Life can often be judged by a single event. The stray curse, the first kiss. However, sometimes I find it takes a little more.

First Year:

It had only been seven months since I had been thrust into a new world, one filled with magic and fear, and I was already adjusting. Maybe it was because I was so young. Eleven years gives enough time to give a bit of maturity, but the mind is still open to change. Needless to say, I was thrilled to discover the world of fairytales was real and I was an intricate part of it. That changed when I learned that there was someone out to destroy it.

I spent several weeks in fearful isolation, fearing for my family and myself. I was being prejudiced against by people I never even heard of before. Mocked by my new classmates for something I couldn't control. Shunned by my sister for something else, but something equally beyond my control.

Still, somewhere between the thrill and the fear, I made friends. I slipped into a groove with the fantastical schoolwork and the harsh prejudices surrounding. I became accustomed to most everything.

Then there was James Potter.

Since the moment he first spotted me I had become the center of his teasing. I know now that it was good-natured and to hide an attraction, but at the time I was infuriated. This time I wasn't being mocked for my blood or my ignorance. It was for something even more beyond my control.

"Hey carrot-top, pass me the eggs!" he called from across the table. I turned from my conversation with Tina, a nice second-year, to give him my best death glare. He laughed. "C'mon my little redhead. I'm a growing boy and I need food."

"Get 'em yourself," I shot back.

"You know what today is?" asked Potter, waggling his eyebrows.

I gestured to the heart decorations that covered the Great Hall and to the rose petals scattered over the table. "It's kind of hard to miss."

He blew one of the aforementioned petals across the table at me so it landed on my robes. "They match your hair," he said, smirking.

Unfortunately, the forkful of eggs that I threw at him then missed entirely and hit Professor McGonagall as she walked past our table, landing me in detention for my first Valentine's Day at Hogwarts.

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I plan on having a chapter or two a day until our V-Day, ending on their 7th year V-Day.