Pretty much everything was quiet at the Halliwell household; Piper and Leo were curled up together on the couch reading, Phoebe was sitting in Cole's lap in an armchair watching Swamp Man (brings back memories), and Paige was between both couples, casting jealous looks at the lovebirds. *Wow, this brings back some memories... Billy, Bloody Mary and that lumberjack guy... Ah, the good days of magical ignorance...*, Phoebe thought. She then turned her attention back to the movie... Billy and his date got out of his red 56' Chevy as the sun set beautifully in the background. *Piper and Paige still don't know* she thought, tearing her concentration away once more, *I only told them that I needed to be with Cole... they don't know the most prominent reason...* She was wondering how she would tell them about this "mystery" when they heard a loud *meow*.
"Kit?" the three sisters and co. jumped up and ran to the side entrance of their Victorian house.
"Kit, get away from that poor thing!" Phoebe shooed the cat away from what they soon realized was an owl. While Paige and Piper stepped back behind the door, Phoebe stepped forward and squatted so that she was eye-level with the owl, and pushed it onto her arm.
"Phoebe- Don't'! It could be-"
"What, dangerous??? Come on Piper, even you know- an owl's not going to hurt anyone!" Phoebe interrupted her sister's dramatic pause.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Piper questioned softly, her feelings slightly hurt.
"It's just that you're usually the most worrisome of the three of us-or maybe I should say the five of us," said Phoebe, taking a quick glance around the room.
"I don't know," said Paige, "I figure Cole is pretty hard to compete with." She smiled toward Phoebe, and Phoebe felt a pang of guilt surge through her body. *Why, oh why can't I just tell them? Because they would flip, and you know it* She answered her own question.
"Hey! What's that in its claws?" Leo asked, stepping forward.
"It looks like paper," said Paige.
"Wow Paige, so you've got the hang of this whole magic thing, and now we're onto guess and check??? Really advanced, I must say!" Phoebe said, sarcasm dripping from her tone, "Whoa, it's a letter! From... Albus Dumblyd- no, no... Dumbledore." She started to open the letter.
Dear Ms. Halliwell,
My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I am headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft/Wizardry. I have heard of your interest in the Defense Against the Dark Arts area of magical teachings. My colleagues and I would very much appreciate it if you would come teach at our school. If you'd like to, please follow the directions on the back of this page.
Thank you,
Albus Dumbledore
Phoebe turned over the paper:
1. Take the aeroplane or airplane to London on August 30^th, 2001
2. Wait in the West wing of the parking lot for a taxi with an American flag in the top right corner of the back window.
3. When you get in, don't say anything but the code phrase "I'm gonna fly to Baker"
4. The driver will take you to a train station, where you will need to go to platform 9 .
5. Walk through the wall, without hesitation, between platforms 9 and 10.
6. Board the train, and look for a student, a Mr. Harry Potter, who will be a fifth year, and ask to sit with him. He will direct you the rest of the way.
Phoebe stopped reading, too stunned to continue.
"Wow! Me, a teacher!!!" Phoebe exclaimed.
"What?!?! Let me see that!" said Piper. She read it, and turned back to Phoebe, also amazed.
"So Pheebs, you gonna do it?" asked Paige who had read the letter over Piper's shoulder.
"Of course! This is... As corny as it might sound, the chance of a lifetime," answered Phoebe.
"Duh, but honey, no offense, you've passed up an army of lifetimes."
"None taken, Piper," Phoebe said, rolling her eyes, "Wait, there's more," she noticed.
7. As for the airplane ticket, it is concealed on the inside of this envelope.
"What's today?" asked Phoebe.
"The 29^th," responded Paige.
"Whoa, I'd better get packing," and with that Phoebe, soon to be Professor Halliwell, raced upstairs.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Wake up, boy," grumbled Mr. Dursley of number 4 on Privet Dr.
"Vernon!" Shrieked Aunt Petunia's shrill voice from downstairs.
