Yikes. Sleeping in a tree? Not as comfortable as some would try to make it seem. He probably hadn't even been asleep that long. Not even a full hour.
If only it had been his comfort, or lack thereof, that had woken him up.
Danny, jolting awake at the sharp sting of pain on his forearm, looked to see a deep pair of gashes, blood spreading into the arm of his hoodie.
Not worrying about it for now, (it would be healed within the next few minutes anyway), he looked around for what could have caused the injury.
Spotting what looked like a small wooden stick, he wondered how it had gotten there, because it wasn't there when he'd fallen asleep.
As he reached out his hand to try to get a closer look, the stick moved. It sliced his palm with the sharp ends of what looked like its fingers.
"Ah! What the...! Woah!" startled and confused, he overbalanced and fell from his tree branch.
He was no stranger to plummeting to his apparent death, so he reflexively tapped into his flight to slow his fall enough that he tumbled onto the forest floor.
He ended up in a defensive stance facing the tree that had been his bed, looking for his attacker, which.. apparently... was a stick.
Lots of sticks. Living, wooden stick creatures, with sharp little fingers.
He stared, nonplussed, at them now shaking their knobby little fists at him.
"Huh. Okay then." He spoke aloud, slightly relaxing his stance. "Living sticks that protect their home, which is a tree... Alright."
He stood there a moment, just staring at them as they slowly retreated into the branches of their tree. He suddenly smacked his hands against his cheeks, trying to snap himself out of whatever delusions his brain was tricking him with to try to cope. (Why his brain was coping by making him more confused was beyond him).
He grunted in pain at jostling both his gashed arm and his sliced palm. Looking down at his hand, he realized he probably just high-fived a bloody handprint onto his face. Great.
Groaning, and hanging his head, he ran his non-cut hand through his hair. He really needed more sleep before he could figure out what to do with himself in this increasingly bizarre situation. Well, looks like he's gonna have to make do with what he has.
"Okay then," he says, walking away from the tree with little stick protectors "weird, creepy forest filled with weird, creepy creatures. Got that. Now what am I going to do?"
"Option one, keep going through this forest, find a place that can tell me where I am and then decide what to do from there. Option two, find another place to sleep in this forest, because a sleep deprived brain is not one that is good at making rational decisions, or so Mr Lancer always told me." He laughs to himself at that.
"I'm starting to believe it, because of the shining brilliance that is the utter stupidity of my option three." He stops his little personal monologue for a moment, pausing in his trek through the forest as well.
"Option three," he sighs to the treetops, "is go back to the wicked cool looking castle, and see if the possible cultists can just answer some of my questions. Tell me where I am, why they summoned me specifically, what they're plans for me were, ... maybe ask for a bed." He scoffed to himself and laughed dryly.
"Yeah. That is a stellar option that will definitely end up with me being told to make blood sacrifices or something for the kids who summoned me. For all I know this is another dimension, and they are all vampires, and the sun sets in the east rather than the west, and ugh... I am so tired."
"I may be able to help with that" a calm voice said nearby.
He snapped around, in a defensive stance, hand outstretched towards the threat.
He was met with the sight of a tall man, that looked like the epitome of the word 'wizard.' He had on sweeping midnight blue robes, with a matching hat. Long, silver hair and beard, and half moon glasses perched on his crooked nose.
Piercing blue eyes that calmly gazed at him, as he stood as taut as a stretched rubber band, ready to snap.
The wizard guy slowly raised his hands towards him, palms towards him and empty of any weapons that he could see. He didn't relax his position, but he didn't run either.
"I am sorry if I startled you," the man said quietly, but clearly, "I only wanted to let you know that I will help you if you'll let me. I mean you no harm, and can provide you with answers and a safe place to stay if you need time to recover or time to decide on what you want to do next."
Danny stood there, unmoving.
Is this for real? Could he believe that this wizard man really wanted to help him? Even if option one and option two were arguably smarter than option three, he kind of liked option three the best.
He wasn't stupid though, regardless of his past grades, so he knew he couldn't just trust this man outright. He needed information first.
If he could get a few of his questions answered, he may consider believing this magic man. Not trust, not by a mile, but believe that he'd be given some help, at least.
So, he took a chance.
"Where am I?" He asked quietly.
