Lumos: Year One

The magic begins here.

Lanee Tonks told herself this, looking up a sign that read 9 3/4. In front of her she pushed a trolley with a large trunk and a small cage containing a jet black barn owl. Most people looked at her as they passed, it's not everyday you see an eleven year old with purple hair. Nymphadora Tonks pushed her daughter along, knowing she was obviously awed by the sight of the Hogwarts Express.

"Go on, dear. The train leaves in ten minutes." She said.

Lanee nodded and headed forward. Her black skirt bounced with her walk, bits of purple showing through the rips of the first layer of the skirt. A purple shirt matched the bits in her skirt. It was a quite unusal thing for a young child to wear, but Lanee never really followed the crowd. Her piercing green eyes focused on straight ahead of her. She didn't notice the black-haired girl coming in from her right, their carts colliding violetnly and spilling Lanee's contients onto the floor. The girl stopped and looked at Lanee in disgust, a fluffy cat behind her doing the same.

"Watch it, you clumsy freak." The girl snapped. Her eyes drifted up to Lanee's hair, than back to her face. "What did you do? Have an accident with Polyjuice potion?" She snickered and as she stormed off.

Lanee resisted from turning and punching the girl right in the face.

"People like her aren't worth your time." Nymphadora said as she place the trunk back onto the trolley.

"It's okay. I'm not ashamed of anything about me." Her daughter replied truthfully. She smiled at her daughters faithful words. The train whistled.

"Oh! You better hurry! I love you, sweetie. Have a good time, okay?"

"I will, mum. Tell dad I said goodbye, okay?" Lanee said as she loaded her items onto the train.

Her mother had no time to reply, the clock rung out eleven. The train began to pull away from King's Cross Station. Lanee bit her lip, she hated leaving her family. With her parents having such dangerous lives, she always feared once she left them that she'd never see them again. She began to walk down the train, trying to find a place to sit. It didn't take long for Lanee to pass a compartment contained a boy with jet black hair and a ginger. She recongzied the dark haired boy as he lifted his hair to reveal a lighting bolt scar. She stared for a moment, then moved past so the boys wouldn't notice her starting.

Harry Potter? The boy who lived, here, on this train? The boy who had saved the entire wizarding world when he was barley born? This boy was her hero. She stepped into a compartment with two boys, one with dark skin and another with short brown hair. They were talking as if they've known each other forever.

"Mind if I sit? Everywhere else is full." She asked. The boys both looked over at her, smiled and nodded. She sat on a the red seat nearest the window.

"I'm Dean Thomas." The dark-skinned boy said.

"And I'm Seamus." The other boy introduced.

"Lanee." She repsonded.

"Did you hear? Potter's on the train." Dean informed them.

"Yeah, I saw him."

"Whoa, really? Did he really have the scar?" Seamus asked. She nodded.

"Did you die your hair purple?" The other boy suddenly asked.

"No." Lanee laughed. "I'm a metamorphmagus, like my mum. I can change my appearance. But I'm not too good at it, it's just my hair so far. Look." And in an instand, from her roots out, the hair shifted into a bright blue. The boys stared in awe as she did a simple thing she had been doing since she was three. Lanee changed her hair back quickly so that the purple would match her outfit.

"So you're going to be an Auror then?" Seamus asked. The girl laughed.
"I'm only eleven. I don't know. Why would you ask?"

"S'just that all the metamorphmagus end up being Auror's." Lanee shrugged and looked out the window.

Images rushed by, water, hills, and trees flashed by in blurs of green and blue. The three kids chatted a little about what they thought Hogwarts would be like to pass the time. When they neared the school, they changed into their robes, wearing black ties since their houses hadn't been decided yet. The train began to slowly come to a stop. Lanee looked out the window, it was dark, the only light coming from a small lantern. Her eyes widen when she realzed the person holding the latern was a man twice the size of an average man.

“Firs’ years! Firs’ years over here!” he made everyone follow him, “C’mon, follow me—any more firs’ years? Mind yer step, now! Firs’ years follow me!” He called.