"Coming Sugarsnookums," boomed Uncle Vernon. Harry looked over at his alarm clock. It was blink 12:05.
"Did the electricity go out last night, Uncle Vernon?" asked Harry. Mr. Dursley mumbled something that Harry supposed sounded a bit like yes, and went downstairs. Harry dressed and left Hedwig with a rat that she caught the previous night to get breakfast downstairs. On his way down, someone knocked at the front door. Harry paused.
*I wonder who that could be* Harry thought, mockingly. For the whole of the summer holidays, his fat cousin Dudley's best friend, Piers, had been "dropping by" non-stop.
"Harry!" Shouted Uncle Vernon. *Oh great,* he thought, *What'd I do this time, make the sky blue???* And yet, he obediently jumped the last three steps and headed toward the sound of his uncle's voice. While walking, he stared at the floor and thought he heard a familiar voice. Harry ran to the front door, and there stood a tall, almost skeletal man in a black and red cloak.
"Hello Harry," said the man.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Jeez Pheebs, don't pack your whole wardrobe," said Piper. After about an hour, Piper had wandered upstairs to check on her younger sister.
"I have to, Piper, I'm moving to Hogwarts!" Phoebe snapped, "But you guys can talk to me and stuff... Um, I've got to go a little earlier than planned, because I need to buy some supplies," she said softer.
"Where are you going to get the money for that?" Piper asked.
"Hogwarts is providing all the money I need for that stuff," Phoebe said.
"Phoebe- what if we need you for you know-" Piper made gestures to try and get the point across to her.
"No, um... I don't know, Piper," replied Phoebe.
"Uh... Magical problems," said Piper looking uncomfortable. Phoebe rolled her eyes, and started lugging her suitcase downstairs.
"Wait! Phoebe, you're not taking me seriously!" Piper yelled, also on her way down.
"Wow, Piper, you're right. Ding, ding, ding! You get the grand prize! A sister not listening or talking to you until you accept her decision!" Phoebe exclaimed.
"Phoebe, haw can I accept this?!? It ridiculous!" Piper said.
"What ridiculous, Piper, that I have a job? Is that what you find so ridiculous?!?" Phoebe waited for an answer, "Just because I'm not home all the time-Did you know that Cole and I are thinking of having a baby?" Phoebe stopped. There was a long moment of silence, and then...
Ding, dong!...
Phoebe went to go answer the door.
"Darryl, hi! What's up?" Phoebe asked with a phony smile.
"Cole called me and told me the news... Congratulations!!!" Darryl stepped halfway in and gave Phoebe a hug.
"Thanks, I'm definitely gonna miss San Francisco, but damn! I'm looking forward to this!!!" Phoebe became aware of Darryl's one available hand. The other was still behind his back.
"Oh, I was talking about the-uh- other news..." Darryl removed his hand from behind to reveal some stunningly beautiful flowers.
"Thank you so much! They're... gorgeous!" Phoebe ignored his comment, closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The scent of the blue and white plants reminded her of the city garden.
"Well, uh... I just came by to give you those and say good luck... I really should get back to work, but have a great time, and e-mail me at every possible chance, OK? I want to hear about life at that pigwash place, and you tell those wizards that if they don't treat you right, they'll have to deal with me..." the San Francisco cop beamed at her, said one last goodbye, and headed on his way.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Sirius!" exclaimed Harry, realizing that the gaunt man was his godfather, Sirius Black.
"Harry I need-" Sirius hesitated because Mr. Dursley, pretending to read the post was eavesdropping.
"Why don't we go up to my room, Sirius?" Harry suggested. They clambered up the steps to his room, "Is something wrong?" Harry asked, once they were both seated atop his bed.
"Harry we- Uh, that is, Dumbledore and I- believe you are in grave danger," said Sirius.
"What else is new?" Harry said.
"Look- there's no time to speak of it now... Let's get out of here first," said his godfather, anxiously looking around.
"Well then, let's get going, "Harry started in the direction of the door, but Sirius grabbed his arm.
