Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Summary: What happens when a girl, seemingly from our world, somehow ends up in Harry Potter's world as an 11 year old about to start Hogwarts? What will she do with her knowledge? Goes throughout her 7 years there and goes by the books as much as possible. Except of course, when she changes things.

"I love you."

"I love you too." Whispered Katherine Townsend, snuggling closer to her boyfriend. They sat in silence for what seemed like and eternity before Katherine reluctantly broke that comfort that had settled between them. There had been something on her mind all day. "I can't believe we're adults now. It seems like just yesterday I was a puny little freshman just entering high school." She said with laugh.

"Hey, you'll be a puny little freshman again in just a few more months. And at Harvard no less, your dream school."

Katherine turned to face him and said in a mock-stern voice, "I'll have you know I'm fully grown. It's not my fault if I'm small. And yes, Harvard." She said, relaxing against him once more. "Alone on the complete opposite side of the country."

"You know I'll come visit-"

"When? While you're off at war?"

"Not this again. It's all we ever talk about." He said, rolling his head back in exasperation.

"Sorry if I can't help but think that the next time I'll see you will be in a coffin!" Katherine yelled, getting up and walking away from him. Their relationship had been a bit strained ever since David's decision to join the army after graduation. Now as the time for his departure grew nearer, the tension only seemed to worsen.

"Katherine," David said, following her across the room and slipping his arms around her, "it's what I've always wanted to do. I can't give up my lifelong dream. You know I love you, I always will. It's not like I'll be on the front line or anything. It's a tech job. I promise I'll come back to you."

"I know." Katherine replied wearily. "I know it's your dream… and I won't try and stop you, but I won't pretend to be happy about it."

They stood there holding each other, once again enjoying a comfortable silence, before Katherine broke away saying, "It's getting late. I think I'll head to bed… join me?" she asked, taking his hand and leading him toward the bedroom.

Some time later found David asleep with his arms wrapped around the love of his life, and Katherine drifting off, wishing those arms holding her would never let go.

Katherine blinked from the sudden sunlight so rudely intruding upon her vision… and then she blinked again, this time from the sight before her. What on earth? Wasn't I just in bed with David? Wasn't it the middle of the night?... oh god! I must've blacked out again! Katherine had long suffered from blackouts. For as long as she could remember, there were times in her life where she would be perfectly fine one moment , and the next thing she knew, it would be hours later and she wouldn't remember anything at all. Her mother had taken her to an endless array of doctors, each of which performed an endless array of tests on her, and each of which had come up without a cause or cure.

But just because she'd dealt with them before didn't mean they were nothing to worry about. She could have done anything in the time that had elapsed since her last memory. Not that she knew how long that was. Or where she was for that matter. She could be anywhere.

Katherine's brain was on overload as she took in the scene around her. Something seemed… off, and she definitely didn't recognize the place either.

She was standing in the middle of a crowded square with a large fountain in the center. It was a warm, sunny day with not a cloud in the sky. Quickly regaining her composure, as she had done countless times before, she walked over to a man who had just stopped at the fountain. "Excuse me sir," Katherine asked politely, "could you please tell me the date, I seem to have lost track."

"Why of course darling. It's August 28th." The man answered cheerfully in a British accent.

"Oh, right. The 28th." She replied hollowly. Looking around, she added, "I also seem to have lost my way. Where exactly am I?"

"Ah, a tourist, eh? American. Lost the tour guide I presume?" Katherine gave a tiny nod. "Yes, London can be quire daunting at first, especially for one so young. But don't you worry, you'll get used to it in a jiffy. But as to your question, you're in Charner Square. East London" he added, seeing the look of confusion cross her face.

"Right, Charner Square. Tour guide shouldn't be too far away then. I can find my way from here. Thank you."

"No problem Miss. Have a nice day." The man said, and then continued on his way.

Katherine numbly walked over to the fountain and sat down on the edge. London? August 28th? Two months of my life I can't remember. I've never had a blackout last this long…And what am I doing in London? Why did I come here? Katherine sat pondering these questions for quite some time, only growing more confused. Then out of nowhere, a large owl flew down beside her and stuck out a leg with an envelope tied to it.

Katherine stared.

The owl hopped closer and started pecking at her hand. Realizing the owl wanted her to take the envelope; she reached out her hand and grabbed it, leaving the owl to fly off.

She stared down at the envelope, addressed:

Miss K. Townsend

Newbury Fountain

Charner Square

London

Turning the letter over, she saw a purple wax seal with a coat of arms: a snake, a badger, an eagle, and a lion, all surrounding a large letter H. Wait, a snake, badger, eagle, and lion…surrounding an H…oh god. I'm loosing it. Opening the envelope, Katherine took out the letter and unfolded it:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Ms. Townsend,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. Your owl has already been received. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

Yeah okay, I've lost it. Officially.

Katherine sat there, staring at the letter for what seemed like hours before finally concluding that the letter at least, was a joke. A really lame one too. Did whoever do this really think she would believe it? Did they think she'd been living under a rock all these years? After all, who hadn't read the Harry Potter books?

But doubt still lingered at the back of her mind as she refolded the letter and placed it back in the envelope. Setting it on the edge of the fountain beside her, Katherine noticed a black purse on the ground next to her. She didn't remember it being there when she had sat down, but then again, she had been rather preoccupied at the time. Looking around and seeing that no one was near her, she decided that whoever it belonged to would likely be long gone by now. An unusual sense of childlike curiosity overcame her and she bent down and picked up the bag. Perhaps I'll find an ID in here and I ca turn it into the police. No doubt I'll be going there anyway since there's no chance of remembering why I'm here or where I'm staying, they'll just have to figure it out for me. With finding an ID still on her mind, Katherine reached into the bag and pulled out an ID… HER ID! Needless to say, Katherine was more than a little freaked out. Imagining all the other things she usually kept in her purse, she frantically pulled out each item in turn. Then suddenly she stopped and realized the most obvious thing: maybe the reason the purse was filled with her things was because the purse belonged to her. Yes that was it.