"Who is that?" Lanee asked, pointed to the giant.

"The groundskeeper, I think." Seamus answered, pulling his cloak on.

A small group of children were gathering around the giant. Lanee even thought they were house elves when she first exited the train because they were so small in comparison to him.

"Don't just stand there!" A boy yelled, shoving past her. A boy with slick blonde hair shoved past her, and glanced at her while smirking. "Nice hair." He told her rudley and as he continued off. Was anyone nice here?

She followed the group of first years over to the tall man, who's name turned out to be Hagrid. She could see Harry Potter near the front of the herd of kids. He led the children over a narrow path covered with puddles. Lanee went out of her way to jump in them, the boys laughing as she sprayed them with water. Anyone that gave them disgusted looks for having fun, the three decided were going to be Slytherins.

The castle took up the entire view infront of her. Lanee had seen many pictures of it, but they weren't as breath taking as the actual thing. Towers rose from the ground, windows lighting up the entire castle. She couldn't help but smile knowing that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardary would be her home now. Going from a little old shack in the middle of nowhere to this was like winning the lottery to her.

The giant yelled as they approached the water for no more than four kids to get into a boat together. Lanee, Dean, and Seamus moved the front of the crowd so they could get into a boat together. They were joined by a quiet girl who was too busy looking at the castle to care that she was with strangers. The water reflected the stars, making the water almost cast a faint glow at the surface. Lanee glanced over to the reflection of the moon, than looked up to a painful full moon.

"Wow." Seamus whispered to himself.

The inside was even more amazing. The castle was lit by fire, thousands of paintings that moved, and ghosts that floated about. The children barley noticed the woman in green robes standing before them. Usually, Lanee could care less about listening when she was more interested in something else, being the castle. But the woman's words spoke out to her.

“Welcome to Hogwarts,” she spoke loudly when the noise died down, “The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

“The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.
“The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting.”

They entered the Great Hall, where the rest of the students were already sitting waiting to being the feast. The quieted as the woman, who Lanee learned was Professor McGonagall, raised a dusty old hat. She set it on a stool as it began to sing. The three looked at each other. They had to contain themselves from laughing, it was so boring it was funny. A singing hat? Lanee had seen some odd magical things, but nothing as silly as a singing hat.
The song finally came to and end, and McGonagall began the sorting.

"Abbott, Hannah." was the first name to be called. She went down the list and soon came to the F's.

"Finnigan, Seamus." Her and Dean watched as their new friend nervously approached, but soon relieved when he was sorted into Gryffindor. The names went on.

"Thomas, Dean." Gryffindor!

"Tonks, Lanee." People stared as she went up the few stairs. She was the weird girl with the purple hair. She didn't care. Let them stare. Better than being ignored. The hat was place on her head.

"Hm, intresting parents you have. Very brave, but very angry, loyality I see, even a little of knowledge. Difficult, indeed. Reckless, but curious. I know...GRYFFINDOR!" The hat decided. Lanee smiled, not only did she join the house that she wanted, but she already knew a few people. Not to mention, Harry Potter joined that house. Maybe she'd get a chance to talk to him in the Common Room. Once everyone was sorted, the feast began. Lanee had never seen so much food in her life.

The feast ended quickly and it was finally time to go to the domortires. Walking to them was the best part for Lanee. This school was a dream come true to her. She wouldn't have to worry about anything outside the school walls. The prefect told the password to the portrait, and she swung open to reveal the warm Gryffindor common room. A fire was already going, the room had a welcoming feel to it even though this was the first time people had been in it since last year. A girl led her to the domortoires, which she'd be sharing with a few other girls. Hermione Granger, Romilda Vain, Lavander Brown, and Pavarti Patil. None of the girls really talked to her.

Get used to me, you'll be living with me until you graduate. She told herself.

Her roommaters left the room to go down to the common room. Lanee tucked herself onto a windowsill and enjoyed the silence.

The magic begins here.