All I know is that whatever happened REALLY hurt! I just went to sleep, that's all! I laid in my bed, pulled the covers over myself, and then there was pain. Lots and LOTS of pain. "What is all this about?" I heard a deep velvety voice ask. "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 screamed in pain. I tried to move away from the pain. "Shhh... it's alright, I'm not here to hurt you. Just calm down." I whimpered. The voice turned soft and soothing, "It's going to be alright. Just trust me." The person lifted me up into his strong arms. I whimpered in pain and the person said, "It's going to be alright. Shhhh..." I held onto the person's shirt and nuzzled into their chest. He smelled so good. Warm, deep, and interesting. I wanted to curl up into him, maybe then the pain would go away.

"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. It seems that she fell, but I don't know where from. There weren't any trees nearby and I didn't see any sign of a broom." The man tried to leave me. NO! He couldn't! He was what was holding me to reality right now, I just knew it! If he left, then I might disappear forever. I held onto his sleeve and whimpered.

"It seems she doesn't want you to leave Professor." The woman said, sounding both warmed and surprised.

The man gently touched my hand and sat down next to me. "Alright, I won't leave you." I sighed and could feel myself smile a little. I felt much better knowing he would stay.

I felt hands on me and cried out, squeezing the man's hand. "Hush child! This is for your own good!" The woman said. The man squeezed my hand. After what seemed like forever I obviously had been covered with some sort of ointment and bandaged. The man had laid down on the bed and put my head on his chest as I sighed contentedly. I was already feeling better and the sound of the man's heartbeat was comforting. He gently pet my hair and cooed, "I wonder where you came from, my little lost bird. How did you end up here, hurt like you are?" He sighed, "I suppose when you're better you'll tell me... if you want to that is." To assure him I would explain what I could I squeezed his shirt. He chuckled, "Thanks, that's reassuring." I smiled and snuggled closer to him.

I had fallen asleep when I heard someone walk into the room. "Professor, there's something you need to..." The person started.

"Shhhhh! You'll wake her!" My man hissed, stroking my hair gently once again.

"Oh... who is that?" The person asked.

"I don't know... I found her today by the lake." My man said in an affectionate way that made me smile.

"And you've been here ever since?" The person, another man, asked as if it was the most extraordinary thing in the world.

"Yes, she wouldn't let me leave." My man said crankily, with a frown in his voice. I whimpered and he seemed to change his tone, "There there bird, it's alright." I nuzzled back into him.

"Wow..." The other man said.

"Well, was there something you needed?" My man hissed.

"OH! Yes, I wanted you to come see the new creature that was sent to me. But you're obviously busy..."

"Obviously!"

"So, I'll show you later..." The other man said, a smile in his voice. He left afterward.

When the other man was gone my man sighed and said, "You're going to ruin my reputation." I sighed. He chuckled, "But I don't mind." He played with my hair. "My sweet bird..."

My man eventually had to leave, once I was a bit better of course. But he visited me all the time up until my vision began to return. After that... he just disappeared for some reason.

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

I smiled, "I suppose." This had to be the strangest situation I'd ever come across. I knew that I had probably lost my mind when I fell or something. This was Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. I was sitting in the hospital wing of Hogwarts. 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. Now let's see... Madame Pomfrey is the nurse. I hadn't been told who my rescuer was, nor had I found out who that other man had been. Otherwise I hadn't been exposed to much of anyone. Madame Pomfrey told me that the students hadn't come back from summer vacation yet, so we "have time to figure out what to do with you dear". sigh Maybe I should have just died... I know what goes down at Hogwarts! If I get eaten by a troll or avada kadaverad by that creepy ass Voldemort I'm going to be very pissed I'll tell you that much! Not only that, but it seems that I'm stuck here in this twilight zone. I talked with Madame Pomfrey and it seems that this is the 1990's (a time when I was still a child myself) and they've never heard of the place that I live! I was in college you know! I was looking forward to graduating from college soon and getting away from my mother and the foster kids we watch and joining the Peace Corps! I had plans, dreams, goals! Now what's happened? I'm in fucking Harry Potter! I'm in Harry Potter world and if I hadn't just flopped into bed with my clothes on and my wallet still in my pocket I wouldn't have been able to convince Madame Pomfrey that I was in fact 21 and not a 16 year old that should be sorted into a house. Honestly, there is no way they could make me go back to grade school no fucking way!

Madame Pomfrey squeezed my shoulder and said, "It will be alright."

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

"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 and went back to her office.

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

I turned around and sat up, then met the kindest eyes I'd ever seen. I knew right away... this was Dumbledore. I smiled in relief, somehow him being there made me feel somewhat better.

He smiled at me, "It seems that amongst all the excitement lately we've forgotten to find out what your name is."

I nodded.

He chuckled, "May I ask what your name is my dear?"

I nodded, "Yes, my name is Katherine Tingstrom."

Dumbledore smiled, "My name is Albus Dumbledore, I am the headmaster here."

I nodded.

