Stranger

Chapter 4 - Alone

PAST

"She said 'The three cousins must meet, for only one may claim the legacy.' "

For many days I crept around the hallways of Hogwarts, attending first-year classes and leaving right after. Some students tried talking to me, and so many of them tormented me for not belonging anywhere. I was too young, without a house, without a family, and without a reason.
I had been given an old wand and a robe that had no color of a house on it. I felt left out, but at that time It did not matter to me.

Dumbledore let me stay in the Ravenclaw tower dormitories since he believed that the Ravenclaws would be of great help to me with my studies. But I didn't want anyone near me for weeks. I couldn't bear to look at anyone who showed me any kind of sympathy, and I locked myself in. I couldn't stop thinking about Elise and the secret she kept until her very death.

I made one thing clear to myself. I was going to learn and become a powerful witch, so when the time comes I am scared of nothing to get what I want. So I set myself a goal and started to fulfill it.

During my time at Hogwarts, I slowly started to understand the classes I had to attend. My favorites so far were Charms and History of Magic. Also, I finally got the chance to start reading all of the books Dumbledore had sent me over the course of Autumn.
I spent days in my bed just reading and learning as much as I can.

"You should've been sorted into Ravenclaw." I saw a girl walk past me as I sat on my bed reading my astronomy book.

"Huh?" I looked up at her, losing the focus I had on my book.

"You study a lot, and I see you value knowledge." She explained.

"I still have no idea what I am learning..." I sighed. Words like "transfiguration" and "metamorphmagus" danced around in my head, but their meanings slipped through my fingers like sand. How could I grasp what it meant to change one object into another, or to transform oneself at will? I was trying very hard yet I failed to understand so many things. 

Each time I thought I was beginning to grasp something, another term would appear, like "hexes" and "jinxes," words that sounded playful but hinted at danger. I imagined casting one, but the thought filled me with anxiety. What if I messed up? What if my attempts only led to disaster?

And then there was "Obliviate," the word that hung in my mind like a storm cloud, a reminder of my family's shattered memories. I pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to push away the confusion and sadness, but it only deepened my sense of isolation.

"I'm Cho, by the way." She walked up to me and sat down on my bed snapping me out of my swirling thoughts.

"Well, you know my name." I snapped back and buried my face back in the book. She sat there for a while, watching me with almost what looked like pity, and then walked away.

I didn't want anyone to distract me from my goal.

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Potion classes were the most difficult for me. Professor Snape refused to acknowledge me and pretended I didn't even exist there. Surprisingly, I did not blame him for that. I was an outcast and I didn't belong in a world of magic. At least that's what I kept telling myself when I finally gave in to my fears.