Chapter Two: Those Barefoot Gating Barbarians
"I hate to begin your first day with an interrogation, Miss Montero, but there are a few things I would like explained." Dumbledore was standing behind a large desk in an empty classroom just down the hall from the Gryffindor common room. He was flanked by Professor McGonagall and Snape.
Lucy nodded soberly. "I'm sorry Professor de La Vega couldn't bring me in person. He was quite adament that he just couldn't spare the time from his project, things have been in just as much chaos in North America as they have been here since last June. But if you would like me to summon him-"
"You can perform the Summoning Charm?" McGonagall cut in, somewhat surprised.
Lucy nodded, "Part of living in a country where magic is hidden so conspicuously is that communication and travel charms and spells are taught first, since classrooms are few and far between."
Dumbledore nodded. "I don't think you need to summon him right now Lucy, a rather beastly time to wake him I dare say. I am interested in how you came to be er, floating in the Great Hall. People simply can not Apparate into Hogwarts."
"We didn't," Lucy said. "I don't know much of the spell myself, but Professor de La Vega told Juaquin to "gate" us here. I don't know how he did it, only that the professor warned him to bundle me up, as I was going to lose a lot of heat. Juaquin, since he wasn't physically along for the ride, didn't need to worry. As I recall he did the whole thing sitting in front of a fire wrapped in a blanket."
Dumbledore's spectacles almost flew off. "You GATED? That's absurd. No one gates anymore. The sheer energy drain-" He cut off, noticing for the first time the color that was draining out of Lucy's face, and remembering how she walked so unsteadily. "Professor McGonagall, please be good enough to deliver Lucy to the hospital wing for a large dose of energy supplements and careful observation." At Lucy's puzzled expression he explained, "Gating will drain a wizard long after they have arrived, it's a drawback to an otherwise perfectly good way for untrained wizards to cross large distances. It really is rather a miracle you are still standing Miss Montero, normally a wizards resources would be drained by now. Now off with you, I'll check in on you later."
Lucy looked a bit relieved at not having to pretend she felt fine, but did manage to straighten up, putting up a good solid appearance. "You're sure you wouldn't like to speak with Professor de La Vega?"
Dumbledore smiled, "I do, but no now. I do have one more question though. How did you turn up in the great hall? Because whether by gate or regular apparation, it is impossible to do so into Hogwarts."
Lucy thought a minute. "Well, I thought you knew about that sir, that's what I was confused about. I think Juaquin blundered. We used a portkey, you see; we only gated because we missed our plane. We gated into the airport and then took a portkey that had been arranged for us at the baggage claim. We were supposed to end up in the main entryway, but someone must have moved the endpoint, because, as you saw, we landed above a table in the Great Hall."
Dumbledore noted Lucy's casual use of "above," and made a mental note. "That was probably Peeves, he's one of our- oh never mind you'll meet him soon enough. Oh, and I'll be talking with you later, Lucy, about the best way to handle your unique abilities, but for now I think it best if you walk whenever possible."
Lucy grinned as Professor McGonagall opened the door. "No problem Professor. But you have to admit, when classes are held above blistering hot sand, it is useful not to have to touch it. Especially since no one really wears shoes at Espiritu."
"Hrmph," the sound came out of Snape and McGonagalls throats at the same time. Lucy's grin faded and she wearily followed McGonagall out of the room.
After a large shot of energy suplemants from Madame Pomfry, Professor McGonagall gave Lucy a brisk summary of the rules of Hogwarts as she led the small girl along a maze of halls and passages, ending up in front of the portrait of an enormous fat woman.
"Poppycock." Lucy stared as the professor addressed the portrait, but at the word the frame swung open, revealing a small hole, which McGonagall ushered Lucy through.
She emerged in a room full of chairs, sofas, and students. The noisy rucas stopped immediately as Lucy appeared, with McGonagall rising behind her.
