Harry Potter 1. Chapter 1

A Hufflepuffs tale

It is a fact of life that every one will always focus on those at the top of the social ladder, those with the most influence in the way things run. It makes sense in a way but few people seem to notice that this is not everything. In our world the main powers are the ministry and those involved with it, you-know-who, the deatheaters, Dumbledore as the headmaster of the only magical school in England and of course the boy-who-lived, Harry Potter. There is a whole other layer to the wizarding world which doesn't seem to get a mention in many things at all.

For example, I am a sixth year muggleborn hufflepuff. I have the same teachers as Potter, am in the same year and of course take most of the same classes. I like reading fictional stories both muggle and wizarding, especially adventures, being by my self and working with animals. Like everyone in my house I am a hard worker in most areas and am very loyal to my family.

This is my story.


	2. Chapter 2

Early life

I was born on the 27th of June 1981, the first of five children to be born to Julian and Christina Bailey. We weren't rich by any stretch of the imagination but the money coming in from dad's job was enough to keep us living comfortably in the house we rented off a farmer around 3 miles from town. Dad worked as a farm hand for both the owner of the house and his nieghbour. As the years passed and the family grew so did the amount of work around the house. Together we tackled it, from a young age learning to first set the table and help hang the washing to dry. Then as the next one of us was able to take over this we moved onto bigger, harder jobs. It was fine until two months before my nineth birthday that a disaster struck my family. While working with some cattle one day Dad accidentally got between a particularly aggressive bull and his mob of cows. The 700kg animal charged him and though he tried to run and dodge, it caught him. He died after a fragment of one of his broken ribs pierced his heart. For months my mother was near catatonic and it fell to my shoulders to keep the house running. I had always known that I could make strange things happen if I wished for it hard enough, my siblings all thought that it was cool even though none of them could do anything. We were taught not to be jelouse of any of the others from the moment we opened our eyes, so they all welcomed my ability and found other ways which they could help. One of the main things that it was useful for was keeping Kaylee and Geoffrey who were 15 months and two and a half years old respectively amused. I could make their toys float through the air or move around and cheer them up when they were screaming.

Through those difficult months we all did as much as we could. I pulled out of school so I could have more time to do the house work and so that the baby and Geoff would not be left alone. I remember waking up each morning and praying that it had all been a dream and that dad would soon be yelling for us to get out of bed. I was old enough that I understood what it meant but I was the only one. At six years of age my next youngest sibling simply couldn't grasp the fact that he was gone and couldn't be there for us any more.

By the end of the first month I had used all of the money that had been saved in the little jar above the fire on what food I thought I might be capable of putting together into a reasonable meal. Some how we managed to get around the authorities and held onto our little house. Part of our success was due to the guilt and generosity of the farmer himself. He felt bad at leaving us to starve so he kept giving us as much money as he could as if dad was still working and we helped out with some of the smaller jobs when we found the time. It wasn't enough though, we knew that we could not live like this forever so as soon as the other two had finished the school term we left.

I sold all the unimportant furniture with the farmers help, put the favorites and the heirlooms into storage and packed a bag for everyone. We walked to the town, cajoling our mother the whole way and stopping for frequent breaks. Finally arriving I got everyone a small meal and found out if and when a bus passed through. As it turned out, there wasn't one but even though I was set back I couldn't stop now, everyone was depending on me to find them a way out of this place. After talking to several people I managed to find a truck which was due to deliver supplies and would return to name of large town empty. The man who ran the grosery store said that he would give them a ride, dropping them of near the outskirts of town from there it was a short walk to the train station. So that is what we did.

We ended up on kings cross station with no idea where to go so I bought us a map. That night we slept all piled together under the stars in a park with our bags as pillows and the sturdiest blankets I had been able to find wrapped tightly around us to ward off the chill. I knew it was dangerous for us to be on the streets so I had brought my dads old pocket knife hoping that the threat of it would be enough to deter most thugs and theives as I knew that I could not actually fight off anything. In the morning we walked to the first of the landmarks that I wanted to see and show the others. I spent the night of my birthday on a bench, watching over my family, with the knife in my hands. We had been threatened a few times already and I wasn't about to take any chances. Nobody

We continued in that way for almost a fortnight before getting bored. So it was off to the train station again with no particular destination in mind. As far as I knew we didn't have any living relatives left, but as we sat in the station looking at the map of the countryside our mother, in one of her better moments, pointed to a spot on the map. She told us that it was where one of her childhood friends had moved to, and that it would be great to see her again.

