Chapter 2 – Albus Dumbledore

Four days had passed and, in spite of my intial fear, no one chased after me or waited around some dark corner to attack unexpectedly. I kept my eyes open, but there were no more people in strange clothing anymore. Maybe they – whoever they were – feared me as much as I feared them which was a good thing. Or so I think. Of course, I did not told Charlie about the incident in "Leaky Cauldron". And why should I, anyway? He would never believe me. The second reason of why I kept my mouth shut was that I was scared beyond my senses of what happened.

As the more time passed, I slowly relaxed and eventually decided to forget that day's events like a bad dream. Today we went to see Buckingam's palace and that was where we spent the most of day. Now I was back in my room while Charlie stayed in sport bar across the street – his favourite football team had a game tonight which he did not wanted to miss. It was just fine for me.

Before leaving Pheonix, Phil gave me parting gift – absolutely new digital photo camera which I used during this trip. Rene's gift was photo album so I could start to document my new life with Charlie. I decided to spend this evening by overlooking the pictures I already made to pick up the best ones to print them out and place in the album.

Suddenly someone knocked at the door, causing me to nearly jump out of skin. It could not be Charlie – the game was still on. My insides froze, instantly recalling "Leaky Cauldron" and the man who tried to attack me. What if he found me somehow? What if he had been following me all these days, waiting for the perfect opportunity?

The polite, yet persisting knocks continued. I was in trap, with nowhere to run or hide. I could pretend that I was not here, but somehow I got this strange feeling that it would be hopeless. Whoever was there, he or she knew that I am here. Might as well go and face the music, but I was not about to simply let anyone to walk away without scars.

I took a lamp from nightstand and unplugged it, then slowly moved towards the door, quietly turned the key, unlocking the door. Holding the lamp in left hand, I carefully opened a small crack to peek at the person who stood on the other side.

It was an old man with impossibly long, silver beard and hair, his icy blue eyes kindly gazed down his crooked nose from behind half-moon spectacles. He wore strange robes and hat, indicating that he was undoubtly one of the kind I met in "Leaky Cauldron".

"Good afternoon, Miss Swan," the man politely greeted, then he looked at the lamp I held up in shoulder level, ready to defend myself. "Please, do not fear, I assure you that it is not my intention to harm you. I merely wish to have a word with you."

"Who are you?" I tried to act braver than I felt, however my voice slightly trembled as I spoke.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore," the man answered, bowing his head ever so slightly. "And you must be Isabella Swan, I trust?"

"Yes, I am. Are you here because of the incident in "Leaky Cauldron"?" I asked, already knowing what the answer would be, yet I needed to hear the confirmation.

"I'm afraid so, Miss Swan."

I sighed, absently staring at the moonstone ring on my right hand's index finger. "I apologize for what I did. I swear, I had no idea – "

"Don't worry about that, no one got hurt. The man who attacked you – the Aurors arrested him right after you left. You were not the first one he tried to abuse. Many young women were complaining about him, but he always managed to slip away before Aurors arrived to the place."

I had no idea of what the Aurors are, but I felt a sudden surge of pride for being able to stop that freak from hurting anyone else in future. I hoped they would lock him up for a long time. Then something dawned on me. He knew my name, but I never told him that.

"How do you know my name?" I rested my forehead against the door, suddenly feeling a bit tired. Heaven only knows into what trouble I got myself into, but it was a bit too much.

"Now that is a matter we could discuss, however I would prefer if we would speak in more private place." His ice blue eyes twinkled slightly. "Can I come inside?"

Charlie and Renee always taught me to never let any strangers inside the house, or motel room in this case, but there was something about this man I could not quite figure out what it was, except that he really seemed to mean no harm to me. However, his mere presence caused an intangible sense of something otherworldly, even magical. My skin was tingling, causing goose bumps on my neck and arms. In an instant I realized that I am about to get involved into something I really did not wanted to know – something beyond anything I have ever seen.

I was both scared and fascinated. And also very curious about what he wanted to talk about. Maybe he could explain what happened to me last week. I knew my curiousity one day might get me in big trouble, but then again, he was just an old man. What harm could he possibly do even if he wanted? Quickly weighing the pros and cons, I reluctantly opened the door a bit wider to allow him entrance.

