****Lyra's P.O.V.****

"Is little baby freak upset?" Amy taunted, "is Mummy dead? Is Daddy missing?" She slapped my hand away from my hair. "What, you gonna go cry?" I shook my head and responded the was I always do: not responding.

Responding never leads to anything good. Responding leads to nights in Mrs. Peak's— the nurse's—office. Responding leads to nights crying. Responding never helps.

So I walked away, straight through the doors of Number Eight Privet Drive. I walked across the street to the park and sat on a swing. There I cried, I broke down for the first time in seven years, since my sixth birthday.

I wasn't jealous; nobody else at the Former had parents. Amy didn't, Sarah didn't, even most of the workers didn't. The difference between Amy and Sarah and Mrs. Peak was that Amy was angry. She was angry about it; she was mean. I heard Dudley Dursley's group future jailers approaching, so I began my trek home.

As soon as I walked in, Amy was back. "Aw, is little baby freak still upset? Go crying to her little dead parents? Well, news flash, freak, they're gone! And you really need to-"

"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" I cried. "News flash Amy, we both live in an orphanage! You don't have parents either! So leave me alone!"

Suddenly, Amy's and her crew's looks of anger turned into looks of pure, undiluted fear. I didn't understand why; I hadn't cursed. I never cursed; Mrs. Peak warned us never to.

Mrs. Peak just sighed. She left the room and returned with a mirror.

When she handed it to me, I panicked. The only thought I managed to process was, 'Crap'.

My hair was on fire, and my eyes were blazing red. The fire didn't hurt, and it wasn't burning my hair off, but it was strange, among other things. (Many other things. Things I could have said out loud if I wanted to spend a night in the Discipline Chair.)

"Um... Mrs. Peaks? Why aren't you, you know, freaking out?" I asked.

"Well, I've-" She was cut off by voices coming from the fire place. I heard a man's voice say a strange, abnormal word, and then the fireplace exploded. What on Earth? We took cover beneath a nearby coffee table.

A happy-looking man stepped out first, then a woman and a snobby-looking boy, next, two boys, twins, I'm guessing. Soon after, a boy about my age, and a small girl, all with red hair.

"Hello there. I'm Fred, and this is-"

"George. And we're-"

"The Weasley twins." I smiled at the pair. They were going to be interesting, undeniably.

"Hi, dearie, I'm Molly." The woman said.

"I'm Arthur, lovely to meet you." The man said with a kind smile

"I am Percy Weasley." Said the snobby-looking boy.

"Hi, I'm Ginny!" Said the small girl.

"I'm Ron." The last one said awkwardly.

"Hello, nice go meet you all. I'm Lyra Archer." I said. "Ms. Thompson, why are they here?"

"They're here to adopt you and Sarah." Sarah is my best friend, and she doesn't know her last name, either, so as far as anyone else knows, we're cousins.

"A-adopt us? Really?" Sarah asked, coming into the conversation.

"Yes, if that's okay with you, of course." Mrs. Weasley said.

"Okay? Of course it's okay!"

"Well, okay, then. When we get to our home, the Burrow, I'll have to explain something to you. Just grab my hand, both of you." We did as Mr. Weasley told us, and I suddenly felt like I was being pulled through a very tight tube.

As soon as we got to the large house, I puked - on Percy. (It was purely accidental, I swear!) He stormed into the Burrow, and steam was almost coming out of his ears.

"That was brilliant. Absolutely spectacular." Fred, George, Ron, and Sarah chorused. Ginny, Molly, Arthur, and I just looked concerned.

I followed him into the Burrow, and found him at the kitchen sink. "I'm sorry, Percy! I really am. That was my first time doing - whatever that was - and I'm so confused as to what in the world is actually happening, that I guess I just got stressed out, and-" Percy cut off my rambling.

"It's okay, Lyra, just don't do it again. Speaking of which, you need to go talk to Mum and Dad." He said, and walked off. I walked out, trying to find Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Molly and Arthur? Mum and Dad? Anyways, I finally find them in the garden.

