Melo Park Misadventures - Conflicts, Calamities, and Quidditch
Disclaimer: I do not own Hogwarts or anything related (teachers, people, classes, Quidditch, etc). However, Melo Park School of Magic and all related things (teachers, people, ect) are mine; do not use them without permission.
Author's Note: This is my vision of a magical school in the United States. This is just a quick overview of it. If I get plenty of good reviews, I may continue this series (expand on my idea). So please READ & REVIEW! I will even accept flames as long as they are constructive.
The first day at Menlo Park School of Magic was always hectic. After a summer of separation the 140 students gabbed non-stop all day. In the midst of all the conversations there was of course the chaos of checking into the dorms and getting the first-years settled.
The school was a cluster of buildings around a large grassy quadrangle. A lake lay along the nothern edge of the school. The hive of activity that day (September 1) was the dorms which lay on the southern edge of the quad, just north of the Quidditch field.
The dorms were divided into four floors with two grades on each floor. Each grade had its own wing, and the wing had two branches off of a central rec room for both genders. In the second floor, fourth-year rec room sat Kat Jameson. Kat was the fourth-year class president and had to be there extra early. She was sitting in a chair finishing an extra credit essay for History of Magic on foreign wizarding schools.
"Menlo Park vs. Hogwarts
According to the book "Magical Educations Around the World," the best school of magic in the United States of America is Menlo Park School of Magic. That same source states that the best school of magic in England is the renown Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Besides being both named the best in their respective areas, the two schools have several similarities; they also have several differences.
First of all, both schools are the oldest schools on their respective continents, although Hogwarts is older by many years. Hogwarts and Menlo Park have a long tradition of excellence. They also both employ some of the most brilliant wizards and witches in the world. Finally, they both have very old headmasters.
In contrast, most wizards consider Hogwarts to be much more prestigous. Nearly all of the students at Menlo Park are somehow descended from Muggles, but at Hogwarts many more are 'pure-bloods.' Also, the structures of the schools are very different. At Hogwarts, students are sorted into one of four houses, with 40 students per year. At Menlo Park, students in the same grade are encouraged to work together; there are competitions between grades and no houses, with only 20 students per year. Hogwarts can be found near the all-Magic village of Hogsmeade, but Menlo Park is in New Jersey hidden in a patch of woods. Also"
Kat was working diligently when two hands covered her eyes from behind. "Guess who?"
Kat lept up "Jenny! Hi!"
"Hey Kat. Studying as usual I see. Do you have to make us all look so bad by comparison?" Kat's best friend Jenny Bridgeman smiled to show that she was only kidding.
"Well, we can't all be Charms geniuses."
"Like you're a dunce in Charms. So, how are you? How was your summer?"
"It was okay. I was glad to get back though."
A male voice joined in. "Oh, God, Kat. Do you have to be so cheery? Can't you hate school like the rest of us mere dunces?"
Kat laughed. "Yeah right Mr. Genius. I don't buy into your complaining."
Jackson Smith grinned. "Okay, okay. So I'm hardly failing. Is that my fault? I still hate school."
Jenny broke in with "So, where's my room Mon Capitan?"
"You're in room 411 with me."
"Cool, come on Lets get our room in order." Jenny dragged her duffle, backpack and broom towards their room.
"Can't." Kat yelled. "I have to stay here to give out room assignments until the others arrive. E.B. and Jayme are already here in room 413." Kat sat down to finish her essay. "You're in 423 with Scott Greene, Jackson."
He leaned over her chair and grabbed her essay. Kat and Jenny lept up to get it, but because both were significantly shorter than Jackson, he could easily keep it out of their reach and read it at the same time. Jackson laughed. "Hey Kat, I don't thing Professor Howard is going to be pleased when you say 'Finally, they both have very old headmasters.'"
Kat grabbed her essay out of his hands as he and Jenny laughed. "I'll cut it out. I just couldn't think of any other similarities."
"Well, we don't even have that in common with Hogwarts any more." Jenny commented when she caught her breath. "Didn't you hear Mon Capitan? Professor Lawrence retired last year. The new headmistress is Lilian Cross."
"Who's she?" Jackson asked.
Jenny shrugged. "I have no idea."
The three then separated; Jackson and Jenny went to their rooms to get settled, and Kat sat down to finish her essay.
Jenny dumped her stuff on her half of the room. She then stuck her head next door to say hi to E.B. and Jayme. "Hey guys."
"Hi Jenny." E.B. said.
Jayme glanced up from her book. "Hi."
"Can you believe that I'm actually happy to get back here? I was grounded all summer for my bad grade in Care for Magical Creatures." E.B. asked.
"Yeah, me too." Jenny said. "I got my grades over the summer from last year, and they weren't pretty." She grimaced. "My parents have me on probabtion."
"I did okay." Jayme said. "Did you hear? Lauren Adams almost failed Muggle Studies. That's the easiest class!"
"For you maybe." E.B. said. "You're Muggle-Born."
"Well, Jason Hill failed Charms. He had to go to summer school at Weston to make it up." Jenny added.
Jayme waver her hand. "That's just because he spends all his time oogling Professor O'Dell."
"You mean his darling Charisma." E.B. added, and they all laughed.
*****
By dinner time, all 140 students had arrived. Instead of the Inter-House Competitions at Hogwarts, Menlo Park held Inter-Grade Competitions every year. Each grade had a class president and Quidditch team. Already, Kat was passing around a petition.
"What's this one for?" Jackson mumbled around a mouthful of chicken.
Kat motioned for everyone to lean in close and whispered "It's this idea I have." She then proceeded to outline her plan, ending with "And Professor Fox said that he'd support it if our entire grade signed it."
Alex's face lit up. "Hey, that's a good idea." Soon everyone at the fourth year table was scribbling their consent.
At the nearby fifth-year table, the fourth-year's arch rivals, their class president Brandon Willis leaned over the hear Kat's plan.
*****
After a first day full of classes, Kat's idea was announced during dinner. The fourth-year class advisor, young Professor Mark Fox, stood at the head of the dinning hall.
"Attention everyone! I know how eager you are to finish your dinner and go study -" groans and laughter answered him "- so I'll try to make this short. Yesterday, Kat Jameson came up with an interesting idea. She proposed, with the support of her class, that we hold a Quidditch match against Hogwarts in England."
Cheers erupted from all over the dinning hall except from the fifth-year table. Fourth-year Cesar Muñoz started of chant of "Menlo Park! Menlo Park!" The new headmistress Lilian Cross stood and held up her hand to silence the noise. She was young, proabably only about 35 with short black hair and creamy brown skin.
