The Curiosity of Pandora Fields
Summary: Pandora Fields is new to the Hogwarts family due to her busy academic life. When she does arrive, she's a year late, but that won't be her only problem at Hogwarts. Her curiosity will put her in several perilous situations, divided into volumes for your convenience. Be prepared for AU, OOC, and plenty of action as Pandora Fields gets in an out of trouble, all under Dumbledore's watchful eye.
VOLUME ONE: CURIOSITY AND THE PREP SCHOOL
CHAPTER ONE
Her brown, braided hair fell down past her shoulder blades, swinging freely from side to side as she walked. Her uniform was impeccable, a shade of blue that complimented her light green eyes perfectly. She walked with a slight smile, her eyes moving through the landscape curiously as she passed through the grounds. No one like her had ever entered Hogwarts, and everyone was sure to notice.
Her guide led her straight to Dumbledore's office, careful to let her lead the way as much as possible. She liked going new places and being lost sometimes, and the guide knew to let her have the opportunities whenever possible. He would leave right after he introduced her, heading back to her family's estate in London in time to lead her sister to America for a trip. Pandora had just returned from there, but her jet lag from the plane ride wasn't apparent; she was simply too excited.
"Pandora Fields, welcome to Hogwarts," Dumbledore smiled, offering her a seat and a strange looking piece of candy. She turned it down, not wanting to spoil her first lunch in the prominent school. "I'm glad you were able to come here. We were worried you wouldn't be allowed inside, with the security precautions we have."
"We saw only a dilapidated building at first, Headmaster, but as soon as we opened the invitation, the grounds appeared," Pandora explained happily. "You have a wonderful school, and I am honored that you all would allow me here."
"It's our pleasure. A girl like yourself has never entered Hogwarts before, a girl who was mistakenly left off our enrolling lists. But, you have a wonderful story that I need to hear. According to your mother's letter, you just returned from Harvard University in America. I know nothing of Muggle schools, but I know that this one is very prominent in their culture, equivalent to Oxford here."
"Yes, Headmaster," Pandora nodded. "I did a year-long exchange program and took courses there. It was difficult being away from home, but rather enjoyable. My sister is there now, a year earlier than I went."
"How splendid! Will she come here when she's finished?" Dumbledore questioned. Pandora shook her head. "You see, we're unaware of the magic either of you possess. You were left off our lists for many reasons, we discovered, namely your early genius and your parents' stern upbringing keeping you far ahead of your peers. You would only be a Second-Year at Hogwarts, yet you possess the wisdom and mastery of your talents only seen within the professors. It will be a pleasure having you, but I hope we will be able to challenge you like you deserve."
"I'm sure you will, Headmaster. While my family has possessed magical abilities for centuries, we've always struggled with the craft. That's why my parents became scholars, and why they wanted the same for their children. Magic is just another one of the skills I'll master on their behalf, but my sister decided to refuse. Oxford wants her in a junior program designed for child prodigies like herself, and I wish her the best. I want to be like a great-aunt of mine, Agatha Pearson. She held the Quidditch scoring record for a single game until recently, and she mastered transfiguration spells before her third year," Pandora smiled, eying the moving portraits around the room. The magic ran deep in her heritage, but she'd never been exposed to it. The world of moving paintings was beyond her, and her awe was hard to hide.
"I remember her legend fondly," Dumbledore chuckled, following her gaze to the portraits. "I've made sure you're in the history course about Hogwarts, as well as a Muggle culture course to show you the differences between the two. The magic classes will be done as an independent study, at least until you're ready to join the others. You'll be sorted when Professor McGonagall retrieves the Sorting Hat. She hopes you'll be a Gryffindor great, but I've told her not to hold her breath. Each of your ancestors was a Ravenclaw, and I know you will be too."
As he finished his sentence, Professor McGonagall walked in carrying a ragged hat. At first Pandora was disgusted, but she knew the hat would decide her fate. She read a book about Hogwarts and knew that this ritual was done on the first day of the first year, not after the first month years later. She would've been surrounded by her peers, same in age and heritage, had her parents raised her differently, but she didn't want to think of their shortcomings now. It was time to be sorted, and she agreed with Dumbledore about the hat's decision.
"My, my, my," the hat clicked, wiggling atop her head. "I haven't seen one of you in ages! Your parents turned the school down after watching their ancestors do so poorly, but you have great potential. Ah, the knowledge in this brain. Albus, she might even be smarter than you!" the hat guffawed, nearly moving itself off her head as he laughed heartily. "There's only one choice for you, Pandora. Your ancestors had a difficult time in Ravenclaw, so you need to make up for them. Ravenclaw is the house I choose for you."
