Boom. She hit the ground with a wet smack. She lay for a moment, face down
in the grass, with not a thought in her head except the dim revelation that
she smelled dirt. Lifting her head the slightest bit off the ground,
Jessica gazed blearily through a gap in her arms. She saw nothing but acres
of grass, a small cabin close by, and what appeared to be a large mansion
in the distance. She closed her eyes again, the pain of the impact
apparently fresh in her mind. She lay for a while, one slow thought chasing
another around inside her head, until a loud hoot that came from an owl
somewhere nearby brought her to her senses. Her head jerked off the ground
and she realized she was alone. Sitting up slowly and painfully to try and
get a better look around, she suddenly realized that she had no idea where
she was. She had no recollection of ever being here. The very thought made
her shudder in spite of herself. She looked down, massaging her head where
she had landed, and noticed that she was still wearing her nightshirt.
Little birds of panic began to flap their wings hysterically in her
stomach. She was alone, she didn't know where she was, and she had nothing
with her except for the clothes on her back, which happened to be nothing
more than a nightshirt.
At that moment, she saw a candle flicker somewhere inside the cabin. She watched, terrified, as the back door creaked open and out walked a man who looked like he was part giant. The bulky frame moved outside and shut the door, carrying a candle with it. It started to walk toward her, and she had just heard a gruff voice call out, "Who's there? I know yer in here. S'no good hidin'," before she felt her head hit the ground as she fainted.
"She musta had a nasty fall. Don' know how she got here tho'. S'got a funny feelin to it, don' it? Well I s'pose I best ter be takin her up to the castle so Dumbledore can get a good look at her."
Jessica lay still for a moment. Groggy and exhausted, she considered lying in this warm, comfortable bed for the rest of time. But then memories started flooding in. The fall. The owl. The candle. The giant. The voice. That voice which she was hearing right now. It seemed familiar. And then, in a rush of anxiety, it dawned on her. This voice was the same one she had heard last night. It belonged to that giant. Which meant………She scrambled as she sat up, clutching the quilt on the bed close to her. Looking around, her first thought was that she had been shrunk. She was inside what appeared to be a perfectly ordinary cabin, except for the fact that everything seemed to be enlarged to five times it normal size. The table in the center of the room was roughly the size of a double bed, and the bed on which she was currently sitting looked like a baby elephant could have slept in it with no comfort problems. As she gazed unbelievingly at the super-sized furniture, she saw what had to be the giant, leaning out of the window and explaining something very serious to a short, plump little woman who was wearing robes of midnight black and an expression of utmost shock.
"Of course, you're right, Hagrid. Take her straight to Dumbledore. This could be Dark Magic at its most advanced stages," the little woman looked and spoke as though she were halfway between shock and curiosity.
"Ah, now," said the giant, "I don' think this little one s'got anything ter do with Dark Magic or You-Know-Who. In fact, I don' know what I think no more," he continued gently, "I s'pose I'll take her ter Dumbledore soon as she's awake."
"Very well, then. Good day to you, Hagrid," and with a sharp nod, the little woman left.
Hagrid? Was this the giants name….Hagrid? she wondered. The giant shook his head, a small smile on his face, and shut the window. He turned away from it, and his eyes fell on Jessica, who was shaking in terror
"Oh, uh, hello there. Finally awake, are yeh?" he asked in a warm tone.
She slowly opened her mouth to reply, but made no more than a high squeak. Shaking her head, she swallowed and started over again. She meant to ask where she was, or what happened, but she barely managed to whisper, "Who are you?"
The giant looked a little taken aback, " Oh, righ'. Forgot to introduce myself. My name is Rebeus Hagrid, and I'm the gamekeeper 'ere at Hogwarts."
Oh….no. This can't be what she thought it was. Her heart and her thoughts started going a mile a minute. How could she not have realized it? She knew where she was. She was at Hogwarts, inside the Harry Potter books.
"Hagrid?" she whispered, numb with shock, "Rebeus Hagrid?"
"Uh, yes," the giant answered.