"Thank you Professor Fox and Miss Janeway. Unfortunately, Hogwarts is involved in the Triwizard Tournament this year and will be unable to do this will us." Boos and moans began. "Silence! In any case, I think this is too good an idea to let die. I will draft a letter to Hogwarts, suggesting that the match be held this summer instead. Is that satisfactory to you all?" She smiled at the answering cheers. "I'll take that as a yes."
The students then busied themselves with dinner and talk of the match. Several students from all grades but the fifth-year came over to thank Kat for her great idea. At the end of the meal, Brandon Willis and his friends Stephen and Taylor slunk over.
"Hey Kathryn." Brandon sneered. "Nice going."
"Yeah dork." Stephen added. "Brilliant idea, loser." His words dripped with sarcasm.
Kat stood and glared down her nose at Brandon. He was taller than she, but she managed to do that anyway. "What do you mean?"
"Yeah," Jenny yelled, glaring at Stephen, eye-level with his Quidditch badge. "Explain yourself - if you have the intellegence to string more than two words together."
"Well, shrimp," Stephen began, "what happens when we lose?"
"What do you mean, lose?" Kat asked.
"Come on, Kathryn." Brandon sneered. "Hogwarts has HARRY POTTER. You know, THE HARRY POTTER."
"This is a Quidditch game, Brandon. It's not like we're out to vanquish You-Know-Who." Jayme interrupted.
"Shut up Mud-Blood." Taylor snapped.
"Ooh, she's so hurt." E.B. taunted.
More fifth-years came over. "You'd better watch yourself worms. Lister to your betters." Anthony ordered.
"What betters?" Alex asked, feinging confusion.
"I think he means our stupiders - them." Scott suggested.
Taylor swung a punch, barely missing Scott who ducked.
"Stop it Taylor!" Maddy yelled.
"Stuff it Mud-Blood!" Taylor barked.
"Are you too stupid to think of any more insults because that one's getting real old." Megan commented.
Taylor swung again and hit Maddy and Megan hard. Jackson socked Brandon, and chaos ensued. Jenny was just readying to kick Stephen when she felt her entir body go rigid. Up at the teacher's table, Professors Charisma O'Dell and Mark Fox had frozen the fighting students. More teachers separated the waring grades and dragged the students back to their dorms.
*****
After that, everyone pretty much forgot about Kat's idea. They were too busy studying their classes. Then one Monday afternoon during Charms, an answer came from Hogwarts.
Professor O'Dell that day was bouncing around the room helping them with dueling. She was the North American dueling champion and trained her students in the "glorious sport." Suddenly, Professor Cross strode in.
"Excuse me Charisma, but may I speak to Miss Jameson for a moment?"
All too eager to stop dueling Jenny, school dueling champion, Kat hurried outside. "What's up Professor?" Professor Cross didn't answer, just beckoned for Kat to follow her. They hurried across the quad to her office. Once inside, Professor Cross sat at her desk and motioned for Kat to sit as well.
"As you may know Miss Jameson, I graduated from Hogwarts, so I know a number of people there. This morning I received letter from Professor Dumbledore regarding your idea. He wants us to go forward with this Quidditch match. What I need you to do is to organize it. Get a committee together to help you. I've told Professor Dumbledore to expect your letter by the end of the week." She stood. "That's all, Miss Jameson. You may go back to class now."
Kat gathered her class in their rec room during their study hall that evening. They planned and worked on the details for the match. They worked on it for the rest of the week during their study hall, and by Thursday afternoon they had sent the letter to Hogwarts.
*****
Friday at Hogwarts School of Witchraft and Wizardry in England dawned uneventully. The sudents were eager for the Triwizard Tournament to begin. At breakfast Ron, Hermione and Harry chatted away about it. That morning, however, a silver owl sailed in with the rest of the regular mail. The owl gave the note to Dumbledore and then waited up at the High Table for a reply. Dumbledore read the letter and spoke quietly with the other teachers for a moment. He stood and when the Great Hall had quieted down he spoke.
"I have a very interesting proposal here from Menlo Park School of Magic in the United States of America. They want to hold a Quidditch match between our two schools. The teachers and I have decided to accept their challenge."
The students stared at him, digested the information; suddenly Draco Malfoy burst out with "How will we decide who will play?"
Buzzes of conversation swarmed at his question. Professor Dumbledore waited for silence and then responded. "We've decided that because Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup last year, they will represent Hogwarts. That team will have to find a new keeper, and I will leave that up to them." With that, he sat down, and conversations returned to normal.
*****
Life went on as normal at both schools, or as normal as things were in the wizarding world. Hogwarts had its Triwizard Tournament, and Menlo Park had its Inter-Grade Tournament. The Fourth-years won the school Quidditch Cup and the Academic Bowl.
At Menlo Park the students awaited eagerly for their match against Hogwarts, but Hogwarts itself had almost forgotten about it. In fact, with all the excitement of the year, Harry Potter was surprised when a letter from the other school arrived.
Harry was staying at the Burrow by late July. He and Ron spent their time hanging out and goofing off with Fred and George. Sometimes Hermione came, and they all had a great time. On July 31, Harry's birthday, a strange note as well as his presents awaited him at the breakfast table.
Hermione was there too, and Harry had a great birthday. For the first time in his life, he had a party and people celebrated it. He was cleaning up the table when he saw the note.
At first glance, the note even looked odd. The parchement was an odd silver color, and the ink was a bright purple. A seal with an intertwined M and P lay on the paper. Harry glanced around the table and was relieved (but even more confused) when he saw that Fred and George had gotten letters like his. He opened it and read:
Dear Mr. Potter,
The first annual Menlo Park-Hogwarts Quidditch match will be held on August 15 at Menlo Park School of Magic in New Jersey, United States of America. All team members are to meet there on August 7 to practice and get accustomed to the facilities.
Because Professor Dumbledore told us that your school has not been preparing for this, we will allow Mr. Oliver Wood to participate even though he has graduated.
Sincerely,
K. A. Jameson
*****
On August 15, Harry, Fred and George left the Burrow to go to Menlo Park via Floo Powder. The other Weasleys and Hermione were coming later that week to watch. At Menlo Park they met up with the other Gryffindors. The headed up the grounds to a large square building with a pyramid on top of its roof. Three students waited there for them, wearing gray robes with purple trim and the same seal embroidered on their left breast.
"Welcome! My name is Kat Jameson. I'm Quidditch captain and fifth-year class president." She gestured to her friends. "There are Jackson Smith and Jenny Bridgeman. They are also fifth-years and members of our Quidditch team. We've been asked to get you set up."