"This, as you have heard, is Lucy Montero, the latest addition to Gryffindor House. Although this is her first year at Hogwarts, she has spent over seven years at the Espiritu Institute, located the in southwest of the United States, in New Mexico. She will be joining the Fifth Year students as a part of their class. I hope you will all make her feel welcome." Professor McGonagall seemed at a bit of a loss for words, and with a small pat on the shoulder for Lucy, she turned around and left the new girl to the stares of her housemates. Lucy felt exactly as one about to be fed to the lions.
No one moved. Harry, Ron and Hermione stared from their post on the other side of the room. The new girl stared back, but she was at more of a disadvantage than the others, as she had no idea where to go. That was when a bold first year, who had also just been placed in the house,stepped forward and stammered.
"Can you really fly? I mean without a broom and all?"
Lucy looked confused, then the reality of what the boy was asking dawned on her, and she laughed. "You mean floating? Sure I can, where I come from, its one of the first things you learn, you kinda have to." She shrugged.
The small boy looked hopeful. "Could I?"
Lucy shrugged again. "Anyone can. But it takes a long time, even longer if you want to do it for more than a few seconds. And you have to have a really good teacher." She smiled at that, remembering something.
"Why don't they teach it here?" At this Lucy crouched down, to be on the same level as her tiny interrogator.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Phillip."
"Well, Phillip, let me ask you this. If you had your rubber boots on, would you still step around water puddles?"
Phillip thought for a moment, "No, I wouldn't need to."
Lucy smiled. "Exactly, why go to all that trouble, when you are well off as it is? That's the same reason why a lot of schools don't all teach the same spells. See, my school is in New Mexico, and the ground there, out in the open, is really hot. Desert like, that's what the area is. Now, since it's so hot, we wear sandals around the building, because shoes are too hot, and the rubber will melt on the hot rock. So if we want to go outside, we need a way to keep our feet protected. And since we can't use a thick shoe, we just don't touch the ground at all. But I don't see any burning hot rock around here, do you Phillip?"
The boy shook his head. Lucy continued. "So why should you waste a year learning to hover for hours or days on end, when you can walk? Do you understand?"
Phillip grinned and nodded. Lucy straightened up. "Now, my friend, can you tell me where the girls sleep?"
"I hate to begin your first day with an interrogation, Miss Montero, but there are a few things I would like explained." Dumbledore was standing behind a large desk in an empty classroom just down the hall from the Gryffindor common room. He was flanked by Professor McGonagall and Snape.
Lucy nodded soberly. "I'm sorry Professor de La Vega couldn't bring me in person. He was quite adament that he just couldn't spare the time from his project, things have been in just as much chaos in North America as they have been here since last June. But if you would like me to summon him-"
"You can perform the Summoning Charm?" McGonagall cut in, somewhat surprised.
Lucy nodded, "Part of living in a country where magic is hidden so conspicuously is that communication and travel charms and spells are taught first, since classrooms are few and far between."
Dumbledore nodded. "I don't think you need to summon him right now Lucy, a rather beastly time to wake him I dare say. I am interested in how you came to be er, floating in the Great Hall. People simply can not Apparate into Hogwarts."
"We didn't," Lucy said. "I don't know much of the spell myself, but Professor de La Vega told Juaquin to "gate" us here. I don't know how he did it, only that the professor warned him to bundle me up, as I was going to lose a lot of heat. Juaquin, since he wasn't physically along for the ride, didn't need to worry. As I recall he did the whole thing sitting in front of a fire wrapped in a blanket."
Dumbledore's spectacles almost flew off. "You GATED? That's absurd. No one gates anymore. The sheer energy drain-" He cut off, noticing for the first time the color that was draining out of Lucy's face, and remembering how she walked so unsteadily. "Professor McGonagall, please be good enough to deliver Lucy to the hospital wing for a large dose of energy supplements and careful observation." At Lucy's puzzled expression he explained, "Gating will drain a wizard long after they have arrived, it's a drawback to an otherwise perfectly good way for untrained wizards to cross large distances. It really is rather a miracle you are still standing Miss Montero, normally a wizards resources would be drained by now. Now off with you, I'll check in on you later."
