Chapter One: Washed Up
It was early evening on a sunny Autumn day when young Percy Weasley was making his daily Prefect rounds before the other students were due to retire to their respected Common Rooms for the night. He stepped out onto the Hogwarts Grounds from the foyer of the Great Hall and inspected the landscape, looking for any students that should have been heading in by now, when he came across a rather peculiar sight. He saw a cloaked figure lying on the edge of Black Lake, believing it to be a student who had just fallen asleep on the beautiful Autumn day, be went to investigate.
Upon approaching the figure he realized it wasn't a student at all, but a woman lain unconscious on the shoreline, drenched in a black traveling cloak with her long black hair splayed around her and clung to the porcelain skin of her forehead.
"Ma'am?" Percy inquired wearily, drawing his wand. "Ma'am."
Not knowing who the woman was or how dangerous she may be, Percy took off in quick strides back up towards the castle to inform a professor.
He stepped back into the foyer and peered into the Great Hall to see if Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster, was inside.
Seeing no one but Peeves the Poltergeist flying up near the arched ceiling, Percy took off up towards the main staircases.
With just his luck and without having to venture all the way to the Headmaster's office he quickly came across Professor Dumbledore, who was walking with the dour Potions Master, Professor Snape. Percy quickened his paced towards the two wizards.
"Professor Dumbledore!" called Percy to draw their attention.
Professor Dumbledore turned from Snape and peered at Percy from over his half moon spectacles.
"Good evening, Mr. Weasley. Is something the matter?" he asked calmly.
Percy stood before the two and greeted Professor Snape in acknowledgement before speaking. "Sir, I was doing my rounds just now and I came across a woman on the edge of the lake. She seemed to have washed up on shore, so I came looking for you right away, Sir."
"A woman you say? And you have no idea who she might be?" said the Headmaster intrigued.
Percy shook his head. "No, Sir. But it's starting to get dark, and she seemed drenched."
The Headmaster looked to the Professor at his side. "Shall we go take a look, Severus? Perhaps bring her to Poppy to be looked over?"
"It would seem rather prudent to investigate how a woman could just happen to wash up onto Hogwarts' grounds." Agreed Professor Snape.
"My thoughts exactly." Chuckled the Headmaster. "Now, Mr. Weasley, I would like you to go up to the Hospital Wing and inform Madam Pomfrey as well as ask her to bring down a stretcher just in case. Professor Snape and I will make our way to the lake."
"Yes, Sir." Replied Percy as he puffed his chest out, his Prefect badge shining in the torchlight.
Percy made his way to retrieve the Mediwitch, Madam Pomfrey, as the Headmaster and Professor Snape made their way to investigate the mysterious woman on the edge of the Black Lake.
It was nearly dark when the professors arrived at the lake and located the woman, still unconscious. The Headmaster crouched next to her as Professor Snape cautiously drew his wand. Placing his aged hand on her cheek, Dumbledore turned her face towards him. With the darkness of night interfering with his sight, he looked to Snape.
"Severus, a little light if you would please." Requested Dumbledore.
"Lumos." Casted Snape and a light appeared from the tip of his wand that illuminated the three of them like bright moonlight.
The light from Snape wand reflected slightly off of something hidden under the wet hair of her forehead and caught both their eye. Dumbledore pushed the hair back to reveal an ornate silver circlet adorned with five moonstones.
"Is that a crown?" Inquired Snape.
"It looks like something of the sort, yes." Replied Dumbledore. "There's Poppy."
Snape turned to see Poppy quickly making her way to them, followed by Percy and a levitating stretcher.
"Mr. Weasley, you may return to your house for the night, and 20 points to Gryffindor for your effort." Said Dumbledore returning to his feet as the two of them arrived.
"Yes, Sir." Replied Percy obviously disappointed in not being able to see about the woman with them.
Poppy guided the stretcher to the side of the woman and lowered it next to her.
"Severus, help me put her on here so we can take her up to the Hospital Wing." She ordered.
Snape scowled but reluctantly did as was requested of him. Placing his lit wand between his teeth as to keep the light unobstructed he bent down and carefully lifted the woman with an arm under her shoulders and the other under legs. As he stood with her the stretcher lifted to the perfect height for him to lay her onto it. She was rather light in weight if it weren't for the wet clothing, thought Severus as they guided her towards the Hospital Wing, and quite young, not looking a day over 21.
Once they got her to the wing and to a bed, Madam Pomfrey drew the curtains around them.
"We need to get these clothes off of her and get her into something dry." She stated already working on the silver fastening of her black cloak. "Severus, grab some Warming Draught from the cupboard."
Dumbledore brushed the woman's hair back to slide of the fitted circlet from her head and tie her long, damp, black hair up as Severus went to retrieve the potion.
"Poppy, look." He whispered, still holding her hair back, the circlet now on the nightstand next to the bed. "This at least answers the question of whether or not she's a muggle."
Poppy followed Dumbledore's gaze to the woman's ears and let out a quiet gasp. She had the most beautifully sculpted pointed ears. Unlike the flaccid and oversized pointed ears of the House Elves, hers were petite and erect and just slightly longer than a humans ears, but suited her perfectly nonetheless.
Once Severus returned with and administered the Warming Draught, he too took in the sight of her ears then stepped out with the Headmaster so Madam Pomfrey could finish disrobing her and dress her in clean, dry clothes.
"She's dressed, you two can come back in." Poppy called from behind the curtain.
"Did you find anything that could tell use who she is or how she happened to end up on school grounds?" asked Dumbledore.
Poppy shook her head and glanced back and forth between Dumbledore and Snape, which the latter was staring intently at the elvish woman with a look of contemplation.
"No, She's perfectly fine." she stated, "But I did find these."
The Mediwitch moved to the other side of the bed where the nightstand was and bent down to retrieve something from the floor. She stood with a satchel and a set of two silver daggers that lay atop it. With a pivot of her head she motioned the two wizards to follow her as she opened the curtain with her elbow and layed the items on an empty bed closest to her. Poppy stood on the opposite side of the bed to where she could still see the woman through the open curtain, Dumbledore stood next to her and Snape across.
Carefully placing the daggers on the bed, she started to empty the satchel of it's contents. Pulling out vials, rolled up parchment, and what looked to be a couple enchanted Spell Tomes with runes on the cover.
"Very interesting," said Dumbledore, mostly to himself, as he picked up a tome.
Severus picked up a very severe looking vail with a deep purple colored elixir, scrutinizing it.
"She seems dangerous, Headmaster." He said, placing the vail back onto the bed.
"Yes, I agree she does." Said Dumbledore looking at Severus over his half moon spectacles. "But we'll have to wait until she wakes to question her."
Poppy began to repack the items back into the satchel along with the daggers and took the tome back from Dumbledore. She quickly took them to her office and then warded the door once she came back out.
"We can move her to a private room and ward it until she wakes," suggested Poppy. "I'll keep an eye on her throughout the night."
Dumbledore looked over at the elvish woman and back to Poppy and Severus. "That seems best. Just floo me once she wakes up, please." He said thoughtfully.
"I'll bring up a vail of Veritaserum in the morning in case you happen to have need of it." Offered Severus.
"Thank you," said Poppy. "Now, help me get her into one of the private rooms down the hall."