Chapter One: Betcha didn't see that one coming…

Everything looked perfect; it had taken almost four months to complete but her Halloween costume looked great. She had thought about going as a Gryffindor but since her friend had decided to go as Hermione, Beth thought it would be a better idea to go as a different student from a different Hogwarts house. Her friend Alanna had suggested Luna Lovegood so that they would have a Ravenclaw in the group but Beth liked her auburn hair and she didn't want to go through the trouble of stripping it to dye it blonde. She would just go as a random Ravenclaw student and that was good enough for her since her costume looked great.

She put the finishing touches on it, grabbed her Hogwarts pillow case and hurried out the door. The cool October air made her shiver as she trotted up the street, looking for Alanna and the rest of the group. Compliments were exchanged as they met as well as several more ideas for just which Ravenclaw Beth could be impersonating.

"What about Padma?" Alanna suggested.

"My hair isn't black – Trick or Treat!" Beth said, greeting the woman at the door of their first house in the same breath.

"It's dark enough." Alanna said as they bounced down the steps and towards the next house.

"I'll just be me; nothing wrong with that, besides, no one's going to ask." Beth said.

"Come on, guys, just this one last house." Beth begged.

Alanna pouted. "No, I'm going to head home." Her statement was echoed by the rest of the group. They had been dragging behind for the last few blocks. "Most of the lights have gone out anyway. There are hardly enough houses left."

Beth looked up and down the street. It was true, on this street there was only one porch light glowing in the darkness.

"Go on, you can catch up with us." Alanna started away, the others trailing behind discussing the amounts of candy they had gathered.

Beth trotted up the walk, noting that the garden and grass didn't seem very well kept. It almost looked like the place had been deserted for a long time. She approached the door and rang the bell, staring at the dark, gaping windows. She stared at the door hard for a few moments. Did anyone actually live here? She started to get a little nervous. She couldn't remember this house at all. She was about to turn around and hurry after her friends when the door opened.

"Trick or Treat?" She said tentatively, half fearing to see who had answered the door. She looked up at a kindly looking old man in a long purple robe and half moon glasses. He looked oddly familiar.

"Ahh, and which student would you be?" He asked with a smile.

Beth almost couldn't answer. She wondered if this old man had read the books, or maybe he had just seen the movies. "He probably has grandchildren who love the books." She thought as she smiled back. "I'm just me." She said out loud. "Dressed up as a Ravenclaw student."

The old man's eyes twinkled. "It's a very good costume." He said dropping some candy and something else too quickly for Beth to see into her bag.

"Thank you." She was on the verge of asking him how he knew what she was dressed as when he pulled out a pocket watch and looked hard at it. "I know it's very late, but your light was still on…" Beth started in way of explanation.

"It's not terribly late," The old man said, "but you should probably be going."

"Yes, thank you." Beth said, turning away as the door closed and walking slowly back down the path. She reached into her bag to see what else the old man had dropped in there; it had looked too big to be candy.

She wasn't paying attention to where she was going and suddenly she had the feeling that she was falling. She cried out and looked up quickly; the world was spinning around her. She reached out to try and catch hold of something when she landed hard on a patch of grass. The world abruptly stopped spinning and everything looked different.

Beth stood up quickly. The first thing she noticed was that it was much warmer all of a sudden. It felt like a summer night instead of an autumn one. She was at the top of a hill on the sidewalk of a busy street but it wasn't the street she had been standing on a moment before. The cars were driving on the wrong side of the road and everyone had a different accent than she was used too. "Is that an English accent?" She wondered to herself as she walked slowly down the street.

"Oh my dear, you certainly do look lost!" An older woman wearing a long cloak walked up to her and smiled warmly. "Sent down early to do your school shopping?" Beth didn't get a chance to reply. "You just go straight down this road and go into the Leaky Cauldron." She pointed. "You can't miss it and you'll know what to do from there. I do recommend that you just get a room for the night; shops will be closing by now. Have a good year, dear."

Beth stared after the departing woman in confusion. The Leaky Cauldron, that wasn't a real place, was it? It was the only direction that she had so she started walking down the street. Perhaps she could at least find a phone to call home.

As she was walking she remembered that she had been looking in her Trick or Treat bag for the thing that the old man had dropped. Keeping on eye on the sidewalk she fished around and came out with two letters. The first was addressed with green ink and written in a flowing hand, the second was written in black ink in thin slanting writing. It was the first one, the one written in green ink that caught her attention. It looked familiar somehow. She tucked the other one back into the bag as she opened the first.

Hogwarts School
of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss Burke,

We are pleased to welcome you back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1.

Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress

Beth gaped at the letter, stopping in her tracks to stare at the writing. She had to read several times before she believed that it was real and not some figment of her imagination. Hogwarts? This had to be some kind of joke, perhaps that old man had written them up for his grandchildren, but how would he have known her name? She read the letter one last time before finding the other sheet of paper that listed the supplies that she would need.

She folded them both back up and put them carefully into the bag. It just had to be some kind of strange joke. She dug around and found the other letter. This one was addressed to "Miss Beth Burke," she unfolded it.

Dear Miss Burke,

Welcome to London, I do hope the port key didn't jar you too badly. If you've read your letter I would like to personally welcome you to Hogwarts.

You will, of course be returning to the Ravenclaw house this year and we are expecting that you continue studying to take your animagus test.

Please come and see me once you've arrived, I have a very important matter to discuss with you. We will of course, continue our discourse on the Founders' relics.

I am yours most sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore,
Headmaster

Beth read this letter several times as well before she finally dropped it back into the bag. An animagus and in the Ravenclaw house, and everything was written as if she'd been attending Hogwarts all along. She shook her head and looked up and down the street for a payphone. It was a very good forgery, she had to admit that, and Alanna would find it pretty funny.

She paused in front of an old building that was nestled between two shops. A sign above the door advertised it as the Leaky Cauldron. Beth spent several minutes staring up at the sign in disbelief.

"I thought it was just a book…" she said quietly as she pushed open the door.

Tom the innkeeper gestured to her from behind the bar. "Come in, girl, it's late and I suppose you'll be wanting a room for the night."

"Uhh, yes…" she said, glancing around nervously.

"Did you have a reservation?" He asked as he stepped aside to allow one chair to float by him and turn itself over onto a table as a mop sped across the worn wooden floor.

"I don't think so…"

"What's your name?" Tom asked impatiently as a book settled in front of him with a thunk and a quill soared into his hand.

"Beth…um I mean, Beth Burke." She dared to step closer and try and read what was written.

"Beth Burke." Tom's quill flashed across the page. "Yes, I have you right here. Room 17 is all ready for you and your traveling case is waiting." He handed her a tiny brass key. "Up the stairs, on the right side."

Beth thanked him and walked slowly up the stairs. "It must be a dream, so I'll just go to sleep and when I wake up this will be back to normal."