'Holy shit!'
Jade's scream echoed through the house and she collapsed, breathless onto the floor.
'W. What just happened?' she asked quietly.
'Don't worry Jade,' Fox said. 'This is how we get around. Its like driving a car except, like, a hundred times faster,' he laughed.
'B. But he just disappeared. Just disappeared. I mean, he was there but than he wasn't there. Now he's gone and he's not there. Just gone. I. I.'
'Jade trust me, its really not that difficult. I know this is hard for you but you have to listen and do exactly as I say. Step into the flames and shout exactly what Hagrid did. That should take you exactly where you want to go,' said Dumbledore.
Fox pulled Jade to her feet and she stumbled clumsily over to the fireplace. She looked back and Fox gave her a reassuring smile. She closed her eyes and stepped into the green flames and, as the hot ash and soot began to settle around her face, she shouted exactly what she had been told to shout; 'The Three Broomsticks!'
She choked on a cloud of dust and a sudden whirring sound reached her ears. She quickly covered them with her palms. Jade felt herself spinning out of control and a large lump raised itself into her throat. Finally, when she couldn't take it anymore, she took a step forward, wishing with all her might that it wouldn't be a mistake.
It was.
* * *
As suddenly as the noise had begun, it ceased. Everything was suddenly quite and Jade stepped out from the gray brick fireplace, ducking to avoid the thick wooden mantle. She quickly brushed the soot from her face and clothes and glanced around the room. There were pots and pans everywhere and the rich aroma of cherry pie filled the air. It was a big kitchen. Bigger than her entire house, in fact.
She walked towards the stone counter and slid her hands across the smooth concrete. Was this where she was supposed to be? Where was Hagrid? Where were Fox and Dumbledore?
'Oh! Delightful! Master has company! Oh, I wish he had told Sally. Sally would have prepared something to eat for our young guest. Sally is a very good cook, you know.'
Jade wiped around and had to cover her mouth as not to scream. A small, thin creature was standing before her; it's huge glowing eyes, the size of tennis balls, watching her closely. It had a short tuft of hair protruding from its scalp and it was wearing, what looked like, an old pillowcase.
'You are master's company,' asked the elf, stepping backwards. 'Aren't you?'
'I. I don't know where I am. I'm sorry. Please don't be scared. I don't mean any harm. I just. I just. I.'
Jade began to weep and tumbled onto the fur rug beneath her. She curled herself into a ball and screamed into her hands.
'Oh no! Oh, no miss. Please don't cry. Please. Here I will fetch you a towel. Maybe some nice clean clothes and some dinner, too? Only if you'd like miss but please don't cry. Master will be very upset if he sees you like this,' said the house elf quickly.
Jade heard the pitter-patter of Sally's little feet but couldn't bring herself to sit up. Finally, after a half an hour or so, she slowly pulled her head up from her arms and pushed herself off the rug. She whipped off her tear-streaked face with the back of her hand and glanced around.
'Is the young miss ready to get cleaned up yet?'
Jade looked up quickly. Above her sat Sally who was happily dangling her feet over the edge of the stone countertop and looking down her long, crooked nose at the girl below.
'Y. Yes,' whispered Jade.
Jade took the clothes from Sally's hands (more claw-like than anything) and let herself be led into the pantry. When the door was completely shut, she quickly took off her filthy clothes and threw on the black sweatpants, small white t-shirt and white pullover sweater that had been given to her. She than sat down on the little white stool in the corner of the room and removed her shoes. For the first time in hours she actually smiled. As she looked down at the socks Sally had given her, she realized that they were completely mismatched. One was green with red and blue poka-dots that speckled the background of a sleigh and a big fat man with a red coat and a bag of toys (Santa Claus, as she soon realized). The other was made of a very thick, purple wool material that had a large whole on the bottom.
