Author's note: I'm trying to get this story done as fast as I can so I can
do a sequel! Do all you readers want a sequel or not, with Kendra Eades in
it?
Disclaimer: the usual yadda yadda yadda, and the usual blah blah blah. :-P
"We're not too late!" Dumbledore said firmly to the dwarves. "Somebody, get me one of the lime-green bottles from inside the cupboard. It's the color of Zaide's outfit."
Zaide heeded Dumbledore's words and strode over to the closet. He went inside to the messy shelves and extracted a small lime-colored bottle.
"I like limes. They are yummy," Quillan joked weakly. Nobody even cracked a smile. Zaide handed the bottle to Dumbledore.
"Gareth, hold Kendra's head up for me," Dumbledore ordered. Gareth lifted Kendra's head and torso off the bench, and sat down. He rested Kendra's lower back on his lap. Dumbledore popped the cork out of the small bottle and forced Kendra's mouth open. Then he tipped the contents of the bottle into her mouth, and forced her to swallow. The effect was instantaneous. Some color came back into Kendra's face, and she began breathing again. Everyone sighed with relief. "She's not quite out of the woods yet," Dumbledore said grimly. "Just give me the jade-green bottle labeled AF and then we'll bring Kendra to the hospital wing," Dumbledore said. This Ximen did, and Dumbledore poured the contents of that bottle down Kendra's throat. "Now, I will conjure up a stretcher. You dwarves help to get Kendra on it. I guess we will have to talk about our proposal later." The four lifted the inert girl onto the stretcher Dumbledore made out of thin air. "Now, let's go down to Poppy."
The five, plus Kendra, were a small, grim procession going down the corridors and stairs. Dumbledore studied Kendra's shins and left arm again. Her blood was congealing around the shards of glass. "She's lost a lot of blood, too," Gareth commented. "Do you really think the girl will make it?"
"I'm confident that she will. She may even be able to hear us talking," said Dumbledore sharply. "Oh, here we are." They had arrived at the door of the hospital wing. Dumbledore knocked and Madam Pomfrey opened the door. "Oh my gawd, what happened?" Madam Pomfrey said.
"Kendra Eades here has managed to escape from Lord Voldemort. She is very lucky indeed," Dumbledore informed her. "Now we just need to fix her up."
"Is she a first year? I've never had this student in here before," Madam Pomfrey asked.
"No, fifth. It's the 5th years who go to Merlin Haunted house, not the first," said Dumbledore.
"Oh, dear. She actually got kidnapped in there? I thought that Merlin Haunted House was protected, though not as safe as Hogwarts," said Madam Pomfrey.
"Voldemort somehow found a way for his Death Eaters to break through the enchantments. But you are correct about Hogwarts being safer," Dumbledore said. "I tend to doubt that he could break into here, at least for now."
"All right, Headmaster, enough talk. Eades needs treatment, now!" Madam Pomfrey said. "Was this a magical fire she got burned by?"
"I suspect that it was ashwinder eggs which ignited, so yes, it was indirectly from a magical fire," answered Dumbledore. "Now only that, but this glass... it has a curse on it so that it poisons anyone who gets cut by it. Fortunately, I have an antidote that neutralizes the poison. Kendra will need to have another draft this time tomorrow, and again at this time every day until she comes around."
"That arm won't heal right away with that combination," said Madam Pomfrey anxiously. "It will be useless for a while."
"You're right about that, but I believe that Kendra is right-handed. She will be able to do her schoolwork; she'll just have difficulty with carrying more than one or two books at a time. How long do you think it will take her arm to heal?"
"I'd say about two weeks, three at most," said Madam Pomfrey. "Would you all kindly leave, so I can get to work on the girl?"
"Indeed, Poppy," Dumbledore said. "Gareth, Ximen, Zaide, Quillan, come on."
When the five had gotten a safe distance from the hospital wing, Gareth said, "That Madam Pomfrey isn't a very pleasant one, is she, Albus?"
"I wouldn't say no to that, but she is one of the best healers around," Dumbledore said. "She rarely ever loses a patient of hers."
"Ah, well, one can't have everything good, can they?" said Zaide. "Everyone has their faults, no matter how many or how few."
"Quite right," said Dumbledore. "And now we need to go up to my office and chat about our ideas for a new, optional class for 4th years and up."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next day, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were eating breakfast. Nobody in the school was saying very much.
"We should have been in Merlin Haunted House, shouldn't we, Harry?" Ron said. "If only things had been different, if yesterday hadn't happened..."
Hermione threw her arms around Harry and Ron respectively, embarrassing them both greatly. "Oh, guys," she sobbed. "Poor Eloise! Poor Kendra!"
"We were getting to be pretty good friends with her," said Harry. "What was she like, anyway? Why didn't we ever notice her?"
"Well, Kendra tended to keep to herself. You know how she was talking to some of the other Hufflepuff girls? That was unusual behavior for her. She's really kind of a loner type. She's cool towards most people, most of the time. She's been getting more social, but I suspect she'll be even cooler towards everyone now. She may stay friends with us, though, if she lives, we've been through similar experiences," Hermione said.
"Or maybe she'd prefer avoiding us because of that," said Ron. "Poor Kendra."
Just then, Professor Dumbledore stood us at the staff table. "He might have an update on the news," Harry whispered. Everything grew quiet."
"I have an update on yesterday's events. However, I won't tell you until lunchtime."
"Oh, great, now we have to be in suspense until then," Ron whispered.
"However, will Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger please come up to the staff table after breakfast is over?"
There was a kind of rippling in the Great Hall as every head turned in the direction of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Apparently, they were about to find something out, something important. The trio heard a lot of whispers all about them now.
After breakfast, Hermione, Ron, and Harry walked up to the staff table where Dumbledore was sitting. "I will take you three up to my office," said Dumbledore. "You are excused from your morning classes. I am going to have to tell you something. Now, follow me."
Dumbledore and his three students walked in the direction of Dumbledore's office. They stopped in front of the stone gargoyle.
"Chocolate Frogs!" Dumbledore said. The gargoyle moved aside to allow them to enter.
Harry observed that four little men were sitting in the office. Each had an outfit of a different color on, and they all had long gray beards. The one in lime-green trousers, shirt, and hat stood up. "Hello, Dumbledore," he said. So you have brought the necessary students?"
"I have," said Dumbledore. "This is Harry, this is Ron, and this is Hermione."
"Harry Potter?" said the little man. His eyes raked Harry's face, and they performed the familiar linger on his scar. Harry nodded at him.
"Right, then. I guess I should introduce you dwarves, too," said Dumbledore.
