Harry Potter and the Wizard of Oz

Harry Potter and the Wizard of Oz

Chapter 2

"So tell me, dear, what's your name?"

She looked up, startled.

"Oh, my name's Hermione Granger."

"And where would you be from?"

"Dover, near Canterbury," she replied, starting to warm up to the stranger.

"Dover! This is Brighton... you've traveled a long way, m'lady!"

Hermione gasped. She hadn't realized she had traveled so far in so little time.

"Getting more and more windy out there every minute," Sirius said, "best get on with the fortune, then...."

He placed a pile of cards onto the table, and took out his wand. Sprinkling fairy dust around the crystal ball, he spoke in a deep, manly voice (very different from his cheery, bouncy one).

"Oh spirits, guide us to the realm of the dead... let us able to see the future through this smoggy glass... help us reach the powers, and use them to our own use!" and with that, he twirled his wand in a funny position, saying the words, "veritas... nuquam... veritas..."

Suddenly, an image came into view inside the crystal ball.

Hermione leaned in closer, trying to make it out. It seemed to be a woman.

"Who is that?" she asked quickly.

"Your aunt... Minerva. You do have an aunt Minerva, correct?"

"Auntie Minerva?!? What is she doing?"

"Crying. Mourning you leaving them... her and your uncle Hagrid."

She looked into his eyes.

"I have to go back, then! Can you give me the directions?"

"I'm afraid not. You see, I'll be leaving in a few hours time, and I still have to pack everything up," Sirius replied.

Hermione decided that she would find Canterbury by herself, if he couldn't help her.

"Then I'll be leaving. Nice meeting you, sir, and thank you for the fortune!"

She flew back to Canterbury, with Hedwig in her cage.

When she touched down onto the road, she immediately knew something was different. But what, she didn't know.

She found out quickly, however.

"A tornado! Oh no, I must get inside!"

"Hermione? Hermione Granger?!?" she could hear her aunt calling somewhere to the left.

"Auntie Em? Where are you?"

There was a big flash of lightning, and the roaring of thunder was heard.

"Help! Help me, someone, please!" Hermione cried helplessly, trying to fight against the storm, but it was no use.

Her house was right in front of her. She took a chance and leapt for her life, right onto the front porch.

Hermione stood, grabbed Hedwig, and ran inside. Once she was in, she realized she'd forgotten her broom.

"Oh well... it was an old model anyway. Auntie Em! I'm here! It's Hermione--"

There was a sudden banging noise, and the roof caved in.
She scrambled to find her room in the maze of now ruined rooms, and when she had, crawled underneath her bed, praying for safety. There was a jolt, and everything suddenly went black.

She awoke, minutes later, and stood up, thinking the storm was over (it was eerily quiet, so you can't blame her).

Looking out the window, instead of seeing a street full of quiet people, she saw instead a whirlwind of dirt and mud.

"I'm inside the tornado!" she gasped, and before she could worry any further, something outside the window aroused her.

It was Mr. Riddle on his broomstick, flying by and yelling up at her, "I'll get you, my pretty! And your little owl, too!"

There was a flash of lightning, and a crash of thunder, and the house tumbled down out of the sky.

Hermione slowly crept up the front part of the house, with Hedwig on her shoulder.

She cautiously opened the front door, and gasped when the sight in front of her met her eyes.

She was looking out at the most bright and colorful place she had ever seen. Flowers were decorating what seemed to be a town square, and little pools of crystal-clear water sparkled under the blue sky.

"What do you reckon?" she questioned Hedwig suddenly.

Hedwig hooted in approval, so Hermione stepped out of her house, and onto the pavement.

She walked around her house to make sure she wasn't dreaming. No, it was her house.

She stopped then, because pair of feet was sticking out from under the house!

"Oh my...."

There was a sudden murmuring heard, over behind the flowers.

Hermione swiftly turned, and stared.

She went to the middle of the square, and watched a little bubble of red light as it grew larger and larger, until it was as big as a person.

Then, it popped, and out stepped a woman with fiery red hair, brown eyes, and a pretty smile.

"Hello, dear," she said kindly, "I am Molly Weasley, the Good Witch of the North. And who would you be?"
"I'm Hermione Granger. Where am I?"

"Oh, pardon me! I forgot to tell you... you've killed the Wicked Wizard of the East! He was always a foul party-pooper--"

"I killed someone? Who?" she gasped, taken aback.

"Severus Snape, the Wicked Wizard of the East! The house elves were just about the celebrate with you... but, never mind. You are in Elf-land, the land of the house elves! Now, dears, you may come and welcome Miss Granger!"

Tens of thousands of house elves suddenly appeared, and started shaking Hermione's hands, saying in their squeaky voices, "Welcome to Elf-land!", "You've killed the Wicked Wizard of the East!", "Miss Granger, we honor you!"

She called above the noise, "But, if you're the Good Witch of the North, and he was the Wicked Wizard of the East, then who are the ones for the West and South?"

There was a sudden hush.

Molly said quietly, "The Good Witch of the South was Lily Potter. She was killed by the Wicked Wizard of the West not too long ago. The Wicked Wizard of the West is... is He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"

"Who is that?"

"He must not be named, don't you see? If anyone says his name, he will magically appear on that spot, and kill the person! Lily was my sister, and Severus his brother... he will find out soon, and kill you, now that you've killed his brother! You must wear these shoes for protection...."

She waved her wand, and two ruby-red slippers appeared on Hermione's feet.

"Oh, they're beautiful!" she gasped, and hugged Molly.

"Yes, but never take them off. They used to belong to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but he grew out of them. He still loves them, and he will take them if you remove them. They will keep you safe from him, unless of course, you take them off. Now, off you go then! You will need to see the Wizard of Oz to get back home, and be rid of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named... goodbye, Hermione Granger!"

"But how do I get there?" she asked.

"Follow the yellow-brick road! Follow the yellow-brick road! Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow-brick road! If never a wonderful wiz there was, he was one, because, because... because, because, because, because, becaaauuuse! If there was a wonderful thing he'd done... you're off the see the Wizard! The wonderful wizard of Oz!" the house elves called, and pushed Hermione and Hedwig onto the yellow-brick road.

"Oh, I get it! Follow the yellow-brick road! Goodbye, Mrs. Weasley!" she called, and went on her way, with Hedwig on her shoulder.