The Only Choice

Prologue - The Best Laid Plans of Wizards and Doxies

"It is paramount that she is allowed to decide for herself. If we force her to choose to side with us, then we will have meddled in destiny; the consequences of that...I shudder to think". Professor Dumbledore sank back in his chair, a faint look of helplessness crossing his face.

"But Albus...you know the prophecy. She is instrumental - whichever side she chooses will - "

"I am well aware of the prophecy, Minerva. And I know what will happen should she choose as she did last time. We can only hope that this time, she chooses differently." Professor McGonagall's brow furrowed in frustration.

"Then it is completely out of our control..." Dumbledore nodded slowly.

"Yes, it is. It is something we must just accept, and keep a close eye on. At the moment, she is allied to neither side; she is neither a danger, nor an aid."

*

"Aisa! Aisa! AISA! AISA GALBRAITH! WAKE UP!" The calls drifted up the stairs, under the door, and into the sleepy brain of an 11 year old girl, who stirred only briefly, before rolling over and falling fast asleep again. Downstairs, her mother sighed, and trudged up the stairs. "Then I suppose you don't want this letter?" she said, pushing open the door. "It's got a lovely big crest on the seal, and do you know? I think it could be from Hogwarts."

No sooner had the 'H' left her lips, than her daughter leapt out of bed and snatched the letter from her grasp. The girl's mother grinned.

"I had a feeling that might get you out of bed." Aisa grinned back, ripping the letter open.

"Mum! This is it! I'm going to Hogwarts! Look, it says right here!" The girl bounced around on the bed, her violet eyes bright with excitement.

"Calm down," said Mrs. Galbraith, laughing, "Come downstairs, breakfast is ready." Aisa pulled on her clothes as fast as she could, dragging a comb through her hair as she dashed down stairs, pausing only to scowl at her pale complexion in the mirror at the bottom of the stairs.

Her brother, Felix, was already at the table and greeted his sister with a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

"Morning Sis! Hear you got in then?" Felix heaved a huge mock-sigh and carried on in a melodramatic tone, hand across his brow, "Thus endeth my solitude."

Aisa stuck out her tongue, trying not to grin. "Oh, shut up Felix," she said, scooting him along the bench at their table, "Pass us the eggs!"

Felix was three years older than Aisa, and was going into the fourth year in September. Aisa had watched him jealously get on the scarlet express train at platform 9 ¾ last September, and the September before that and the September before that. Now, it was going to be her turn. Every time she thought about it, she let out a little giggle of excitement. She wolfed down her breakfast in seconds flat, then began bombarding her mother with questions:

"Mum, can we go to Diagon Alley today to get my stuff? Will I get to go on the Express like Felix and when do I go? Mum, what will I do until I go? I can't wait! Can I go now?"

"No, yes, September 1st like your letter says, I don't know, too bad, and no again!" replied her mother, trying hard not to laugh. "Actually, we could go to Diagon Alley this afternoon, then meet your father from work and go and have dinner - would you two like that?"

Aisa and Felix looked at each other and cried 'YES!' in unison. Augustus Galbraith worked for the Department for Magical Law Enforcement, and was in the office for very long hours; as such, his children didn't see him all that often.

"Very well, we'll go in a couple of hours. Aisa, make sure you have your Hogwarts' list!"

Two hours later, Aisa bounded down the stairs, list in hand, coat on and ready to go.

"Excited, by any chance?" asked her mother, smiling. "Felix is just getting his shoes on, then we'll go." A few seconds later, Felix skidded into the living room, with a copy of 'Which Broomstick?' His mother grinned; Felix had wanted to be on the Quidditch team since he joined Hogwarts, and last year finally got his lucky break when the Ravenclaw seeker was injured in the match against Hufflepuff and Felix was picked to replace her in the game against Gryffindor. He had been dropping less-than-subtle hints about the new Cleansweep since school broke up at the beginning of the Summer. "Right, Felix, you go first, then Aisa, and I'll come last, ok? And don't-"

"You dare wander off! It's far too dangerous!" finished her children in unison.