"Okay, this one here in the green is Zaide. This little guy in the blue is Gareth. Ximen's in the orange, and Quillan's the one in the purple. Yes, I know they have very interesting names indeed. Now, let's get right down to business then. Sit, Harry, Hermione, Ron." They sat, feeling unaccountably nervous.
"Let's get right to the point. Kendra Eades has been found," Dumbledore said.
"Alive or dead?" Ron asked. The three student's dreaded Dumbledore's answer to the question.
"She was found by these four," Dumbledore said, indicating the dwarves. "She was unconscious, but she was alive. She was badly injured, though."
"You're talking about Kendra in the past tense. Is she dead?" Hermione squeaked. Her face was pale with fright."
"I say that she was badly injured because she's been healed a bit. And yes, she is alive," said Dumbledore.
"How did Kendra get injured? I know it was because of Voldemort, but what kind of injuries did Kendra get?" Harry asked. Ron and Hermione cringed at the mention of Voldemort's name.
"She's been burned by a magical fire, and she's been cut by glass with poison on it. I strongly suspect that she was also hit by the Cruciatus Curse." Harry cringed. He still hadn't forgotten the unexplainable pain of the Cruciatus Curse. You had to be possessed by it to understand what it was like, but once you've been hit once, you never quite forget the pain. "I think she should come around in a couple of days. As we speak she is still out cold."
"Is this the whole talk?" Hermione asked.
"Not quite. My friends here are also going to be doing some talking. I didn't bring them here just for the sole fact that they found Kendra. They were on their way to see me when they literally stumbled over Kendra's body."
"What did they want to talk about?" Harry asked.
"Ah, I think I'll let them tell you, Mr. Potter," aid Dumbledore. "Zaide, you take it from here."
"Okay," said Zaide, straightening his lime hat. "We were going to talk with Dumbledore about an idea for a new class. Remember the Dueling Club? Dumbledore told me about that." Ron, Hermione, and Harry nodded. "Well, this is similar to the Dueling Club, only this involves more than just the knowledge of spells. It also involves physical strength. It is training for battling against Lord Voldemort."
Harry exchanged glances with Ron and Hermione. He had the feeling that if the dwarves went through with the class, the three of them would be among the first of the recruits.
"Have any of you ever read the Lord of the Ring series?" the one in purple asked.
"I did, er, Quentin?" Hermione said dubiously.
"Quillan," Quillan corrected. "Now, J.R.R. Tolkien had mistakenly discovered hobbits. He didn't just make them up. He was a wizard. However, he just acted Muggle-like, pretending that he'd invented hobbits. That was a true story, only the names of all except Gandalf and Sauron, and some facts, were changed."
"Wow," said Hermione. "So there really are beings who look like humans in every way except for strange ears and feet, and a short stature?"
"Yes," said Quillan.
"Anyway, this will be a battle against a Dark Lord. However, students will be trained heavily. This is an optional course. You will also have to practice it over your summer break. Battle is so dangerous that only those in your year and up can join. We'd prefer 6th and 7th years, but you four are special," said Zaide.
"Excuse me, but did you just say us four? There are only three of us in the room," Harry said.
"Is it true or not that Kendra Eades has been getting close to your group?" asked Dumbledore.
"It's true," said Ron.
"Do you think that she will want to do some battling against Lord Voldemort?" asked Quillan.
Hermione thought for a moment. "She probably would, particularly after what happened yesterday."
"Is she any good at athletics?" asked Zaide.
"I think she's a sort of fast runner, but that's it. I'm not so hot at sports myself," said Hermione.
"That is okay. As long as you are healthy, you can become good at using a sword and shooting arrows. Harry Potter, you've had some practice with swords, have you not?" asked Zaide.
"I wouldn't exactly call it practice..." muttered Harry.
"Well, you have some experience then," said Zaide. "You have all had practice with wizard's duels."
"Was Kendra part of the Dueling Club?" Ron muttered. Harry and Hermione shrugged.
"Well, she must have had some experience by now," said Quillan. "Facing the Dark Lord and everything."
"Anyway, the students will practice with swords, and with bows and arrows," said Zaide.
"That sounds incredibly Muggle-like, if you ask me," Ron muttered audibly.
"Yes," Gareth said. "Disguises may be required, particularly to you, Harry Potter. These weapons won't be entirely Muggle-like, though. The swords will light up at certain instances, not unlike those in the books, and the arrows will be enchanted, o that death is caused much faster even if they strike a part such as an arm."
"Are you definitely having this?" asked Ron.
"Almost certainly," said Dumbledore. "If you dwarves are up to it."
"Certainly," the one in the neon orange (Zorro? wondered Harry) said.
"It's all settled, then," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling with a grim bravery.
"Now," said the fourth dwarf, Gareth, "we think that you four should sign up for this class. Talk to Kendra about this when she wakes up, and see if she wants to join. We know that this didn't take up your whole class, but it will be up to Albus if you even have to go or not. Discuss this amongst yourselves in your free time. Albus, do these three need to go to their classes?"
"You don't have to go to any of your morning classes, but you do need to go to your classes after lunch. Go up to the Gryffindor Common Room, and do whatever you wish to do. I'd prefer that you decide about the battling course, but if you don't want to, you don't have to," said Dumbledore.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Hurray! No Potions!" said Ron.
Hermione rolled her brown eyes. "Don't start partying yet, we're going to have to make up the work we miss."
"What WE miss? Kendra's going to have a lot of fun making up HER work when she wakes up," said Ron.
"I was out like a light about 3 days at the end of first year, and I didn't have to make up anything," said Harry.
"I'd like to point out two things to you," said Hermione. "One, you were a first year. First years get nothing compared to fifth years. Two, that was AFTER exams, so we didn't have any homework or class work."
"Okay, okay, I get the point," said Harry, raising his eyebrows at Hermione.
"The question is, do we want to join the battling class or not?" asked Ron. The three seated themselves in armchairs by the fire.
"Of course. I think it is my duty to fight Voldemort. I'm obviously destined for it," said Harry.
"Harry..." said Hermione. "You could end up dead or worse."
Ron blinked. "Did you say dead or worse? Last I checked, dead is the worst one could be."
"He could get his soul sucked out by a dementor. Isn't that worse than dead?" Hermione said.
"You mean WE could. Because I'm joining the class too. I want to help Harry fight You-Know-Who," said Ron.
"Ron, rule number 1 to battling Voldemort. Don't be afraid to speak his name," said Harry. "The same goes for you, Hermi."
Hermione glared at Harry. "Don't call me Hermi! I'd prefer to be called by my proper name Hermione, thank you very much."
"Okay, okay, keep your hair on," said Harry.
Ron chuckled. "Fred and George say that all the time."
"Do they?" I only heard them say that once," said Harry.
"Guys, we're getting a little off-topic here," Hermione urged.
