Oh, my Felicity- You were born into a family that doesn't always appreciate you. But one day things are going to be very different.

✧

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

chapter song - robin (taylor swift)

ONCE UPON A TIME, in a vast land of enchantment and mystery, a baby girl was born to a wealthy, prominent wizard family of pure-bloods in the late eighteen-hundreds. They named their daughter 'Felicity' and she was the light of her parents' lives after struggling secretly for so long to conceive. Brown hair and eyes like the sky on a warm, sunny day. Was was perfect in their eyes. Their large estate was nestled in the countryside, a day ride by carriage to London. Surrounded by lush vegetation- trees engulfing the land it sat on creating its own mystical forest among the mundane.

Her parents feared corruption would entice their daughter so they kept her secluded- locked away inside the borders of their manor estate. The only ones to know of her existence were the ones who called the same place she lived home, family, and servants alike.

The manor was Felicity's castle and she was the princess of her own little but special world. Her kingdom. The staff's adoration for her expanded more and more as she grew into a feisty thing. She was barely three when the long, gravel path up to their front entrance became her river from which she pretended was infested with monsters threatening her castle. Five when she believed fairies lived in her willow tree, swearing to her amused parents she had seen them fly away once back into the tree's trunk. Ever since that day, she made sure to leave them berries every night which was always gone by morning.

Five was also the age at which her mother taught her how to read and fall in love with everything books had to offer. She told her, one night as they cuddled in the library by the hearth. "Magic may live in our world. Though, no magic will ever come close to the spellbinding feeling you'll have when you fall in love with a story." Felicity loved both wizard and muggle authors- fairytales being what she was drawn to most. 'Tales of Beedle the Bard,' was an extraordinary collection of stories. But it was tales much like 'Cinderella,' 'Sleeping Beauty,' and 'Rapunzel' that charmed her most. She visited worlds in her mind without ever leaving her bedchamber.

It got lonely being the only child her age living at home. Those wonderful stories gave Felicity hope and companionship.

That next year, on the trek from her piano lesson, she saw her mother sitting alone in her parlor. When she noticed her daughter a bright grin spread across her face- waving a hand, beckoning her to enter. Walking up to join her side her mother began to explain the easel in front of her and the paints on her side table. Said it was a beloved hobby of hers she had paused.

Felicity tilted her head and hovered her pointer finger over the unknown, cursive name on the bottom right corner of the canvas. "Whose Ella?"

Her mother straightened up, seated on her wooden stool- eye level with Felicity. "That's my first name." She explained. "Just as yours is Felicity."

The girl hummed in response and moved her attention to the painting itself. Those blue eyes of hers took in every detail possible. Her mother had talent as she could easily tell it was a castle made of stone- sitting on the top of a tall hill, overlooking a large lake. "And is this your castle? It doesn't look like our home .."

A soft, short laugh escaped Ella's lips. "No, my dear. That's Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?" She vaguely remembered the name from a book she'd read in their library one night.

Ella nodded. "It's the school where I attended as a young lady. So did your auntie, my sister." Her eyes brightened. "And where I met your father." She tenderly tucked a loose strand of hair behind Felicity's ear. "You'll go there someday once your magic begins to show itself. It was glorious." Felicity watched a memory pass over her mother's eyes. It was a good one by the way her mum's face softened. "You will be sorted into a house, a tribe of sorts, your first night there," Ella informed her and then said in a proud tone. "I was in Ravenclaw. Your father a Slytherin."

Finding those names humorous, Felicity giggled. "Those are odd names."

Ella laughed and gave her a face. "Wait until you start needing to memorize spells and potions." She put a little white on her thinnest paint brush, adding more strokes to the night sky. Felicity smiled- she was painting stars. "It's all I ever wanted for you, my darling girl. To study here and make a name for yourself- no matter your family name." Ella now swirled the bristles in a cup of water already dirtied and brown from past times she'd used it. "You know, there's a book in our library I want you to read. Called 'Hogwarts: A History. It should be on the-"

The cup fell out of her hands onto the floor into a puddle, nearly missing Felicity's cotton white day dress. "Mother?" She barely got her questions out when Ella started coughing violently into her apron. She was hunched over, heaving- sounding like she was having difficulty breathing. "Mummy?!" Felicity shouted. "Help! Father!" Her screams turned into a louder, piercing cry when blood started soaking the apron from which her mum coughed. "Someone help!"

Footsteps on tiled flooring advanced towards them and soon her mother was carted away from her. Her father held his daughter back while Felicity begged for her mum. The painting of Hogwarts long forgotten.

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Felicity grew up precariously, living her life surrounded by only adults. Those same adults tried their best to keep her innocent, but some things just couldn't be hidden for very long. Like the severity of her mother's illness. As weeks passed she succumbed more and more- not even having the strength in her weakening body to leave to her bed. Felicity was not allowed to see her and she wasn't sure she wanted to. The sounds coming from her mother's private bedchamber were enough to keep the child up at night.