"Um . . . Excuse me, can I ask what's going on? Like, how we teleported, and how my hair was on fire?" I asked.

"Oh of course, dearie. But it'd be better if Professor Dumbledore explained it to you. I'll go get him." Molly explained, then left me. Alone. To die. Not fun.

Soon enough, however, Professor Dumbledore showed up with a *Pop!*. "Ah, hello Miss Archer. How are you?" He asked

"Fine," I stressed. "Now, how did you teleport?"

"Straight to the point, I see. Well, Miss Archer, you're a witch. The 'teleportation' is called apparation. You will learn that in your seventh year at Hogwarts," He handed me a letter, and I opened it and started to read.

Miss Lyra Archer,

You have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Term starts September first, and we await your owl no later than August twenty-fifth. Your supply list is as followed.

Deputy Headmistress,
Minerva McGonagall

I read over the supply list, and it seemed simple enough. Except the part that said Diagon Alley. And the ticket that says Platform 9 3/4. By the time I finished, he had left.

"Alright, you need to go to bed. Fifth floor, second door on the right. You'll be rooming with Sarah, Ginny and Hermione, one of Ron's friends. They're also in third year."

"Thanks, Mrs.-"

"Call me Mum, dear. I did just adopt you, after all." She said with a smile.

"Alright, Mum, goodnight!"

I walk up the four flights of stairs, and find my room. Coincidentally, it's locked. "Sarah Marie Archer, you unlock this door right this instant!" I called.

"What's all the ruckus; is Harry here?" Ron came running in, looking frantic.

"Harry who?" I asked

"Well, I guess that's a no then. And Harry Potter, to answer your question."

"Harry Potter?" I said in shock.

"You've heard of him? But I thought you went to a muggle orphanage."

"I do. I didn't know he was popular; he lives two houses down from me. You didn't realize that when you flooed to Number Eight Privet Drive?" I asked.

"N-no! I-" He started

"Little Ronnikinns here is one of the single least observant people you'll ever meet." Sarah, who had opened the door, interjected.

"You've known me for, what, an hour? How do you know that?" He looked baffled.

"Little Sarah here is one of the single most observant people you'll ever meet." I said, smiling.

"Ah, yes, and very wise, too." She said

"Sure. Wise. Let's not say that, because there's no reason to inflate your already overinflated ego any more." I heard a voice behind me say.

"HARRY!" Sarah, Ron, and I chorused.

"Hey Ron. Who is- Sarah?! Lyra?! What are you doing here?" He asked. Not in a rude way, he was genuinely curious.

"Well, Harry, you see, when two people love each other very much-" Sarah was interrupted by me hitting her arm.

"Sorry, Harry. We just learned we'll be in third year with you! The Weasley's adopted us!" I said, unable to not smile. Harry was one of my best friends, second only to Sarah, and I- We'd be able to go to school with him!

"That's great! Have you met Hermione yet?" He asked

"No, but we know a lot about her from Fred and George, so you'll need to tell me which of it's true. They said she was extremely book smart, brave, and had bushy hair. They also said that she was Ron's girlfriend?" I said, the last part coming out as a question.

"Well, she is really book smart and brave, and she does have bushy hair. She's like a sister to me. She's not dating Ron, though. Yet." He whispered the last part in my ear.

By this time, we had reached his room, which was across from Ginny's, Sarah's, and mine. Sarah and Ron had already left, and I realized that we'd been standing here for ten minutes, just talking.

I blushed a bit when I realized that. "Well, bye, Harry. Time to meet new people. Well, person." I said, dragging the suitcase I had into the room.

"Hello, you must be Lyra. I'm Hermione. I met Sarah ten minutes ago. I see you've met Harry." She said smirking at what she was implying.

I felt my face heat up. "It's not like that. I-"

"Ly, we've know each other for ages. You really think that I won't be able to read you?" Sarah interrupted.

"I'm going to bed. LALALALALALA!" I said, not wanting to continue this conversation. Soon, they followed.

"Night Lyra. Night 'Mione."

"Night 'Mione. Sarah, you're shunned."

"Night Lyra. Don't worry about it, Sarah."