A/N: Hello Everyone! I'm a bit nervous posting this, but here it goes. It's been a hot minute since I've posted FF, so I might be a bit rusty. With that being said, I would love to hear what you all have to say, and I want to see where I can do better. This is my first time venturing into the HP FF Universe, so please be gentle! If you have suggestions, please let me know! See you all in the reviews! 3
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything Harry Potter in here. I'm just happily sitting in the sandbox and letting my imagination run wild!
Chapter 1 – A Whole New World
I cannot believe I am here. I thought it was just a place you read about in books.
The train came to a gentle halt as I kept my gaze on the building I would be calling home for the next – how long would I be here? I have been drowning in my anxiety since I ran through the pillar that took me through to Platform 9 ¾. I didn't know anyone, and no one seemed to notice me. I was just another kid in the crowd. But I wasn't a kid. Not exactly.
I probably could be a mother to some of the younger ones – but I would have been a young mother.
Why did they make me ride with the other students? Is this an attempt to acclimate me to this new culture? I think I spent more time trying to calm my ever beating heart than trying to fit in. I looked around at the students excitedly exiting the Hogwarts Express. Although the majority of the students seemed happy to be back, there were always the select few who begrudgingly stepped off the train. Most of them were already in what looked like the school's uniforms and were colored with green.
As I slung my duffle bag onto my shoulder, I noticed a rather large man frantically waving his hand at me. His beard was probably the size of my face, and he was nearly two – maybe three – times my size. I was terrified.
"I have been expecting you, Ms. Taylor. Welcome to Hogwarts!" the Jolly Bearded Giant bellowed to me as he scooped me into a hug. The wind was knocked right out of me, but luckily my response time didn't give way to my lack of air. I managed to wrap my arms around a quarter of his body, returning the favor.
"Please, call me Mia," I managed to breathe as he let me down.
"Okay, Mia. I'm Hagrid. I'm so glad to finally meet you. The Headmaster has requested that I accompany you on your first round of the grounds."
Good, it's nice to have a bodyguard around when you're somewhere unfamiliar. I could feel my anxiety start to dissipate.
"That would be great, thanks," I smiled at Hagrid. He seems nice. He looked embarrassed for a moment.
"If you would excuse me for a moment, I need to get these students on their way before we go ourselves. Will you be okay here by yourself?" I nodded, and took a seat on the bench he gestured to.
"I won't be too long. Harry! You better hurry up before they leave you!" Hagrid said as he hastily herded the students towards what looked like a line of carriages.
I watched as the number of students on the platform became smaller and smaller, until it was just me and Hagrid's voice in the background. I took in a deep breath as I wrapped my cardigan tighter around me. It gets pretty chilly here, doesn't it? I looked at the white smoke that left my mouth as I exhaled. Maybe I should have packed warmer clothes. Oddly enough, the cold was very welcoming. Had it been any other day, I would have cursed Mother Nature for bringing the temperature lower than I would like.
The air felt different around here. It's not your usual polluted air, and as cold as it felt, I wasn't exactly quivering in my boots. It almost felt comfortable. I took in a deep breath of air, enjoying the tingling feeling of the cold through my nostrils. It felt clean. This is how humans should be breathing.
The train suddenly fell silent, and all you can see was the last of the steam gently making its way through the air. All the cars were empty, with several windows opened and some closed. I looked around, and all I could see was nature, with the mountain ridge softly framing the background. The moon was bright tonight, but not quite full. This would be a perfect place to do a night hike. I'll have to see if I can take a night to do this. My anxiety will thank me for it. Off in the distance, I can see the last carriage taking off, and Hagrid was making his way back to me. I took it upon myself to meet him halfway.
"Fancy taking a walk to the castle? It's not as far as it seems." Hagrid offered his arm, and I gladly took it as we departed the platform.
As we followed the same path the carriages took, Hagrid started talking about the history of this place. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Definitely something you hear about only in books. But alas, here I am walking right for it. As we got closer, I could feel my gaze going higher and higher, until I was forced to bring it back to a comfortable level before my neck protested. I was in and out of Hagrid's spiel about the school, but I did catch the part where he said meals will be provided. My stomach gratefully bowed to him.
