First, I need to explain a couple of things.. This is a revised story that is currently undergoing rewriting, so I'm posting it as I go through it. :)

The # symbol means that something is Whispered (meaning that it's some sort of telepathy that's happening) in their mind alone.

The symbols # and " together means that something is Whispered out loud, not just in their minds.

"Whispering" written with capital W means telepathy, while "whispering" with a lower case W means just regular whispering.

And, last but not least, these are all J. K. Rowling's characters, except from Anne. The plot is my own creation, but the world it's set in belongs to Rowling. :)

Enjoy!!

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Harry Potter and the Whisperer

Surprise Arrival

The flames that flared up around us came so suddenly and extinguished again within seconds, so I didn't even have time to panic. The fact that the world around me seemed to have changed as well during that burst of flames shocked me even more. Gone was my home, gone were the rolling fields and hills that surrounded my home, and all the things familiar to me, and instead I stood surrounded by tall, ancient trees. Trying to understand what had just happened, I first checked myself, my bag, and the bird for any damages done by the fire, but found none. Not even a smidge of soot. Then I slowly rotated around, trying to figure out where I was. The forest to my left felt old and secretive, and I was momentarily stunned with the things I felt in there. I kept turning, and I saw a small, cosy-looking cabin by the edge of the forest, and though I felt as if someone was watching me with surprise and a bit of suspicion, there were no one in the windows, only a slim trail of smoke coming up from the chimney. Then my jaw dropped as I noticed a humongous castle as I had almost completed my turn. The sheer presence of the castle made my skin tingle, even though I noticed more and more tingling pressure in all the air around me as the first shock of the flames and this new place gave way.

#That is the school.# The golden and fiery red bird that sat on my shoulder let out a beautiful, soft note as I felt the just as soft voice float into my mind. I was starting to suspect that things weren't going to be as easy as it had first sounded like when it had approached me that same morning in the woods close to my home. I had almost dropped my straws filled with wild strawberries as it spoke so clearly in my mind. Normally when animals approached me I would get more of a feeling of what they wanted, and sometimes I'd get single words or memories, but seldom so clear sentences without me having known them for a while.

I hefted my bag more securely onto my other shoulder, and then carefully stroking the warm feathers on the bird's chest while I stared at the building, letting the calming feelings the bird emanated soothe me while I tried to make sense of what I was looking at. I've always loved the look of European castles, and this one was beautiful, shimmering in the sunlight with hundreds of windows, strong stonewalls and high towers. I just knew that this place was old, and it felt as though it was filled with magic, for a lack of a better word. That had to be one heck of a school.

"#So, I'll find him up there?#" I mumbled Whispering, trying to ignore all the different emotions that were swirling in the air and concentrate on my job.

#Yes, I'll show you.# The soft voice floated through my mind again.

"Harry? Harry?!" A girl came around some bushes, and froze in front of me. She had bushy brown hair and large brown eyes, looking to be about the same age as me, and looking a bit shocked to see me. The clothes she wore looked like a school uniform of sorts, and as I had never seen such a thing before I became even more curious as to where I was, and I wondered who this Harry character she was looking for was. Smiling friendly at her while making sure I put out calming feelings, I explained that I wasn't familiar with the area, and wondered if she knew the whereabouts of the person I was looking for. Even though I could feel the girl relax with my smile, she also seemed to get confused as I spoke.

#She is very smart, and trustworthy. She can take you up to the school.# The bird Whispered to my mind, and though I was pretty sure that the girl in front of me didn't hear the bird, her jaw dropped a bit. And her eyes were still locked on me, before she rubbed them slightly as if she doubted her sight. I smiled to her again, and she relaxed and smiled back, and I suddenly understood why she had been so confused earlier, when she replied to me in English instead of speaking in my native tongue.

