Through the Barrier

"Ops... I said that aloud, didn't I?"

"She must be a spy from You-know-who....."

"So, when can Hermione and me go shopping?"

"You might end up as a canary."

"She's even worse than Percy was."

Chapter 3. Trouble!

Emily was a bit surprised by Draco's behaviour, but she decided to not tell the trio and Ginny. She knew how much they hated each other.

They finally came to Hogsmeade station. Emily was thrilled to get there. She had dreamed of this since she had read her first Harry Potter book. When she saw Hagrid, she didn't gasp like the first years, but smiled.

"That's Hagrid," Harry said. "He's the gamekeeper, and our very good friend."

"He looks nice."

"Really?" Harry lifted his eyebrow in surprise. "Most people think he's scary. He is the teacher of Care of Magic Creatures too. Not a very good teacher, I might add, but he's very friendly."

Emily didn't go with the first years in the boats; she went with the trio and Ginny to the carriages. The ride to Hogwarts only took about a quarter of an hour. They arrived outside the main doors. Many people looked at Emily, because of her strange clothing. But Emily didn't care. She was at Hogwarts!

But her happiness didn't last long. The moment they stepped inside, McGonagall came up to Emily, Ginny and the trio.

"Are you the girl that was pushed onto the platform by Mr. Weasley?" she asked stiffly.

"Oh buggers! How did you know? Ops... I said that aloud, didn't I?"

"Yes you did. I need to take care of the first years. Miss Granger?"

"Yes Professor McGonagall?"

"Will you please escort Miss...?"

"Williams, professor."

"Williams... to the headmaster's office'?"

"Yes ma'am."

"You will miss the Sorting Ceremony. Wait for the headmaster at his office until he arrives. The password is Mars Bars. I will make one of the house-elves bring you two food. Dobby perhaps?"

"Yes ma'am."

"You will be getting five points for this, Miss Granger."

"Thank you, professor."

"You may leave."

"Yes ma'am. Come on Emily. The headmaster's office' is this way."

Emily had expected the castle to be big, but not like this. It was huge! And she felt quite uneasy with the paintings whispering and pointing. Suddenly, Hermione stopped.

"Oh, no!" she groaned.

Emily peaked over Hermione's shoulder to see what the fuss was about. A little man with very colourful clothes had just come out of a classroom at the end of the corridor.

"In here!" Hermione hissed and pushed Emily through a nearby door.

"That's Peeves," she said then. "He's a poltergeist. He only ever causes us problems. A little advice: avoid him as much as possible. Anyway, he's probably... Oh no...."

"What's the matter?" Emily asked.

"We're..."

"In my bathroom," a new voice said. "Why are you here? Who is she? Why isn't she wearing school robes? And where's Harry?"

Hermione slowly turned around with a fake smile and faced the person. Well, person wasn't really the word...

"Hello Myrtle!" Hermione said cheerfully. "Had a nice summer? We're hiding from Peeves. She is Emily Williams, a transfer-student from Sweden. And she hasn't got her robes yet. Harry is down in the Great Hall, watching the Sorting Ceremony, I guess."

"My summer was dreadful! And why aren't you down in the Great hall?"

"Emily needed to go to Dumbledore."

"Anyway, it was nice to meet you, Myrtle," Emily said quickly, "but we've really got to go. Can't keep Dumbledore waiting. See ya!"

She dragged Hermione out of the bathroom.

"Let me guess. That toilet is kind of unused, isn't it?" she said to Hermione, when they were safely out in the corridor again.

"Correct. She's been in there for over 50 years now. She died in there. And she's got a crush on Harry."

"That's horrible!"

"That she's in love with Harry?"

"No," Emily said. "That she died in there."

"Yes, isn't it?" Hermione replied. "Well, here we are."

They had stopped in front of an ugly-looking gargoyle.

"Mars Bars," Hermione said to the gargoyle. "Dumbledore loves Muggle sweets".

They went up the spiral staircase to Dumbledore's office. They knocked and went in.

The office was empty of people, but Emily hadn't expected anything else.

They both sat quiet for a while. Hermione was the first to speak up.

"Why did you have to go here? Have you done something wrong, or anything? And how did she know that Ron pushed you onto the platform by mistake?"

"I don't know, Hermione."

"Yes you do. You're lying."

"It's complicated. I guess I will tell when Dumbledore shows up, but you'll have to wait till then... if they let you hear. It could creep you out you know."

"What? Are you a werewolf or something? Because if you is, that's no problem, cause' Harry, Ron and I are kind of used to it.....

"I know. Professor Lupin is one. And I know about the others too. The Marauders. Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, the f***ing traitor Peter Pettigrew, and of course, Harry's dad, James Potter."

