Author's note: I do not own the Harry Potter world, or the characters created to live in this world. I do, however, have a great deal of respect for her work and for her characters and will try to portray them with the best of my knowledge.

I have no idea what happened. Really, I just went to sleep. I went to sleep and a moment later I felt as if a semi-truck had run over me. I couldn't open my eyes, couldn't scream, couldn't move… was I in hell? Had I had a stroke while sleeping or something? What happened?

"What is all this about?" I heard a deep, velvety male voice asked me. "Why are you here? Stop laying there and answer me! Hello! Hello? Hello?!? Are you alright? What's happened?" I felt a touch on my arm. I whimpered and tried to move away from the pain, but couldn't.

I felt the person gently roll up my sleeves and heard a slight hiss, "What's happened to you? Come on, let me get you to the hospital wing." The person picked me up, and I bit back the noises that wanted to come out. The last thing I wanted at the moment was to seem like a weakling. After all, I wasn't the first person to ever feel pain.

"Oh! The poor dear! Let me see what's happened to her... Did you find her like this? Where was she?" A woman's voice asked.

The man laid me down and said, "She was just over by the lake, she seems to have… fallen."

"Oh… well, let's see what's happened to her." The person whom I assumed was a doctor or a nurse looked me over.

I heard steps walk away from me, and I assumed it was the man. Who was he?

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"Well, you've come along quite well my dear... considering how bad your injuries were." The nice woman... who said she was… Madame Pomfrey, said while smiling at me.

I looked at her and tried to smile, "I suppose." This had to be the strangest situation I'd ever come across. I knew that I had probably lost my mind, and was still going with my stroke theory. Madame Pomfrey insisted that this was Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. I was sitting in the hospital wing of Hogwarts… This couldn't be possible. No. I was NOT sitting in the hospital wing of Hogwarts. Pretty soon I would wake up, and this would just turn out to be a dream created by too much pizza and overwork. Yeah, that was it.

Personally, I was never a huge fan of the Harry Potter series, considering there were some people who knew more about it than American History and all. Now history I knew about... as long as you didn't ask me for exact dates. In recent years though I'd become more interested in Harry Potter and all that out of curiosity... obviously that was a good thing now. That is, if this… no, it was a dream.

I'd known that Madame Poppy Pomfrey was a nurse, so when she'd first introduced herself the only reason I didn't go screaming into the night was I couldn't walk.

I hadn't been told who my rescuer was, and I wasn't too upset about it. He'd just kind of… dumped me here. Heh, maybe it was Snape. That would explain some things.

If this isn't a dream… and it HAS to be a dream… I don't know what I'll do. I know what goes on at Hogwarts, and I'm not too fond of the possibility of getting avada kadaverad by Voldemort or eaten by a troll. I'm a business major for heaven's sakes! I… I work at a movie theater and go to college. I was going to go into the Peace Corps after college so that I could help people. If this isn't a dream, then my life is over. I'm not cut out to live in a world of wizards and witches, I wouldn't even know how to.

Ok, so I'd know HOW to. I was always sort of a fantasy nerd, dreaming of magical places and having powers. But I'd always known that wasn't reality, and life had shown me that amazing things just didn't happen. People were cruel to each other, they destroyed everything, and then died. All you could do was try and make the world just a little bit nicer and better because of your own actions, with what little power most of us actually have it isn't much and so most of us just… leave the world be.

But now I'm at Hogwarts… if I really am at Hogwarts… and I have no idea why. Why would I possibly be here? I'm not some fangirl who wants to snog one of the characters or anything, how the hell had I gotten enough energy to even…!

"Are you alright Katherine?" Poppy asks me, looking concerned.

I looked up, startled out of my reverie by my name. Katherine… yes, I was Katherine. Katherine Jessie Tingstrom. Named after Katherine Hepburn and my great grandmother. Oh please, let me wake up. "I… I'm not sure if I'm alright. But I'm not in pain, if that's what you meant."

She sighed and sat down next to me, looking at me soulfully, "Everything will be alright."

I chuckled, "Wouldn't that be nice..."

She scrunched her eyebrows together, "What?"

"Anything ever being alright." I said, turning away from her and going back to sleep (which was about all I ever did these days).

