The New Shaman

Chapter 2-Prelude to Destiny

(duhn, duhn, duhn)

"Hiya there Harry! Already ter go?"

"Yep. Just one thing though Hagrid, why does Dumbledore want to see me? And why does Malfoy have to come too?" Harry asked shooting Malfoy a look that would kill most people, but seeing as how Malfoy's heart was made of the same cold steel as the color of his eyes, he simply sneered at Harry and walked away.

"I don' know why Dumbledore wants ter see ya's. Alls I knows is that I'm supposed to bring you, Hermione, and Draco up to the castle. It's somethin' rather important, I'd say."

"So, Hermione's coming too?"

Hagrid nodded. "You can't tell the Head Boy and not the Head Girl! We're goin' to get her as soon as we're done loadin' yer stuff so how's ‘bout givin' me a hand?" Harry helped Hagrid load his things and then they were off, and they had soon picked up Hermione and were on their way to London.

Once they had checked into their rooms at the Leaky Cauldron, tapped the third brick to the left, and entered through the archway to Diagon Alley they made their way towards Gringotts. Luckily for Harry his parents had left him a small fortune in wizards gold and after six full years at Hogwarts, and a new spending problem he had just developed, he still had plenty.

"So, how was Military Camp?" Hermione asked grinning. Harry groaned.

"Horrible! Vile! Disgusting! I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy." He looked over at Malfoy. "Well, maybe I would. Yes actually, I think I would indeed."

The idea of the perfectly groomed Draco Malfoy marching through the mud and rain made Harry smile. He hated Malfoy more then most people hate their in-laws. Malfoy always made him feel inferior, whether it was by insulting, his parents, his friends, or insulting his living with muggles. Hell, Malfoy was doing nothing short of walking beside Harry and he felt second best! Malfoy in his expensive three-piece Gucci suit, perfect hair, perfect skin; girls flaunting themselves at him as he walked past. And then there was Harry with his messy hair and lop-sided glasses, walking beside of him in a new pair of baggy straight-leg GAP jeans and his favorite new T-Shirt (which got a lot of attention in its own right) that showed a casino on the front and read ‘Dick's Casino- Liquor in the front, Poker in the rear'. Harry thought the shirt was pretty damn hilarious! He had caught the hidden joke in there about women. Apparently Malfoy did too.

"Hoping someone will want you Potter if you advertise on your shirt?" Harry bit his tongue and ignored him.

"So Hagrid," Harry said through clenched teeth, "What's in store for this year in Care of Magical Creatures class? Hippogriffs? Blast-Ended Skrewts? Unicorns? Werewolves?"

"I honestly wouldn' know." Hagrid replied, "Professor Grubbly-Plank is goin' to be yer teacher this year."

"The substitute!" Hermoine exclaimed.

"Yep. Me an' Olympe are goin' on a little holiday in the mountains."

"You and Madame Maxime have gotten quite close, haven't you Hagrid?" she said smiling. Hagrid blushed underneath the tangle of black hair he called a beard and Harry smiled too. If anyone deserved to go on a holiday with his favorite gal, it was definitely Hagrid.

"I won' be at the school after tomorrow night," Hagrid said as they were walking up the steps to Gringotts, "Well, I'll be back ya know, ‘bout end of the year, but me an' Olympe leave on the first."

After they had all gotten their money, Malfoy met up with his two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, and Harry, Hagrid, and Hermoine set off towards Flourish and Blotts.

"You guys meetin' Ron anywhere's?" Hagrid asked. Harry and Hermoine exchanged nervous.

"I forgot to tell Ron we were coming early!"

"I did too, actually," Harry admitted, "but don't worry. I'll send him an owl later tonight telling him we've already come. He'll still tell us off though." Then Hagrid changed the subject.

"Ya know seeing you wear that badge takes me back to when yer mum an' dad were Head Boy an' Girl at Howgwarts." He ruffled Harry's hair, "Not that ya don' remind me o' Lily and James anyways."

Harry tried to pat his hair back down but he knew it probably didn't matter. His hair was so messy he would have been quite surprised if Hagrid had managed to mess it up anymore. But Harry smiled nonetheless at Hagrid's compliment. People were always telling him how much he resembled his parents and he never got tired of hearing it. He had his father's stubbornly untidy hair, which according to Hermoine stuck in every direction but down, and his mother's piercing green eyes, that according to Ginny Weasley looked like a fresh pickled toad. He didn't like that compliment oh so much.

