Chapter two: A step through the looking glass.

8 months had passed since her time in London. Since that day that felt uncanny. The day, it's events had all been forgotten, had it but been for a reminder in form of a locket. The locket had eventually been put under the seat of her car. Just so her brothers wouldn't find it when they were home at Christmas and tease her about it. 'Ooooh Penny look what I found, did you get a boyfriend!? Penelope had 4 brothers, one younger, and three that were older than her. All, like her and her parents, with strange double names. Like all brothers they teased her, and she teased them in return. It was the duty of a sibling.

Jotting down the final line of her essay she shut the book and leaned back with content sigh. It had been a long day, and the smell of her mother's famous lasagne and garlic bread from downstairs was distracting her.

"Penny dear!" her mother shouted up the stairs "There is a young here to see you. He says he is from your class at university. Wondering if he could borrow some of your notes." Penny lifted a brow for a moment, but it was not uncommon to borrow notes from each other in class. Sometimes people missed classes cause of illnesses or work. Grabbing her large leather bag she head on downstairs.

"Coming!"

The sound of a woman jogging steps made him peek around the mother. Once the woman had opened the door he knew he had the right house. The two, from his memory of her, that brief memory, looked somewhat alike. Same hair colour and facial shape. Then sure enough, there she was. With her bag over her shoulder. The same one he had crammed the necklace into. He waved to her. Having done his best to blend into the muggleworld by dressing as a muggle, he was wearing a pair of red plaid trousers, and a bright yellow sweater. Having his own over-the-shoulder bag. Lifting his hand to wave at her, she seemed to come to a halt for a few seconds, brows furrowed. Did she recognize him? No. He was sure she didn't. The polyjuice was still working. Even if it wasn't working, he had erased her memory last they met.

"I am going to go save the baguettes, is your friend staying for dinner hm?" her mom cooed, and nudged her gently with an elbow. Penelope's cheeks flushed as her hand rested against the door,

"Mom…I…"

"No, sadly I can't I'm afraid." He answered. Saving her the trouble. "Just have to pick up the notes."

"Well then, I shall just….leave you two alone then" her mother cooed in a teasing manner as she slowly, very slowly , and with head and upper body bent back, went into the kitchen.

"So yeah, that's my mom, I have the notes here just…" Penelope turned her face to the side and dug into her bag. The guy in front of her was not one she expected to see anytime soon. It was Stephen Hallock, one of the more popular and handsome guys in her class. Playing on the football [soccer for you americans] team even. What he was doing here was beyond her. Pulling the note book a bit up from the bag he suddenly pulled her outside, the door behind her shut. Blinking curiously at him

"Could we talk in your car?" he asked. Penelope's cheeks felt even warmer than before , instead of trying to squeak out an answer, she merely nodded and plucked r keys out from her pocket. Mentally beating herself up as they walked the short distance from the door of the house to her little yellow beetle bug. Opening the passenger door, then the driver's door she didn't even have to invite him in, before he had jumped in the passenger seat.

"Do you need a ride home or something?" she'd ask.

"Well first I'd like to talk to you about something"

Her heart was nearly jumping through her chest as he said that. Before she had even decided if it was bad, good, or normal, he continued.

"My sister, Sarah, you met her right?" he started

"Noo, don't think I have…" she had actually never spoken to him either, which was why this was a bit odd. But he surely meant no harm.

"Oh, thought you had. She was in London a while ago, said she had seen your car and seen the window open. Through some clumsy action on her behalf she had dropped her locket. It is an old locket from our grandmother, and I was just wondering if …it was true? If you had seen it or…it is long shot I know"

Penelope blinked. Well least now it made more sense, but she couldn't recall Sarah. Then again, she had told no one about this so there was no way anyone else knew.

"Oh yeah, totally, I found it and wondered how it got here. It's in the car. I'll get it, it's in the front." She couldn't even grab for the doorhandle to get out before he had gotten out. That was quick. "Allow me" he said.

"But what about the notes!" she shouted. Then noticed his keys had dropped out his pocket. Men! Sometimes they were just such a hassle to deal with. Leaving things everywhere. This one was already proving to much like one of her brothers. Deadpanning she sighed, and leaned over, she could hear him shout something "Destroy the necklace if you can!"

"Stephen, you forgot your….." Penny grabbed them, and right then and there her line was cut short. A sensation of someone hooking a large hook behind her and flung her through the air. For a second she could see images and clouds hurling by her. It didn't last long at all, merely a second. After that it was all silence.