"My mind's made up. I'm joining," said Harry.
"Harry... just be careful, okay? Promise me you'll be careful. That goes double for you, too, Ron," said Hermione.
"I take it you're not joining?" Harry inquired. Hermione shook her head.
"Wow, that's the one class you haven't tried," Ron laughed. "I still can't believe you took Muggle Studies. You're Muggle-born! I mean, I've heard of Muggle-borns taking it as an easy class, but signing up for everything... wow."
"So I'm into academics," said Hermione, glaring at Ron. "Just because you goof off all the time doesn't mean I have to! So I'm a little more the intellectual type than you are! Honestly."
"Just watch us practicing then, Hermione," said Harry hastily. "We really shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves now."
"Sorry, Hermione," said Ron. "Harry, want to play a game of wizard's chess?"
"Sure," said Harry.
Hermione sat and thoughtfully watched the boys play wizard's chess. The real reason Hermione didn't want to do the battling with swords and arrows was not just fear of pain and death, but fear of sticking up. Hermione didn't wish to be the only girl in the battling class. I think I'll talk to Kendra when she wakes up, said Hermione. If she joins, too, then I join. Hermione was pleased that she was friends with Kendra. Finally, a female friend that she could talk about certain subjects with. Harry and Ron were among Hermione's dearest friends, but there were subjects Hermione just couldn't talk with them about. Also, Harry and Ron talked about Quidditch a lot of the time. Hermione liked the talks where they could confide in each other. I'm such a guy's bud. Why can't Kendra be in Gryffindor? Hermione couldn't understand why Kendra had been put in Hufflepuff. She just didn't fit into the House's image at all. She wasn't the type who feared being blunt. She tended to be on the
impatient side, too, from what Hermione had observed of her. True, Kendra hated being mean, but if she saw someone making fun of someone who wasn't fighting back... WHAM! Kendra turned into a fierce tiger.
The boys played four or 5 fierce games of wizard's chess, and then it was time for lunch. Harry and Ron went to Dumbledore to say they they were in, but Hermione wasn't.
"I'm glad you two want to join," said Dumbledore. "Now, we just need permission from your families. You are only 15. 17-year-olds can make their own choices about things like this, but you two are kind of young."
Harry wasn't worried. He knew that the Dursleys would be only too happy that he was putting his life at serious risk. He wasn't so sure about Mr. and Mrs. Weasley for Ron, though.
"Mum might not want me to do this, she'll say I'm too young," mused Ron. "I really hope she'll let me do this. I'm sure Dad will be okay with it, but I dunno about Mum."
"I'm sure she'll realize that Voldemort could come after all of you whether you fight or not," said Harry. "Now, Hermione, I'll never understand her. Why is she so scared?"
"I don't get it," said Ron. "She wasn't too scared when we were facing Sirius, before we knew he was innocent and all."
"And what about second year, with the Polyjuice Potion?" added Harry.
"And first year. She insisted on helping you to try and get the Stone," Ron put in.
"Maybe her parents will definitely say no and she knows it. She's not a coward," suggested Harry.
"Then why not say she's in and then her parents later say no so she doesn't look cowardly?" Ron mused.
"Can we just drop this?" asked Harry. "I really don't like it when you two fight."
"Sorry, Harry," said Ron.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Kendra was in a very strange place. Everything in her field of vision seemed to be changing colors. First everything was black, then red, then orange, then navy blue, then red again, then the color of oatmeal. The color seemed to get stuck on the color of oatmeal.
Ick, I hate that color, thought Kendra. Why not navy blue? There's a color I like. I can't stand gray, Where the heck am I anyway?
The fifteen-year-old lay still for a few minutes, staring into the oatmeal. Suddenly, a blurry shape passed in front of her. Kendra blinked a couple of times, and everything came into focus. Good, I was beginning to wonder if I needed glasses or something, thought Kendra. Suddenly, she noticed a dull ache in her left arm and her lower legs. Kendra struggled to sit up, but she fell onto her left side. A sharp pain shot through her arm. Kendra's face contorted with pain. She tried to move both arms. Her right one moved freely, but her left one was stuck in its position. Kendra rolled onto her right side and made herself sit up that way, with difficulty.
Madam Pomfrey bustled over. "Oh, good, you're awake," she said. "Are you hungry or anything?"
Kendra shook her head and glanced down at her arm. It was covered with bandages and bound up in a sling. 'Okay, that explains why I couldn't sit up the normal way.' "How are you feeling?" Madam Pomfrey asked.
"Fine," Kendra lied. In truth, she felt exhausted.
"I'm gonna go get Professor Dumbledore. He told me to tell him when you wake up."
"Okay..." Kendra said. "Can Harry, Ron, and Hermione visit?"
"Absolutely not. Just Dumbledore, he's the headmaster."
"But I tend to feel better when I'm with my best friends," said Kendra.
"Kendra, you need rest. You've been through a terrifying ordeal." Madam Pomfrey turned to leave the hospital wing. Kendra rolled her eyes and glared very hard at Madam Pomfrey's back. Then she sighed and leaned back against her pillows, feeling very sorry for herself. She began to be tormented by flashbacks to the previous day, as she thought it had been.
Half an hour later, Madam Pomfrey returned with Dumbledore. "I'd like to speak to Kendra alone, and I'd like to have Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger with us, too," said Dumbledore. Kendra flashed the headmaster a grateful smile. "Go fetch them from their Transfiguration class." Madam Pomfrey gaped with outrage, but she obeyed Dumbledore, leaving him and Kendra alone together.
"How are you feeling, Miss Eades?" Professor Dumbledore asked kindly.
"I feel perfectly fine," Kendra said, forcing a smile.
"Now, now, Kendra. There's no need to lie. I wouldn't act any different if you said that you felt like you've been run over by the world's largest truck and then locked inside an oven for an hour."
Kendra laughed. That was a little similar to how she felt. "Actually, my arm hurts a bit," she said.
"See, these things can be helped," Dumbledore said. He dropped a tablet of something into a glass of water and gave it to Kendra. She downed the drink and her pain vanished. Minutes later, Madam Pomfrey returned with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Kendra waved with her good arm.
"Kendra!" Hermione squealed. She dashed over to the bed and hugged Kendra. "How are you feeling? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine now," said Kendra.
"No you are not!" said Ron. "You don't exactly have two arms now."
Kendra laughed. "I'm not one-armed! See, there's this arm," she waved her good arm, "and that arm." She pointed to the arm in the sling.
"I mean two usable arms," Ron amended.
"I can use this in, how long, professor?"
"About two or three weeks," said Dumbledore.
"Okay," said Kendra. She smirked at Ron. "I'll be as good as new in 3 weeks." She grinned again.
