Disclaimer: Yeah, I wish!
Author's Notes: A great big Thank You to everyone who has reviewed so far. I really appreciate it because I wasn't quite sure what I was doing. I hope you will like this next chapter and if you feel like it, tell me what you think about it (no pressure). Enjoy!
The Wizards of Hogwarts
Chapter 3: Green?
A soft rustling caused Minerva to turn and tighten the grip on her wand. Her eyes narrowed as she considered the tall garden that was near by.
"What is it, Professor?" Minerva turned back to her students slowly. "We're not alone, are we?" Harry answered his own question when her saw the expression on her face.
"What is that?" Ron pointed. Minerva turned to see a growing bubble-gum pink orb floating towards them. She raised her wand as it came closer and stopped only ten feet away from them. The orb transfigured itself into a pretty red head in a shimmering bubble-gum pink gown and a tall sparkling crown.
"Are you a good witch or a bad witch?" Her voice had a girlish singsong quality and it dripped with sweetness from a large bright smile.
"I beg your pardon?" Minerva asked with her brow raised.
"The Munchkins called me because a new witch has just dropped a house on the Wicked Witch of the East. Well, there's the house, and here you are, and that's all that's left of the Wicked Witch of the East." Minerva slowly lowered her wand and stood wide-eyed when she saw the remains of the Wicked Witch's feet sticking out from beneath a small house that looked as though it were falling apart. "What the Munchkins want to know is, are you were a good witch or a bad witch? It's a simple question, really."
"She's a good witch," Hermione piped up, "one of the best, actually. All four of us are good."
"And you are?" Ron asked, his eyes narrowing at the woman standing before them.
"My name is Glenda, The Witch of the North. What are your names?" she asked.
Minerva motioned for the boys to lower their wands down as she had done (Hermione's wand was already in the pocket of her robes), but the Head of Gryffindor still did not put it away.
"My name is Minerva McGonagall, and these are my students: Hermione Granger, -"
"Hello!" Hermione greeted with a wave.
"Harry Potter, and Ronald Weasley." Both boys nodded. "Could you please tell us where we are?" Minerva requested.
"The Munchkin City," Hermione and Glenda said at the same time.
Glenda giggled and the sound of many other high-pitched giggles could be heard all around them.
"What was that?" Ron asked.
"That was the Munchkins. They are happy because you have all freed them from the Wicked Witch of the East. You four are their National Heroes. It's alright," she called out around her, "you can all come out and thank them."
Miniature faced looked out from behind giant flowers and around the corners of their small houses. They slowly started to come to the center of their town to meet with the wizards of Hogwarts.
The wizards however where looking questionably at Glenda as she started to sing,
"Come out, come out where ever you are,
And meet the good wizards who fell from a star.
They fell from the sky, they-."
"I'm sorry," Minerva began, "but this really isn't necessary. We just need to get back to Hogwarts, our school. If you could point us in the right direction, or if you know of someone that would know how to get there, we would greatly appreciate it."
Glenda looked affronted at being interrupted but the wide smile was still plastered on her face.
"Umm, Professor," Hermione whispered. "This is how the movie is supposed to go."
Minerva raised an eyebrow at Hermione. "Excused me," she said to Glenda. Minerva turned and stepped towards her students until they were standing in a small circle. "What are you talking about, Miss Granger?"
"In the movie they came out and thanked Dorothy for killing the Wicked Witch of the East," she explained in a soft voice.
"Who's Dorothy?" Ron asked.
"She's from the movie," replied Hermione.
"This is ridiculous. We had no control over that house and I refused to be thanked because they think we meant to drop it on a witch and murder her." Minerva looked back at the feet sticking out from underneath the house wearing a pair of sparkling red shoes.
"It's okay, Professor. She was a wicked witch, like Glenda said." Hermione tried to assure her.
"A life is a life, Miss Granger," Minerva replied looking sternly at her charge.
"Why did she start singing?" Harry asked after a second.
"Yeah," added Ron, "and I could have sworn I could here music coming from somewhere."
"It's a musical." Hermione answered simply.
