Sadie
Disclaimer: A lot of the stuff on here like Hogwarts and lots of the
characters is JK Rowling's. Everything else is most likely MINE! Thanks.
Chapter 1-A lot to Swallow
/An unearthly, anguished cry pierced the empty air of the dark graveyard./
/A black robed man, a slight distance away at the top of a little hill, had thrown his pallid, claw-like hands into the air and faced the sky, perhaps calling to all and any deities for an explanation. There were others standing around him in uncomfortable silence, closer. The first man, obviously their leader, dropped his hands to his sides and lowered his head. In an equally unearthly whisper he spoke./
`"He will not get away."
/The men around him shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, Master," they called back in subdued tones./
/The leader turned and faced his followers, his face concealed by his hood. His eyes, however, could plainly be seen through the inky blackness, a fiery red with hardly any pupil. "Our reign of terror has commenced once more. Ready yourselves for the morn, when we will return here. Plan on starting your days with a bang." The man gave a soft, cruel chuckle, which his horde resounded./
/Then he turned to a man only a little ways from him. "Wormtail!" The little man started and stood before him, cowering. The leader snorted disdainfully at him. "You will accompany me. The rest of you--go home."/
/Simultaneously the others flicked long sticks in the air and disappeared with pops that echoed through the empty night. The skeletal man, with a sneer in his voice, spoke to the nervous one. "Let's go Wormtail. I haven't slept in 15 years and am looking forward to--" He stopped suddenly and looked up. Wormtail straightened as his master stepped forward a few paces. "What is it, my Lord? Is someone watching?" He was silenced with a movement of the other's hand. The claw-handed man edged closer until the only thing visible was his face, still concealed by the hood. A ghastly hand reached up and pulled it away. Soft moonlight reflected off of the horrible face, frightfully white with snake-like nostrils and the unnerving coal eyes. These awful eyes blinked and changed to a set very familiar./
Sadie let out a blood-curdling scream as she realized they were her own. She opened her eyes and bolted upright, clutching her chest. Then she let out a long sigh of relief that seemed to come all the way from her toes. /It was only a dream,/ she told herself. Sadie looked around her. Sunlight was flooding in from her open window onto the sweat-drenched sheets where she sat.
"Sadie! Are you up yet?" a familiar voice called.
Sadie jumped.
"Yeah, Janet!" she called back a little annoyed as she realized who it was. Sadie stood up and stretched before teetering over to her dresser and pulling out her undergarments, a baggy white tee shirt, and a tattered pair of blue jeans. Then she stumbled to her closet and grabbed a pair of beat- up sneakers. After she collected her outfit she jumped in the shower. It didn't help relax her much since she was still thinking about her awful dream. Sadie rinsed off and got out of the shower. There was a sharp knock on the bathroom door.
"Sadie? You need to hurry up. Janet and I need to talk to you," a male voice called through the door.
Sadie rolled her eyes and wrapped herself in a towel. She opened the door the tiniest crack. "/Alright,/ Keith, I'll be out in a second."
Keith nodded and pulled the door shut. Sadie shook her head and mumbled while she dressed. Couldn't they wait at least until she got some breakfast? Geez.
When she came into the kitchen for breakfast, Sadie could tell something was wrong. The very walls were saturated in tension it seemed, even though the kitchen was normally a cozy, cheerful spot with white walls and a citrus colored border.
There was an old man, one that Sadie was sure she had never seen before, sitting at the little table off to the side of the kitchen. He was a strange figure, with a long silver beard and hair, a long, crooked nose, half-moon glasses, and to top it all off, long burgundy robes. Janet and Keith were holding hands and looking apprehensively from Sadie to the old man. After a very uncomfortable moment, Janet stood up, mimicked by Keith and the visitor. Then she walked across to Sadie, putting her arm around her shoulders and guiding her to the table.
"Sadie, I'd like you to meet Professor Dumbledore," she said, gesturing toward the robed man.
Dumbledore, by way of greeting, smiled and held out his hand, which Sadie shook, still clueless as to what was going on. There was an uncomfortable silence until Janet spoke up.
"Sadie, this is going to be really hard for you to understand, but I'll try to help you with that. We all will. Are you ready for this?"
Sadie felt a shiver crawl up her back; her mouth went dry. "Okay."
