Out of the Clear Blue Sky
Chapter One - Long-lost Daughter
A/N: This started out as a self-insertion fic, but I changed my mind. Before anyone flames me, Tracey is *not* a Mary Sue.
In the middle of the night, somewhere in southern California, a young woman suffering from insomnia decided to write. She sat in front of her computer, the glow reflecting off the lenses of her glasses as she typed. The only sound to be heard was the rapid clicktey-clack of the keyboard as she typed and the oscillating fan. Several cats wandered in and out of the room, wondering what she was up to. Occasionally, one would approach and ask for attention. The woman granted it, but only for a moment before continuing with her story. Little did she know what was about to befall her...
At long last, she has finished. She leaned back in her chair with a sigh of relief. Another plot bunny conquered. A small smile playing around the corners of her mouth, she began to re-read the story she had written. It was fanfiction, of the Harry Potter variety, and she enjoyed reading it as well as writing it. As she continued to read, a frown appeared. The screen was rippling. Something was wrong. It could not be a storm because the sky outside was clear with a full moon shining brightly. To the astonished eyes of the three cats lounging in the room, a sudden slurping sound was heard and the young woman disappeared into the computer monitor. The screen glowed innocently.
* * *
Meanwhile, at Hogwarts...
Minerva McGonagall was enjoying a walk around the lake when someone fell out of the clear blue sky and landed in the lake with a rather loud splash. Without stopping to think, Minerva slipped off her emerald green outer robe and dove in, swimming over to where waves were rippling outward from the person's point of entry into the lake. Diving under, Minerva spotted a girl floating, unconscious, nearby, wearing little more than an oversized T- shirt. Focusing on the fact that the girl was obviously in trouble, Minerva grabbed one of the girl's arms and began towing her up to the surface of the water. Taking a deep breath when her head broke the water, Minerva pulled the girl's head up above the water as well. The girl wasn't breathing. Due to her water-logged robes, it was with great difficulty that Minerva towed the girl to shore. Once there, Minerva stretched the girl out on her back, turned the girl's head to the side, placed one hand over the other at the base of the girl's diaphragm, and pushed upward with the heels of her hands. The girl began coughing up water after several pushes, curling in on herself. When she was done, she gave a low moan. "Ohhh, my poor head."
Minerva rubbed the girl's back soothingly. "You're out of the water now, lass. You'll be alright."
"Water?" the girl's eyes popped open and she sat up abruptly. This turned out to be a bad idea, because she clutched her head in her hands with another moan. "Oh, shit."
"Don't move too fast," Minerva counseled the girl, still rubbing her back. "You'll make the headache worse."
"Yeah, I kinda guessed that," the girl replied, eyes tightly shut. After a few moments, she slowly opened her eyes and looked around. "Where am I?"
"I'm not sure if it's my place to tell you, lass," Minerva answered apologetically, "but I think it's time we went inside and got you something decent to wear."
"Huh?" The girl looked down at herself. "Great. I end up God-knows-where and I'm in my nightshirt." She sighed.
"Here." Minerva summoned her outer robe and draped it over the girl's shoulders. "It's warmer than that nightshirt."
"Thanks." The girl slipped her arms into the sleeves and wrapped it around her. When they stood up, the robe was several inches too long for her and the sleeves were so long that they hid her hands. "Hmm, I think it's safe to say this is a tad too big for me."
Minerva smiled at that. "Come on, lass, we don't have far to go."
"Right." The girl allowed herself to be escorted up to the castle, too intent on not tripping over the hem of the outer robe to examine her surroundings. They made it to the castle without mishap. However, upon entering said castle, the girl gave a shriek. "A ghost!"
"Yes, there are ghosts here," Minerva soothed the girl, waving the Gray Lady and Sir Nick away. "They won't harm you, lass. The hospital wing is this way."
The girl balked at that. "Why are we going to the hospital wing? I thought you were going to get me some clothes? What's your name, anyway?"