"No, no, the muggles will see us- we must go this way," Sirius pointed to the window. Harry was about to ask how exactly they were going to do that when he thought of another dilemma; how were they going to get his school things? Then he remembered...
"Wait, Sirius! Accio!" Harry waited patiently for about two minutes until he saw his school trunk and his Firebolt, that Sirius had in fact given him two years beforehand.
"Oh good, I was going to have Dumbledore send for them but..."
"Where are you taking me?" asked Harry as they stood cautiously on the window ledge.
"Hermione Granger's house... Hoverus," and off they flew into the pitch-black night, with no glowing stars to guide them.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Who is it?" whispered Mrs. Granger. It was exactly 9:55 at night, (they had stopped at a wizard's pub disguised as a gas station) and Sirius had recently bid Harry adieu and left...
"Harry Potter," He whispered back.
"Oh hello Harry, how was your trip?" Hermione's mother asked as Harry took in all of his surroundings. There was a faint glow from what appeared to be the living room that Harry suspected could be the television, and his old friend Hermione soon walked from the room with the glow into the entryway.
"Harry!" Hermione rushed over to give him a hug, and in the process knocked over a vase that had been sitting on the edge of a small table, "Oh, I'm sorry, mum! Let me clean it up,"...
And so began a quite uneventful evening with the Grangers.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Be careful, OK sweetie?" Paige said wisely.
"I swear-in the less than a year I've known you... You've grown into such the little... well, witch! You know so much now that I'm going to have to work while I'm at Hogwarts to catch up with you!" Phoebe embraced her newly found sister. Piper nodded, silent tears slowly crawling their way down her pale skin.
"Yep, definitely impressive," Piper bit her lip to squash a sob and sniffed, "I'll miss you, Pheebs," she managed to get out. Phoebe broke the awkward gulf of space between them and hugged her tightly. "Watch yourself, ok?" Piper couldn't hold in another sob, and she choked on her next words, "I couldn't handle losing another sister." Phoebe pulled away, and squeezed Piper's hands.
"I'll be fine! You guys don't worry, I'll send you tons of owls," Phoebe said.
"Famous last words," mumbled Paige under her breath.
"Sorry?" Phoebe asked.
"Nothing," Paige responded too quickly. Phoebe gave her a doubtful look, but proceeded.
"Well, uh... I guess I'll see you... next year," she said sadly. They said good-bye a few more times before Phoebe finally found her way out the door. She hopped into her car and sped off toward the airport.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^"Would you care for a drink maim?" a flight attendant questioned as Phoebe tried unsuccessfully to rest for the fourth time. A lapse of seven hours had given Phoebe a completely new perspective. She was going to live in England! She should be excited, not moping!!!
"No thank you... but could I have a blanket? It's a bit cold."
"Not a problem, I'll be back in a moment," said the young woman. She couldn't have been more than 20, but she was very polite and mannerly. Keeping her promise, the stewardess returned in less than two minutes.
"Thanks a lot," Phoebe said, accepting the packaged blue felt.
"If you need anything else, just call me, my name is Edina," the attendant said. Phoebe glanced at the movie that was playing a few times, but couldn't quite grasp what it was about. When she next awoke the sun was rising, and she had a beautiful view above the cloudless sky.
"Edina," she saw the woman walking down the isle, and stopped her, "Where are we?"
"We're about thirty minutes away from London, I really don't know our exact location."
"Well at least she's honest" Phoebe muttered.
She got to the train station, walked around a bit and thought it was odd that the wizards had picked this mode of transportation, "I mean, why not magic carpets or brooms or something? Oh well," she thought. Phoebe bought a latte at a café in the large area just outside of where she was supposed to be, platforms 9 & 10. The bricks on the wall were coated in something that made them very shiny, and when she got at a certain angle, the sunshine bouncing off of it made the wall almost unbearable to look at. As she tried to sit with her overlarge drink, she could hardly find time to breathe between all of her "excuse me"s. "These people bustle around like it's the end of the world or something!" she muttered. "No joke!" a young man of about 16 surprised Phoebe by coming up behind her, unnoticed, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you... may I sit with you?" Phoebe thought this request was a bit strange until she looked around and saw that the table she was sitting at had the
only two open seats that she could see. "Yeah, sure, have a seat!" Phoebe pulled his chair out for him politely, and he gratefully sat. "Thanks," he flashed her a stunning smile, "I'm Harry," he held out a hand, and Phoebe took it and introduced herself. "I'm Phoebe."