She smiled to herself as she remembered all the times she had slipped into her own woolen socks and sat in front of the fire with her mom and dad, drinking hot cocoa and listening to her dad's famous bedtime stories about potions and witches and dragon guarded castles where the walls themselves spoke their own, unique language. They had done it every Christmas since the day she could remember. She leaned back as she remembered that she would never hear any of those stories ever again.
Jade would never remember what happened next. Whether she had leaned back too hard, or whether the wooden shelves of the pantry had just decided to break, all right down the middle, all at that same moment. Either way, Jade shielded her eyes from the sudden downpour of cracker boxes, chicken noodle soup bags, canned vegetables and, finally, several glass jars that miraculously crashed to the floor in a tight circle around her, missing her by an inch.
Jade quickly pulled the socks onto her feet and slipped on her shoes. She stood up and as she leaned toward the door, it was thrown open so suddenly, she would have screamed if the lights hadn't have gone out and a large, strong hand hadn't of covered her mouth and yanked her toward the back of pantry.
'Sh! Shhh! Be quite or he'll hear us! Sh!' came the sudden whisper of a voice who's was obviously a boy's.
Jade relaxed a bit when she realized that this was a human speaking and not another frightening creature, but still trembled violently. The boy slowly rubbed his hand up and down her arm, trying to calm her.
'Sally! What the devil was that racket? I was just about done my work when suddenly, all I can hear is this incredible noise from right below me. I'll see to it you're properly punished for this! Disrupting me while I'm working! You're lucky I don't just throw you out onto the street where you belong you filthy little creature!'
'Oh. Oh! Sally is sorry master! Sally did not mean to make such a noise. Sally will never do it again. Sally promises Sir!' came the squeaky, frightened voice of Sally.
'You'd better be sorry,' came the deep male voice once again. 'Or I'll have to teach you a lesson you won't forget so easily. Without me, you'd be nothing. Living on the streets when I found you and took you in! I gave you life and this is how you repay me? Well, just for that, I want the chimney cleaned, all 8 bathrooms washed and sparkling like the sun, the carpets vacuumed, my room tidied and 2 warm cups of tea for my wife and I. What a day we've had. What a day!'
Jade heard loud footsteps leaving the room and the boy from behind her released his hand from her mouth and took a step towards the door.
'Wait,' said Jade, not being able to control her curiosity any longer. 'Who are you? Why did you save me? Is this your house?'
'Yes,' came the young boy's voice once again. 'This is my house and that was my father, I'm sorry to say and.'
He was cut short by a very high pitched squeaking sound from outside the door. He quickly opened it and ran out towards the small figure that was Sally.
'Sally didn't want to lie to master but Sally had to,' she cried. 'Sally didn't want the nice girl or master to get in trouble. Sally will have to punish herself gravely for this!'
Jade looked down at the boy that was sitting on the floor beside Sally with his arm around her. He had his hood up so she couldn't see his face. Jade took a step forward and kneeled down beside them and put her hand, reluctantly, on Sally's almost bald head.
'Thank you for being so nice to me,' she whispered. 'I'm sorry I got you in trouble Sally.'
'Miss treats Sally like she is an equal,' she sobbed, as she looked up at Jade, obviously completely astonished. 'Like she is human. Miss is most kind and Sally was wondering, what is Miss' name?'
'Jade,' she replied. 'My name is Jade.'
Suddenly, Jade, Sally, and the boy all looked upwards as footsteps could be heard from the room above.
'My father's coming again,' said the boy quickly. 'Hurry! We must get you out of here. You must not be seen!'
He stood up and ran over to the fireplace and took a cup from the mantle. He sprinkled the white powder onto the flames and they turned green, just as they had done at Jade's house.
Without saying another word, Jade jumped back into the warm flames and shouted 'The Three Broomsticks!'
As she opened her eyes, she caught a final glimpse of the stranger's face. Eyes, as blue as the morning sky, twinkled beneath the shadow that was cast by the hood of his black sweatshirt. Who could this boy be? Why had he saved her? Jade had to find out.