The students led them to a plain looking building. "This is the dorm. You'll be staying in the first-year wing. Any friends or relatives coming shouldn't arrive before Wednesday and may stay at the inn in the town of Menlo Park nearby." They showed the team to their rooms, and then they walked south to the Quidditch field.
The field was immaculate. The poles and stands sparkled silver and two large purple Top Boxes adorned the stands.
"Now," Jackson said, "You can practive every morning and right after lunch. We'll practice after you. Breakfast is from 7-8 in the morning, lunch is from noon to 1, and dinner is from 7-8 at night. Summer classes are still going on, so you may see a lot of other students. Also, many are still here for the match. Any questions?"
"Yeah," said Fred. "Why's everything in your school silver and purple?"
Jackson gave him a cool look. "Those are our school colors." he said slowly. "Anything else?"
"Yes." Wood asked. "May we switch practices with you today? We haven't had time to unpack to get used to the time change here."
Jackson glanced at his friends, and the shortest, Jenny, spoke up. "That's okay. In fact, why don't we just switch all practice times?" She glared at tlhem
"Sure." Wood replied, oblivious to her angry look.
The Hogwarts students returned to the dorms to unpack. Most of the team took a short nap, but Harry, Fred and George went out to watch their competition practice. As George said, "They never said we couldn't watch them pracice."
It had taken several minutes to assemble the team, and as a result they were just beginning practice. Jenny still looked annoyed. "I still don't see why we have to bend over backwards for those British snobs. First we let a guy play who's way older than we are, then we waste our time showing them around, and now we have to practice in the morning."
"Jenny, quit complaining and lets just practice. If you want to get even with them, win. Don't just whine about it." Kat blew a whistle and practice began.
At her command, seven silvery-purple clad figures rose into the air and darted about the field adroitly. As Harry and the Weasleys wathced the team that was better than any other they'd faced, a feeling of dread grew.
"We're in trouble." Fred said.
*****
Both teams practiced fervently that week. Hermione and the Weasleys came on Wednesday as well as the rest of Hogwarts. In his free time, Harry, Ron and Hermione explored the schoool. It was very nice and modern, nothing like old Hogwarts.
The match began early on August 15. Everyone awaited the beginning of the match. At precisely 8:15 both teams paraded out onto the field. The Hogwarts students wore scarlet, and the Menlo Park students wore shimery purple. As Harry stepped onto the field, a feeling of wonder overcame him. The stands were full of people; he felt as though he were playing in the Quidditch World Cup. He almost was; Hogwarts and Menlo Park were known for their excellent school Quidditch teams. The announcer was a young man who looked even younger than Oliver Wood.
"Greetings, and welcome to the first ever Menlo Park-Hogwarts Quidditch Cup. And now lets welcome the teams. From Hogwarts, we have Keeper Oliver Wood, Beaters Fred and George Weasley, Chasers Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, and Seeker Harry Potter!" As their names were called, the crowd roared. "And for the home team from Menlo Park, may I present Keeper Dana Harper, Beaters Alex Smith-James and Cesar Muñoz, Chasers Kat Jameson, Jackson Smith and Jimmy Smith, and Seeker Jenny Bridgemen!"
They stood respectfully as first the English and then the American national anthems were played. And then the match began.
From the very beginning it was a tough match. Harry and Jenny immediately headed up ahead to look for the Snitch. Angelina Johnson immediately got the Quaffle and even managed to score the first goal very quickly. Then Kat Jameson got the Quaffle and got hit by a Bludger. Katie Bell retrieved the Quaffle only to be hit by a Bludger sent her way by Alex. Jackson grabbed the Quaffle and barely managed to put it past Wood.
Up above, Harry was facinated by the match below. The Quaffle kept switching hands; the game was very hard to follow. By noon Menlo Park led 120 - 100. Harry had seen the Snitch several times in that period, but he always lost it. Neither he nor Jenny could get it, although they both got very close. After four hours of solid play, Harry was starving. Both teams began rotating in players, but Harry himself refused to come down, despite a rumbling stomach. He didn't want to let Draco Malfoy take over for him. Finally, when Dumbledore found Cho Chang to take over, he landed and gave her his Firebolt to use (Cho hadn't brought one to the match, thinking she wouldn't need it.) As he wolfed down sandwiches with his friends, he stared at the captivating match.
Jenny also was reluctant to turn over her position. She finally let Stephen replace her; despite his vileness as a person, he was a skilled seeker. Neither he nor Cho got the snitch by the time she and Harry switched back in at 5:00. By this time, it was obvious that the match could take a long time, and an official time out was called and the two team captains and heads of schools conversed to discuss this. The score was 320 - 290 with Menlo Park still in the lead.
They decided to keep going, but every five hours the teams would switch out. For this Menlo Park had an advantage because nearly all of its students were still there. Also, with seven Quidditch teams more students could play each position.
The game was longer than any Harry had ever seen. He played until 10:00 when Cho took over. Harry wanted to stay up and see the match, but Professor Dumbledore insisted that he rest.
"I have a feeling this may go on for quite some time." He told Harry.
Harry had a wonderful dream. He was playing the Quidditch World Cup, when suddenly Hermione shook him awake.
"Wake up Harry! It's 3 AM; you've got to get back in the game."
Harry had been sure that Cho would have caught the Snitch by then, but everytime she made a move for it, someone (a Chaser, a Beater, or a Bludger) had stopped her. By the same token, the Hogwarts team was making a monumental effort to stop Stephen and Jenny from catching the snitch too. Both sides were tired, cranky and even more determined to win.
Unfortunately, as Harry slept the Hogwarts team fell further and further behind. Menlo Park now led 450 - 310. Harry knew that he had to catch the Snitch soon, before his team fell too far behind. He also hated seeing his friends sleep in the stands. He'd never pictured a match to go on so long.
Suddenly, he leaned forward on his broom and rubbed his eyes. There, he saw the Snitch! It hovered inches above the ground in the middle of the field. Quickly, Harry dove for it. At the same time, Jenny dove for it on the opposite side of the field. The wind whistled past his ears, and he could see it. He almost had it. He pushed his Firebolt to the max. And suddenly, he had it. Harry couldn't believed it -- HE HAD GOTTEN THE SNITCH! HOGWARTS HAD WON THE CUP! The crowd roared, and Harry felt exstatic. Harry turned in mid-air to look at his friends for their congratulations and saw, instead, twin looks of disappointment on their faces. In confusion, Harry looked up at the giant scoreboard and saw:
Hogwarts: 460 -- Menlo Park: 470
They'd lost!
*****
Later that day, Harry was in his room packing to go home. He and most of his teammates felt too disappointed to stay for the big celebration. There was going to be a dance, but Harry didn't feel much like dancing.