"Very kind of you, thank you," Dumbledore walked inside and curiously looked around. His eyes paused at photo camera on my bed. "Muggle technologies always fascinated me. Amazing, isn't it? And these things keep on getting smaller and more advanced as time passes by." He looked at my puzzled face and smiled. "Forgive me, sometimes I tend to be carried away. An old age comes along with some irritating habits."

"Well, yeah, I guess," I did not know what else to say. "Please, have a seat." I offered, but then realized that the content of my suitcase was piled up on the only chair in room. "Oh, sorry, I'll remove it – I didn't expected any guests – "

"Nonsense, Miss Swan, there is no need to worry," Dumbledore cheerfully said, pulling out of his robes a wooden stick, similar to the one I already had seen before. I believe my reaction was quite valid as I backed into the opposite wall upon seeing it, however Dumbledore seemed to take no notice of my movements. He waved it in air and suddenly in the middle of room out of nowhere appeared cozy armchair.

I was too shocked to scream, so I only gasped loudly, not believing my eyes. Who the hell was this man and how did he just did what he did? Where did I got myself into? Perhaps this was the one thing I really did not wanted to know, but I had a bad feeling that I will find it out, whether I like it or not.

Blood drained from my face in fear and, above it all, shock as I remained plastered against the wall, while Dumbledore watched me with a worried expression. Finally I managed to whisper, "What are you?"

"Like I said before, I'm Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In other words, I'm a wizard."

"Wi – wizard?" I stuttered, probably looking like a fish on a shore, gaping at old man with wide eyes and open-mouthed. "But I – no, it's not possible – magic does not exist!"

"Actually, it does. However your case is very intriguing, if I may be so bold." Dumbledore looked at me with genuine worry and sympathy. "Maybe you should sit down. You don't look well." With that he once again waved the stick and conjured another armchair out of blue.

"Oh, really?" I muttered under my nose with a weak sarcasm, but decided not to argue since my legs were shaking so much it would not hurt to sit down, so I did, resting against cushioned back. The fabric was soft and silky against my touch, however my brains barely could register that. There were other things I tried to wrap my head around. Trying to calm down a bit, I leaned forward, resting my elbows on knees and rested my head in palms.

"You see, Miss Swan – "

"Please, call me Bella. Just Bella, okay?"

"Alright, then, Bella. For now let me explain something. Our world exists alongside with that of Muggles – it's how we call people without magic abilities. Most places we inhabit are hidden from their eyes and "Leaky Cauldron" is just one of such places. It reveals only to magical person's eyes. Muggles can enter it under one single condition – if they are being accompanied with a wizard or witch, which was not how it happened in your case."

"What do you mean by that?" I finally lifted my head and for the first time looked straight into Dumbledore's eyes.

"I mean that you, my dear, are a witch!"

I winced, mustering a glare. "There is no necessary to be rude, you know."

Dumbledore chuckled heartily, his eyes twinkling.

"My dear girl, I mean no offense. I'm merely saying that you are a witch. You have a magic, a real magic. There are many witnesses who saw you performing wandless magic. Surely you remember how you knocked your attacker off his feet."

"So, it was magic I felt within me?" Slowly all pieces of puzzle fell into place. It was a good thing to have at least some kind of sense into this madness, but it did not mean I wanted it to continue. "Can you remove it somehow? Cast some spell, perhaps, wave your wand or whatever it takes to do some magical stuff?" I asked, hopefully, but all my hopes were shattered when Dumbledore sadly shook his head.

"I'm afraid it's not possible. Magic is not an illness, it cannot be cured. You were born this way, Bella. The biggest problem is that your abilities came aware only recently and you cannot control them yet. And so we have reached the subject of my visit." Dumbledore leaned slightly forward, piercing me with his icy blue look. "You have been accepted to our school, where you will learn how to use your magic properly as well as many other things."

"Such as?"

"This and that, like spells, how to brew potions, transfiguration, defense against various dark arts," Dumbledore counted. "Normally I would speak with your parents, but since you will come of age soon – in wizarding world one attain maturity at age seventeen – you have a rights to make your own decisions."

"What if I don't want to attend your school?" I crossed my arms on chest, leaning back into chair.

Dumbledore's face suddenly fell. There was an expression of a remorse as if he deeply regretted what he was about to say.