"Wow... you seem awfully cheerful," Harry said.
Kendra shrugged. "What can I say? It's great to be alive. Though I'm not exactly 1000 percent cheerful. Or even 100%."
"I was getting a little worried for a moment there," said Harry. "You're certainly good at covering up your feelings."
"Not really. Voldemort could tell I was scared," Kendra argued vehemently.
"Well, nobody, but nobody, can cover up that sort of feeling. I've known that for ages, and now you know it, too," said Harry.
"Yeah... I guess I do," said Kendra. "I guess I'll talk to you guys later about what happened. Or now."
"So what happened? I'll ask Harry, Ron, and Hermione to leave if you wish," said Dumbledore.
"No. I want them to stay," said Kendra firmly. "Anyway, where do you want me to start? When I was taken or when I first saw Voldemort?"
Dumbledore answered, "The former. When you were taken."
"Oh-kay," Kendra said. She took a deep breath to calm herself and then began to speak. "Okay. Anyway, one of them held me, and he must have Apparated or something carrying me. We were swirling very fast. So that was what it feels like to Apparate. Okay, when the spinning stopped, I was in a shack or something filled with Death Eaters in those horrid outfits there. I gave them numbers to try to amuse myself, but it didn't work. I did smile a little, because one of the Death Eaters got pi-, er, ticked off, sorry, Professor. He asked me what I was smirking at and lifted the Body Bind. So anyway, the one who asked me that shook me hard, and another pulled my hair." Kendra ran her hand through her now-loose hair and continued. "Then Peter Pettigrew, as Harry had described his voice, spoke. I thought he was dead, and was surprised when Harry told me he wasn't. A later conversation between Death Eaters confirmed that Pettigrew was alive. Anyway, a Death Eater asked me if I wanted to speak to Voldemort." Ron blenched at the name. "I said no comment, and the one who had asked me slapped me. Then he ordered for me to be tied up. They tied me to a pole. I couldn't move. I wasn't gagged because we were far from any civilization. Then Voldemort came. He tried to coax me to cross over to the Dark Side. I made it pretty clear that there was no way I'd follow in my Uncle Davus's footsteps. I also said that I was an Eades, NOT a Nott. Hey, not a Nott. Interesting. Anyway, he then put the Imperius Curse on me. I fought it off. Then Voldemort used the Cruciatus Curse on me." Harry cringed, remembering his own latest ordeal. He lifted it and again asked if I'd join. I said no again, and he repeated the Cruciatus Curse. He lifted it and tried to say I'd be a disgrace to my family if I didn't join him. I didn't buy that. He used the Cruciatus Curse a third time, and I finally passed out or something." Harry winced. That was more than he'd been hit with the curse.
"Then what happened? Harry asked. "How did you get burned and that stuff?"
Kendra sighed. "Allow me to continue. So anyway, when I woke up again, I found myself in a dark, dark room. I walked smack into a wall, and then started feeling my way around. I found a boarded window and a locked door. They were discussing whether to kill me straight-out, or just leave me, and how to kill me." Kendra shuddered. "They talked about students in our year related to Death Eaters. They mentioned a magical fire they had going, and they said they'd leave me. They mentioned a box, which was full of Portkeys. Guess what the Portkeys were?"
"What?" asked Hermione, who had been kind of quiet.
"Dead skunks," said Kendra dramatically. "I said I wouldn't use them, but then they were the only way back."
"How did you get out of the building?" asked Hermione.
"All in good time. Voldemort said to leave the fire burning, and everyone Disapparated. I tried to find a way out, but I couldn't. I tried to break the board with my feet, but I couldn't. I'd have done better if I hadn't quit karate as a yellow belt. I didn't smell smoke right away. I guess it was an Ashwinder. What seems like ages later, I finally smelled smoke. I saw an orange glow under the door. That was when I really freaked out. I felt the door, and it was hot. I remembered Muggle grammar school, before I came here, and all those fire-prevention lessons. Then I remembered the raccoons or skunks or whatever they were. Suddenly, the fire burned through the door. It fell off its hinges. The boarded window was illuminated. I was trapped.
"How did you ever get out? Who rescued you?" asked Ron.
"It was an amazing stroke of luck," said Kendra. "Suddenly, I saw something lying in the corner nearest the fire, about to be lit. It was a long piece of wood. I realized it was a wand, and it was about to you know, go on fire. I felt a little dizzy from the smoke and ash. Suddenly, the wand caught fire. I ran over there and picked it up, trying to put out the flames with my hands. After I got them out, I used the Reductor Curse on the board. Too bad it didn't work on the glass, because I was coughing too hard by then. My left arm caught fire. I managed to break the window with my foot and left fist, and I dived out. I landed on my knees on the glass. I ran away from the shack, and the flames climbed to my shoulder. I stopped, dropped, and rolled. I was going to give up hope, but then I remembered my family and friends. That gave me strength. I took a Portkey to Hogwarts, some sort of road kill, and I landed at the edge of the forest. I tried to walk to Hogwarts, and then
fainted. That is the last thing I remember."
"Wow, what an amazing escape artist you are, Kendra!" said Ron.
Kendra laughed. "It was my best escape ever."
"I have something else to talk to you about," said Dumbledore. "It's a new class. Harry and Ron are signing up, but Hermione is reluctant. It's a sort of battling class. It is optional, and you need your parents' permission. It's where you and others get trained to fight Voldemort. It won't just be Hogwarts students. There will also be hobbits."
Kendra blinked with surprise. "Hobbits? I thought they were something JKL Turner or whatever his name is made up."
"No," said Dumbledore. "They exist."
"Wow, I guess I should expect anything to exist," said Kendra.
"Including people with at least 3 arms." Ron chortled.
"So let me get this straight," said Kendra. There really are people who are from two to four feet tall, who don't need shoes? That tend to be fat, and have curly brown hair?"
"Yes," said Dumbledore.
Ron grinned a little. "Hey, Kendra, you sort of look like a hobbit. You have the hair, and stuff."
Kendra glared. "Gee, thank you soooooo much. That is soooooo sweet of you," she said sarcastically.
"You're welcome," Ron teased. Kendra stuck her tongue out at him.
"So, Kendra, will you want to join the battling class?"
Kendra shrugged. "I don't know. I'll have to think about it."
Author's note: This is the final chapter of Merlin Haunted House! I edited all of the chapters, changing Rebecca Fawcett's house from Ravenclaw to Slytherin, and changing Tina Nott's name to Antonia Nott, and moving her from Slytherin to Ravenclaw.. If anyone notices a spot where I put "Tina" instead of "Toni" or "Antonia", or if I called Rebecca a Ravenclaw and Toni a Slytherin, please tell me in a review! I'm currently working on a sequel to "Merlin Haunted House". The sequel is going to be titled "Aftermath." Cheers, Tricia
Disclaimer: the usual yadda yadda yadda, and the usual blah blah blah. :-P
"We're not too late!" Dumbledore said firmly to the dwarves. "Somebody, get me one of the lime-green bottles from inside the cupboard. It's the color of Zaide's outfit."