"What?" Minerva's eyes narrowed.
"The Wizard of Oz is a musical. Everyone is going to sing and dance," she explained excitedly. Minerva took off her square spectacles and pinched the bridge of her nose. She could feel a headache coming on. She sighed and shook her head before walking over to Glenda.
Ron nudged Harry while his eyes never left the two women that were now talking. "Harry," he whispered, "does she remind you of anyone?"
"Who… Glenda?" Ron nodded. "Yeah, she does."
"Ron, would you put your wand away?" Hermione whispered between the two of them, "You too, Harry."
Ron shook his head, "I don't trust that tutu wearin' witch. She reminds me too much of Umbridge."
"Ronald! That. Is. Ridiculous! Glenda and that toad of a woman look nothing alike," she snorted. "And besides, Glenda is the Good Witch of the North. She's here to help us."
"I agree with Ron, Hermione. That woman acts way too nice." Harry said.
"You two are crazy," Hermione shook her head.
"I don't mean to offend you but we just want to get home. We aren't interested in a song and dance routine." The Trio looked up at the sound of their Head of House raising her voice. Minerva's tone made it clear that the decision was final.
"Look Hermione," said Ron quickly while keeping an eye on the strained smile on Glenda's face, "I don't trust her. If she is anything like Umbridge then I'm not taking any chances. And in case you hadn't noticed, we need McGonagall."
Minerva made her way back to her students with an annoyed look on her face. "Glenda told me of someone who might be able to get us back to Hogwarts. They call him the Wizard of Oz-."
Suddenly there was a loud bang, a blaze of fire, and a large cloud on thick red smoke. All of the Munchkins, who had been dancing about and celebrating, screamed and fell to the ground. Minerva stepped in front of her students and brandished her wand while the Trio flanked her, holding up their own wands.
Out of the smoke and fire came a tall thin woman with long billowing black robes and a pointed wide-brimmed witch's hat. She looked all around before making her way over to the house.
"She's green?" Ron said confused. "Why is she green?"
Hermione shrugged, "She just is."
The green woman stopped only long enough to take in the sight of the pair of red shoe clad feet sticking out from beneath a dilapidating house before she turn to the only people still standing.
"Who killed my sister? Who killed the Witch of the East?" Her voice was grainy and harsh as she looked at each of them in turn with her beady eyes. "Was it you?" she asked pointing one long green finger at Minerva. "Did you drop a house on my sister?"
"It wasn't intentional." Minerva replied calmly in a voice that held no hint of fear.
"Well, she's still dead, isn't she? No matter. You can join her soon enough." She said with a glint in her eye.
"I think not." Harry took a step forward and stood next to his professor. Ron and Hermione were not far behind him.
"Aren't you forgetting the Ruby Slippers?" Glenda interrupted.
"The Ruby Slippers!" the woman exclaimed. She turned her back on the four Gryffindors and walked over to the feet that were protruding out from under the house wearing the sparkling red shoes.
Minerva gave her students quick warning glance as if to say, 'That wasn't smart.' They only caught her eye for a second before turning their attention back to the woman before them. Minerva took a slight step forward for no other reason than to make herself feel as though she was still able protect her cubs.
The woman kneeling next to the feet of her departed sister reached out for the Ruby Slippers that were on her feet when they disappeared and the bare feet before her shriveled up. "They're gone! Where are they?" She turned back to the good witches and wizards as she fired off her questions. "Where are the Ruby Slippers? What have you done with them?"
"They're they are," Glenda replied pointing her long wand down at Minerva's feet, "and there they'll stay."
Minerva looked down and saw that the practical black shoes that she had been wearing had been replaced with a dead witch's glittering Ruby Slippers. The green woman took a step towards Minerva when Ron said icily, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"Give them too me! They're mine! I'm the only one who knows how to use them. They're of no use to you." She shouted.
"You know very well that those slippers will not come off her feet as long as she is alive," Glenda challenged, a smile still in place and her voice as sweet as ever.
"I can fix that," the woman countered.
Glenda gave a short giggle, "You have no power here. Now be gone, before someone drops a house on you."