"Sorry, I didn't quite understand what you said except for that one name. But follow me, and I'll see if I can find him for you, okay?" She made some gestures as well, indicating that I should follow her, and I just smiled and nodded while trying to shake off the feeling of someone watching me and being protective towards this girl. I still couldn't see anyone else there, and I knew it wasn't an animal, but even though I could feel a person - a boy actually - I started to wonder if I was just feeling a ghost or something. Even so, it was a bit unnerving, as I felt swamped with feelings from the forest and the castle and everything around me, much stronger than I was used to, and it just seemed to keep building. As the girl turned to walk, I suddenly realised that I hadn't even introduced myself, so took a hold of her arm.

"Anne Beate Holmene Ottosen..." I introduced myself to her as she looked back at me, while offering her my hand in greeting. I felt her uncertainty, so as she slowly reached for my hand I shortened my name for her. "...Anne."

"Hermione Granger... Hermione. Nice to meet you." She smiled warmly at me, shaking my hand with a firm grip that radiated confidence in herself.

#We should move on before you get too tired.# I looked at the bird on my shoulder, and had to agree with it as I knew that I had kept up my Whispering for a long time already this day. Hermione was looking intensely at me when I turned back to her again, but she didn't say anything, just grinned before she took the lead up towards the castle. As we walked I kept staring at everything around me, feeling quite in awe at the size of the building we were closing in on, and as there were more students the closer we got I noticed that they all seemed to have similar uniforms as what Hermione was wearing, except for some difference in colours here and there. I ignored the feeling of being followed, as there were so many other impressions to take in as well, and just as the bird took off from my shoulder - I presumed it was going to locate the person I was to talk with - I saw the first adult at the place. He reminded me of a predator, dressed all in black with billowing robes, and the dark glare he gave us as he approached was honed to scare people into submission. Ignoring me, he turned his attention to Hermione.

"Miss Granger, what are you doing bringing total strangers into the school grounds?!" he growled coldly.

"Professor Snape! Uhm, well, she wanted to see professor Dumbledore… I think…" Hermione almost stammered.

"You think? Well, well, the famous know-it-all is uncertain about something? What business do you have here?" The professor directed his last question to me, but before I could open my mouth Hermione jumped back into the conversation again.

"Yes, I think she wants to see Dumbledore as his name was the only word I could understand. She didn't speak English when I met her. And as Dumbledore is the headmaster of this school I thought it best to bring her to him in any case."

I looked from Hermione to this professor Snape and back again as they had their little battle of wills, and I had to suppress a grin as I felt the steel in Hermione's will match up to the professor's. I had to divert my attention though when I felt the reason as to why I was here in the first place land on my shoulder, and the now familiar soft voice drifted through my mind.

#He's in the room behind the third door over there.# An image of the door matched up to what I saw down a hallway, so I ignored the stares from the people around me and walked determinately towards it, knocking firmly on it once I reached it. Before anyone had a chance to answer I was swirled around by a strong grip on my shoulder, and the bird flew up above me as my eyes focused on the grim face of professor Snape that was looming over me.

"Listen here, girlie. I don't care if you don't know any English, you're not to go wandering around here as you please, or I'll..-" Snape was cut short as the door behind me opened up in response to the knocking, and a dusty looking old man with the longest beard I had ever seen poked his head out.

"Fawkes! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!" He cried out, opening the door wide to reveal a grimy old storage room behind him. He beamed happily as the bird who landed back on my shoulder sung softly, but his eyes turned from merry to intrigued as his gaze rested for a moment at me, before looking at the professor that was frozen before me, and swooping his gaze over Hermione and the scene behind her, before looking back at me.

"Hello there. And who are you?" He looked just like what I imagined a Celtic druid would look like with his long silver hair and beard, except for his purple and blue robes, from which he seemed to pull out a feather-duster and started to dust himself off.

Hermione and Snape started talking at the same time, but silenced as the man before me lifted his hand. His twinkling eyes never left me, and I knew that this one was both wise and strong, as I could feel the gentle but intense power that flowed around and through him.

"Hello, I'm Anne. Actually my full name is Anne Beate Holmene Ottosen, but Hermione here seemed to think it was quite a mouthful. I'm looking for someone named Dumbledore. I assume that's you?" I could feel Snape and Hermione shift their attention back to me, seeming surprised that I had spoken in English.

