Living the life I live is anything but easy. Cruel? Yes. Stressing? Yeah. But easy? No where near it. I have lived a life that I never really understood. A double life, kind of. For eight years, I lived in total confusion. I thought I was ordinary. Well, not ordinary, but slightly. I went to school, but I didn’t have any friends. I sat alone at lunch, I got all A’s, I was slightly active (but never talked about it at school), I was normal and unnoticed. Weird things happened to me all the time, though. A kid picked on me for being so smart, and I just wished for him to be embarrassed, and he walked up to the front of class and spouted off all these things, like how he was a ballet dancer, and he went to Curves with his mom. The entire time, my birthmark, a snake wrapped around a four petaled flower, felt like white flame. So burning hot that it was cold. Every time that happened, I had to come home for migraines so bad that I was sobbing. And I went home a lot. Then I turned eight and overheard my mother and father talking about spells. I asked them what they were talking about, and then I found that my mother, my father, and my two brothers, were wizards. At the time, my family didn’t know whether or not my big sister, Lily Luna, and I had the gift. Turns out, we did. And that we’re not the only ones. Of course, my dad knew this. He went to school with them all at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Every since I found out that I was a witch, that was the dream. All I wanted was to get into Hogwarts and get out of my normality.

It was my eleventh birthday. My mother had set my cake in front of me and everyone sang the classic Happy Birthday song. I inhaled sharply and blew out the candle.

“Wish for a new lipstick set!” my dad said teasingly.

“Harry!” my mother yelled.

“Gross!” I said.

“What did I do now? Do you two know what I did?” he asked my brothers. They shook their heads side to side. My mother rolled her eyes, then began to cut my quidditch/ football/ soccer themed cake.  I ate the cake quickly.

“Can I go outside and play some basketball with Dad and the boys now, Mom? Please!!!!” I said, pleadingly.

“Please, Mom!!!” Albus said.

“Pretty please?” James said.

“Please Ginny? Please!!!!” my dad said. My mom rolled her eyes again, a common thing for her to do, thanks to me and my troublemaking brothers. Then you add my dad in the mix, who likes to pretend that he’s just a big kid.

“Go on. Lily, will you help me out with the dishes?”

“Sure, Mom!” Lily said with happiness. She’s such a girly girl. She’s always daydreaming about Lorcan and Lysander, the wizard twin boys from down the street, and talking about which one she thought would be a better match for her. Yuck. I would rather face the entire football team in a game, me against them. I grabbed my basketball, decorated by a Hogwarts “H” symbol and the signature animal from each House. You could say I was the biggest fan of Hogwarts and just waiting for that acceptance letter.

“She glides down the court, dodging her defenders, she goes for the dunk, she makes it! Two points for Gryffindor, thanks to Ms. Azalea Potter! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaah!” my dad cheered. He loved to tease me about my talents on the court. I crinkled my nose and made a face at him. He laughed and walked over to me and my brothers. “Come on, boys! Step up your game!” He said, punching them in the arm playfully. I threw down the ball.

“Yes!” I yelled.

“What?” Albus said in confusion.

“I beat you two newts in basketball again! By 12 points!”

“Nice one, little sis.” James said messing with my hair. He was 5 years older than me, a sixth year. Albus was a fourth year. They were a lot taller and older than me, but I was a better basketball player, and on the court is where I became queen. Everywhere else, I was a shadow to them. James was a Prefect for Gryffindor, a fabulous musician, and a, what mom calls, “teenage heartthrob”. Albus is also a great musician, he gets high marks in ALL his classes, and is Seeker for his Quidditch team. Lily is the true, pure girl like Mom always wanted, smart, and really pretty. They get all the approval. Sometimes, I think that they don’t know I’m there until I’m on the court or the field. All I want out of life is their approval. For them to point at me and proudly say ‘That’s my daughter. My little Azalea.’ But time to snap out of my daydreams. A snow white owl flew down at us and dropped off a letter. It had the writing and the seal I had been waiting for. That red wax “H”, with my name on the front. I picked up the letter excitedly and tore it open. The letter, in gorgeous cursive said

Dear Ms. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on the 1 September. We await your owl no later than 31 July.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva Mcgonagall

“Dad! I got it!”  I yelled. He and my brothers came over suspiciously.

“Got what?” Albus asked. I handed him the note.

“Cool, lil’ sis! Betcha can’t wait to get on the quidditch field.” James said.

“It’s in her blood. Dashing, heroic, athletic, brave, it’s all in the Potter bloodline.” We heard a throat being cleared. We looked at the porch to see my mom with her eyebrow raised. “And then you get your looks from your mum. Oh, look at the time! Time to get off to bed!” My mom rolled her eyes. I jumped on James’ back.

“Off, my fine steed!” I said pointing toward the house.

“Off we shall go, milady.” he said. I hit his head. “There’s no need to be cruel.” he said, mock hurt.

“Shut up and go, ya big slug!”