As I said before, I will try to explain as I go if you haven't read Harry Potter, but please understand that this was originally a Harry Potter story and His Royal Tightness wiggled his way into it...
Special thanks to all of you who reviewed the first chapter: Amber (I think your review came in in record time! Not even 5 minutes after it was posted!), Melissa Davis (Now you will have to read the Potter book I gave you for your birthday, heh), Lillian (It wouldn't make sense if she is one of the main characters, would it? Aaahhhh... I'm not saying... ::evil grin::), and Estelle (Thanks! I started this thinking, how can I put someone in Hogwarts without being a transfer student? - I heard they are adding a new Wing in Hogwarts for all the American transfers - the Eagle house... ^_^)
If you find mistakes here, please excuse my spelling errors and other horrors, but English is not my first language(and this was my second fic). So let me know any errors you find and I will correct them. As always, please R/R and tell me if I'm doing a good job or if this sucks.
And before I forget,
DISCLAIMER - All characters from Potterverse belong to the magnificent J.K. Rowling. Sarah, Jareth, and everything Labyrinth belong to Jim Henson Productions. I only own Caridwen, the plot, and any other characters you don't recognize.
And now, the story.
The Searcher II:
Harry Potter and the False Ghost
Ch. 2: Welcome to the land of the living...
Cari woke up in the hospital wing. "What happened? Why am I here?" she thought.
She noticed for the first time that she was solid. She touched herself, she was warm. She looked at her arms, they were flesh and bone!
Madame Pomfrey entered the room and said "Oh, good! You are awake. Eat this, it will make you feel better." and gave her some chocolate.
Caridwen realized for the first time how hungry she was, so she started eating, savoring every bite.
Professor Dumbledore entered the room. "Young lady, I have some questions for you. First of all, let me present myself. I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster at Hogwarts. I am very curious to learn how you managed to appear in the middle of a quidditch field right after lightning stoke the ground."
Caridwen swallowed the last piece of chocolate and answered "My name is Caridwen Blantyre. I was a student at Hogwarts 317 years ago. I died defending the castle during the attack of Valkor the Dark. You can find my name in the trophy room. I have been a ghost in Hogwarts since the day I died. How this happened, I have no idea."
Dumbledore looked at her with a twinkle in his blue eyes and said, "You said your name is Blantyre? I remember now! You are the student that was left for dead because your body was never found."
"But that's impossible! I saw my own casket. I attended my funeral. I have been living inside the walls of Hogwarts since I died. You can ask any of the ghosts in the castle. They all know me, including Peeves." said Cari.
Dumbledore continued "I'm afraid that your casket was empty. It was a symbolic burial. Is all in the headmaster records. By this time, you should know that no magic spell can bring the dead back to life, so who is to say that you were really dead at all?"
Caridwen did not respond. Her face was showing absolute shock.
Dumbledore kept talking "I talked earlier with Mr. Potter, which to my surprise, seemed to know who you are. Sir Nicholas helped fill in the blanks. When comparing notes I found some strange things. First, Harry said that you did not feel like any of the other ghosts, instead of feeling like a bucket of iced water, you feel warmer, like tepid water. Second, Sir Nicholas tells me that the only living thing that could see you are animals and the castle headmaster, and Harry is the first human who is able to do so."
He noticed a faint blush starting to appear in Caridwen's face while asking "What is going to happen to me now?"
He stiffed a chuckle, and Cari noticed that the twinkle in his blue eyes increased. "If I remember correctly, your records indicate that you died at age 15, which makes you a 5th year. Also, I learned that you are a Griffindor, and that your bed is the one that is currently empty in the 5th year girl's dormitory. I suggest you go to your room and rest. You will be joining the 5th years in their classes."
"What about school materials and such?" Caridwen asked.
"Your mother refused to accept that you were dead, so she wanted you to have your things when you returned. We still have your belongings in the castle, so I'll send them to your room. You will go tomorrow with Professor McGonagall to Diagon Alley. There you will buy schoolbooks, and any other supplies you think you will need. Later, if you want, professor McGonagall can leave you at Hogsmeade, where you can return with the rest of the students. Oh, I hope you will join us for dinner at the Great Hall tonight."
Caridwen reclined her head in the pillows. Being alive again was going to be a lot of work. She started to wonder if it was worth it. What was she thinking? Of course it was!
She noticed that professor Dumbledore was about to leave, when he turned around and said "Did I forgot to mention you have visitors? I have selected a small group of students to help you readjust."
Then, he turned to the door and said "It's all right, you can come in!"
The door opened and she saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione coming into the room. Dumbledore said "If you excuse me, I have other things to attend to" and he left.
She turned to Harry and with a smile she said "Hi Harry! I already know your friends, but would you mind introducing me?"
Harry nodded and turned to his friends "Ron, Hermione, This is Caridwen."
"My friends call me Cari.", she said, shaking hands with both of them.