Over the years, Harry felt he had grown to be quite handsome; especially with the new muscles he acquired at camp. Which is probably why he had the sudden need to adorn himself in nicer more expensive looking clothes. Harry had even had a few girlfriends! First he dated Josie Wiles, from Raenclaw, but she turned out to be nothing but a pretty face with a head full of fluff, and he had finally gotten to date his dream girl Cho Chang for a while during his 6^th year, but the relationship dissolved shortly after it had started, (which was disappointing considering how long Harry had had a crush on her) because all she ever talked about was herself, and Harry found her to be quite the village idiot. He was already forming a bad habit of dating pretty girls who didn't know anything outside of themselves and their make-up mirrors. ‘That's alright though,' Harry thought, ‘the third time's a charm.'

When they walked into Flourish and Blotts , he saw her. The girl from his dreams! She was standing with.... Professor Lupin? He turned around to tell Hermione but when he went to look at the girl again, she was gone. And Lupin was standing alone. ‘I'm going fuckin' bonkers!' Harry thought and shook his head. He and Hermione got all their stuff and went up to the register behind Lupin.

"Hi there!" Harry said tapping Lupin on the shoulder, "Long time, no see!"

"Harry! Hermione! Hagrid!" He chuckled nervously, "How nice to see all of you? How have you all been?"

"Good!" They all replied.

"Professor, what are you doing here?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, I'm getting my niece's school books for her. She'll be a first year this year."

"Then why do you have Transfiguration Grade 7?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"She's very gifted," Lupin replied, "Well, I'm done checking out! Nice to run into you guys! Bye!" And he hurried out the door.

"Well, that was odd."

"It certainly was," Hermione said, "I wonder why he was so jumpy?" Harry and Hagrid shrugged their shoulders.

When they had finished the rest of their shopping, they put their stuff away at the Leaky Cauldron and sat down to dinner.

"Hey there Harry!" said the Tom the toothless bartender walking over to their table and slapping him on the back. "Boy, do you look older! Head Boy! And Quidditch captain to boot! Lookin' forward to a winning season?"

"Of course!" Harry said shooting Malfoy a dirty look. Harry was captain and seeker for Gryfindor and Malfoy held the same position for Gryfindor's great rival: Slytherien. He made a mental note to thank Tom later for giving him an excellent excuse to insult Malfoy in public.

Soon they were done eating and went off to bed. Harry lay there that night and tried to go to sleep, but it was useless. He just wasn't tired! He felt excited, jumpy, and nervous about what Dumbledore was going to tell them tomorrow.

"Well, at least I know I'm still going to be Head Boy." He smirked to himself.

"That's right, deary. Of course you are," murmured his mirror sleepily. Harry laughed.

******************************************************************

Alexa awoke that morning with a start looking around. ‘I must be in one of the guest room s, she thought. Dumbledore said he would have let her stay in one of the dormitories but she had not yet been sorted and..."Sorted!" She bolted out of bed and started throwing on her clothes. She was going to be sorted that morning after breakfast! She pulled her tennis shoes on and took off sprinting out the door. The only problem however, was the fact that she didn't know where in the hell she was going! She continued to jog down the hallway looking for the cafeteria when she ran straight into someone.... or through them rather.

"Uh, hello," Alexa said giving a shiver, "Sorry about that. You don't happen to know where I go to get breakfast do you?"

"Oh! You must be the transfer student Alexa from the U.S.! Am I right?" "This guy is a real freakin' loony toon.' She thought, what the hell is that frilly shit around his neck?" Out loud she said, "Do I have a British accent?"

"No," he replied

"Well, then I must be the transfer student from the United States. No w can you help me? I'm starving!"

"You certainly are witty," said the ghost looking rather ruffled, "My name is Sir Nicholas..."

"Nearly Head-Less Nick!" she interrupted, "Hermione told me all about you! You're the Gryfindor ghost! I totally want to be in your house!"

"Well, if Hermione told you all about me then perhaps she told you that I despise being called ‘Nearly Head-Less Nick."

"Can I see your head fall over?"

