Hogwarts Is Where The Heart Is

Chapter One

Carriages rolled by as Genevieve Smith sat on the curb while the other children played in front of the orphanage. Nobody ever really seemed to want to play with her and it had been that way ever since she was little but as she got older it seemed to get worse especially since she turned 15 and strange things had begun happening around her. Not that the nuns that ran the orphanage helped much. None of them seemed to like her either.

Suddenly she let out a gasp as she was pushed from behind by someone and out into the middle of the road. Before she could scramble back up Genevieve saw a carriage fast approaching. She didn't have time to roll or get out of the way she held up an arm to cover her face so she wouldn't see her doom approaching and screamed waiting for the horse's hooves to run over her.

But it never came instead there were yells and a skidding sound. Genevieve looked up and saw that all four wheels of the carriage had popped off causing the carriage to skid to a halt.

"What!?"

HL

Eleazar Fig sighed as he made his way to the office of Deputy Headmistress Mathilda Weasley. It wasn't that he minded the woman herself in fact she was a dear friend. But the truth of the matter was that he'd had very little interest in doing anything lately.

Ever since his dear wife Miriam had died under mysterious circumstances Eleazar had been distracted by his grief. He had to admit his students at Hogwarts were probably suffering from his lack of interest. Normally he would be incredibly engaged in Magical Theory. But now he just assigned readings and spent his free time thinking about Miriam.

Now he had been called by Professor Weasley for some unspecified assignment before the school year begins. He knocked on the door of the transfiguration teacher's office before walking in. Professor Weasley looked up from her desk. She was a middle-aged woman with bright red hair and a kind face.

"Hello Eleazar."

"You called Mathilda?"

"Yes, I have a request to relay from our delightful headmaster." Mathilda put a slightly sarcastic emphasis on delightful that even in his darkened mood made Eleazar smile a little. Headmaster Black was an arrogant, lazy, incompetent, man who only ran the school because of the clout one received for the role of Headmaster of Hogwarts. Everyone knew Mathilda was the real backbone of the school.

"What does the old devil want now?" asked Eleazar with a sigh.

"Something strange has happened. A new name appeared in the book of admittance this year for the students supposed to attend Hogwarts. The child is fifteen.

"What?" said Eleazar a slight hint of his old curiosity stirring.

"Yes. It's highly unusual. But it was confirmed when the ministry detected an extreme case of accidental magic last week. Professor Black wants you to go tell the girl about Hogwarts and act as her mentor over the Summer to help her catch up so she'll be ready to start her fifth year."

Eleazar paused mulling it over. He was admittedly intrigued and he supposed he really didn't have much else to do this Summer. Perhaps a distraction at least might be beneficial. One must trudge on after all.

"If you want I can see if Abraham or Dinah can do it?" said Mathilda and Eleazar sighed.

"No thank you Mattie. I might as well. Provide me the address and I'll speak with the girl." Mattie beamed and wrote out the girl's address

"Excellent, now the girls from a muggle orphanage so it's going to be a bit of a shock."

"I'd imagine so," replied Eleazar taking the paper.