Chapter 1 – Despair and Hope
It was windy and cold.
Driven by despair, she followed a path leading her deeper and deeper into the forest.
The more she dived into the forest the darker it got and the air was filled with whisper.
It seemed like the trees became alive, stretching out their branches for her.
What was that? Something cracked behind her.
The young girl felt the presence of someone – or something? - and started to run.
The cold air burned inside her body, she could barely breathe
and then, all of a sudden, she fell over a root and hit the ground.
Darkness embraced her...
Gwendolyn opened her eyes and found herself lying on a bed in a large room,
next to a window from where she could overlook the scenery.
She tried to remember what had happened but the last thing she knew
was falling on the ground in the forest.
How did she get into this... castle?
She noticed soft voices and turned her head.
On the other side of the room a man and a woman were talking.
As soon as Gwendolyn moved, the man stopped the conversation and turned over to her.
"How are you?" he asked.
"Well... I'm... okay. Where am I? How did I get here? And who are you?"
"My name is Remus Lupin, I'm a teacher here at this school. How did you get into the Forbidden Forest?"
"I just followed the path. And then I heard something behind me and got scared. I tried to run away but I fell."
"You just followed the path" murmured Lupin. "Excuse me but I need to talk to our headmaster. It would be the best for you to stay here and get some sleep. Someone will get in contact with you later."
Hastily, Lupin left the room and Gwendolyn was as clueless as before.
After a while, Lupin came back to the Hospital Wing and ordered Gwendolyn to follow him.
In front of a spiral staircase, flanked by a giant gargoyle, Lupin stopped.
"This is the way to our Headmaster's office. Professor Dumbledore is waiting for you upstairs."
"You are not coming with me?" Gwendolyn asked.
"Don't be afraid. He is a very kind man. Just go!" Lupin gave her a little bump.
Gwendolyn gathered all her courage and climbed up the steep staircase ending in front of a door, crested with a griffin head doorknocker.
She entered a round room, with a mahogany desk and full of odd and strange items.
The walls were plastered with pictures of different people.
But wait! The painted portraits! They moved!
A pleasant elderly man was seated behind the desk, amused about her amazed sight.
He nodded to her.
"Welcome, welcome. Allow me to introduce myself.
I'm Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
And you must be the girl who came out of the woods."
"Hog...what? Excuse me, Sir. My name is Gwendolyn and I have no idea how I got here."
"So you were walking through the Forbidden Forest, right?" Dumbledore looked at Gwendolyne.
"Can you tell me how you made it into the forest?"
Gwendolyn rolled her eyes. "You are the second person who is asking me this question. And my answer is still the same:
I just walked along the path, which leaded me into the forest."
"Fascinating" answered Dumbledore.