Just then, Ron and Hermione came in. "Hey Harry." Ron said. "Too bad about the match. You were great though! That girl Jenny looked like she'd swallowed one of Fred and George's concoctions. She was furious!"
Hermione noticed his open trunk. "Are you leaving Harry?"
"Yeah. I don't feel much like celebrating."
"But Harry, you can't!"
He looked at her. "Why not?"
"Because, it's not good sportsmanship." Hermione told him.
"Besides," Ron cut in, "There's going to be this great dance. There are some great looking girls here, and a lot of them can't wait to see you." He grinned. "I met this one named Tina who loves redheads."
"Professor Dumbledore says that we have to go." Hermione added. "To foster good relations with this other school."
"And," Ron added, "Cho will be there."
*****
That evening, everyone was at the dance. It really was pretty fun. There were some really pretty girls, and everyone was very nice. The other Hogwarts students congratulated him for catching the Snitch, and even Jenny told him that he had flown well.
The person taking the defeat the worst was probably Oliver Wood. He was furious at the Ravenclaw keeper who had replaced him for letting Menlo Park rack up such a high score. He was even mad at the Chasers. They'd just stopped and stared when Harry dove for the Snitch (as was usual at Hogwarts), and during that time Menlo Park was able to make the two crucial goals.
Harry was relaxing and enjoying himself and the food when his scar began to burn. He fell to the dance floor in the middle of dancing with E.B. from Menlo Park. He heard screams from above, and Harry struggled to pull himself up. Standing in the doorway was none other than Voldemort!
Everyone crowded against the far wall, and Ron and Hermione helped Harry move there too. Albus Dumbledore stood in front of the crowd, staring down Voldemort. Other teachers also stood at the front, guarding the children. Harry saw Professor McGonagall as well as several other Menlo Park Professors. The one who had done the announcing stepped forward.
"I won't let you hurt everyone here like you hurt me." He pulled out his wand.
Voldemort chucked, but it was not a chuckle of amusement. It was dark and twisted. "And who might you be? Another fool trying to destroy the greatest wizard of all time."
The young man glared into Voldemort's red eyes. "My name is Mark Fox, and I AM going to destroy you." He shouted a spell just as Voldemort did the same. The two spells crashed against one another, hitting the wall. Part of it hit Professor Fox, and he fell to the ground.
"You fool! No one can destroy me!" His blood-colored eyes swept the crowd and finally rested on Harry Potter. "Ah, Potter, come here." He waved his wand, and Harry felt himself pulled towards Voldemort. "I supose I should thank you for saving me. I should have killed you all those years ago. It was a mistake. But no matter; mistakes can be corrected." Voldemort raised his wand to kill Harry when a blast from another wand hit his.
Albus Dumbledore stood in the center of the dance floor, wand raised and pointed at him. "Wizard's duel Tom - if you dare!"
Voldemort smiled twistedly at Dumbledore. "Prepare to die."
Dumbledore shot a flash of blinding light around the room, creating a protective barrier around the spectators to prevent them from getting hurt. Voldemort struggled to shoot darkness to destroy Dumbledore's barrier, but finally stopped.
"You can't save them, Dumbledore. When you die, they'll be next."
"You make a mistake Tom; I don't intend on dying."
The duel lasted only a few minutes. Both men shot horrible curses and spells at one another. Each narrowly missed its target. Finally, within only a few minutes, Dumbledore shot a spell and Voldemort that actually hit him. Everyone of the spectators expected Voldemort to die, but instead he merely fell to the ground in imense pain. Dumbledore walked over and stood over his pain-ridden opponent.
"I haven't killed you Tom, in case you're wondering." He said quietly. "I've just put a spell that will cause you immense pain if you don't leave here. Now go!" He shouted the last part, and Voldemort disappeared. Before he left, however, he laid one more spell. The last thing anyone remembered of that night was a blinding flash of light and a rumble as the building collapsed.
*****
When Kat Jameson awoke, it was the next day. She was lying in a great pile of rubble. All around her she could see the others who had been at the dance. She rubbed her head; sitting up, she looked around. What had once been one of the greatest wizarding schools in the world was now nothing but a pile of rubble. She looked for other survivors and saw Harry Potter.
For his part, Harry Potter was very confused. He remembered loosing the cup . . . going to the dance . . . feeling his scar hurt. Suddenly the memories rushed back and threatened to choke him. Voldemort had come, but Dumbledore had saved them. The was surprised to see most of the people in perfect condition. He vaguely remembered something about a light to protect them and smiled. Dumbledore had saved all of them. He looked around to thank him. Instead he saw the girl Kat walking towards him.
"Hi Harry. Does everyone look okay to you?"
"Yeah, wow that was close. Have you seen Professor Dumbledore? I want to thank him."
"No, I haven't." The two students picked their way across the mess to find him. It dawned on Harry that perhaps he hadn't come out of this as well as they had. When they finally found him, Harry wished that they hadn't.
Albus Dumbledore was lying on the ground in terrible condition. He was a mass of bruises and cuts from the rubble. He was unconscious and barely breathing. Harry stood over the body of his fallen idol as Kat ran for help.
*****
Three days later Harry ran through the streets of Menlo Park, New Jersey, United States. Everyone from the attack on Menlo Park had moved there temporarily. Harry and his friends could have returned when Mr. and Mrs. Weasley did, but he hadn't wanted to until he was sure about what had happened. He usually walked through the streets surrounded by gloom. Today, though, he was happy. He ran into where he, Hermione and Ron were staying.
"He's okay! Dumbledore's okay!"
They ran back to the magical hospital where Albus Dumbledore lay. Once there, they ran up to his room to see him. They had been to visit him several times, and for the first time he was sitting up in his bed, writing a letter.
"Hello, Harry. Hello Ron. Hello Hermione. What brings you here?"
"We wanted to see you. We were afraid that you were going to - well to die." Hermione told him.
He smiled. "Oh, Miss Granger. I won't die for quite some time now. Now, is there anything else?"
Harry spoke up. "Well, yes there is. We want to know what happened in the duel between you and Voldemort. Why didn't you kill him?"
"I couldn't Harry. He had put a strong spell on himself, similar to the one I put on myself. It prevented me from killing him. Any spell with that intent would miss him, as I'm sure you saw. I realized that the only way to win even a little bit was not to hurt him, but to vanquish him."
"Oh." They were all silent for a while, until Ron asked. "Professor, who were you writing to?"
"Ah, well Mr. Weasley the news will be out soon enough. You three may as well be the first three to know. Because they don't have a school anymore, the Menlo Park students will be at various wizarding schools. Next year, I have offered for the fifth-years to come to Hogwarts."