Zaide heeded Dumbledore's words and strode over to the closet. He went inside to the messy shelves and extracted a small lime-colored bottle.
"I like limes. They are yummy," Quillan joked weakly. Nobody even cracked a smile. Zaide handed the bottle to Dumbledore.
"Gareth, hold Kendra's head up for me," Dumbledore ordered. Gareth lifted Kendra's head and torso off the bench, and sat down. He rested Kendra's lower back on his lap. Dumbledore popped the cork out of the small bottle and forced Kendra's mouth open. Then he tipped the contents of the bottle into her mouth, and forced her to swallow. The effect was instantaneous. Some color came back into Kendra's face, and she began breathing again. Everyone sighed with relief. "She's not quite out of the woods yet," Dumbledore said grimly. "Just give me the jade-green bottle labeled AF and then we'll bring Kendra to the hospital wing," Dumbledore said. This Ximen did, and Dumbledore poured the contents of that bottle down Kendra's throat. "Now, I will conjure up a stretcher. You dwarves help to get Kendra on it. I guess we will have to talk about our proposal later." The four lifted the inert girl onto the stretcher Dumbledore made out of thin air. "Now, let's go down to Poppy."
The five, plus Kendra, were a small, grim procession going down the corridors and stairs. Dumbledore studied Kendra's shins and left arm again. Her blood was congealing around the shards of glass. "She's lost a lot of blood, too," Gareth commented. "Do you really think the girl will make it?"
"I'm confident that she will. She may even be able to hear us talking," said Dumbledore sharply. "Oh, here we are." They had arrived at the door of the hospital wing. Dumbledore knocked and Madam Pomfrey opened the door. "Oh my gawd, what happened?" Madam Pomfrey said.
"Kendra Eades here has managed to escape from Lord Voldemort. She is very lucky indeed," Dumbledore informed her. "Now we just need to fix her up."
"Is she a first year? I've never had this student in here before," Madam Pomfrey asked.
"No, fifth. It's the 5th years who go to Merlin Haunted house, not the first," said Dumbledore.
"Oh, dear. She actually got kidnapped in there? I thought that Merlin Haunted House was protected, though not as safe as Hogwarts," said Madam Pomfrey.
"Voldemort somehow found a way for his Death Eaters to break through the enchantments. But you are correct about Hogwarts being safer," Dumbledore said. "I tend to doubt that he could break into here, at least for now."
"All right, Headmaster, enough talk. Eades needs treatment, now!" Madam Pomfrey said. "Was this a magical fire she got burned by?"
"I suspect that it was ashwinder eggs which ignited, so yes, it was indirectly from a magical fire," answered Dumbledore. "Now only that, but this glass... it has a curse on it so that it poisons anyone who gets cut by it. Fortunately, I have an antidote that neutralizes the poison. Kendra will need to have another draft this time tomorrow, and again at this time every day until she comes around."
"That arm won't heal right away with that combination," said Madam Pomfrey anxiously. "It will be useless for a while."
"You're right about that, but I believe that Kendra is right-handed. She will be able to do her schoolwork; she'll just have difficulty with carrying more than one or two books at a time. How long do you think it will take her arm to heal?"
"I'd say about two weeks, three at most," said Madam Pomfrey. "Would you all kindly leave, so I can get to work on the girl?"
"Indeed, Poppy," Dumbledore said. "Gareth, Ximen, Zaide, Quillan, come on."
When the five had gotten a safe distance from the hospital wing, Gareth said, "That Madam Pomfrey isn't a very pleasant one, is she, Albus?"
"I wouldn't say no to that, but she is one of the best healers around," Dumbledore said. "She rarely ever loses a patient of hers."
"Ah, well, one can't have everything good, can they?" said Zaide. "Everyone has their faults, no matter how many or how few."
"Quite right," said Dumbledore. "And now we need to go up to my office and chat about our ideas for a new, optional class for 4th years and up."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next day, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were eating breakfast. Nobody in the school was saying very much.
"We should have been in Merlin Haunted House, shouldn't we, Harry?" Ron said. "If only things had been different, if yesterday hadn't happened..."
Hermione threw her arms around Harry and Ron respectively, embarrassing them both greatly. "Oh, guys," she sobbed. "Poor Eloise! Poor Kendra!"
"We were getting to be pretty good friends with her," said Harry. "What was she like, anyway? Why didn't we ever notice her?"
"Well, Kendra tended to keep to herself. You know how she was talking to some of the other Hufflepuff girls? That was unusual behavior for her. She's really kind of a loner type. She's cool towards most people, most of the time. She's been getting more social, but I suspect she'll be even cooler towards everyone now. She may stay friends with us, though, if she lives, we've been through similar experiences," Hermione said.
"Or maybe she'd prefer avoiding us because of that," said Ron. "Poor Kendra."
Just then, Professor Dumbledore stood us at the staff table. "He might have an update on the news," Harry whispered. Everything grew quiet."
"I have an update on yesterday's events. However, I won't tell you until lunchtime."
"Oh, great, now we have to be in suspense until then," Ron whispered.
"However, will Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger please come up to the staff table after breakfast is over?"
There was a kind of rippling in the Great Hall as every head turned in the direction of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Apparently, they were about to find something out, something important. The trio heard a lot of whispers all about them now.
After breakfast, Hermione, Ron, and Harry walked up to the staff table where Dumbledore was sitting. "I will take you three up to my office," said Dumbledore. "You are excused from your morning classes. I am going to have to tell you something. Now, follow me."
Dumbledore and his three students walked in the direction of Dumbledore's office. They stopped in front of the stone gargoyle.
"Chocolate Frogs!" Dumbledore said. The gargoyle moved aside to allow them to enter.
Harry observed that four little men were sitting in the office. Each had an outfit of a different color on, and they all had long gray beards. The one in lime-green trousers, shirt, and hat stood up. "Hello, Dumbledore," he said. So you have brought the necessary students?"
"I have," said Dumbledore. "This is Harry, this is Ron, and this is Hermione."
"Harry Potter?" said the little man. His eyes raked Harry's face, and they performed the familiar linger on his scar. Harry nodded at him.
"Right, then. I guess I should introduce you dwarves, too," said Dumbledore.
"Okay, this one here in the green is Zaide. This little guy in the blue is Gareth. Ximen's in the orange, and Quillan's the one in the purple. Yes, I know they have very interesting names indeed. Now, let's get right down to business then. Sit, Harry, Hermione, Ron." They sat, feeling unaccountably nervous.