Madame Pomfrey sighed, shaking her head, and went back to her office.

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"Miss... Miss?" I heard an elderly man's voice say from behind me.

I turned around and sat up, meeting the kindest eyes I'd ever seen. I knew right away... this was Dumbledore. I knew Dumbledore… he was always so warm and nice. He always seemed to have all the answers. I don't know why, but suddenly some of the tears that I'd been refusing to let go of came down. I choked down a sob and said, "I don't belong here. Can I please go home now?"

He looked at me with sympathy and then wrapped his arms around me, "I'm so sorry Miss Tingstrom."

I shook my head, "Just let me go home."

He pushed me gently away from him and said, "Miss Tingstrom, we have a bit of a situation here. You see… every now and then someone from another… plane… appears in our world. Nobody is quite sure how it happens, but it does. There are some who can willingly go from plane to plane, but it's rare. I'm afraid that you are an unfortunate victim of such an incident."

I looked at him, trying to process this information. Finally I said, "So… you mean… I'm just STUCK here? How can I just be stuck here?"

He shakes his head, "I'm afraid you simply are."

I put my hands to my face and then run them through my hair, I will NOT cry again. No. I am not a weakling, I'm not going to cry. I look at him and say, "Alright. So what do I do now? I don't have a job here and I'm not quite sure how to fit in."

He seems a little surprised at my sudden change of attitude, but then smiles warmly at me. "Well, I've been thinking of that. Do you read often?"

I raise my eyebrows, "Yes, of course."

He nods in approval, "I've been pondering your situation, and thought that since you probably were not from this plane and therefore wouldn't have anyplace to go. You might consider to be our new philosophy professor."

I blinked, "What?"

He nodded, "All you'd have to do is read some philosophy books and make up a lesson. No need to become a philosopher yourself… unless you wanted to that is."

I shook my head, "I don't believe I'm qualified for something like that sir."

He shrugged, "Alright then, I suppose I could find you a job in Diagon Alley. Though, your probable lack of magical skills COULD be a problem."

I stared at him. Was Dumbledore trying to force me to be a philosophy professor? Was I even QUALIFIED to be a professor of ANYTHING? I mean… sure, I'm opinionated as hell and would love to be able to make that kind of difference. But that's a lot of power for someone like me to hold, and I'm not sure I'm… Hell. "I… I'll try it. If I'm not good though, promise me you'll find me a job in the muggle world. Please." I suddenly realized something… how did he know I'd know what Diagon Alley was? And why did I assume he wouldn't be suspicious that I knew what a muggle was?

He nodded happily and said, "Agreed. Now, I believe you should get some more rest, you're not fully recovered yet."

I nodded slowly, what had I just gotten into?

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After a very... interesting ride to Diagon Alley, Dumbledore took me to a clothes shop. I had been taken here in a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt, Dumbledore seemed to think that it was "inappropriate attire". I suppose I can understand that, seeing as I'm going to be a teacher and everything. My mother, who's a teacher herself, wouldn't have worn that to her job.

I always liked the clothes in the Harry Potter world. They were a cool mixture of modern and historical clothing. For myself I chose a burgundy and black peasant dress (something I might have worn at home), and a grey off the shoulder dress that was made out of cotton. Nothing too fancy, I'm not in the running for Miss… well, I guess it would be Miss Great Britain now wouldn't it? I also bought some other necessities for personal hygiene and such as Dumbledore waited outside. But what really surprised me was when Dumbledore took me to a wand store.

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Mr. Olivander got out several wands for me to try and I was surprised that they even reacted to me. Finally Mr. Olivander gave me a wand and I knew... this was mine. Freaky.

Mr. Olivander smiled, "Thirteen inches made of rowan wood with a dragon heartstring. Tell me dear, what is it that you teach at Hogwarts?"

I smiled awkwardly and said, "It'll be philosophy."

Mr. Olivander absolutely grinned, "I guessed as much. I shall have to tell my nephew to take your course Miss. Tingstrom."

I blinked, feeling very confused. "Uhm, that would be lovely. Thank you."

When we got out I said, "Why does he think I'll make a good philosophy professor?"

He smiled at me, "You can understand a great deal about a person from the wand they are meant for."