Harry asked "What are you going to do now?"
She proceeded to explain everything that Dumbledore told her.
The three friends smiled and Harry said "Guess which three students have been selected to help you readjust?"
Hermione said "I could go with you to Diagon Alley, if you want. We can get to know each other better. You have no idea how much I have wished for another Griffindor girl in our year."
Cari said with a big smile "Thanks!"
Harry and Ron looked at Hermione like she was an alien and she said "What? This is girl's stuff. Unless you feel like buying clothes all day…"
Both responded with a shake of the head and saying "No, thank you!" making the girls laugh.
Madame Pomfrey came in the room and said "You are good to go with your friends" and smiling she shooed them out of the room.
They kept talking all the way to the Griffindor tower. Once they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Hermione said the password "lizard guts" and went up the stairs to the common room.
There was a sudden silence once they entered the common room.
Aware that everybody was staring at her, she said "Hi. My name is Caridwen Blantyre. I will be rejoining Hogwarts as a 5th year Griffindor. I hope to get to know you better. Now, if you excuse me, I am still tired, and I will like to lie down. See you at dinner."
Saying this, she walked along with Hermione to the stairs leading to the 5th year girl's bedroom.
Ron looked at Harry in amazement and said "Wow! That took some guts!" as they went to talk to his brothers Fred and George.
Once they got into their bedroom, Caridwen stopped in front of the mirror. She hasn't seen her own reflection in ages. She could barely remember what she looked like. She walked towards the mirror, afraid of what she might see. What she saw was a fairly pretty girl, fair skin, heart shaped face, blue-gray eyes and dark brown hair with a soft wave that came down to her waist. By no means she was a gorgeous girl, but she wasn't bad looking either. She made a movement to touch the mirror, but because Hermione was there, she stopped.
She turned to see her bed, and at the footsteps she saw her old trunk. She saw that Hermione was looking for something in her closet, so she opened it and saw some of her old dresses, old letters, a small picture, and a golden chain with a small golden key.
She smiled "At least I have my Gringotts vault key"
She then proceeded to take out her old dresses, which were saved with magic, so they did not appear old at all.
Hermione gasped at the first look of the dresses and said "They look like something a princess would wear!" making Cari blush, thinking 'You have no idea!'.
She responded "In a sense, I was. My father was a very rich feudal lord. He was a wizard, and my mother a muggle, hence my clothes. I love them dearly, and miss them. Would you like to see a picture of them?"
Hermione nodded, and leaving the rich red velvet dress on the bed, Cari went back to the trunk and took out the small painting. There she saw a couple waving at them. He was blond and had very strange eyes, one blue, the other hazel. Her mother had her same brown hair and blue-gray eyes and was smiling, making Hermione notice a strong resemblance to her mother.
Hermione gave the picture back to Cari, which she put on her night table.
She saw that Hermione was looking in her closet, and asked "What are you doing?"
Hermione took her head out of her closet with a triumphant look and said "You can use some of my clothes until tomorrow. Just lay down and rest. I will wake you up half an hour before we have to go down for dinner. If there is anything else you need, please let me know."
Hermione was opening the door to leave when Cari called "Hermione?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you." was the last thing Cari said before falling asleep.
Hermione smiled and closed the door gently after her.
Cari woke up and saw that she was alone in the dormitory. She
closed her eyes, trying to sense how much power she had. She had
been out of her home for too long. She went to the mirror, and passed
her hand in front.
Only one word came from her mouth, "Morath?"
An old man came into the mirror's image. He was surrounded by books and had a very strange bird hat.
The bird looked at her and said "I can't believe this!"
She smiled and said "Nice to see you too, Pepe."
The old man looked confused for a while, and looking straight to her eyes, he said "Caridwen, is that you?"
She smiled, and said "Yes, it's me. Just to let you know, he is here, I can feel it. Please let mom and dad know that I'm OK. Oh, and tell them I miss them very much."
She heard footsteps coming her way, and hastily said "I have to go, I'll talk to you later".
She turned back into the bed when the door opened and two girls entered, talking non-stop.
She opened her eyes and the blonde girl said "Oh, you must be the new girl!"
Cari smiled and said "That's right! What are your names?"
Hermione opened the door carefully to not disturb Cari.
As she entered, she saw that Cari was already awake, talking to Parvati and Lavender.
As soon as Cari saw Hermione getting into the room, she said "If you excuse me, I think I'll go and get ready for dinner", took her borrowed clothes and went to the bathroom.
Immediately after she got back to the bedroom, Hermione looked anxiously at her.
"What happened? We only have 5 more minutes to go down."
With a little embarrassment, Cari responded "I'm sorry. I did not realize how much I needed a shower. I lost track of time. Could you help me with my hair? I don't have a wand, and I'm not sure what styles are in use now."
Hermione just smiled and responded "Sure!"
Hermione and Cari were chatting amicably down the stairs from their bedroom to the common room. As soon as they entered, they heard Ron, "Well, about time! Let's go, I'm starving!"
