Muggle In Hogwarts

Chapter Two

Harry and Ron managed to get on the 9 and 3/4 platform, were the gleaming red Hogwarts Express train awaited, without drawing much attention. Ron spotted Hermione almost immediately.

"There she is!" Ron told Harry, pointing out a mass of brown hair bobbing in the crowd that was thickening. Harry smiled and told Ron that they'd better get their trunks on the train and choose a compartment before none was left. So both boys struggled their way to the train and managed to find an empty compartment at the end of the train. Hermione stuck her head in.

"Hi guys!" she said. Ron scooted to make more room for her. "I'm not sitting here," she said a little embarrassed. "Since I'm a prefect I have to sit somewhere in the two first wagons, but don't worry," she added quickly seeing the face Ron put. "I'll come right over here to see you every half hour or so," and then sprinted out of the room. Pig started to hoot noisily as soon as he woke up so Ron kicked the cage to shut him up, saying something that suspiciously sounded like "Damned owl". After about ten minutes the train left the station. At about noon the witch with the snacks passed by their compartment. Harry, as usual, bought lots of candy to share with Ron.

"Aha! Found you!" he said as he looked at a frog card greedily. "Finally! Agrippa! Now I have all the cards! At last!" Harry laughed at his crazy"acting friend until he heard a familiar voice come from the door of the compartment.

"Sorry to break it to you, Weasley," said Draco Malfoy from his place in the doorway. Strangely enough, there was no malice in his voice, and Crabbe and Goyle were missing from his side. "A new card has been made; it's just brand new. It came out this month." Ron was obviously trying not to but he was looking at Malfoy with curiosity. Malfoy nodded. "May I come in? " Ron and Harry looked him suspiciously, but given the fact that Malfoy was trying to act civilized, they would too, besides, this seemed suspiciously like a peace offering. "I won't bite, you know," he commented a slightly hurt tone they had never heard before in his voice.

"Well, ok," said Ron, to Harry's and Malfoy's utmost surprise.

"Thanks," said Malfoy, a small smile on his thin lips.

"So what is this about a new card?" Ron asked eagerly. Malfoy laughed the first real laugh they had ever heard from him in the six years they knew him.

"Well, It's actually three cards in one. It's got you, Potter, and you, Weasley, and Hermione." Ron looked dumbstruck and made a grab for the chocolate frogs and started opening them. As he saw the very first card, Ron almost fell backwards. Harry wasn't really paying attention; he was thinking it odd that he had called Hermione by her name, and not her last name. He made a mental note to ask Ron what he thought about this later.

"Look, Harry! Look!" Harry took the card Ron was almost sticking in his face. It was a chocolate frog card that had him Ron and Hermione in a hug, all smiling and waving. Until, Card-Harry pushed Card-Ron making him topple out of the picture and Card-Hermione looked at both of them indignantly.

"Look!" said Harry laughing, showing the card to Ron and Malfoy. Ten minutes later they were all on the floor with tears on their face from laughing so much. It was a weird feeling to laugh with Malfoy and not at Malfoy. Nice, but still weird.

"And then, and then," tried to say Ron between his laughter, making the other two break into chuckles. "And then, she said 'But there's no wood!'" Malfoy looked disbelieving for a second before the three went back to breaking their ribs with laughter. "I swear I almost killed her!" They had started talking about Hermione, and now were having the time of their lives remembering all the strange un-Hermionish funny things she'd done in the last six years.

"I can't believe she said that!" said Malfoy wiping his eyes.

"And I can't believe Ron said that either," came an angry voice from the door. Hermione stood there very angry looking with her hands on her hips. "Especially not to you," she said looking pointedly at Malfoy. Hermione, true to her word came to visit their compartment ... once every five hours.

"Come on Hermione!" said Harry wiping his eyes. "Have some sense of humor!" Hermione looked at him and at Ron as if they had just sprouted antennae, which made they boys laugh even more. Harry stuffed a chocolate frog in his mouth to stop from laughing but ended up not being able to breathe, which made him laugh even more.

"Excuse me," he said throatily. He neared the window and spitted the frog out.

"Ugh, beautiful," said Malfoy sourly. Harry laughed.

"Why of course, just like you," Ron sniggered and Malfoy shook his head, but had a big smile on his face. The change his smile made in his face was astounding. He seemed nicer, more happier than he looked when he frowned and more like the kid of 15 he was, having all the fun in the world, than the man of about 40 condemned to Azkaban he usually looked like.

"While we're at looks, Potter, you should do something with that hair of yours, you look like you had a bush on your head." Ron snorted with laughter.

"Why, this is the latest fashion!" said Harry mockingly. The three boys cracked up and weren't able to say another word for about fifteen minutes.