Minerva sighed. "My name is Minerva McGonagall and we're going up to the hospital wing because you managed to breathe quite a bit of water back there. What's *your* name, lass?"
The girl grinned sheepishly up at Minerva. "Tracey Cooper."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Tracey," Minerva answered formally, a bit disconcerted by the bright blue of the girl's eyes. "Now, let's get you up to the hospital wing."
Tracey nodded and they continued up to the hospital wing without further incident. Poppy Pomfrey was waiting for them. "Hello, Minerva. What have we here?"
"Poppy, this is Tracey Cooper," Minerva told her friend. "Miss Cooper, this is Poppy Pomfrey, the nurse."
"Hello." Tracey pulled up the sleeve of Minerva's outer robe and shook the nurse's hand. "I'm pleased to meet you, Miss Pomfrey."
"Hello." Poppy started slightly at the touch of the girl's hand, but didn't show any other signs of confusion. "What brings you here?"
"She fell in the lake," Minerva explained. "I dove in after her to keep her from drowning."
Poppy nodded. "Very well, both of you have a seat."
Tracey obediently sat down on the bed Poppy indicated, but Minerva stayed where she was. "I didn't nearly drown, Poppy."
"You've only recently recovered from those four Stunners and dove into the lake, which is cold anyway, on top of that," Poppy told Minerva firmly, "therefore, sit."
Recognizing Poppy's tone of voice, Minerva sat down on the next bed over without another word. She watched, bemused, as Poppy cast a Diagnostic spell on the girl. Tracey didn't object, but she was fascinated by the spell and watched Poppy's face. When Poppy had terminated the spell, she disappeared into her office and returned with a potion for Tracey to drink. The girl eyed it suspiciously, but a glance at Poppy's face told her to drink it without objecting. After that, Poppy gave the girl some dry nightclothes to change into, returning Minerva's outer robe to her. Minerva draped it across the bed for the time being, since it was still damp, having already cast a drying charm on the black dress she'd worn underneath it. After the girl had changed, Poppy gave her a potion to help her sleep and tucked her in. Before long, the girl was fast asleep, looking very young to Minerva.
Putting up a set of curtains around the girl's bed, Poppy walked over to talk to Minerva, who'd let her hair down so it could dry. "How did she end up in the lake, Minerva?"
The dark-haired witch shrugged as Poppy cast a Diagnostic spell. "I was walking along the lake when she literally dropped out of the sky and into the lake. After that, I was too busy trying to get to her before she drowned to wonder she came from."
Poppy terminated the spell. "Well, aside from getting wet, you're fine."
Minerva smiled. "What about the girl? Will she be fine?"
"Yes, she'll recover just fine," Poppy replied with a small smile.
Minerva frowned when she saw it. "What is it?"
Poppy gave her friend an innocent look. "What is what?"
Minerva returned the innocent look with a stern one. "Why are you smiling like that?"
Poppy's smile widened. "Miss Cooper is hardly a girl, Minerva." The Transfiguration professor merely raised an eyebrow, waiting. "She's in her early to mid-twenties. She's just small for her age."
Minerva glanced over at the other bed. "Indeed." Minerva sighed. "I should go tell Albus about our...guest."
"I'm already here, Minerva," Albus' voice brought Poppy and Minerva around to look at him. He stood framed in the doorway, his hands folded into the voluminous sleeves of the plum-colored robes he was wearing. His hair and beard gleamed silver in the light shed by the bricks that glowed along the ceiling. He entered and approached the two women. "Now, who is our guest?"
Minerva was the one who answered, telling Albus how Tracey had ended up in the hospital wing. "To be honest, I have no idea where she came from, Albus."
Poppy spoke up before Albus could answer. "And you won't wake her up to ask her. She needs sleep right now."
Albus nodded and turned to Minerva. "It would seem we have some time on our hands, my dear. What do you say to a game of chess?"
Minerva smiled and took his arm as she stood up. "I'll win."