"What? How do you...? Why do you...? You're really starting to creep me out here, Emily."

"I told you so. Just don't think I'm a follower of Voldemort or something, he's a complete lunatic."

Hermione gasped and stared at Emily.

"What?" Emily said.

"You said You-Know-Who's name!"

"Oh, so what? Didn't you yourself said in you second year that 'fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself'?". (Okey, I know this is from the movie, but I just love the statement. According to my BETA, Isla, this statement is made by Dumbledore in the books. Don't kill me!)

"Well, I guess I did but... Hey! How did you know that?"

"That's what I'm telling you, it's complicated! We'll have to wait for..."

POP!

The girls span around to find a smiling Dobby standing behind them with a tray in each hand.

"Dobby!" Hermione cried and ran up to the house-elf.

Another POP was heard and another house-elf appeared behind Dobby, also carrying trays.

"Winky!" Hermione ran up to the second house-elf.

A third POP. A third little house-elf appeared behind Dobby and Winky. It was a smaller, female house-elf. Hermione kneeled beside it.

"Hello," she said nicely. "What's your name?"

"Tilly, miss."

"Wow," it suddenly came from Emily. "I've never seen a house-elf before. Sure, I've read the books and seen the second movie, but they look nothing like I had imagined. Hermione, I definitely want to join S.P.E.W. Even if I'll end up in rotten old Slytherin."

"Movie?" Hermione said. "And how do you know about S.P.E.W? It's not like it's very popular."

"Would you believe me if I said that Oliver told me?"

"No."

"Okay. You'll understand later."

"Are you even related to Oliver?"

"No, not really. Actually not at all. But he's soooo cute, don't you think? "

"Where shall we put the food, Miss Hermione?" Dobby interrupted.

"Put it on Dumbledore's desk, please."

"Yes, miss."

"Thank you, Dobby, Winky and Tilly."

With a collective POP they disappeared. Hermione and Emily began eating in silence. But after a while, Hermione couldn't keep shut.

"How is it possible that you know everything about everything?"

"Hermione, look. It's very complicated. Really, I promise. But I will tell you when Dumbledore shows up. You'll just have to wait. Okay?"

"She will have to wait no more."

Both girls span around in their seats. There, by the door, stood Dumbledore, professor McGonagall and... Trelawney. Professor Trelawney, Emily corrected herself. She will probably be your divination teacher this year, and you can't keep on calling her only Trelawney. She'll get pissed. Though, she already looks pissed. Wonder why?

"Hello, Miss... Williams, was it?" Dumbledore said to Emily.

"Yes, sir. Emily Williams."

Dumbledore smiled.

"Could you please, Miss Emily Williams, tell me how a Muggle gets through the magical barrier to platform 9¾, is able to get on the train, and travel all way from Kings Cross in London to Hogsmeade station and to Hogwarts, without raising any suspicions from her co-passengers who just happen to be Mr. Potter and his friends?"

"It's a bad omen!" cried Trelawney. "I hve seen this coming! You, my girl, will get into serious trouble! The stars are against you! You will...."

"Shut up Sibyll!" McGonagall said, looking disgustingly at Professor Trelawney.

At first, Emily looked terrified, but when she saw the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes, she relaxed.

"Well, sir," she said. "I'm not really a Muggle, I can do magic. And it was Ron's fault that I tripped onto the platform, really. And I know all about Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny, thanks to the books and movies. So I would say it actually has nothing to do with me, everything is because of J.K. Rowling."

"Who is J.K. Rowling and what has she or he done?" Hermione asked.

"You're telling me that you all live in the middle of it, but have never head of Joanne Kathleen Rowling?"

"Yes."

Emily sighed. "Great. Just great. So you mean I have to take it all from the beginning?"

"Yes."

"Perfect. All right, I'm not doing this again, so listen carefully. J.K. Rowling is a writer. For the moment, she has written 5 famous books. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. They have also made movies of the two first books. All of you exist in these books. They are all about Harry Potter and his friends. They let you know what Harry feels, thinks, and does. Who he likes and dislikes. All the spells that Harry learns, the whole Muggle world knows about. And these books circulate in the Muggle world. They are world famous. Everyone on the planet knows who Harry Potter is and they all know his story. And until today I also thought these books were just fiction, made up by a woman with a lovely imagination. But now I know otherwise."

"And this is completely true, Miss Williams?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes! Pour me full with Veritaserum if you'd like, I would still tell you the same story."

"She must be a spy from You-Know-Who..."

"Shut up, Sibyll."

"Do you want proof?" Emily asked. "If you'd just let me get my notebook, I could show you all the spells. And even perform them if you'd like. You see, unlike most Muggles, I can actually do the spells, and they work. Do I have your permission, sir?"