"Yes, Mum, we know! We'll be careful!" said Felix. He sounded impatient but gave his mother an understanding look.

"Ok, children. I know I fuss, but it really is dangerous out there..." Mrs. Galbraith walked over to the fire, and reached into the small bowl of powder sitting by the grate. She threw the powder into the fire, which turned a bright green. Clutching his magazine, Felix stepped into the fire, and spoke clearly.

"Diagon Alley!" With a whoosh, he disappeared.

"Ok Aisa, your turn now."

Aisa stepped into the fire, and said "Diagon Alley" like her brother. With a whoosh, she too disappeared, shooting through the Floo network. She stumbled out the other end into Flourish and Blotts', and looked for Felix. She grinned - he was over in the Magical Sports section, drooling over 'Snitches and Sneaks - How to become the Ultimate Seeker'. Aisa crept up behind her brother, then pounced on him,

"Boo!" Felix jumped, the book he was holding falling on his toe,

"Aisa! Ow! Don't DO that!" Felix glared at her, then looked up, seeing his mother striding towards them.

"Honestly, you two, I leave you alone for five minutes, and look what happens!" She removed the book from Felix's clutches, and seized them both by the shoulders, steering them to the Spell books' section. "Come on, we have to get your Hogwarts' books first, then we've got to get Aisa's wand and robes. Quickly!"

Half an hour later, the Gordon's staggered out of Flourish and Blotts', laden with spell books and text books, and a cauldron for Aisa that came free with her copy of 'Magical Drafts and Potions'. Mrs. Galbraith was looking at it sceptically.

"It doesn't look that hardwearing to me, just a cheap old freebie. We'll get a proper one later. Wands next!" Aisa grinned; she'd been looking forward to getting a wand for as long as she could remember. Felix saw her grin, and whispered in her ear,

"Wait until you meet old Ollivander. You won't be smiling so big then!" Aisa scowled at her brother,

"Yeah, whatever Felix." She shrugged and stalked off after their mother.

Once in the shop though, Aisa began to see what her brother meant. The shop was old and dusty; it looked like it hadn't been cleaned for decades. Its owner, Mr. Ollivander, wasn't much different. He had the same dustiness about him, as if he'd never left the shop and had taken on its character. He spoke in a very soft voice that was rather disarming.

"Good evening, how can I help you all?" Felix and Aisa stood there in silence, staring quietly at the shop and Mr. Ollivander. Their mother broke the stillness with her clear voice,

"We're here to get young Aisa her wand."

Nodding, Mr. Ollivander leant over to Aisa and looked at her closely. Aisa felt a little uncomfortable under such scrutiny and leant away a little.

"Very well," he said, "which is your wand arm?" Aisa stuck out her right arm nervously and Mr. Ollivander set his tape measure to work, while he rummaged around in the boxes that lined the shelves along all the walls of the shop. "Right," he said, tossing the measure aside, "Let's try this one first."

Aisa waved the wand, which emitted a few sparks, but nothing else. Mr. Ollivander whisked it away, and gave her another, then another, then another - all of them producing the same effect. Finally, he gave her a long, thin wand, made of a pale wood.

"Apple wood, 14 inches, springy. Give it a wave." Aisa did, and finally felt something other than sparks. Red and green sparks flew out instead, and a warmth spread down her arm to her shoulder. "Mmmm, interesting, interesting, young Miss Aisa. Do you know what is in the core of this wand?" Aisa shook her head, her face blank. How could she know, she thought furiously, he hadn't told her! "It is a hair from the mane of a Kelpie. Very unpredictable wands they make, very few people can control them. I wonder what this says about you...I wonder." Mr. Ollivander's pale eyes looked at her face searchingly for almost a full minute, until Aisa got so uncomfortable she broke the gaze and turned to look to her mother for help.