Professor McGonagall removed the hat as he broke into a song about Dumbledore being dumber than the child, exiting the office quickly with a slight look of despair. Dumbledore told her to ignore the woman; he had other matters to discuss with her.
"You'll wear that uniform to show the other students that you're different, but I don't want you to feel ostracized while you're here. Your house will take you in gratefully and help you through any hardships. And they will help influence your decision about staying another year," he winked, knowing her intention was to return home at the end of the year to contemplate a return. "I do have a warning for you, a stern warning," he said, clearing his throat as she looked to him, her constant smile never fading. "There are dangers within these walls, and exploring could bring you problems beyond your grasp. Stay on the marked hallways, and use this map if you ever get lost. Pandora, do not go exploring within Hogwarts," he warned, using his sternest voice.
"I'll remember that, Headmaster," Pandora, eying the exit. "Can I get a tour of the school and my new home?" she asked cheerfully. Dumbledore nodded with a smile, his stern mood poofing away. Pandora would be his star pupil, and he couldn't wait to see her master a spell or potion for the first time.
Pandora eyed the others in the Great Hall as she took a seat at the Ravenclaw table. Her tour with Dumbledore was cut short by an emergency on the Quidditch field, but she took no offense to the interruption. She wanted to see where all of the students were going, as well as where the greatest smells every smelled were hiding.
"Who's that?" students murmured, eying her from every angle. Pandora merely smiled, selecting different foods to pile onto her overflowing plate. While her figure was slim, her appetite was large, and she devoured almost everything she touched. Boys and girls watched with gaping mouths as she did this, asking questions when they discovered their voices again. But no one had answers about this girl, even the Ravenclaw student leaders.
"Excuse me? I hope you don't mind me interrupting, but I need to know who you are," a tall girl asked. Her dark, black hair fell into her face as she spoke, but she blew it away with a smile as the chewing Pandora looked up to her.
"I'm Pandora Fields, a new student here," she introduced, shaking the girls hand. "I just flew in from America, so I'm a little starved. Am I disturbing you?"
"Oh, no," the prefect chuckled nervously, watching her shove an entire roll in her mouth. "I'm a prefect for the Ravenclaw house. It's my responsibility to know everyone in the house and help them with whatever they need. You know, they mentioned we'd be getting a new student soon. I guess you're who they meant."
"Mm-hmm," Pandora mumbled through her large roll. The prefect exchanged nervous glances with another girl before returning to her own plate, her words getting lost in her thoughts.
Those who overheard the conversation passed information along, and soon everyone was whispering about Pandora Fields from America. The news hit the Gryffindor table within seconds, causing Hermione to spit out her water.
"America? When did Hogwarts start allowing Americans into the school? And she eats like a slob!" she exclaimed, slamming down her napkin.
"Oh calm down, Granger," Draco Malfoy scoffed from the other table. "They'll let in any old half-wit now. The more mudbloods, the merrier!" he grinned, his friends laughing with him.
"She's not a mudblood, Malfoy,"a Ravenclaw prefect whispered. An owl had landed a moment ago, delivering a letter from Dumbledore's office. It explained her heritage, emphasizing her scholarly upbringing in London among the Muggle society, despite her being a pure-blooded witch.
"Well, I was half right," Malfoy muttered. "She's still a half-wit if she knows nothing about her culture and she's a pure blood. Why is she in Ravenclaw anyway? And why haven't we heard of her?"
"Her grandparents didn't do as well here, so her parents decided to go a different route. There are many wizards doing their own upbringing now," the prefect explained, causing Malfoy and his friends to laugh loudly.
"You can't home school a wizard! Look at her, staring at that wand like it's the first time she's seen magic. What kind of fool is Dumbledore letting this idiot in here? She'll turn us all into toads her first day!"
"Some of us would deserve it," Hermione muttered, getting back to her food.
Pandora was still staring at the Hufflepuff table, where a boy was trying to turn his apple into chunks without cutting it up. His headgear made him look like a swamp monster, his teeth jagged and broken from a bad fall during a Quidditch game. Everyone watched as he failed at casting his spell, sending apple bits all over those around him. The only one who laughed was the carefree Pandora Fields, her smile lighting up the room as everyone stared.
"I want her gone," Malfoy muttered. His friends nodded to him, watching the girl as she laughed heartily, shoving food into her mouth between breaths. She was having the time of her life, but Malfoy wanted her gone.
Pandora looked around the small classroom quietly, running her fingers over her braid as she waited for Professor Snape to finish his preparations. She was having a personal potions lesson while he had some free time, and he needed to prepare the ingredients for the mixture she would make.