She turned to Dumbledore. He simply smiled and nodded. With Dumbledore's permission, Emily turned to Hermione.

"Hermione, could I please borrow you wand. I don't have one."

"Sure, here."

Hermione handed Emily the wand. She flicked it.

"Thank you. Just want to test a thing first. Avis!"

A flock of birds sprung out of Hermiones wand.

"Yep, it works. Okay, now, let's see. Accio Harry Potter-notebook!

After a little while, the notebook came flying right through the window, and broke it.

"Ops! Sorry! Easily fixed. Reparo! Okay, what's next?"

Emily checked her notebook.

"It has all the spells ever written in the books in it," she explained. "Oh, I'll take this one!" she dropped the book onto the floor. "Now swish and flick; Wingardium Leviosa!"

She levitated the book and grabbed it again.

"For most of the other spells, I will need a test subject. Can I use her?"

Emily pointed at Trelawney.

"No my child, you may not," Dumbledore said. "Will this do?"

He pointed at big box. There was something moving in it.

"A Boggart! Perfect! Thank you sir! Will you let it out, please?"

When Dumbledore opened the box, a little tiny bee came out of it. The group in the room starred at it.

"Yes, I am scared of bees! So what! They are really scary! Unfortunately it's not big enough for this task. So, Engorgio!"

Emily let it swell until it was about 1 meter. She shrugged.

"Well, I'm not letting this one fly around. Stupefy! Ah, that was better. Now, where were I?"

She checked the notebook.

"Ah!"

And Emily begun. She did every possible spell on the poor bee. It got buckteeth (do bees have teeth? lol), got tickled, got boils and on and on. After almost a quarter of an hour, Emily was nearly finished. She had had loads of fun with the poor bee, but now she got very serious.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, sir," she said very carefully, "there are four more spells, but I do not wish to perform them."

"And why is that, miss Williams?"

"Because three of them are Unforgivable and one would scare the hell out of everyone."

"But you do know them?"

"Yes sir. I learned them in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, in Professor Moody's class, or should I say, young Barty Crouch's class. And the other one is the one Hermione, Harry and Ron heard in the forest after the World Cup."

"And which one is that?"

"Morsmorde," Emily whispered.

"And will you please tell me the other three, Emily?"

"It's Imperio, Crucio and... Avada Kedavra."

"Thank you, dear." Dumbledore patted Emily's shoulder. "Will you please get rid of that bee now?"

"Riddikulus!"

The bee got slapped with a giant fly-swatter, Emily cried "Ha!" and it disappeared. Emily was just about to give the wand back to Hermione, when she thought of something. She lifted the wand and cried:

"Orkidéus!"

Suddenly she had a bouquet of white roses in her arms. She gave the bouquet along with the wand to Hermione.

"It's my favourite. Thanks for letting me borrow your wand."

"It was nothing. The roses are beautiful. Thank you."

"So," Emily turned to Dumbledore, "can I go to Hogwarts?"

"If that's what you want."

"THANK YOU!!!!" Emily ran up to Dumbledore and hugged him. "But you're the one to tell my parents. They wouldn't believe me. So, when can Hermione and I go shopping?"

"Go shopping?"

"Duh! I don't have robes, any books, a wand and stuff. And I don't know my way around Diagon Alley. That's why Hermione need to come with me. Dumbledore, you need to tell my parents to put in more money on my account, so that I can go to Gringotts and exchange it for Wizarding money."

"Hold on there young lady." Dumbledore smiled. "Don't you think it could be useful if we got you Sorted first? Because if you end up in a different house than Miss Granger here, you'd might like one of your housemates to accompany you."

"Okay. Get me Sorted then!"

Dumbledore went up to one of the bookcases and took down the old Sorting Hat. He placed it on Emily's head. Immediately, there was a voice in her head.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here then? You're very witty, I see. And there's a lot of cleverness to. A bit of slyness, that was interesting. What about Slytherin for your part, young lady? "

"Could you please put me in Gryffindor?" Emily thought.

"And we are polite, how very nice. Why do you want to be in Gryffindor?"

"That's were I feel I belong. I have made friends there."

"You have made friends with a Slytherin too."

"I have done what?"

"You got rather friendly with Mister Malfoy on the train."

"I did? Yes I did! But he's only one. The others are four. And besides, all Slytherins hate Muggleborns."

"Yes, that is indeed right. Well, I'd better put you in GRYFFINDOR then."

"Thank you."

When Emily opened her eyes -she hadn't realised that they were closed- she saw everyone smiling at her.

"Congratulations, Miss Williams," Dumbledore said. "The head of your house will be Minerva here, but I guess you already know that."

Emily nodded.