"Let's get right to the point. Kendra Eades has been found," Dumbledore said.
"Alive or dead?" Ron asked. The three student's dreaded Dumbledore's answer to the question.
"She was found by these four," Dumbledore said, indicating the dwarves. "She was unconscious, but she was alive. She was badly injured, though."
"You're talking about Kendra in the past tense. Is she dead?" Hermione squeaked. Her face was pale with fright."
"I say that she was badly injured because she's been healed a bit. And yes, she is alive," said Dumbledore.
"How did Kendra get injured? I know it was because of Voldemort, but what kind of injuries did Kendra get?" Harry asked. Ron and Hermione cringed at the mention of Voldemort's name.
"She's been burned by a magical fire, and she's been cut by glass with poison on it. I strongly suspect that she was also hit by the Cruciatus Curse." Harry cringed. He still hadn't forgotten the unexplainable pain of the Cruciatus Curse. You had to be possessed by it to understand what it was like, but once you've been hit once, you never quite forget the pain. "I think she should come around in a couple of days. As we speak she is still out cold."
"Is this the whole talk?" Hermione asked.
"Not quite. My friends here are also going to be doing some talking. I didn't bring them here just for the sole fact that they found Kendra. They were on their way to see me when they literally stumbled over Kendra's body."
"What did they want to talk about?" Harry asked.
"Ah, I think I'll let them tell you, Mr. Potter," aid Dumbledore. "Zaide, you take it from here."
"Okay," said Zaide, straightening his lime hat. "We were going to talk with Dumbledore about an idea for a new class. Remember the Dueling Club? Dumbledore told me about that." Ron, Hermione, and Harry nodded. "Well, this is similar to the Dueling Club, only this involves more than just the knowledge of spells. It also involves physical strength. It is training for battling against Lord Voldemort."
Harry exchanged glances with Ron and Hermione. He had the feeling that if the dwarves went through with the class, the three of them would be among the first of the recruits.
"Have any of you ever read the Lord of the Ring series?" the one in purple asked.
"I did, er, Quentin?" Hermione said dubiously.
"Quillan," Quillan corrected. "Now, J.R.R. Tolkien had mistakenly discovered hobbits. He didn't just make them up. He was a wizard. However, he just acted Muggle-like, pretending that he'd invented hobbits. That was a true story, only the names of all except Gandalf and Sauron, and some facts, were changed."
"Wow," said Hermione. "So there really are beings who look like humans in every way except for strange ears and feet, and a short stature?"
"Yes," said Quillan.
"Anyway, this will be a battle against a Dark Lord. However, students will be trained heavily. This is an optional course. You will also have to practice it over your summer break. Battle is so dangerous that only those in your year and up can join. We'd prefer 6th and 7th years, but you four are special," said Zaide.
"Excuse me, but did you just say us four? There are only three of us in the room," Harry said.
"Is it true or not that Kendra Eades has been getting close to your group?" asked Dumbledore.
"It's true," said Ron.
"Do you think that she will want to do some battling against Lord Voldemort?" asked Quillan.
Hermione thought for a moment. "She probably would, particularly after what happened yesterday."
"Is she any good at athletics?" asked Zaide.
"I think she's a sort of fast runner, but that's it. I'm not so hot at sports myself," said Hermione.
"That is okay. As long as you are healthy, you can become good at using a sword and shooting arrows. Harry Potter, you've had some practice with swords, have you not?" asked Zaide.
"I wouldn't exactly call it practice..." muttered Harry.
"Well, you have some experience then," said Zaide. "You have all had practice with wizard's duels."
"Was Kendra part of the Dueling Club?" Ron muttered. Harry and Hermione shrugged.
"Well, she must have had some experience by now," said Quillan. "Facing the Dark Lord and everything."
"Anyway, the students will practice with swords, and with bows and arrows," said Zaide.
"That sounds incredibly Muggle-like, if you ask me," Ron muttered audibly.
"Yes," Gareth said. "Disguises may be required, particularly to you, Harry Potter. These weapons won't be entirely Muggle-like, though. The swords will light up at certain instances, not unlike those in the books, and the arrows will be enchanted, o that death is caused much faster even if they strike a part such as an arm."
"Are you definitely having this?" asked Ron.
"Almost certainly," said Dumbledore. "If you dwarves are up to it."
"Certainly," the one in the neon orange (Zorro? wondered Harry) said.
"It's all settled, then," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling with a grim bravery.
"Now," said the fourth dwarf, Gareth, "we think that you four should sign up for this class. Talk to Kendra about this when she wakes up, and see if she wants to join. We know that this didn't take up your whole class, but it will be up to Albus if you even have to go or not. Discuss this amongst yourselves in your free time. Albus, do these three need to go to their classes?"
"You don't have to go to any of your morning classes, but you do need to go to your classes after lunch. Go up to the Gryffindor Common Room, and do whatever you wish to do. I'd prefer that you decide about the battling course, but if you don't want to, you don't have to," said Dumbledore.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Hurray! No Potions!" said Ron.
Hermione rolled her brown eyes. "Don't start partying yet, we're going to have to make up the work we miss."
"What WE miss? Kendra's going to have a lot of fun making up HER work when she wakes up," said Ron.
"I was out like a light about 3 days at the end of first year, and I didn't have to make up anything," said Harry.
"I'd like to point out two things to you," said Hermione. "One, you were a first year. First years get nothing compared to fifth years. Two, that was AFTER exams, so we didn't have any homework or class work."
"Okay, okay, I get the point," said Harry, raising his eyebrows at Hermione.
"The question is, do we want to join the battling class or not?" asked Ron. The three seated themselves in armchairs by the fire.
"Of course. I think it is my duty to fight Voldemort. I'm obviously destined for it," said Harry.
"Harry..." said Hermione. "You could end up dead or worse."
Ron blinked. "Did you say dead or worse? Last I checked, dead is the worst one could be."
"He could get his soul sucked out by a dementor. Isn't that worse than dead?" Hermione said.
"You mean WE could. Because I'm joining the class too. I want to help Harry fight You-Know-Who," said Ron.
"Ron, rule number 1 to battling Voldemort. Don't be afraid to speak his name," said Harry. "The same goes for you, Hermi."
Hermione glared at Harry. "Don't call me Hermi! I'd prefer to be called by my proper name Hermione, thank you very much."
"Okay, okay, keep your hair on," said Harry.
Ron chuckled. "Fred and George say that all the time."
"Do they?" I only heard them say that once," said Harry.
"Guys, we're getting a little off-topic here," Hermione urged.
"My mind's made up. I'm joining," said Harry.
