Oleandra Greengrass is not a Squib!

Preface

I thought I'd write a little something to give new readers an idea of what they're in for. As of writing these words, I'm currently putting the finishing touches on Book 3, Prisoner of Azkaban.

When I first started writing this story, I had the rough outlines of a story running parallel to Harry Potter's own saga, as well as a power system that wouldn't conflict with the world of Harry Potter. I've, of course, made adjustments along the way, but generally, if I bring something up, it will be important later on!

It's important to note that this isn't an AU; though I will embellish and add details to missing parts of the lore, I will never contradict anything that J.K. Rowling clearly establishes as canon, except for two things:

1. Oleandra Greengrass, the main character, exists.

2. Merlin never attended Hogwarts, since he predates it by about 500 years. This will be somewhat important to my story, so keep it in the back of your mind!

Feel free to comment if I get anything else wrong, though!

This story will start slow at first, but I assure you the payoff will be worth it if what you like is progression fantasy. Oleandra starts off as weak as Neville Longbottom. But as she masters the magic of the runes in the stars, she will begin using her magic more creatively, finding more uses for apparently useless magic, and most of all, innovating new and more powerful magic spells. 

You'll find magic inspired from Nordic, Briton and Irish mythology, the Fate franchise, the Book of the Stars series, and even Fairy Tail! By the end of Book 7, you can expect to find Oleandra and her companions fighting on more or less equal terms with the likes of Voldemort!

And now that I've said my piece, happy reading!

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Daphne Greengrass, of the noble and most ancient house of Greengrass, was nothing if not ordinary. For a witch, that is. To some muggles, maybe she would have seemed like an ephemeral fairy, had they been heavily dosed with love potion, and perhaps very, very drunk. She had dark brown hair, a permanent scowl on her face and cute button nose, and was of regular height for her age. She also had a twin sister, Oleandra. Obviously, her appearance was identical to Daphne's in every way, except for her eyes, which glinted with might have been curiosity. Or perhaps they glinted with mischievousness. Really, who could tell? In any case, Oleandra was somehow even more ordinary than Daphne, which would have made her extraordinary in a certain way, derived from the fact that it seemed like Oleandra was going to turn out to be a squib.

This was, of course, nothing newsworthy to one of the sacred 28 families. Had they followed up on the muggle science of heredity and the principles of inheritance, they would have found that years of copious inbreeding had certain deleterious effects, such as an increased chance of producing blood maledictions. Ironically enough, they also increased the odds of producing squibs, whose magical genes brought about the muggle-born wizards that they so love to hate.

Wizards, being incurious and static beings by nature, do not care about such things, much less those of the noble houses, who consider such things to be beneath them. But luckily for her, Oleandra would prove herself to be magical. Not that magical, mind you, but magical nonetheless.

Indeed, nine of ten magical experts believe that if a child had been magical, they would have exhibited signs of it before the age of 7. Accidental outbursts of wandless magic under emotional duress are the most common examples. 

The second most common is the intentional use of underage magic outside of school. It is against the law, but the law is for those muggle-born peasants who don't know any better. Pure-blooded children have magical parents, and thus when the Trace sends out a signal to the ministry that magic is being used around the child, officials will simply "assume" it was the parents. Some sneaky parents might teach their children first-year charms and allow them to practise with a spare wand. 

Unfortunately, Oleandra would never be able to produce any sort of reaction from her parents' wands. But on the night of the 8th of August 1991, her eyes would twinkle a little while stargazing. The very next day, she would receive her Hogwarts acceptance letter.

And so, Oleandra, who had been kept thus far out of sight and out of mind, would be making her high-society debut… on the Hogwarts Express at age 11. But that was a month from now, she had to immediately send a response to the acceptance letter, as well as take a trip to Diagon Alley to purchase school supplies.

Upon reading the letter, her parents, Maxwell and Iris, were overjoyed.