"I'm afraid there is not much of a choice for you. The Ministry of Magic – yes, we do have one," Dumbledore added, seeing my look of disbelief. "They reckon it's too dangerous for a witch to live among Muggles without a proper education. Basically they put up an ultimatum – either you attend Hogwarts or they will lock you up in Azkaban."

"What is Azkaban? Some kind of mental institution?"

"Worse, my dear. Azkaban is a Wizarding prison."

Cold fear gripped my heart. There it was, the consequences I have feared the most.

"A prison? But why? I haven't done anything wrong, I'm not a criminal!"

"I know, but you must understand one important thing. Our world, the Wizarding world must remain hidden from Muggles – it's how we call people who don't have magic. The Ministry won't risk the chance that you might accidentally reveal our existance to the rest of world. Even if you would return to United States immediately, our secrets would be unsafe anyway," Dumbledore sighed heavily. "It took a while to convince the minister, but eventually he agreed to make an exception in age rules especially for you. "

I squinted at him. It was obvious that Dumbledore did not shared the Ministry's opinion. And just as obviously he cared for me, since he personally spoke to the minister of Magic to save me from Azkaban. To think of it, attending the school, even magical one, did not seem like a bad option after all.

However I was not going to jump head first into unknown. I had a lot of questions which I did not hesitate to ask.

"Tell me more about that school. How long I have to study the magic?"

"The basic education last for seven years. Normally the first year students are starting their studies at age of eleven. In fifth year you must pass the O.W.L.'s or Ordinary Wizarding Level tests. The final tests are N.E.W.T.'s or – "

"Wait a second!" I raised my hand, interrupting Dumbledore. "You said, normally they start at age eleven? That means that their magic shows up in early age, right? Why me – why did this – this magic came aware only now?"

"That I do not know, unfortunately. Some things are beyond explanation even in our world. We can only hope that the answer will reveal itself in the course of time," Dumbledore sighed.

I sank deeper into chair and dropped my head, slowly rocking back and forth. Too much information at once. Too much of everything.

"As for your father – "

"Please, don't tell my dad about this!" I raised my head and peered at Dumbledore. "I don't want him to freak out. I will try to convince him that I'm going to attend some college in Britain. That would save me a lot of trouble which I already have enough to last a lifetime."

"It's up to you, Bella," Dumbledore nodded. "So, I take that you agree to attend our school?"

To this I could simply nod in silent defeat.

"Here is your letter," Dumbledore handed me a thick envelope. "There is a list of everything you'll need for the studies. If you wish, I can assign someone to guide you to Diagon Alley – it's a place where you can buy everything listed in letter."

Another nod.

Dumbledore stood up and walked over to me. I looked up to see a deep remorse in his eyes as he leaned down and put his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Believe me, if only there was any other choice, I would be glad to offer it to you. Being different is never easy. But as long as you will follow your heart, you won't lose your way, even in Hogwarts."

"It's not like I have much of a choice." I sighed, then pushed my hair away from face. "Okay, I'll do it. Just one thing, if I may ask for a favor."

"Of course, Bella." Dumbledore smiled, returning to his seat.

"I have to give my dad some information about the school I'm going to attend, some physical proof that I have been accepted in – let's say, in college. Please, I can't tell him anything about Hogwarts, he won't believe me anyway, but I need a valid reason to stay in here."

"I see your point," Dumbledore took a blank piece of paper, waved his strange wooden stick (now I already had realized it is a real magic wand) and handed it back to me. "You can tell him that you sent an application form before the trip to London, and received the answer only now. I reckon it should do."

I looked at my acceptance letter from one of most prestigeous universities in Great Britain – the Oxford. It said that I successfully passed all preliminary examinations and they expect me to begin the studies in September 1st. I could not help but smile broadly at Dumbledore who looked pleased as well.

"That's – I don't know how to thank you – it's amazing!" I exclaimed. "Charlie will be so proud, even if it's fake."

"You're welcome, Bella. But now," Dumbledore cleared his throat and said matter-of-factly. "I believe you need an information about Diagon Alley as well as how to get to Hogwarts."

"Wait, I think I'll better write it down," I reached into my bag and took a piece of paper and pen to take notes. Then I looked at Dumbledore, still smiling. "Okay, I'm ready to listen. Where do I start?"