The short life of Kyrah Swanson

Chapter 1 | Year One

     Kyrah Swanson is just an ordinary 11-year-old girl, though ordinary might be the wrong word for Kyrah as she was currently wide awake, staring at the roof in her bedroom. But today was her eleventh birthday and her birthday usually sucked.

     Today was different in a way that was not quiet as odd. This morning her cousin, Sirius, woke her up at the crack of dawn. Diving onto her bed and shushing her when she almost screamed aloud.

     "Quiet Birthday girl! You'll wake up my Mother and I'd hate for you to get into trouble." He gave her his best grin, one that spelled trouble. 

     Yawning she stared blankly at him, "So what's up?" she asked sleepily.

     Giving her quizzical look he responded, "Kyrah, our Hogwarts letters are downstairs. Thought you'd like yours before my Mother found them or worse threw yours out..."

     Frowning slightly at him she knew that Aunt Willa would probably throw the letter away because she believed that Half-bloods and Mudbloods didn't deserve to learn magic. Giving him a huge smile, "Okay, dog breath, but we have to be quiet this time, you do know that?" she questioned him, for Sirius always got caught when he was sneaking about.

     She felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she jumped from her bed and hurriedly followed her cousin out of the room.

     Silently they crept downstairs into the kitchen past Kreacher's cupboard. She knew that the damn elf would pop upstairs to warn Aunt Willa about them - on the kitchen table next to two barn owls were two yellow envelopes, grinning at Sirius, Kyrah picked up her letter.

     "Together?" he whispered and she nodded in response. Opening their envelops together a thick parchment fell out into their hands, she unfolded her letter and read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss Swanson

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

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

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

     A loud noise behind them made both Sirius and Kyrah whip around, and there framed in the doorway stood Aunt Willa, her usually soulless eyes spitting fire at both of them and behind her was Kreacher with a superior smile across his ugly face.

     "So Kyrah dear, I see that you got accepted into a school for Pure-bloods." A shiver ran down Kyrah's spine as she stared into her aunt's black eyes. Kyrah was terribly afraid of her aunt, she sometimes smacked Kyrah just because she could. The other day when she saved a baby rabbit her aunt used one of the Unforgivable Curses to kill him saying that nothing was allowed to suffer the touch of a Half Blood.

     "Willa, dear?" Uncle Orion voiced from behind her. Aunt Willa turned around to look at her husband, "She's not going Orion, she's a half-bred brat."