"You, Alexa, are incorrigible!"

"Nah, I'm witty remember," she gave Nick her sweetest smile. Didn't he know she was in a hurry? "Now could you please tell me where the cafeteria is?"

"The Great Hall, not cafeteria is down this hallway and to your right. Go through the big oak doors and you're there."

"Thanks," Alexa said backing up and giving him a two-finger salute, "Sir Nicholas." Nick smiled and Alexa took back off sprinting down the long corridor.

She burst through the doors, out of breath. ‘No more smoking,' she thought firmly, ‘you barely ran a hundred feet!" "Yeah, but I ran really fast!" the other half of her brain retorted.

"Alexa! Have you been running, my dear?" Dumbledore asked looking at her quizzically.

"I thought I was going to be late," she replied quickly, "and breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you know." ‘Most important because I get sorted directly following it,' she thought bitterly, ‘does everyone in this castle delight in asking stupid questions.'

But it seemed like Dumbledore had read her mind.

"Most important because who get sorted afterwards, correct?"

Alexa choked on her toast, and looked up at Dumbledore giving him a surprised smile. ‘What a cool old man! This drafty old castle may not be so bad after all!' Out loud she said, "Professor Dumbledore, What I'm supposed to do today after I get sorted?"

"What do you want to do?"

"Shop," she said automatically, "Oh! And a shower would be fabulous!"

Dumbledore laughed. "Then that is what you will do! I have already arranged for a dear friend of mine to escort you to Diagon Alley..."

"Although it still would have been wiser for her to spend the night at the Leaky Cauldron, last night." Said a stern, disciplined looking woman to Alexa's right.

"Yes, Professor McGonagall, but Harry, Draco, Hermione, and Hagrid are checking in today! If they saw her it would have ruined the surprise!"

"Well, you do remember that they are also doing their shopping in Diagon Alley today, also?"

"They won't recognize me!" Alexa cried fearing that her shopping priveledge would be taken away, "Well, Hermione will, but I'll swear her to secrecy, I'll put a memory charm on her, I'll..."

"You must really love shopping!" Professor McGonagall said looking at her. Alexa shot McGonagall a ‘you're a moron' type look and sarcastically replied, "Well, I am a teenage girl."

"Of course you are!" Dumbledore replied, "besides, Diagon Alley is much larger, the chance of you running into them will be much smaller. However you will be with someone that they will all recognize, but he is going to lie and say that you're his niece. You must make sure Hermione says nothing if you run into them."

"Oh I will! I have some dirt on her that would make her die on spot if Harry or Ron ever found out! Not that blackmail is always a good idea but Hermione and I are great friends so it'll be alright." She paused. "Who's taking me again?"

"My dear friend Professor Remus Lupin..."

"The werewolf! Oh, fantastic! I've never met a werewolf! I did however run into a vampire once, which is something I really rather not talk about because..."

"You have a bad habit of interrupting," sneered an oily, pointy-faced teacher Alexa had not yet noticed, "And you babble like you're some kind of a fool."

She shuddered. He gave her the creeps.

"Now, now Professor Snape," Dumbledore said coming to her rescue, "It's her first day and I dare say she's excited. Professor McGonagall, will you show Alexa where the bathrooms and showers are if she's done eating?"

"I am," said Alexa standing up. She really wasn't but she wanted to get away from that rat-like teacher; he just oozed bad vibes.

"Excellent! Come up to my office when you are all ready and we shall sort you then before Remus arrives." And with that Alexa got up and followed McGonagall to the showers.

*

Alexa relaxed in the shower and thought about the up-coming year. She wondered if anyone would like her? If she would still get good marks with a completely different curriculum? If she would make any friends? Hermione was already her friend, but she didn't want her to be her only friend. She sighed. Sure, she was kind of excited about being at a new school and maybe making new friends, she had never really had many friends at her old school, but she was still sad that she had to come here. She remembered briefly the incident that caused her to have to come to Hogwarts, and felt herself become very angry. She quickly thought of other things.

As she debated what life would be like at the new school, a familiar face passed through her mind. Midnight colored hair, green eyes that were so bright you would have thought that they glowed in the dark, lop-sided glasses that always seemed to hang slightly lower on the right-side, and a barely visible lightening bolt scar on his forehead. She shook her head violently. ‘Do NOT get involved with him!' she thought firmly. ‘Oh, how can you say that!' replied the other half of her brain, ‘you're already day dreaming about him and you haven't even been formally introduced!'

