Carrie burst through the door of the house, freezing cold from the recent water fail. "Mommy, I want a towel!" Carrie cried as Aunt Lena kissed her forehead. "Don't worry dear, I'll get you a towel. I have to deal with a 'pest' problem" Aunt Lena replied referring to Nesta.

Nesta only rolled her eyes and blew some of her hair from her face. She mutter a few words under her breath an eleven year old shouldn't say out loud. "Now as for you!" Nesta gasped not bothering to hide the surprise from her face. Aunt Lena grabbed Nesta's wrist and pulled her upstairs. "What did you do back there?! At the zoo."

"I don't know." Nesta hear a 'slap' sound and felt a sharp burn on her right cheek. Right, a slap. She almost forgot about that. Nesta refrained from rubbing her cheek with her free hand. Aunt Lena didn't show any remorse (not that she felt it anyway). "Don't play dumb with me! You did it on purpose didn't you?" Nesta growled. "I didn't. The glass broke by itself and reformed like nothing happened. It was like magic!"

Aunt Lena glared even harder. Magic. That was the word that Nesta's aunt hated more than anything. When she appeared on her doorstep as an infant, it was magic. When she was able to stay up late from a thunder storm with no comfort from anyone else, it was magic. When she was able to make a birthday cake for her bratty cousin without crying her eye balls out, it was magic. Not hope. Not faith. Magic.

Aunt Lena growled back, yanking the door open to the cellar. The cellar was dark. Too dark for anyone to see. Nesta had been to the cellar loads of times to be able to understand her surroundings. The only thing that was in the cellar was a fire place and a tiny bed that wasn't comfortable for her feet.

"There is no such thing as magic." Aunt Lena replied as she pushed Nesta into the cellar and closed the door behind her, consuming Nesta into the never ending darkness.

----------------------

It was 20 minutes into the darkness that made Nesta want to cry. It hasn't even been 30 minutes and she was already giving up on trying to escape. Nesta was curled up in a tiny ball, her knees covering her mouth. "It's my birthday." she mutter under her breath. "It's my birthday and they didn't care." That only made Nesta cry more.

Just as Nesta's magic was starting to fade completely, a burst of flame engulfed in the fire place. It startled the poor girl causing her to help in surprise. The fire's glow filled the room with warmth and light. "How did..." Nesta slowly crawled forward to the burning flame. Longing for its warmth, Nesta reached out her hand.

"Hey there." Nesta gasped and pulled her hand back. Nesta turned her head left and right. It was a voice. A male voice. "Um, hello?" The voice chuckled. "I'm over here."

"Where?"

"In front of you." Nesta followed the voice to the fire. The fire began to open a small path revealing a tiny man. His entire body was in flames but he didn't seem to notice. His hands were behind his back and his hair was cut. He smiled at her including a small wave. "Hi there."

Nesta stared at him with awe. "Are you real?" she asked reaching out towards the fire boy. However, when her fingertips grasp his face, Nesta felt a jolt of pain and bounced back. "Ouch!" she said, rubbing her fingers in her palm. "Yeah be careful. Fire burns, kid."

"How did you do that?" The man folded his arms. "Just a simple spell.

"A spell? Like a magic spell?" The man nodded making Nesta smile for the first time since this morning.

The man nodded again, clearly impressed with Nesta's enthusiasm. "You bet kid! And that's not all kid." The man twirled his wrists and began to make a giant envelop. Too big for him to carry alone but big enough for Nesta to read.

Nesta took the envelop to inspect it. On the back of it, it read: 'To Nesta Archeron'. "A letter?"

"Not just any letter. An acceptance letter." Nesta looked at the front and saw a red seal in carve with the letter 'H'. Careful not to ruin the envelop, she began to open it and take out the letter:

Dear Miss Archeron,

We are pleaded to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You are invited to attend an orientation meeting on August 3, 2001 at 8:00pm. To avoid detection by Muggles, you should pretend you are attending a birthday party for Rachael. It has been arranged for Rachael's brother to meet you at 1437 Road Street and accompany you on foot to Platform 9 3/4 where you will meet the Hogwarts Express. Your parents may pick you up via the floo network or muggle transport from 0496 Marvel Road.

We wish you the best at Hogwarts

Yours Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

"So I'm a...witch?"

"Bingo!" The man cheered, making finger hand guns. "Class starts tomorrow. So you better hurry."

"But my Aunt won't let me go." Nesta replied looking down with sadness. "She won't even let me look out the window." The man from the fire, placed his hand on her knee. "What won't know won't hurt her. Besides, this is your chance to finally get you ready for the best school in the world."

Nesta considered his words. He might be a man of honor, but still... "Why should I believe you? I don't even know your name." Nesta replied, crossing her arms over her chest. That only made the man want to chuckle more. "Well sense you asked so nicely, the names Eris. First born of Beron Vansarra." Eris smirked with pride. Nesta only looked at him dumbfounded.

A loud bang interrupted the firely chat. "Shut up, Nesta!" I don't wanna hear you talking to yourself while I'm bathing!" The voice came from Carrie. Nesta gulped and shoved the letter in her pocket. "If I go to Hogwarts, can I get away from them?" she asked, desperate for an answer. Eris nodded. "Of course. You'll have to come back every summer but we can make it happen."

"We?"

"Me and the other High Lords of course. How about I meet you again out your bedroom window and I'll take you straight to Hogwarts. So, wanna come?"

This time, Nesta didn't hesitate. "Okay, I'll go."

"Excellent choice. I'll come by tonight to pick you up." Eris replied as he turned away into the fire. "Oh that reminds me, Happy birthday!" Eris suddenly pointed out of the blue. Before Nesta could thank him, he vanished, leaving the fire to burn for Nesta's warmth.