TO BE CONTINUED . . . (MAYBE)
Disclaimer: I do not own Hogwarts or anything related (teachers, people, classes, Quidditch, etc). However, Melo Park School of Magic and all related things (teachers, people, ect) are mine; do not use them without permission.
Author's Note: This is my vision of a magical school in the United States. This is just a quick overview of it. If I get plenty of good reviews, I may continue this series (expand on my idea). So please READ & REVIEW! I will even accept flames as long as they are constructive.
The first day at Menlo Park School of Magic was always hectic. After a summer of separation the 140 students gabbed non-stop all day. In the midst of all the conversations there was of course the chaos of checking into the dorms and getting the first-years settled.
The school was a cluster of buildings around a large grassy quadrangle. A lake lay along the nothern edge of the school. The hive of activity that day (September 1) was the dorms which lay on the southern edge of the quad, just north of the Quidditch field.
The dorms were divided into four floors with two grades on each floor. Each grade had its own wing, and the wing had two branches off of a central rec room for both genders. In the second floor, fourth-year rec room sat Kat Jameson. Kat was the fourth-year class president and had to be there extra early. She was sitting in a chair finishing an extra credit essay for History of Magic on foreign wizarding schools.
"Menlo Park vs. Hogwarts
According to the book "Magical Educations Around the World," the best school of magic in the United States of America is Menlo Park School of Magic. That same source states that the best school of magic in England is the renown Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Besides being both named the best in their respective areas, the two schools have several similarities; they also have several differences.
First of all, both schools are the oldest schools on their respective continents, although Hogwarts is older by many years. Hogwarts and Menlo Park have a long tradition of excellence. They also both employ some of the most brilliant wizards and witches in the world. Finally, they both have very old headmasters.
In contrast, most wizards consider Hogwarts to be much more prestigous. Nearly all of the students at Menlo Park are somehow descended from Muggles, but at Hogwarts many more are 'pure-bloods.' Also, the structures of the schools are very different. At Hogwarts, students are sorted into one of four houses, with 40 students per year. At Menlo Park, students in the same grade are encouraged to work together; there are competitions between grades and no houses, with only 20 students per year. Hogwarts can be found near the all-Magic village of Hogsmeade, but Menlo Park is in New Jersey hidden in a patch of woods. Also"
Kat was working diligently when two hands covered her eyes from behind. "Guess who?"
Kat lept up "Jenny! Hi!"
"Hey Kat. Studying as usual I see. Do you have to make us all look so bad by comparison?" Kat's best friend Jenny Bridgeman smiled to show that she was only kidding.
"Well, we can't all be Charms geniuses."
"Like you're a dunce in Charms. So, how are you? How was your summer?"
"It was okay. I was glad to get back though."
A male voice joined in. "Oh, God, Kat. Do you have to be so cheery? Can't you hate school like the rest of us mere dunces?"
Kat laughed. "Yeah right Mr. Genius. I don't buy into your complaining."
Jackson Smith grinned. "Okay, okay. So I'm hardly failing. Is that my fault? I still hate school."
Jenny broke in with "So, where's my room Mon Capitan?"
"You're in room 411 with me."
"Cool, come on Lets get our room in order." Jenny dragged her duffle, backpack and broom towards their room.
"Can't." Kat yelled. "I have to stay here to give out room assignments until the others arrive. E.B. and Jayme are already here in room 413." Kat sat down to finish her essay. "You're in 423 with Scott Greene, Jackson."
He leaned over her chair and grabbed her essay. Kat and Jenny lept up to get it, but because both were significantly shorter than Jackson, he could easily keep it out of their reach and read it at the same time. Jackson laughed. "Hey Kat, I don't thing Professor Howard is going to be pleased when you say 'Finally, they both have very old headmasters.'"
Kat grabbed her essay out of his hands as he and Jenny laughed. "I'll cut it out. I just couldn't think of any other similarities."
"Well, we don't even have that in common with Hogwarts any more." Jenny commented when she caught her breath. "Didn't you hear Mon Capitan? Professor Lawrence retired last year. The new headmistress is Lilian Cross."
"Who's she?" Jackson asked.
Jenny shrugged. "I have no idea."
The three then separated; Jackson and Jenny went to their rooms to get settled, and Kat sat down to finish her essay.
Jenny dumped her stuff on her half of the room. She then stuck her head next door to say hi to E.B. and Jayme. "Hey guys."
"Hi Jenny." E.B. said.
Jayme glanced up from her book. "Hi."
"Can you believe that I'm actually happy to get back here? I was grounded all summer for my bad grade in Care for Magical Creatures." E.B. asked.
"Yeah, me too." Jenny said. "I got my grades over the summer from last year, and they weren't pretty." She grimaced. "My parents have me on probabtion."
"I did okay." Jayme said. "Did you hear? Lauren Adams almost failed Muggle Studies. That's the easiest class!"
"For you maybe." E.B. said. "You're Muggle-Born."
"Well, Jason Hill failed Charms. He had to go to summer school at Weston to make it up." Jenny added.
Jayme waver her hand. "That's just because he spends all his time oogling Professor O'Dell."
"You mean his darling Charisma." E.B. added, and they all laughed.
*****
By dinner time, all 140 students had arrived. Instead of the Inter-House Competitions at Hogwarts, Menlo Park held Inter-Grade Competitions every year. Each grade had a class president and Quidditch team. Already, Kat was passing around a petition.
"What's this one for?" Jackson mumbled around a mouthful of chicken.
Kat motioned for everyone to lean in close and whispered "It's this idea I have." She then proceeded to outline her plan, ending with "And Professor Fox said that he'd support it if our entire grade signed it."
Alex's face lit up. "Hey, that's a good idea." Soon everyone at the fourth year table was scribbling their consent.
At the nearby fifth-year table, the fourth-year's arch rivals, their class president Brandon Willis leaned over the hear Kat's plan.
*****
After a first day full of classes, Kat's idea was announced during dinner. The fourth-year class advisor, young Professor Mark Fox, stood at the head of the dinning hall.
"Attention everyone! I know how eager you are to finish your dinner and go study -" groans and laughter answered him "- so I'll try to make this short. Yesterday, Kat Jameson came up with an interesting idea. She proposed, with the support of her class, that we hold a Quidditch match against Hogwarts in England."
Cheers erupted from all over the dinning hall except from the fifth-year table. Fourth-year Cesar Muñoz started of chant of "Menlo Park! Menlo Park!" The new headmistress Lilian Cross stood and held up her hand to silence the noise. She was young, proabably only about 35 with short black hair and creamy brown skin.