"Hey, Draco," said Ron suddenly, with a Pumpkin Pasty open in his hand. Malfoy, surprised, turned to look at him. In one swift motion Ron splattered the pasty all over Draco's face. And started off with hysterical laughter. Harry followed suit, and then did Draco.

"Thanks, Weasley," he said." I was starting to get hungry," he said ironically, taking chunks of pasty out of his face and suddenly rubbed them in Ron's face saying. "But don't give it all to me, why don't you have a nibble?" Harry was very worried about his mental state. He could no longer laugh but just shook compulsively trying to catch his breath as a snack-fight began in their compartment.

"Stop it right this instant!" yelled Hermione from the door. "We're about to reach the castle and you guys are giving me more trouble than the first years." A bunch of kids that had to be about eleven were looking curiously in the compartment, having to leave immediately to hide their giggles from Hermione. Harry Ron and Draco looked at Hermione sheepishly.

"Now clean up this mess right this instant. Look at the example you're setting!" and with that, she closed the compartment door with a little "bang" and took all the giggling first years with her.

"I think she got mad," said Ron chuckling slightly. Draco smiled and waved his wand once making the mess disappeared, and the three changed into their robes and kept on chatting as before.

I stopped at a little hill to rest a little. Laura waked up very few times looking worse and worse as the time came and went. I took advantage of those times to keep on going so that I wouldn't have to carry her and so Laura wouldn't have much of a chance to ask me questions about Mom and Dad and the girls. One night, we arrived to a small town where people dressed in funny garments, like the one that guy Ron had been wearing, lived. I asked one of them for help. He gave me food and drink and checked Laura over, but then immediately pointed a way up a hill and said: "Ask for the Headmaster. He'll give you all the help you need with her. I'd offer you to stay here a night but the sooner you reach there, the better." I nodded faintly and, shifting Laura's unconscious form, climbed up the hill through a road that was full of strange wheel marks. All the way, I shifted my view from the sky to the ground. I looked up at the sky where a cloud shifted, allowing the moon to shine on the ground so that I could see my way through the path. "Much better," I thought. I looked at my sister's face, and could see by the expression on her pale fever"like face, that she was re"living in her dreams that fatal day. My vision blurred immediately, but I let the tears fall down my face without even thinking of wiping them away. I didn't know if a sudden fog had fallen or if it was just my glasses, anyway I didn't care. Either way my parents were dead, my three oldest sisters were dead, Brenda was exhaustedly following behind me with her tail between her legs all the time, and my last sister, the only one I had anymore, is very sick, and I couldn't do anything but walk. The man had said that she had a dark sickness, that only Dumbcore, or something, could take it off from her. I walked and walked until I noticed that Laura's breathing was getting fainter and fainter. Even if my sister was dead weight in my arms, she was the only one I had, and I would reach this darned place before anything worse happened or I'd die trying. I shifted her body slightly and broke into a run.

The Sorting Ceremony had just started, and already the Hufflepuffs had three new members, so when the fourth first year was sorted and it came out to be a Gryffindor, the whole table cheered loudly, most saying "It's about time!" Harry gave a small chuckle. He had been looking at Draco who had been making funny faces since the ceremony had started. Every time the hat had announced a Hufflepuff his gagging face became worse and worse until he almost fell of his chair making a triple gagging face. Ron had his fist in his mouth trying not to giggle. The only one that wasn't laughing was Hermione, who looked at Draco angrily. All of the sudden, in the middle of the ceremony, a faint knock was heard. Only Hermione noticed it.

"Hey, did you hear that?" she asked Harry and Ron, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"What?" said Ron, his laughing spasm slowly disappearing by the look in her face. The knock was heard again, and this time Harry and Ron heard it to.

Draco saw their faces and listened carefully, being able to hear the next knock. Hermione noticed that every knock seemed to be more desperate and hard, making more people able to hear it. The knock increased until it felt like someone was trying to knock the door down. Everybody looked palely at Dumbledore, who showed a great aura of power that was scarcely seen by the frightened students. He ordered everybody to be quiet and everybody, too afraid of what might happen, cowered in his or her seats. Dumbledore rose from his chair and signaled at Ron, Draco, Harry, and a girl from Ravenclaw, Hermione and a girl from Hufflepuff to follow him. They went through the Entrance Hall and all stood with their wands out ready to attack whatever was behind that door.

"At the count of three Miss Florence Guisen and Miss Hermione Granger will open the doors, very well?" Both girls nodded. "One ... Two ... Three!" And the doors flew open ...

I reached the great castle that had been looming over me for the past ten minutes. Laura was starting to shiver; though there wasn't a wind in sight and not even I was cold, and I was much more lightly dressed than she was.

With my foot, I knocked the door. Nobody answered. I knocked harder, feeling all the desperation and tiredness and the anger of the last days come out as slowly increasingly louder knocks that ended up making the door tremble.