But something still wasn't right. She was positive she had not had the purse with her earlier, and she had started off in another part of the square. And she KNEW she would never just leave her purse lying around. Realizing it was getting dark and the square had emptied considerably, Katherine knew she couldn't just sit on the edge of the fountain all night; she needed to find the police.

But still, something wasn't right. Maybe she should hold off going to the police for the night and just check into a hotel. Katherine was always a little wary of letting people know of her blackouts. Especially the police. What if she had done something illegal? Katherine dug through the purse once more and searched it for money. A moment later she pulled her hand out, holding a considerable wad of cash. She knew she should not have that much money and the suspicion that she may have actually done something illegal grew.

Katherine picked up the letter, put it in her purse, stood up, and walked to the street at the edge of the square. Now came the task of hailing a taxi, something in which Katherine had no prior experience in.

She stood on the side of the road and waited until she saw a taxi approach and she leaned into the road a bit and waved it over... or tried to anyway. The taxi just continued right on by. The next time a taxi drove by, she tried the same thing. And again the taxi just continued on its way. It was now fully dark and Katherine was beginning to get cold, so she tried the only other tactic she could think of – at the next sign of an approaching taxi, Katherine began jumping up and down and waving her arms around like a crazed lunatic. The taxi stopped a few feet in front of her. She ran over, opened the back door, and quickly got in, grateful for the warmth.

"Where to?" asked the cab driver.

"Umm…" oh shit. Katherine had absolutely no clue where to go. Omigod omigod. Okay, just think… think… "Charing Cross please." She had no idea where it had come from, but it seemed as good a place as any, and it was too late to take it back anyway.

"Alright then, Charing Cross." Replied the cab driver.

The cab ride was spent in silence as, thankfully, the cab driver did not attempt to engage Katherine in any small talk. She mostly looked out the window, taking in all the sights. She'd always wanted to go to England, but so far she wasn't really enjoying her experience. And what was she doing here this late in the summer anyway? She should be in Boston getting ready to start at Harvard. Would they still let her attend when she showed up late? She had no clue how long it would take her to get back and get everything all sorted out. But she was drawn out of her depressed musings by the driver announcing their arrival.

"That'll be 43 pounds please."

"Oh, of course. Here you are." Said Katherine, counting out her money and handing it to the cab driver.

"Thanks. Have a nice night and be safe. You shouldn't be wandering around by yourself this late. Especially in this neighborhood."

"Uh, thanks." Katherine answered confusedly. I've never really been in a big city before. Maybe I shouldn't walk around alone in the dark. I need to find a place to stay. There must be a reason Charing Cross came to mind. Maybe my hotel is around here, thought Katherine as the taxi pulled away. Looking around, she didn't see any buildings that looked like hotels. They all seemed to be little shops and cafés. And they all appeared to be closed… all except one, that is. Katherine could see a light on and people moving around inside. It sort of looked like a pub. Hmm, well surely the legal drinking age here is eighteen. Hopefully. Katherine thought, walking closer. Upon habit, she looked up at the sign hanging above the door that read "The Leaky Cauldron"

WHAT!!? Katherine mentally screamed, feeling as if the whole world had just been turned upside down. This cannot be real. Whoever is playing this joke has just gone way too far…of course, how would they set all this up? Sure, they might be able to set up the pub, but Charing Cross just came out of nowhere. They had no way of knowing that I would think of this place, and is it really worth all the effort to set all this up if I'm not even guaranteed to come here? Something isn't right…only one way to find out just what exactly isn't right though.

And with that final thought, Katherine opened the door and stepped inside. The sight that greeted her would stay with her the rest of her life. It was unlike anything she had ever seen.

There were people wearing cloaks all huddled up around wooden tables, there were unusually hairy people, unusually small people( at least she thought they were people), unusually large people, and all sorts of other iffy-looking people Katherine could not distinguish beneath the hoods of their dark cloaks. On one side of the room there was a massive fireplace in which she could have sworn she just saw someone disappear into. And on the other side of the room was a bar in which there were no visible modern appliances. The whole scene looked like something out of the middle ages.

Suddenly feeling utterly exhausted, Katherine walked over to the counter. If she remembered right, and she was fairly positive she did, this place rented rooms. And joke or not, blackout and all, the only thing Katherine cared about was a nice warm bed.

Katherine ordered a room and was led upstairs by the man behind the counter who introduced himself as Tom. But of course, she already knew that. They reached the top of the stairs and continued down the hall until Tom stopped at the third door on the right and turned to face Katherine. Gee, he's tall. Katherine thought, looking up at him

"So you're all by yourself huh?" Tom asked.

"Yes. It's just me." Replied Katherine, stifling a yawn.

"Very well. I'll be up to check on you in the morning then."

"Um, okay." What was it with everyone treating her like a child today?

"Great, goodnight." Tom said, handing the room key to her and heading down the hall.

"Goodnight." Said Katherine, opening the door and heading straight for the bed. She was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

The next morning Katherine awoke having to pee. Still half asleep, she trudged over to the bathroom and did her business. As she stopped to wash her hands, she glanced up at the mirror and froze.

Oh, hell no.

 Whoohoo! My first chapter of my first story. Hope you like it. I've already got a few ideas for other stories, but this is gonna be long one, so I probly wont start those yet; I want to make sure this one turns out good first. So yeah, I'll probly post chapter 2 sometime early next week.