He hadn't lowered his arms, he hadn't relaxed his stance, but the serene smile that grew on the old magic man's face told him he recognized the olive branch he'd been offered.
"You are in the Forbidden Forest, on the grounds of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which is located in the northern highlands of Scotland."
Danny could only blink.
"Scotland?" He asked, that being the only detail he could possibly hope to understand in that answer, "As in, Scotland, in Europe?"
Now that he thought about it though, Mr. magic man did have an english accent.
"Yes, you are in Scotland, located in Northern Europe. And based off of your American accent, you are quite a ways from home, yes?" The man asked gently, lowering his hands slightly.
Danny eyed the man critically, but knew that he wouldn't be able to keep up his tense, defensive position for much longer.
He was fading fast. Faster than he expected, which put a wrench in his option one.
"You could say that" he answered, slowly. He relaxed slightly, lowering his hands, shifting back.
"What, uh, what do you mean 'witchcraft and wizardry?"
Danny hoped that this wasn't an elaborate trick. It might just be his over-tired brain, but Mr. Wizard man claiming to be an actual wizard, and the awesome castle being a wizard school?
Not the craziest thing he'd ever been told, nor the worst situation he could be in. (Honestly, that would be the coolest thing ever).
The briefest flicker of surprise passed over the, apparently real, wizard's face before he answered, "The wizarding community of Europe is primarily taught here at Hogwarts." Here, the man narrowed his eyes in thought, then asked, "Did you not know of the wizarding community before, well, being brought here?"
"If by wizarding community you mean actual, real-life wizards and witches? No. I didn't. And I wouldn't exactly describe being summoned against my will as lightly as 'being brought here'. That summoning really hurt." Fatigue was loosening his tongue somewhat, but this wizard dude had a calming presence. He reminded him of Clockwork.
"Ah. I apologize, and I assure you that it wasn't Professor Trelawney's intention to summon you, specifically. It is actually astounding that you were summoned at all, seeing as how you are, at least partially, human."
And the tension came right back.
Danny prepared to bolt, but the wizard held up his hands again in a gesture of surrender, trying to calm the situation again.
"Please, don't worry. I have offered you sanctuary in my school, already knowing of your non-human or partial human status. The Wizarding world is full of impossible people. Please know that, if you should still want it, knowing what you do now, help will be given to you. I know that our matron, Madame Pomfrey, will want to treat those injuries you have, and make sure you have a decent meal before you rest for the night."
Danny stood there, again unsure of what to do. Was this guy being for real?
Could Mr. Magic man really be offering him help? Food, and a bed? Despite knowing that he wasn't entirely human?
One thing was for sure, he wouldn't last the night in this forest the way he was. He was starting to get lightheaded from how low on energy he was.
There goes option B. That only leaves...
"Your school? You're in charge of that big castle school?" He asked, desperation starting to inch into his voice.
The wizard guy relaxed minutely before he answered, "Yes. Please forgive me, I neglected to introduce myself. My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts, the 'awesome castle school' as you put it."
Pausing and smiling gently, he continued, "And I can assure you, none of us are vampires, and the sun does set in the west and rise in the east."
He would have laughed if his head hadn't been swimming, but he needed to be sure before he faded completely.
"But, you can make sure? Can you promise that I'll be safe, even though I'm only half..." swallowing dryly, he gathered his courage, "Half human?"
Dumbledore looked at him then, and he felt that he was being x-rayed by that light blue gaze.
"Yes. You have my word, as Headmaster, that you will be safe within the walls of my school."
He slumped, everything seeming to hit him at once. He breathed a sigh of relief so deep that he had to put his hand on his chest to make sure he didn't crumble. Unfortunately, he used his still cut hand, leaving a bloody handprint behind. He was lower on energy than he thought if his enhanced healing was taking this long to patch up a little gash.
Looking back to Dumbledore, he found concern in his eyes, and a hand extended as if to help support him.
"Help, Mr. Dumbledore, would be appreciated" he said, putting his cut hand on the gashes on his other forearm to try to stop the bleeding of both.
Dumbledore nodded, and turned slightly to allow Danny to walk beside him out of the forest.
He walked forward hesitantly, but eventually fell into step beside the headmaster. Walking beside the calming presence Dumbledore soon provided him, he had enough peace of mind to be a bit excited about being able to see the castle again.