"Professor Dumbledore has requested to speak with you once we got onto the grounds. I'll finish our tour tomorrow. We will have the whole day to get lost in this place."
I laughed. I'm not sure if I'm ready to get lost in this place just yet. "At least I won't be alone when that happens," I said as I noticed an older man walking towards the tall gates we were approaching. He was in long robes, and had a beard that seemed to be well-groomed. I assumed this is the Professor Dumbledore that I would be speaking with.
"Ah, Hagrid, thank you for escorting Ms. Taylor onto the grounds," the older man said, with a gentle rasp in his voice. He reminded me of my grandpa. I miss him.
"Don't mention it professor. I will be seeing her again tomorrow for her official tour." Hagrid turned to me and gave a small smile. "Until tomorrow, Mia."
"Thank you Hagrid," I said, returning the smile. Hagrid walked off somewhere, and I turned my attention to the man in robes.
"Ms. Taylor, I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," the professor said, extending his hand out to mine. I took it and shook firmly.
"Please, call me Mia. Thank you for giving me this opportunity," I replied.
"Very well, though I have to admit, you should be thanking Minerva. She spoke very highly of you. I know this must be all new to you, which I why I took it upon myself to be the one who will walk you to the Great Hall. You may leave your belongings here. I will have Filch take care of it for you." He gestured for me to walk through the tall gates. Hesitantly, I dropped my bag, quickly running through what was in there in my head. Nothing of value, it will be fine. As I stepped through, I felt a tingle run through my body. Goosebumps invaded my skin as I shivered for a second.
"You will get used to that sensation," Professor Dumbledore said. What?
"Um, forgive me, Professor, but all my knowledge of this kind of culture were in books. It's overwhelming to actually see all of this in front of me," I said nervously, drinking in the enormity of the castle grounds. I don't think one day with Hagrid is going to cut it.
Professor Dumbledore gave a slight chuckle. "I assure you, in due time, you will become well acquainted with this world, and you won't feel so out of place. I have enlisted our best faculty to ensure your transition into our society will be as smooth as possible."
Our walk to this Great Hall was quiet, mostly because I just couldn't stop looking at everything. I don't think I was able to hold a conversation with the Professor. It was amazing looking at all the architecture and all of the art hanging from the walls. The number of portraits – wait – did that painting just move? I slowed my pace by a fraction to see if I was really seeing the paintings move. I jumped at the Professor laughing.
"Yes, Mia, what you saw was correct," he said, eyes twinkling at me. How did he know? Was it that obvious?
"I guess it's not that far off considering where I am, but it's still odd seeing it for myself," I admitted, looking at the floor. I felt a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
"You will do just fine. Ah, here we are. The Great Hall." I noticed the Professor rest his hands behind his back as he let me stand there and gape at the huge doors before us. Who would need doors this tall? I could hear the soft mumbling of what could be students inside. I could feel my anxiety running high again. I closed my eyes and tried to slow my breath as I heard Professor Dumbledore step in front of me and open the doors.
I opened my eyes and drank in my surroundings. There were 4 very long tables. Students were sitting at every table, and then there was the group that was standing at the front. The students sitting close to the door whirled around as they could surely feel the doors open, looking at myself and the Professor. I let out a shaky breath as Dumbledore signaled for me to following him. Luckily, he led me towards one side of the room, as we walked our way up towards the front. I counted my lucky stars as I dragged one hand over the wall, stabilizing myself. When we got up to the front, he brought me up the step and faced what I assumed was the faculty of the school. I could feel my anxiety shoot up again. How did I ever agree to this?
"Everyone, I would like to quickly introduce you to Mia Taylor. She came highly recommended by Minerva. We will have more formal introductions tomorrow at our meeting. I would appreciate if you all would help Mia feel welcome among us." The Professor laid his hand on my shoulder again. I looked at him with a small smile. It was the best I could give with the amount of anxiety running through my body.
"Please Mia, have a seat, we will be starting shortly," Professor Dumbledore said, gesturing toward a seat next to my Auntie Minnie. I thanked my stars again for letting me sit next to the one person I know here. I walked around, excusing myself through a few faculty members before reaching the seat next to my godmother.
