wordcount: 1,645
posted 03.19.20

Written for the Self-Indulgent Self-Insert Challenge on the HPFC forum. This... is an interesting idea I had, and took a bit more planning than I'm used to. Updates will likely be slow until I have the entire story written.

ONE

Thalia James blinked as she stared at the animal sitting in the open doorway. She knows the cage door had been shut and locked when she had gone to check the mail, yet when she turned around, there the snow-white rabbit stood on the porch stoop, nose twitching as it stared at her, almost like a challenge.

"How the hell did you get out?" Thalia mumbled to herself. Then, of course, the rabbit dashed off into the bushes beside the doorway. Thalia huffed, throwing the mail just inside the house and chasing after the animal, following the sound of rustling leaves. Her nephews just had to have a rabbit for their birthdays, didn't they? They couldn't have picked a cat or a dog, or even have stuck with the turtle they wanted for years. And of course, being the kind, caring, loving auntie that she was, Thalia chose to actually surprise them with the pet.

The chase was exactly as frustrating as Thalia imagined it would be. In a town like Thomaston, where bushes, trees, and forest were around every corner, Thalia had an absolutely fantastic time keeping up with the animal meant for the outdoors. It moved quickly and had the impeccable sense of timing where Thalia's fingertips brushed its back just as it hopped off once again. Before she knew it, Thalia had chased the rabbit literally across town. She checked her watch, realizing that her surprise-the-boys-when-they-come-home plan was finished.

"You an ignorant piece of animal, do you know that?" Thalia scolded the rabbit, even though it was way too far ahead to hear her. They were traveling a rather open stretch of road. Thalia played with the thought of running up on the animal since it had no cover to hide behind, but she was exhausted and they were traveling uphill. Truth be told, at this point, Thalia was only chasing after the animal for the principal of the matter. She'd paid good money for the beast and there was a whole cage, bowl set, and bow, as well as two children waiting at home for them. She's already wasted an hour and a half on this, what was another? The rabbit had to get tired eventually.

The path they walked lead to the back door of the local library. Oddly enough, it seemed that was exactly where the animal was leading her, as it hopped across the parking lot and towards the open back doors. Thalia breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, Thalia thought, she would be able to catch the damn rabbit and go home. Her nephews better treasure the damn thing like it was the single greatest present they had received in their lives. They better take care of this pet as if God Himself gave it to them. The damn rabbit better live long enough for her great-nephews and -nieces to hold it.

"Come here, you sneaky bugger," Thalia bent to retrieve the pet for the umpteenth time, just for the rabbit to, once again, hop out of reach at the last second. Thalia growled as the rabbit hopped through a second door just as it was closing. "You know what, I'm making rabbit stew instead. I'm sure I can find a recipe online…" Thalia pushed through the door… then paused.

"This… isn't the library I'm used to," she said. The local library was small, with four shelves of YA and Children's fiction on one side of the room and about ten or twelve shelves of Adult and Non-fiction on the opposite end; six computer consoles, a small sitting area, and four long tables completed the library proper, with another room for events in the back, near a back door. That event room was located near the rear entrance, and it was the room Thalia had expected to follow her headache into.

This room was dark and eerily silent, as if the power in the building had been cut off. The ceilings had to have been at least fifty feet tall, maybe taller. Definitely at least two stories tall, with a balcony floor and bookshelves tall enough to need ladders. Thalia looked behind herself for the door had come through, noting the sign above it reading RESTRICTED. She pushed open the door only to find a smaller room also filled with books, no sign of a Thomaston, Georgia or a door to lead back to it anywhere. Thalia frowned, uncomfortable in the unfamiliar space and looked around for the animal she had been chasing. Her heart beat an odd rhythm. This was not normal. Doorways linked two locations, that was it. The door Thalia entered should have led her back to that light-flooded hallway she was familiar with, not to yet another library. Hell, the door should have brought her into the main room at her local library, not to this… other one. Because this was definitely a different library from the one back home.

"So… I followed Alice's white rabbit. Great job, Thalia." She cautiously walked forward, her heart only beating even harder in her chest. Thalia didn't like change. She prided herself on being easy-going and open-minded and typically a very "go with the flow" sort of woman, but something so completely strange as following a white rabbit into… wherever this was… made Thalia decidedly uncomfortable.

And that damned rabbit was nowhere to be seen.

"Okay… next step?" Thalia looked around the library. There was what looked like an exit to her left, adjacent to the librarian's desk. Opening it, Thalia found herself in a wide stone hallway, wooden torches nestled into what looked like iron sconces. The torches were burning low, casting long shadows across the floors. Thalia could feel her pulse in her throat now, apprehension falling over her. She hated this, not knowing what had happened to her, what was happening. She only knew that there was something very distinctly wrong here. She shouldn't be here.

And then the first beam of light shot past Thalia's head and she jumped, falling into the wall behind her. The door Thalia had come through faced a wall, but the corridor to her left was full of flashing lights and angry shouts. The hairs on Thalia's arms stood up, and as another light, a bright green one came flying at her, she could feel herself shaking as she stepped aside to avoid it and tripped over her own feet. Thalia wanted to run back into the library, but yet another light forced her to crawl further away from the door and closer towards what looked like a fight. What looked like a dozen young teens and several taller figures covered in long black cloaks danced around each other, jets of light flinging from the sticks held in their hands. Some small part of Thalia had the capacity to freak out, oh my freaking goodness, I just walked into a Harry Potter novel, while another, louder part only had time to scream and dodge and what the fuck just happened where am I and what's happening this cannot freaking be real. Somewhere, Thalia thought she heard her name called, and out of one window, she saw the glow of a green light hovering somewhere just outside of sight. Beneath the hoods of the black cloaks, Thalia could just barely make out the pale silver of a mask reminiscent of the antagonist from a horror movie she couldn't be bothered to remember the name of.

"What are you doing?" someone hissed in Thalia's ear. They grabbed her by the arm and she screamed. "Thalia, Thalia, calm down, it's me, it's me! Thalia James, calm down!" Unfortunately, it was hard for Thalia to think past the sound of her pulse in her ears and fear in her veins. Her heart felt like it was going to burst and the adrenaline had her shaking so badly she could hardly stand in place without tripping. The person gripping Thalia's arm let go just long enough to push her against a wall. Thalia fell, crouched and hugging her knees as the people around her shouted, stone from the walls chipped and fell, and bright lights flashed. Someone stood in front of her, guarding her, casting spells at the people black cloaks until they retreated. Several of the people around them, the ones not dressed in black, gave chase while the rest gathered around the few bodies on the floor. The person in front of Thalia stood still, her wand held high, as she seemingly checked for any more stragglers.

"I swear, one would think you've never had to fight for your life before, the way you're carrying on," she said quietly, but with just enough bite that Thalia felt scolded.

"Not like this, I haven't," Thalia barely pushed the words around the knot in her throat. The girl had distinctive red hair and freckles that stood out even in the dark. She held herself like she was used to fighting, feet apart, knees bent, arms angled to throw a punch - or maybe a spell? - at a moment's notice.

"Please, you were just with us last year at the Ministry, not to mention whatever else you've been doing while you were gone." the girl dropped her arm, apparently deciding the hall was safe enough. "Come on, let's see if we can find Harry." the girl took Thalia by the hand and pulled her to her feet before taking off at a run, following the direction the others had gone. Thalia barely managed to stay on her feet, but moving made it easier to deal with the shaking, and the hand in hers was a small comfort.