3
I landed with a thud on the cold, wet ground. “That freaking hurt!” I yelled out in anguish, as I didn’t hear anybody respond. I quickly sat up and to my horror I was alone on a hill in the dead of night. “Fred? George?” I whispered, afraid to draw too much attention to myself as I looked around to see no one in sight. I then spotted a small hut not too far from me, I quirked my eyebrow up. “That looks an awful lot like Hagrids’ hut…” I trailed off as my eyes widened. I quickly turned around and gasped.
“Holy shit. HOLY SHIT!” I yelled this time as I took in the large castle looming above me. It was right there, a couple yards from me, but it was really right there. “Hogwarts…” I trailed off as I stood up from the grass and looked at the large, marvelous castle. This had gotten to be the best dream ever, it looked so real and so beautiful. However, it didn’t look as lively as I imagined it would if it was filled with students. I then noticed Dobby was not in my arms, “Dobby?!”
I quickly forgot about the huge castle in front of me, how I was stranded in the dark, and started to look for Dobby. “Dobby! Where are you?” I asked as I looked around the grassy hill and immediately spotted a large pair of green eyes sitting in front of a door leading to the large castle. “Dobby?” I asked as he meowed towards me, I immediately ran to the cat as he jumped up into my arms. “Dobby! Don’t scare me like that, I thought I lost you!” I replied as he meowed and then hissed in another direction. I turned around to see a couple of figures starting to emerge from the shadows; they hadn’t noticed me, yet. “Shit, time to move.” I whispered as I quickly walked into the door that lead into the castle. My eyes widened more as I noticed the long corridors.
I heard voices approaching as I started to run and scurry along the unfamiliar corridors. I passed by the moving staircase as my eyes wandered with amazement, this castle was by far better than the one in Orlando. However, very confusing. I was back new the moving staircase after walking down the same corridor for about twenty minutes. “What the bloody hell? How do people figure out where to go?” I asked myself utterly confused as I set Dobby down on the ground. “Maybe if we take the staircase? But people always seem to get lost on the moving staircase.” I said to myself as I looked over at Dobby to see him walking away, “Dobby! Wait for me!”
“If I were you missy I wouldn’t be so loud.” I heard a voice say on the other side of me as I immediately fell on the ground in surprised. I looked up to see no one, but paintings. I thought about it for a moment and then shook my head.
“Of course, I’m dreaming about Hogwarts, there is obviously going to be talking paintings. Alright, which one of you said that?” I asked as I stood up, brushing off the dust form my pink, pajamas.
“I did,” I heard one of the paintings say, he looked to be a noble man. I had never read of his painting before in the book, but I shrugged. J.K. Rowling couldn’t write about every single painting. “What is that rubbage you are wearing?”
“It happens to be sleepwear for your information. You’re a very rude painting, I would think if this is my dream then I wouldn’t dream up rude paintings.” I replied sternly as he looked at me as if I was the mental one.
“Dreaming? Miss this is no dream.”
“Sure, whatever you say. Anyways, why should I be quiet? There doesn’t to be anybody in the castle.” I replied indignantly as he looked around.
“I wouldn’t say that, Snape has taken over the castle along with his death eaters since Dumbledore died.” He replied as he looked back at me, “Sometimes they patrol the castle.”
“Well I’ll just tell them I’m lost. I don’t exactly know where I’m going. You’d think I’d have this place mapped out since it’s my dream.” I replied as the painting looked at me.
“This isn’t a dream! You need to get out of here before a death eater finds you!”
I heard a meow as I looked to see Dobby was waiting down the corridor for me, “Well thanks for the warning mister painting, but I’ve got to search for a couple of twins that dragged me here.” I replied as I saluted at the painting before I took off in the direction of Dobby, “Lead the way Dobby, since you seem to know more where you’re going than I do.”
I followed Dobby for quite some time before we came upon an extravagant door. “Well doesn’t this look like a door,” I replied with a smile, “Seems like something awesome is going to be behind this door.” I looked down at Dobby who stared at the door, “Do you think the twins are in here?”
He meowed in response, “Yeah, I don’t know either. When I find them I will have some choice words to share with them. First they drag me from my cozy flat and then they disappear. They have no manners.” I replied as I opened the door, surprised at myself that it was unlocked. I quickly walked into the room with Dobby in toe as I smiled in amazement.
“Oh my…” I breathed out as I looked at the large room. I recognized the paintings as past headmasters and headmistresses who once resided in Hogwarts. The room was so much grander than I’ve read. It was a large circular room like it was described in the book, but it couldn’t even come close to how interesting and mesmerizing this room was. With all it’s little things and puffs of smoke coming from object I couldn’t even begin to describe. “This is Dumbledore’s office.”