"A fine name you have there. Yes, I would be him. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." Dumbledore looked down his long nose at me, curiosity filling his eyes.

"Oh, your name definitively beat mine in length..! Anyways, I'm here because your bird - Fawkes, was it? - seemed to believe that my help was needed…" I smiled brightly at Dumbledore as I manoeuvred out of Snape's grip and further out of reach, with Fawkes taking flight again. Dumbledore beamed back at me with raised eyebrows, dusting off his long beard before he walked out from the storage room and closed the door behind him, and Fawkes settled on his shoulder.

"Really? Well, maybe we should go to my office then, and you can explain the situation a bit better. This way please." He replied before he strode off, waving away Snape's spluttering protests.

I made a quick decision and rushed over to Hermione and pulled her along with me after Dumbledore, and at his questioning glance I shrugged and explained without his question being voiced.

"She's been very kind to me so far, and she deserves to get her curiosity stilled. Besides, she seems very intelligent, and she might have some interesting viewpoints or good questions for later."

"Not to mention she'd be saved from professor Snape's wrath this way…" Dumbledore almost grinned, but managed to keep a straight face at Hermione's shocked and stunned face, and I winked conspiratorially to him at his last words.

Hermione relaxed again as she walked beside me, and when I grinned to her she smiled brightly back at me. I hadn't just pulled her along because of the intelligence I felt in her or because she deserved to get away from any reprimands from that sour professor, but also because she was the first person I had met on this strange place, and I felt very comfortable around her. With everything that was in the air here, I felt much better with having someone with me that made me relax a bit. We were just turning a corner when I looked ahead of us and saw a hallway cabinet with glass doors, and in the glass I saw my reflection. I automatically took a step back when I saw that I was glowing with a colourful aura that was very much visible, but before I had a chance to think my instincts kicked in as I felt as if I was about to crash into someone behind me. I spun around, seeing nothing at all behind me, but still feeling as if it was a solid person there. Looking down at my hands, seeing them glow as well, I wondered what the heck was happening to me, if I was just dreaming all of this, but then Hermione suddenly stepped up beside me and gripped something in midair, pulling, and then a boy that could be about our age appeared. He wasn't big, but he was still a head taller than me, with a uniform with similar colours as the one Hermione wore, and with messed up black hair and surprisingly green eyes behind his round glasses.

"Harry! Where have you been? You haven't been following us all along, have you?" Hermione asked demandingly.

I noticed the guilty look in his eyes as he looked to Dumbledore for help. Sinking slowly down to my knees in the corridor, I stared down to my glowing hands and then back up at this boy that had materialized from thin air, my knees feeling like jelly and my thoughts wondering if I was going insane. Hermione had obviously noticed me more or less collapsing, and she kneeled beside me with a worried look, and I realised that the two others were worried as well, so I pulled myself together, berating myself for not trusting my instincts and feelings.

"It's okay… I'm okay… I just haven't seen my aura like this before, and when I felt someone behind me without seeing anyone there I thought I was having a brain-leak or something…" I laughed weakly, but closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths, focusing mentally to get my flickering aura to calm down. "At least this explains the presence of protection I felt towards you, Hermione. But I'm getting a bit tired and mightily confused, maybe we should get to the office so I could explain things before my headache sets in, and then I can get my explanations from you lot afterwards…? Does that sound okay for you guys?"

"Yes, I believe that's an excellent approach at this time. Harry, you can come along too." Dumbledore looked calm, taking things at a stride, and I was grateful that Hermione helped me get back up on shaky knees, while she sniffed angrily at this boy who obviously was the Harry that Hermione had been looking for in the first place. I wondered what would be happening next, trying to prepare myself for other surprises, but I couldn't hold back gasps of admiration at the beautiful gargoyles that stood by an entrance that appeared in the wall, with moving stairs behind them that we stepped onto. We ended up in a room that was filled with things I had never seen before, but I knew that time was working against me, so I ignored the fact that I hadn't even noticed the chairs we sat down on when we first entered the room, and as Dumbledore sat down behind his desk and looked at me, I nodded and started trying to explain.

