A Chance at Life

Chapter One

Author's Note: I am so sorry for doing this to you all again, but I have decided to restart A Chance at Life. I do not own Chronicles of Narnia or Harry Potter, I only own my OCs (the McNeil family and Yiskah Emrys).

Aiden Borison blinked as he tried to remember the dream.

"Aslan…" the boy muttered softly, and sighed. I wish I was a bird, he mused, because then, I could just fly away from here.

"Boy!" his aunt snarled, and began rapping on the cupboard-under-the-stairs' door. Aiden sighed softly, and opened the door, and was sharply ordered to make his "family" breakfast.

Miles away, Rose McNeil studied the last box in her room. Written in her mother's neat handwriting was the word mementos, and, pursing her lips as she reached for it, Rose opened the box. As soon as she did so, the girl saw a journal with the name Polly Plumber on top, and swiftly shut it.

Why'd Mom put it in MY things? Rose mentally ranted as she shoved the box into the furthest corner of her closet. I mean, I'M the reason she's dead!

Flashback

"Relax, Rose," Jonathan, who was reading on the couch, laughed as his sister once more glanced out the window.

"Staring out the window isn't gonna make Gran come faster," the eight year-old pointed out as he returned to his book. Rose admitted that her brother had a point, but continued looking out the window.

Eventually, the six year-old saw a car pull into the driveway, and watched as an elegant, older woman stepped out.

"Gran's here!" the blonde called, and tore out of the house.

"Hello, little lion." Polly laughed as she hugged Rose.

"Gran! Apparently, I'm magical, like Jon!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! Can I make you something?"

"All right," Polly agreed, and the girl's eyes lit up. After a minute's thought, the young witch closed her eyes, and focused. As Polly watched, magic swirled around her granddaughter, but then something went wrong. Rose cried out as she lost control of her magic, and opened her eyes, only to see her grandmother fall to the ground in a crumpled heap.

"GRAN!" she screamed, and that brought her brother and parents running, as they had stayed inside since Rose liked to help her grandmother in.

"Mother?" Anna questioned, and when no response came, cried, "Ed! Call Healer Burton!"

Within a few minutes, the family Healer (Ed had insisted, since both of his children were magical) arrived, and made the announcement.

"I'm sorry, Ed, Anna. But whatever hit her must have hit her hard, and, well, she was older."

Rose let out a chocked sob, and raced inside. When her mother went to her room to check on her daughter, she saw Rose crying on her bed.

"Rose?"

"Go away!" the girl cried out, and her mother sighed, "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"Nothing!"

End flashback

Rose jumped slightly when a knock on her door sounded, and called, "What?"

"Are you done unpacking? I'm gonna explore the neighborhood," Jonathan's voice asked from the other side, and Rose sighed, "Yeah, I'm done."

"Do you wanna come with me?"

"It's not like I've got anything better to do," Rose muttered, and on the other side of the closed door, Jonathan frowned. She's been different since Gran died, he thought, almost as if she blames herself for Gran's death.

Rose was silent as the two walked around the neighborhood, and finally, Jonathan decided to break it.

"Rose," he started, and his sister glanced at him, "remember Gran's stories?"

"About Narnia?" the girl scoffed, and Jonathan nodded, before continuing, "Remember what she told us? That Narnia was created from Aslan's song, and she told us about Jadis, and how she got to our world."

Rose glared at Jonathan, who sighed, "Okay, you clearly don't want to talk… Let's go home."

Once the two reached their house, Rose entered, and moved towards the stairs, only to be stopped by her mother saying, "And that should be them now, Professor. Kids, we're in the living room. And, Rose, don't even think about going upstairs!"

Muttering under her breath, Rose stalked into the living room, and Jonathan frowned, mentally adding, She's more sullen… it would take a miracle to get the old Rose back. However, he did follow his sister, and politely greeted the woman he didn't know.

"My name is Professor McGonagall." She said, and Rose cast a black look at the carpet, obviously not wanting to be there.

"I teach Transfiguration at Hogwarts," the woman continued, and handed the siblings two identical letters. Jonathan opened his, and scanned it. When he finished, he stated, "Ma'am, I'm a third year."

"You are a special case, Mr. McNeil," the woman told him, "and as such, you will be sorted with the first years, but I will explain that you are a third year."

When she left, the woman explained how to get to Diagon Alley, and said, "Everything that you need is on the list."

The next day, Anna, Jonathan, and Rose traveled to London, and found the Leaky Cauldron, which the Professor had said was the entrance to Diagon Alley. Anna explained why they were there to the barkeeper, and he guided them through the way to actually get into the alley. Rose muttered something under her breath, but followed her mother and brother.

First, the three went to Gringotts, and once they had enough money, went to Olivander's, where Rose was fitted with an English Oak wand with a dragon heartstring core. Her mother paid for it, and led the siblings to Madam Malkins' robe shop.

"Robes?!" Jonathan, to Rose's surprise, yelped. Rose raised an eyebrow at her mother, who just sighed, and led her children into the store, where she ordered their school robes. Rose scowled, but obeyed the seamstress's instructions, and when she was done, smirked at her brother, who moved to take his sister's place with a soft sigh.

Neither sibling knew it, but their journey, as well as Rose's chance at life, had just begun.