Jade's scream echoed through the house and she collapsed, breathless onto the floor.
'W. What just happened?' she asked quietly.
'Don't worry Jade,' Fox said. 'This is how we get around. Its like driving a car except, like, a hundred times faster,' he laughed.
'B. But he just disappeared. Just disappeared. I mean, he was there but than he wasn't there. Now he's gone and he's not there. Just gone. I. I.'
'Jade trust me, its really not that difficult. I know this is hard for you but you have to listen and do exactly as I say. Step into the flames and shout exactly what Hagrid did. That should take you exactly where you want to go,' said Dumbledore.
Fox pulled Jade to her feet and she stumbled clumsily over to the fireplace. She looked back and Fox gave her a reassuring smile. She closed her eyes and stepped into the green flames and, as the hot ash and soot began to settle around her face, she shouted exactly what she had been told to shout; 'The Three Broomsticks!'
She choked on a cloud of dust and a sudden whirring sound reached her ears. She quickly covered them with her palms. Jade felt herself spinning out of control and a large lump raised itself into her throat. Finally, when she couldn't take it anymore, she took a step forward, wishing with all her might that it wouldn't be a mistake.
It was.
* * *
As suddenly as the noise had begun, it ceased. Everything was suddenly quite and Jade stepped out from the gray brick fireplace, ducking to avoid the thick wooden mantle. She quickly brushed the soot from her face and clothes and glanced around the room. There were pots and pans everywhere and the rich aroma of cherry pie filled the air. It was a big kitchen. Bigger than her entire house, in fact.
She walked towards the stone counter and slid her hands across the smooth concrete. Was this where she was supposed to be? Where was Hagrid? Where were Fox and Dumbledore?
'Oh! Delightful! Master has company! Oh, I wish he had told Sally. Sally would have prepared something to eat for our young guest. Sally is a very good cook, you know.'
Jade wiped around and had to cover her mouth as not to scream. A small, thin creature was standing before her; it's huge glowing eyes, the size of tennis balls, watching her closely. It had a short tuft of hair protruding from its scalp and it was wearing, what looked like, an old pillowcase.
'You are master's company,' asked the elf, stepping backwards. 'Aren't you?'
'I. I don't know where I am. I'm sorry. Please don't be scared. I don't mean any harm. I just. I just. I.'
Jade began to weep and tumbled onto the fur rug beneath her. She curled herself into a ball and screamed into her hands.
'Oh no! Oh, no miss. Please don't cry. Please. Here I will fetch you a towel. Maybe some nice clean clothes and some dinner, too? Only if you'd like miss but please don't cry. Master will be very upset if he sees you like this,' said the house elf quickly.
Jade heard the pitter-patter of Sally's little feet but couldn't bring herself to sit up. Finally, after a half an hour or so, she slowly pulled her head up from her arms and pushed herself off the rug. She whipped off her tear-streaked face with the back of her hand and glanced around.
'Is the young miss ready to get cleaned up yet?'
Jade looked up quickly. Above her sat Sally who was happily dangling her feet over the edge of the stone countertop and looking down her long, crooked nose at the girl below.
'Y. Yes,' whispered Jade.
Jade took the clothes from Sally's hands (more claw-like than anything) and let herself be led into the pantry. When the door was completely shut, she quickly took off her filthy clothes and threw on the black sweatpants, small white t-shirt and white pullover sweater that had been given to her. She than sat down on the little white stool in the corner of the room and removed her shoes. For the first time in hours she actually smiled. As she looked down at the socks Sally had given her, she realized that they were completely mismatched. One was green with red and blue poka-dots that speckled the background of a sleigh and a big fat man with a red coat and a bag of toys (Santa Claus, as she soon realized). The other was made of a very thick, purple wool material that had a large whole on the bottom.