I gave him a scrutinizing look, "Oh? Will it tell me whether I'll be meeting a tall, dark, and handsome stranger soon too? Or perhaps that I'll live to two hundred? Because that would be impressive." I didn't mean to be sarcastic and rude, but this is all just getting to be too much for me.

He sighed and said, "Katherine, sarcasm doesn't suit you."

I blinked, but then couldn't help but blush and feel a tad guilty. "I've heard that before… sorry."

He smiled at me, "Quite all right."

I smiled at him, "Thank you Dumbledore… for everything."

He smiled warmly at me, "Trust me, it's my pleasure."

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I came back to Hogwarts with my booty, and Dumbledore led me to where I'd be staying. "This shall be where you live and teach." Dumbledore said, opening the door into a classroom.

I put down my bags and gawked at the room. The classroom... it was... wonderful. It was all brick walls, but the walls were covered in paintings of heros and philosophers (living paintings of course) as well as tapestries depicting ancient battles. There were stone heads of philosophers (I didn't want to think right now about whether they were alive or not) as well as bookshelves full of more books than you could read in a lifetime. Paradise in my view. There was a large mahogony desk and the big, beautiful windows had lovely red muslin curtains that made them look like something out of a... well of course. It was a fairly large classroom, and it felt very open to me. Something about it… it was like… I was meant to be there. Everything looked like something I would have picked out for the room myself. I stared at Dumbledore.

He chuckled, "I thought you would like it."

I gulped and nodded.

He picked up some bags and led me to my bedroom. "You will sleep in here. You have a bathroom through that door, and your office is through the other door."

I looked around and saw that there was a large window with maroon curtains, there was a mahogany four poster bed with maroon bed curtains, and a mahogany bookcase and wardrobe. There was also an overstuffed comfort chair that had a small table with a stained glass lamp on it. Overall, it was very comfortable and homey.

The bathroom had the usual things in it. There was the toilet, a sink, and a four legged bathtub. All of it was white and clean, for an old castle everything was certainly in better condition than it was in my house.

I looked in my office and smiled. It was a circular room filled with mahogony bookcases that were brimming with books. There was one small painting of an elegant woman on a horse, seeming to ride into battle. I liked that. There was a large window with the same red muslin curtains that was right behind my mahogony desk. I must admit that I liked all of it very much. I turned and smiled at Dumbledore, "Thank you Headmaster."

He smiled, "You're very welcome. Now, you might want to freshen up and change clothes. The students will be coming soon."

I nodded in understanding.

After he left I bathed and changed into my black and maroon dress. I pulled my hair back off my face (although some strands still fell down onto the side of my face). I also put on the black ballerina flats and silver spectacles I'd gotten (I was near sighted and I'd left my glasses in reality). I looked down at my wrist and smiled, I'd been wearing my charm bracelet (as usual) when I left and so I still had it. It was the only link to my real life other than my clothes and wallet I had, but it was the one that meant the most to me. It was made out of the square Italian charms, with some that had dangling charms attached. It symbolized the last year I'd had, with charms from my travels and things that meant a lot to me (like my favorite painting and my mother's motto for me "believe"). My mother had made it for me, and there was no way I'd ever let anyone take it from me.

I read a little bit from a book of philosophy I'd found until I heard a knock at the door. I opened up the door to my office (the room I was in) and smiled at the person behind it. He had light brown hair that had grey in it, kind eyes, and a warm smile. "Hello, Miss Tingstrom I presume?" He asked.

I nodded.

He smiled, "I'm Professor Lupin, you may call me Remus if you like. I'm here to take you to the great hall. The headmaster thought it might be a good idea, since you are new to Hogwarts."

I smiled, "Thank you Remus."

He smiled, "No problem. Shall we go?"

I nodded and followed him to the great hall. As we walked I found myself staring at him out of the corner of my eye. I always liked Remus Lupin, and respected him very deeply. The way he was nice to everyone and was such a strong person, especially with all he had to deal with, as well as being so very intelligent made him someone I could definitely stand behind. Maybe he and I could be friends. I would like that. We could talk to one another, help one another, then maybe this world wouldn't be so hard for us both.

He turned and smiled at me, "So Miss Tingstrom…"

I smiled, "Please, call me Katherine."