"God- these aren't people-they're more like that little bunny you see in the Energizer battery commercials, y'know?" Harry asked.
"For real!"
"'Scuse me?" Harry asked.
"I said `for real', you know- like... um... that's the truth, or... No joke, you follow?" Phoebe couldn't believe Brits were so incomprehensive.
"Oh, right... Sorry, I'm a bit down on pop-culture I suppose," Harry grinned.
"Well, where are you headed? Isn't it a school day?" Phoebe asked, changing the subject.
"Um... School, as a matter of fact," Harry said, "And you?"
"School... What school are you going to?" Phoebe questioned.
"Uh..." he turned a bright fuchsia, the kind you only see in Crayolas and replied, "Well... It's called..." Harry didn't know whether he could tell her the truth or not, but he figured he could take it back if he ended up regretting it so he said, "Hogwarts."
"No way!" Phoebe was so astonished she spilled her latte all over her beaded shirt.
"Yes way... Why are you so amazed? What school are you going to?" Harry was curious at this point.
"Hogwarts!!!"
"Really? Well, you don't look like a first year... but I haven't seen you around Hogwarts... What year are you to be in?" Harry asked, intrigued.
"Uh... rumor has it I'm your new teacher... Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher," Phoebe said.
"Wow! And here I was about to make a pass at you!" Harry then turned a sick color green and continued, "Oh my God, did I just say that out loud!!!"
"No, what are you talking about?!?" Phoebe acted bewildered as if nothing had happened. They continued to talk about the differences in their worlds when Harry absent-mindedly looked at his watch.
"Oh, we'd better get going... Do you need help with your bags?" He had only one trunk, so Phoebe let him carry her broom that she had gotten in Diagon Alley. They managed to get to the platforms easily enough, and then they got on the train, and since they were a bit early had time to walk around and meet people without the weight of their luggage.
"Come with me... I'll introduce you to some of my friends," Harry waved back at her to follow him. She pursued him until he came to a stop before a tall, gangly red-haired boy with freckles.
"Well, well Harry, got yourself a girlfriend, have you? I don't believe I've seen you around Hogwarts..."
"I'm Ph- oh wait... I guess you should call me Professor Halliwell... I'm your new defense against the dark arts teacher," she held out her hand, and Freckles gladly took it and introduced himself.
"Hello! I'm Ron, and I'm your new defense against the dark arts student-apparently! Er... Sorry about that `girlfriend' thing..." he grinned foolishly, and Phoebe beamed back and replied, "So who's your -`girlfriend'- over there, Harry?" she had taken notice of a girl with brown bushy hair. The girl pulled away from the extremely fat book she was engaged in, and said,
"Hullo! I'm Hermione... You can't possibly be a first year... unless you flunked out a few times, but I've never seen you at Hogwarts" Hermione said this extremely fast and in a jumble, and then Phoebe presented herself once more,
"I'm Professor Halliwell, I'll be teaching your defense against the dark arts class this year- and if all goes well, maybe next year, too, unless I flunk of course," she said. They all grinned a bit at that, and Phoebe commented, "Isn't that book a bit too big to read while your standing?!?" Phoebe asked, amazed.
"Ah, yes... Well, you'll get to know Hermione quite well, and you'll soon find out that standing around reading fat books is about all she does all day," Ron said. Hermione gave him a playful slap and said quietly,
"Sometimes I read thin books."
Phoebe was introduced to several other students in the same year as Harry and Ron, fifth year; Seamus, Neville (who blushed quite noticeably when introduced to his new professor, as did several of the other boys), and a few others who Phoebe found were just as nice. Harry somehow wandered off, and she excused herself to go to the bathroom, and found him once more.
