02. THE LETTER

Years passed and a week before September 1st, Elara heard a tap on her window. She had turned 11 the previous November. If her birthday had been a few months prior, she would have been at Hogwarts already.

And the sight outside made her grin brightly. An owl with a letter clutched in its beak. The young girl immediately opened the window and took the letter.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Ms. Black,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Elara felt around the envelope for more papers and she pulled them out.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

1) The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

2) A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

3) Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

4) A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

5) One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

6) Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

7) Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

8) The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS

ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK

Yours sincerely,

Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus

Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions

Elara's smile grew and her eyes lit up with joy. Finally, she was leaving this dump and heading somewhere she could hopefully call her home. Although Draco was not going until the year after the next, she still was excited at the prospect of meeting new people and making new friends.

The 11 year old stood and made her way to the door, where she slammed it open and ran towards the library across the street.

"MRS FLAMEL! MRS FLAMEL!" She called. The woman looked at her, a kind smile on her face. She brushed her brown hair from her face.

"Shh dear one. This is a library."

"Sorry." Elara apologised, but still the smile on her face did not fade. "Look!" She held the pristine white envelope out. It displayed the Hogwarts seal proudly and had her address written on the back in acid green ink.

"You got your letter?" When the older woman got a nod back, she beamed. "Well that is simply wonderful Elara! I think they will be sending a professor to the orphanage because you were raised in the muggle world. You had best head back now. I'll talk to you later."

"Goodbye Mrs. Flamel!" The young girl waved before running back from where she came. When she stepped through the door, she saw the head of the orphanage speaking to a tall woman with long, emerald robes and a pointed hat perched on her head.

"Ah Elara!" The stranger turned around to face Elara. She had a stern face, one that might not look menacing, but Elara knew the truth. She was the devil in disguise. "Elara dear, this is Professor McGonagall, she-"

"The one from the letter! You're the deputy headmistress!" Elara's eyes grew wide as she realised who stood in front of her. She was a witch! So that means that she must have known her father.

"You read the letter, did you?"

"Yes, I did."

"I'm sorry, what letter?" The orphanage head asked, confused as to how Elara knew the professor.

"Our school sends letters to the pupils to let them know they have been accepted. It comes with a book list, uniform list and anything else the pupil may need to buy." The professor said, her Scottish accent thick.

"Oh and you got this letter Elara?"

"Yeah, I just got it actually. I literally just said that." Elara mumbled the last part, but the professor heard and she smirked slightly. Elara was just like her father. McGonagall's mind suddenly flashes back to her time at Hogwarts almost 15 years when Sirius was still there.

She remembered that mischievous, black haired boy causing trouble around the halls of Hogwarts with his best friends. Then, her face hardened when she thought of what happened to them all. Peter was dead, James was dead. Remus was almost never heard from, and Sirius was in Azkaban.

McGonagall never believed what everyone said, that Sirius has betrayed James and Lily. He would never. James was like a brother to him, and he was Harry's godfather, he would never do anything to harm them.

Neither would Remus, so that only left one person. Peter. But, how? The boy was loyal to them, and was in the order, how could he betray them? Besides, he was blown up. And Dumbledore said not to pursue the matter and that Sirius Black was guilty. McGonagall didn't know that Sirius went to Azkaban without a trial, no one but the Ministry and Dumbledore knew. And the only reason Elara knew was because her father managed to sneak a letter to her before he was sent away, she couldn't read at that age, so she kept it and read it when she could.

"Professor?" The young girls voice brought her back to reality.

"Yes Ms. Black?"

"Where am I going to get the things for school?"

"Oh, don't worry dear. I'll take you out tomorrow and we'll find somewhere in London." The orphanage head assured her. Elara wanted to roll her eyes at the false kindness she was showing. The head would never take her out and buy her things.

"I'm sorry, but the things she need are only sold in specific places. I will have to take her today to get everything, along with a trunk." Professor McGonagall said.

"A trunk? What for?" The head questioned, an alarmed look on her face.

"Hogwarts is a boarding school. Ms. Black will be coming back in the summer, and if she chooses to, she may come back for the Christmas holidays, but she can stay at the school for that. In the summer however, all students must leave the school."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Elara doesn't want to go to a Boarding school."

"Ms. Black, is this true?"

"Yes! I want to go! My father went there, didn't he?" Elara's grey eyes grew wide and eager. The professor sighed.

"Yes he did. He was quite the troublemaker with James Potter. James was your-" She was cut off by Elara.

"Godfather. I know." She looked down. McGonagall placed a hand on the girls shoulder.

"It's alright dear. He's in a better place now. Now, go grab anything you need and we'll be off."

Elara rushed up the stairs to her room and grabbed her want from where it was hidden under a false bottom in her drawer. Then, exchanged her slippers for a pair of long, leather boots and stuck her wand in her boot where it was easy to access.