His smile got bigger, "Katherine… how do you like Hogwarts so far?"

I looked around at the gigantic hallways filled with large windows that looked out at the beautiful landscape. They certainly didn't have anything like this in Ohio, "It's certainly been an experience."

He nodded, "I should think so. May I ask where you're from?"

I smiled, rather pleased that he couldn't tell, "I'm from the States actually."

He seemed surprised, "Really? Might I ask why you decided to teach here instead of a school over there?"

I opened my mouth, closed it, then opened it up again to say, "Strong forces determined that this was the place for me to be."

He raised his eyebrows.

I blushed just a little bit, "I'm sorry, I just… don't have a better explination than that."

He nodded in understanding, and I appreciated that.

"So… what about you? Why are you here?" I asked, smiling genuinely at him.

He smiled, "The headmaster had the Defense position open, and believed that I would be a good fit for it. I'm very grateful for it, this job is a godsend."

I grinned, "Well, then I'm glad you got it. I don't know you very well, but you seem intelligent and kind enough. It's always been my belief that good things should happen to those who try to be good… I know it doesn't work that way usually but one can hope."

He laughed and said, "Why thank you, Katherine. I'd have to say you seem rather kind and intelligent yourself."

I smiled, "Thank you."

He nodded, "You're welcome. Maybe you and I should join forces this year and help one another with our new teaching careers."

I grinned, "I'd like that."

He smiled warmly, "Me too."

For the rest of the way there we talked about our lives before teaching, neither one of us going into to much detail, and shared our interests. We seemed to have a great deal in common, and I was feeling more at ease with my fate as the moments ran on.

When we got to the Great Hall, Remus pulled out a chair for me and I sat down. Remus then sat down next to a man whom I knew right away was Severus Snape. All I could think was, "Wow…" I will admit, his hair is kind of greasy, but not overly so. Mostly it just looks soft, and is down to his shoulders. His skin IS a little sallow, but it's mostly just pale and he's probably not the type of man who has a balanced diet and along with being hunched over potions all day he can't really be expected to have perfect skin now can he? But overall… wow. I always liked men with kind of beaky noses, don't ask me why, and his facial features… I don't know why people call him ugly. He's… wow. Those black eyes, they're turned toward his food and he seems to be in thought. Well, of course.

I couldn't help but smile, I always liked Snape too. In fact, even from the first movie, I thought he was great and liked his blunt, intelligent ways. I agree with him that Harry Potter doesn't need to be treated like he can do no wrong, he IS just a child… and an impetuous one at that. Now that I'm in his presence though, there's something about him, something more than just admiration.

I frown, no. No, I don't know the man and although what I know about him I like I refuse to start having some sort of… girlish crush on the man and that's that. Probably would help if I'd stop staring at him though. Yep, do that right now.

I look away.

Remus smiled at me and said, "I don't believe you've been introduced to Professor Snape."

I shook my head, not wanting too look at Snape again but forced to.

Professor Snape narrowed his eyes at me, "What is all this about?"

"Severus, this is the new philosophy professor Katherine Tingstrom." Remus said politely.

"We don't have a philosophy course at Hogwarts." Severus said, obviously annoyed.

"Dumbledore just created it." I said awkwardly, trying to be helpful.

He snorted, "Yes, and you seem like the perfect person for the job."

I raised an eyebrow. Ok, that was more than a little insulting. "And whom, might I ask, are you to judge whether I am adequately enlightened or not? All I know is that I was chosen for the job and I aim to do it."

He seemed surprised by my reaction for about a nanosecond, then frowned at me and said, "We shall see then." He then pointedly ignored me.

A lesser woman would have stuck out her tongue or flicked him off... or both. I just narrowed my eyes and decided to ignore him.

I turned back to Remus who seemed to be holding back a chuckle, "Well, that was interesting..."

I raised both eyebrows, "What?"

He just smiled, "I personally believe that you will be a lovely philosophy teacher."

I smiled, "Thank you."

He smiled back, "You're welcome."

After that, the children came in for Dumbledore's speech and the feast. Severus ignored me for the rest of the evening, which I didn't really mind. Sexy or not, I'm not sure how much I'll like him in real life. But Remus and I were turning into fast friends, maybe all of this wouldn't be so bad after all.