Advanced Wizardry

Disclaimer: I only own what you do not recognise. Diane Duane and J.K. Rowling own the rest.

ADVANCED WIZARDRY

Prologue Miscalculation

James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew were playing poker in their fifth year dormitory at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in England. Nothing could break their concentration except for one thing.

"Miss me?" inquired Sirius Black, striding into the room and plopping onto his bed.

"Not really," quipped Remus pleasantly.

James grinned. "Should we have?"

Sirius just chuckled in reply.

"Where were you, anyway?" Peter questioned.

"Nowhere," Sirius shrugged casually.

Remus said, "Oh, I've been there. I thought it was rather dull."

Peter scratched his head in puzzlement. Obviously, he had not understood Remus' joke.

James reminded the others, "For Padfoot, 'nowhere' means touring the Astronomy Tower with some girl."

Sirius pretended to be highly offended. "I will have you know that I had a great time playing jump rope with...whatever her name was!"

He claimed to be jumping rope? His fellow Maruaders knew otherwise.

"But as fun as it was," continued Sirius. "I wish that something new and different would happen around here."

***

The next day, Nita Callahan, a voluptuous sixteen year old American girl with raven hair, was flipping idly through her wizard's manual, attempting to improve her vocabulary in the Speech, hoping for anything to distract her.

Neets?

Yeah, Kit?

Can you come over and help me with my homework?

Uh, sure. She had been studying for over four hours and would have agreed to almost anything to stop. Still, Kit is really smart, what could he need help with? wondered Nita.

She went into her backyard, said a swift greeting to her rowan tree, Luised, and used the "beam-me-scotty" spell to arrive on Kit's back porch where Kit was waiting for her.

"So, what's the problem?" Nita inquired.

Kit, her Hispanic best freind and wizarding partner, replied, "I need to do research on a castle, so I figured I would go look at a real castle. Wanna come?"

"OK. Where should we go?" said Nita.

Kit thought about it. "Probably England."

"All right. Let's set up the spell."

They worked on the transport spell while Kit's dog, Ponch, came over and eyed it curiously. The canine noticed that some things about the spell were amiss: the words that described the world they would enter and the time were obscure. Ponch was about to inform Kit of this when Kit and Nita began reciting words in the Speech.

He barked, Wait! to try to stop them, but they could not hear him as the wizardry closed in around them.

Chapter one Unexpected Destination

The wizardry released them and Kit looked around. He and Nita were in front of a magnificent castle by a lake.

"Where are we? I don't ever remember reading about a palace like this one," Kit asked.

"I don't know, but wherever we are it's beautiful," responded Nita, staring at the castle in admiration. Kit wished she would look at him that way someday.

Suddenly, a boy their age walked over to them. He was wearing some type of black uniform with a golden badge pinned to it that was engraved with a "P." Kit also noted that he was quite pale with dark bags beneath his eyes. I wonder what's wrong with him.

"How did you get here?" the boy quickly questioned. He had an English accent. At least that part of the spell was accurate, Kit thought.

"We're not sure," informed Nita truthfully. "We'll leave if you'd like us to. We don't want to intrude."

The boy looked thoughtful. "No, I think that you should come with me," he said after a moment.

Should we go? Kit asked Nita.

Nita paused. There is no use staying out here. "Very well," Nita told the boy.

He nodded and led them up through the castle's massive oak doors. As they walked down the long corridors Kit commented, This place is full of wizardry. Can you feel it?

Yep, but it doesn't feel like the wizardry that we're used to.

Finally, they stopped in front of an ugly stone gargoyle. The boy's brow furrowed as if he were trying to remember something. Then he said, "Licorice wand." Much to Nita and Kit's stupefaction the gargoyle came to life and leapt aside. Behind it was a spiral staircase that moved upward, which Kit found truly impressive. The three of them stepped onto it and it brought them to another oak door with a brass knocker. Once the boy used the knocker the door opened of its own accord.

Inside was an amazing oval office with a claw-footed desk in the centre, where a very aged man with twinkling blue eyes and a benign smile sat. Nita and Kit instinctively trusted him.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Headmaster," the boy began politely. "But I-" He stopped short as he saw two other boys in uniforms sitting across from the old man with guilty expressions.

That is when Nita first realized their presence as well. One of them had glasses and the most unruly hair she had ever seen and the other, she could not help but notice, was extremely attractive with dark eyes.

The man looked away from the duo to the sickly boy that had brought them there. "Yes, Lupin?" he inquired.