"It seems that we have a bit of a situation here. You have dropped into our lives out of nowhere. It seems that you are too old to be a student, and you aren't a ministry worker. I don't believe that you are a death eater..." He gave me a solemn look directly into my eyes, "You aren't are you?"

I blushed and shook my head, "No, I'm not a death eater. I wouldn't do that sir."

He smiled, "I believe you. The only thing is... what to do with you? You don't belong here, and it seems as if you don't belong anywhere else either! Or at least... nowhere that we know of. Are you sure that you don't know any magic? I feel a bit off about just throwing you back into the muggle world."

I blushed, "I really wouldn't know sir... I've never tried to do magic. The most magical I've ever been is that I have good instincts."

He looked at me curiously, "What do you mean?"

I shrugged, "I just kind of... know things. Like what I should do, what path to take and how to fix things... nothing too unusual."

"And you just know these things?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Have you ever made things happen when you were angry or scared?"

"Not directly." I said, feeling a bit awkward.

He smiled in a way that made me feel like I was in for trouble. "Do you think that you'd be up to going to Diagon Alley tomorrow?"

I gulped, "I suppose that I could..."

He smiled, "I shall see you then." He nodded and left.

I sighed, "What am I getting into?"

After a very... interesting ride to Diagon Alley Dumbledore took me immediately to a clothes shop. I had been taken here in a pair of jeans and a tank top, Dumbledore seemed to think that it was "inappropriate attire". For what, he still hadn't told me.

After I had bought a peasant dress that was black on the inside and maroon on the outside and an off the shoulder grey dress along with a black cape we went to the... wand store?

Mr. Olivander got out several wands for me to try and I was surprised that they even reacted to me. Finally Mr. Olivander gave her a wand and I knew... this was mine. 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 blushed and was about to say that I don't teach at Hogwarts when Dumbledore smiled and said, "She will be teaching philosophy."

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

I scratched my head, I was feeling very confused. "Uhm, that would be lovely. Thank you?"

When we got out I said, "What do you mean I'm teaching philosophy?"

He smiled at me, "I've been watching you Miss Tingstrom, and from what I've heard while you were talking to Madame Pomfrey and from what we've talked about I've gathered that you are quite the wise young woman. I've long since wanted to have a philosophy course at Hogwarts, but I never found the right person for the job. I believe that you could help the students learn how to think for themselves, not only listen to what others tell them."

I thought about it a moment, "And you think I'm the right person for that? Don't you think I'm a little... young?"

He smiled, "We both know that has never been a large factor to you. Has it?" He walked further away.

I sighed; his wisdom was even creepier in person.

I came back to Hogwarts with my wand, my clothes, and more books than any human could possibly use (that part actually wasn't unusual though blush I really am a complete dork). "This shall be where you live and teach." Dumbledore said, opening the door into a classroom.

I put down my bags and gaped at the room. My classroom was lined with books, paintings, and tapestries. It was eccentric, thoughtful, colorful, and perfect. I grinned at Dumbledore.

He grinned back at me, "I thought you would like it."

I nodded.

He picked up some bags and then led me back 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. The bathroom had the usual things in it. There was the toilet, a sink, and a four legged bathtub. There was soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, washrags, and towels already in there. I looked in my office and smiled. It was a circular room with bookcases, paintings, a very large window, and a desk. It was very sweet. 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 smiled and nodded. After he left I did just that. 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 my black ballerina flats and the 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 charms that were popular now, 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 gotten 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."

"And you still remember Hogwarts well Remus?" I asked.

He blinked at me, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you've been away from it quite a while. You're a new professor here too." I said matter of factly.

He looked amazed, "Well... yes I am. But I assure you, I know this place like the back of my hand."

I smiled, "I'm sure. You may call me Katherine by the way."

He smiled, "I will, Katherine. Did someone tell you I was a new professor?"

I shook my head.

His eyebrows rose.

"You might not want to ask." I blushed.

He chuckled, "Alright then, shall we?"

I nodded and followed him to the great hall. When we got down there Remus pulled out a chair for me and I sat down, he then sat down next to a man whom I knew right away was Severus Snape. I had to fight back a blush. Severus Snape was very handsome! I mean, I'd always thought he was sexy because of his character and because he was played by Alan Rickman (absolutely gorgeous I think, and I don't care who disagrees!). But in real life, my hands were sweating and my heart was racing just looking at him. Of course, I only allowed myself to look at him a moment. Then I looked back at Remus. He smiled at me and said, "I don't believe you've been introduced to Professor Snape."

I shook my head.

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." He said matter of factly.

"Dumbledore just created it. He said he'd always wanted to have a philosophy course at Hogwarts, but that he could never find the right person before. He seems to think that I'm the right person for the job." I found myself spilling out.

He rolled his eyes, "Oh yes, you seem so very enlightened."

I raised an eyebrow, "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 chuckled, "Well, that was interesting..."

I blushed, "What?"

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

I smiled, "Thank you."

He winked, "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 (I shouldn't have felt heartbroken over that, but I was) but I had a lovely time talking to Remus. He really was just the loveliest man.