"Mia, my dear," Auntie Minnie said, standing and hugging me tight. I inhaled her scent as I closed my eyes and reminisced about the days she would watch me while my parents were out running errands. She was like my second mother, always there to guide me right beside my own mother. After that horrible day, she came in to take care of me, and I will be ever so grateful for her.
This job is a total blessing in disguise, all thanks to her. It's like she knew if I had to spend another day on my own I would go insane. I still don't know if I will ever fit in, but I will sure try my best.
"Auntie Minnie! It's so great to see you after all of these years," I said, embracing her.
She paused to take a long look at me.
"You have grown so much. You are a strong woman, you know. Just like your mother." I blushed as I looked away. I miss my mom.
"Thank you, Auntie Minnie. I just don't want to screw this up. You gave me such a great place to work and stay. And it came at the right time." Auntie Minnie held my hand as we both took a seat.
"It's been years since I've seen you, and with the new curriculum the Ministry is implementing, I knew you would be the best fit for the position. In addition, I will get to see you more often. What kind of godmother would I be if I wasn't able to spend time with my god daughter?" She smiled at me again before Professor Dumbledore stood to begin the event.
The students in front of us looked frightened. They all stared at this strange looking hat that sat on a stool. As soon as Professor Dumbledore was finished speaking, the hat (apparently it is called The Sorting Hat) started to speak. Since I discovered that the portraits move, it wasn't that much of a surprise that this Sorting Hat could talk as well I glanced around at the other teachers who were sat at the table. They all seemed to be listening to what the Sorting Hat tried to say. Once the Sorting Hat was done, Auntie Minnie stood and took her place behind the stool.
"As I call your name, please come forward." She gracefully took a roll of parchment from her pocket and proceeded to call names off to sit with the Sorting Hat.
I had an idea of what was going on, but I wanted to know for sure what exactly was happening. To my left was Auntie Minnie's empty chair. To my right was another teacher, dressed in black robes and some really heavy duty boots. His hair barely reached his shoulders and was almost as black as his robes. I couldn't see any of his facial features besides a slight hint of his cheeks and his protruding nose. His long, delicate hands were laid on the table, one on top of the other. His gaze seemed set at the group of students being "sorted" into houses. I lightly tapped him on the shoulder, clearing my throat.
"Sorry, but what is going on with these students?" I whispered to the man. He gave me a piercing stare that seemed to drill right though my very soul. Maybe I shouldn't have asked him to explain to me what was going on. I bit my lower lip as he sighed in frustration.
"This is the Sorting Ceremony," he said, looking back at the students.
"These students here are first years. They will be sorted into the four houses and will remain in their houses until they are finished with school." Suddenly, the hat yelled "Gryffindor!" and everyone applauded for the new recruit. I followed suit, still not quite understanding.
I leaned towards the teacher again. "How do they know where to assign them? Is it random?" The teacher gave another frustrated sigh.
"The Sorting Hat can sense certain attributes from the students. It then determines which house is the best pairing for the student and assigns accordingly," he said in a flat tone.
That just sounds bizarre. I leaned back in my chair and watched as the kids get sorted.
"Harry Potter," Auntie Minnie announced, and almost suddenly the room erupted into whispers. Is he some kid from a famous family? A young boy with round glasses walked forward and sat on the stool. Auntie Minnie gently placed the hat on Harry's head and it took up a life of its own. This one was taking exceptionally long. What was so special about him?
"Not Slytherin, eh?" the Sorting Hat said. My brow furrowed, and I could feel my brain trying to understand why this boy was taking so long to be sorted. Finally after a few more minutes of remarks, the hat decided to assign Harry Potter to Gryffindor. The rest of the Sorting Ceremony went pretty smoothly, until finally there were no more students standing in front of the Sorting Hat. After the last student was assigned to a house called Hufflepuff, Auntie Minnie waved her hand and the stool and hat vanished.
Whoa. How did she do that?
As she took her seat next to me, Professor Dumbledore rose from his seat again.
"Very good, very good. I hope everyone is satisfied with their placements. I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce a new faculty member. Ms. Taylor," Professor Dumbledore looked at me as he said my name. I nervously rose from my chair and looked at the faculty, then to the students.