"Harry... just be careful, okay? Promise me you'll be careful. That goes double for you, too, Ron," said Hermione.
"I take it you're not joining?" Harry inquired. Hermione shook her head.
"Wow, that's the one class you haven't tried," Ron laughed. "I still can't believe you took Muggle Studies. You're Muggle-born! I mean, I've heard of Muggle-borns taking it as an easy class, but signing up for everything... wow."
"So I'm into academics," said Hermione, glaring at Ron. "Just because you goof off all the time doesn't mean I have to! So I'm a little more the intellectual type than you are! Honestly."
"Just watch us practicing then, Hermione," said Harry hastily. "We really shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves now."
"Sorry, Hermione," said Ron. "Harry, want to play a game of wizard's chess?"
"Sure," said Harry.
Hermione sat and thoughtfully watched the boys play wizard's chess. The real reason Hermione didn't want to do the battling with swords and arrows was not just fear of pain and death, but fear of sticking up. Hermione didn't wish to be the only girl in the battling class. I think I'll talk to Kendra when she wakes up, said Hermione. If she joins, too, then I join. Hermione was pleased that she was friends with Kendra. Finally, a female friend that she could talk about certain subjects with. Harry and Ron were among Hermione's dearest friends, but there were subjects Hermione just couldn't talk with them about. Also, Harry and Ron talked about Quidditch a lot of the time. Hermione liked the talks where they could confide in each other. I'm such a guy's bud. Why can't Kendra be in Gryffindor? Hermione couldn't understand why Kendra had been put in Hufflepuff. She just didn't fit into the House's image at all. She wasn't the type who feared being blunt. She tended to be on the
impatient side, too, from what Hermione had observed of her. True, Kendra hated being mean, but if she saw someone making fun of someone who wasn't fighting back... WHAM! Kendra turned into a fierce tiger.
The boys played four or 5 fierce games of wizard's chess, and then it was time for lunch. Harry and Ron went to Dumbledore to say they they were in, but Hermione wasn't.
"I'm glad you two want to join," said Dumbledore. "Now, we just need permission from your families. You are only 15. 17-year-olds can make their own choices about things like this, but you two are kind of young."
Harry wasn't worried. He knew that the Dursleys would be only too happy that he was putting his life at serious risk. He wasn't so sure about Mr. and Mrs. Weasley for Ron, though.
"Mum might not want me to do this, she'll say I'm too young," mused Ron. "I really hope she'll let me do this. I'm sure Dad will be okay with it, but I dunno about Mum."
"I'm sure she'll realize that Voldemort could come after all of you whether you fight or not," said Harry. "Now, Hermione, I'll never understand her. Why is she so scared?"
"I don't get it," said Ron. "She wasn't too scared when we were facing Sirius, before we knew he was innocent and all."
"And what about second year, with the Polyjuice Potion?" added Harry.
"And first year. She insisted on helping you to try and get the Stone," Ron put in.
"Maybe her parents will definitely say no and she knows it. She's not a coward," suggested Harry.
"Then why not say she's in and then her parents later say no so she doesn't look cowardly?" Ron mused.
"Can we just drop this?" asked Harry. "I really don't like it when you two fight."
"Sorry, Harry," said Ron.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Kendra was in a very strange place. Everything in her field of vision seemed to be changing colors. First everything was black, then red, then orange, then navy blue, then red again, then the color of oatmeal. The color seemed to get stuck on the color of oatmeal.
Ick, I hate that color, thought Kendra. Why not navy blue? There's a color I like. I can't stand gray, Where the heck am I anyway?
The fifteen-year-old lay still for a few minutes, staring into the oatmeal. Suddenly, a blurry shape passed in front of her. Kendra blinked a couple of times, and everything came into focus. Good, I was beginning to wonder if I needed glasses or something, thought Kendra. Suddenly, she noticed a dull ache in her left arm and her lower legs. Kendra struggled to sit up, but she fell onto her left side. A sharp pain shot through her arm. Kendra's face contorted with pain. She tried to move both arms. Her right one moved freely, but her left one was stuck in its position. Kendra rolled onto her right side and made herself sit up that way, with difficulty.
Madam Pomfrey bustled over. "Oh, good, you're awake," she said. "Are you hungry or anything?"
Kendra shook her head and glanced down at her arm. It was covered with bandages and bound up in a sling. 'Okay, that explains why I couldn't sit up the normal way.' "How are you feeling?" Madam Pomfrey asked.
"Fine," Kendra lied. In truth, she felt exhausted.
"I'm gonna go get Professor Dumbledore. He told me to tell him when you wake up."
"Okay..." Kendra said. "Can Harry, Ron, and Hermione visit?"
"Absolutely not. Just Dumbledore, he's the headmaster."
"But I tend to feel better when I'm with my best friends," said Kendra.
"Kendra, you need rest. You've been through a terrifying ordeal." Madam Pomfrey turned to leave the hospital wing. Kendra rolled her eyes and glared very hard at Madam Pomfrey's back. Then she sighed and leaned back against her pillows, feeling very sorry for herself. She began to be tormented by flashbacks to the previous day, as she thought it had been.
Half an hour later, Madam Pomfrey returned with Dumbledore. "I'd like to speak to Kendra alone, and I'd like to have Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger with us, too," said Dumbledore. Kendra flashed the headmaster a grateful smile. "Go fetch them from their Transfiguration class." Madam Pomfrey gaped with outrage, but she obeyed Dumbledore, leaving him and Kendra alone together.
"How are you feeling, Miss Eades?" Professor Dumbledore asked kindly.
"I feel perfectly fine," Kendra said, forcing a smile.
"Now, now, Kendra. There's no need to lie. I wouldn't act any different if you said that you felt like you've been run over by the world's largest truck and then locked inside an oven for an hour."
Kendra laughed. That was a little similar to how she felt. "Actually, my arm hurts a bit," she said.
"See, these things can be helped," Dumbledore said. He dropped a tablet of something into a glass of water and gave it to Kendra. She downed the drink and her pain vanished. Minutes later, Madam Pomfrey returned with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Kendra waved with her good arm.
"Kendra!" Hermione squealed. She dashed over to the bed and hugged Kendra. "How are you feeling? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine now," said Kendra.
"No you are not!" said Ron. "You don't exactly have two arms now."
Kendra laughed. "I'm not one-armed! See, there's this arm," she waved her good arm, "and that arm." She pointed to the arm in the sling.
"I mean two usable arms," Ron amended.
"I can use this in, how long, professor?"
"About two or three weeks," said Dumbledore.
"Okay," said Kendra. She smirked at Ron. "I'll be as good as new in 3 weeks." She grinned again.
"Wow... you seem awfully cheerful," Harry said.