"I will arrange it so that an extra bed is put in the sixth-year girls dormitories," Professor McGonagall said. "It will be there when you arrive. I suggest you go to Diagon Alley tomorrow, since it's a Saturday. You two girls will leave at nine. Your chaperone will meet you by the main doors at 8,30 when you'll leave for Hogsmeade. Be there on time. Miss Williams, your luggage has now been brought up to your dormitory. The password to give to the Fat Lady is "Apple dumpling". Headmaster Dumbledore will notify your parents, Miss Williams. Good night girls."

"Good night."

Emily and Hermione left Dumbledore's office.

"You were right," Hermione said when they had come down the spiral staircase that lead to Dumbledore's office. "It was complicated. Do you have those books with you?"

"Off course! How would I have survived that boarding school without them?"

"Were you off to a boarding school when Ron pushed you onto the platform? Which one?"

"Smeltings."

"Smeltings? But that's where Harry's cousin..."

"...Dudley goes. I know."

"But can I have a look at those books?"

"Sure, but I must warn you, they're in Swedish."

"Well, you can still translate for me, can you? Please? This is so cool. I'm in a book!"

"Five books, actually. And two movies. You look so much like Emma! Just a bit older!"

"Emma, who?"

"Emma Watson. The girl who plays you in the movies. I can't understand how you've missed it! I mean, you're a Muggleborn for God's sake! What have you done all the summers? It's incredible how you've managed to miss it! You haven't suspected anything?"

"Well, this girl ran up to me once and screamed "Emma! Emma! Can I get your autograph? Ihhh!". That must have been the only thing."

"So what did you say to the girl?"

"I told her that my name wasn't Emma and then I walked away. Do you have any pictures of this Emma?"

"No, I don't. But if we manage to get rid of our chaperone tomorrow, we can go out to Muggle London and check. Every bookstore has them. Of Dan and Rupert too."

"Dan and Rupert? Are they the ones who play Ron and Harry?"

"Yes. Daniel Radcliffe plays Harry, and Rupert Grint plays Ron. But for your part, I would strongly recommend sunglasses and ponytail. Or else, you will get lost in all the fans."

"Okay. Ah. Here we are."

During their talk, they had come to the entrance to Gryffindor Tower and to the picture of the Fat Lady.

"Hermione, dear! Welcome back!"

"Thank you."

"Can I say the password?" Emily pleaded. "It's my first time. Please?"

"Sure," Hermione said. "Go ahead."

"Apple dumpling."

The Fat Lady swung out and revealed the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. In the tower, there was a party going on. When Emily and Hermione entered the room, everyone stopped and starred at them.

"This is Emily Williams, everybody," Hermione said. "She's a transfer-student from Sweden. She'll be in sixth year. And yes, Colin, she has been sorted into Gryffindor, so be nice. She's new so she doesn't need all your and your brother's tricks, even though you two nowadays look at yourselves as the new pranksters of Gryffindor tower, since Fred and George left last year. And Emily, don't eat anything these two pranksters give you. You might end up as a canary. Ask Neville over there for more information."

She pointed at Neville who sat in one of the armchairs by the fire. Then, she continued.

"So, does anyone have any questions? No one? Good. Emily, our dormitory is this way. You can talk to everyone tomorrow. Harry, don't shake your head like that. And everyone, as much as I know it's Friday and no lessons tomorrow, try to get some sleep. I'm a prefect this year too and I do not wish to come down here at three and command you to sleep."

"She's even worse than Percy was."

"I heard that, Ronald Weasley. Good night."

Hermione dragged Emily up the stairs to the sixth-year-girls dormitory.

"There's your bed, Emily. And you can put your things in here."

Hermione pointed at a wardrobe.

"Thanks Mione. Can I call you Mione, by the way?"

"Sure."

"Thanks for everything. I mean, you're so nice to me. If I were you, I'd back away."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"I know everything you, Harry and Ron have done over the last five years. Where you have been and what you've been talking about. Sure, the books concentrate mostly on Harry, but Ron and you play big parts too. I even know some of Harry's most private thoughts."

"Eugh! Do not tell me! Bad mental image you gave me there, Emily!"

They both laughed. But then Hermione got serious.

"But, seriously, you don't creep me out. I just think it's fascinating. You know, we really should get some sleep, because we're getting up early tomorrow. And by the way, we'd better be asleep when Lavender and Parvati come back here. Or else, we won't be able to get any sleep at all. The bathroom is over there."

The girls got ready to sleep. Emily had gotten a bed next to Hermione.

"Hermione?" Emily said when they had crept into their beds.

"Yes?"

"Can I hang out with you guys later on? You, Harry and Ron, I mean."

"Sure. I'm sure the guys won't have anything against it. Good night, Emily."

"Good night, Hermione."

"Nox intireus."

The lights flicked out and the girls fell asleep.