This is my first fanfic. I was really bored and read the GoF
for like the tenth time. So I figured why not make one. Nothing is mine except
for the characters I made, and that is Briana Sullivan and her owl Artemis.
Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling. Have fun reading!
Albus Dumbledore looks down the path that leads to the gates
with the winged boars. Any moment now, he will be seeing someone he hasn't seen
in years. He looks at his pocket watch. The long hand is slowing creeping up to
the number 12. He looks up from the watch and sees two figures in the sky, slowly
moving closer to him. He squints through his spectacles. One figure, which from
the looks of it had wings, was edging ever so closely. And the other, which
seems to be a human, was hooded on a broomstick and had a trunk and luggage at
the back.
They were moving closer and closer. Dumbledore moved inside
the entrance hall as the two figures move in to land. As they did so,
Dumbledore smiled his twinkling-eyed smile.
The human figure mounted and took off her fur cloak. Then, standing in front of Dumbledore was a
tall, pretty woman with long, bronze-colored hair. She shook her hair out of
her hazel eyes and smiled her biggest smile at Dumbledore. They both stood there for a whole minute in
silence. Then Dumbledore broke the silence saying, "You're early, Briana."
"Well, punctuality
is much appreciated when you show more enthusiasm, isn't it?" replied the woman
known as Briana Sullivan.
"Hmm, yes, that's
right," chuckled Dumbledore. "I'm glad you still remember."
"It has been a
while isn't it?" said Briana, as she looked around the Entrance Hall.
"Hogwarts, a place I remember so well."
"Yes," said
Dumbledore. "Well, if it is all right
with you, I would like to get on with business."
Briana nodded as he led the way to his office. He gave the password
("Licorice Wands!"), and they both enter a circular room that was his office.
Briana looked around the office and soaked up as much memory as she can
remember. A big, red bird flew to her
and landed on her shoulder.
"Hello, Fawkes."
She whispered, petting his head. "So, what is this job which is so important
that you only wanted me for the it?"
"Well, it is the
Defense Against the Dark Arts job, Briana.
I want you to be the one to teach it. If, of course, that is alright
with you?" he explained.
"So that's the job,
eh? You sent me an urgent owl in Norway just to ask me to teach in Hogwarts.
Hmmm… a teaching job,"
She looked out the
window. In all her years she knew Dumbledore, she would never know he would
ever ask her to do teach.
"Well, Alastor
Moody had the job last year, as you should know, and, er, he did not really
fulfill the duty under many circumstances. I would have asked Remus Lupin to
come back, but, as you know, he would refuse. I'm sure Remus had already told
you."
"About Alastor
Moody? No, I think I have read something about that somewhere. About Remus,
yes, I know that he's a werewolf. But about Alastor, I'm quite surprise."
"Yes, well, I know
I should have kept that in a low profile. Then again, it would have come out
anyway. So, Annie, dear…"
Briana looked at him in a surprised way. She smiled and
said, "You have never called me that for years."
Dumbledore chuckled, "Well, it has been a long time. You
look so grown up. Matured and everything."
"I guess being
abroad has its advantages. It gave me some time to think about things. Maybe Barty was right…. god rest his troubled
soul…" she added.
Dumbledore frowned slightly. He remembered it very well.
"Yes, I see that
Remus has told you about that too."
"Well, only the
general idea. So this job, does it require for me to do anything else 'out of
the ordinary'?"
"No, just teaching,
and, of course, I need you to keep your guard out about things. As you know, Voldemort has risen again…."
Surprisingly, Briana didn't shudder at this name, unlike all
the other wizards and witches in the magic world. Instead, she sat down and
sighed. She remembered those years.
Years of pain and suffering, but that won't affect her, not anymore.
"…And there's
Harry, Briana," Dumbledore continued. "He's going to need your help…."
Harry? Briana thought. Harry Potter? Of course, said a voice
inside her head, do you know anyone else named Harry Potter?
"…So Briana…," said
Dumbledore, interrupting her thoughts, "Do you think you are up for the job?"
Briana hesitated and opened her mouth to say something when
the door burst open. It was Severus
Snape. He was out of breath and tired, as if he was traveling for miles and
miles. His eyes gazed the room and turned to Briana. She stared back at him
with danger flashing in her eyes.
"YOU! What are you
doing here?" Briana demanded. "Did you not made it clear before that you
didn't want anything to do with us?"
