to go," Miss Hopkirk said. "You could remain here, if you -"

"No!" Alaina said, shaking her head. "No, I want out. I'd rather be sitting at the bottom of the ocean than in this place.

"Are all Muggles so... so unpleasant? I mean, I wouldn't think they are, but there are so many of them here that seem to dislike me for no good reason. I've never really spoken to anyone outside of the orphanage, not even when I tried running away from here."

"Definitely not," Miss Hopkirk said. "Muggles, Witches, and Wizards, are all people. You'll find unpleasant people in the Wizarding world, too. The only difference between us and Muggles is that Muggles can't use magic."

"Okay," Alaina said. "But... is the majority of the Wizarding world nicer than the people that work at the orphanage here?"

"I suppose so, yes. The most unkind people you'll meet will be the ones who won't have anything to do with anyone who isn't a pureblood witch or wizard. 'Pureblood' means one whose mother and father were a witch and wizard, both of whom are either half blood or pureblood."

"And halfblood means someone with one parent who is magical and one who isn't?"

"Yes, or one parent who is a pureblood or half blood, and the other parent a Muggleborn witch or wizard. Muggleborn, of course, means a witch or wizard born to nonmagical parents."

"And most purebloods are like that...?"

"No, very few of them are, really. There're still a few families left that are, but the majority aren't."

"Erm...." Alaina looked up. "This isn't a dream, right?"

Miss Hopkirk laughed. "Oh, no, it isn't a dream at all, don't worry."

"Good. Because if it were and I woke up, I'd just be angry."

"Well, after having talked to Mrs. Helens, I can't say that I would blame you."

"And the Inn," Alaina said. "The Leaky Cauldron.... Is there any chance at all that I might be able to stay there for the rest of my summer, rather than return here? I really don't want to have to come back here, that would just be terrible."

"You will have to return here next summer, but it will be fine for you to stay there for half of each of your summers. Now, you know about The Leaky Cauldron, but I haven't told you about Diagon Alley.

"And that would be...?"

"It's a street in London that only Witches and Wizards have access to. That's where you'll be doing your school shopping. I'll tell Tom at the Leaky Cauldron to tell you how to get there."

"Okay."

"That should cover everything, I think."

"But... how... am I supposed to buy school supplies if I don't have any money?"

"Hogwarts has a fund for children in your situation. Also, if we discover anything about your parents, then you may have more money somewhere."

"Meaning if you discover they're gone and left me an inheritance..." Alaina said. She looked at her feet.

"No," Miss Hopkirk said. "There's every possibility that they are alive and well and don't even know where you are. There have been many situations like that in the past."

"Yeah..." Alaina said doubtfully, but still hopefully. "I guess that's possible."

"It's very possible."

"I just don't feel like they're out there anymore. Maybe, but I don't think they are. They would have tried harder to find me if they were still alive. Unless all the kids at the orphanage are right, that they dropped me off here because they didn't want a weird girl for a kid." She laughed. "They're quite amusing sometimes. It seems they don't realize that they're stuck here, too.

"So, I have money, you said? How am I supposed to retrieve it?"

"There's a bank in Diagon Alley. There's a letter in the envelope I gave you to be given to the goblins at the bank to -"

"Goblins?" Alaina said, gaping. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," Miss Hopkirk said, laughing. "Gringott's Bank is run by goblins. There will be a letter in the envelope I gave you to be given to them, telling them your situation, signed by Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. That is all you will need."

"Alright," Alaina said. "And my supplies list...?"

"Also in the envelope."

"Just checking."

"I believe that covers everything, then, Miss White?"

"I think it does," Alaina said, smiling. It was amazing that she was going to be gone from that hellish place on the following morning.

----------

Alaina awoke early the next morning to pack her bags, grinning triumphantly as the rest of the girls in her sleeping quarters glared at her. Now they'd have to find someone new to pick on. She'd be gone soon, and she didn't plan to come back and spend the rest of her summer there with them. She was going to stay in that inn that Miss Hopkirk had given Alaina the map for: The Leaky Cauldron. The map and her letter to the school were both tucked in the very bottom of her pants pocket, so no one but her could get to it.

That letter was the main reason Alaina wanted to get to The Leaky Cauldron as soon as possible. That letter was worth more than all the money in the world to her at that moment. That letter was the one that would tell her what her future held for her, and just what she needed to live it out. That letter was from the very place she would be headed to at the end of her summer.

Hogwarts was already like her heaven, and she didn't even fully understand what it was yet. Sure, it was a school of magic; she knew that much. However, she still wasn't altogether sure what "magic" really was. She did know that it had to be behind all the strange things that happened when she got angry, but she didn't understand exactly how it worked, or how she'd be able to harness it. Maybe that was what the school was going to teach her. It would all be in the letter; if she thought about it anymore, she knew it would only slow down her packing. If she slowed down her packing it would take her longer to get to The Leaky Cauldron, and she'd have to wait even longer to read her letter.

All of the other girls had left for breakfast by the time Alaina had finished placing her favorite book into her old, patched up duffel bag, and zipping it shut. It shut with ease; she had very few belongings of her own at the orphanage. The most she had was clothing, a toothbrush, a hairbrush, and that one book, the one about the dragon slayer she'd read at least fifty times. It belonged to the orphanage, but she somewhat doubted they'd miss it if she took it with her to Hogwarts; she was the only girl in those sleeping quarters that ever read anything.

Alaina lifted her bag off of her bed and slung its strap over her shoulder. She looked up at the old clock hanging on the wall. It was only ten o' clock. She had gotten a fairly decent start; she normally didn't leave to go downstairs until lunch. Now, however, she had reason to leave, and that reason wasn't a meal. The reason was to escape, to finally say goodbye to that terrible place. She hoped they'd feel bad for how much they'd mistreated her, that they'd feel even worse by missing her while she was gone, though she highly doubted they would. Then again, they were losing the one person that would deal with their tormenting. For them to miss just that would be enough for her, just as long as it made them as miserable as she always felt there. There would finally be some form of justice.

Alaina's feet carried her out the door and downstairs. She still felt like she was dreaming, like she was floating in the clouds. Nothing could have wiped the smile off of her face, not even meeting Mrs. Helens at the bottom of the staircase. The look of disgust on Mrs. Helens's face only made Alaina's smile widen even more.

"Hello, Mrs. Helens," she said brightly. "Nice day, isn't it, ma'am?"

"Just wonderful," Mrs. Helens said, though there was a tremendous amount of sarcasm in her voice. "Miss Hopkirk informed us that you would be leaving this morning to head to an inn and stay there for the rest of your summer, correct?"

"Yes, Mrs. Helens."

"However, you are to be staying here next summer?"

"Yes, ma'am, until I get my letter for the start of next year with my list of school supplies that I need to buy."

"Good, good. Then I'll see you then, Miss White."

"Goodbye ma'am."

Alaina walked past Mrs. Helens. She had never before attained so much happiness from a word as simple as "goodbye." She knew making it to that inn would make her even happier, as she set off out the door.