"Thank you Professor Fox and Miss Janeway. Unfortunately, Hogwarts is involved in the Triwizard Tournament this year and will be unable to do this will us." Boos and moans began. "Silence! In any case, I think this is too good an idea to let die. I will draft a letter to Hogwarts, suggesting that the match be held this summer instead. Is that satisfactory to you all?" She smiled at the answering cheers. "I'll take that as a yes."
The students then busied themselves with dinner and talk of the match. Several students from all grades but the fifth-year came over to thank Kat for her great idea. At the end of the meal, Brandon Willis and his friends Stephen and Taylor slunk over.
"Hey Kathryn." Brandon sneered. "Nice going."
"Yeah dork." Stephen added. "Brilliant idea, loser." His words dripped with sarcasm.
Kat stood and glared down her nose at Brandon. He was taller than she, but she managed to do that anyway. "What do you mean?"
"Yeah," Jenny yelled, glaring at Stephen, eye-level with his Quidditch badge. "Explain yourself - if you have the intellegence to string more than two words together."
"Well, shrimp," Stephen began, "what happens when we lose?"
"What do you mean, lose?" Kat asked.
"Come on, Kathryn." Brandon sneered. "Hogwarts has HARRY POTTER. You know, THE HARRY POTTER."
"This is a Quidditch game, Brandon. It's not like we're out to vanquish You-Know-Who." Jayme interrupted.
"Shut up Mud-Blood." Taylor snapped.
"Ooh, she's so hurt." E.B. taunted.
More fifth-years came over. "You'd better watch yourself worms. Lister to your betters." Anthony ordered.
"What betters?" Alex asked, feinging confusion.
"I think he means our stupiders - them." Scott suggested.
Taylor swung a punch, barely missing Scott who ducked.
"Stop it Taylor!" Maddy yelled.
"Stuff it Mud-Blood!" Taylor barked.
"Are you too stupid to think of any more insults because that one's getting real old." Megan commented.
Taylor swung again and hit Maddy and Megan hard. Jackson socked Brandon, and chaos ensued. Jenny was just readying to kick Stephen when she felt her entir body go rigid. Up at the teacher's table, Professors Charisma O'Dell and Mark Fox had frozen the fighting students. More teachers separated the waring grades and dragged the students back to their dorms.
*****
After that, everyone pretty much forgot about Kat's idea. They were too busy studying their classes. Then one Monday afternoon during Charms, an answer came from Hogwarts.
Professor O'Dell that day was bouncing around the room helping them with dueling. She was the North American dueling champion and trained her students in the "glorious sport." Suddenly, Professor Cross strode in.
"Excuse me Charisma, but may I speak to Miss Jameson for a moment?"
All too eager to stop dueling Jenny, school dueling champion, Kat hurried outside. "What's up Professor?" Professor Cross didn't answer, just beckoned for Kat to follow her. They hurried across the quad to her office. Once inside, Professor Cross sat at her desk and motioned for Kat to sit as well.
"As you may know Miss Jameson, I graduated from Hogwarts, so I know a number of people there. This morning I received letter from Professor Dumbledore regarding your idea. He wants us to go forward with this Quidditch match. What I need you to do is to organize it. Get a committee together to help you. I've told Professor Dumbledore to expect your letter by the end of the week." She stood. "That's all, Miss Jameson. You may go back to class now."
Kat gathered her class in their rec room during their study hall that evening. They planned and worked on the details for the match. They worked on it for the rest of the week during their study hall, and by Thursday afternoon they had sent the letter to Hogwarts.
*****
Friday at Hogwarts School of Witchraft and Wizardry in England dawned uneventully. The sudents were eager for the Triwizard Tournament to begin. At breakfast Ron, Hermione and Harry chatted away about it. That morning, however, a silver owl sailed in with the rest of the regular mail. The owl gave the note to Dumbledore and then waited up at the High Table for a reply. Dumbledore read the letter and spoke quietly with the other teachers for a moment. He stood and when the Great Hall had quieted down he spoke.
"I have a very interesting proposal here from Menlo Park School of Magic in the United States of America. They want to hold a Quidditch match between our two schools. The teachers and I have decided to accept their challenge."
The students stared at him, digested the information; suddenly Draco Malfoy burst out with "How will we decide who will play?"
Buzzes of conversation swarmed at his question. Professor Dumbledore waited for silence and then responded. "We've decided that because Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup last year, they will represent Hogwarts. That team will have to find a new keeper, and I will leave that up to them." With that, he sat down, and conversations returned to normal.
*****
Life went on as normal at both schools, or as normal as things were in the wizarding world. Hogwarts had its Triwizard Tournament, and Menlo Park had its Inter-Grade Tournament. The Fourth-years won the school Quidditch Cup and the Academic Bowl.
At Menlo Park the students awaited eagerly for their match against Hogwarts, but Hogwarts itself had almost forgotten about it. In fact, with all the excitement of the year, Harry Potter was surprised when a letter from the other school arrived.
Harry was staying at the Burrow by late July. He and Ron spent their time hanging out and goofing off with Fred and George. Sometimes Hermione came, and they all had a great time. On July 31, Harry's birthday, a strange note as well as his presents awaited him at the breakfast table.
Hermione was there too, and Harry had a great birthday. For the first time in his life, he had a party and people celebrated it. He was cleaning up the table when he saw the note.
At first glance, the note even looked odd. The parchement was an odd silver color, and the ink was a bright purple. A seal with an intertwined M and P lay on the paper. Harry glanced around the table and was relieved (but even more confused) when he saw that Fred and George had gotten letters like his. He opened it and read:
Dear Mr. Potter,
The first annual Menlo Park-Hogwarts Quidditch match will be held on August 15 at Menlo Park School of Magic in New Jersey, United States of America. All team members are to meet there on August 7 to practice and get accustomed to the facilities.
Because Professor Dumbledore told us that your school has not been preparing for this, we will allow Mr. Oliver Wood to participate even though he has graduated.
Sincerely,
K. A. Jameson
*****
On August 15, Harry, Fred and George left the Burrow to go to Menlo Park via Floo Powder. The other Weasleys and Hermione were coming later that week to watch. At Menlo Park they met up with the other Gryffindors. The headed up the grounds to a large square building with a pyramid on top of its roof. Three students waited there for them, wearing gray robes with purple trim and the same seal embroidered on their left breast.
"Welcome! My name is Kat Jameson. I'm Quidditch captain and fifth-year class president." She gestured to her friends. "There are Jackson Smith and Jenny Bridgeman. They are also fifth-years and members of our Quidditch team. We've been asked to get you set up."
The students led them to a plain looking building. "This is the dorm. You'll be staying in the first-year wing. Any friends or relatives coming shouldn't arrive before Wednesday and may stay at the inn in the town of Menlo Park nearby." They showed the team to their rooms, and then they walked south to the Quidditch field.