What surrounded her now was no longer the cosy Lovelace Street in Worcester. It was a very dark looking forest, although she was very sure it was still daylight, the foliage was thick and the trees so tall it made it hard to discern. The sun might be setting as well. Penelope held her breath, hoping this was just one more of the strange and bizarre dreams, then the minutes ticked by and it slowly became a realization. This was reality. Staying there was out of the question, there could be animals out nearby .There could be bears, things with rabies, and birds that would delight in shitting on her newly cleaned car. Turning the key around she started the car, with a certain tint of apprehension she started to drive through the tall trees. At least she heard birds singing. Not to mention she was seething, whatever had just happened! Whatever it was! It was, without doubt, Stephen's fault. Muttering as the car slowly went forward, crossing the tall grass and occasional bumps. After a few minutes she was not even sure if she was heading the right direction. Fighting the urge to scream out loud curses and knock her head repeatedly against the steering wheel she finally spotted what looked like a pathway. A pathway meant people had to be nearby. Not necessarily right at that very moment, but people had to tread the path on a regular basis for them to remain. Turning the wheel the mighty beetle fought its way over a large bump of grass and weed before she made it out there. The car was much bigger than the pathway, much bigger, but it was a start. As long as her car fit she'd continue.

A good 30 minutes passed. Keeping a close eye on the road and her how much gas was left. She was very sure one of the tires had gone flat by then, but there was a fear over her in that forest. With the sun setting it was adding to her fear. As her hope was slowly fading, there was something in sight that ignited a new spark. Light! She saw light! Never had she ever been so happy to seen light. Perhaps, if there was someone there, a house, they could tell her where she was. Cause she had no idea. Penelope was hungry, cold, and alone in nowhere. Through means she couldn't explain. There was nothing to explain this. Magic was the only way, and there was no such thing! But the more she thought of it, that one unlikely explanation seemed to be the only valid cause. Finally the forest started to become more scattered apart. Allowing for easier drive and for her to finally make it out of the forest. Penny felt excited as she finally drove out on flat grass, and nothing but grass. Then she noticed the lights, and lifting her gaze what she saw next astounded her. It was a large castle. Ancient from the looks of it, with lights coming from the tall towards and large halls. It wasn't far off at all. The little light that had drawn her had been the light from a smaller round shack nearby. As if on some ridiculous cue, her car gave in. The battery simply died on her and the beetle stopped.

Almost in tears she slammed the door behind her, grabbed her bag, got the locket out of the luggage room in front, and hurried to the shack. It was barely 50 meters away. Wrapping her arms around herself she found herself standing on a pair of old wooden stairs. The door in front of her was huge, she couldn't hear anyone inside, but knocked, more in hope than expectation. All she needed was a phone so she could call home, tell her mom and dad she was alright, and drive back. Then she'd kick Stephen in the butt for what he did. No one answered the door, of course, if the person in the shack was out, and then there was that castle. Castle it was! Turning on her heel she headed over the open ground in front of her, as she got closer, the slower she walked. That castle was truly something beautiful. It was almost like walking right into a fairytale of sorts. A castle from the ancient tales. Penelope would gently nudge the first door she found at the side of a hall. It was, by luck, open, so she walked inside. Shutting it quietly behind her.

The halls seemed endless, although she had not moved from where she entered, she felt overwhelmed. Taking the first step into the long hall, she tried to take in her surroundings. Old stone walls. The floor as well was made off flat grey stone. The small step she had taken sounded so brash in the lingering silence of the hallway. Undeterred, she continued. Passing by old wall decorations, banners with different animals on them. As she continued she noticed a pattern. Four animals that kept showing up. A badger, a snake, a raven, and a lion. Whoever lived there had to be quite rich. There were plenty of silver and gold adornments placed around the place. From a window she had seen several statues decorating the walls outside. It was down the desolated passage that she came to a halt. A tear trickled from her eye and freely down her cheek. It was fear building up, when she heard a kind woman's voice behind her.

"Are you feeling unwell m'dear?" the woman's voice was calm and sounded like that of a grandmothers. Kind and warm. Penelope looked around for the woman, but saw no one. There was no one there, until, the painting waved at her. The painting waved at her. For a second she thought she was going to have a heartattack, but instead she wiped her tear.

"I'm sorry…" Penny muttered.
"Oh dearie, don't be sorry."

Surely this had to be a dream? A painting moving and talking to her. But so far, everything from the moment she stepped outside her home, had been strange. So why not just go with it? If it was a dream, she'd wake soon.

"Are you lost?" she asked "You seem rather flustered, and I cannot remember seeing you around here. Are you in need of anything?" The woman spoke clearly with a welsh accent. With red locks of hair like her father tied up in some sort of updo. Her clothing was a yellow dress from the medieval times. Penelope remained silent for a second. Why not take it and run with it? She had gotten here in the blink of an eye, maybe she could home in the same way? If she followed through with this hokrus thing.

"I….am lost yes, I met this guy" she pointed subconsciously in the direction she had come from "and he gave me a necklace. He said it was a hokrukk or something, and said I had to destroy it….but I don't know how"

The woman's eyes shut wide up, showing their vibrant blue colour.

"Oh I see, yes I can see why you'd be scared and upset in a time like this. Those things are very dangerous. But …" the woman waved at her to come closer to the painting, so Penny did.

"There is a spot on the 7th floor, in the left hallway that would be for you. " The rotund woman then nodded to her "And it will give you whatever you need….whatever you need.