Janet took a deep breath and began. "Sadie, you're a witch. I'm a witch, Keith's a wizard, and Professor Dumbledore's a wizard. There are lots of magical people. We can do amazing things. With wands." Janet pulled a chair over to the cabinet above the fridge and reached above it, in a nook a few inches below the ceiling. Out of the nook (which Sadie had never noticed beforehand) she pulled out a metal box. She climbed down and returned the chair and herself to their previous spots. She gently handed the box to Sadie.
"Open it."
Sadie did and found two long, wooden sticks of different types of wood inside. Her blood ran cold as she remembered the sticks the men in her dream had. "So-so what kinds of things can you do?"
Dumbledore spoke for the first time. "Would you like a demonstration?" Sadie thought he had a very kind voice. Keith and Janet looked apprehensive, but Sadie nodded enthusiastically, so he ignored her guardians and pulled a wand of his own out of a pocket in his robes and stood up. He pointed it directly at Sadie, and in a very clear voice, spoke the first magic words Sadie had ever heard. "/Wingardium Leviosa./"
Sadie cried out a little as she felt her chair lifting up off the ground. She clung on to it for dear life, even though she had only risen a few inches above the ground. Dumbledore put her back down after a few seconds.
"That was awesome!" burst out Sadie once she had safely returned to the ground.
Dumbledore smiled, obviously amused at her delight. "That's one of the first spells you learn in school."
"School?" asked Sadie, perplexed.
Dumbledore nodded. "School. We'll get back to that. There are other things you can do. Good things.and bad."
Janet and Keith looked up in alarm. "Professor, is this.wise?"
Dumbledore hardly glanced at them before continuing. "Not all wizarding people are good. Some are bad. Dark. There is one in particular that you should know about."
"Many years ago, a dark wizard by the name of Voldemort," Keith and Janet flinched, "began accumulating power and an entourage of other less flagitious wizards for him. Many stood up to the force he represented, that of corruption and demoralization. Most of these exemplary people he heartlessly massacred. Contrary to your former belief, your parents were not eradicated in a mere freak incident of misprescribed food poisoning. Your biological parents were one of many who valiantly served against him and became martyrs of the cause of virtue and goodness. Your parents were a definite threat to his gain in power as they, in time, would have perhaps neared his power's proportion for fight for good. And so, he brutally murdered them and it is my belief that because you are still here with us, he was and is unknowing of your existence. He likely would have feared that with the legacy of your parents behind you, you would have followed in their footsteps and defeated him. He has been set back time and time again without anyone really finishing him off. The current Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, thought it was best if you were hidden from all magical influence so you would not be found out by him. So every time you have been given up by a 'foster family,' volunteer families of the undercover magical community have passed you on in order to keep you out of reach of the Dark Lord's cruel grasp. In light of recent events in the wizarding world, namely the return of Voldemort in full force, I have finally succeeded in convincing Minister Fudge that the best course of action is for you to be taken in to the school's custody. This school, Hogwarts, is the safest place possible for you. Here you will be given the privilege of learning magic and being with other witches and wizards of your age group. However, there is a problem; most young wizarding people begin their magical education at the age of eleven, so you are extremely belated in the commencement of your tutelage. Because of this," Dumbledore took a satisfied breath, "I have asked a colleague of mine to tutor you over the summer on the bare necessities of each year." Dumbledore looked deeply into her eyes over his half-moon spectacles. "I know that's a lot to swallow. Do have any questions?"
Sadie shook her head although there were a million questions buzzing around her muddled mind like confused bees. It wasn't worth trying to sort them into comprehensible thoughts.
Dumbledore smiled sadly and pulled out a silver pocket watch and glanced at it. "Your tutor will be here Monday morning at 9 am sharp. I will arrive with him to smooth things over and explain the arrangement in further detail at that time." Then he stood and so did Keith and Janet. But Sadie was numbly fixed in her chair. Dumbledore shook hands with Janet and Keith in turn. Then he softly laid a hand on Sadie's tensed shoulder.
"Good luck."
Keith and Janet showed him to the door while Sadie ran his dialogue over in her mind. He was right. That /was/ a lot to swallow.
***
Looking back, Sadie was never quite sure how she got through that weekend. She was feeling so many emotions all at once it was hard to sit still. But Monday finally did come.