Fresh tears ran down my cheeks as I kept hitting the door with my foot, thinking miserably of all that I had lost in one day. I kicked the door so hard it cracked and I could hear someone on the other side say: "One ... Two ... Three!" and suddenly the door opened to reveal six frighten but determined kids of about my age standing next to a man with long white beard and long white hair wearing sky blue robes with a matching pointed hat. His eyes seemed to go from rock hard to bed soft behind his half-moon gold spectacles.

"I need to talk to the guy that runs this place," I said determinedly. All the kids looked at me afraid; except the blond boy, but his eyes deceived him, I could see myself reflected in their eyes. A short, slightly built girl with dangerously flashing green"brown eyes behind thick glasses, shoulder length hair sticking every way looking like an escaped lunatic, carrying a girl that seemed to be dead, and a large mournful dog at the feet. I heard my voice come out almost as if I was threatening to kill them if they tried to stop me. Shockingly, the older man looked at me almost sweetly.

"That would be me, child. But please do come in. Excuse us for receiving you this way, but we thought you were someone else." He motioned for the students to retreat and helped me in. "Now please do tell me what I can help you with."

"Laura," I said immediately. "I don't know what he did to her ... he yelled something ... all dead ... no blood ... she fell ... got worried and kicked him ..." I realized I wasn't making much sense, but the man seemed to understand me and murmured something, making a stretcher appear from nowhere and delicately I put Laura on it. Then he turned to one of the kids and said: "Mr. Harry Potter, take her to Poppy. Tell her I'll be up in a minute in case she needs anything. And the rest of you go back to your tables. Mr. Draco Malfoy, please do tell Minerva to continue the sorting." All the students nodded, and the old man took me by my arm and led me to an empty classroom.

"I would take you to my office but right now I need to know what happened as soon as possible so I can help Laura, so please begin." I nodded, not sitting down. I told the old man the story, having to stop from time to time, to get my throat unstuck or repeat some part because of the fresh waves of tears that kept assaulting me. He was especially interested in the description of the son of a b-- sorry, the murderer, and had whispered, "Wormtail" under his breath. When I finished he told me I could leave. I reached the door but hesitated to open it thinking that maybe I should tell him of my nightmares.

"Is there a problem Miss Politi?" I turned around knowing somewhere in my heart that he wouldn't make fun of me or think that I was stupid.

"Yes, the thing is that, about two weeks before it happened I dreamt it. Every time I closed my eyes I had the same dream."

"Tell me all you can remember about it," said Dumbledore (I had finally learned his name) and I did. "Very well, now you may go." I thanked him and started to leave when I hesitated again.

"What is it now?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Where will I sleep?" Now that I felt Laura was safe and we'd be alright, I started worrying about natural things like food and sleep.

"Ah, you shall be sorted, since I don't want to be unfair and put you in just any house, though I think I already know where you'll be put. Usually you would eat, sleep and go to classes with the people from your house. But given the fact that you are not a witch you shall only eat and sleep." He was smiling kindly at me and I felt a strange warmth rush through my veins.

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore. I can call you Professor, can't I?" I asked, happy to feel safe and warm again. Dumbledore chuckled and his eyes twinkled.

"Of course you may. Now go on, I must check on your sister to see how she's doing. Go to the first door on your right and there you'll find a lot of students eating nosily. Ask for McGonagall and tell her that she must sort you. Understood?" I nodded. "Very well. I expect to see you soon."

I went to the door and this time with no hesitation I left the room following the instructions Dumbledore had given me.

Harry looked around the Great Hall nervously. After he had taken the poor girl to the hospital wing he had returned immediately to the Great Hall to resume his dinner and possibly see that girl again. He wasn't completely sure but he thought she was the girl that had given him Ron's letter at six thirty in the morning of the day he left. He shocked his head laughing silently of how ridiculous that moment had been. But almost immediately his face became grave again, thinking of the differences between that girl and the one he had found, grasping for hers and her sister's lives at the doors of Hogwarts. His thoughts were interrupted when the Great Hall door opened.

The girl, looking much calmer and much more like the girl he had met a month ago, looked curiously in the room, gaping at every single detail, from the students, to the ghosts, to the golden goblets, to the chandeliers, to the ceiling. At that point, most of the people in the room stopped eating to stare at her. Harry, chuckling slightly had to admit that her fitted multicolored jeans and waist-long gray t-shirt, cleaned by magic by Dumbledore, allegedly when she wasn't looking, were quite a contrast to the funeral black that dominated the room. An elbow found his ribs. He turned to Ron, who was trying so hard not to laugh; he almost fell of his chair. Harry followed Ron's gaze that met an open-eyed, open-jawed Malfoy. Harry snorted with laughter. It was true Draco had been quite nice today, but seeing him act like that for a Muggle, well that was just too much for Ron and Harry.