"I definitely need to be checked for multiple personalities," she said working her hair into a lather, "because there is definitely something up with my brain."

She rinsed her hair and instantly felt like a load had been lifted off her shoulders as the hot water and flowery-scented suds careened down her face.

She stepped out of the shower, dried herself off, pulled on her robe, and brushed her, sending droplets off water everywhere. "Drazio," she muttered running her hands over her hair, which became instantly dry. She pulled out her make-up bag and began applying her eyeliner.

"I wonder where the sorting hat would place me?" She wondered aloud. "Maybe if I ask real nice, like Hermione did, it will place me in Gryfindor." She remembered the story Hermione had told all to well. The sorting hat was going to place Hermione in Ravenclaw with all the other brains, when Hermione had begged it not too, and asked it to place her in Gryfindor. The hat decided that she was brave enough, and placed her there. "I'm brave," Alexa muttered, "I could be in Gryfindor." Then she scoffed to herself, "But knowing my luck it will place me in Slytherien." Hermione had told her that most witches and wizards that came out of Slytherien went over to the Dark Side, and that their ring-leader Malfoy, was the biggest cock-sucker of them all.

Alexa pulled out her wand and added a few springy curls to her hair and then set off for Dumbledore's office, a million butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

When she arrived at Dumbledore's office (after a million wrong turns) she realized that she had no idea how to get in or where it was exactly, what it hid behind. She was fairly confident that she was in the right place.

"Who are you?" asked a large stone Gargoyle in front of her. She gulped nervously but made sure her voice sounded indignant when she spoke,

"I am Alexa Morgoton. Who are you?" But the Gargoyle didn't reply and merely jumped to one side revealing an entrance.

"Oh! Well, apparently you're the password keeper for Dumbledore's office. I should have remembered you. Well, thank you." And she disappeared.

Once inside Dumbledore's actual office he motioned for her to sit down.

"Here you are," he said placing a large, tattered witch's hat in front of her. "Put it on."

She did so and immediately heard hurried whispering in her ear. Wit, loads of talent, attitude, cunning, a bit of a con artist, you'd be a perfect match for Slytherien. ‘No, no, no! Not Slytherien! She thought desperately. But then where would I put you? You are not kind enough to be in HufflePuff. Hey! She thought her feelings hurt. You're smart enough to be in Ravenclaw, but honestly you're not quite boring enough. Oh! Well that's good. I suppose I could put you in Gryfindor...you certainly are brave enough. Yes! Gryfindor would be fabulous! I don't know...I still say you're better suited to be in Slytherien. Coy, cunning, deceit, wickedness. I am not a bad person! I didn't say you were! That's what you're making me sound like! Dear, there is just as much good in your heart! Besides, all those traits can be used to bring about good things also. You'd be an excellent spy. ‘Well, I'm not wicked!' she thought dejectedly

You certainly can be! It's all here in your head! ‘I hope you're happy,' she thought angrily, ‘You've made me feel like a horrible person!' That was not my intent...I was merely pointing out some characteristics of your personality, but I also see here that you can be trustworthy, loyal, faithful and true. The incident of your expulsion tells this much. ‘How did you...'I told you dear, it's all in your head. Well, I must say I've never talked to anyone quite this long. I dare say its time I made up my mind. ‘Please put me in Gryfindor,' she thought pleadingly, ‘I'll...' I've already decided. The incident concerning you're expulsion made-up my mind. I will indeed put you in GRYFINDOR.

Alexa took the sorting hat off when she heard it shout its answer, and felt like a load had been lifted off her shoulders.

"That certainly took long enough!" She said. Then she saw a tall fairly handsome, although kind of pale and thin, older looking man with sandy blond hair and twinkling gray eyes. "Where did you come from?" she asked smiling.

"I arrived while you had the sorting hat on," he replied, "You looked quite perplexed."

"You have no idea!" she said rolling her eyes.

"This is Professor Remus Lupin," said Dumbledore, "He'll be taking you to Diagon Alley today to buy your school things."

"You can call me Remus," he said his eyes twinkling even more then they did before.

