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 4: Failed Attempts
The four wizards walked along, mostly in silence, as they pasted open pastures and farmland towards the Emerald City. Minerva's pace slowed considerably when she could no longer hear the sounds of the Munchkin City behind them. Harry walked beside Minerva while Ron and Hermione were a few steps behind them; Hermione was trying to explain to Ron how a movie was recorded.
At some point they decided to take a rest after they had walked quite a distance. They had no idea of the time because their watches had all stopped working. When Minerva had tried to do a simple Compass Charm her wand spun around and around in her hand as it struggled and failed to find North.
"Hermione," Harry asked after they had all settled themselves on the grass that lined the Yellow Brick Road, "how'd you realize we're in Oz?"
"The Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie when I was little; I used to watch it all the time," she replied with a smile. "I even dresses up as Dorothy for Halloween two years in a row," she admitted.
"Well how did she end up here?" Ron asked.
"Dorothy was a farm girl from Kansas and during a tornado her house was sucked up inside the cyclone and dropped in the Munchkin City-."
"On top of the Wicked Witch of the East?" Minerva interrupted.
"Yes, Professor." Hermione nodded. "So far everything that has happened to us happened to Dorothy as well."
"So what happened after Dorothy left the Munchkin City?" Minerva questioned her student.
"Well, after she walked for a while she met a scarecrow, then a man made of tin, and finally a cowardly lion. They all traveled the Emerald City to meet the Wizard of Oz. When they got there the Wizard told them they had to get the Wicked Witch's broomstick. On the way to her castle, Dorothy and Toto get kidnapped and carried away by the Witch's flying monkeys-."
"Flying monkeys?"
"Yes, Ronald, flying monkeys," she rolled her eyes at the red head as if it were obvious. "Anyway," she glared at Ron, "the Scarecrow, the Tin-man, and the Lion came to her rescue. And to get the broomstick, they had to kill the Wicked Witch of the West. When they returned the Emerald City the Wizard granted their wishes."
"What did they wish for?" Ron asked.
"The Scarecrow wanted a brain, the Tin-man wanted a heart, and the Lion wanted courage." Hermione explained.
"And what about Dorothy?" he encouraged.
"She wanted to go home, like us," she said sadly.
"Was he able to help her?" Harry questioned.
"He was going to take her back to Kansas in his hot-air balloon but it get away from him and-." Hermione stopped and they all stared at her expectantly. Minerva followed her eyes she stared at the Ruby Slippers on the Professor's feet.
"What is it, Miss Granger?" Minerva asked concerned.
"The Ruby Slippers," she said simply.
"Yeah, what about them?" Ron requested.
"When the Wizard didn't get her back to Kansas Glenda showed up and told her the Slippers could get her home. I don't know why I didn't think of it before."
"How did it work?" Minerva's eyes widened.
"Glenda told her to close her eyes, click her heals together tree time, and say 'There's no place like home.'" She said with a smile before her face fell slightly. "But I don't know if it will work."
"Well, we can at least try it." Minerva said getting to her feet and smoothing out her robes.
The Trio got to their feet, "Should we say 'home'?" Ron asked carefully. "I mean, wouldn't saying Hogwarts make more sense? I mean, what if we get sent to our houses instead of back to school?"
"Hogwarts is my home," Harry said to Ron. "I have never, nor will I ever, consider the Dursley's house to be my home."
"Harry's right," Hermione confessed. "I like going back and seeing my parents as much as you do, but we all spend so much time at Hogwarts that I just feel more at home there."
Minerva looked between the three friends as Ron thought this over. She remembered feeling the same way when she was about their age or younger. Even now, although she owned a small summer cottage in Scotland, she would rather be at home, in Hogwarts, with the castle full of children.
"Home." Ron finally nodded. They stood in a close circle; Minerva held Harry and Hermione's hands tightly while they each took one of Ron's hands. All four bowed their heads and closed their eyes.
"Okay…" Minerva took in a deep breath. She clicked her heals together three time and they chanted in unison:
"THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME."
click-click-click-
"THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME."
click-click-click-
"THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME."
Minerva slowly opened her eyes and saw Ron across from her with his eyelids fused together. Looking around she saw that they were still on the Yellow Brick Road, in the middle of nowhere, in Oz. Her grip loosened on Harry and Hermione and she saw Harry peek out of one of his eyes. She didn't say a word when she heard him swear under his breath. She walked a few paces away from her student and turned her back to them. Minerva crossed her arms in front of her and blinked back tears. She wanted this to work. She wanted to get her cubs back before anything could happen to them.
"You said this would work, Hermione!" Ron exclaimed.
"No I didn't, Ronald. If you had been listening you would have heard me clearly say, 'I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WILL WORK!'" she yelled back.
"Well you said that was how Dorothy got home!" he countered.
She didn't say a word as she looked nervously between Harry, Ron, and the ground.
"HERMIONE?" they both bellowed.
"Well," she shrugged, "at the end of the movie she woke up."
Minerva turned to face her. "What?" Her students looked at her as if they had forgotten she was there. "Why didn't you say this before?" Minerva asked in a gentle voice that surprised her Gryffindors.
"I wanted to but… I guess I just wanted it to work." She said lamely.
"We all did." Minerva replied softly.
Ron took a deep breath then asked much more calmly, "So now you think we're all asleep?"
"I didn't say that either." Hermione replied.
"Well then what is it? Are you sleeping? Am I? How do we- OUCH!" Ron yelled and glared at Harry, as his face got red.
"Well, you're not dreaming." He chuckled. "OWW!"
"Well, you're not dreaming." Ron mocked Harry after pinching him back.
"Would you two grow up?" Hermione interrupted before Harry could respond. Mischievous grins took over their faces as they rounded on her. "Don't you dare! I'm warning you," she said getting out her wand and pointing it at Ron and Harry.
"Ah, you're no fun." Ron said with a huff.
"We're obviously not dreaming," Minerva sighed. "So that only leaves the Wizard. Let's get moving."
"Couldn't we just Apparate?" Ron asked after walking a while.
"Oh, yes, and tell us Ronald, when did you learn to Apparate?" Hermione demanded.
"Well," Ron started turning red, "couldn't you do it Professor?"
"Well," Minerva began, "first I don't know how far it is and I really don't fell like getting splinched trying to find out. Second, I don't know how I would get back here to you three. And third, I am not about to leave you three here alone. So no Mr. Weasley, I don't think I could just Apparate back to Hogwarts."
"What about a Portkey?" Harry asked a little while later.
"It wouldn't work," Minerva and Hermione said at the same time.
"To set up a Portkey," Minerva explained, "you have to know exactly where you are and exactly where you're going. We clearly know where we're going, but all we know is that we're in Oz. Where Oz is exactly…" she trailed off.
"But… we will get home, right Professor?" Ron asked nervously.
Minerva stopped and turned to face her students. The Trio looked worried as she met each of their eyes. "We will all be home soon… safe and sound. I can't very well stand here and tell you three not to worry, but I will promise you that I will do everything within my power to get us back." They looked slightly relieved when she was done. "Now, come along. I would like to get to the Wizard and back to Hogwarts before too many people notice that we're missing from the Castle. No doubt Professor Snape has taken all of Gryffindor's points and is vying for my Deputy position," she said with mock annoyance that made her students smile and even laugh a little.
They continued on pasted farmlands and pastures as they made their way to the Emerald City. Each hoping that they would all, indeed, be home soon.