"Well, Mr. Ollivander, how much do we owe you?" said Mrs Galbraith, answering her daughter's pleading look. Mr. Ollivander seemed to snap out of his trance and payment was dealt with. Aisa, however, was left feeling very strange - as if she was missing something very important, as if the world was keeping some secret from her. She looked at Felix, who gave her an 'I told you so' look. As they left the shop, Aisa turned to have one last look at Ollivander, and saw that he was still staring at her - leaving her with a very uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach; what did her wand say about her?

*

The rest of the summer passed in a blur for Aisa; she devoured her new textbooks, reading each day, her excitement growing. Her wand, however, remained in its box in the corner of the room. She had barely looked at it since they had returned from London back in June. When Felix hadn't been looking, she'd sneaked into his room and borrowed his copy of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' and looked up Kelpies. What she had read hadn't allayed her discomfort at her wand's core originating from one; they sounded like vicious creatures and Aisa didn't like it one bit.

"Aisa, it's time to go - are you ready?" Her mother's voice floated up the stairs and through the door. Aisa barely heard her, staring at her wand.

"Aisa, come on, it's time to go!" Felix burst into her room. "What are you doing just standing there?" Aisa snapped out of her trance and snatched up her wand.

"Nothing," she said with a start, "I'm just coming. Here, help me get this shut will you?" She threw the wand onto the top of the trunk and pulled the lid over the bulging contents. "You sit on it and I'll snap it shut." With no small amount of effort, they got the trunk closed and dragged it down the stairs where their mother was waiting.

"Ok, put it in the boot with Felix's, then we'll get a move on." Unlike a lot of wizarding families, the Galbraith's owned a car as Mrs. Galbraith was muggle-born and had learnt to drive as a teenager. Ten minutes of heaving later, the trunks were both safely in the boot, and the weighed down car was making its way to London.

*

"Right, Aisa, after you." The family was at King's Cross, about to go through the barrier, when Aisa suddenly squealed with delight.

"Look! It's Dad, he's come to say good-bye!"

Indeed, a tall man with Aisa's dark hair and pale complexion was striding down the platform, a smile on his face. He scooped up his daughter in a big hug.

"Of course I have, you don't think I'd miss my little girl's first time on the Hogwarts' Express, do you?"

"Dad, put me down, someone might see!" said Aisa, pretending to squirm although she couldn't hide her pleasure at her father's arrival and she didn't really mind him hugging her. She turned to her mother, "Please can we go through now? I don't think I can wait much longer!"

"All right, you and Felix go together now," replied her mother, smiling down at her.

"Race you!" shouted her brother over his shoulder, grinning as he raced toward the magical barrier.

"Hey! That's not fair, you got a head start!" She chased after her brother full pelt, crashing through the barrier at speed, skidding to a halt when she saw the enormous scarlet Engine. It seemed bigger, somehow, than she remembered it, her excitement magnifying the impressiveness of the vehicle. She stood there, mouth opened slightly in awe, a little nervous anticipation building in her stomach.

"Wake up, Aisie, or you'll be standing there all day." She turned around; her father and mother had arrived, and were smiling at her. "It always looks most impressive the day you realize you're going on it," said her father, in a misty kind of voice. There was a far off look in his eyes; his wife smiled at him.

"Come back to us, Augustus." She waved a hand in front of her face, "Wake up, or you'll be standing there all day!" She winked at Aisa, who grinned back. She grabbed hold of her father's hand.

"Come on, Dad, help me put my stuff in the carriage! Where's Felix? Do you think he'll let me sit with him?" She started dragging her father along the platform, pushing the trolley in front of her.

Felix had deposited his trunk on the train, and was coming back to find his parents. His mother gave him a meaningful look, and he sighed.

"Aisa, do you want to sit with me and my friends?" His mother looked at him sharply, Felix rolled his eyes, continuing in a monotonic fashion. "You're more than welcome too." Aisa seemed not to notice Felix's unenthusiastic tone at having to sit with his kid sister on the train, and threw her arms about him in a big hug.

"Thanks Felix, that would be so cool!" Felix hugged her back, trying to keep up his sullen demeanour, but failing; his sister's happiness and excitement seemed to be contagious.

