• She was never what most would call pretty. At 11 years old she was already 5' tall, skinny, not slim-skinny, and even though she wasn't a pale, sickly kid her long raven colored hair and olive skin tone made her look like a tall skinny china doll. But the people who knew her knew that behind the innocent face, there was a sad, lonely little orphan girl who would rather be anywhere other then where she was and would fight like hell if she had to. Loyal but not really brave Lila Marie Black didn't have many friends, partly because she was shy and would rather play with the animals that lived in and around the orphanage then meet anyone new.

    It was a beautiful sunny day. The neighborhood around the orphanage was quiet and peaceful. Mrs. Monice, a tired elderly woman walked down the hall towards the front door of the orphanage to pick up the days post. She first noticed what looked like a bill then as she started to open it she noticed a really thick envelope in between her subscription of Widows Monthly and some random letters to some of the kids who had pen-pals from other orphanages in the area. The reason this letter stood out to her was because it was addressed to a child who hardly ever talked to anyone but the 3 cats and the dog:

    Miss L. Black
    Room 13
    Oceanview Orphanage
    Hailwood

    “Lila! You've got a letter here,” Mrs. Monice called up the stairs towards the door to the roof. She waited a few minutes then started up the stairs. “Lila, did you hear me?” When she opened the door to the roof she found Lila curled up sleeping with one cat in her arms, one on her legs and the dog and the other cat sleeping together close by.

    As if on cue the dog lifted her head and started licking Lila's arm.

    Lila slowly opened her eyes and blinked against the glare of the sun.

    “What did you say Mrs. Monice? I'm sorry, I must have dozed off,” Lila said sleepily. She gently sat up so as not to disturb the cats who were both awake now but still curled up next to her.

    “It's alright dear, you received a letter in the post today,” Mrs. Monice said handing Lila the letter.

    Lila took it, slowly traced the writing, and said, “Thank you, Mrs. Monice.”

    Mrs. Monice nodded and asked, “Would you like me to leave dear?” Lila nodded and Mrs. Monice left wondering at the content of the mysterious letter.

    After Mrs. Monice had closed the door behind her Lila held the letter up, weighing it, not daring to hope that it was what she thought it was.

    Having lived for five years with her mother before she died Lila knew that there was a completely different world out there that, had her mother not died, she would be a part of. This letter was proof that the world Lila remembered as a small child wasn't a dream but was in fact a reality.

    With trembling hands Lila made to open the letter when Ebony, Lila's raven, whom Lila had raised from a chick, landed on her shoulder, cawing and affectionately pecking her cheek.

    “Look Ebony.....,” Lila said, stopping and holding the letter up. “Do you think....? Could this be our chance to....... to return home?”

    Ebony merely cawed in her ear.

    With hands trembling once again, Lila slowly ripped open the letter. Then she gently and reverently slipped the letter out of it's envelope. Lila's breath caught in her throat as she read 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 September 1. We await your owl by no
    later than July 31.
    Yours sincerely,



    Minerva McGonagall,
    Deputy Headmistress

    Lila was almost crying tears of joy when she read the second page of the letter:

    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, silver fastenings)
    Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.

    Course Books
    All students should have a copy 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 Beginners' 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