She reached up and pinched her arm, hard. But nothing changed. She was still on the Hogwarts grounds, looking at a very confused and startled Hagrid.
"Righ'…well I best be takin yeh up to the castle. If yer ready," he said, watching her uncertainly. The last sentence hung in the air, and neither of them spoke.
"I think I need some different clothes," she said quietly.
Hagrid surveyed her for a moment, and then to her great surprise and relief, he chuckled. "I s'pose yer righ'. An' I can help yeh with a little bit o' magic. Now, let's see, whaddya usually wear?"
At that moment, she saw a candle flicker somewhere inside the cabin. She watched, terrified, as the back door creaked open and out walked a man who looked like he was part giant. The bulky frame moved outside and shut the door, carrying a candle with it. It started to walk toward her, and she had just heard a gruff voice call out, "Who's there? I know yer in here. S'no good hidin'," before she felt her head hit the ground as she fainted.
"She musta had a nasty fall. Don' know how she got here tho'. S'got a funny feelin to it, don' it? Well I s'pose I best ter be takin her up to the castle so Dumbledore can get a good look at her."
Jessica lay still for a moment. Groggy and exhausted, she considered lying in this warm, comfortable bed for the rest of time. But then memories started flooding in. The fall. The owl. The candle. The giant. The voice. That voice which she was hearing right now. It seemed familiar. And then, in a rush of anxiety, it dawned on her. This voice was the same one she had heard last night. It belonged to that giant. Which meant………She scrambled as she sat up, clutching the quilt on the bed close to her. Looking around, her first thought was that she had been shrunk. She was inside what appeared to be a perfectly ordinary cabin, except for the fact that everything seemed to be enlarged to five times it normal size. The table in the center of the room was roughly the size of a double bed, and the bed on which she was currently sitting looked like a baby elephant could have slept in it with no comfort problems. As she gazed unbelievingly at the super-sized furniture, she saw what had to be the giant, leaning out of the window and explaining something very serious to a short, plump little woman who was wearing robes of midnight black and an expression of utmost shock.
"Of course, you're right, Hagrid. Take her straight to Dumbledore. This could be Dark Magic at its most advanced stages," the little woman looked and spoke as though she were halfway between shock and curiosity.
"Ah, now," said the giant, "I don' think this little one s'got anything ter do with Dark Magic or You-Know-Who. In fact, I don' know what I think no more," he continued gently, "I s'pose I'll take her ter Dumbledore soon as she's awake."
"Very well, then. Good day to you, Hagrid," and with a sharp nod, the little woman left.
Hagrid? Was this the giants name….Hagrid? she wondered. The giant shook his head, a small smile on his face, and shut the window. He turned away from it, and his eyes fell on Jessica, who was shaking in terror
"Oh, uh, hello there. Finally awake, are yeh?" he asked in a warm tone.
She slowly opened her mouth to reply, but made no more than a high squeak. Shaking her head, she swallowed and started over again. She meant to ask where she was, or what happened, but she barely managed to whisper, "Who are you?"
The giant looked a little taken aback, " Oh, righ'. Forgot to introduce myself. My name is Rebeus Hagrid, and I'm the gamekeeper 'ere at Hogwarts."
Oh….no. This can't be what she thought it was. Her heart and her thoughts started going a mile a minute. How could she not have realized it? She knew where she was. She was at Hogwarts, inside the Harry Potter books.
"Hagrid?" she whispered, numb with shock, "Rebeus Hagrid?"
"Uh, yes," the giant answered.
She reached up and pinched her arm, hard. But nothing changed. She was still on the Hogwarts grounds, looking at a very confused and startled Hagrid.
"Righ'…well I best be takin yeh up to the castle. If yer ready," he said, watching her uncertainly. The last sentence hung in the air, and neither of them spoke.
"I think I need some different clothes," she said quietly.
Hagrid surveyed her for a moment, and then to her great surprise and relief, he chuckled. "I s'pose yer righ'. An' I can help yeh with a little bit o' magic. Now, let's see, whaddya usually wear?"