"It's ok, but just...don't talk too much, ok? I don't want you embarrassing me." He trying to look severe, but couldn't quite suppress a grin.

"Right then, you two, on the train with you. Give your mother a kiss, Felix." His son dutifully did so, and Mr. Galbraith shook his hand, "Make sure you behave yourself, and look after that broomstick!" Felix pretended to roll his eyes, and jumped onto the train.

"Good luck this year sweetie," said Mrs Galbraith, hugging her daughter, "be sure to write to us tomorrow morning and tell us how your first evening was."

"I will, Mum!" Her mother released her and Augustus bent down, to receive a kiss planted on his cheek from his daughter. "See you soon, Dad - don't work too hard!" He kissed her back.

"I'll try not to, but make sure you do." He gave her a little tickle as he hugged her. "Ok, on the train with you." Aisa gave them both a last hug, and jumped on the train, just as the whistle blew. She rolled down the window and leant out of it.

"Bye Mum, bye Dad! See you at Christmas!" The train began to pull away from the Station, and Aisa watched as the waving figures of her parents began to get smaller. She waved back for a bit, then ducked back inside the window, and turned to go to the compartment Felix and his friends were in. She wandered down the carriage, and pulled open the door she thought was theirs.

"Oops, sorry, wrong compartment," she mumbled. She had opened the wrong door, and saw a group of older students, already dressed in their robes. They were looking rather angrily at her, she thought.

"What do you want?" One of the girls was looking at her rather distastefully.

"Uh, nothing. I was just looking for my brother and his friends...he must have told me the wrong compartment. I'll just -" The girl cut her off.

"That would seem to be the case." Aisa looked at the rest of the compartment's occupants; they looked an unpleasant lot. There wasn't a welcoming expression anywhere on their faces. In fact, they all seemed to be trying to repel her from the compartment with dirty looks, but Aisa didn't seem to be able to move. She felt very uncomfortable standing there in the doorway, and her feet didn't want to step back. "And are you still standing here for any particular reason?" Aisa felt her pale cheeks turning crimson, and replied falteringly,

"Uh, no, I just, I, um, I was just..." She trailed off, as the girl started laughing, full of malicious mirth. Aisa still couldn't seem to move, and would probably have stayed there indefinitely, had her brother not suddenly come by.

"What's going on here?" Aisa turned around, relief flooding into her.

"Oh Felix!" He grabbed her by the shoulders,

"What on earth are you doing in here? With them?" He spoke venomously, shooting the occupants in the compartment a very dirty look.

"I don't know - I thought this was your compartment, but it wasn't and they were here and..." The laughter in the compartment had stopped now, and the girl cut into the conversation in a silky, dangerous tone.

"Your sister thought she'd pay us a little visit it would seem, Galbraith."

"Yeah? Well she's leaving now." Felix slammed the door shut and steered Aisa to the next compartment along. There were three other people in the compartment, two boys and a girl; all of them looked up expectantly when Felix shut the door behind him.

"What was it?" asked the petite, blonde girl sitting by the window, "What was all the noise?" Aisa sat down, still a little shaky.

"Bellatrix and her gang are all next door - Aisa here," Felix jerked his thumb behind him at his sister, "walked in there by mistake." One of the boys rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, they're so..." he shook his head, as if unable to find words to adequately describe them.

"What do you expect? They're Slytherins," said the boy sitting next to Aisa. He turned to her, sticking out a freckled hand. "I'm Thomas Huntington, this is my brother, Daniel," he gestured to the older boy sitting across the carriage, "and that's Elise Pevensey." The blonde girl gave her a little wave.

"I wouldn't worry about the Slytherins, you know," she said, shifting along the carriage seat a little closer to Aisa. "They're a beastly lot, but they generally keep themselves to themselves. If you stay out of their way, they'll leave you alone."

"Leave them alone?" Felix snorted in disgust. "Not bloody likely, they're all You-Know-Who supporters, each and every one of them. Deserve every jinx they get!" Elise rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure they're not all You-Know-Who supporters, Felix."