"Not this time, my dear," he replied as they left the hospital wing.
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure, Albus?"
He smiled in return. "Does it really matter which of us wins?"
She shook her head, smiling. "Not really."
"Good." Together, they continued down the corridor.
* * *
She woke slowly, too warm and comfortable to move. The pillow was soft under her cheek and the bed was so soft. She sighed contentedly and burrowed into her pillow a little more. "Miss Cooper?"
She frowned at the sound of the voice. There was something familiar about it. As if it belonged to a friend she'd not seen in years. Puzzled, she rolled onto her back and reluctantly opened her eyes. Everything was blurry. She wondered why until she realized she was missing something. "Where are my glasses?"
"Here." Someone pressed them into her hand and she slipped them onto the bridge of her nose. The three people standing by her bed came into focus.
Two were woman and one was a man. Both women were tall and slender, though one had black hair pulled back into a bun and wore square spectacles and emerald green robes. The other woman had gray hair pulled back into a knot at the nape of her neck and her robes were stylized nurse's whites. The black-haired one was Minerva McGonagall, her rescuer. The gray-haired one was Poppy Pomfrey, the nurse. The man, however, made her pause. He had long silver hair and a matching beard. Bright blue eyes twinkled behind the half- moon glasses perched on a long and crooked nose. For some reason, she thought his hair should be auburn instead of silver. She put a hand to her head and gave it a shake. "Miss Cooper?"
She reluctantly raised her eyes to meet the man's. "Who are you?"
He smiled behind his beard. "I am Albus Dumbledore. How did you come to be here?"
She thought hard. "I was at home in California. It was the middle of the night and I couldn't sleep because it was so hot and muggy. So I turned on my computer and started writing. Once I started, I couldn't seem to stop. I must have written pages and pages, but I kept going. Finally, I finished the story I was writing and saved it. Then I started re-reading it and something happened to my computer." She frowned. "The next thing I knew, I'd fallen into icy-cold water, and then I blacked out. When I came to, I was soaking wet and my head was pounding." She looked at Miss McGonagall. "Thanks for pulling me out of the water."
Mr. Dumbledore eyed Miss McGonagall with twinkling eyes. "I heard about that."
Miss McGonagall looked a little embarrassed, a faint pink appearing in her cheeks. "You're welcome, Miss Cooper."
Tracey settled back against her pillows, trying to figure out why the names and seemed so familiar. "Now, where is here?"
Mr. Dumbledore sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed. "Miss Cooper, what do you know of magic?"
She frowned. "Only that I wish I could do magic myself." She looked at each of them suspiciously. "Why?"
"Miss Cooper, 'here' is Hogwarts, the finest school for witchcraft and wizardry in England," Mr. Dumbledore told her quietly.
Tracey stared at him, suddenly remembering why the names were so familiar. She took a deep, shaky breath. "This can't be true. This is all a dream."
She saw the adults exchanged puzzled glances. "What do you mean, Miss Cooper?"
She drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, unconsciously withdrawing into herself. "In the world I come from, magic is nothing but fantasy. And there's a series of famous books about a boy named Harry Potter." The adults exchanged glances once more, but they were surprised now instead of puzzled. "In these books, Harry attends Hogwarts to learn how to be a wizard. The Headmaster is named Albus Dumbledore, the Deputy Headmistress is Minerva McGonagall, and the school nurse is Madam Pomfrey." She looked up at them helplessly. "The descriptions are very accurate."
Professor Dumbledore abruptly stood and crossed to the window. Professor McGonagall watched him, a worried expression on her face. "What is it, Professor?"
He turned back from the window with a sigh. Tracey was surprised at how old he seemed. "I wondered when this would come up."
Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey exchanged puzzled looks. "What do you mean, Professor?"
He waved his hand and a chair appeared beside the bed, which he sat in. Another wave of his hand and a chair appeared beside his. Without a word, Professor McGonagall sat down in it. He sighed and began to speak. "I never told you that I was married once before, Minerva, did I?"
