Victoria awoke with a start. She was stifling in her huge four poster bed. Her robes were pretty filthy, and she really had to get back to her cottage and bring all of her things to Hogwarts. She looked around her bare room. No, this won't do, she thought. She had to get back to her cottage. But suddenly she remembered that today was the day all the students would arrive, and she was expected at the welcoming feast. She also had to decorate her classroom and office. She finally decided to go back to her house, but come back on the Hogwarts Express train. After a quick shower and a quick breakfast she prepared herself in her tiny kitchen, she was off. She realized that it was Friday and she still had two days to get herself organized. She grabbed her broomstick and flew to Hogsmeade. There she could apparate to her cottage and from there apparate to the train station. She finally arrived in the small village. She parked her broom in a parking station and apparated.
There was her small home, in the middle of a clearing in the woods. She started toward it when she noticed that some of its lights were turned on. She saw human shapes moving around inside. Victoria was frightened. Hadn't she locked the door by magic and put a spell on the house so no one but her could see it? She hid herself in a shub as some of the shadows could be seen in the window of the front door. Cornelius Fudge and a man she didn't know emerged empty handed. They plopped down on the grass in front of her hiding place.
"I really think Dumbledore is losing his touch. He told us that You-Know-Who may be somewhere around here. We had fifty aurors swarming the area yesterday, but they detected no sign of him or any death eaters. And the cottage shows no sign of any attacks. The only thing that may suggest that he was really here is that Ms. Flamel isn't around. Of course, she is supposed to be at Hogwarts and she probably is." Fugde sighed unhappily.
"You think we should sack him as headmaster, Cornelius? I have wasted two days here and not one shred of evidence," murmured the other man.
"Let's see how the year progesses. If he keeps on insisting that you-know-who is back, I'll sack him and get one of the governors to be headmaster. We'd better get going, there's a ministry press conference scheduled for 12 noon."
Suddenly, Victoria high-heeled shoe slipped and rustled the whole shrub she was hiding behind. She prayed the minister wouldn't notice.
However, her prayers were not answered. The minister and the man started toward her hiding place. She stood up and acted as if she had just arrived in the clearing. The minister and the man halted when they saw her. The minister was just about to shout when he looked at her. He was starting to feel her charm. "Er-How do you do? Um, I guess we didn't see you there?"
"Well, I did just arrive. What brings you here, Minister?" "I was just... Oh, me and my colleague were just relaxing here."
"Interesting place to relax. Won't you have some tea?" Victoria started toward the cottage.
"No, no. We must be going, um, Victoria is it?"
"Yes. That's me. I beleive we haven't been introduced?" Her eyes and the man's met.
"That's just an unspeakable. Never you mind. Good bye, Ms. Flamel." With that, the minister and the unspeakable apparated.
Victoria entered her beloved cottage, where she had lived all her life. She hated to abondon it but no one had cared to rent it. The ministry oficials were careful not to leave an inkling that they had been there. She gathered her robes. All of them were made for the younger woman, and problably wouldn't be common at Hogwarts. They all had low necklines and were made from lightweight material. She really didn't care. She wondered what the staff and students would say, though.
Once she had gathered all of her things and packed them into her trunk, she bewitched it so it would be feather light. She barely had time to catch the Hogwarts Express, but she could make it. She hastily apparated to the train station restroom. When she was there she realized that she had accidentally apparated to the men's room. She walked out of the stall and a scruffy man stared at her. She "obliviated" him and was out of there in a hurry.
She saw some wizards at the platform, but realized she wasn't at all late. She was a little early in fact. She rushed through the barrier. The scarlet steam engine awaited her. She made sure she was in the last car so she might be alone. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep.
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There was her small home, in the middle of a clearing in the woods. She started toward it when she noticed that some of its lights were turned on. She saw human shapes moving around inside. Victoria was frightened. Hadn't she locked the door by magic and put a spell on the house so no one but her could see it? She hid herself in a shub as some of the shadows could be seen in the window of the front door. Cornelius Fudge and a man she didn't know emerged empty handed. They plopped down on the grass in front of her hiding place.
"I really think Dumbledore is losing his touch. He told us that You-Know-Who may be somewhere around here. We had fifty aurors swarming the area yesterday, but they detected no sign of him or any death eaters. And the cottage shows no sign of any attacks. The only thing that may suggest that he was really here is that Ms. Flamel isn't around. Of course, she is supposed to be at Hogwarts and she probably is." Fugde sighed unhappily.
"You think we should sack him as headmaster, Cornelius? I have wasted two days here and not one shred of evidence," murmured the other man.
"Let's see how the year progesses. If he keeps on insisting that you-know-who is back, I'll sack him and get one of the governors to be headmaster. We'd better get going, there's a ministry press conference scheduled for 12 noon."
Suddenly, Victoria high-heeled shoe slipped and rustled the whole shrub she was hiding behind. She prayed the minister wouldn't notice.
However, her prayers were not answered. The minister and the man started toward her hiding place. She stood up and acted as if she had just arrived in the clearing. The minister and the man halted when they saw her. The minister was just about to shout when he looked at her. He was starting to feel her charm. "Er-How do you do? Um, I guess we didn't see you there?"
"Well, I did just arrive. What brings you here, Minister?" "I was just... Oh, me and my colleague were just relaxing here."
"Interesting place to relax. Won't you have some tea?" Victoria started toward the cottage.
"No, no. We must be going, um, Victoria is it?"
"Yes. That's me. I beleive we haven't been introduced?" Her eyes and the man's met.
"That's just an unspeakable. Never you mind. Good bye, Ms. Flamel." With that, the minister and the unspeakable apparated.
Victoria entered her beloved cottage, where she had lived all her life. She hated to abondon it but no one had cared to rent it. The ministry oficials were careful not to leave an inkling that they had been there. She gathered her robes. All of them were made for the younger woman, and problably wouldn't be common at Hogwarts. They all had low necklines and were made from lightweight material. She really didn't care. She wondered what the staff and students would say, though.
Once she had gathered all of her things and packed them into her trunk, she bewitched it so it would be feather light. She barely had time to catch the Hogwarts Express, but she could make it. She hastily apparated to the train station restroom. When she was there she realized that she had accidentally apparated to the men's room. She walked out of the stall and a scruffy man stared at her. She "obliviated" him and was out of there in a hurry.
She saw some wizards at the platform, but realized she wasn't at all late. She was a little early in fact. She rushed through the barrier. The scarlet steam engine awaited her. She made sure she was in the last car so she might be alone. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep.
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