Disclaimer: Own everything that you've never heard of before!
Dedication: to Chikin Wang… ;-)
Title: I Thought I knew Where I'd End Up
Author(ess): zimagesto
AN: Read a bit. Everything will clear up soon!
Chapter 1
Harry, Ron and Hermione stared at the castle in front of them. It was Hogwarts. They could see it. Yep. Hogwarts. Surrounded by a very thick forest with tall trees in one of which they were sitting in. Tonks had sent them straight into a tree… and in a place that didn't look too much like their Hogwarts.
"Where are we?" Ron dared voice.
"Somewhere where I don't think we're supposed to be" Hermione replied to him with a very concerned look. "Why couldn't have Jo cast the spell? Why?! Why did it have to be Tonks?!"
"So, you think we're in yet another alternate Universe" Harry muttered. "I'm getting sick of this"
"You're not the only one" she replied and sighed. "Let's go to Hogwarts and hope we won't get eaten on our way there or that we won't end up in a place ruled by God-knows-what"
"But how do we get down? It's got to be one hundred feet 'til ground" Harry pointed out.
"Levitate" she replied and took out her wand. "You ready? Get your wand out, just in case"
Harry did as he was told and Hermione let him down slowly before doing the same to Ron. Soon enough, the boys returned the favor and all three of them were standing in the middle of the forest.
"Well… shall we?" Ron asked shyly.
"Yeah" the other two replied not very sure of themselves either. They kept their wands in their hands and started walking towards the castle. Everything was awfully quiet and Hermione couldn't stop thinking how it seemed to be an extension of the Forbidden Forest all around the castle. Maybe it was deserted? Maybe a giant catastrophe had killed everybody? And in that case, how would they get home?
They walked slower than a snail with a broken leg would and tried to keep as quiet as possible, but their footsteps could still be heard in the distance… or that was what they thought, at least. Suddenly, Hermione stopped walking and muttered to the others:
"Stop! Did you hear that?"
The three looked around. Indeed, there had been a really soft noise, like a bird landing without even flapping its wings, but it was still there.
"Who's there?" Hermione asked praying to God it wasn't a very dangerous creature. But, instead of a reply, she felt the ground give in under her feet and the three fell straight in a hole of about ten feet in the ground landing on some rather soft grass in a pile of limbs and hair. They could hear laughter from above and, as they looked up, they heard a fairly loud 'expalliarmus' and their wands flew out.
"Hey!" Ron said, but the person outside simply leaned over the hole and smirked at them, while pointing an arrow at them. She was cloaked and hooded with a green cloak and a green hood.
"Sneaking near Hogwarts, aren't we?" the figure asked and the familiarity of the voice struck the three. "Well, not while I'm in guard you can't sneak in."
"We were just searching for somebody to tell us where we were and…" Hermione said and the figure gave a loud yelp.
"Liar!" she cried. "Passing as me, weren't we? I'd say, good Polyjuice, it must have been!"
"Passing as you…" Hermione muttered and something clicked. "Don't shoot, for God's sake, we're friends!"
"Yes… and Voldemort is a fluffy bunny" she laughed.
"No, really…" Hermione said. "Hermione, we're…"
"Stop right there!" the figure said and removed her hood, revealing a face much like Hermione's but much more mature and with clowing eyes. "What did you call me?"
"Hermione! That's your name, isn't it?" Hermione said pleadingly. "Hermione Gra…"
"My name is Winona," the woman said glaring at her. "Winona Salinger. And I would suggest you learn it"
"Well, nice to meet you, Winona" Hermione said, dumbfouned. "Do you have a sister? A look-alike?"
"Who are you?" Winona asked, not replying to Hermione's question.
"It's a long story" she replied.
"Make it short for me, then" she said rolling her eyes.
"We come from a different Universe" Hermione replied. "An alternate Universe in which Hogwarts is a school of witchcraft and wizardry. I used to go there."
"Speak to me their first names" Winona said, pointing at Harry and Ron.
"Harry and Ronald" Hermione replied. "Please? Get us out?"
"Of course" Winona replied, conjuring them a rope. "May I make a suggestion? Don't speak your true names, they are very powerful tools"
"Very well" Hermione replied. The boys just stared.
They ended up in front of her and she smiled a bit.
"This is odd, I'm looking at myself" Winona said also smiling a bit. "Just that… it's a younger, more innocent me. And I'm also looking at my two best friends… both so… unlike themselves. Come! I will take you to the Headmaster, he will know what to do. And yes, Hogwarts is a school here too"
She started walking quickly and all they could do was follow. She seemed to be a huntress ready to hunt down the kill.
"You are so defenseless" she said towards them. "Wands are not enough here. I'll take you to Mad-Eye, he's the best weapon dealer you can encounter. I can see that your wands are Ollivanders, although slightly different from what he produces."
"Mad-Eye Moody?" Hermione asked and Winona turned towards her, looking at her sternly.
"Don't speak names here unless you want to do harm to that person" she said very sternly. "Names are very powerful."
"But what Ollivanders?" Ron asked. "He's got the same name in our world!"
"It's not his real name" Winona said with a small smile. "It seems that even in your world he had the decency of taking his second name. Wise family, that one. Well, come on, let's go to the castle. The Headmaster, Bumblebee will want to talk to you. It's a good thing that I and not Kendal was patrolling, he'd have given you hell on earth."
"Who's Kendal?" Harry asked curiously.
"I can't tell you" Winona replied. "Remember, the names must never be spoken. They are very personal and therefore very powerful weapons."
They marched even quicker towards the castle and, once Winona made it to the front stairs, they opened in front of them. But the sight… it was different from what the three had been expecting. It was indeed different from the Hogwarts they knew in a great way.
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AN: That's all for now. Soon, chapter 2 and explanations! ;-) If you liked, please review. If you hated, please review. If you were anything else, please review.