This story is written for Sharonissocool. Hope you like it :)
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Turning eleven was a big deal for me. Bigger than for most kids, I'd say, other than muggle borns. I'd always known I was a witch, but my Hogwarts letter confirmed it. And then my parents told me I'm adopted.
Put a bit of a dampener on the mood, if you ask me.
I'd joked about being adopted. I think most kids do when their families act weird or annoying. I used to pretend to beg my parents to tell me that I'm adopted. Needless to say, when they finally did I wasn't very happy about it. In fact that little piece of information changed everything. Suddenly I felt like an outsider. I'm the oldest of the kids. My parents had tried having kids for years and never had any luck, so they adopted me when I was about a year and a half old. Seven years later they suddenly got pregnant. Then they had another baby. And another. And another. Infact, they haven't stopped having babies yet. There's five of us now. Me, Jessica, Sarah and Drew (the twins) and little Tori. Dad's hoping the next baby will be a boy. He spends most of his time telling Mum's belly to be a boy. It's weird.
Now I'm fourteen and I'm very different from how I was when I was ten. Well, I like to think I am. Sometimes I'm not sure if it's how I am or how I wish I was. . .
I put my quill down and sigh. The first task is starting soon and McGonagall is ushering everyone out of the Great Hall. I tuck my diary under my arm, and catch up to Hermione. We get along well because neither of us expect the other to talk about anything other than classwork and even then, rarely. The other girls are nice, but they're boy obsessed and I don't care for that kind of talk.
I fall into step beside her. She's looking anxious. I know I should say something.
"He'll be alright," I tell her. She looks at me, surprised. I rarely talk unless I'm spoken to.
"He's smart," I tell her, "he'll be fine."
She nods, still looking surprised. We take seats in the stand and we're joined by Ron's older brothers. I tuck my knees up under my chin. I always feel jealous when others have older brothers. I've always wanted an older brother, but instead I'm the older one. Although, sometimes I'm mistaken for a Weasley. It's the red hair and freckles that does it.
There's a loud cheer as Cedric Diggory enters the arena. I sit back and stare at the clouds. Harry is the last champion to go. As soon as he's got the egg, Ron and Hermione are pushing past me to go and see him. I make my way back up to the castle and hideaway in the dormitory, knowing there will be a huge party to celebrate this. I listen to the cheers as I fall asleep.
Dancing. That's my first thought when we're lead into the empty classroom where Filch is setting up a huge gramophone. I glance over at the boys on the other side of the room. A couple them are glancing at the grammar phone looking uneasy. McGonagall gives us a spiel about the Yule Ball, then makes Ron get up to dance with her. His brothers are laughing uncontrollably and I can't help but break into a small smile. Even Hermione is giggling.
"Right, on your feet!" McGonagall calls. All the girls leap forward eagerly. The boys glance at each other, then Neville steps forward.
"Excellent, Mr Longbottom!" McGonagall says, "come on, come on, choose your partners!"
I hang back behind the other girls. I don't want to end up with someone weird. I have a fleeting moment of panic when I realise I might not be chosen at all, but then I think that would mean not having to dance, and that can only be a positive thing.
"Come along, Autumn!" McGonagall says, ushering me forward, "Mr Thomas doesn't have a partner!"
She pushes me forward and Dean and I look at each other awkwardly. I can't quite make eye contact and I know I'm blushing. I hate blushing. With my hair, I just turn into a human tomato. Dean cautiously puts his hand on my waist and takes my other hand in his.
"Put your hand on my shoulder," he says, "my mum taught me how to dance."
I do as he says and he guides me through a simple waltz.
After about half an hour McGonagall tells us to sit down again. Dean throws me a wink as he walks away. McGonagall tells us about the dress code and tells us to ensure we have a partner.
A partner. Yeah right.
I head straight back to the dormitory to document today's events in my journal.
I look forward to being the only girl at the ball without a date. Or the only girl above third year who is in bed by eight o'clock. It's probably better off that way.
Autumn Rose Turner.
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So begins a new journey! I hope you guys will like this story. I'm still adjusting to this new character, so it might be a bit shakey to start off with, but stick with me, I'll get the hang of it ;) Thanks for reading. Vote, comment, message, let me know what you think!