It had been drizzly Sunday, so Sadie had expected it to rain the next morning, but not like it was. The rain pounded against the house, wind shook the windows. There was too much energy in it for the day to be dreary. Sadie dressed and showered, the same as any morning, but she of course put on nicer clothes, flare leg khakis, a long sleeve black v-neck shirt, and some chunky sandals, considering she was actually expecting company. Sadie found after several botched attempts that she was unable to eat. But then, she thought, she had to do /something/. So, she cleaned her room. It was messy after all. As she was finishing up, over the din the vacuum made she didn't hear the grandfather clock in the living room begin to chime 9 o'clock until the fifth tone. Upon actually hearing the sixth, Sadie scrambled to put away the vacuum and brush a few strokes through her hair. Miraculously, she was sitting in the living room on the ninth with Keith and Janet.
The fireplace had been lit, and on the final chime the flames had turned a strange emerald green, and two men toppled out of it. One she recognized as Prof. Dumbledore. The other was a man wearing shabby-looking robes, who, if not for the numerous grays in his light brown hair, Sadie would have guessed to be in his late thirties.
As the two men straightened their robes Janet stood, as did Keith and Sadie, following her lead. Dumbledore smiled at them.
"It's very nice to see you all again. May I introduce Professor Remus Lupin?"
Professor Lupin smiled awkwardly and shook hands with each of them. When he reached Sadie he spoke in a quiet voice denoting a thoughtful, almost shy nature. "It's nice to meet you. I'll be your tutor this summer."
Sadie shook his hand and smiled. "Yes, Professor Dumbledore told us you would be coming."
"Speaking of," Janet said, as she motioned the two men to sit down, "there were some other things you said you would tell us. Like how, /specifically/ how, this is going to work."
Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed I did. This will take a good deal of time, and in your part, Sadie, a very open mind." Dumbledore paused, preparing himself. "Professor Lupin--is a werewolf."
Sadie blinked. "What?"
"A werewolf. There is, however, no reason to fear him. There have been recent breakthroughs: a potion making victims of lycanthropy completely harmless.if they remember to take it. I assure you that Professor Lupin has no trouble in remembering his." A significant look passed between the two robed men. "It is required that every full moon you work on your own, as a required precaution."
"Oh.well, okay."
"As for the actual tutoring, it will be as much like Hogwarts as possible. You'll get started at 8 o'clock each weekday morning. You will break for an hour at 12 and continue until 5. I must insist that you are asleep by 10. Also, I'd like you to start wearing robes, just so you get used to them. Get as much as you can done each day and this should go along smoothly."
Lupin spoke up when Dumbledore was done. "We've got to cram about 2 weeks into every day, so we won't go over every single thing. Just enough for you to pass your exams."
Sadie nodded eagerly. "So when do we start?"
Dumbledore and Lupin looked at each other for a moment. Lupin answered hesitantly. "Well, we'll have to get your supplies first."
Dumbledore smiled at Lupin. "You two could do that today, you know."
Lupin was taken aback. "What? Me? Take her? Now? Headmaster, this was not discussed."
Dumbledore kept on smiling. "Is that a problem?"
Lupin, still obviously off guard, looked from a patiently authoritative Dumbledore to confused Sadie, and back to Dumbledore. "No, I--I suppose not. Would you like to go get your things today, Sadie? Now, perhaps?"
"That would be so cool!" exclaimed Sadie. She suddenly deflated. "But.how am I gonna buy anything? I don't have any money."
"Your parents had been depositing into an Educational Fund for you as soon as they were married, not to mention their life savings," assured Dumbledore. "You are well taken care of."
Sadie perked up again and turned to Lupin. "Let's go!"
Lupin eyed Janet and Keith. "Any objections?" They looked at each other for confirmation and shook their heads, smiling.
Sadie jumped for joy and clapped her hands. "This is going to be totally fun. I /love / shopping. But how're we gonna get there?"
"We can go the Muggle way, or just use Floo powder. Either way," shrugged Lupin. "Oh, sorry, 'Muggle' is non-magic and 'Floo powder' is how Professor Dumbledore and I came."
"Floo powder is with the weird fire and stuff, right?" asked Sadie. Lupin nodded. "Let's do that," decided Sadie.
Lupin walked over to the fireplace and pulled a small satchel out of his robes. Opening it, he took a pinch of dust from it and threw it into the fire. It turned green once again and he turned to Sadie.
"You go first. Just step into it and say 'Inglebright Inn'. Nice and clear now. Don't go anywhere until I come out too. Go on."
Sadie tentatively stepped into the fire. The flame licked her skin without heat. "Inglebright Inn."
Sadie felt an awful jerk from behind her belly button as she felt herself whoosh forward. Around her wind whipped past and she could see hundreds of other fireplaces darting by. It stopped as suddenly as it had begun. Her feet slammed on a hard dirt floor. Dusting herself off, Sadie looked around. So this was Inglebright Inn.