“I can’t believe it! I’M IN DUMBLEDORE’S OFFICE!” I yelled as I spun around the room looking at everything in the room, picking up a book and looking through it quickly. “Look at this thing! I don’t even know what it is, but it’s amazing!” I said to Dobby as I picked up a small metal object that made a squeak when I picked it up. I then sat down in the chair behind the desk, feeling like I was the most important in the world as I looked in the office from the chair. “This chair makes me feel old and wise.”
“Does it? I always thought the chair was a bit discomforting.” I heard a voice say behind me as I quickly ducked for cover underneath the large desk.
“Who said that? Look I know karate!” I lied as I stayed underneath the desk and head a twinkling laugh.
“I will not harm you, I can’t even touch you my dear.” I heard a old voice say as I poked my head out from under the desk and looked in the office, but I saw no one. “I am behind you.”
I slowly turned my head and finally took notice of the large painting of Albus Dumbledore looking down at me with his twinkling blue eyes and a small smile. “Holy shit.”
“Language my dear.”
“Sorry headmaster.” I curtsied as I smacked my head, why in the bloody hell did I curtsy?
“It’s alright Rowan.”
“You know my name?” I asked as I looked up at Dumbledore, he looked like any other painting, but he was moving. It was mesmerizing to see, his long white beard falling to his legs as he smiled down at me.
“Well of course, I did tell the Weasley boys to get you.” He smiled down at me as I instantly remembered why I was here again.
“Right! You’re the one that made those boys scare me half to my wits! Where the bloody hells are they anyways? I’ve been looking for them ever since I got here.” I asked suddenly angry that the boys left me on my own.
“Oh I do believe they are probably at the burrow getting driving their mother mad as they start to plan the night they go and get Harry at privet drive.” Dumbledore responded as I looked at him oddly.
“What? They just bloody forgot about me!”
“No Rowan, they did not. They do not know about you. No one does, only I do.” Dumbledore replied with a smile as I looked as if I was hit with a confundus charm.
“Look Dumbledore, I don’t know what kind of dream this is, but I would not make this so confusing. I’ll just have them come back.” I replied with a shrug as Dumbledore gave me a sad smile.
“You still think this is a dream?”
“Well of course. There is no way this is possible. I may be a bit mental and everything, but I’m not mental enough to believe I am in the Harry Potter world.” I replied with a smile as Dumbledore placed a hand on his head.
“This may be harder than I thought. Rowan, you are in as you call it, the Harry Potter World.”
“Not possible.” I replied stubbornly. “This is just a dream. This cannot be possible.”
“I’m afraid it is.”
“If this was real then it would hurt if I put my hand in the fire.” I replied as Dumbledore looked down at me.
“I would not advise doing that.”
“Because you know it’s a dream.” I replied with a smirk, “I’ll prove it.” I walked over to the fireplace as I bite down on my lower lip and looked at Dumbledore, he was shaking his head. I was close enough to the fire to feel the heat on my face, it felt very real, but it had to be a dream. I quickly counted to three and then placed my hand over the fire, only to scream and then pull it back. My eye widened in horror as I looked down at my hand to see it was burned and bleeding a bit. “No… It’s not possible.”
“Rowan, this is not a dream.”
“It’s not possible! That wasn’t supposed to hurt! This is supposed to be a dream!” I yelled as I clutched my throbbing hand close to my chest as Dobby rubbed up against me. “How is this possible?”
“With magic nothing is impossible.”
“But you’re just a character in a book…. A book I’m now in.” I replied quietly. “Why am I here? I won’t survive a day here! Sure Harry Potter is fun to read and everything, but I’m not going to survive here! I’m human, a regular mundane human! I don’t have magical powers! I’ll be killed!”
“Rowan, if you listen you’ll know you’re much more special than you realize.” Dumbledore replied as I stared at him with curious eyes.
“Why did you bring me here? Why am I here?!” I yelled out in frustration.
“You’re here because the Weasley twins were determined to bring you here, so you can prevent Fred’s death, but I’m afraid that’s not possible. You can not affect the way things will happen, otherwise you’ll die yourself.” Dumbledore replied as I stared at him in bewilderment.
“Then what the hell am I doing here?!”
“Just because you cannot change things yourself, you can help. You have insight that can help us all. And I feel you have a connection with the Weasley twins. You are here for them.” Dumbledore replied as I shook my head.
“Why? You say I can’t help stop the most important thing!”
