Redemption.

The letter

Stiorra's POV.

There were people screaming, hundreds of them it seemed. There was a cold and shrill voice, laughing its heart out. There were bright flashes of green light. There were strange words being whispered. Some others were yelled. And there was pain.

Stiorra Roper woke up with a start. There were drops of sweat pearling on her forehead, with long locks of brown hair stuck to her skin. Flashbacks. She never dreamt about anything else, except the war, but the day her parents were murdered and she almost died herself. The only thing that reminded her everyday of that dark night was a dark-red and nasty looking scar on her chest.

There was one thing about her making a difference. Her parents died the day a couple of Death Eaters had come to recruit them. She was six. In fact, they wanted Stiorra for there was a prophecy: the youngest child of the family would be the one to help the Dark Lord, if ever returned, to power and to conquer the world of magic. This was the reason she lived. This was the reason her parents had died. That was the reason she grew up in an orphanage in London, in the non-magic world.

"It's all over now," she muttered to herself as she stretched out and noticed a familiar letter by her bedroom door.

And she was right. The war was over. Harry Potter had defeated the Dark Lord. His Death Eaters had fallen. All of them. Mostly. No one would be looking for her anymore. Her life was no longer at stake. She could finally hope for a normal life.
When she was eleven, she received a letter similar to the one that stood on the floor by her door. That letter meant for her to study at Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry, where she spent the happiest moments of her life. And more recently, the scariest, too.
She jumped out of her bed and picked up the letter. It came from Hogwarts. She opened it up, and started reading.

Dear Ms. Roper,
You are hereby invited to pursue your studies at Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry. Giving the recent events and the circumstances of your last year at Hogwarts, we are more than happy to welcome our 7th year former students back for you to finish your year at Hogwarts.
Here is the list of books and supplies you'd need for the school year.
Hopefully, we will see you on September, 1st. We are expecting an answer by August, 28th.
Greetings,
Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall.

Stiorra's heart jumped in her chest. Ever since the war ended she wished going back to Hogwarts one last time.
She ripped a page from a book she was reading and wrote her name down, adding 'yes' as an answer. In a corner of the room was a cage from where an owl, with feathers as dark as the night and the eyes similar to a constellation, was staring at the girl. Stiorra opened up the door of the cage and carefully tied the piece of paper on the bird's leg, making sure it was secure before carrying the owl to the window.

"To Hogwarts, Orion. Deliver this message to Professor McGonagall for me."

Stiorra stroke the feathers of the bird with affection, and opened the window. The owl flew out, and Stiorra watched it disappear in the distance.

She read the list of the things she needed to buy again, and walked straight up to her trunk where she kept anything that was related to magic, from her clothes to her school supplies. Speaking of, she had some left.  However, she needed more for the school year. Her uniform was still fitting perfectly, and her wand was in good condition. She needed to buy the school books that were on the list, though, since none she had from her last year were on the list. Obviously. She needed to refill on ink and quills, too.

Stiorra put on a baby pink summer dress for it was warm enough outside, and grabbed a cardigan just in case it was colder on Diagon Alley. She put on a pair of white sneakers and let her long brown hair down, falling in her back. She put a pair of sunglasses to hide the dark circles that were underlining her brown eyes.