Professor McGonagall shook her head, dark green eyes focused on Professor Dumbledore. "No, but I'm not surprised that you were married once. You've lived a long time."
Professor Dumbledore smiled at that. "Yes, I have."
Professor McGonagall's voice was soft when she next spoke. "What was her name?"
Professor Dumbledore glanced at Tracey before answering. "Sandra Cooper." Tracey drew in a deep breath. "She was a Muggle, but it didn't matter to either of us. We were very much in love."
"What happened?" Tracey asked, her voice choked.
Professor Dumbledore sighed, folding his hands in the sleeves of his robes. She was sure they were shaking. "We were married for only a few months when we realized she was pregnant. We were so thrilled. It seemed nothing could shatter our happiness." He sighed again, a pained look appearing in his eyes. "How wrong we were."
Professor McGonagall touched his shoulder, gripping it comfortingly. He raised one hand to cover hers. Tracey glanced at Madam Pomfrey, but the medi-witch's face was neutral.
He took a deep breath. "As you know, there are spells to determine if the baby will be male or female and we'd learned that Sandra was carrying a girl. When Sandra was about seven months pregnant, she went shopping with her mother and sister for baby clothes. I never saw her again. She just...vanished. I searched for her for years, but never found her. I was devastated. That's why I decided to become a teacher. Since I had lost my chance to be a real father, I would teach and train children to become witches and wizards."
Tracey was puzzled. "But why tell us all of this? What does this have to do with me?"
"Because I see Sandra in your face, Miss Cooper," Professor Dumbledore replied softly. "I hear her in your voice. I believe you are our daughter."
She frowned. "But, that would mean that Mother was somehow transported to an entirely different universe."
Professor Dumbledore nodded. "Precisely."
"I didn't know there was even the *possibility* of alternate universes," Tracey muttered, running her fingers through her thick auburn hair. "This is a bit much to take in. You realize that, don't you?"
Another nod. "Yes, but I have one question I must ask you."
"What is it?" Tracey asked, meeting his gaze without flinching.
"Have you ever known your father?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
Tracey looked at her knees. "Mother married a nice man before I was born, but, no, I never knew my real father. She only had one picture of him, and it was in black and white." Tears filled her eyes. "She refused to tell me his name, saying I was better off not knowing."
She jumped when his hand touched her arm. "There are spells that will help us determine who your parents are. I'm fairly certain you are my daughter, but it would be nice to know. Would you like to know who your real father is?"
Tracey sniffled and nodded. "Yes, it would be nice."
Professor Dumbledore looked across the bed at Madam Pomfrey, who'd listened in silence the whole time. "Poppy?"
The medi-witch nodded and waved her wand. A rainbow-colored mist appeared and sank into Tracey's body. Madam Pomfrey closed her eyes and focused for a moment, before opening them and terminating the spell. Her brown eyes were moist when she looked at Professor Dumbledore. "Tracey is your daughter, Professor. Sandra is her mother."
The tears spilled down Tracey's cheeks as Professor Dumbledore gathered her into a warm hug. She wrapped her arms around her father --she had a father!- - and squeezed him tight. "I always wondered what had happened to you."
* * *
Poppy Pomfrey was the only one who noticed when Minerva got up and left the hospital wing at brisk pace. Concerned for her friend, Poppy followed her. Although Poppy lost sight of Minerva eventually, she had a pretty good idea where her friend would be going. When she reached the North Tower, she found Minerva perched on the window ledge, just staring out over the grounds. Poppy watched her for a moment, trying to decide what to do. As she watched, a tear slowly slipped down Minerva's cheek. "Min?"
Minerva hastily swiped the tear away. "You know I don't like that name, Poppy."
Encouraged, Poppy crossed the room to stand by her friend. "How else was I going to get a reaction out of you?"
Minerva gave a watery chuckle, blinking rapidly behind her glasses. "You know me too well, Poppy."