    While Lila was reading a small piece of paper fell to the ground without her notice and Ebony hopped down from Lila's shoulder and picked it up, and flew back up onto Lila's shoulder again. Then attempting to get Lila's attention she started rubbing the piece of paper against her cheek.
    “Alright, Ebony. What's that you've got there?” Lila said and she brought her hand up so that Ebony could place the paper in her hand. “Oh! It's my ticket! Thank you, Ebony! We wouldn't be going anywhere if I lost this.”
    As Lila was rereading the letter Mrs. Monice appeared at the the door and said “Is everything alright dear?” When she saw the tears in Lila's eyes she ran to her and said “Lila, what's wrong? Do you need me to call a doctor?”
    “No, ma'am, thank you. I'll be fine, I just need to go to London.” Lila said as she stood up and had Ebony move to her unoccupied hand.
    “London? Whatever for dear?”
    “Well, long story short, I've been accepted at a school and I need to get supplies”
    “Well that's wonderful dear, but why do you need to go to London for your school things? There are plenty of places here that should have everything you need.”
    “No, I'm sorry but I'm afraid the things that I need can only be found in London.”
    “Well alright, I guess if you're sure. I think I can get you enough money to get there and come back but I can't leave things unattended here, to come with you.”
    “That's perfect, thank you.”
    “Oh, it just occurred to me, how are you going to pay for your things?”
    “I've already got it covered, my mother left me with means of getting what I need.”
    “Alright, how soon do you need to leave?”
    “As soon as possible, I don't have much time before Term begins.”
    The next two days went by very quickly, Lila packing and getting ready to leave, Mrs. Monice making arrangements for Lila to get to London.
    Safely tucked away in Lila's old thing's was a wand, not just any old wand it had been her mothers and Lila took it with her to London.
    Lila soon found herself standing outside a small grubby-looking pub called the Leaky Cauldron, the people around her busily going about there business and not giving the place a second glance.
    “Silly Muggles, they have no idea what wonders lie behind these walls.” Lila said to herself as she walked inside. She walked through smiling and saying hello to the patrons, a few of them giving her curious looks seeings as she was all alone, and she made her way to the small walled courtyard behind the pub.
    Lila taped the bricks with her mothers old wand, the same way she remembered seeing her mother do, and the wall opened into a large archway, the sights and sounds of Diagon Alley washed over her like the smell of freshly baked bread on baking day in the home next door to the orphanage.
    Lila's first stop was Gringotts where she used the key that her mother had left her to get access to the vault. After that Lila made her rounds to all the shops, she had a very vague recollection of which shops she needed to go, luckily the shop keepers were very helpful and she found everything she needed including a empty cage for Ebony.
    Her last stop was Ollivanders, the wand makers shop. When she entered the shop it didn't look like anyone was there so she called out, “Hello?” Lila set her packages down and started to look around.
    “Well good afternoon, Miss Black.” someone said. “I thought I would be seeing you soon.”
    Lila quickly turned around and behind the counter an old man had appeared.
    “Good afternoon, Mr. Ollivander,” Lila said a little surprised at his sudden appearance.
    “Well, let's get started,” Mr. Ollivander started to pull boxes of the shelves. “Let's see Ash, dragons heart string, 15 inches.”
    Lila took the wand from him but he quickly snatched it back, “No, maybe Willow, phoenix tail feather, 12 inches.”
    Again Lila took the wand and again he snatched it back, “No, let's try Holly, unicorn hair, 16 inches.”
    This time when Lila took the wand from him something happened, and he smiled. “Excellent, that's a good wand, much like your mothers was. Willow and unicorn hair, 12 inches hers was. Good wands. Good wands.”
    Lila payed him for her wand and left his shop with him still muttering about good wands. She had some time before she had to leave to she wondered down the Alley to the candy shop to buy some chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
    Remembering that she needed to send an owl back to Hogwarts confirming that she would be attending, Lila made her way to the Owl Office where a kind elderly wizard helped her to send the message off.
    Lila looked at her watch and saw that it was time to leave so she carefully made her way down Diagon Alley and back through the Leaky Cauldron to the streets of London. Lila found a taxi and told the driver where she needed to go as he helped her load her packages into the trunk. When Lila arrived back at the orphanage she handed him what was left of the money that Mrs. Monice had given her, grateful that she had thought to exchange a small amount of her wizards gold into muggle money.
    “Did you find everything you needed dear?” Mrs. Monice asked as Lila walked through the doors carrying her purchases.
    “Yes, ma'am.”
    “Good dear. Now, when does your first term start?”
    “September 1st, ma'am.”
    “Oh, well that gives you about two weeks. Where is your school dear?”
    “I'm not sure, but I know that I have to take a train from London.”
    “Oh, another trip to London? Well, I guess there's enough time that I can get you the money to get there.”
    “There'll be no need for that ma'am. I have made arrangements to get there myself ma'am.” Lila said as she made her way up the stairs to her room. “If you will please excuse me ma'am, I really need to go study. I'm afraid that I've fallen behind.”
    With that Lila left Mrs. Monice standing at the bottom of the stairs wondering how far behind she could possibly be considering term hadn't even started yet.
    The last two weeks before Lila had to leave for Hogwarts past rather quickly, Lila having spent as much time reading and testing out her wand as Ebony and the orphanage animals would allow her to.
    The morning of September 1st arrived and Lila was up before the sun all packed and ready with Ebony safely secured in her cage.
    Lila quietly made her way down the stairs to wait for the taxi to arrive. While she waited she wrote a quick little note to Mrs. Monice telling her that she had to leave early to ensure that she would be on time for the train. Lila then placed the note on top of the stack of morning mail and weighed it down with the ornamental stone that was kept by the door for that purpose.
    When Lila stepped back out side the taxi was waiting for her. She placed Ebony's cage in the back seat and then helped the driver to place her trunk in the trunk of the car.
    “To King's Cross station please.” Was all that Lila said to the driver the entire drive. When he dropped her off, placed her trunk and Ebony's cage on a trolley for her and she had paid him the fair she said, “Thank you.” and then quietly made her way down the platforms, trying to remember what her mom had said about the entrance to platform 9 ¾. “Let's see she always said 'Walk strait at the wall between platforms 9 and 10.' That sounds easy enough.”
    Lila paused and looked around. When she was sure that nobody was looking at her she walked, well more like ran, into the wall. Not sure what would happen when she met the wall she squeezed her eyes shut really tight, hoping that she wouldn't crash.
    The crash never came.
    When Lila opened her eyes again she saw a scarlet steam engine, with the words 'Hogwarts Express' on the front of it, waiting next to the platform, and a sign above her head read 'Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.'
    “Now is as good a time as any, I guess.” Lila said to Ebony as she made her way down the platform, through a large crowd of people saying their goodbyes, to the back of the train which was still pretty empty compared to the front.
    Lila grabbed Ebony's cage and climbed aboard the train. When she found an empty compartment Lila placed Ebony's cage down on the seat, looked at her watch, '10:45,' and went to fetch her trunk.
    After fighting for a few minutes to get her trunk up onto the train Lila whipped out her wand, pointed it at her trunk and, not really expecting it to work, said, “Locomotor trunk.” To her great surprise it did work and the next thing she knew, her trunk was on the train, floating a few inches off the ground waiting for her to direct it.
    Having successfully placed her trunk into the luggage rack, Lila closed the door to her compartment, let Ebony out of her cage then sat down next to the window, with Ebony perched on her shoulder, and checked her watch again. 10:55, the train would be leaving soon.
    While Lila was absentmindedly stroking Ebony the compartment door opened.
    “Excuse me, do you mind if I join you?”