Forbidden Request

Chapter One: A New Beginning

Before arriving at Hogwarts, Jude Atlow's life was defined by a sense of displacement. Born into a family with no magical lineage, she only discovered her abilities later than most, leading to an unconventional education. Raised in the quiet countryside, Jude spent her childhood surrounded by nature, where her fascination with magical plants first took root.

Her powers manifested in subtle ways—a plant growing rapidly under her touch, an injured animal healing after she comforted it. But without formal training, Jude's magic felt more like a secret burden than a gift. Her family, though supportive, couldn't fully understand the world she was a part of. That was, until her mother vanished suddenly, no logical explanation making sense to Jude or her father.

From that moment, Jude was homeschooled by a private tutor who introduced her to the basics of magic, Jude's lessons lacked the structure and camaraderie that came with attending a magical school. She was an outsider in the magical world, always on the fringes, absorbing knowledge in isolation. She had heard whispers of Hogwarts, of the friendships and rivalries, of the Sorting Hat and the hallowed halls, but it always seemed like a distant dream, a place she would never belong to.

That all changed when Professor Weasley arrived at her doorstep with an invitation to attend Hogwarts for her final year. The offer was a rare one, and the suddenness of it threw Jude into uncertainty. The choice was hers—stay in the familiar quiet of her home or step into a world she had only glimpsed from afar.

Ultimately, Jude chose to go to Hogwarts, feeling both excitement and trepidation about starting anew in her final year. It was her chance to finally connect with others like her, but the pressure to fit in and make up for lost time weighed heavily on her shoulders. Still, her curiosity and determination pushed her forward, even if she wasn't sure what lay ahead.

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Arriving at Hogwarts for the first time as a seventh-year was overwhelming, to say the least. I had heard all the stories about the castle's grandeur, the moving staircases, the magical creatures, and the endless halls filled with history, but nothing could've prepared me for actually being here.

The train ride to Hogwarts had been long. Longer than I expected, though maybe that had more to do with the anxious knot twisting in my stomach than the actual journey. Arriving at Hogwarts as a seventh-year felt... wrong, like I was skipping ahead in a story where I didn't belong. I wasn't supposed to be here, at least not like this.

I stood with the rest of the students as we disembarked from the Hogwarts Express, all of us dressed in the same black robes, though they were clearly more at ease with their surroundings. I could see it in the way they laughed with their friends, confidently making their way through the throng of students toward the carriages. Meanwhile, I was still trying to figure out where to stand, clutching my wand in one hand, my fingers twisting into the long red waves of my hair with the other.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. I should have started years ago, like everyone else. But my circumstances—my late blooming magic—had thrown that plan out the window. Now, I was the odd one out. New at Hogwarts in my final year, trying to fit in where I didn't have a history or a place.

"First years, this way!" called a booming voice, and for a moment, I froze, unsure if I should follow them or not.

But I wasn't a first year. Not technically.

The knot in my stomach tightened as I joined the other seventh years heading for the Thestral-drawn carriages. I had to remind myself that I wasn't a child anymore. I was 18, and I had trained long and hard over the last year to get here. Just because I was starting late didn't mean I didn't belong. At least, that's what I kept telling myself.