Hours later we found our selves on a nearly empty platform with no idea of what to do. Apparently the last time mother had been on this station was when she was on a holiday with dad, celebrating their fifth aniversary. She was in tears again. We couldn't even get the name of her friend out of her to use the phone. That night we found ourselves in a small alley behind one of the stores as usual I slept closest to the entrance of the alley so I could stop anyone who tried to get to any of our things. The local police officer found us the next morning and I managed to convince him to help us to get through to our mother again. When he finally got the name of her friend out of her he started chuckling under his breath and was soon laughing hard enough that he had to wipe his eyes. I can distinctly recall him turning to me and saying in a lot more relaxed manner that he had better welcome us into his home. I wasn't sure if I could trust him yet but that coment had brought mother's head up. "Timmy?" she asked and that was good enough for me.

For the first time since we left home I found myself washing Geoff and Kay and relishing in the sensation of being rid of the dirt and grime. Timmy and his wife Paula had a son around the same age as Jeremy (five) and Danielle (6) and they were willing to let us board until mother was back on her feet as long as we helped out. So the boys and I worked our old routine into the existing one, Jeremy would set the table and dry the dishes, Danny would wash and help to fold the washing and I helpe cook as much as I was able to, washed the clothes helped to hang them out and looked after Kay. They were amazed at first but during the course of the week they got used to it.

The biggest surprise for them came in one of the first evening talks they had with my mother, I sent the others on up to the room we shared and crept down to listen. By this stage she was looking terrible. I had been struggling to get her to eat at all so she was skeletally thin, her eyes were dull and she hadn't brushed her hair in ages. I kept quiet for the first few minutes as they tried to get to say something, anything. I could see that it wouldn't work though so I crept back over to the landing and walked normally towards the door. They looked at me as I entered and back at mother. I told them that it would be best if we got her to bed and asked if there was anything that would make her sleep. They looked troubled but got up and while Paula fetched a light sleeping pill and some water, timmy showed me where she was going to sleep. When his wife returned she gave me both and they stood together in the doorway as I sat her down and started to talk her into consuming them. It wasn't working, she was even more appathetic than usual. I got her to hold the cup though after some talking and sighed glancing at the adults. There was only one way that I was going to get it into her and that was by tricking her. Closing my eyes for a second I consentrated and then spoke in my fathers voice, calling her, asking her, telling her that she was being silly like I remember him saying. Slowly her head came up and a slight spark of life appeared deep in her eyes. Staring blankly at the wall she didn't object when I held the pill to her lips and swallowed it and the water. After she had fallen asleep I tucked her in like I would any of the others and left the room. I was strong, but I was only nine and I had been the strong one since the news had first arrived that dad was never returing home. I didn't have time to greive, with mother out of action and dad gone I was left. It made me feel scared but proud, nervous but determined. I wouldn't let them down. I grew up that day. Circumstances had changed though and now there was an adult here to look after the others, one who had proven to be trust worthy so far so I let it all out.

They followed me silently as I headed back to the sitting room. Paula was crying at the state her friend was in and Timmy was in shock at what he had seen but both of them held me as I finally allowed myself the chance to cry. I cried my self to sleep that night and neither of the adults left my side.

When I awoke the next morning I was wedged tighly between two warm bodies. My first thought was that I could have let harm come to my family while I slept with them but when I opened my eyes to a well lit bedroom it all came back to me. I turned and buried my face into the solid chest behind me. When I felt a hand stroking my hair the tears started again, dad used to hold me like that when ever I had a nightmare. I must have thought it out loud because I was hugged from the other side as the tears kept falling.

When we heard sounds from the rest of the house I sat up and wiped my face. The world wouldn't stop for me so I got up and made sure that the others were all dressed and ready for the day.

From then on it continued in the same manner. I would make sure that everyone was asleep or in mothers case comfortable before going to the sitting room and talking with Timmy and Paula. Timmy had arranged to take two weeks off when we had first arrived but was back at work so we had to work around his shifts. When school started again we were all enrolled in the nearby primary school. They put me into fifth grade and despite my protests, bought supplies for all of us. I never fitted in at that school. The other students thought I was a teachers pet because I wouldn't play with them in morning break and lunch instead doing my homework, the teachers thought I was too distracted and reprimanded me at every oportunity. I didn't care though and that only made it worse. I ignored the other students and got as much work as I could done at school so that I wouldn't have to make time at home. I accepted the teachers punishments of lunch time detention and used the extra study time to my advantage. It was the after school detention that got me enoyed because I needed that time to look after my family. It was after the third time I had been kept back that I went to the headmaster and told him that I had two very young siblings who I needed to give extra care too at the time, my father had just died and my mother was stuck in her depression. he must have told his staff though because I was never held back after school again. For that I was grateful.