The field was immaculate. The poles and stands sparkled silver and two large purple Top Boxes adorned the stands.
"Now," Jackson said, "You can practive every morning and right after lunch. We'll practice after you. Breakfast is from 7-8 in the morning, lunch is from noon to 1, and dinner is from 7-8 at night. Summer classes are still going on, so you may see a lot of other students. Also, many are still here for the match. Any questions?"
"Yeah," said Fred. "Why's everything in your school silver and purple?"
Jackson gave him a cool look. "Those are our school colors." he said slowly. "Anything else?"
"Yes." Wood asked. "May we switch practices with you today? We haven't had time to unpack to get used to the time change here."
Jackson glanced at his friends, and the shortest, Jenny, spoke up. "That's okay. In fact, why don't we just switch all practice times?" She glared at tlhem
"Sure." Wood replied, oblivious to her angry look.
The Hogwarts students returned to the dorms to unpack. Most of the team took a short nap, but Harry, Fred and George went out to watch their competition practice. As George said, "They never said we couldn't watch them pracice."
It had taken several minutes to assemble the team, and as a result they were just beginning practice. Jenny still looked annoyed. "I still don't see why we have to bend over backwards for those British snobs. First we let a guy play who's way older than we are, then we waste our time showing them around, and now we have to practice in the morning."
"Jenny, quit complaining and lets just practice. If you want to get even with them, win. Don't just whine about it." Kat blew a whistle and practice began.
At her command, seven silvery-purple clad figures rose into the air and darted about the field adroitly. As Harry and the Weasleys wathced the team that was better than any other they'd faced, a feeling of dread grew.
"We're in trouble." Fred said.
*****
Both teams practiced fervently that week. Hermione and the Weasleys came on Wednesday as well as the rest of Hogwarts. In his free time, Harry, Ron and Hermione explored the schoool. It was very nice and modern, nothing like old Hogwarts.
The match began early on August 15. Everyone awaited the beginning of the match. At precisely 8:15 both teams paraded out onto the field. The Hogwarts students wore scarlet, and the Menlo Park students wore shimery purple. As Harry stepped onto the field, a feeling of wonder overcame him. The stands were full of people; he felt as though he were playing in the Quidditch World Cup. He almost was; Hogwarts and Menlo Park were known for their excellent school Quidditch teams. The announcer was a young man who looked even younger than Oliver Wood.
"Greetings, and welcome to the first ever Menlo Park-Hogwarts Quidditch Cup. And now lets welcome the teams. From Hogwarts, we have Keeper Oliver Wood, Beaters Fred and George Weasley, Chasers Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, and Seeker Harry Potter!" As their names were called, the crowd roared. "And for the home team from Menlo Park, may I present Keeper Dana Harper, Beaters Alex Smith-James and Cesar Muñoz, Chasers Kat Jameson, Jackson Smith and Jimmy Smith, and Seeker Jenny Bridgemen!"
They stood respectfully as first the English and then the American national anthems were played. And then the match began.
From the very beginning it was a tough match. Harry and Jenny immediately headed up ahead to look for the Snitch. Angelina Johnson immediately got the Quaffle and even managed to score the first goal very quickly. Then Kat Jameson got the Quaffle and got hit by a Bludger. Katie Bell retrieved the Quaffle only to be hit by a Bludger sent her way by Alex. Jackson grabbed the Quaffle and barely managed to put it past Wood.
Up above, Harry was facinated by the match below. The Quaffle kept switching hands; the game was very hard to follow. By noon Menlo Park led 120 - 100. Harry had seen the Snitch several times in that period, but he always lost it. Neither he nor Jenny could get it, although they both got very close. After four hours of solid play, Harry was starving. Both teams began rotating in players, but Harry himself refused to come down, despite a rumbling stomach. He didn't want to let Draco Malfoy take over for him. Finally, when Dumbledore found Cho Chang to take over, he landed and gave her his Firebolt to use (Cho hadn't brought one to the match, thinking she wouldn't need it.) As he wolfed down sandwiches with his friends, he stared at the captivating match.
Jenny also was reluctant to turn over her position. She finally let Stephen replace her; despite his vileness as a person, he was a skilled seeker. Neither he nor Cho got the snitch by the time she and Harry switched back in at 5:00. By this time, it was obvious that the match could take a long time, and an official time out was called and the two team captains and heads of schools conversed to discuss this. The score was 320 - 290 with Menlo Park still in the lead.
They decided to keep going, but every five hours the teams would switch out. For this Menlo Park had an advantage because nearly all of its students were still there. Also, with seven Quidditch teams more students could play each position.
The game was longer than any Harry had ever seen. He played until 10:00 when Cho took over. Harry wanted to stay up and see the match, but Professor Dumbledore insisted that he rest.
"I have a feeling this may go on for quite some time." He told Harry.
Harry had a wonderful dream. He was playing the Quidditch World Cup, when suddenly Hermione shook him awake.
"Wake up Harry! It's 3 AM; you've got to get back in the game."
Harry had been sure that Cho would have caught the Snitch by then, but everytime she made a move for it, someone (a Chaser, a Beater, or a Bludger) had stopped her. By the same token, the Hogwarts team was making a monumental effort to stop Stephen and Jenny from catching the snitch too. Both sides were tired, cranky and even more determined to win.
Unfortunately, as Harry slept the Hogwarts team fell further and further behind. Menlo Park now led 450 - 310. Harry knew that he had to catch the Snitch soon, before his team fell too far behind. He also hated seeing his friends sleep in the stands. He'd never pictured a match to go on so long.
Suddenly, he leaned forward on his broom and rubbed his eyes. There, he saw the Snitch! It hovered inches above the ground in the middle of the field. Quickly, Harry dove for it. At the same time, Jenny dove for it on the opposite side of the field. The wind whistled past his ears, and he could see it. He almost had it. He pushed his Firebolt to the max. And suddenly, he had it. Harry couldn't believed it -- HE HAD GOTTEN THE SNITCH! HOGWARTS HAD WON THE CUP! The crowd roared, and Harry felt exstatic. Harry turned in mid-air to look at his friends for their congratulations and saw, instead, twin looks of disappointment on their faces. In confusion, Harry looked up at the giant scoreboard and saw:
Hogwarts: 460 -- Menlo Park: 470
They'd lost!
*****
Later that day, Harry was in his room packing to go home. He and most of his teammates felt too disappointed to stay for the big celebration. There was going to be a dance, but Harry didn't feel much like dancing.