Once Cecilia had drunk in all the details of the room, she noticed nobody was eating anymore and the hall was completely silent and all eyes were on her. She put her hand to her throat, fingering something, took a deep breath and, holding her head high, she walked self"consciously to the table where the teachers were. In a clear voice she asked who was McGonagall.

"I am," said McGonagall, raising an eyebrow.

"Professor Dumbledore said I should be sorted, that any explanation needed will be given by him later on." Harry had to admit, she kept her dignity well. Everybody who knew McGonagall feared her even if slightly. But Cecilia noticed this not and apparently won her respect immediately.

"Very well," she replied fetching the Sorting Hat. "If the Headmaster says so."

She made Cecilia sit down and put the hat on her head.

As soon as Professor McGonagall had put the hat on my head, covering my eyes from view I thought thankfully that that was over.

"Yes, I think that it's good what you did too, but right now I need to sort you."

Surprised I jumped up and took the hat off my head, holding it at arm length. The whole hall looked at me curiously.

"It talked," I said weakly. McGonagall smiled slightly.

"Don't worry. He always does that. He's telling you what he sees in your head. Now don't be scared and put the hat back on so he can sort you." I felt my face go red with embarrassment.

"Sorry," I said in a small voice. I sat back down and put the hat back on my head.

Sorry, I thought to the hat.

"Quite alright, quite alright. OK now, hmmm ... well, well, well! What have we here? You're very brave when needed to be; though you're quite an impertinent and a troublemaker if you set your head to it. Quite smart ... and you're quite ambitious. Interesting. But I guess I better put you in GRYFFINDOR!"

I heard a sector of the room explode in applause but I didn't pull of the hat since I thought it wasn't over.

"Now pull me off your head and go to your house's table."

I sighed gratefully in the hat and pulled it off my head. I gave it to Professor McGonagall and strolled to the cheering table and sat next to a guy that seemed to be about eleven.

"Excuse me, do you know who's a prefect?" I asked him. He looked at me amazed and nodded. "Could you point them out?" The boy nodded with his jaw open now. "Did you know it's bad manners to stare at people like that?" I asked him, starting to feel irritated. Immediately he snapped his jaw shut and looked away. I sighed. I felt someone behind me pinch me. Turning around I found a girl that was motioning to a guy that seemed oddly familiar, until suddenly it clicked.

"Harry!" I whispered. He waved and I waved back. He motioned an empty seat next to him. I stood and walked over to where he was and sat down.

"Hi," he said, calculating what he said.

"Hi! What are you doing here? Hi, Ron! Have you flown any car lately?" I asked, attempting to be lighthearted. Ron blushed and I noticed the girl next to him was giving me if looks-could-kill look.

"I don't believe we've met," the girl said snippily. "Hermione Granger."

"Pleased to meet you Hermione, I'm Cecilia," I said shaking her hand. "Now that we've been properly presented, could you point me to a prefect? Professor Dumbledore told me to ask one to guide me to the Common Room, whatever that is." Hermione puffed up her chest to show of her prefect badge.

"I'm a prefect. Come on, I'll take you." Hermione stood walked to the door directing me through passages and secret places and others. Me, being who I am, have a knack for these things, so I easily memorized the way. She asked me my age and put me in a room with six four poster beds, one which had my bag at the foot of it. I threw myself on it and mumbled a "thanks" to Hermione's retreating back.

"You're welcome," she whispered. From the tone she used, I suspected she was smiling.

Harry and Ron kept silent company to each other as they waited for Hermione to come back. Finally Hermione sat down startling them. Both turned to her, inquiring her with their eyes.

"Well," she said sighing. "There's something weird about her. But she seems nice enough." Ron looked at her disbelievingly.

"Well, she's secretly You-Know-Who's daughter and heir and is planning to help him kill Harry, you and me, blow this entire place up but hey, don't worry, she's nice enough," Ron said exasperated.

"Well, what did you expect? She isn't about to tell me her whole life! Besides, she's a Muggle which rules out her being You-Know-Who's daughter and heir or even being a Death Eater, which almost surely rules out her planning our deaths, and absolutely rules out her being able to blow this place up, no matter how much she plans it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to take the first years to the Common Room." And with that she stood up and stomped away from the table, taking the group of first years with her.

Harry, who hadn't spoken at all during the entire conversation looked dumbstruck at Hermione as she flocked the first years with her head high and her nose in the air.

"What was that? " was all Ron asked after a while.

"I've got no idea," Harry answered. After that they both stood up and made their way towards the Common Room. They went to their room, changed into their pajamas and fell asleep immediately.