It was illegal to practice magic outside of school for those underage, and those who do will be caught because of the charm placed on the wand that alerted the Ministry of any underage magic. Elara had bought an advanced charms book just for one charm, and she performed it with a wand she had found in her father's vault. She had to go back to Gringotts another day because she wanted to look at her father's things in his vault.

This charm would de-spell the Trace charm placed on her wand and allowed her to practice magic as she pleased. After she performed the spell, she hid the wand she got from the vault under a loose plank in her bedroom. She had a hunch that it belonged to her father.

Then, she tucked her letter into an inside pocket of her leather jacket and bounded downstairs. McGonagall waited for her at the door. "Well, do you have everything?"

"Yes, can we leave now?" Elara asked, an eager look on her face.

"Yes. I'll have her back later." McGonagall said to the orphanage head, before she placed a hand on Elara's shoulder and guided her outside. "We've got to head to Dia-"

"Diagon Alley. I know. I've been there before." Elara nodded her head, brushing a soft strand of hair from her eyes.

"You have? When?"

"A few years ago I think it was. I was curious. And I wanted to buy a wand."

"Ah. But you do know that now that you've started Hogwarts, you cannot use magic outside of school." McGonagall warned the young Black. Who in return nodded her head, but secretly was smirking. The professor didn't have to know that she had de-spelled her wand.

They walked further and soon stood at the beginnings of an alleyway. There, McGonagall took hold of the girls arm and gently tugged her into the alleyway. "Now Ms. Black. I'm going to Apparate. You might feel a little sick, but do try and not let go of my arm. That won't end so well for you."

Elara's eyes widened and she gripped her professors arm tightly. Soon, Elara felt like she was being squeezed like a tube of toothpaste. They arrived in a dark pub and Elara stumbled away and fell to her knees, gripping the side of a table near her.

She took deep breaths and closed her eyes. Then stood and walked back to McGonagall, who looked quite impressed that she hadn't puked her guts out. "Come now Ms. Black. We must head to Gringotts. Since you've been here before, I suspect you would have the keys to your vaults?" McGonagall asked as they headed to a wall. The older woman tapped her wand on some bricks and they suddenly moved, creating a doorway to Diagon Alley.

"Oh, yes! They did an inheritance test on me. I've got three keys." She pulled a chain from the pocket of her hoodie and lifted it slightly. There, three keys glimmered in the faint sun. The same keys she got years ago. The one embossed with the Black crest and motto, the one with a simple F on it, and the plain one with nothing engraved upon its surface.

"Good." They headed right for the large building that served as the Wizarding Bank. Gringotts. They walked past the goblins stood at the front and past the warning engraved upon the wall, and straight into the main hall.

There, McGonagall strode purposefully towards a goblin who was examining a miniscule diamond with a large magnifying glass. She cleared her throat and the goblin looked up. "Yes?"

"We would like to access Elara Black's vault."

"Key?"

Elara stepped forward, grey eyes shining and lifted the necklace of keys, dropping it on the desk. "There you go. There's three. I'd like to head to the Black's vault. Leave the other two."

The goblin cleared his throat before calling another goblin over. "This goblin will go get your gold. How much will you require? We do not allow you to access the Black vault itself until you reach your third year. Its protocol for older family vaults like yours."

"Erm, alright? I just need enough to shop for my supplies and a little extra." The goblin nodded and headed off. He came back later with a bulging back of gold, and handed it to her. As they walked out of the bank, Elara turned to look at the Professor.

"Professor. I was wondering. Do I really need to stay at the orphanage? No one there understands, and they all tease me. The only person I have is Mrs. Fl- the librarian." She was about to say her name but stopped herself, Flamel was a very important name in the wizarding world. Elara may have been in the muggle world, but that didn't stop her from reading up on a lot of things.

"Yes, Ms. Black. You must. But, only until you've turned 17. Then you're an official adult in the wizarding world and can use magic freely and move out." McGonagall explained. Elara nodded, sighing slightly.

They continued around Diagon Alley, buying Elara everything she needed from the various shops. The only place they didn't go to was Ollivander's, and that was because she already had a wand. Once they were done, McGonagall Apparated back to the orphanage and dropped Elara off.

"I shall see you on September 1st Ms. Black." She smiled, pressing something to Elara's hand before apparating with a sharp crack. Elara smiled, and ran up to her room, with her trunk in her hand, filled with all her books, and materials.

She dropped it on her bed sat down. She turned the thing McGonagall had left her in her hand and looked down at it. It was a white ticket, with gold embellishments. And it said 'Platform 9 ¾' on it. Elara furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, deciding to ask Mrs. Flamel the next morning.