"That's probably true, but it's still fun jinxing them," grinned Thomas. "Bunch of creepy, miserable old things. That little 'over-enthusiastic' Cheering Charm I gave old Nott at the end of last term did him a power of good!" He winked at Aisa, who grinned, feeling much better with every minute.

The rest of the journey was uneventful. Aisa got Felix and his friends to tell her everything about Hogwarts. They were all in the same house, Ravenclaw, and assured Aisa that they were sure she would be too. When the food trolley came around, they loaded themselves up with all sorts of treats, and the train speeding further north all the while. Thomas' older brother was in his Fifth year, and a prefect, and when he disappeared off to the special prefect's compartment, the others decided to change into their robes. Aisa felt a tingle of excitement shoot around her body as the black material fell down to her feet. She really and truly was a Hogwarts' student and she could hardly wait to get to the castle.

They finally pulled into the dark station, feeling slightly sick due to the large amount of Chocolate Frogs consumed (and Thomas thought his might be due to the odd flavoured Bertie Bott's beans he kept eating), and clambered out of the carriages onto the platform. Aisa gasped at the horseless carriages and made to go and inspect closer.

"Hold it there, Aisa, you're going that way." Felix pointed her in the opposite direction, to where a huge man, whom to Aisa seemed to consist mainly of hair and beard and very little else, who was calling for 'Firs' Years!' Felix laughed at the terrified expression on his sister's face. "Don't look so scared, Aisa, it's only Hagrid! He's an old softy. Go on, you get to go on the little boats over the lake - it's tradition. Just watch out for the Giant Squid!" Aisa stuck her tongue out at her brother, determined not to look any stupider in front of him today, and stalked off to join the other First Years with Hagrid.

"All righ' Firs' Years, off we go then, follow me!" The little group of children followed the huge man down a steep slope, slipping and sliding in the pitch black. They skidded around a corner, and Aisa gasped in wonderment. She wasn't the only one either, for stretched out in front of them was the Lake and high on the mountain in front of them was Hogwarts itself. It was a huge castle, imposing with it's many turrets and towers, but also friendly looking due to the warm orange glow of candlelight coming from almost every window.

"Four in a boat!" called Hagrid, and the First Years scrambled into their vessels. The boats glided across the lake, and Aisa stared up at the Castle. She thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. After a little time, the boats glided into an underground harbour and the children all hopped out (some more skilfully than others), plodding up the passageway after Hagrid. They tramped up to the Castle along the lawn, until they reached the castle doors, upon which Hagrid knocked three times with his massive fist. The doors swung open and a tall, black-haired witch greeted them.

"Good Evening, Hagrid" Hagrid nodded his head in a little bow.

"Evenin' Professor McGonagall. Got the firs'-years here for you."

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She turned around swiftly, and the gaggle of first years followed her quickly. She walked swiftly through the huge Entrance Hall, and opened a door to a smaller, empty chamber.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. The rest of the school is in the Great Hall for the start-of-term banquet, but first there is the little tradition we have here called the Sorting. This ceremony is very important, as it will put you all into the houses in which you will stay for the duration of your time here at Hogwarts.

"There are four houses, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Slytherin." There was a quiet hissing at Slytherin's name - obviously other people had been told similar things to Aisa about the house. Professor McGonagall looked at them sternly. "All the houses have their own noble history and have produced equally outstanding young wizards and witches. During your time here, you will earn points for your house for your triumphs, while misdemeanours will lose you points. The house with the most points is awarded the House Cup at the end of the school year. I am sure you will all be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I shall return momentarily." She turned and swept out of the chamber. Aisa gazed around at the chamber, taking in the gentle orange glow of the torches hanging on the walls. Her fellow students were whispering quietly, talking about the different houses. Aisa wasn't worried; Felix and his friends had convinced her that she belonged in Ravenclaw, like the rest of her family had for generations. She smiled to herself, thrilled at finally being here and began talking to the girl standing next to her who whispered a greeting.