"Jesus, where'd you go?!? I nearly drowned in the air of teenagers!" Phoebe wiped her brow gracefully.
"'S'pose you'd better get used to that... Classes start tomorrow," with this statement, Phoebe nearly swooned.
"Kit?" the three sisters and co. jumped up and ran to the side entrance of their Victorian house.
"Kit, get away from that poor thing!" Phoebe shooed the cat away from what they soon realized was an owl. While Paige and Piper stepped back behind the door, Phoebe stepped forward and squatted so that she was eye-level with the owl, and pushed it onto her arm.
"Phoebe- Don't'! It could be-"
"What, dangerous??? Come on Piper, even you know- an owl's not going to hurt anyone!" Phoebe interrupted her sister's dramatic pause.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Piper questioned softly, her feelings slightly hurt.
"It's just that you're usually the most worrisome of the three of us-or maybe I should say the five of us," said Phoebe, taking a quick glance around the room.
"I don't know," said Paige, "I figure Cole is pretty hard to compete with." She smiled toward Phoebe, and Phoebe felt a pang of guilt surge through her body. *Why, oh why can't I just tell them? Because they would flip, and you know it* She answered her own question.
"Hey! What's that in its claws?" Leo asked, stepping forward.
"It looks like paper," said Paige.
"Wow Paige, so you've got the hang of this whole magic thing, and now we're onto guess and check??? Really advanced, I must say!" Phoebe said, sarcasm dripping from her tone, "Whoa, it's a letter! From... Albus Dumblyd- no, no... Dumbledore." She started to open the letter.
Dear Ms. Halliwell,
My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I am headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft/Wizardry. I have heard of your interest in the Defense Against the Dark Arts area of magical teachings. My colleagues and I would very much appreciate it if you would come teach at our school. If you'd like to, please follow the directions on the back of this page.
Thank you,
Albus Dumbledore
Phoebe turned over the paper:
1. Take the aeroplane or airplane to London on August 30^th, 2001
2. Wait in the West wing of the parking lot for a taxi with an American flag in the top right corner of the back window.
3. When you get in, don't say anything but the code phrase "I'm gonna fly to Baker"
4. The driver will take you to a train station, where you will need to go to platform 9 .
5. Walk through the wall, without hesitation, between platforms 9 and 10.
6. Board the train, and look for a student, a Mr. Harry Potter, who will be a fifth year, and ask to sit with him. He will direct you the rest of the way.
Phoebe stopped reading, too stunned to continue.
"Wow! Me, a teacher!!!" Phoebe exclaimed.
"What?!?! Let me see that!" said Piper. She read it, and turned back to Phoebe, also amazed.
"So Pheebs, you gonna do it?" asked Paige who had read the letter over Piper's shoulder.
"Of course! This is... As corny as it might sound, the chance of a lifetime," answered Phoebe.
"Duh, but honey, no offense, you've passed up an army of lifetimes."
"None taken, Piper," Phoebe said, rolling her eyes, "Wait, there's more," she noticed.
7. As for the airplane ticket, it is concealed on the inside of this envelope.
"What's today?" asked Phoebe.
"The 29^th," responded Paige.
"Whoa, I'd better get packing," and with that Phoebe, soon to be Professor Halliwell, raced upstairs.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Wake up, boy," grumbled Mr. Dursley of number 4 on Privet Dr.
"Vernon!" Shrieked Aunt Petunia's shrill voice from downstairs.
"Coming Sugarsnookums," boomed Uncle Vernon. Harry looked over at his alarm clock. It was blink 12:05.
"Did the electricity go out last night, Uncle Vernon?" asked Harry. Mr. Dursley mumbled something that Harry supposed sounded a bit like yes, and went downstairs. Harry dressed and left Hedwig with a rat that she caught the previous night to get breakfast downstairs. On his way down, someone knocked at the front door. Harry paused.
