Prior to Corliss's Hogwarts letter, she never knew she was a witch. All she knew was that she was just another girl in an ordinary private school. She never had many friends, not even two. She only ever had one friend, though they weren't quite close. Her name was Callidora.

Corliss and Callidora would always exchange stories at lunch when they sat together, although Corliss would sometimes not say anything. Her classes were always uneventful, but this isn't the only reason Corliss wouldn't talk. She was always shy and softspoken and she was only confident with her parents who had raised her. Still, Corliss would always miss Callidora, no matter how close they were.

Even then, Corliss knew she was somewhat... strange. Sometimes, when she was reading a book, it would flip its pages by itself. She dreamt of cloaked people shooting jets of light with long and intricate wands, so she always drew what she remembered about those dreams. Even when she was reading, crayons and pencils would act on its own without Corliss even realising it. She would always dismiss everything as a snippet of her imagination.

To her, it was a good point. Every day, she would always make and destroy countless worlds inside her head. Some of them were so ridiculous even a five-year-old would know it wasn't real. But that wouldn't satisfy Corliss. She would make organic characters and their flaws and weaknesses. She would make up a story about them and let her characters interact with one another. She would do this so many times that it was hard to keep track of who's who. This was why self-flipping books and floating crayons and pencils weren't real to her.

But she didn't know that witches and wizards would exist. All she knew was that they were only fiction. She couldn't believe it when a cloaked person walked into her home and proclaimed that Corliss was a witch. She could do magical things. The wizard went on to ask if there have been strange occurrences that are not explainable by science alone. They would only be explained by magic. Corliss said to her parents that she remembered the books flipping themselves and the crayons and pencils drawing in their own accord. The wizard would then show off a spell so that an object would float to the ceiling.

Corliss wouldn't believe it. She would leave her boring school and those boring subjects. She wouldn't even have to play sports or memorise those names in History that blended seamlessly together. She wouldn't have to deal with rejecting fantasies at the end of every day. Perhaps she could even make friends with fellow witches and wizards. Yes, she would live her old life just a little bit, but the life she was leaving was not the life she wanted. She wanted to live in a school where everything can be possible.

It wasn't too long before she arrived at platform nine and three quarters. It was a passageway to a world none can imagine. A passageway of a world of endless possibilities.

Corliss was always quiet. At school, outside, anywhere. Except when she is talking to her parents or even her close friend. When she's close to you, she can tell you about the worlds she imagined, no matter how ridiculous or terrible they sound. She can tell you about the stories she dreamed up. But when you ask if she wants to do something with those stories, say write a book about it, she will say it was all for fun.

No matter how far-fetched her worlds are, she never imagined anything about herself. Sure, she's hardworking and she tries her best in every way, but never ambitious. She doesn't dream big. She only ever dreamed of a quiet life, maybe as a Hogwarts professor, with no glory at all. Not even a bit of glory. Not even a bit of fame. A peaceful life is what she wants.

Corliss always compares herself to others. After all, she's in the Hufflepuff house, where the hardworking live. She never thinks anything she does is enough to be in the house. Everyone else is so talented and kind, but Corliss thinks she's not talented nor kind. This makes her anxious and even more shy than she ever was. This discourages her, even though she's full of potential.

Corliss is passive. She never takes action, she only ever reacts. She needs some kind of outside force to do something. Like a friend or a professor. Like an enemy or a bully. Anyone or anything. She also needs pressure and stakes to act, but she never had the right situation to do that.