Chris Carter and 1013 Productions own the X-Files. JK Rowling, Warner Brothers and Scholastic own Harry Potter. All I own is this story line, every Harry Potter DVD and a complete collection of X-Files DVD's. I wish I owned Fox Mulder.
A/N This story is set anytime during Sorcerers Stone through Prisoner of Azkaban of HP (although it contains information in all the books) and after X-Files episode "Emily", but before "Requiem".
THE CONFERENCE ROOM
HOGWARTS
After class at the end of the week, Scully recieved a message to report to the conference room as soon as possible. She arrived there at the same time as Mulder, but she had no chance for a private word with him because a group of wizards she recognized from the Ministry of Magic had arrived before they had. She had only been here a week, and at every moment Scully had been very conscious of her muggle status among the wizards; it was for that reason that she was surprised that her first sensation at seeing the Ministry employees was one of annoyance that these "outside" wizards were in "her" Hogwarts. She hated to admit it to herself, but the castle was starting to grow on her. But not to the extent that Mulder liked it, of course. After a meeting where the agents were given a chance to share their findings and analyses, refreshments were served and the guests had a chance to mingle.
A friendly looking wizard that Scully hadn't met before approached her to shake her hand. He introduced himself as Arthur Weasley and introduced his wife, Molly. He seemed anxious to talk to her.
"I never get to meet American muggles, so you don't know what a pleasure this is. " Scully smiled at him, a little amused. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a silver colored object about the size of a saucer. "Would you be so kind as to explain to me the name and purpose of this?"
Scully replied, "That's a computer disk. You store information, or games, or pictures, or whatever you want on it, then when you want to look at it later, you simply insert the disk into a computer, and you can read or look at it."
Weasley looked a little confused, "I think we have a computer at the office, but i'm not sure..."
"It would be about this big." Scully gestured with her hands "and have a screen in the front and that would be where you would read the information. And a keyboard. You know, a flat box with keys with every letter of the alphabet..."
Weasley was pleased. "We do have a computer! Anyway, what about this object?"
"All the newer cars have that. You point this end at the car and push this button and the car will unlock automatically."
"The newer cars?" Weasley frowned a little, thinking.
"Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley, warningly. He turned to look at her, and she shook her head slightly.
"Yes, well, anyhow it sounds sort of like a magic wand," Arthur commented.
"I suppose it would be a little like that." Scully could see a crowd starting to gather, but she didn't mind. She rather liked the idea of explaining muggle culture to people unfamiliar with it.
"This next object is actually a newspaper clipping from an American newspaper. I've saved it for years because I didn't understand it." Weasley handed it over to her.
"This? It's just an advertisement for a yard sale."
"Yard Sale?"
"Yes. You see, if a person has too much stuff and they want to get rid of it, but they don't want to throw it away, they bring it out on to their front lawn , put price tags on everything and sell it to anyone who wants to buy it."
The wizards were quiet as they thought about this. How strange. Imagine dragging your possesions onto the front lawn to sell to just anybody. The muggles seemed nice enough, but they did some peculiar things.
"Okay, Agent Scully. What about this?" He pulled another object out of his pocket and showed it to her. Scully's eyes grew wide and she blushed. Then she stammered.
"I...um...I..." She was at a complete loss, and all eyes were on her. Mulder, who was having trouble smothering a smile, tapped Arthur Weasley on the shoulder and whispered in his ear. Scully took advantage of the interupption to move towards the refreshment table.
"Oh, well, in that case,". Weasley stuffed the object hastily back in his pocket. Scully kept her back turned to the others as she poured herself some tea. She didn't need to turn around to know that Mulder was trying heroically not to laugh, or that Mr. Weasley was blushing. Then Molly Weasley spoke.
"What is it Arthur?"
"I'll tell you later."
"Tell me now."
Scully was putting sugar in her tea when she heard Mr Weasley whisper something to his wife. Then she sensed a movement beside her and looked up to see Professor Snape.
Snape knew something had happened when he walked into the room. He had skirted the others, trying to reach the refreshment table where he had seen Scully. When she had looked up at him with her tight little smile, he could see the fading traces of a blush and wondered what had happened to embarrass Scully. He hadn't thought she would embarrass so easily. Then she lowered her eyes to concentrate on adding milk to her tea. Molly shrieked in outrage.
"Do you mean to tell me you showed that to Agent Scully! That, that thing, which has been in our house for months where our children could see it. That's it. No more muggle objects. Anymore! If you don't know what it is, it doesn't come in the house!"
Snape turned his head in confusion from Weasley to Scully. She seemed to have composed herself enough to take a sip of tea and raise her head. An embarrassed silence seemed to come over the room and Scully turned around to face the room. What in the world could have happened? She took an even bigger sip of tea and was about to swallow it when into the silence, Mr Weasley spoke again.
"Well, I say, it's very easy to see how that muggle artifact could be misused."
That was the last straw. The strain of traveling and meeting new people and trying to adjust to her strange surroundings caught up with her and Scully lost it. She gagged on and spit out her tea at the same time, reached behind her to grab a napkin and clapit to her face, then let out a loud whoop of laughter. With a shaking hand she managed to place her cup and saucer on the table, and by this time all eyes were on her. Mulder caught her eye and he started to laugh. Rocking back and forth with the napkin still pressed to her face with one hand and her other arm across her body, she let out gale after gale of laughter. Tears were streaming down her face and she felt her knees buckle. She looked up at Snape who was staring at her with an expression which was close to alarm. She tried to say something to him but she couldn't stop laughing, so she gave up trying to get the words out and grabbed his arm for support instead. She couldn't stop laughing and gasping and for what seemed like a long time, the room was in an uproar, between the people who understood the joke laughing uproariously and the others begging for an explanation. Slowly, the hilarity started to die down and Scully's laughter became quieter, but her sides ached and she was acutely aware that Snape was supporting her with a hand under her elbow. Still giggling, she looked up into Snape's face. He wasn't laughing, but as he looked down into her flushed, laughing face, she saw, if not exactly a smile, an expression of approval . She held his gaze, still smiling. Then a blush started creeping back into her face, and she let go of him.
"Would you tell me what was so funny, Agent Scully?" He asked in a low voice.
Scully only shook her head. She could never tell him that.