"And you call me Alexa. It's a real pleasure to meet you, I've heard a lot about you."

"Have you?"

"Oh yes, I know the complete story of you, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew all them years ago. I went to Bruhilda's Training Camp for Talented witches with Hermione."

"Well, then Alexa, I've heard of you also. I spoke with Harry, Ron, and Hermione last year before the end of school when I was here visiting Dumbledore, and Hermione was babbling about going to camp and seeing her best friend Alexa. I had no idea you two were one and the same however" he paused. "Are you already to go?"

"Yup! How are we getting there?" Alexa asked as they got up and left Dumbledore's office.

"We'll walk to the nearby village, Hogsmeade, and do a double-disapparation."

"Huh?"

"That means you'll hold onto me and I'll apparate us both there."

"Sounds exciting!" she said smiling.

*

When they got to Diagon Alley, Alexa stumbled a little as she let go of Remus.

"That was trippy..." she said scratching her head.

"Quite. Now we'll go to Madame Malkin's and get your robes first." Said Remus leading her away, and soon they had bought everything she needed, but her books, quills, and ink. So they departed for Flourish and Blotts.

"You're robes looked excellent on you," Remus said as they were making there way down the crowded street, "though I dare say that isn't normal Hogwarts style."

"It's not," Alexa said, "We didn't wave such a strict uniform at my old school. As long as the robes were scarlet it didn't matter what you wore underneath of them or what style you had them made. And this style is the style I always wore mine, it's the one thing I wanted to keep the same." She paused shaking her head. "I had a hell of a time convincing her to make them like this though." Alexa had her robes made so that they were almost like a formal dance robe. They were made fairly tight, with just enough room for the uniform that went underneath, and the neckline plummeted, so that her Hogwarts, uniform shirt, vest, and tie would show considerably. It had four buttons, and then billowed out around her waist area, showing the uniforms skirt, it also had a hood, and long, tight, sleeves that belled out at her wrists. Normal Hogwarts robes looked nothing like that, but more like wearing a black bed sheet that had a hole cut out for your head. Madame Malkin had at first refused to make Alexa's robes unlike everyone else's, but eventually caved in when Alexa told her it was how she wore her robes at her old school, and that it would give her a greater sense of comfort.

As they walked into Flourish and Blotts, Remus quickly looked up and pushed her to one side.

"They're here!"

"Who?"

"Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid."

"Uh, oh!"

"Uh oh, is right. You sneak out of here, and I'll get your stuff. Try not to let them see you." And with that, Alexa made her way stealthily out the door. Remus had managed to avoid the trio the whole time he was in the store buying Alexa's things until he made it to the cash register. He felt someone tap on his shoulder and say, "Hi there! Long time, no see!"

"Harry! Hermione! Hagrid!" He chuckled nervously tapping his finger on the counter, praying they hadn't seen Alexa, "How nice to see all of you? How have you all been?"

"Good!" They all replied. ‘Hurry up!' Remus thought impatiently at the gentleman working the register.

"Professor, what are you doing here?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, I'm getting my niece's school books for her. She'll be a first year this year."

"Then why do you have Transfiguration Grade 7?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"She's very gifted," Lupin replied hoping it would confuse them, and allow him a clean getaway, "Well, I'm done checking out! Nice to run into you guys! Bye!" And he hurried out the door. He found Alexa waiting for him and grabbed a hold of her.

"They're right behind me! Gotta Hurry!" He said and disapparated them both back into Hogsmeade.

"Whoa, what happened?" Alexa asked as she and Remus headed towards the castle.

"Well, I ended up telling them that I was buying a Grade 7 Transfiguration book for my niece who is going to be a first year because she is very gifted." He paused, "I don't know if they believed me or not. I hurried out of there as soon as I was done checking out. Here's your change by the way."

When they got back up to the castle, they made their way to Alexa's room. Then she set her stuff down and collapsed on the bed.

"It was a real pleasure meeting you Alexa," Remus said walking out the door, "You keep in touch."

"Yeah," Alexa said propping herself up on her elbows, "Yeah I definitely will. See ya." She laid her head back to go to sleep, she was sure that there were still hundreds of things that Dumbledore wanted to talk to her about, but they could wait until after dinner. She was wiped.