Kaylee threw herself to the ground, the curse passing inches away from her head. That was close, she thought. She could have sworn she saw Hermione and Ron running past but she had to stay focused on her surroundings. The man she was dueling was quick on his feet, casting continuously at a speed she was hard pressed to keep up with. Despite her good grades and steady improvement in dueling, she was still young and hadn't the experience the Death Eaters she was fighting had honed over the years. As she threw up a shield, she couldn't help but have a brief thought of admiration for Lord Voldemort, he had taught his people well. She shook off the thought and focused on the duel.
"Little girl, you are way out of your depth. Leave now before you regret it." He rasped, even as he threw a dark curse at her she didn't even recognize. She wished she had the eidetic memory of Hermione, she was quickly running out of spells she knew. Before he could throw another, her eyes caught the duel behind him and she couldn't help pausing to watch. Luckily, her attacker and pretty much everyone in the courtyard as well, turned to the scene. Harry and Voldemort were locked in a vicious duel that drew every eye.
Kaylee could see Harry was using all his strengths in Defense to keep the Dark Lord at bay but she could see the strain, and slight fear, that were in his eyes. Voldemort himself looked slightly peeved at his opponent but not worried which Kaylee took to be a bad sign. This was the first chance she had had to get a close look at the man that featured in many people's nightmares. Harry's description of Voldemort was accurate; grey skin, no nose…but Kaylee thought he missed a crucial part. There was still an element of humanity that was obvious if someone looked closely enough. She could not help but be impressed at the Dark Lord's dueling capabilities. She knew that he was powerful but to see it up close, she wondered how anyone could doubt he wouldn't get what he wanted.
Drawing out of her contemplation of the enemy, she heard Harry make a last ditch effort to shake Voldemort's equilibrium,
"We destroyed your Horcruxes Riddle. You are mortal!"
Kaylee glanced to her side. Luna had stepped up next to her.
"I don't think it is going to end here tonight" she said quietly.
Over the years, Kaylee had learned to trust her friend's instincts. In this particular instance, she really wished her friend was wrong though. She couldn't bear the thought of more battles and fighting.
"What do you mean?" Kaylee asked.
She turned to look at Kaylee, her blue eyes sad yet hopeful at the same time.
"I'm not sure but something is about to change and I think you are a part of it."
"Me?!" She gasped. Before she could get another word out, the duel took a drastic turn. Voldemort broke off his attack and put up a shield between himself and Harry, the likes of which Kaylee had never seen. He turned quickly until he made eye contact…with her. Before anyone could react, he turned into that black mist only Death Eaters could conjure and then reappeared right in front of her. Between one breath and the next, he had thrust something into her hand at her side, touched her forehead, and whispered something she couldn't quite catch. As the darkness claimed her, all she could remember were bright red eyes boring into her own…
Distantly, she heard voices talking around her. She was so tired though, trying to decipher what they were saying was beyond her at the moment. Being a practical person, she stopped trying and focused on at least opening her eyes to take into account her surroundings. This proved equally difficult but she persevered until she was able to blink slowly and take stock of where she was. It looked like the Hogwarts Hospital Wing…yet it looked different. Curious. Turning her head slowly, she took in the man at her side.
Auburn hair and beard, blue eyes with laugh line around them…that wasn't possible.
"Who are you?" she asked shakily. He looked remarkably similar to pictures of Albus Dumbledore in his younger years. But that was impossible; he had died almost a year ago.
"My name is Albus Dumbledore Miss…" He left off, giving her the chance to fill in the name.
She gaped. What was going on?! Her memory before waking was slowly clearing but it didn't provide answers to her unless…
"Am I dead?" she asked bewilderedly. That was the only explanation for what she was seeing.
"Of course not, my dear. We found you unconscious in the courtyard and brought you to the hospital wing immediately due to your injuries. Although how you managed to get through the wards…" he trailed off, looking at her closely.
She thought furiously, what was going on? If she wasn't dead, then the next logical step would be…
"Sir, this might sound strange but…what is the date?" she asked tremulously, hoping to God she was drawing the wrong conclusion.
His blue eyes sharpened, "September 16, 1945."
Kaylee's mind whirled. That over 50 years! Unbidden, her last moments before falling unconscious flitted through her mind. Lord Voldemort seeking her out, putting something in her hand, touching her…he must be the cause! But how?! Even time turners could only go back so many hours and she didn't have one, Hermione had told her they were more trouble than they were worth when she inquired about them back in third year. Wait…he had put something in her hand. She looked up into Dumbledore's eyes and she could see he had drawn the correct conclusion because he was already casting a strong privacy bubble to ensure their conversation wasn't overheard by the matron in the corner.
"How far did you come?" He asked, his eyes were sharp and focused on her green ones.
"Over 50 years." She said faintly. "There was something in my hand when I was transported, do you know where it went?"
He shook his head, "There was nothing in your hands. Do you think this object is the cause of your travels?"
"I don't know. There is nothing in my time that could make this kind of time jump but it was the last thing I remember before I came here so I thought it would be a clue."
He looked contemplative, she could see his mind whirring at a faster pace than she could ever achieve. She tried to remember what the object felt like but drew a blank.
"I might be grasping at straws sir. There was so much going on in that moment, I'm still trying to make sense of it all."
His eyes gentled as he met hers again.
"Understandable, my dear. How about we revisit this topic after you have had a chance to rest." His eyes held the familiar twinkle that she remembered.
"Since we don't have any leads, what should I do?" she asked.
"Well, the school year has just begun, according to the matron, she aged you at 17 correct?" he asked.
"Yes, I was the youngest in my year. Due to…certain circumstances…I was not able to complete my seventh year."
"Well, that simplifies things," he smiled "Tomorrow I will take you to Headmaster Dippet and we'll get you sorted into a house. Education is important after all." He said with a small chuckle.
She smiled. "The familiarity of school will definitely be welcome after the last year. I assume I should not use my last name?"
He looked contemplative. "I believe it would be better if you don't, we don't know how long you will be here but trying to preserve the timeline is paramount. I hate to ask, but considering the times we are in…are you muggleborn?"
She sighed; of course, this was also a tumultuous time in history. She couldn't catch a break in that regard could she. "Yes sir."
"I see. To be on the safe side, I think it would be better for you to pose as a half-blood…I have a cousin who disappeared to the continent a number of years ago. I don't know what happened to her but she could provide a nice cover story for you. Her last name was Jones I believe. We will say that you were caught in the conflict after she passed and you came here to be with the last of your family. We can work out the specifics later, but right now I believe you need rest my dear."
She nodded and he released the bubble around them. The matron immediately approached and asked Dumbledore, "Is everything alright? She should really be resting after healing that extensive," giving Kaylee a small smile.
"Everything is fine Alfie. I was just reacquainting myself with my cousin here" he grinned at her "she has had a difficult time after losing her mother on the continent."
The matron stiffened and sent a sad look to Kaylee. "You poor thing." She said. "It's good that you came then, Hogwarts will be a safe haven of rest for you." She handed Kaylee a potion vial. "Drink up dear; it's a pain potion with a little Dreamless Sleep to help you rest tonight." She gave another small smile and walked back to her office.
Dumbledore got up from his chair. "I will see you in the morning, cousin."
With a small laugh, Kaylee drank the potion. As she lay down, her mind kept going over what had happened. The potion slowed her thoughts quickly however and she drifted off.