Chapter 1-A lot to Swallow
/An unearthly, anguished cry pierced the empty air of the dark graveyard./
/A black robed man, a slight distance away at the top of a little hill, had thrown his pallid, claw-like hands into the air and faced the sky, perhaps calling to all and any deities for an explanation. There were others standing around him in uncomfortable silence, closer. The first man, obviously their leader, dropped his hands to his sides and lowered his head. In an equally unearthly whisper he spoke./
`"He will not get away."
/The men around him shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, Master," they called back in subdued tones./
/The leader turned and faced his followers, his face concealed by his hood. His eyes, however, could plainly be seen through the inky blackness, a fiery red with hardly any pupil. "Our reign of terror has commenced once more. Ready yourselves for the morn, when we will return here. Plan on starting your days with a bang." The man gave a soft, cruel chuckle, which his horde resounded./
/Then he turned to a man only a little ways from him. "Wormtail!" The little man started and stood before him, cowering. The leader snorted disdainfully at him. "You will accompany me. The rest of you--go home."/
/Simultaneously the others flicked long sticks in the air and disappeared with pops that echoed through the empty night. The skeletal man, with a sneer in his voice, spoke to the nervous one. "Let's go Wormtail. I haven't slept in 15 years and am looking forward to--" He stopped suddenly and looked up. Wormtail straightened as his master stepped forward a few paces. "What is it, my Lord? Is someone watching?" He was silenced with a movement of the other's hand. The claw-handed man edged closer until the only thing visible was his face, still concealed by the hood. A ghastly hand reached up and pulled it away. Soft moonlight reflected off of the horrible face, frightfully white with snake-like nostrils and the unnerving coal eyes. These awful eyes blinked and changed to a set very familiar./
Sadie let out a blood-curdling scream as she realized they were her own. She opened her eyes and bolted upright, clutching her chest. Then she let out a long sigh of relief that seemed to come all the way from her toes. /It was only a dream,/ she told herself. Sadie looked around her. Sunlight was flooding in from her open window onto the sweat-drenched sheets where she sat.
"Sadie! Are you up yet?" a familiar voice called.
Sadie jumped.
"Yeah, Janet!" she called back a little annoyed as she realized who it was. Sadie stood up and stretched before teetering over to her dresser and pulling out her undergarments, a baggy white tee shirt, and a tattered pair of blue jeans. Then she stumbled to her closet and grabbed a pair of beat- up sneakers. After she collected her outfit she jumped in the shower. It didn't help relax her much since she was still thinking about her awful dream. Sadie rinsed off and got out of the shower. There was a sharp knock on the bathroom door.
"Sadie? You need to hurry up. Janet and I need to talk to you," a male voice called through the door.
Sadie rolled her eyes and wrapped herself in a towel. She opened the door the tiniest crack. "/Alright,/ Keith, I'll be out in a second."
Keith nodded and pulled the door shut. Sadie shook her head and mumbled while she dressed. Couldn't they wait at least until she got some breakfast? Geez.
When she came into the kitchen for breakfast, Sadie could tell something was wrong. The very walls were saturated in tension it seemed, even though the kitchen was normally a cozy, cheerful spot with white walls and a citrus colored border.
There was an old man, one that Sadie was sure she had never seen before, sitting at the little table off to the side of the kitchen. He was a strange figure, with a long silver beard and hair, a long, crooked nose, half-moon glasses, and to top it all off, long burgundy robes. Janet and Keith were holding hands and looking apprehensively from Sadie to the old man. After a very uncomfortable moment, Janet stood up, mimicked by Keith and the visitor. Then she walked across to Sadie, putting her arm around her shoulders and guiding her to the table.
"Sadie, I'd like you to meet Professor Dumbledore," she said, gesturing toward the robed man.
Dumbledore, by way of greeting, smiled and held out his hand, which Sadie shook, still clueless as to what was going on. There was an uncomfortable silence until Janet spoke up.
"Sadie, this is going to be really hard for you to understand, but I'll try to help you with that. We all will. Are you ready for this?"
Sadie felt a shiver crawl up her back; her mouth went dry. "Okay."
Janet took a deep breath and began. "Sadie, you're a witch. I'm a witch, Keith's a wizard, and Professor Dumbledore's a wizard. There are lots of magical people. We can do amazing things. With wands." Janet pulled a chair over to the cabinet above the fridge and reached above it, in a nook a few inches below the ceiling. Out of the nook (which Sadie had never noticed beforehand) she pulled out a metal box. She climbed down and returned the chair and herself to their previous spots. She gently handed the box to Sadie.
