The sun continued to rise over the mountain, and the bird's continued to sing. I couldn't see outside as well, as tears blurred my vision. The old woman, who was unmoving on the floor, continued to fade away, a smile plastered on her face. The wand that appeared in my pocket was next to her, a red aurora consuming the wand. I didn't know what to think after the vision that left me in pieces, as I found out what happened to my mother. She wasn't dead, but she was somewhere in the world, waiting for me to come save her. 

     But I was helpless. How was I supposed to know where she was? And something appeared in my mind - the vision was when I was a baby. The chances of her still being alive after being kidnapped were extremely low, in my mind. 

     An amplified crash from outside of the cottage ripped me from my thoughts. I gasped and looked at the woman, hoping she was still there to assist me. But she was no where in sight - the last thing I saw was a faint glitter aurora around her, leaving me staring at the floor. I reached for the wand obliviously, and dashed under the dining room table, where dust bunnies consumed my pants. 

     "Where is she," demanded a voice from outside. There was a cry and a scream in resopnse, but no voices. My breath quickened, and my heart pounded in my chest, like dropping something in an endless cave. My hand began to sweat as I realized that I didn't know magic. How was I going to defend myself? 

     The voice from the outside crashed through the door, with a second pair of feet shuffling in after the person. I began to tug at my long, braided hair nervously, and cautiously pointed the slim wand at the invadors. But before I could do anything, the person reached under the table and pulled me out, a muffled scream escaping my mouth. My wand escaped from my hand, dropping onto the floor and rolling underneath the table I was hiding under. I struggled to get out of the strong grip of the invador, but it didn't seem to work. 

     "Let me go," I screamed, kicking the air. The man threw me onto the ground, shrieking an incantation. I attempted to move, but I was stuck. Shutting my eyes, I repeated, "LET ME GO!" 

     "CRUCIO," roared the voice. A horrifying pain shivered up my spine, forcing a scream out of my mouth. The pain was unexplainable - I thought I was going to tear apart. My vision slowly became blurry, and all I could see was the man as he reached forward with his colassal hand to picked me up. 

     A large hand shoved me awake. My eyes flew open, and I was on a train, with people looking at me as if I were not supposed to be there. I instantly sat up and looked outside, noticing praries and trees flying by the clear window. The sun warmed the train as it dashed through the villages, and I slowly felt better. I couldn't remember what happened the night before, but I could recall a terrible pain consuming my helpless body. An old woman was vanishing before my eyes, and a hand had reached for me. 

     "Er... are you alright," asked a girl next to me, making me jump. The girl sat in front of me, and an orange tabby cat was sleeping in her lap. Her turtle-shell glasses brought out her freckles and amber eyes, and her braided black hair was lying over her shoulder. I smiled and nodded, but was confused of how I got there. A cute boy sat next to her, with a large toad lying still on his head. His black hair was all over the place, and his blue eyes brought out his freckles. 

     "Hi," I smiled kindly, lying back in the cushioned seats. A girl next to me gasped, and yelled, "Celleste! I knew I recognized you! It's Dawn!" I turned to look at Dawn, and smiled. I was glad I knew someone in the magical world. 

     "I'm Cordelia. Cordelia Lupin," claimed the girl in front of me proudly, holding out her hand. I smiled and shook her out stretched hand, introducing myself. Smirking, Cordelia looked at the boy next to her, and explained proudly, "This is my brother, Chase." I nodded and shook his hand awkwardly, as he blushed when he saw me. 

     "Are you excited to go to Hogwarts?" exclaimed Cordelia, the cat on her lap scurrying under the seat.

     Wait - I was going to Hogwarts? My eyes went wide, and I looked back out the window. I didn't know what to say. Of course I was thrilled to escape the world full of non-magical people, but did my father know? 

     "Well, are you?" Cordelia interrupted my thoughts, the cat leaping onto my open lap. I nodded quickly, questions swirling in my brain, until Chase, who was staring at the cushion of the bench, muttered, "Cordelia and I are confident that we will get into Gryffindor, the house of loyalty and bravery. Although, there is Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and..."

     "Slytherin," interrupted Dawn, staring out the glass door of her corridor blankly. My stomach squirmed as I thought of the vile Slytherin that captured my mother, and ripped her from my life for eternity. Cruel memories flashed in my brain as I stared at the window anxiously. My mother had screamed and begged for mercy, and my father was forced to stay in the closet, watching in terror as she was defeated. 

     "You could've saved her," I whispered obliviously under my breath, tears swelling in my aqua eyes. "You could've saved her, and you didn't, Dad. You didn't."

     "Madeline," Chase asked curiously, peering into my eyes. "Madeline, what were you saying?" 

     I blinked feverishly in embarrassment as I shook my head, my fingers trembling as the memories pursued to flash before my mind, until the memory of extruciating pain surged through my body once more, causing me to gasp and squint in pain once more.