--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A World Unknown--Chapter Eight: The Three Broomsticks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In her dream, Maggie was in the middle of a dance floor, she was wearing a beautiful gold dress that swished around her ankles as she turned. faceless people on all sides glared at her as though her mere presence was a personal insult to each of them. Not a single one of them approached her.
Opposite of her in the center of the floor, was a figure clothed in a back robe. She felt drawn to him, but was wary at the same time. He stood motionless like the others, so she didn't approach him. As she turned away from him to face the massive oak doors, his hand emerged from the deep folds of his robe and a single finger straightened to point at her chest.
She tried to search its face for meaning but a hood ensnared its head in shadows. As she opened her mouth to speak, a dry rasping voice hissed forwards from the throat of the figure. Maggie could just barely make out the two single words that grated across her ears like sandpaper.
Avada Kedavra.
The world flashed green behind her eyes.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
When she awoke, the Hogwarts express had arrived at whatever destination it had set out on and no one else could be heard nearby.
She poked her head out of the compartment and glanced around. Not a single person in sight.
Everyone is already gone? Well, at least that makes it safe to leave the compartment. Maggie reasoned. She stood and pulled at the hem of her dress. It had just occurred to her that if all of the people here had dressed in the strange robes that she had spotted earlier, then a flowery sundress would not fit in well.
She strolled through the halls of the train, checking every compartment for anything useful and after several minutes, found nothing more than a toad. She wasn't even going to ask what a toad was doing asleep on a train seat, but it wasn't helping her cause any. It wasn't until she had neared the front end of the train that she encountered a chubby, frantic boy her age tearing through a trunk that was set in the midst of a compartment. Books and papers lay askew on the seats and floor, and a black robe was draped across one of the seats.
A black robe?
"Trevor? Trevor?!" The boy called out over and over as he tore through the pile of supplies. He didn't even look up until Maggie coughed loudly.
He looked startled to see her but regained what little composure he had ever possessed and stared up at her.
"Have you seen my toad, Trevor?" The boy pleaded.
Maggie recalled the fat ugly thing crouched on one of the seats a few minutes back and knew it had to be what the boy was looking for.
"Yeah, he was on one of the seats a few compartments over," She said. "He'll probably still be there."
The boy jumped up and muttered a hurried thanks before pushing past her and down the hall in the direction she had indicated. Maggie didn't mind his haste though, after all, she wasn't there to make friends with him.
She plucked the cloak from off the seat and pulled it over her head. It hung loosely on her but was surprisingly comfortable for a heavy looking thing. She let her hair out of its clip and it tumbled in loose waves around her shoulders. It was a little frizzy and she was staring to smell funny but not enough for anyone to notice her lack of hygene.
She stepped of the train and into the foggy evening air. Off to the left, a few carriages were rumbling off into the mist, it was curious, but Maggie couldn't spot the horses that were pulling them. On her right was a quaint little village. Most of the buildings were small shops rather than houses, but they looked inviting enough. She started off down the gravel road and looked in the shops of some of the windows. Most of them were al bit odd and some of them more than just a bit. Those she avoided altogether.
Boarzildas International Brew Supplies, Handills shoppe for Handsome Hags, The Owl Post, and the list goes on......
She finally stopped in front of a cheery, warm looking building. A wooden sign out front proclaimed it to be ' The Three Broomsticks'. Laughter and music could be heard issuing from within and through the window, Maggie caught glimpses of a card game and a couple dancing to the lively tune of a fiddle being played by a reedy man in the corner.
She gingerly pushed open the thick oak door and was greeted by a wave of warmth that made her shudder with the suddenness of it. People across the room chattered and laughed about this and that. The only thing to set this pub apart from any other in London was the people themselves. They wore robes of bright, gaudy colors and crooked hats that stood straight in the air. Many of them had Long sticks protruding from their robes, not unlike Harry's.
A curvy woman with dark hair and skin smiled at her from behind the counter. Maggie wove her way in between the tables of cheery conversation to the bar.