She looked up quickly, but seeing that the sky was blue, cloudless, and houseless, she turned her attention back to Minerva. "She's right. I can't attend to you here and now as I would like, but I'll be back. I'll get you my pretty, and your little brats too!" she cackled.
"You will not touch them." Minerva's tone was so deathly serious as she glared at the woman in front of her that she silenced immediately.
"We'll see about that, my Fine Lady. I will be back," she said again. Thick red smoke erupted around her and she disappeared in a burst of flames.
A moment later Glenda called out around her, "It's alright. You can get up. She's gone."
"Who was that woman?" Minerva asked Glenda once the smoke had cleared and the Munchkins slowly made their way to their feet.
"That was the Wicked Witch." Glenda replied simply.
"I thought you said she was dead." Minerva's blood pressure was rising.
"Oh, you killed the Wicked Witch of the East. That was the Wicked Witch of the West. She's worse than the other one. It seems you've made quite an enemy of the Wicked Witch of the West," said the witch in pink.
Minerva turned to her students and pulled them into a huddle. "I do not want you to endanger yourselves like that again. Not for me," she told them sternly.
"You were doing the same for us, Professor." Ron pointed out.
"That is not the same thing, Mr. Weasley. And you know it," she countered.
"Yes it is, Professor. We're in this together; we all need to get home." Harry replied.
Minerva eyed them all carefully. It hit her again, as it had been for quite a while now, that they were no longer the same children that had walked into Hogwarts only six years ago. These three, particularly, had faced more together than most fully-grown wizards had in their lifetimes. No matter how many times she had to remind herself of this, she could not help but want to protect them from all the evil that they would face in this world. She could not help but want to protect all of her students.
"Then the sooner we get back to Hogwarts, the better," she said at last. She turned to Glenda, "How do we get to the wizard you were talking about?"
"The Wizard of Oz?" Glenda asked sweetly and all the Munchkins bowed their heads out of respect for the Great Oz.
"Yes," Minerva replied. "Where is he and how do we get to him?"
"We'll that's simple, just follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City. That is where you will find the Great Wizard of Oz. But remember to keep those Ruby Slippers on your feet. Their power will protect you from the Wicked Witch."
"I don't need to be protected. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Minerva said defiantly.
"I'm sure you are, my Dear." Glenda's smile grew wider. Minerva could not help but think that this witch reminded her of a certain toad-woman that she had met the previous year, and that 'relationship' did not exactly turn out very well. "The Munchkins will see you safely to the edge of the city. All you need to do is follow the Yellow Brick Road."
"But-," Minerva began.
"Just follow the Yellow Brick Road." Glenda said dreamily again before she transformed smoothly into a bubble-gum pink orb and floated away. The Munchkins ran after the orb waving and saying their goodbyes.
Minerva turned back to her students and squared her shoulders, "We had better be on our way."
She made her way over to where she saw the Yellow Brick Road begin and started walking; her students right behind her. Before she made it very far she was stopped by a Munchkin in a dark green suite and tartan vest.
"Follow the Yellow Brick Road!" he said in a high-pitched voice while shaking her hand.
She continued on but she was stopped again, this time by a Munchkin in a long purple robe. He too shook her hand when he told her in a surprisingly deep voice, "Follow the Yellow Brick Road!"
After a third Munchkin, a woman in a light blue dress, told her to: "Follow the Yellow Brick Road," she picked up her pace considerably. The Trio had trouble keeping up with her as the entire Munchkin City started to skip, dance, and sing around them as they quickly made their way down the Yellow Brick Road.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road, Follow the Yellow Brick Road.
Follow, follow, follow, follow, Follow the Yellow Brick Road.
Follow the Yellow Brick, Follow the Yellow Brick, Follow the Yellow Brick Road.
You're off to see the Wizard, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
You'll find he is a whiz of a Wiz! If ever a Wiz! there was.
If ever oh ever a Wiz! there was The Wizard of Oz is one becoz,
Becoz, becoz, becoz, becoz, becoz.
Becoz of the wonderful things he does.
You're off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz!