"How do I get there….?" She'd ask. "I am not sure where I am…"

"well m'dearie you walk through those doors to the grand staircase, and continue up to the 7th floor. The rest speaks for itself, you know the way" she said in an almost merry fashion. Penny looked to the door, then back to the woman in the painting, offering a nod and smile.

"Now, now, off you go" she chirped and shooed Penny with her hands. That made Penny feel oddly warm at heart, that smile and gentle sparkle in her eye.

The stairs was not quite what she had imagined. As much as they were actual stairs, looked and seemed very much like stairs. She had nearly peed her pants when one of them had swung over quickly to the platform she was standing on. Luckily for her there was a solid stone railing to clutch onto. It was like she had fallen through the looking glass and right into the world of Alice in Wonderland, but so far, no bottled concoctions. No smoking larvae and no mad hatters. Keeping her goal in mind, she braved herself to jump onto the moving staircase, and it swung. It moved in several directions, quite a few of them did. Seemed like you needed a plan of where you were going to get anywhere in that space. One after the other, and surely enough, soon she found herself on the 6th floor. Keeping her head down she kept walking, she heard steps in front of her, looked up and saw a young man with straw coloured hair. A few pounds too much around his stomach, but he looked, chirpy.

"Hey there, heading up to the tower?" he asked. Befuddled she blinked and nodded.

"Yeah, just…think I forgot something up on the 8th floor" she lied. Although she'd normally grab this person for help, the woman in the painting had told her to go to the 7th, and oddly enough, all her trust was put in that right now. For all she knew this man could be an illusion. So for her dream to end, she was doing what was asked of her.

"Are you going out to Hogsmeade later?"

Hogsmeade? That sounded like some sort of dubious prank festival, something she wasn't sure about.

"Nooo don't think so, just not feeling up for it you know. But you guys have fun though, have a drink for me and all" she smiled at him. The man laughed and grinned widely at her.

"Sounds like a plan, sorry I think I forgotten your name. I'm Peter, but you probably remembered that. One of the aurors you know…"

"Oh yeah! Yeah I remember now. I'm P..Paisley." She pretended, lied, and she had no idea who he was at all. "I was thinking your face was familiar, but I couldn't put a name on it, silly me…! Ok I will see you later. Say hi to everyone!" Peter nodded, she nodded, and she went on her merry way as he ran down the stairs, whistling merrily to himself. So close. Why was she so scared anyway? If she had stopped him told him she was lost, she might have been out of there in seconds. It was too late to go back on it, Peter had already opened a door a few floors down and gone his merry way. She was left there, with one floor left to go.

The 7th left hallway of the 7th floor, really seemed like normal hallway in a castle. A bit more empty perhaps than the first hallway she had been inside, and the grand staircase with paintings everywhere. All paintings that moved. She oculd have sworn she heard some even whisper. Penny kept trying some doors, all were locked. She ended up pacing up and down the hall quite a few times in frustrations. Had the painting fooled her? Letting out a deep sigh she bonked her head softly against the stonewalls, when she noticed a light that had come and gone as a flash. Curiousty got her to turn and face a door. It was close to the intersection between the two hallways. Penny was fairly sure it had not been there before. Placing a hand onto the doorknob, she twisted it to the left. A n almost silent click was heard and the door opened. Quickly she stepped inside and closed the door behind her, what was in front of her now was, like everything so far. Unexpected.

By the wall was a kitchen table with lasagne ane and garlic baguettes, salad. A cheesecake as dessert on the other end of it. The room was warmly light with torches on the wall, and a crackling fireplace at the other end of the room. The middle of the room was another story. There was a bejewelled dagger. Its hilt and blade shining brightly in the flames, its gems showing their violet colour as them flames danced across it. Though the food was very tempting, and her stomach screamed at her to give it something, anything, she wanted this over with. Just get it over with, and she'd be home. Before she knew it, the dagger was in her hand, the locket was out on the table. Arm was lifted, dagger was aimed, eyes were closed, and with as much force she could muster, she stabbed down and into the locket.

And nothing….

There was nothing. Opening her eyes again she gazed down on the locket, which now had a dagger sticking out through it. A dark liquid was flowing from it. It was, bleeding? A dark air was seeping from it. At first it looked like dark grey fog. Then it turned a bit green. It grew bigger and bigger like a massive cloud. Penny slowly got up from her knees and started to back up towards the door. This had been a bad idea, such a bad idea. It was slowly taking a black and green colour, shaping into what might be a face. By then Penny was desperately fidgeting with the knob. Never had she been so keen on getting out of a room. Finally the door slammed open, and as that….cloudy head started to move, and make a horrible sort of screaming noise, she was fleeing. Running, looking over her shoulder at the head chasing her. She had truly gone through the looking glass. Was there any way back? The flying cloud-head was closing on her, screaming still. Then suddenly the door slammed open in front of her. Penny had no time to stop, and smashed right into it, knocking herself out.