"Open it."
Sadie did and found two long, wooden sticks of different types of wood inside. Her blood ran cold as she remembered the sticks the men in her dream had. "So-so what kinds of things can you do?"
Dumbledore spoke for the first time. "Would you like a demonstration?" Sadie thought he had a very kind voice. Keith and Janet looked apprehensive, but Sadie nodded enthusiastically, so he ignored her guardians and pulled a wand of his own out of a pocket in his robes and stood up. He pointed it directly at Sadie, and in a very clear voice, spoke the first magic words Sadie had ever heard. "/Wingardium Leviosa./"
Sadie cried out a little as she felt her chair lifting up off the ground. She clung on to it for dear life, even though she had only risen a few inches above the ground. Dumbledore put her back down after a few seconds.
"That was awesome!" burst out Sadie once she had safely returned to the ground.
Dumbledore smiled, obviously amused at her delight. "That's one of the first spells you learn in school."
"School?" asked Sadie, perplexed.
Dumbledore nodded. "School. We'll get back to that. There are other things you can do. Good things.and bad."
Janet and Keith looked up in alarm. "Professor, is this.wise?"
Dumbledore hardly glanced at them before continuing. "Not all wizarding people are good. Some are bad. Dark. There is one in particular that you should know about."
"Many years ago, a dark wizard by the name of Voldemort," Keith and Janet flinched, "began accumulating power and an entourage of other less flagitious wizards for him. Many stood up to the force he represented, that of corruption and demoralization. Most of these exemplary people he heartlessly massacred. Contrary to your former belief, your parents were not eradicated in a mere freak incident of misprescribed food poisoning. Your biological parents were one of many who valiantly served against him and became martyrs of the cause of virtue and goodness. Your parents were a definite threat to his gain in power as they, in time, would have perhaps neared his power's proportion for fight for good. And so, he brutally murdered them and it is my belief that because you are still here with us, he was and is unknowing of your existence. He likely would have feared that with the legacy of your parents behind you, you would have followed in their footsteps and defeated him. He has been set back time and time again without anyone really finishing him off. The current Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, thought it was best if you were hidden from all magical influence so you would not be found out by him. So every time you have been given up by a 'foster family,' volunteer families of the undercover magical community have passed you on in order to keep you out of reach of the Dark Lord's cruel grasp. In light of recent events in the wizarding world, namely the return of Voldemort in full force, I have finally succeeded in convincing Minister Fudge that the best course of action is for you to be taken in to the school's custody. This school, Hogwarts, is the safest place possible for you. Here you will be given the privilege of learning magic and being with other witches and wizards of your age group. However, there is a problem; most young wizarding people begin their magical education at the age of eleven, so you are extremely belated in the commencement of your tutelage. Because of this," Dumbledore took a satisfied breath, "I have asked a colleague of mine to tutor you over the summer on the bare necessities of each year." Dumbledore looked deeply into her eyes over his half-moon spectacles. "I know that's a lot to swallow. Do have any questions?"
Sadie shook her head although there were a million questions buzzing around her muddled mind like confused bees. It wasn't worth trying to sort them into comprehensible thoughts.
Dumbledore smiled sadly and pulled out a silver pocket watch and glanced at it. "Your tutor will be here Monday morning at 9 am sharp. I will arrive with him to smooth things over and explain the arrangement in further detail at that time." Then he stood and so did Keith and Janet. But Sadie was numbly fixed in her chair. Dumbledore shook hands with Janet and Keith in turn. Then he softly laid a hand on Sadie's tensed shoulder.
"Good luck."
Keith and Janet showed him to the door while Sadie ran his dialogue over in her mind. He was right. That /was/ a lot to swallow.
***
Looking back, Sadie was never quite sure how she got through that weekend. She was feeling so many emotions all at once it was hard to sit still. But Monday finally did come.
It had been drizzly Sunday, so Sadie had expected it to rain the next morning, but not like it was. The rain pounded against the house, wind shook the windows. There was too much energy in it for the day to be dreary. Sadie dressed and showered, the same as any morning, but she of course put on nicer clothes, flare leg khakis, a long sleeve black v-neck shirt, and some chunky sandals, considering she was actually expecting company. Sadie found after several botched attempts that she was unable to eat. But then, she thought, she had to do /something/. So, she cleaned her room. It was messy after all. As she was finishing up, over the din the vacuum made she didn't hear the grandfather clock in the living room begin to chime 9 o'clock until the fifth tone. Upon actually hearing the sixth, Sadie scrambled to put away the vacuum and brush a few strokes through her hair. Miraculously, she was sitting in the living room on the ninth with Keith and Janet.