My mother still wasn't recovering at all and was getting really sick because of the lack of food she was eating. It was like she was trying to starve herself to death. It wasn't until the end of first term that I realised that that was exactly what she was trying to do. I woke up earlier than usual on the second morning of break to the sound of glass shattering. Telling the others who had awoken at the sound to stay in their beds I ran down stairs. When I saw Timmy race into my mothers room I followed to see the one thing that I had dreaded. She was sitting amongst the shattered glass crying, rocking back and forward with a shard clenched in her fist. There was blood every where from the many slices but worse was position of that shard. It was in the general region of her heart and having grown up helping with the monthly slaughter I knew that it was only due to her shaky hands that it wasn't already too late. I stood in shock as Timmy's training called him into action. He told me to call for an ambulance at the sound mother looked up and seeing who it was sobbed harder, striking again with her piece of glass, opening up large gash in her breast. At the pain she paused for a second and the last thing I saw as I ran from the room was timmy grabbing mother's arms in his strong hands. Paula telephoned for an ambulance in the end because my hands were shaking to hard. Instead I went up stairs again to break the news to the others. I told them that mother was very sick and she had hurt herself so bad that an ambulance was going to cme and take her away so the she could get better. They looked sad but not too much so, they had had time to get used to the fact that I would be keeping them safe and that Timmy and Paula would look after them. They had been more like parents to them than mother had been since the accident. We had even made it permanent by getting her to sign over guardianship to them if anything happened to her. For this small mercy we were all greatful, especially when we received word an hour later that on the way to the hospital mother had come to and managed to attack Timmy and the ambulance officer with another fragment of glass which she had pulled out of herself. Timmy was in need of stitches but mother was dead after she had stabbed herself again when they pulled out of her reach. When Paula told me this the look in her eye was enough that I want straight over to her a gave her a hug. Nothing was said between us, there was no need. Just giving and receiving that comfort was enough and when the younger children found us we were ready to help them too.

It was a few weeks until we settled back into the rhythm of life again. I started to take more time off of school again, neither paula nor timmy were very happy with that idea but I made sure that I kept up with the math and writing structure classes so they didn't object too loudly. They needed the help that I could provide too much to say no. Life continued on like that for the next year, I ended up basically getting my education by correspondence while I looked after the house and the other children. This allowed paula to get a part time job at the local supermarket so that we could afford more than just the necessities. I still felt bad for imposing on them and moving in even though they had said nothing so I quietly found out when their wedding aniversary was and organised for them to go on a weekend trip. It took me a while to get the money side organised but with the help of the others (those old enough anyway) we got it sorted. We anounced it as a group on the special day and they were gone by that evening, not all that happy about leaving us without an adult. At the same time they knew that they could trust me to look after every thing.

They enjoyed their weekend away but told me that I didn't have to do that for them and that they were going to need to save up some more money as paula we going to have another baby in around 5 months. Timmy sat me down after paula had gone to lay down for a while and told me that they were happy having us live with them and that I really didn't need to do things like that for them. It was more than enough that I was helping them around the house instead of playing with my friends. I told him that I didn't really have anyone of my own age that I felt comfortable playing around with. I had never mentioned my problem with the bullies before and even though it had been more than a year since I had started there it had only gotten worse. I told him all about what they said to me and that they were all too scared to do anything else after I slapped the first person to try to push me around. He laughed at that and said that he was proud of me for standing up to them like that. That one phrase meant the world to me, especially coming from him. I became determind to do as much as I could to get his to say those words to me again. I started doing odd jobs around the neighbourhood and saving the money in an old jam jar I had stashed under my bed. I fetched the groceries for the old lady at the end of the street, looked after the cat next door and the pair of dogs across the road while their owners were away as well as doing some gardening for anyone who asked. I was lucky in the fact that most of the people who lived on the street thought that it was wonderful to see such eagerness in someone my age. I save up for six weeks before I went to timmy with my jars. After the first one was full I had found another and stashed it in the same place. He had seen me at work and knew what I was doing but was surprised at the omount of money that I had earnt. It was all in small change so it wasn't worth as much as it looked but he organised to take me to the bank during his lunch break the next day so I could put it into an account for when I needed it.

I didn't realise that I would need it so soon. The baby was born just two weeks before my birthday so we were still adjusting to her presence when I received my hogwarts acceptance letter. The owl dropped it on my plate while it was serving the others their breakfast and waited on the back of the chair while I read through what it said.

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 Ms. Bailey,

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

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

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

None of us knew quite what to do about it but the owl was still sitting on the back of the chair so we wrote a short reply saying that we would need some more information before we could make a decision. I held it out to the bird who hooted once before taking the note in its beak and flying back out the open window.


End file.
