Disclaimer: I own nothing. I am in fact owned by three dogs who graciously allow me to feed them, pet them and love them.

Chapter 1 Time Warp

It's astounding;
Time is fleeting;
Madness takes its toll.
But listen closely...

Rocky Horror Picture Show "Time Warp"

Alicia woke abruptly and stared at the unfamiliar room in confusion. Sitting up she was able to take a better look at the room she was in. She was sitting on a couch with rich tapestry upholstery and the blanket that had covered her was now on the floor. The room was rounded with a staircase in the back and paintings on every available wall space. A desk with several comfortable looking chairs in front of it was to her right. Tables were scattered throughout the room holding various objects the likes of which she had never before imagined, much less seen.

"Where am I?" Alicia muttered.

"I beg your pardon?" was the surprising reply.

Alicia looked around the room for the speaker. No one was there. "Oh, great; now I'm hearing things and talking to myself."

"You will have to speak up dear. I cannot understand what you are saying when you mutter."

Alicia looked around the room again trying to find the person speaking to her. The voice seemed to be coming from over near the desk. "Excuse me, but who is speaking please?"

"I am."

This was getting her nowhere. Getting to her feet she cautiously made her way over to the area from where the voice seemed to be coming. Tucked just out of sight from the couch was a perch and on the perch was a beautiful red bird about the size of a swan unlike any Alicia had ever before seen. "My, aren't you the pretty one?"

"Yes I am and thank you for saying so."

It was the same voice as before and it was coming from the bird! But birds do not carry on intelligent conversations with people. This had to be some sort of weird dream or someone was playing a joke on her. It must be one of those prank shows so popular on TV. Alicia started looking for hidden cameras.

"What are you doing?"

Alicia started, as the bird seemed to speak again. She carefully approached the bird and tried to see if there were wires or microphones or anything obvious. She couldn't see anything, but still birds are not conversationalists.

Deciding to play along, Alicia asked, "Where am I?"

"You are in the headmaster's office of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizarding," was the astounding reply.

Ok now I know this is a joke or a prank. Alicia thought and then she said, "If this is Hogwarts then you must be Fawkes the Phoenix."

"You know of me?"

"I daresay that most of the literate world knows of Fawkes, Hogwarts and of course Albus Dumbledore the most powerful wizard and greatest Headmaster the school has ever known," Alicia played along.

"My dear that is very flattering, but perhaps a trifle over stated don't you think?" came a melodious voice from above Alicia's head.

Lifting her eyes Alicia discovered a man ascending the spiral staircase. He was wearing gorgeous deep purple robes with a galaxy of stars and moons sewn in with gold thread. He had a long white beard and even longer white hair, a crooked nose and half moon glasses framing twinkling eyes that seemed to peer right into her very soul to discover all of her secrets, and in spite of them, like her anyway.

All Alicia could do was stand and stare. This man was even more Dumbledore than either of the two actors that had been cast in the movies. Wow, they are really going all out for this prank, she thought.

"OK, this is all very convincing, but I wasn't born yesterday. Come out, come out, wherever you are. Where are the cameras? Is this a Jamie Kennedy experiment? Or have I just been pranked?" Alicia said looking frantically around and waiting, hoping that someone was going to jump out and say "Gotcha!"

"My dear, this is really Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizarding and I am really Albus Dumbledore." The fantastically dressed man said kindly.

"But it can't be; it just can't be. Hogwarts is a place in a book and Dumbledore is a character in the same series. It is impossible for this to be real," Alicia said sitting down suddenly. Unfortunately there wasn't a chair where she sat down so she ended up on the floor.

His eyes twinkling even more, Albus Dumbledore helped Alicia up onto a chair in front of his desk and said, "Well there have been many books written about Hogwarts and I will admit to being a character, but I don't believe that is quite what you mean. What is your name, child?"

"Alicia Gregory," was the automatic response.

"And how old are you and where do you live?" were the next questions.

Still on automatic pilot, Alicia responded, "Thirty-seven years old and I live at 1216 Harris St in Savannah, Georgia." In a slightly stronger voice, "Which means that I cannot be at Hogwarts because Hogwarts is somewhere in Great Britain. Scotland, maybe. But definitely not the US."

"I see that you do know something about Hogwarts," Dumbledore said looking both pleased and puzzled. "It appears as if you have been caught up in a magical transference."