*I wonder who that could be* Harry thought, mockingly. For the whole of the summer holidays, his fat cousin Dudley's best friend, Piers, had been "dropping by" non-stop.
"Harry!" Shouted Uncle Vernon. *Oh great,* he thought, *What'd I do this time, make the sky blue???* And yet, he obediently jumped the last three steps and headed toward the sound of his uncle's voice. While walking, he stared at the floor and thought he heard a familiar voice. Harry ran to the front door, and there stood a tall, almost skeletal man in a black and red cloak.
"Hello Harry," said the man.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Jeez Pheebs, don't pack your whole wardrobe," said Piper. After about an hour, Piper had wandered upstairs to check on her younger sister.
"I have to, Piper, I'm moving to Hogwarts!" Phoebe snapped, "But you guys can talk to me and stuff... Um, I've got to go a little earlier than planned, because I need to buy some supplies," she said softer.
"Where are you going to get the money for that?" Piper asked.
"Hogwarts is providing all the money I need for that stuff," Phoebe said.
"Phoebe- what if we need you for you know-" Piper made gestures to try and get the point across to her.
"No, um... I don't know, Piper," replied Phoebe.
"Uh... Magical problems," said Piper looking uncomfortable. Phoebe rolled her eyes, and started lugging her suitcase downstairs.
"Wait! Phoebe, you're not taking me seriously!" Piper yelled, also on her way down.
"Wow, Piper, you're right. Ding, ding, ding! You get the grand prize! A sister not listening or talking to you until you accept her decision!" Phoebe exclaimed.
"Phoebe, haw can I accept this?!? It ridiculous!" Piper said.
"What ridiculous, Piper, that I have a job? Is that what you find so ridiculous?!?" Phoebe waited for an answer, "Just because I'm not home all the time-Did you know that Cole and I are thinking of having a baby?" Phoebe stopped. There was a long moment of silence, and then...
Ding, dong!...
Phoebe went to go answer the door.
"Darryl, hi! What's up?" Phoebe asked with a phony smile.
"Cole called me and told me the news... Congratulations!!!" Darryl stepped halfway in and gave Phoebe a hug.
"Thanks, I'm definitely gonna miss San Francisco, but damn! I'm looking forward to this!!!" Phoebe became aware of Darryl's one available hand. The other was still behind his back.
"Oh, I was talking about the-uh- other news..." Darryl removed his hand from behind to reveal some stunningly beautiful flowers.
"Thank you so much! They're... gorgeous!" Phoebe ignored his comment, closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The scent of the blue and white plants reminded her of the city garden.
"Well, uh... I just came by to give you those and say good luck... I really should get back to work, but have a great time, and e-mail me at every possible chance, OK? I want to hear about life at that pigwash place, and you tell those wizards that if they don't treat you right, they'll have to deal with me..." the San Francisco cop beamed at her, said one last goodbye, and headed on his way.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Sirius!" exclaimed Harry, realizing that the gaunt man was his godfather, Sirius Black.
"Harry I need-" Sirius hesitated because Mr. Dursley, pretending to read the post was eavesdropping.
"Why don't we go up to my room, Sirius?" Harry suggested. They clambered up the steps to his room, "Is something wrong?" Harry asked, once they were both seated atop his bed.
"Harry we- Uh, that is, Dumbledore and I- believe you are in grave danger," said Sirius.
"What else is new?" Harry said.
"Look- there's no time to speak of it now... Let's get out of here first," said his godfather, anxiously looking around.
"Well then, let's get going, "Harry started in the direction of the door, but Sirius grabbed his arm.
"No, no, the muggles will see us- we must go this way," Sirius pointed to the window. Harry was about to ask how exactly they were going to do that when he thought of another dilemma; how were they going to get his school things? Then he remembered...
"Wait, Sirius! Accio!" Harry waited patiently for about two minutes until he saw his school trunk and his Firebolt, that Sirius had in fact given him two years beforehand.
"Oh good, I was going to have Dumbledore send for them but..."