Soon enough, Professor McGonagall returned, and ushered them all into the Great Hall. There were gasped of amazement, as the First Years gazed up at the enchanted ceiling. They were led up to the front of the hall, and stood quietly in line, as Professor McGonagall retrieved a very long roll of parchment. Aisa looked over to the Ravenclaw table, smiling slightly at Felix who was waving at her. She could barely contain the excitement that was bubbling inside her, she felt like she was going to burst. Soon, her name was called out.

"Galbraith, Aisa." Feeling slightly nervous, she walked up to the stool and sat down, the Sorting Hat dropping over her eyes. A little voice began to speak in her ear,

"Mmmm, very intelligent, yes. And brave, oh brave indeed...ambition too, I see. Where you put you?" Aisa sat there silently, waiting for the hat to make up its mind. She hadn't expected it to take so long. "I see your intelligence and quick wit, but I don't think that that is all there is to your character. There is something else in there, something you must discover that perhaps only one house will help you to do. I think SLYTHERIN!"

The hat shouted the last word to the whole hall, and the Slytherin table cheered. Aisa just sat there in total shock, the hat still over her head. She probably would have sat there all evening, had Professor McGonagall not come over and lifted it off her, gently nudging her toward the Slytherin table. The young girl stood up with difficultly, her pale face devoid of any colour it had previously possessed. Her eyes were shining with horror, and her legs felt numb from disbelief; it seemed to take an age to walk over to the green and silver table, hardly daring to look over at Felix. She sat gingerly down on the end of the bench, feeling as though she was isolated in a little bubble. A voice in her head was muttering 'no, this can't be true, there must be a mistake'.

She looked around at her fellow students, none of who seemed to be expressing a particular interest in this tiny First year that didn't look too pleased to be sitting at their table. The girl from the train caught her eye, and, seeing Aisa's distress at the decision, smiled malevolently at her. With a sinking heart, she watched the rest of the sorting, and then forced herself to eat something when the food appeared on the plate. Every bite was torture, her throat seemed to be made of sandpaper. She wasn't a Slytherin, she told herself furiously; the hat must have made a mistake. Everything Felix and his friends had said about the Slytherins came flooding back to her. They were hated by everyone - would Felix hate her now? She looked up carefully at the Ravenclaw table, and saw her brother sitting there, looking slightly pale. Then a horrible thought sprang to the front of her mind - What would her parents say? With difficulty, she finished her meal, not tasting anything that passed her lips. As she followed the Slytherin prefect out of the Hall, she saw Felix and tried to catch his eye. He looked at her with a painful expression in his eyes as if he'd been wounded, then turned and marched off with Thomas and Elise.

Aisa didn't sleep well at all that night and awoke early next morning. She got up straight away, and wrote a torturous letter which only yesterday - was it really only yesterday? - she had expecting to have been writing from the Ravenclaw dormitories. Instead, she was telling her parents with a dull ache in the pit of her stomach that she had been sorted into Slytherin from the dark Common Room of that house. With a heavy heart she went back to her Dormitory. Everyone else was up by now, and getting dressed. Aisa dressed very slowly, waiting until all her fellow students had left the room; she really didn't want to have to speak to anyone. She didn't belong here. She was half-heartedly eating some toast, when Great Hall suddenly filled with owls, bringing the morning post. Under different circumstances, Aisa would have been entranced by the sight but, as it was, she remained indifferent; that is, until a letter for her landed on the table. She recognised the handwriting on the front as her mother's and, with shaking hands, she broke the seal and unfurled the parchment; obviously Felix had written to their parents last night. Aisa read the letter slowly; terrified of what it might say, but it was not the angry diatribe she had half been expecting. The tone was, however, definitely strained; her parents' disappointment was obvious, their horror only just veiled behind tense sympathy. Aisa bit her lip to stop the tears that were welling in her throat rolling down her cheeks.

In a bedroom in west London, a much older Aisa Galbraith suddenly awoke, her lip bleeding slightly from where she had bitten it, her cheeks streaked with the evidence of tears. She sighed and wiped her eyes. The past was the past...when would she learn?