BOOK I
Chapter 1
Chapter 1
The Girl Who Wanted to Live Among Us
Catherine Bridges was born in Coffeyville, Maryland on April 13th, 1980. She grew up in a normal family. A mother, a father, a brother, and a dog. She had a white picket fence in the yard and a rose garden in the back. Behind the back picket fence, a wall of trees hid her from nature. Behind these trees lay a small meadow, filled with soft green grass and yellow daises and pink poppies. Catherine spent most of her time here.
Catherine did not, however, cooperate with her normal life. She was anything but. As a child, Catherine loathed picture books and anything bright and cheerful. She hated being read to and toys that sang and danced. She hid behind the couch and recited poems in her head. She sang little songs in words no one understood, and muttered about Angels and Demons and Witches. She loved scary, cliched, Halloween movies.
When school began, she didn't color within the lines, and always fought with the teacher. She was bullied terribly and read constantly. Her parents were first ashamed, then infuriated. Then, they shunned her. Catherine Bridges learned to be quiet, and speak only when spoken to.
When her 11th birthday rolled around, and the school year was ending, the more she snuck into the meadows, just a mile or so from the house. She went through the thicket and briers to the meadow. She sang, and the animals listened. Birds sang with her, the deer watched, and the horses danced as she twirled. She was a fairy among them.
As she got older, the incidents happened more often. By incidents...well...how to explain? She could do things...things other children couldn't. She could make a chair zoom across the room at light speed and...cause the tree to instantly shake it's leaves. She once ripped Jenny Rupert's skirt with a glare. And you could always tell it was her. Always.
She could also...see things. She could see them, and it would just happen. Later. In the future. She heard things, what people were thinking. She could move things with her mind. She could see the past of a person with one look at them. But she was learning the control them. They would only happen on will now.
Twirling in the brush she was carefree and totally wild. Her gold hair spun out around her. It was wavy and bright, and curled wildly around the crown. Then, abruptly, she stopped. They animals looked at her, but went about there business. It wasn't unusual for her to be so unusual. One moment later, after Catherine had stood motionless and wide-eyed for what seemed an eternity, her mother reluctantly yelled for her.
"Catherine!! Catherine get your arse up here you ninny!!" Catherine ran to the house with an odd look in her eye.
"Yes, moth-?" she asked went she ran in the door, and into the stranger that was lurking in the parlor.
"There's someone here to see you." her mother said.
The woman was tall, and had on a long brown robe, and a button up taffeta dress under it. Her skin was worn, and she was old. Her hair was dark and grey all at the same time. Her eyes were judging, but there was a soft kindness behind them. Catherine found herself accidentally looking, but stopped herself. She saw dark hall made of stone, and a lake with fog. Catherine looked up at the woman, her blue eyes sparkling. Catherine looked at the hat, which had a round brim, and ended in a point to the ceiling. Catherine smiled at her.
"Greetings,"said the girl. "I like your hat."
"I'd like to speak to the girl in private, please, madame."
Mrs. Bridges sniffed at the comment from the woman.
"If you'll come with me," the stranger asked. She started up the stairs. This only shocked Catherine for a minute that she knew where her room was.
They entered her room, which was originally violet but was covered with notebook papers filled with writings and drawings. The woman looked around and Catherine offered her a seat on the large bed with was indeed a mess. The woman asked to remain standing.
"Do you know what you are?" the woman asked her.
"I'd rather ask who you are first ma'am."
Twirling in the brush she was carefree and totally wild. Her gold hair spun out around her. It was wavy and bright, and curled wildly around the crown. Then, abruptly, she stopped. They animals looked at her, but went about there business. It wasn't unusual for her to be so unusual. One moment later, after Catherine had stood motionless and wide-eyed for what seemed an eternity, her mother reluctantly yelled for her.
"Catherine!! Catherine get your arse up here you ninny!!" Catherine ran to the house with an odd look in her eye.