"Where are you taking me?" asked Harry as they stood cautiously on the window ledge.
"Hermione Granger's house... Hoverus," and off they flew into the pitch-black night, with no glowing stars to guide them.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Who is it?" whispered Mrs. Granger. It was exactly 9:55 at night, (they had stopped at a wizard's pub disguised as a gas station) and Sirius had recently bid Harry adieu and left...
"Harry Potter," He whispered back.
"Oh hello Harry, how was your trip?" Hermione's mother asked as Harry took in all of his surroundings. There was a faint glow from what appeared to be the living room that Harry suspected could be the television, and his old friend Hermione soon walked from the room with the glow into the entryway.
"Harry!" Hermione rushed over to give him a hug, and in the process knocked over a vase that had been sitting on the edge of a small table, "Oh, I'm sorry, mum! Let me clean it up,"...
And so began a quite uneventful evening with the Grangers.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Be careful, OK sweetie?" Paige said wisely.
"I swear-in the less than a year I've known you... You've grown into such the little... well, witch! You know so much now that I'm going to have to work while I'm at Hogwarts to catch up with you!" Phoebe embraced her newly found sister. Piper nodded, silent tears slowly crawling their way down her pale skin.
"Yep, definitely impressive," Piper bit her lip to squash a sob and sniffed, "I'll miss you, Pheebs," she managed to get out. Phoebe broke the awkward gulf of space between them and hugged her tightly. "Watch yourself, ok?" Piper couldn't hold in another sob, and she choked on her next words, "I couldn't handle losing another sister." Phoebe pulled away, and squeezed Piper's hands.
"I'll be fine! You guys don't worry, I'll send you tons of owls," Phoebe said.
"Famous last words," mumbled Paige under her breath.
"Sorry?" Phoebe asked.
"Nothing," Paige responded too quickly. Phoebe gave her a doubtful look, but proceeded.
"Well, uh... I guess I'll see you... next year," she said sadly. They said good-bye a few more times before Phoebe finally found her way out the door. She hopped into her car and sped off toward the airport.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^"Would you care for a drink maim?" a flight attendant questioned as Phoebe tried unsuccessfully to rest for the fourth time. A lapse of seven hours had given Phoebe a completely new perspective. She was going to live in England! She should be excited, not moping!!!
"No thank you... but could I have a blanket? It's a bit cold."
"Not a problem, I'll be back in a moment," said the young woman. She couldn't have been more than 20, but she was very polite and mannerly. Keeping her promise, the stewardess returned in less than two minutes.
"Thanks a lot," Phoebe said, accepting the packaged blue felt.
"If you need anything else, just call me, my name is Edina," the attendant said. Phoebe glanced at the movie that was playing a few times, but couldn't quite grasp what it was about. When she next awoke the sun was rising, and she had a beautiful view above the cloudless sky.
"Edina," she saw the woman walking down the isle, and stopped her, "Where are we?"
"We're about thirty minutes away from London, I really don't know our exact location."
"Well at least she's honest" Phoebe muttered.
She got to the train station, walked around a bit and thought it was odd that the wizards had picked this mode of transportation, "I mean, why not magic carpets or brooms or something? Oh well," she thought. Phoebe bought a latte at a café in the large area just outside of where she was supposed to be, platforms 9 & 10. The bricks on the wall were coated in something that made them very shiny, and when she got at a certain angle, the sunshine bouncing off of it made the wall almost unbearable to look at. As she tried to sit with her overlarge drink, she could hardly find time to breathe between all of her "excuse me"s. "These people bustle around like it's the end of the world or something!" she muttered. "No joke!" a young man of about 16 surprised Phoebe by coming up behind her, unnoticed, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you... may I sit with you?" Phoebe thought this request was a bit strange until she looked around and saw that the table she was sitting at had the
only two open seats that she could see. "Yeah, sure, have a seat!" Phoebe pulled his chair out for him politely, and he gratefully sat. "Thanks," he flashed her a stunning smile, "I'm Harry," he held out a hand, and Phoebe took it and introduced herself. "I'm Phoebe."