The fireplace had been lit, and on the final chime the flames had turned a strange emerald green, and two men toppled out of it. One she recognized as Prof. Dumbledore. The other was a man wearing shabby-looking robes, who, if not for the numerous grays in his light brown hair, Sadie would have guessed to be in his late thirties.
As the two men straightened their robes Janet stood, as did Keith and Sadie, following her lead. Dumbledore smiled at them.
"It's very nice to see you all again. May I introduce Professor Remus Lupin?"
Professor Lupin smiled awkwardly and shook hands with each of them. When he reached Sadie he spoke in a quiet voice denoting a thoughtful, almost shy nature. "It's nice to meet you. I'll be your tutor this summer."
Sadie shook his hand and smiled. "Yes, Professor Dumbledore told us you would be coming."
"Speaking of," Janet said, as she motioned the two men to sit down, "there were some other things you said you would tell us. Like how, /specifically/ how, this is going to work."
Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed I did. This will take a good deal of time, and in your part, Sadie, a very open mind." Dumbledore paused, preparing himself. "Professor Lupin--is a werewolf."
Sadie blinked. "What?"
"A werewolf. There is, however, no reason to fear him. There have been recent breakthroughs: a potion making victims of lycanthropy completely harmless.if they remember to take it. I assure you that Professor Lupin has no trouble in remembering his." A significant look passed between the two robed men. "It is required that every full moon you work on your own, as a required precaution."
"Oh.well, okay."
"As for the actual tutoring, it will be as much like Hogwarts as possible. You'll get started at 8 o'clock each weekday morning. You will break for an hour at 12 and continue until 5. I must insist that you are asleep by 10. Also, I'd like you to start wearing robes, just so you get used to them. Get as much as you can done each day and this should go along smoothly."
Lupin spoke up when Dumbledore was done. "We've got to cram about 2 weeks into every day, so we won't go over every single thing. Just enough for you to pass your exams."
Sadie nodded eagerly. "So when do we start?"
Dumbledore and Lupin looked at each other for a moment. Lupin answered hesitantly. "Well, we'll have to get your supplies first."
Dumbledore smiled at Lupin. "You two could do that today, you know."
Lupin was taken aback. "What? Me? Take her? Now? Headmaster, this was not discussed."
Dumbledore kept on smiling. "Is that a problem?"
Lupin, still obviously off guard, looked from a patiently authoritative Dumbledore to confused Sadie, and back to Dumbledore. "No, I--I suppose not. Would you like to go get your things today, Sadie? Now, perhaps?"
"That would be so cool!" exclaimed Sadie. She suddenly deflated. "But.how am I gonna buy anything? I don't have any money."
"Your parents had been depositing into an Educational Fund for you as soon as they were married, not to mention their life savings," assured Dumbledore. "You are well taken care of."
Sadie perked up again and turned to Lupin. "Let's go!"
Lupin eyed Janet and Keith. "Any objections?" They looked at each other for confirmation and shook their heads, smiling.
Sadie jumped for joy and clapped her hands. "This is going to be totally fun. I /love / shopping. But how're we gonna get there?"
"We can go the Muggle way, or just use Floo powder. Either way," shrugged Lupin. "Oh, sorry, 'Muggle' is non-magic and 'Floo powder' is how Professor Dumbledore and I came."
"Floo powder is with the weird fire and stuff, right?" asked Sadie. Lupin nodded. "Let's do that," decided Sadie.
Lupin walked over to the fireplace and pulled a small satchel out of his robes. Opening it, he took a pinch of dust from it and threw it into the fire. It turned green once again and he turned to Sadie.
"You go first. Just step into it and say 'Inglebright Inn'. Nice and clear now. Don't go anywhere until I come out too. Go on."
Sadie tentatively stepped into the fire. The flame licked her skin without heat. "Inglebright Inn."
Sadie felt an awful jerk from behind her belly button as she felt herself whoosh forward. Around her wind whipped past and she could see hundreds of other fireplaces darting by. It stopped as suddenly as it had begun. Her feet slammed on a hard dirt floor. Dusting herself off, Sadie looked around. So this was Inglebright Inn.