Just then, Ron and Hermione came in. "Hey Harry." Ron said. "Too bad about the match. You were great though! That girl Jenny looked like she'd swallowed one of Fred and George's concoctions. She was furious!"
Hermione noticed his open trunk. "Are you leaving Harry?"
"Yeah. I don't feel much like celebrating."
"But Harry, you can't!"
He looked at her. "Why not?"
"Because, it's not good sportsmanship." Hermione told him.
"Besides," Ron cut in, "There's going to be this great dance. There are some great looking girls here, and a lot of them can't wait to see you." He grinned. "I met this one named Tina who loves redheads."
"Professor Dumbledore says that we have to go." Hermione added. "To foster good relations with this other school."
"And," Ron added, "Cho will be there."
*****
That evening, everyone was at the dance. It really was pretty fun. There were some really pretty girls, and everyone was very nice. The other Hogwarts students congratulated him for catching the Snitch, and even Jenny told him that he had flown well.
The person taking the defeat the worst was probably Oliver Wood. He was furious at the Ravenclaw keeper who had replaced him for letting Menlo Park rack up such a high score. He was even mad at the Chasers. They'd just stopped and stared when Harry dove for the Snitch (as was usual at Hogwarts), and during that time Menlo Park was able to make the two crucial goals.
Harry was relaxing and enjoying himself and the food when his scar began to burn. He fell to the dance floor in the middle of dancing with E.B. from Menlo Park. He heard screams from above, and Harry struggled to pull himself up. Standing in the doorway was none other than Voldemort!
Everyone crowded against the far wall, and Ron and Hermione helped Harry move there too. Albus Dumbledore stood in front of the crowd, staring down Voldemort. Other teachers also stood at the front, guarding the children. Harry saw Professor McGonagall as well as several other Menlo Park Professors. The one who had done the announcing stepped forward.
"I won't let you hurt everyone here like you hurt me." He pulled out his wand.
Voldemort chucked, but it was not a chuckle of amusement. It was dark and twisted. "And who might you be? Another fool trying to destroy the greatest wizard of all time."
The young man glared into Voldemort's red eyes. "My name is Mark Fox, and I AM going to destroy you." He shouted a spell just as Voldemort did the same. The two spells crashed against one another, hitting the wall. Part of it hit Professor Fox, and he fell to the ground.
"You fool! No one can destroy me!" His blood-colored eyes swept the crowd and finally rested on Harry Potter. "Ah, Potter, come here." He waved his wand, and Harry felt himself pulled towards Voldemort. "I supose I should thank you for saving me. I should have killed you all those years ago. It was a mistake. But no matter; mistakes can be corrected." Voldemort raised his wand to kill Harry when a blast from another wand hit his.
Albus Dumbledore stood in the center of the dance floor, wand raised and pointed at him. "Wizard's duel Tom - if you dare!"
Voldemort smiled twistedly at Dumbledore. "Prepare to die."
Dumbledore shot a flash of blinding light around the room, creating a protective barrier around the spectators to prevent them from getting hurt. Voldemort struggled to shoot darkness to destroy Dumbledore's barrier, but finally stopped.
"You can't save them, Dumbledore. When you die, they'll be next."
"You make a mistake Tom; I don't intend on dying."
The duel lasted only a few minutes. Both men shot horrible curses and spells at one another. Each narrowly missed its target. Finally, within only a few minutes, Dumbledore shot a spell and Voldemort that actually hit him. Everyone of the spectators expected Voldemort to die, but instead he merely fell to the ground in imense pain. Dumbledore walked over and stood over his pain-ridden opponent.
"I haven't killed you Tom, in case you're wondering." He said quietly. "I've just put a spell that will cause you immense pain if you don't leave here. Now go!" He shouted the last part, and Voldemort disappeared. Before he left, however, he laid one more spell. The last thing anyone remembered of that night was a blinding flash of light and a rumble as the building collapsed.
*****
When Kat Jameson awoke, it was the next day. She was lying in a great pile of rubble. All around her she could see the others who had been at the dance. She rubbed her head; sitting up, she looked around. What had once been one of the greatest wizarding schools in the world was now nothing but a pile of rubble. She looked for other survivors and saw Harry Potter.
For his part, Harry Potter was very confused. He remembered loosing the cup . . . going to the dance . . . feeling his scar hurt. Suddenly the memories rushed back and threatened to choke him. Voldemort had come, but Dumbledore had saved them. The was surprised to see most of the people in perfect condition. He vaguely remembered something about a light to protect them and smiled. Dumbledore had saved all of them. He looked around to thank him. Instead he saw the girl Kat walking towards him.
"Hi Harry. Does everyone look okay to you?"
"Yeah, wow that was close. Have you seen Professor Dumbledore? I want to thank him."
"No, I haven't." The two students picked their way across the mess to find him. It dawned on Harry that perhaps he hadn't come out of this as well as they had. When they finally found him, Harry wished that they hadn't.
Albus Dumbledore was lying on the ground in terrible condition. He was a mass of bruises and cuts from the rubble. He was unconscious and barely breathing. Harry stood over the body of his fallen idol as Kat ran for help.
*****
Three days later Harry ran through the streets of Menlo Park, New Jersey, United States. Everyone from the attack on Menlo Park had moved there temporarily. Harry and his friends could have returned when Mr. and Mrs. Weasley did, but he hadn't wanted to until he was sure about what had happened. He usually walked through the streets surrounded by gloom. Today, though, he was happy. He ran into where he, Hermione and Ron were staying.
"He's okay! Dumbledore's okay!"
They ran back to the magical hospital where Albus Dumbledore lay. Once there, they ran up to his room to see him. They had been to visit him several times, and for the first time he was sitting up in his bed, writing a letter.
"Hello, Harry. Hello Ron. Hello Hermione. What brings you here?"
"We wanted to see you. We were afraid that you were going to - well to die." Hermione told him.
He smiled. "Oh, Miss Granger. I won't die for quite some time now. Now, is there anything else?"
Harry spoke up. "Well, yes there is. We want to know what happened in the duel between you and Voldemort. Why didn't you kill him?"
"I couldn't Harry. He had put a strong spell on himself, similar to the one I put on myself. It prevented me from killing him. Any spell with that intent would miss him, as I'm sure you saw. I realized that the only way to win even a little bit was not to hurt him, but to vanquish him."
"Oh." They were all silent for a while, until Ron asked. "Professor, who were you writing to?"
"Ah, well Mr. Weasley the news will be out soon enough. You three may as well be the first three to know. Because they don't have a school anymore, the Menlo Park students will be at various wizarding schools. Next year, I have offered for the fifth-years to come to Hogwarts."
TO BE CONTINUED . . . (MAYBE)