Meals between her and her father (whom she realized she didn't know his first name like her mother's) were cold. Felicity came to understand just how different they were. The distance between them, sitting on either end of the long table, was a visible representation of their strained relationship with each other. He was always out of the home, doing things only Felicity's imagination could come up with. She thought him to be a king before. Or a 'Robin Hood' of sorts- leaving to go help the poor. Her hero.

She was wrong. She had to be. Those knights in shining armor in her books would care for her mother in her hour of need. She never saw her father enter Ella's room. He possibly left the estate just to get away. Save himself from the duties a husband and father should do.

Felicity knew she shouldn't, but she started to despise and resent him.

On night four, when her mother's coughing awoke Felicity, she padded ever just softly past her room to the library. She took the book she had searched for and decided to read it in her mother's parlor. She spent more time in there now than any other room in the manor. To feel closer to her mother and in hope when she regained her strength this would be the first place she ventured into. Felicity wanted to be one of the first faces that saw her when that day came.

She curled up on the velvet chaise, right up under the window to read by moonlight. The stars were her companions on nights like these. The girl opened the book in her lap and flicked to the first page- the title page. 'Hogwarts: A History' written by Bathilda Bagshot. She devoured the book in one sitting and went to read it again that same night. Fascination was too small of a world to describe how she felt learning about Hogwarts and the grounds and villages that surrounded it.

The book became a favorite of hers and she tried to read it every night before bed- desperate to retain as much knowledge as she could for this place was soon to call home, just like her mother had. Flying hippogriffs, friendly ghosts, and the Ravenclaw common room haunted her dreams in the best ways. Her nightmares ceased.

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It was week four when her aunt arrived to help care for her younger sister. It was only Felicity's third time meeting said Aunt but she expected more. She was stern and haughty. Felicity pondered how she and her mother could be related at all. She was ordered to do two things- one, you did as you were told. And the second, stay away from her mum. That second rule was proven to be difficult. She had not physically seen her mum since the incident and was beginning to miss her greatly. But her aunt seemed to be one that if you crossed her the punishment would be severe. Felicity didn't want to test those waters.

But it was because of that fear, because of not fighting to see her mum, she passed away. Her mother, Ella, passed in her bed and Felicity did not get the chance to say goodbye. The burial was the next day. After that, everything started to play out like flicking through the pages of a book.

Felicity's seventh birthday.

Turn the page.

Her aunt moves in permanently.

Turn the page.

Felicity finds her father and aunt laughing.

Turn the page.

Laughing turns to kissing.

Turn the page.

Her father marries her aunt.

Turn the page.

Felicity is now told to call her 'Stepmother.'

Turn the page.

Felicity's eighth birthday.

That morning she left down the stairs for breakfast. She didn't expect a big party or even a cake. She didn't receive one last year. Her mum would have always baked a large cake to surprise her the second she entered the dining room. Her father and stepmother hardly acknowledge it.

She was on the stair landing when she overheard her stepmother say her name in a hushed tone. Felicity kneeled, keenly eavesdropping as her blue eyes peeked through the banister. She saw the shadows of their feet, walking about in her mother's old parlor room- now her stepmother's.

"Her powers should have come by now." Her father spoke. He sounded stressed. "This is no good, I tell you."

"Perhaps she's a squib, darling?"

Reconzinging the name Felicity frowned. Yes, she hadn't exhibited any magic yet but she did not think it was such a big deal. She would get them soon. Right?

"A squib?" Her father exclaimed- seemingly horrid by the idea as his voice grew. "Not my child! Who would carry the name of-"

"We can have more children to carry out the name." Her stepmother interrupted. "Our own children."

A pause, like her father was contemplating the idea. Felicity held her breath. She prayed to Merlin that he would show his true colors now. That he wasn't a horrible man and would fight for her. "Then what do we do with this one?" Tears welled up when she realized how wrong she was. "She's a waste of space now."

"Our world doesn't know of her existence. You know what we need to do."

Felicity stood up, not caring how much noise she'd make, and ran as fast as she could up the stairs for someplace to hide. The steps creaking under her feet soon multiplied and a shout from her father followed.

"Stupefy!"

For Felicity, everything grew dark.

⁺˚*･༓☾ ✧ ✧ ✧ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

- 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞 -

I really hope you enjoyed the prologue! I have so many plans for this series!

If you're new to my page and stories- Hi! I'm Kayleigh and I'm so happy you decided to give my story a chance.

And I hope you're willing to stay and see watch it grow :)

I love y'all and stay safe

- 𝓚𝓪𝔂𝓵𝓮𝓲𝓰𝓱 ৻ꪆ

ps - "chapter songs" are songs that aren't always on the playlists, but describes a chapter perfectly to me. I end up listening to it a lot as I write said chapter. Not all chapters will have a song and some will be repeated :)

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Please leave your wonderful comments below and don't forget to vote :)

- Kayleigh