Lucy looked a bit relieved at not having to pretend she felt fine, but did manage to straighten up, putting up a good solid appearance. "You're sure you wouldn't like to speak with Professor de La Vega?"
Dumbledore smiled, "I do, but no now. I do have one more question though. How did you turn up in the great hall? Because whether by gate or regular apparation, it is impossible to do so into Hogwarts."
Lucy thought a minute. "Well, I thought you knew about that sir, that's what I was confused about. I think Juaquin blundered. We used a portkey, you see; we only gated because we missed our plane. We gated into the airport and then took a portkey that had been arranged for us at the baggage claim. We were supposed to end up in the main entryway, but someone must have moved the endpoint, because, as you saw, we landed above a table in the Great Hall."
Dumbledore noted Lucy's casual use of "above," and made a mental note. "That was probably Peeves, he's one of our- oh never mind you'll meet him soon enough. Oh, and I'll be talking with you later, Lucy, about the best way to handle your unique abilities, but for now I think it best if you walk whenever possible."
Lucy grinned as Professor McGonagall opened the door. "No problem Professor. But you have to admit, when classes are held above blistering hot sand, it is useful not to have to touch it. Especially since no one really wears shoes at Espiritu."
"Hrmph," the sound came out of Snape and McGonagalls throats at the same time. Lucy's grin faded and she wearily followed McGonagall out of the room.
After a large shot of energy suplemants from Madame Pomfry, Professor McGonagall gave Lucy a brisk summary of the rules of Hogwarts as she led the small girl along a maze of halls and passages, ending up in front of the portrait of an enormous fat woman.
"Poppycock." Lucy stared as the professor addressed the portrait, but at the word the frame swung open, revealing a small hole, which McGonagall ushered Lucy through.
She emerged in a room full of chairs, sofas, and students. The noisy rucas stopped immediately as Lucy appeared, with McGonagall rising behind her.
"This, as you have heard, is Lucy Montero, the latest addition to Gryffindor House. Although this is her first year at Hogwarts, she has spent over seven years at the Espiritu Institute, located the in southwest of the United States, in New Mexico. She will be joining the Fifth Year students as a part of their class. I hope you will all make her feel welcome." Professor McGonagall seemed at a bit of a loss for words, and with a small pat on the shoulder for Lucy, she turned around and left the new girl to the stares of her housemates. Lucy felt exactly as one about to be fed to the lions.
No one moved. Harry, Ron and Hermione stared from their post on the other side of the room. The new girl stared back, but she was at more of a disadvantage than the others, as she had no idea where to go. That was when a bold first year, who had also just been placed in the house,stepped forward and stammered.
"Can you really fly? I mean without a broom and all?"
Lucy looked confused, then the reality of what the boy was asking dawned on her, and she laughed. "You mean floating? Sure I can, where I come from, its one of the first things you learn, you kinda have to." She shrugged.
The small boy looked hopeful. "Could I?"
Lucy shrugged again. "Anyone can. But it takes a long time, even longer if you want to do it for more than a few seconds. And you have to have a really good teacher." She smiled at that, remembering something.
"Why don't they teach it here?" At this Lucy crouched down, to be on the same level as her tiny interrogator.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Phillip."
"Well, Phillip, let me ask you this. If you had your rubber boots on, would you still step around water puddles?"
Phillip thought for a moment, "No, I wouldn't need to."
Lucy smiled. "Exactly, why go to all that trouble, when you are well off as it is? That's the same reason why a lot of schools don't all teach the same spells. See, my school is in New Mexico, and the ground there, out in the open, is really hot. Desert like, that's what the area is. Now, since it's so hot, we wear sandals around the building, because shoes are too hot, and the rubber will melt on the hot rock. So if we want to go outside, we need a way to keep our feet protected. And since we can't use a thick shoe, we just don't touch the ground at all. But I don't see any burning hot rock around here, do you Phillip?"
The boy shook his head. Lucy continued. "So why should you waste a year learning to hover for hours or days on end, when you can walk? Do you understand?"
Phillip grinned and nodded. Lucy straightened up. "Now, my friend, can you tell me where the girls sleep?"