"First thing first – I'm a Whisperer…" At my words Dumbledore nodded in understanding, while Harry and Hermione only looked blankly at me. "A Whisperer is a person who has the ability to… well… 'talk' to animals. It's kind of like… like telepathy. I've always been able to feel parts of what the animal I focus on feels, and sometimes it's like there's a voice in the back of my head when the connection is strong enough. A friend of mine is Empathic – someone who always feels what people, and animals, around her feel – and she helped me expand my own similar abilities, and we kind of practised with each other. Both of us have helped people with their animals – though it's often the owner who's the real problem as he or she can't communicate properly with their animal. Animals have approached me on their own accord to seek help more than once, and this morning Fawkes here showed up in the forest close to my home where I was looking for wild strawberries…"

At his name, Fawkes flew from his perch next to Dumbledore and over to me again, where he sat on the armrest of my chair. I absentmindedly stoked his fiery feathers, and gazed out into the air before me, trying to sort out my thoughts.

"That reminds me… Where exactly am I now?" I asked.

"You have arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, situated in Great Britain." Dumbledore supplied.

"Oh… Witchcraft and Wizardry?? That explains a whole lot… So you're all witches and wizards? With real magic and stuff??" I clapped my hands excitedly, jumping up and down in my chair, feeling eager as a child and surprisingly fast accepting what he said.

Dumbledore chuckled, and Harry and Hermione grinned at my clear display of joy.

"Yes, I'm a witch…" Hermione answered, "…and this wizard next to me is my good friend Harry Potter."

"Pleased to meet you!" I craned my head around Hermione who sat in the middle and smiled brilliantly at Harry, who blushed shyly but offered a small smile back.

#Your power is weakening, you really should try to finish your explanation.# Fawkes let out a long note, and I snapped back in my chair with my aura visibly flaring into life again.

"#Unnskyld, jeg glemte meg…#" I Whispered in a voice strong enough for everybody to hear, but none of them seemed to understand what I was saying in my native tongue. "Fawkes wants me to tell you that he's brought me here to help everyone." I spoke to Dumbledore in a more foreign accented English than before.

"Do you always have to 'whisper' in your own language? Where are you from, anyway?" Hermione cut in, curiosity radiating off of her.

I looked blankly at her for a second before breaking out into a broad smile.

"See, I told you she's a clever one! Actually, I've never had to try this in another language… I'm from Norway, and thus I speak Norwegian. But it would be much easier to Whisper in English, 'cause it's easier for me to speak English if I think in English. Explains why my English sucks right after I Whisper…" I turned back to Fawkes, and as I Whispered my aura radiated, all the colours in the rainbow constantly changing in what I could see of it. "#Okay, Fawkes, I'll just translate continuously as you say what you need to say first.#" Fawkes sung a note now and then, but none of the people in the room gave off any feelings of doubt that the bird was in fact speaking to me non-stop. "#He has felt everyone's despair building for a long time, the search for hope. The darkness in peoples hearts is growing, the need for communication is stronger than ever, yet everyone walks in silence. The… the 'dark lord'…? Okay, the dark lord must be fought, he can not win if the world is to survive… All the animals speaks of the foolishness of mankind. Even the most loving of cats wants to claw their owners to get their attention on the dangers closing in, and the loyal owls wishes their owners did more than use them as a means of communication, that they could instead listen to the wisdom they carry within… Fawkes knew of the need for a child of the greatest Mother of all, and started searching, until he… found me. I'm here to break the silence… Fawkes can feel the sadness in his father/ brother – this means you, Dumbledore – and wants to ease the burden. The… the child who survived…? No, 'lived'..? A boy who lived has to carry the heavy burden of the… prophecy… on his shoulders, but he needs to know… that he was never alone… that his gift… is truly a gift and not a curse. He has the strength he needs… to fight the dark one… but he has to learn about his 'feelings'…? The gift…?#" All the feelings of this powerful place was pressing onto me, and I heard my voice getting weaker as my head started to spin. "Oh no, I think I've overdone it…" Was the last thing I got out before I fainted in my chair.