"Considering how long we've known each other..." Poppy trailed off, wondering how to bring up the question she wanted to ask.
Minerva sighed and rested her chin on her knees. "I don't know what's wrong with me, Poppy. I'm happy that Albus has found his daughter, but I feel sad, too."
Poppy laid a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Minerva, can't you tell him this?"
Minerva shook her head and sighed. "Oh, Poppy, I don't know *what* to do. I mean, it's obvious that she's his daughter, once you think about it. She has his eyes and his hair, after all."
"Her mother must have been tiny, then," Poppy mused.
"What do you mean?" Minerva looked up at her friend.
Poppy raised an eyebrow. "You noticed how small she is. She can't have gotten that from Albus."
Minerva chuckled and looked out the window once more. "Do you think she's a witch?"
Poppy shrugged. "Who knows? Albus is a powerful wizard, but her mother was a Muggle. We'll just have to wait and see."
Minerva sighed. "I guess so. Thanks."
"For what?" Poppy was puzzled.
"For talking with me," Minerva replied. "For being my friend."
"You're welcome, Minerva." Poppy hugged her friend and left the Deputy Headmistress to her thoughts.
Chapter One - Long-lost Daughter
A/N: This started out as a self-insertion fic, but I changed my mind. Before anyone flames me, Tracey is *not* a Mary Sue.
In the middle of the night, somewhere in southern California, a young woman suffering from insomnia decided to write. She sat in front of her computer, the glow reflecting off the lenses of her glasses as she typed. The only sound to be heard was the rapid clicktey-clack of the keyboard as she typed and the oscillating fan. Several cats wandered in and out of the room, wondering what she was up to. Occasionally, one would approach and ask for attention. The woman granted it, but only for a moment before continuing with her story. Little did she know what was about to befall her...
At long last, she has finished. She leaned back in her chair with a sigh of relief. Another plot bunny conquered. A small smile playing around the corners of her mouth, she began to re-read the story she had written. It was fanfiction, of the Harry Potter variety, and she enjoyed reading it as well as writing it. As she continued to read, a frown appeared. The screen was rippling. Something was wrong. It could not be a storm because the sky outside was clear with a full moon shining brightly. To the astonished eyes of the three cats lounging in the room, a sudden slurping sound was heard and the young woman disappeared into the computer monitor. The screen glowed innocently.
* * *
Meanwhile, at Hogwarts...
Minerva McGonagall was enjoying a walk around the lake when someone fell out of the clear blue sky and landed in the lake with a rather loud splash. Without stopping to think, Minerva slipped off her emerald green outer robe and dove in, swimming over to where waves were rippling outward from the person's point of entry into the lake. Diving under, Minerva spotted a girl floating, unconscious, nearby, wearing little more than an oversized T- shirt. Focusing on the fact that the girl was obviously in trouble, Minerva grabbed one of the girl's arms and began towing her up to the surface of the water. Taking a deep breath when her head broke the water, Minerva pulled the girl's head up above the water as well. The girl wasn't breathing. Due to her water-logged robes, it was with great difficulty that Minerva towed the girl to shore. Once there, Minerva stretched the girl out on her back, turned the girl's head to the side, placed one hand over the other at the base of the girl's diaphragm, and pushed upward with the heels of her hands. The girl began coughing up water after several pushes, curling in on herself. When she was done, she gave a low moan. "Ohhh, my poor head."
Minerva rubbed the girl's back soothingly. "You're out of the water now, lass. You'll be alright."
"Water?" the girl's eyes popped open and she sat up abruptly. This turned out to be a bad idea, because she clutched her head in her hands with another moan. "Oh, shit."
"Don't move too fast," Minerva counseled the girl, still rubbing her back. "You'll make the headache worse."
"Yeah, I kinda guessed that," the girl replied, eyes tightly shut. After a few moments, she slowly opened her eyes and looked around. "Where am I?"
