Means to an End

Twenty Years Later...

The bells of a new school building rang loudly in cheerful yet annoying dissonance up and down the hallways. At the unfamiliar sound, the students mingling outside glanced down to the paper each held in their hands seemingly as a collective body.

"Room 301--isn't that on the second floor?" inquired one small girl to the boy beside her. He shrugged absentmindedly and pulled her arm, and the pair joined the rest of their age group in scurrying up the stairs into the building.

Slowly but surely, the body of students outside the school thinned until there was a small group left. The four girls and two boys shuffled shyly around each other, quietly offering names and other impersonal information. The papers they were holding had no room number or class schedule or teacher information; the only writing on all of them was two very simple words: wait outside.

"I wonder what sort of classes we'll be taking," addressed one girl to the other five. "My name's Marguerite Clearwater, by the way; I'm 17, and I've been home-schooled up till now. What about everyone else?"

"Brent Parkinson," spoke up another. "17 and home-schooled, just like you, and I'm willing to bet everyone else here is the same too."

"You'd be right." One of the other girls grinned. "Kate Wood, here at your collective services."

"I'm Allison Kirby," a shy-looking young woman said softly. "This is my twin sister, Sarah."

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," said her mirror image, a little more boldly than her sister.

"My name is Linus Malfoy," stated a pale, blonde young man to Sarah's immediate left. He gestured to the last boy, who stood a little apart from the tiny group. "You look familiar, but I can't place you."

The boy chuckled good-naturedly, dark brown hair wildly shaking with the movement. "Jimmy Weasley, nice to meet all of you."

A comfortable silence fell over them. A light breeze maneuvered itself around them, and, for a short moment, all six young people felt as though something, or someone, was...happy with them.

"Well, that wasn't weird," murmured the Malfoy boy sarcastically. Jimmy and Kate snickered.

"Aren't we supposed to be in classes or something?" Allison wondered out loud. "I mean, that's usually what school means...you know, learning things that aren't going to matter in a few months or years."

Brent shook his head. "I don't even know what sort of school this is supposed to be," he stated in a hushed tone. His classmates quieted at that.

Marguerite cleared her throat. "No screams from the building, so it's not a massacre..."

"I should hope not," a new voice interjected. Six pairs of eyes turned to stare at the man standing by the entrance gate.

He was a tall, black-haired, youngish-looking man wearing a pair of round spectacles. Vibrant green eyes gazed thoughtfully on the small group, and a semi-smile graced his lips. But the oddest thing about him was...

"Are you a ghost, sir?" inquired Sarah, a little fearfully. His smile grew.

"You could say that," he replied. The man looked at them for a few more minutes, then cocked his head and turned to stare at the new building. "So this is their project, eh? It's...nice."

"You sound a little scornful," Jimmy cut in, his voice for once sharp. The young man took a step back, startled, as the ghost turned his green gaze forcefully on him and him alone.

But he said nothing.

"Good morning, students! I apologize for my lateness."

Again, the six students tore their gazes away from their focus to inspect the newcomer.

"Aunt Hermione!" Jimmy cried. "I had no idea..."

"We did our best to keep it a secret from you," stated the bushy-haired woman with a wink. She glanced at each of them in turn. "I am Hermione Weasley, and welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please follow me around the back of the building."

Six pairs of eyes blinked in unison as she began walking away. Kate recovered first, and whirled around only to find no ghost standing behind them.

"He's gone," the girl whispered.

Hesitating just a little longer, the six eventually started to walk the same path as their new instructor.

"This'll be amusing..."

They heard his voice but did not say a thing.