Chapter Eleven: Two Eleven-Year Olds Catch a Criminal and Use It as Blackmail
"Umm, Professor McGonagall, may we speak with you in private?" asked Vi nervously.
"Of course." She said, and we followed her into the luggage car. Me and Vi both muttered
"Muffliato," and pointed our wands toward the door. She looked slightly surprised, but recovered her posture quickly.
"Now, tell me what this is all about." She said strictly. "Well, you see….." I gulped.
It wasn't going to be easy to explain that we were from another world. "You see….. me and Vi already know…how events are going to play out." I said, trying to find a proper way to explain it.
"We're from another world." Blurted Vi. I looked at her angrily. She blushed.
"You're from another…..what?" said Professor McGonagall, looking confused. I sighed. Might as well explain the whole thing.
"Yes, Professor. We are from another world." I said calmly. She raised her eyebrows but said nothing.
"Well, you see, it all started in our room…" I told her the whole story, from the glowing book to how we knew that Scabbers was a human, Vi nodding beside me and occasionally putting in details that I had forgotten.
When I had finished, Professor McGonagall creased her eyebrows and said, "So, what you're saying is that you came from a world where we are nothing but characters in a book series, and then you jumped into the first book of the series when it started glowing and ended up here, where you know everything that is going to happen." We nodded. "Well, I must say, that is a very hard thing to believe." She said.
"Please, Professor, we can prove it." Said Vi. She searched through all the luggage until she found my bag, then shoved her hand inside and took out a book.
"Got it!" She shouted, walking back over to us and handing it to Professor McGonagall. I glanced at the cover as the Professor took it. It was 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'. I gasped and stared at Vi. She was determinedly not looking at me. Professor McGonagall flipped through the pages numbly.
"This…. this is quite a book!" she said, clearly shaken. "And how many books are in the series?"
"Seven," replied Vi. "That's the first book, the one that got us here. After that, there's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire…." She named all the titles of the books. "They all feature Potter?" asked Professor McGonagall. "Yes, Professor." Replied Vi. "Very well. Though I must ask, who is that man who was pretending to be a rat?" She asked.
"Well, Professor, that's another long story."
"Well, Miss Ostler, we have a lot of time." This time it was Vi who told the Professor about Sirius, James and Pettigrew learning to become Animagi, Pettigrew's betrayal, and Sirius's innocence.
When she had ended the story, McGonagall nodded and said, "Thank you for telling me all this. Of course, certain actions will need to be taken. Mr. Black will be released from Azkaban immediately, and Mr. Pettigrew will be sent there in his place. And, obviously, Professor Dumbledore will need to be informed of everything you have told me."
"All right, but please don't tell anyone else, Professor. We don't want the word to get out or else people will either think we're insane or badger us with questions about their future." I said pleadingly.
She nodded, and we all made our way out of the car and to our compartment where Pettigrew was still tied up, everyone looking at him fearfully.
When we entered, a loud babble of voices immediately started up, but Professor McGonagall raised a hand to silence them and said "I know that there will be many questions, but I ask you to leave these two in peace first." She gestured to me and Vi.
"Yes, Professor," everyone mumbled, disappointed.
"Good. Now, I suggest that you all change into your uniforms. We will be arriving at Hogwarts shortly. Ah, yes, and of course we have to get Pettigrew out of here. Mobilicorpus!" cried Professor McGonagall, Pettigrew floating eerily behind her as she swept out the door.
A few minutes after we had all changed like the Professor asked us to, we sat down as the compartment door slid open once again to reveal Malfoy.
"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" I said, pointing my wand at him. Vi was the first to break.
After a few seconds of silence, she started laughing uncontrollably. A few seconds later, Hermione, even being the serious person that she was, couldn't hold back her laughter and started giggling madly. I wasn't sure that Harry would understand my joke (from the Lord of the Rings), as the Dursleys probably wouldn't let him watch movies, but apparently the line was so popular that he started laughing too.
Meanwhile, all of the Pure-Bloods in the compartment just stared at us in confusion. "You see – it's a – famous – line – from a – popular – Muggle movie – the person – that said it – was a wizard – character," explained Hermione in between her laughs.
"Well, excuse me, but I didn't come down here for this nonsense." said Malfoy as the laughter died down. "I was looking for Harry Potter. They're all saying that he's down in this compartment." Harry looked up.
"So it's you, is it?" asked Malfoy looking at him.
"Yes," replied Harry, but his eyes rested on Malfoy's bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy saw where he was looking and said "Oh, this is Crabbe and Goyle, and my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." Ron gave a cough to hide the snigger that had escaped from him.
"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." he said.
"Your father's a right old git." said Vi, snarling. Malfoy did his trademark sneer at her and said, "And you. Your name is…?"
"Victoria Ostler," said Vi curtly.
"Ostler, how did you know what my name was back in Madam Malkin's?" he asked.
Vi looked panicky for a second, but then arranged her features into a cool expression and said, "I don't know what you mean, Malfoy. You must have a pretty bad memory if you don't remember-"
"I recall everything perfectly, Little Miss Mudblood." He sneered. Ron's face changed to an expression of fury, but neither Vi nor Malfoy seemed to notice.
"Well, Mister Pure-Blood Mania, I don't think you have. You see, I definitely remember-"
"Well, I don't." Malfoy snapped. "Whatever you're hiding, Mudblood, I'm going to find it." He glared at Vi, and Vi glared right back. You could almost see the sparks flying between them.
Finally, Malfoy turned to Harry and said, "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. Not that the Mudblood Princess over here is from a Wizarding family." He smirked at Vi.
"You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." Malfoy held out his hand to Harry, but he didn't take it.
"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," Harry replied coolly.
"OOOHHH, BURNNNNN!"I yelled. Everybody stared at me. "Sorry, was it the wrong moment?" I said in a small voice.
Malfoy turned back to Harry. "I'd be careful if I were you, Potter. Unless you're a bit politer, you'll go the same way as you're parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either," Malfoy said.
"What gave you the right to talk about Harry's parents?" I asked, took out my wand, and started innocently twirling it in my hands."You better be careful," Harry said, looking like he was fighting the urge to grin. "These girls caught a criminal a few minutes before you arrived,"
"And we can do it again," snarled Vi, also taking out her wand. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle slowly backed out of our compartment. After they exited, we could hear the thud of footsteps going quickly down the other way.