"I'm not sure if it's my place to tell you, lass," Minerva answered apologetically, "but I think it's time we went inside and got you something decent to wear."
"Huh?" The girl looked down at herself. "Great. I end up God-knows-where and I'm in my nightshirt." She sighed.
"Here." Minerva summoned her outer robe and draped it over the girl's shoulders. "It's warmer than that nightshirt."
"Thanks." The girl slipped her arms into the sleeves and wrapped it around her. When they stood up, the robe was several inches too long for her and the sleeves were so long that they hid her hands. "Hmm, I think it's safe to say this is a tad too big for me."
Minerva smiled at that. "Come on, lass, we don't have far to go."
"Right." The girl allowed herself to be escorted up to the castle, too intent on not tripping over the hem of the outer robe to examine her surroundings. They made it to the castle without mishap. However, upon entering said castle, the girl gave a shriek. "A ghost!"
"Yes, there are ghosts here," Minerva soothed the girl, waving the Gray Lady and Sir Nick away. "They won't harm you, lass. The hospital wing is this way."
The girl balked at that. "Why are we going to the hospital wing? I thought you were going to get me some clothes? What's your name, anyway?"
Minerva sighed. "My name is Minerva McGonagall and we're going up to the hospital wing because you managed to breathe quite a bit of water back there. What's *your* name, lass?"
The girl grinned sheepishly up at Minerva. "Tracey Cooper."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Tracey," Minerva answered formally, a bit disconcerted by the bright blue of the girl's eyes. "Now, let's get you up to the hospital wing."
Tracey nodded and they continued up to the hospital wing without further incident. Poppy Pomfrey was waiting for them. "Hello, Minerva. What have we here?"
"Poppy, this is Tracey Cooper," Minerva told her friend. "Miss Cooper, this is Poppy Pomfrey, the nurse."
"Hello." Tracey pulled up the sleeve of Minerva's outer robe and shook the nurse's hand. "I'm pleased to meet you, Miss Pomfrey."
"Hello." Poppy started slightly at the touch of the girl's hand, but didn't show any other signs of confusion. "What brings you here?"
"She fell in the lake," Minerva explained. "I dove in after her to keep her from drowning."
Poppy nodded. "Very well, both of you have a seat."
Tracey obediently sat down on the bed Poppy indicated, but Minerva stayed where she was. "I didn't nearly drown, Poppy."
"You've only recently recovered from those four Stunners and dove into the lake, which is cold anyway, on top of that," Poppy told Minerva firmly, "therefore, sit."
Recognizing Poppy's tone of voice, Minerva sat down on the next bed over without another word. She watched, bemused, as Poppy cast a Diagnostic spell on the girl. Tracey didn't object, but she was fascinated by the spell and watched Poppy's face. When Poppy had terminated the spell, she disappeared into her office and returned with a potion for Tracey to drink. The girl eyed it suspiciously, but a glance at Poppy's face told her to drink it without objecting. After that, Poppy gave the girl some dry nightclothes to change into, returning Minerva's outer robe to her. Minerva draped it across the bed for the time being, since it was still damp, having already cast a drying charm on the black dress she'd worn underneath it. After the girl had changed, Poppy gave her a potion to help her sleep and tucked her in. Before long, the girl was fast asleep, looking very young to Minerva.
Putting up a set of curtains around the girl's bed, Poppy walked over to talk to Minerva, who'd let her hair down so it could dry. "How did she end up in the lake, Minerva?"
The dark-haired witch shrugged as Poppy cast a Diagnostic spell. "I was walking along the lake when she literally dropped out of the sky and into the lake. After that, I was too busy trying to get to her before she drowned to wonder she came from."
Poppy terminated the spell. "Well, aside from getting wet, you're fine."
Minerva smiled. "What about the girl? Will she be fine?"
"Yes, she'll recover just fine," Poppy replied with a small smile.
Minerva frowned when she saw it. "What is it?"
Poppy gave her friend an innocent look. "What is what?"