"Yes, moth-?" she asked went she ran in the door, and into the stranger that was lurking in the parlor.
"There's someone here to see you." her mother said.
The woman was tall, and had on a long brown robe, and a button up taffeta dress under it. Her skin was worn, and she was old. Her hair was dark and grey all at the same time. Her eyes were judging, but there was a soft kindness behind them. Catherine found herself accidentally looking, but stopped herself. She saw dark hall made of stone, and a lake with fog. Catherine looked up at the woman, her blue eyes sparkling. Catherine looked at the hat, which had a round brim, and ended in a point to the ceiling. Catherine smiled at her.
"Greetings,"said the girl. "I like your hat."
"I'd like to speak to the girl in private, please, madame."
Mrs. Bridges sniffed at the comment from the woman.
"If you'll come with me," the stranger asked. She started up the stairs. This only shocked Catherine for a minute that she knew where her room was.
They entered her room, which was originally violet but was covered with notebook papers filled with writings and drawings. The woman looked around and Catherine offered her a seat on the large bed with was indeed a mess. The woman asked to remain standing.
"Do you know what you are?" the woman asked her.
"I'd rather ask who you are first ma'am."
She chuckled darkly. "I suppose you have a right to that question." Was her accent Scottish? "I am Professor Minerva McGonagall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Catherine's tongue got stuck and tied itself into a knot. "I..." another moment passed. "My name is Catherine Bridges. I was born in Bath, London. My mother is from Bath but my father is from Maryland so we moved here when I was 3. My father's last name was Smith but we changed it to my mother's last name at some point. I don't know why. Things happen with me. I can't explain them. Is that why your here? To put me in some special place that can help me? Not the asylum? I've not gone round the bend, I promise. And-"
"Quiet! And I will explain everything to you. I am a scout to come to address all new muggle-born students on what is happening. What did you mean by strange things?"
Catherine explained everything and Mrs. McGonagall explained everything. What Hogwarts was, what was happening to Catherine. She told Catherine she was a witch. She told Catherine that she would be attending Hogwart's school if she so pleased. Catherine excepted vigorous. And when she did so, she jumped in the air with a flourish, stayed just two seconds longer than gravity should allow, and her skirts lit a blaze. She looked down, and stopped them. McGonagall smiled.
She left her.
Catherine sat on her bed in disbelief. "Did that really just happen," she whispered. "Did she actually just clarify this weird quirk I try to suppress or hide is a talent that could get me out of this town! Out of this life! Into the world and away from this city that hates me.... Maybe once I get there, I'll do things they've never dreamed. My father will be proud of me. My mother not ashamed! Next to the headmaster and mistress I'll be the brightest flame!" she controlled a flame around her finger. "And this gift or the curse-I can't decide. Maybe at last I'll know why, when I'm at Hogwarts, the witches, wizards, and I!" She twirled and twirled then stopped. Her body shook and she got a far away look in her eye. "I just had a vision almost like a prophecy, I know. It sounds truly crazy, and true the vision's hazy, but I swear some day they'll be, a celebration throughout our world that's all to do, WITH MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! And I'll stand there at Hogwarts, feeling things I've never felt and though I'd never show it I'd be so happy I could melt! Held in such high esteem...when people see me they will scream...were half of Hogwart's favorite team! The wizard and I!!"
Minerva McGonagall called the potions master at this time.
"I don't believe you."
"I'm telling you, Severus. This year at Hogwarts will be the top class! With the girl I've just seen and Harry Potter coming to Hogwarts..."
"Your starting to sound like Sybil."
"Ha. She can keep her job and go and mock me, Severus. I know this year...It's going to be different."
Catherine brushed her hair two weeks later, with her bags packed. Her knew black robes were sitting on the foot of her bed. Her parents argued below. Which was better, their daughter being a witch or her out of the house? All that mattered was in the morning, Catherine Bridges would be on her way to Hogwarts.