The one called Lupin tore his eyes away from the other two boys and calmly responded, "I found them," he gestured to Nita and Kit, "on the grounds. I didn't know what to do, so I brought them here."

The man looked slightly surprised. He questioned Kit and Nita gravely, "Are you muggles?"

"Are we what?" they asked in unison.

The man sighed. "Only a muggle knows not what a muggle is. Your memories must be modified," he stated, a bit sadly.

Nita refused to allow that. "Nobody is gonna touch our memories," Nita firmly announced.

He regarded them with pity. "It shall not hurt," he assured.

Nita did not want anyone tampering with their minds. What can we do? she asked Kit.

I have an idea. "If you only want to modify our memories 'cause you think we're non-magical then you have nothing to worry about; we are wizards," Kit said.

A look of comprehension came across his face. "Do you use the Speech?" he inquired.

"What's the Speech?" verbalised the spectacled boy.

The man raised his hand to show that he wanted them quiet and continued looking intently at Nita and Kit.

The boy reluctantly closed his mouth as Kit answered, "Yes."

The man nodded. "My cousin uses that sort of wizardry. Our magic is different then yours." He paused. "I suppose you may go."

"Thank you," responded Nita. She and Kit set up the spell and she was amused at the shocked expressions on the boys' faces as they wrote in the Speech's intriguing letters. When she and Kit were ready they recited the words and they could feel the magic working, yet once they disappeared, they reappeared right back into the oval office.

Nita did not understand it. She glanced at Kit and saw that he was equally bewildered.

The man came over and examined their spell. "If I am not mistaken, this states that you are from the 90's," he remarked.

"Uh-huh. That's right," replied Kit.

"That explains it. Your sort of wizardry was never designed for time travel," he said.

"Time travel?" Nita said incredulously.

"Yes, this is March of 1975," informed the man calmly.

Kit saw that Nita was too surprised to speak, though he was not. "So, how do we get home?" he demanded, and then regretted sounding so rude.

Fortunately, the man did not seem offended. "Alas, I haven't an answer, for our magic can only transport one forward or back a few hours, not years."

Now Kit was speechless; he would never see his family again.

The man, too, was silent for a time, as if immersed deep in thought. Eventually, he stated, "I promise that I shall figure out a way to return you home, but until such time I recommend that you remain here and try to blend in with the students. You see this is a school for witchcraft and wizardry. I am Professor Dumbledore, by the way, the headmaster."

Have you ever heard of a school of wizards? asked Kit.

No. Isn't it incredible? Nita answered, sounding somewhat excited.

"They need to be sorted," one of the moving portraits surrounding Dumbledore's desk pointed out.

"Quite true," Dumbledore answered. He promptly retrieved a tattered hat from a shelf and beckoned Nita and Kit forward.

He placed the hat upon Kit's head and a bodiless voice said, "Oh my, I've never seen a wizard of your kind before...Oh well, if the headmaster wants you sorted- goodness I don't think I've ever sorted a child whose defeated such dastardly enemies. You certainly belong in GRYFFINDOR!"

The entire room heard the last word and next Dumbledore put the hat on Nita's head. After a brief pause it declared, "GRYFFINDOR!"

"Very good," said Dumbledore. "Now, please, what are your ages?"

"Sixteen," replied Nita.

"Fifteen," Kit answered.

"I'll put you both in fifth year then. They are fifth year Gryffindors as well." Dumbledore indicated the three boys in the office with a smile. He was clearly fond of them. "This is Remus Lupin."

Remus walked over and courteously shook both of their hands. "Delighted to meet you."

"Likewise," Nita responded, and Kit nodded in agreement.

The other two boys stood up, apparently wanting to introduce themselves. "James Potter and Sirius Black," they proclaimed in unison and gave synchronised bows.

Kit rolled his eyes. He already disliked these two boys; they seemed so arrogant.

"Which of you is which?" Nita questioned.

"I'm James," said the one with unruly hair.

"And I'm Sirius," finished the other, and he kissed Nita's hand.

Kit had a powerful impulse to slap him. Nita had a boyfriend once before when she visited Ireland, however, she was only staying there for a few weeks and they could remain here for much longer than that. Kit did not want anyone flirting with the girl he had had feelings for since he was eleven.

Nita blushed slightly. "Well, I'm Nita, and this is Kit."

Dumbledore spoke again. "Kit, you can share a dorm with Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew. Nita, you may room with Evans, Lation, Luts, and McGonagall. Later Professor McGonagall will bring you both your schoolbooks. That is all for the moment. Please, do not be afraid to come to me if you have questions." The five of them were dismissed.