"Ms. Taylor is not from the wizarding world, but I'm sure she will fit in just fine. The Ministry has implemented a new curriculum which has added a few new courses that Ms. Taylor will be heading." He paused to briefly look at me and smile.
"Please join me in welcoming Ms. Taylor to Hogwarts." The whole room erupted in applause. I smiled, feeling more at ease. As the applause died, I sat back down, trying to stop the blush that was creeping up.
"Now, without further ado," I heard Professor Dumbledore say, before a full plate of food had appeared in front of me. It was still steaming, like it had just came out of the oven. I took a big whiff and it seemed like all of my anxiety left my body. There were potatoes, beef, gravy, and vegetables. I picked up my fork and dug right in. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I swallowed my first bite.
I was about halfway through when a teacher started to make his way around us to talk to the man next to me.
"P-p-professor S-snape, may I have a word?" The man seemed to ignore me as he addressed my neighbor, who apparently was Professor Snape. I didn't think much of it, and went back to finishing my meal. I looked out towards the room at all the students that were now seated at the 4 tables. They seemed to have gotten along so quickly after the Sorting Ceremony. I wish my school had done something like that. Maybe it would have spared me my agonizing high school years.
"Once you're done, dear, I will walk you to your private quarters," Auntie Minnie said, bringing my attention back to her. I nodded, taking one last swig of my drink.
"I'm ready, Auntie." She smiled as we both rose from our seats and excused ourselves from the table.
After walking through 2 sets of doors, we seemed to be back on the hallway that Professor Dumbledore and I were walking through.
"How have the years treated you my dear? Has it gotten easier?" she asked, looking at me with concern. Oh, Auntie Minnie. She was never good at beating around the bush. I gave a large sigh, mentally preparing myself for the onslaught of memories to come crashing through me. I really didn't want to deal with this right now.
"I feel like I've doubled my age. I was stuck in a rut for a while. After you left, it just got harder for me. Everything was going downhill until your letter literally came flying through my window." Whew, that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
"Thank you, again, for throwing my name out there. I won't let you down," I told her, looking at her through tear filled eyes. I was being completely serious. Had that letter not come through, I don't think I would have been breathing today. She stopped to cup a dainty hand on my cheek as a tear slid down my face.
"Oh, Mia. You will do fine. Now, enough with those tears of yours. You must be tired." I nodded as she led me again down another hallway and down a set of stairs. We went down one more set of stairs before arriving at what seemed like the bottom level of the castle.
"I apologize, Mia, that your quarters couldn't be closer to mine, or somewhere livelier than the dungeons," Auntie Minnie said, regret evident in her voice. We continued down the hallway, passing 3 doors before stopping at the 4th. She turned to me and held out a hand towards the door.
"This door leads to your private quarters. I have been informed that all your belongings have made it here safe and sound." I sighed in relief.
Auntie Minnie gave me a motherly smile. "If there is anything you need, there is a small bag of powder atop the fireplace mantle. Just take a pinch, throw it in the fire and say 'Professor McGonagall's Office'. I will have Hagrid come down and fetch you for our faculty meeting tomorrow." She gave me a small kiss on the cheek. "Do get some rest tonight, dear. You have had a long day. Good night, Mia."
"I will. Good night Auntie Minnie."
She hugged me one more time before letting me walk into my room. As I opened the door the torches lining the entryway and the fireplace sparked on. I could suddenly feel the room becoming warmer. I walked through the entryway to see my belongings already put away on the shelves. There was one item I wanted to make sure made it here in one piece. I looked around to try and find it, until my eyes landed on it tucked away in the corner.
It was a piano that was given to me by my parents when I was younger. I learned how to play right after they gifted it to me. It was beautiful, all black with a shiny top coat. The foot pedals were silver, and the bench was a matching black with silver trimming. I walked to it and sat on the bench.
I let my fingers run across the keys. They were smooth, just as I remembered. It has been a while since I have played. It was one of the first items to be moved here, so I was without it for a couple of weeks. As the rest of my anxiety finally disappeared for the night, my emptiness was replaced by peace. I closed my eyes, trying to visualize the peace blanketing me. I rested both hands on the keys, ready to play.
I took a deep breath and started playing the one song that helped me get through those dark years.