A Magic Stronger Than Darkness ~ Book 1: Perfect Opposites

Prologue

It all started during my first year at Hogwarts. Well, okay, maybe I should back up a bit. First off, my name is Veronica Dovefeather. Along with my best friends Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley, I'm a fourth year Gryffindor student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am also very good friends with Harry Potter, Ginny's brothers Fred, George, and Ron, and Neville Longbottom. Unlike most of my friends though, I am muggle born, meaning I was born to non-magic parents. I guess that's one reason Hermione and I are best friends, since we share that similarity. Most people automatically accepted us at Hogwarts or they soon came around to the idea, but some of the students here still call us Mudbloods (an insult implying that we have dirty blood).

That's actually where my current problem first started. All because of a certain Slytherin pureblood named Draco Malfoy. The first time we ever spoke to one another was the night we first arrived at Hogwarts castle, right before we were sorted into our respective houses and before he knew my blood status.

I remember it all very clearly, as though it happened yesterday. Every first year student had been gathered into the Entrance Hall. We huddled in excited groups, waiting for Professor McGonagall to lead us into the Great Hall. Draco had been standing nearby, so he eventually turned to me and introduced himself. Once the usual pleasantries were exchanged, Draco proceeded to ask me questions about school, which of course were difficult for me to answer since I had never heard of Hogwarts until I had received my invitation letter over the summer. "What house do you want to be in?" He had asked. I shrugged, not entirely sure what he meant by that. "I'm not sure, what about you?" I responded, nervous but eager to enter this fantastic new world. Draco straightened his slim black tie and stood tall as he replied, "My father says that Slytherin is the best. Our entire family has been in Slytherin House for centuries. He says that every truly great wizard has been in it, so that's what I want." He answered with a smirk that would one day become annoyingly familiar to me. I nodded my head, saying, "That makes sense," though I still wasn't quite certain how a school faction could be so important to someone. But before the blond boy with the slicked-back hair could ask me anything else, Professor McGonagall corralled us together and prepared to lead all the first years into the Great Hall.

I was practically shaking when I saw everyone in the massive hall watching me as the Sorting hat was placed on my head. The wizard's hat spoke with a gravelly, authoritative voice,"You are very headstrong, smart, and ambitious. Definitely traits that can lead you to power and fame. But very loyal, brave, bold, and daring as well. There's an interesting future ahead for you, my dear. Where shall I put you? Perhaps in Slytherin? You would do very well there...Very hard decision, very hard decision indeed...But no, I sense you have greater purpose elsewhere....Gryffindor!!!!!" It yelled, voice booming over my ears.

Faces brightened and cheers arose at the Gryffindor table, the place where I would soon meet my new friends. I smiled and looked around to find Draco in the crowd of the students who were still waiting to be sorted. He frowned in disappointment and turned his head away as I tried to wave at him. My heart sank and I was admittedly curious about the peculiar boy I had spoken to just a few minutes prior. Can't we still be friends? I thought to myself. Sadly I didn't know how wrong I was.

My blood status was revealed the first week at Hogwarts. Since then, I had been called a Mudblood more times than I could count by some of my pretentious classmates. Not knowing what it meant, I decided to ask Ron about it one afternoon after our Charms class. He was the one who explained the meaning of the insult to me, and I asked him about Draco too. He told me that the Malfoy family was all pureblooded, like Ron himself, and that they are actually his cousins. He explicitly stated that the Malfoys think that their blood status makes them better than everyone else though, so it was wise to steer clear of any I met, including Draco.