She smiled to herself as she remembered all the times she had slipped into her own woolen socks and sat in front of the fire with her mom and dad, drinking hot cocoa and listening to her dad's famous bedtime stories about potions and witches and dragon guarded castles where the walls themselves spoke their own, unique language. They had done it every Christmas since the day she could remember. She leaned back as she remembered that she would never hear any of those stories ever again.
Jade would never remember what happened next. Whether she had leaned back too hard, or whether the wooden shelves of the pantry had just decided to break, all right down the middle, all at that same moment. Either way, Jade shielded her eyes from the sudden downpour of cracker boxes, chicken noodle soup bags, canned vegetables and, finally, several glass jars that miraculously crashed to the floor in a tight circle around her, missing her by an inch.
Jade quickly pulled the socks onto her feet and slipped on her shoes. She stood up and as she leaned toward the door, it was thrown open so suddenly, she would have screamed if the lights hadn't have gone out and a large, strong hand hadn't of covered her mouth and yanked her toward the back of pantry.
'Sh! Shhh! Be quite or he'll hear us! Sh!' came the sudden whisper of a voice who's was obviously a boy's.
Jade relaxed a bit when she realized that this was a human speaking and not another frightening creature, but still trembled violently. The boy slowly rubbed his hand up and down her arm, trying to calm her.
'Sally! What the devil was that racket? I was just about done my work when suddenly, all I can hear is this incredible noise from right below me. I'll see to it you're properly punished for this! Disrupting me while I'm working! You're lucky I don't just throw you out onto the street where you belong you filthy little creature!'
'Oh. Oh! Sally is sorry master! Sally did not mean to make such a noise. Sally will never do it again. Sally promises Sir!' came the squeaky, frightened voice of Sally.
'You'd better be sorry,' came the deep male voice once again. 'Or I'll have to teach you a lesson you won't forget so easily. Without me, you'd be nothing. Living on the streets when I found you and took you in! I gave you life and this is how you repay me? Well, just for that, I want the chimney cleaned, all 8 bathrooms washed and sparkling like the sun, the carpets vacuumed, my room tidied and 2 warm cups of tea for my wife and I. What a day we've had. What a day!'
Jade heard loud footsteps leaving the room and the boy from behind her released his hand from her mouth and took a step towards the door.
'Wait,' said Jade, not being able to control her curiosity any longer. 'Who are you? Why did you save me? Is this your house?'
'Yes,' came the young boy's voice once again. 'This is my house and that was my father, I'm sorry to say and.'
He was cut short by a very high pitched squeaking sound from outside the door. He quickly opened it and ran out towards the small figure that was Sally.
'Sally didn't want to lie to master but Sally had to,' she cried. 'Sally didn't want the nice girl or master to get in trouble. Sally will have to punish herself gravely for this!'
Jade looked down at the boy that was sitting on the floor beside Sally with his arm around her. He had his hood up so she couldn't see his face. Jade took a step forward and kneeled down beside them and put her hand, reluctantly, on Sally's almost bald head.
'Thank you for being so nice to me,' she whispered. 'I'm sorry I got you in trouble Sally.'
'Miss treats Sally like she is an equal,' she sobbed, as she looked up at Jade, obviously completely astonished. 'Like she is human. Miss is most kind and Sally was wondering, what is Miss' name?'
'Jade,' she replied. 'My name is Jade.'
Suddenly, Jade, Sally, and the boy all looked upwards as footsteps could be heard from the room above.
'My father's coming again,' said the boy quickly. 'Hurry! We must get you out of here. You must not be seen!'
He stood up and ran over to the fireplace and took a cup from the mantle. He sprinkled the white powder onto the flames and they turned green, just as they had done at Jade's house.
Without saying another word, Jade jumped back into the warm flames and shouted 'The Three Broomsticks!'
As she opened her eyes, she caught a final glimpse of the stranger's face. Eyes, as blue as the morning sky, twinkled beneath the shadow that was cast by the hood of his black sweatshirt. Who could this boy be? Why had he saved her? Jade had to find out.