"I always knew you had the magic in you," her mother gushed, as if she hadn't spent many sleepless nights worrying over her daughter's future; high society looked down on the non-magical; Squibs were seen as a sign of decline in a magical family. "I never doubted it one single second, unlike your father."

Upon which she threw a proud look at her husband.

"I suppose you did, dear," he sighed, knowing better than to argue. "I daresay our family's future is assured."

Looking at his daughter, he added, "One more person to learn the family's signature magic can't hurt."

The family business, as the name "Greengrass" implies, lied in the cultivation of magical flora. Botanists by trade for a thousand years, the family fortune was based on the sale of magical plants to various distributors and to distinguished establishments such as Hogwarts or St. Mungo's.

It was an open secret that every single noble house had its own hidden signature magic, the basis for their strength. The incantations were kept secret to avoid their spread, and were taught only to the heirs of the family once they were found to be responsible enough. The Greengrass signature magic had something to do with the acceleration of plants' life cycles, Oleandra had surmised.

"Yes, father." Oleandra answered with a neutral tone. As an 11-year-old girl, she was less than enthusiastic at the prospect of a lifetime of watching plants grow.

As far as young witches went, Oleandra was somewhat of an oddity. She had been groomed for 11 years for her entry into mundane muggle society, going so far as to attend muggle primary education, so how could she not aspire at something greater, now that she had the chance to experience something truly magical? 

The next morning, the Greengrass family gathered around the fireplace for a trip to Diagon Alley. As Maxwell, Iris, Astoria and Daphne jumped into the emerald fire while calling out their destination one at a time, Oleandra couldn't help but notice wisps of ethereal light emanating from the fireplace and heading straight into the heavens. Weird, she thought. That had never happened before.

"Diagon Alley!" she called out as she stepped into the magical fire.

A moment later, she was there. It wasn't the first time she had been there. In fact, it hadn't even been a month. She had accompanied Daphne through all the shops, looking wistfully at all the magical items on display, and now it was her turn. Oleandra still pinched herself on the cheek from time to time to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"Let's head to Madam Malkin's first," proposed Iris. "She should already have your sister's measurements, so it shouldn't take too long."

The streets were rather empty, as most students had already done their shopping the previous month, so the walk to the clothing shop didn't take too long.

Soon enough, the little group had arrived under the "Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions" sign and crossed the doorstep, a small bell jingling to announce their presence.

"Welcome," said Madam Malkin with a perfect salesman smile. "Miss Greengrass, everything is in order, I hope?"

"I'm the other Miss Greengrass," answered Oleandra. "The Hogwarts robes, please?"

Not to be denied her small talk, Madam Malkin persisted, "I see, so you finally got your acceptance letter, dear? Well, good for you."

Upon saying that, she ushered Oleandra to the ladies' fitting room, and took her measurements with swift, well-practised movements.

"Any preferences for the materials? Enchantments?" Madam Malkin inquired.

"The same as Daphne, I suppose?" answered Oleandra.

"Very well, three sets of robes, one pointed hat and one winter cloak, made from ethically sourced Puffskein fur, reinforced with Graphorn horn fibres. Your standard defensive enchantments, and a self-regulating temperature enchantment for comfort," enounced Madam Malkin. "Your clothes also come with a lightness charm weaved in, so do make sure to hold on to your hat on windy days."

"Rich people," she snorted inwardly. "At the rate these youngins grow, they'll have to buy new robes within two years. Ah well, more Galleons for me, I suppose."

Still maintaining her perfect smile, she added, "that will be 195 Galleons and 3 Sickles, if you please!"

One hundred and ninety-five Galleons and 3 Sickles lighter, Iris Greengrass led her children around Diagon Alley to purchase the remaining school supplies. Basic potion ingredients, a potioneering kit, protective gear and the first-year books: 

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1), by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic, by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory, by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration, by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions, by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, by Quentin Trimble

Oleandra already owned a telescope, so all that was left was to purchase a pet and a wand.