To actually have his injuries treated for once, instead of letting them heal on their own.
To have something to eat and drink, and a safe place to sleep.
Safe. He was going to be safe tonight.
He could have cried with relief.
He almost did cry when he laid eyes on the castle once again.
They both crossed the grassy field, walking past a large, dark lake that he hadn't seen before.
When they made it up to the front steps, walked through the large doors, Danny paused at the sound of voices coming from the large open doors just ahead. Lots of voices.
He jumped slightly when Dumbledore's hand gently landed on his shoulder.
"Please do not worry. The students are just in the Great Hall for dinner. We will be going to the hospital wing, where Madame Pomfrey can treat your injuries, and get you food and a bed for the night. Alright?" The headmaster asked quietly.
All he could do was nod back to show he understood.
They continued forward, passing the open doorway with Dumbledore's hand still on his shoulder, gently leading him in the right direction. The chatter of voices and delicious smells of food made his head swim a bit more, and he felt Dumbledore's hand tighten just slightly to help support him as they continued.
They eventually made it to what Dumbledore called the Hospital wing, and when they stepped inside he saw rows of beds along both walls, with privacy curtains tucked away in the back. Bookcases and shelves filled with books, and what he could only assume were potions, could be seen just before a door leading further into another room.
"Poppy?" Dumbledore asked the empty room. "I have a young man here in need of your care."
He jumped again when a short, matronly woman came out of the door at the back of the room, and bustled over to them.
"Oh dear, look at you! You're bleeding! Oh Dumbledore! I keep telling you that classes here are much to dangerous if kids keep coming to me in this state! It's like I've been saying for years now! If it's not dementors or dragons it's always..." She rambled on, fussing about in such a whirlwind that Danny didn't know when he had been placed on a bed, his sweatshirt removed, and his arm extended and in Madame Pomfrey's hand.
She was now pointing a long, thin, carved stick at his forearm, and the barely dry blood on his arm vanished before his eyes.
Oh. Magic. She was treating his injuries with magic.
He hadn't quite believed it fully, but now that it was being performed right before his eyes his tired mind stalled for a moment. Witches and wizards are real. Magic is real.
He watched her clean the blood from his cut hand in the same way as before. He could only stare wide-eyed at the display.
He was startled back to the present by Dumbledore speaking to him directly.
"I'm terribly dear boy, but I just realized that I don't even know your name?"
"Oh, um, Danny. My name is Danny."
"Well Danny, let me be the first to say, 'Welcome to Hogwarts.' And now that you are in the very capable hands of Madame Pomfrey, I must go tend to a few things in my office." Dumbledore strode closer to the door leading back to the corridor.
"I bid you a pleasant night, and hope that tomorrow, when you are well fed and rested, we may speak again to gain a proper understanding of how you came to be here. Alright?"
Before he could respond, Madame Pomfrey spoke up, confusion coloring her voice, "Professor Dumbledore? His wounds aren't healing properly. They begin to heal, and then stop."
Before he could properly feel anything about that comment, Dumbledore spoke.
"Ah yes, Poppy, Danny here is a bit of a special case. Do you have some muggle bandages that you could treat his injuries with?"
"Of course headmaster." If she was confused about the request, she hid it well. She headed to the back to gather supplies, and Dumbledore turned back to him, eyebrow raised in question.
"Oh. Uh. Sure. We can talk tomorrow." He said nodding. As Dumbledore turned to leave, he remembered something important that he had forgotten.
"Oh! Mr. Dumbledore?" He asked quickly, Dumbledore turning back to him with his hand on the open door.
"Thank you," he said, "for, well, thank you for all of this."
Dumbledore smiled softly.
"You are very welcome Danny, sleep well."
It had been a confusing mess within the divination classroom following the summoned boy's escape.
Well, Ron described it as 'complete bonkers,' which was much closer to the truth in Harry's opinion.
After Umbridge and Trelawney had a loud shouting match about what had just happened, Umbridge then went and blamed the students for the boy waking up and escaping by accusing them of countering her stunner.
This caused more shouting, between students and professors alike, and resulted in the entire classes wands getting checked for the last spell that they had cast. When it was proven that no one had performed the counter curse, she had had no more reasons for yelling at the class. She stormed from the room to inform (shout at) Professor Dumbledore, instead.
