Disclaimer: Of course, as always, I do not own the Harry Potter series or JK Rowling. I am not creative enough to come up with something that great. Any likenesses between the main character and myself may or may not be purely coincidental.
This story is long, and may cause you to neglect your real world responsibilities while you read. You have been warned.
Chapter One
The Visitor
5:57 PM.
Melinda stared at the second hand on the clock. Just five minutes until she was off work. Like every other day, the time was crawling so slowly, it almost went backwards. It wasn't so much that Melinda disliked her job. But after answering phones all day, dealing with angry customers, and completing piles of paperwork, she was mentally exhausted by noon.
Finally at 6:00, Melinda almost ran to her car in the parking garage. She could hear the rain on the floor above her as she started her car and took a deep sigh of relief, closed her eyes for a minute, and reveled in the fact that she was free for the weekend. She had a date that weekend with her couch, where she planned to have a weekend long Harry Potter movie marathon for one.
The drive home was a perfect time for Melinda to think and reflect about her life. She wondered how she became the person she was. She used to be so passionate about life as a child. However, years of being treated like an outcast had pushed her to become a shell of her former self. She never felt accepted for who she was. Yes, she was a little bit... odd. But she was not the total weirdo everyone seemed to think she was. She was just different is all.
The only time Melinda felt accepted was when she allowed herself to escape into the magical world of Harry Potter. She would never admit it to her co-workers, but the series gave her a sense of peace and belonging. Everything from walking down to Hagrid's hut for Care of Magical Creatures to narrowly escaping dementors, Melinda always imagined herself right there alongside the golden trio, planning their next adventure. Yes, to some, it was just a children's book. But it was so much more to Melinda. She truly believed that Hogwarts was her home.
That night, Melinda snuggled on the couch with some popcorn and soda, watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It was coming up to one of her favorite parts in the movie. Soon, Hagrid would knock on the door to take Harry to the world he truly belonged in... the world they BOTH belonged in. Any second now. Wait for it...
Suddenly, the power went out in her living room, and Melinda deflated. "Perfect!", she thought bitterly as she searched for her cell phone to use as a temporary light. "I just want one weekend to watch movies, and the power goes out!"
Melinda's fingers touched her phone. She went to grab it just as there was a knock on the door. Surprised by the unexpected sound, she dropped it again, where it landed under the couch.
Fear began to trickle down her spine, as she listened to the insistent knocking on the other side of the door. She didn't get visitors in the best of times, let alone this late at night.
After several moments that felt like hours, Melinda finally got the courage to answer the door. Slowly, she turned the handle and opened it an inch to peek out. There was a young man, not much older than her by the looks of it, standing there with a small grin on his round face.
"Can I help you?" She asked suspiciously.
"Are you Melinda?" he asked her jovially.
"Who wants to know?" Melinda responded, perhaps a little more rudely than she meant to be. But she was scared. Why did he keep smiling like that?
"Ah yes, of course, how rude of me! Hi there. I'm Neville. Neville Longbottom." He answered, holding out his hand in greeting.
One day, Melinda would look back at that moment in her life and wonder why she didn't slam the door in the man's face. She knew that this had to be either a mean trick someone was playing on her, or a strange attempt at breaking and entering. But at that moment, she was in so much shock at the appearance of this person that she didn't move. The stranger claiming to be Neville Longbottom dropped his hand awkwardly and cleared his throat.
"Ahem. Yes, well, any chance of letting me inside? It's getting pretty nasty out here. And I need a chance to explain."
This man can't be serious. Did he really think that she was going to let a complete stranger into her house, especially one who showed up at night in a storm, claiming to be a character in a fictional book? What kind of idiot did he take her for?
"The lights", Melinda responded numbly.
"Umm, excuse me? Lights?" Neville looked at her bemusedly.
Melinda shook her head a little and tried to force herself to think clearly. "The lights are out."
"Oh! No problem." Said Neville. He whipped something long and skinny out of the inside of his jacket and flicked it. The lights immediately turned back on.
"There now, that's better isn't it?" Neville said with a little smile.
Melinda never heard him ask the question, however. The shock of seeing the magic be performed caused her to pass out cold.
Well there it is, the first chapter! I have been wanting to write this for so long, but something always seemed to come up before I got around to it. At this point, this is the shortest chapter. Please review and let me know what you think! The more reviews, the quicker the updates! J