"God- these aren't people-they're more like that little bunny you see in the Energizer battery commercials, y'know?" Harry asked.
"For real!"
"'Scuse me?" Harry asked.
"I said `for real', you know- like... um... that's the truth, or... No joke, you follow?" Phoebe couldn't believe Brits were so incomprehensive.
"Oh, right... Sorry, I'm a bit down on pop-culture I suppose," Harry grinned.
"Well, where are you headed? Isn't it a school day?" Phoebe asked, changing the subject.
"Um... School, as a matter of fact," Harry said, "And you?"
"School... What school are you going to?" Phoebe questioned.
"Uh..." he turned a bright fuchsia, the kind you only see in Crayolas and replied, "Well... It's called..." Harry didn't know whether he could tell her the truth or not, but he figured he could take it back if he ended up regretting it so he said, "Hogwarts."
"No way!" Phoebe was so astonished she spilled her latte all over her beaded shirt.
"Yes way... Why are you so amazed? What school are you going to?" Harry was curious at this point.
"Hogwarts!!!"
"Really? Well, you don't look like a first year... but I haven't seen you around Hogwarts... What year are you to be in?" Harry asked, intrigued.
"Uh... rumor has it I'm your new teacher... Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher," Phoebe said.
"Wow! And here I was about to make a pass at you!" Harry then turned a sick color green and continued, "Oh my God, did I just say that out loud!!!"
"No, what are you talking about?!?" Phoebe acted bewildered as if nothing had happened. They continued to talk about the differences in their worlds when Harry absent-mindedly looked at his watch.
"Oh, we'd better get going... Do you need help with your bags?" He had only one trunk, so Phoebe let him carry her broom that she had gotten in Diagon Alley. They managed to get to the platforms easily enough, and then they got on the train, and since they were a bit early had time to walk around and meet people without the weight of their luggage.
"Come with me... I'll introduce you to some of my friends," Harry waved back at her to follow him. She pursued him until he came to a stop before a tall, gangly red-haired boy with freckles.
"Well, well Harry, got yourself a girlfriend, have you? I don't believe I've seen you around Hogwarts..."
"I'm Ph- oh wait... I guess you should call me Professor Halliwell... I'm your new defense against the dark arts teacher," she held out her hand, and Freckles gladly took it and introduced himself.
"Hello! I'm Ron, and I'm your new defense against the dark arts student-apparently! Er... Sorry about that `girlfriend' thing..." he grinned foolishly, and Phoebe beamed back and replied, "So who's your -`girlfriend'- over there, Harry?" she had taken notice of a girl with brown bushy hair. The girl pulled away from the extremely fat book she was engaged in, and said,
"Hullo! I'm Hermione... You can't possibly be a first year... unless you flunked out a few times, but I've never seen you at Hogwarts" Hermione said this extremely fast and in a jumble, and then Phoebe presented herself once more,
"I'm Professor Halliwell, I'll be teaching your defense against the dark arts class this year- and if all goes well, maybe next year, too, unless I flunk of course," she said. They all grinned a bit at that, and Phoebe commented, "Isn't that book a bit too big to read while your standing?!?" Phoebe asked, amazed.
"Ah, yes... Well, you'll get to know Hermione quite well, and you'll soon find out that standing around reading fat books is about all she does all day," Ron said. Hermione gave him a playful slap and said quietly,
"Sometimes I read thin books."
Phoebe was introduced to several other students in the same year as Harry and Ron, fifth year; Seamus, Neville (who blushed quite noticeably when introduced to his new professor, as did several of the other boys), and a few others who Phoebe found were just as nice. Harry somehow wandered off, and she excused herself to go to the bathroom, and found him once more.
"Jesus, where'd you go?!? I nearly drowned in the air of teenagers!" Phoebe wiped her brow gracefully.
"'S'pose you'd better get used to that... Classes start tomorrow," with this statement, Phoebe nearly swooned.