"Dumbledore assured me your background in the Muggle's chemistry would help you master this skill quickly. I'll explain each ingredient and how to prepare it, then you'll prepare a potion for me. I do not accept failure, and any disasters will keep me from instructing you further. Please use precaution, and stop playing with your hair before I snip it off!" Snape hissed, slamming down a cauldron before lighting a fire beneath it with his wand. Pandora immediately dropped her hair, her face remaining the same as he began his lecture.
Everything reminded her of cooking, which was applied chemistry at a level Pandora could never understand. Her mother could prepare dishes from any country, her latest fascination being with the curries of India. She could conduct a symphony of flavors, filling the bellies and hearts of her family's friends with happiness and warmth.
Pandora didn't have this magic. Her first scrambled egg burnt onto the pan within seconds, the result of too much heat and not enough oil. Her second attempt ended up in the dog's dish, untouched due to a dry crustiness only seen on year-old toast. Her third attempt seemed okay until the smoke alarm started to blare, and she never tried again. Her mother never invited her kitchen again; the risks were too severe. Pandora only knew microwavable or pre-prepared foods; fresh food would forever be off the menu.
"We'll start by slicing this root thinly. Watch your fingers, as any blood will ruin the ingredients and the potions. You must always use precaution in my classroom, or storage room," he scoffed. Next door, his seventh-year students were using his classroom to prepare practice potions for his weekly exam. Pops and hisses came from busy cauldrons, filling the dungeon with a singular smell attached to the potion of the week, a cure for giant-ism among plants. Pandora's potion would be less involved, but he expected the same sounds.
He'd be disappointed within seconds.
"Place them into the cauldron," he instructed, eying the slices carefully. They were uneven, but he hoped they would work in the potion, which started with a liquid base of sea water imported from the coast.
"What's happening?" Pandora cried as the cauldron began to bubble over, covering the floor with an off-colored liquid that smelled of death. Professor Snape looked towards the mixture as he pushed her from the room; he'd never seen such a reaction from a potion before.
Smoke poured from the strange mixture, causing Professor Snape to evacuate the dungeons in an attempt to keep the students safe. They were, hiding in the Great Hall with a few others before the mess could be cleared.
Pandora played with her braid nervously as she watched the cloud dissipate from the dungeon stairs. The seventh-years eyed her with disgust, and the others in the room weren't happy either. Judging by the screams coming from Professor Snape, he was also less than pleased. His dark figure stormed up the stairs, and object levitating in front of him.
"Your hair got into the potion!" he screamed. "You've ruined it! You've ruined everything!"
Pandora instinctively dropped her hair and shrank into her seat. The irritated stares were now irate ones, and it took four people to escort the furious Professor Snape back to his office while others cleaned the dungeon's floor, corroded by the toxic mixture. Pandora only needed one person to lead her back to the Ravenclaw common room: herself.
Pandora ran her fingers along the cool wall. The stone was rough to the touch, but it comforted her troubled heart. She wanted her family's return to Hogwarts to be memorable, but not like this. She had her grandfather's touch when it came to potions, his fingers destroying every ingredient with nervous sweat. Her downfall was her nervous habit of playing with her hair, which now hung loosely on her shoulders. She'd brushed it for hours to get rid of any strays, but she knew they would fall out on their own. They always did; she never had any control.
A room with a wooden door broke her concentration, ending the pattern of cool bumps on her tingling fingers. They were raw from the long walk, taken at night to avoid the glares of seventh-years or the stares from the other curious students. It was past curfew, she knew, but the halls seemed so inviting. She had no idea where she was now, but the door seemed inviting. It broke her concentration enough to allow curiosity to take over. She opened the door, stepping inside and closing it just as footsteps moved past outside.
The glow coming from the corner of the room lit the dark space, allowing her to navigate around the stored furniture that was covered with white sheets and cobwebs. Dust tickled her nose, but she kept from sneezing masterfully as she approached the glow. A sheet was keeping the light dim, but it shined brightly in the room as soon as she removed it, casting the room in a blue hue.
"What is this?" she murmured, touching the object gently. It was cool and reactive to her touch. It flickered, inviting her to poke it again. She did, smiling. "I wonder what it does."
Footsteps sounded behind her, but Pandora could barely hear them over a low hum the object produced. The hum masked a spell, and the light hid the beam of light from a wand tip that caused the object to change colors. Pandora thought she did it, and she poked the object again.
She felt the change as the world began to spin. She crumpled to the floor with three others around her. Three others were at the doorway, caught by the object's grasp.
All three changed together. All three took a journey together. All three became equal in a new world.