Kendra shrugged. "What can I say? It's great to be alive. Though I'm not exactly 1000 percent cheerful. Or even 100%."
"I was getting a little worried for a moment there," said Harry. "You're certainly good at covering up your feelings."
"Not really. Voldemort could tell I was scared," Kendra argued vehemently.
"Well, nobody, but nobody, can cover up that sort of feeling. I've known that for ages, and now you know it, too," said Harry.
"Yeah... I guess I do," said Kendra. "I guess I'll talk to you guys later about what happened. Or now."
"So what happened? I'll ask Harry, Ron, and Hermione to leave if you wish," said Dumbledore.
"No. I want them to stay," said Kendra firmly. "Anyway, where do you want me to start? When I was taken or when I first saw Voldemort?"
Dumbledore answered, "The former. When you were taken."
"Oh-kay," Kendra said. She took a deep breath to calm herself and then began to speak. "Okay. Anyway, one of them held me, and he must have Apparated or something carrying me. We were swirling very fast. So that was what it feels like to Apparate. Okay, when the spinning stopped, I was in a shack or something filled with Death Eaters in those horrid outfits there. I gave them numbers to try to amuse myself, but it didn't work. I did smile a little, because one of the Death Eaters got pi-, er, ticked off, sorry, Professor. He asked me what I was smirking at and lifted the Body Bind. So anyway, the one who asked me that shook me hard, and another pulled my hair." Kendra ran her hand through her now-loose hair and continued. "Then Peter Pettigrew, as Harry had described his voice, spoke. I thought he was dead, and was surprised when Harry told me he wasn't. A later conversation between Death Eaters confirmed that Pettigrew was alive. Anyway, a Death Eater asked me if I wanted to speak to Voldemort." Ron blenched at the name. "I said no comment, and the one who had asked me slapped me. Then he ordered for me to be tied up. They tied me to a pole. I couldn't move. I wasn't gagged because we were far from any civilization. Then Voldemort came. He tried to coax me to cross over to the Dark Side. I made it pretty clear that there was no way I'd follow in my Uncle Davus's footsteps. I also said that I was an Eades, NOT a Nott. Hey, not a Nott. Interesting. Anyway, he then put the Imperius Curse on me. I fought it off. Then Voldemort used the Cruciatus Curse on me." Harry cringed, remembering his own latest ordeal. He lifted it and again asked if I'd join. I said no again, and he repeated the Cruciatus Curse. He lifted it and tried to say I'd be a disgrace to my family if I didn't join him. I didn't buy that. He used the Cruciatus Curse a third time, and I finally passed out or something." Harry winced. That was more than he'd been hit with the curse.
"Then what happened? Harry asked. "How did you get burned and that stuff?"
Kendra sighed. "Allow me to continue. So anyway, when I woke up again, I found myself in a dark, dark room. I walked smack into a wall, and then started feeling my way around. I found a boarded window and a locked door. They were discussing whether to kill me straight-out, or just leave me, and how to kill me." Kendra shuddered. "They talked about students in our year related to Death Eaters. They mentioned a magical fire they had going, and they said they'd leave me. They mentioned a box, which was full of Portkeys. Guess what the Portkeys were?"
"What?" asked Hermione, who had been kind of quiet.
"Dead skunks," said Kendra dramatically. "I said I wouldn't use them, but then they were the only way back."
"How did you get out of the building?" asked Hermione.
"All in good time. Voldemort said to leave the fire burning, and everyone Disapparated. I tried to find a way out, but I couldn't. I tried to break the board with my feet, but I couldn't. I'd have done better if I hadn't quit karate as a yellow belt. I didn't smell smoke right away. I guess it was an Ashwinder. What seems like ages later, I finally smelled smoke. I saw an orange glow under the door. That was when I really freaked out. I felt the door, and it was hot. I remembered Muggle grammar school, before I came here, and all those fire-prevention lessons. Then I remembered the raccoons or skunks or whatever they were. Suddenly, the fire burned through the door. It fell off its hinges. The boarded window was illuminated. I was trapped.
"How did you ever get out? Who rescued you?" asked Ron.
"It was an amazing stroke of luck," said Kendra. "Suddenly, I saw something lying in the corner nearest the fire, about to be lit. It was a long piece of wood. I realized it was a wand, and it was about to you know, go on fire. I felt a little dizzy from the smoke and ash. Suddenly, the wand caught fire. I ran over there and picked it up, trying to put out the flames with my hands. After I got them out, I used the Reductor Curse on the board. Too bad it didn't work on the glass, because I was coughing too hard by then. My left arm caught fire. I managed to break the window with my foot and left fist, and I dived out. I landed on my knees on the glass. I ran away from the shack, and the flames climbed to my shoulder. I stopped, dropped, and rolled. I was going to give up hope, but then I remembered my family and friends. That gave me strength. I took a Portkey to Hogwarts, some sort of road kill, and I landed at the edge of the forest. I tried to walk to Hogwarts, and then
fainted. That is the last thing I remember."
"Wow, what an amazing escape artist you are, Kendra!" said Ron.
Kendra laughed. "It was my best escape ever."
"I have something else to talk to you about," said Dumbledore. "It's a new class. Harry and Ron are signing up, but Hermione is reluctant. It's a sort of battling class. It is optional, and you need your parents' permission. It's where you and others get trained to fight Voldemort. It won't just be Hogwarts students. There will also be hobbits."
Kendra blinked with surprise. "Hobbits? I thought they were something JKL Turner or whatever his name is made up."
"No," said Dumbledore. "They exist."
"Wow, I guess I should expect anything to exist," said Kendra.
"Including people with at least 3 arms." Ron chortled.
"So let me get this straight," said Kendra. There really are people who are from two to four feet tall, who don't need shoes? That tend to be fat, and have curly brown hair?"
"Yes," said Dumbledore.
Ron grinned a little. "Hey, Kendra, you sort of look like a hobbit. You have the hair, and stuff."
Kendra glared. "Gee, thank you soooooo much. That is soooooo sweet of you," she said sarcastically.
"You're welcome," Ron teased. Kendra stuck her tongue out at him.
"So, Kendra, will you want to join the battling class?"
Kendra shrugged. "I don't know. I'll have to think about it."
Author's note: This is the final chapter of Merlin Haunted House! I edited all of the chapters, changing Rebecca Fawcett's house from Ravenclaw to Slytherin, and changing Tina Nott's name to Antonia Nott, and moving her from Slytherin to Ravenclaw.. If anyone notices a spot where I put "Tina" instead of "Toni" or "Antonia", or if I called Rebecca a Ravenclaw and Toni a Slytherin, please tell me in a review! I'm currently working on a sequel to "Merlin Haunted House". The sequel is going to be titled "Aftermath." Cheers, Tricia