"Briana, he is on
our side now. You, of all people, should know better than to not understand. He
has been doing some job for me. He will not betray us. He has my trust, and I
suggest that you do the same. This is not the time for old feuds. It is time
for action. Let's put aside this difference," said Dumbledore.
She was still glaring at Snape. He looked back at her with
plead in his eyes. Then he said,
"Briana, I'm sorry for what I have done in the past. Please forgive me. I'm not a Death Eater now, and I'll never be one again. I know I
have broken your trust before, and I don't ever want to do that again. Please believe me. Please."
She hesitated and said, "Alright, I forgive you. But that
doesn't mean I completely trust you." She quickly added when she spotted his
face lighten.
"All right then,
Severus, Briana is here to take the Defense Against the Dark Arts job- if that
is she is willing to take it," Dumbledore added. "Well, Annie, are you?"
Briana smiled and
said, "Of course, it's my pleasure.
When do I start?"
"Well, you can
start right now." Dumbledore went towards the fireplace and threw some powder
in it and said, "Minerva, can you come
in here, please?"
There were big, red flames and a figure swirling at the
fireplace. Then, standing there by the fireplace was a woman who was brushing
soot out of her robes. It was Minerva Mcgonagall. She caught a sight of Briana
and became surprised.
"Oh my goodness,
it's Briana Sullivan! Why, you are all grown and beautiful! Oh, bless you,
child, you are so beautiful! It has been a long time, indeed!" she cried as she
went to Briana and hugged her.
"Oh, Professor
Mcgonagall, it's really nice to see you too. Er… Professor, you're hurting me,"
she said when Mcgonagall was squeezing her too much.
"Yes, yes, it is
nice to see all this reunion but, er, Minerva, I have a job for you. Briana has
taken the job of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Can you please see
her to the place she will be staying? And please make sure that she is well at
home again. I need to talk to Severus," said Dumbledore.
Mcgonagall, who didn't need any second command, helped
Briana carry her luggage and went out the door. When they were at the Entrance
Hall, Briana asked, "What is Severus doing here, anyway? Does he teach here?"
"Yes, he teaches
Potion," said Mcgonagall, matter-of-factly.
"Really? Well, I reckon
he would have wanted my job. Dark Arts is in his blood, isn't it?"
"Well, Dumbledore
is quite fond of him as he is fond of Hagrid. And yes, normally, he would have
fought for your job tonight. But it seems that he reckons you are as good as he
is."
As good as he is, eh? Briana thought. Maybe I should look
more into him. I mean the Headmaster didn't want me to put my guard down.
"Ah, here we are.
Make yourself at home. This is where you will be staying for the coming year."
Mcgonagall showed her to the empty room. Empty except for a
bed, a stand, and a desk. Like any bed in Hogwarts, it was a four-poster bed
with hangings. Briana looked around and said,
"Well, it's pretty comfortable.
And I reckon this is where I will be spending my time working?"
"Yes. I'm sure
you know where the classroom and your office are. And I will leave you
now. If you need anything, just called
out to the fireplace and a house-elf will see to you. I'm sure you would want
to rest now; you have had a long journey from wherever you were last in. Good
night, Briana," said Professor Mcgonagall, as she closed the door leaving
Briana there alone.
Briana sighed and put her owl's, Artemis, cage on the desk
next to the wall. She didn't notice
that it was empty till she found that Artemis was sitting on her bed
waiting. She smiled and said to her
owl, "Well, we're home again, eh? This is where we continue. Which reminds me,
are you up for a journey?" She was holding a long piece of parchment. The owl hooted excitedly and let out her
leg. She laughed and tied her letter to
Artemis's leg. Artemis flew to her arm and nipped her hair affectionately.
Briana told her owl,
"Now send that to Remus Lupin, alright? I want to make sure he gets it.
And hurry back, all right? I want to deliver something else as soon as you come
back."
The owl hooted and took off into the night. Briana watched
her owl fly till she disappeared at the dark sky. She then turned to unpack her
trunk. She opened it and immediately
saw a framed picture of a group of four teenaged boys and two girls all of whom
were smiling and waving at her. She touched it and smiled. She has now come back to her past, her
beginning, her home. And now she will have to face an even bigger challenge in
her life. Bigger than ever before.
*****
Well, I hope you like that. I like the Ravenclaw house so I
thought I'd write about them. It should be Order of the Phoenix but everyone
else's fics were titled like that. There's more to come. This is just the
beginning. Like I said on top, nothing belongs to me. You will see Harry on the next chapter. I'll take any reviews.
Please feel free to suggest anything. I'm more than welcome to get any
suggestions.