"Hello darlin'" The woman Beamed. "Are you from Hogwarts? Because if so, you're a bit off track." She chuckled.
"Oh no. I'm not from there." Maggie assured her. " I only look young. I get that a lot"
"Well then, I'm Madame Rosemerta, but folks around here call me Rosie. what can i do for you Hon' ?"
"Well...Rosie. I just need a place to sleep for the night. I don't have any money but i can work for a nights lodging."
Madame Rosemerta Smiled wide enough to split her face. "We can always use a little help around this place hon', I'm sure we can find you a place to sleep and get a good meal in ya."
Releif washed over Maggie. She had been sure for a moment, that she would be turned away with no place to go. But of course, Madame Rosemerta couldn't ever have done such a thing.
After setting her down in a corner of the Kitchen, Rosie dropped a huge meaty, steaming bowl of stew and a thick slice of crusty bread in her lap. Maggie devoured every drop with relish and when she was finished, sighed appreciatively.
Working Through the evening was hardly work at all. While she was waiting the tables, al the customers were happy to make conversation and Maggie learned a lot about Hogwarts through the small talk. She shocked a few bar-goers when she dropped her tray of mugs at the mention of Harry. Apparently He was well known around here for something he did to a man who nobody seemed too comfortable talking about. She didn't want to seem too interested in him by bringing it up, but whenever he was mentioned, she made sure to listen.
Before the night was over, she had learned that it was common practice with the wizards to carry a wand with them, for practical purposes. She had a hard time concealing her amazement whenever anyone used magic to pull out a chair of hang up a cloak.
She still found herself trying to act natural around them, especially with their strange clothes and speech. The word 'muggle' popped up a lot through the evening and she soon discovered that it was a word used to describe people like herself. People who didn't know about the 'magic' aspect of the world. So at least she wasn't the only one who was clueless about all of this.
Once all of the customers filed out of the pub, Madame Rosemerta turned to Maggie and cocked her head to the side. She gave a small sniff before pronouncing that if she didn't wash soon, no one would come near the pub, fearing the smell.
She ushered Maggie up into a vacant room on the second floor and tossed in a wash basin and a thick cake of yellow soap.
When she emerged, she was clean, dry, and considerably less smelly than before. Rosie helped her set up a bed of blankets in the corner of the kitchen and lit a candle on a small table in the center of the room. She shuffled through a cupboard until she emerged holding two mugs and a glass bottle filled with a foamy, golden liquid.
She poured the liquid into the mugs and handed one across to Maggie. After a quick cheers and a clink of the mugs, they each took a deep draught of the thick liquid that Rosie called 'butterbeer'
It was sweet and smooth and as it poured down her throat, it warmed her from the inside. Maggie felt as if all the hardships of the day had slipped from her shoulders and loosened her muscles. It was the most wonderful thing she had ever tasted!
The two of them sat at the table late into the night, drinking, laughing and gossiping about the evenings events. And when it was finally time bid goodnight, Maggie was sure that she had found a friend in Madame Rosemerta.
Trying to sort out all that she had learned to accept as part of her world in the last 24 hours was overwhelming, so she chose not to analyze it too much. She had a tendency to over-think things after all.
It wasn't until she was beneath the blanket in her corner of the kitchen that she thought of Harry Potter again. But it was too late to ponder on him, because she had already begun to fall into a deep slumber.
And again she was left to dream.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TBC
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Its coming along!
Keep up the reviews please. Its very gratifying to know that someone is actually reading this.
Thanks to all My reviewers!!
Ariana: Yeah, i know i cant spell, but oh well. Suck it up!
WeaslyTwinsLover112: hey! Yet another 14 year old canadian!! EH!!!??? J/k. Thanks a lot dude. Ill try to update more often.
Soupofthedaysarah: Ya! That'ssorta the direction I'm going here except I'm not going to make it totally unrealistic, just a little sneaky. lol!
REVIEW!!