“No you can’t, but you can help in other ways. Rowan you were brought here for a reason, make sure to make the most of it.” Dumbledore replied, “You cannot change how the book will end, but you can change the story in between a bit by bit. You cannot tell people who they are or who you are. You cannot change the story, but you can help guide others there.”
“What will happen if I tell Fred he is going to die?” I asked as Dumbledore smiled down at me.
“You know what will happen. Chaos will erupt if they all knew they were in a story. The story would not end the way it does. You are here a middleman Rowan, to help the story get to that point. Not to ruin the outcome. If you do so, not only will the book you know cease to exist, but you will no longer be a part of this world or your own.” Dumbledore replied as I stared at him.
“I’ll die, basically is what you’re saying.” I replied as Dumbledore nodded his head. “So I’m here really for no particular reason, I can’t tell people what’s going to happen to them. I can’t necessarily warn them and I can’t stop the one death I want to stop. Why the hell am I here then!”
“That reason is what you must find out.” Dumbledore replied as he smiled down at me.
“So what should I do? Go to the burrow? How?” I started to ask question after question.
“Do what you think you must do.”
“Okay you are just talking in riddles now. I think I disliked that about you must mister. Just give us a straight answer!” I replied firmly as Dumbledore smiled and laughed lightly.
“What do you think you have to do?”
“I think I have to get out of this castle, cause there are death eaters here that are not as nice as Snape. But how in the hell do I get out? I can’t apparate, I can’t fly a broom!”
“What can you do?” Dumbledore replied with a smile as I quirked an eyebrow up at him.
“I can draw, but how in the world is that going to help me?” I asked as Dumbledore smiled.
“You’re from a different world my dear, so you will have different skills here than you did there. Maybe it will help.” Dumbledore replied as I glared at him.
“I hate the way you answer things. Fine I’ll draw a freaking picture of the burrow, maybe that will bloody help. Though I don’t see how.” I replied as I sat down at the desk and looked for a piece of parchment. I then grabbed the quill on the desk and started to draw, dipping the quill in the ink every so often. “How the hell did you guys like writing with these things? I miss my pencil.”
Dobby’s ears perked up as he looked around, “I believe you must hurry my dear. I think someone is coming.” Dumbledore replied as I heard him say behind me, I frowned.
“It’s not easy to draw a detailed drawing with a stupid quill!” I responded angrily as I tried to finish the sketch. Hopefully it didn’t need to look like a picture, but at least an outline of what the burrow looked like. I finished with the chicken coop and then ended with the flying car parked in the front. It was the best I could do for such little time and since I hadn’t read what the burrow looked like in away. It was all memory. “There!”
“That is quite lovely, you do have a gift for the arts.” Dumbledore replied as I smiled at him. “Now go.”
“Go where? Here? How the hell can I go here?” I asked as Dumbledore smiled at me.
“What do artist usually do after they finish a piece of art?”
“Oh my name!” I replied with a smile as I quickly scribbled my name at the bottom of the page and blew at the ink to make it dry faster. Then to my amazement the ink rippled like a wave on the page. The ink drawing on the page started to move to the shape I had drawn it, but it was more 3D and looked as if I was looking down at the burrow in the night sky. “What the--?”
“You’ve drawn your transport.” Dumbledore responded as I looked from him to my drawing, my name still on the corner of the page as it looked as if the page was just a window looking from above at the burrow and the field and the car below. I even saw lights turning on in the burrow. “Now go, others are coming.”
“Go? You want me to step in there? How is the hell is that suppose to work?”
“Magic does not need explanation my dear. It’s magic for a reason.” Dumbledore replied with a smile as I looked down at the painting. I placed my hand towards it and watched it disappear into the dark night sky. My mouth opened agape.
“Impossible…”
“Rowan you must leave or else your time here will be cut short.” Dumbledore replied as I removed my hand from the painting and nodded.
“How do I cut the portal?”
“It shall be cut once you enter it. You are the creator of it.” Dumbledore replied with a smile as I nodded my head. I quickly stood up on the desk and grabbed Dobby in my arms again.
“What do I tell the Weasleys?” I asked looking at Dumbledore.
“Anything but the truth, tell them you’re a friend of mine.”
“Oh yeah that’ll go well.” I replied as I looked over to see the door opening, “Shit! Well see you around Dumbledore! Hopefully I don’t die!”
And with that I stepped into my painting and again I felt myself start to fall through the sky, I felt a small scream erupt from my lips as I looked up to see the image of Dumbledore’s office disappear as it closed behind me. With a blink of an eye it was gone and I was now staring up at the nights sky as I fell and then landed with a groan on what felt like grass, again.