Chapter Text
Serena sighed as she sat up and wiped her brow to remove the accumulated sweat, then rested her dirty hands on her knees. The hedges were trimmed and the weeds removed. She looked to her left and with a grim smile took the bottle of water Allie offered her before she returned to work. If Serena worked harder, she knew she could finish faster and spare some of the younger children from the chore. She doubted how successful she would be as the grounds were quite extensive.
Life in the orphanage was never easy, but it was all Serena knew. Her parents were killed in a car crash when she was around a year old and there had been no family to take her in—or so the Matrons had told her. She had always been more perceptive than her peers and something deep down had always told her that the Matrons were not telling her the truth. Though her intuition and observations had never gotten her into trouble at the orphanage, never let it show. Instead she kept her head down, finished her work, and kept an eye on the Matrons, remembering who was helpful and who was harmful.
Most of the Matrons were rather kind, but there were a few who believed in harsh punishments. When she saw one of them yelling at the younger kids, she would immediately step in and take their punishment. Serena hated to do it, but as she was the oldest one there the kids looked up to her and followed her lead. They were her friends, the only semblance of family she had, and she desperately hoped that they would all find families of their own. She knew her time had passed. No one wanted an older kid, so she sacrificed her tiny frame, which had suffered plenty of punishments before, to keep the meaner matrons from breaking the spirit of someone who had a chance to be adopted.
Plenty of families had come and visited Serena when she was young, but for some reason they never came back. No matter how much they promised her, they never returned to the orphanage. She had a feeling it wasn't just a random coincidence, but she had no way to prove her gut instincts to be true. So when she heard the Matrons calling for her to come inside, the last thing she expected to find was a letter. She also didn't expect to see an owl waiting patiently on Matron Sasha's desk.
Serena glanced at the woman before silently taking her letter, noting that the seal had already been opened. She didn't blame them. She never got mail. She would have checked it too. She noticed the regal script and the strange way it was addressed.
Serena Maye Potter
6743 Brighton Street
Lyminge, Kent
The Bottom Bunk
Room 11
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. Potter,
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
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM:
First year students will require:
Three sets of plain work robes (black)
One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
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 an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
Serena stared at the letter with a blank expression then looked up at Matron Sasha, who nodded, giving her permission to speak. “I didn't know someone sent in school applications for me.”
“We didn't, yet it arrived all the same. What do you think?” She was smiling at Serena kindly. Matron Sasha was just beginning to show her age with lines in her dark skin and silver streaks through her dark hair.
Serena didn't hesitate. “I wish to attend.” This may be her one chance at a new life. Her one chance to make something of herself.
Matron Sasha nodded. “I assumed you would. Thus, I have scripted this letter. However, you must be aware that once you leave the orphanage you will not be allowed back. The rules are very strict on this matter. You must find somewhere to go for the summers.” Serena nodded and read the quick letter accepting her invitation and telling the Headmaster that she would not be able to come back here and would need a place to stay. She tied it to the owls leg and watched as it flew out the open window over the heads of several other children.
Matron Sasha handed her a cup of tea. She had been the Matron to accept Serena when she arrived and had always been quite kind to her. She was watching with a slight smile. “I always knew you were different. You were destined for something more than this. I always wondered why those families didn't come back, but I have always believed that things happen for a reason. How are you healing from Braden?”
“I'm doing fine, thank you. He can't break me. If John couldn't, he won't.” John had run the orphanage before Sasha and been quite keen on punishment. He had made it his mission to punish Serena when he deemed her incompetent—either in her lessons or her chores—and made it his personal goal to make her cry. Not once did the man see a tear fall down her cheek, not even during her whippings. She was infinitely relieved when he was fired and Matron Sasha received a promotion. Since then a new Patron, Braden, had taken over as Head of Punishments. He was quite liberal with his beatings, but he was never as bad as John. Sadly, though Matron Sasha ran the orphanage, it was staffed through a chain company and she had no way of overseeing the others effectively, or changing the strange rules, like the one that would prevent Serena from returning.
“No, I doubt any man could break you. You will take care of yourself when you leave, yes? I will miss you.” Serena smiled and nodded. Matron Sasha had often said she would adopt Serena herself, but she did not make enough to care for them both. Serena knew that as she had snuck a look at the payroll books when cleaning the office.
“I will write if I can. I wonder what it will be like.” Just then, the same owl swooped through the door with a new letter attached to its leg. Serena took it and smiled.
No student at Hogwarts is forced to return home if they should choose to stay at the school over the summer. Serena will always have a home here with us. A professor by the name Severus Snape will arrive on the morning of August 30th to take custody of Serena. He will take her to get her supplies and will stay with her until she boards the train for the school. However, while at our school Serena will be known as Lillith Preston.
~ Albus Dumbledore
That was strange. She had no desire to go by a different name, but she would if she must. It must still be better than the orphanage, but she would find a way around it eventually. The truth always had a way of surfacing. She smiled and passed the note to Sasha, sipping her tea. “What will I tell the others?”
“Whatever you want to dear. I believe this opportunity is a step in a new direction for you, and you deserve that.”
Serena sighed and thanked Matron Sasha for her tea. She had a lot of work to do if she was to be leaving soon.