Hermione saw him and with an amused tone said "Ron, you are always hungry" and trailed off with him, none of them noticing that they left Harry and Cari behind.
Cari looked at Harry "What was that all about?"
Harry just shrugged, and she continued "And they keep insisting that they don't like each other? Funny way to show it" making both of them try to stiff fits of laughter as they hurried down to the Great Hall.
As they were walking down to the Great Hall, Harry said "You know, it's kind of strange not looking for you in the corridors."
She laughed and responded "I know. I always looked forward to mealtimes just to wave hello to you."
She went silent for a moment, and he noticed that she was serious when she said "I was talking to Parvati and Lavender, and they were saying that Hermione and Ron were a little cross at you because you were not spending much time with them lately. I put two and two together, and, and…" she blushed a little, and continued "I know I should be mad at you, even madder at myself, but for some reason I feel flattered. Thank you."
"For what?" asked Harry, suddenly realizing he was starting to turn pink.
"For wanting to be my friend, when you already have the top 2 best friends in the world" she replied.
Harry whispered in her ear "You are wrong. I have the top 3 best friends in the world", making her blush more, making her glad that they arrived at the doors.
When they entered the Great Hall, the chatter that could be heard suddenly stopped. It started again, but Cari noticed that now was softer and people were pointing and trying to look at them.
Cari asked Harry "Is it like this every time you come to eat?"
At what Harry responded with amusement "It's not me who they are interested in. It's you." trying to hide some of the laughter.
It was good that someone else took the spotlight for a change.
He saw her stiffen up and told her "Just give them a couple of days. Then the novelty will pass and everything will be back to normal. I know, I've been there" and Harry lead her to Ron and Hermione, which were waving at them.
They sat on the table, Cari seated between Hermione and Harry, when Dumbledore rose and spoke "I just have a special announcement to make. I know that there have been a lot of rumors flying around about a new student. Yes, she appeared out of nowhere earlier today after the end of the quidditch game. No, she was not a ghost, no one can come back to life. We don't know what happened, but be assured she is alive and well. She will go back to the year and house she was when she disappeared. She is to be treated as any student. Just think of her as a peer that had to take some days off. Now, let's eat!"
At that moment, there was some snickering coming from the Slytherin table and Malfoy shouted "Yeah, just an absence of over 300 years, but who's counting?"
Harry could feel the anger building in him, and was about to say something when he heard "Shut up, Malfoy" coming from next to him.
Harry, Ron and Hermione turned to look at Cari, and she said sheepishly "Sorry, but I always wanted to say that" making the friends laugh, and they started to enjoy their dinner.
Once they were finished, Cari said, "I think I have eaten enough to last 300 years more."
The friends laughed at the comment and stood up to go to their common room.
Malfoy walked up to them, Crabbe and Goyle right behind him.
He stopped in front of Cari and said "I thought that in over 300 years
you could have learned to choose friends" with a snicker.
Harry was about to take a step forward, but Cari held him by an arm,
saying "Let me take care of him."
She walked slowly up to Draco, with a mischievous smirk on her face, her face very close to his.
She was playfully sliding her index finger all across his chest, and with a flirting tone said "Ah, but I have learned lots of things during that time."
She moved even closer to him, making him nervous, her lips creating a menacing smile very close to his, and continued with her voice becoming cold as ice "And many of them will make your spine crawl out of your body without giving it a second thought."
At that point Draco went pale, and she touched his nose teasingly.
She turned to her friends, which were a funny sight, all big eyes with open mouths, and said "Let's go."
They left, Draco unable to move or say anything, still in shock.
Caridwen was smiling inwardly while thinking "This gives a whole new meaning to the term 'Daddy's little girl'. He would be so proud."
They arrived to the portrait, still silent. Cari said the password and they went up the stairs to their common room. Once they got there, her friends seemed to come out of a trance.
Harry said "How did you do that?", while Hermione said "That was incredible!" and Ron "Brilliant!" at the same time.
Ron said "I don't know about you, but I think this makes it official. Our trio has become a quartet."
They all laughed and Cari said "I was very shy when I, how shall I put it, disappeared. I decided that now I have a second chance, so shyness will have to go. I just remembered something I heard: 'If you got it, work it!', so I decided to have a little fun."
Hermione said "We better go to sleep now. We have a busy day at Diagon Alley tomorrow. We can meet somewhere in Hogsmeade after we are finished."
Leading Cari to the girls bedroom while Cari said to the boys "Good night! See you tomorrow" between laughs and giggles.
Harry said to Ron "That was weird", while they walked to their bedroom.
They changed into their pajamas, turned the lights off and got in bed.
In the middle of the darkness Ron said "Harry?"
"Mmm?"
"She surely knows how to work it."
Harry could feel his face get extremely flushed while he thought "Yes, she does", and drifted to sleep with a smirk on his face.
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