At Alicia's confused expression, Dumbledore smiled reassuringly. "Let me see if I can explain it you. There was a young witch by the name of Alexis Draluck. She was twenty years old and very powerful as well as very talented. She was the youngest witch to ever become a full fledge Auror. Of course fifteen years ago we needed everyone who was able to fight. After a particularly long day at work, she went home. On her way home Death Eaters ambushed her. She was the victim of a Sleeping Death curse. The curse is similar to a Dementor's kiss… but you would not know what a dementor is being a muggle…"

Alicia looked up at this, "Dementors are the guards at the wizarding prison of Azkahban. The dementor's kiss is an ultimate punishment. It sucks the soul out of the person it is administered to leaving an empty husk. At least according to the books…"

"Yes that is correct. I will want to get back to these books you keep talking about in a moment but first let me finish my explanation of how you are here. Or at least what I believe to be how you got here. Where was I… oh yes, Alexis was the victim of the Sleeping Death curse. The curse kills the soul and mind of the person leaving behind only an empty husk. In this it is similar to the dementor's kiss. But the curse leaves the body in a state of suspended animation. The body never ages or changes in any way. It does not need any source of sustenance. It is a curse that hurts the family and loved ones of the victim even more than the victim. The body appears perfectly healthy as if it is merely asleep, but there is no mind, personality or emotions. The very essence that makes a person what they are is gone. The only freedom from the curse is for someone to behead the body. So the family either has to watch over the body forever or destroy it."

Alicia looked puzzled and impatient but also horrified at the thought of such a terrible situation. "I am very sorry for Alexis and her family, but what has this to do with me?"

"I'll get to that in a moment," Albus replied with a small smile at the impatient noise Alicia couldn't quite stop. "What are the last things you remember?"

Alicia signed heavily but remembering the books decided the only way to get her questions answered was to answer Dumbledore's. Closing her eyes for a moment, she smiled as the memories jumped into place. "I remember celebrating my friend Tanya's birthday at the Pink Pelican. Susie was the designated driver; we had just dropped Tonya off and we were going to my house next. The light had just turned green and she was starting through the intersection when I heard…"

Her smile began to waver. "…when I heard a horn blowing and looked up and saw these lights that were coming at us. I remember the sound of someone screaming then a horrible crashing noise, and then a floating feeling." Her smile now completely gone, she continued, "After that the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital and sitting up with a deep breath. Kind of like when you have all the air knocked out of you and you can finally breathe again. Some doctors running toward me and for some odd reason I remember the ceiling having giant bubbles on it. Then someone was shouting questions at me asking me to show them the four basic wand wrist movements. I must have lost consciousness because after that the next time I woke up I was on your sofa."

"Just as I suspected," Dumbledore went on to explain. "Apparently the accident you were involved in was very serious."

Alicia nodded encouraging him to go on.

"And you body died. But your soul and mind, your very essence, had unfinished business."

"So I'm a ghost," Alicia interrupted.

"No, you are still very much alive. If you were a ghost when you sat down a moment ago you would have just hovered instead of ending up on the floor," Dumbledore reminded her. "Your essence went searching for a host and found Alexis Draluck – a body without essence; an empty vessel to fill."

Alicia looked horrified and sick, "So I am some type of demon that has possessed another person's body."

"Not at all. You did not battle Alexis for her body and destroy her soul in order to take control of her. You are simply making use of something which Alexis no longer needs. No one has ever recovered from the Sleeping Death Curse. You have saved someone from having to make a decision about what to do with Alexis' body," Dumbledore continued.

"What about her family? Won't they be upset about all of this?" Alicia asked worriedly.

"Alexis is the last of her family. Her parents were killed by Death Eaters at the same time as she was cursed. Her last living relative was her grandmother who passed away six months ago." Dumbledore's eyes were sad as he remembered all of the people lost to Voldemort's desire for power.

"St. Mungos believed that you, meaning Alexis, had lost your magical memory about how to do basic spells and charms so thought a reminder course at Hogwarts would be the thing. So they brought you here. However since you are not Alexis, the question is what are we to do about you? Although it appears as if the transference also transferred some magic to you."

Alicia was very confused by that last statement. "What are you talking about? I am about as Muggle as you can get. Not the slightest bit of magic to me."

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling again. "When I came in you were speaking with Fawkes, correct?"

Alicia was still confused. "Yes."

"Well only beings with magic can speak Phoenix. We will have to experiment and see what other talents and abilities have either awakened or transferred. Now about those books you mentioned. What books are they and where did you read them?"

Alicia was still thinking about the fact that she may have some magic and answered the headmaster almost absently. "In 1997 the first book in a series of seven was published. Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling. It detailed Harry Potter's fist year of school at Hogwarts."

"Did you say 1997?" Dumbledore interrupted.

"Yes. The first book was published in 1997. When I last checked her website, Ms. Rowling was still working on book six and there wasn't a mention of a release date."

"What was the date of your friend's birthday party?" Dumbledore asked with a strange look on his face.

Alicia was beginning to get even more freaked out. "July 11, 2004," was her shaky response. "Why?"

"Well, my dear, it looks as if you have crossed not only space but time. Today's date is Tuesday, July 13, 1993." Dumbledore watched as Alicia's eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped over in the chair. This final revelation was too much for her overstressed nerves to handle. Well at least she was sitting down was the headmaster's thought as he gazed at his time traveling visitor.