Professor Trelawney quickly stammered out a dismissal and then flew after the toad in a flurry of beads and shawls, most likely to follow her to the headmaster's office.
In the stunned silence of the classroom, Ron said "Blimey. I'll bet you that Trelawney beats Umbridge to Dumbledore's office, cos she's got height over the toad, that's for sure." And the tension evaporated.
Everyone chuckled slightly, happy for a chance to poke fun at the toad.
They all traipsed out of the North tower, heading towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. That is, until Parvati asked if Umbridge would be back in time to teach the class.
They were all contemplating the answer when more Gryffindors, including Hermione, showed up waiting outside the room for class to start.
As soon as Hermione was near them, he and Ron both pulled her away from the main thoroughfare of students, and began explaining everything that had just happened in Divination.
The entire explanation lasted long enough for the rest of the class to head back to the common room, chattering away about the same incident the trio was.
When they were done, Hermione stood speechless, and they were alone in the corridor.
"A ritualistic summoning? But? But? That kind of magic hasn't been practiced in... in millennium! And from what I have read of the subject, it rarely ever worked when it was performed!" Exclaimed Hermione.
"Yeah! Trelawney was saying something similar, something about a phantom planet that may not exist! But Hermione!" Ron said excitedly "When Trelawney was performing the incantation, she started speaking strange, and it became windy and cold! And then the kid! He just came out of nowhere, and then transformed into a human! I wouldn't have believed it if it hadn't happened right in front of me!"
"But where is he now?" She asked worriedly, "Was he hurt? Is he alright? Is he even still on the grounds?"
"We don't know," Harry spoke up "Umbridge is probably still speaking to Dumbledore now, which is probably why the class has ended without it even starting." Not that he was complaining.
"Oh. Yes, yes you're right Harry. Look at the time now, it is already time for dinner." She straightened out her robes, and took a breath.
"We should go to the Great Hall." She said decisively. "We can talk more about this once we get down there, and get something to eat. Come on. Let's go."
With that she turned on her heel and marched off, muttering under breath. He and Ron glanced at each other, smiled, and then jogged to catch up to their friend.
Once they made it to the Great hall, they found it already filled with students.
As they sat at the Gryffindor table, the conversations being held around the hall were quiet, and incredulous.
Harry wasn't surprised that news had spread so quickly, but was glad that the whispers weren't about him for once.
Eating, and discussing the possibilities of how a human could be summoned by magic, the afternoon turned to evening. Harry eventually turned and looked out the doors of the Great Hall, and instantly jabbed Ron in the ribs on reflex.
Ron stopped talking with a grunt and turned accusing eyes on him, until he looked where Harry was staring, prompting Hermione to do the same. They were stunned speechless at what they saw.
Dumbledore, with his hand on the shoulder of the summoned boy, now covered in blood.
As they passed though the Entrance Hall, Harry took in the tattered muggle clothes, the blood seeping from the arm of the boys right forearm, and smeared across the left side of his face and on his front.
The boy was walking slowly, swaying slightly. Looking closer, he could see just how exhausted and drawn out the boy looked.
Dumbledore was both leading him, and supporting him through the castle corridors. (This assuaged the sudden, -and viscously beaten back-, stab of jealousy he felt at the sight).
Once the pair was out of sight, the trio turned back to each other, eyes wide.
They were all speechless for a moment, before Hermione finally spoke up.
"He... he was hurt, and... and exhausted! Did... do you think the summoning hurt him?" She asked, her eyes shining.
"Blimey. You think he'll be here long? At Hogwarts I mean. You don't think Umbridge will try anything do you? Dumbledore is sure to keep her away from him after what she was saying in the divination classroom. Right?" Ron asked, looking paler than usual.
He looked at them both, with no answers and even more questions.
"I think we should go see him tomorrow." He said finally "Make sure he is okay. Make sure that Umbridge doesn't try anything. Maybe ask why he was summoned. What do you say?"
They both looked back at him quietly, and then nodded their heads in agreement.
Another chapter down! Hope you liked!
Procrastination is my best friend for this project, and I am having a lot of fun getting into the real story of this story!
Until the next chapter!