Minerva returned the innocent look with a stern one. "Why are you smiling like that?"
Poppy's smile widened. "Miss Cooper is hardly a girl, Minerva." The Transfiguration professor merely raised an eyebrow, waiting. "She's in her early to mid-twenties. She's just small for her age."
Minerva glanced over at the other bed. "Indeed." Minerva sighed. "I should go tell Albus about our...guest."
"I'm already here, Minerva," Albus' voice brought Poppy and Minerva around to look at him. He stood framed in the doorway, his hands folded into the voluminous sleeves of the plum-colored robes he was wearing. His hair and beard gleamed silver in the light shed by the bricks that glowed along the ceiling. He entered and approached the two women. "Now, who is our guest?"
Minerva was the one who answered, telling Albus how Tracey had ended up in the hospital wing. "To be honest, I have no idea where she came from, Albus."
Poppy spoke up before Albus could answer. "And you won't wake her up to ask her. She needs sleep right now."
Albus nodded and turned to Minerva. "It would seem we have some time on our hands, my dear. What do you say to a game of chess?"
Minerva smiled and took his arm as she stood up. "I'll win."
"Not this time, my dear," he replied as they left the hospital wing.
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure, Albus?"
He smiled in return. "Does it really matter which of us wins?"
She shook her head, smiling. "Not really."
"Good." Together, they continued down the corridor.
* * *
She woke slowly, too warm and comfortable to move. The pillow was soft under her cheek and the bed was so soft. She sighed contentedly and burrowed into her pillow a little more. "Miss Cooper?"
She frowned at the sound of the voice. There was something familiar about it. As if it belonged to a friend she'd not seen in years. Puzzled, she rolled onto her back and reluctantly opened her eyes. Everything was blurry. She wondered why until she realized she was missing something. "Where are my glasses?"
"Here." Someone pressed them into her hand and she slipped them onto the bridge of her nose. The three people standing by her bed came into focus.
Two were woman and one was a man. Both women were tall and slender, though one had black hair pulled back into a bun and wore square spectacles and emerald green robes. The other woman had gray hair pulled back into a knot at the nape of her neck and her robes were stylized nurse's whites. The black-haired one was Minerva McGonagall, her rescuer. The gray-haired one was Poppy Pomfrey, the nurse. The man, however, made her pause. He had long silver hair and a matching beard. Bright blue eyes twinkled behind the half- moon glasses perched on a long and crooked nose. For some reason, she thought his hair should be auburn instead of silver. She put a hand to her head and gave it a shake. "Miss Cooper?"
She reluctantly raised her eyes to meet the man's. "Who are you?"
He smiled behind his beard. "I am Albus Dumbledore. How did you come to be here?"
She thought hard. "I was at home in California. It was the middle of the night and I couldn't sleep because it was so hot and muggy. So I turned on my computer and started writing. Once I started, I couldn't seem to stop. I must have written pages and pages, but I kept going. Finally, I finished the story I was writing and saved it. Then I started re-reading it and something happened to my computer." She frowned. "The next thing I knew, I'd fallen into icy-cold water, and then I blacked out. When I came to, I was soaking wet and my head was pounding." She looked at Miss McGonagall. "Thanks for pulling me out of the water."
Mr. Dumbledore eyed Miss McGonagall with twinkling eyes. "I heard about that."
Miss McGonagall looked a little embarrassed, a faint pink appearing in her cheeks. "You're welcome, Miss Cooper."
Tracey settled back against her pillows, trying to figure out why the names and seemed so familiar. "Now, where is here?"
Mr. Dumbledore sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed. "Miss Cooper, what do you know of magic?"
She frowned. "Only that I wish I could do magic myself." She looked at each of them suspiciously. "Why?"
"Miss Cooper, 'here' is Hogwarts, the finest school for witchcraft and wizardry in England," Mr. Dumbledore told her quietly.
Tracey stared at him, suddenly remembering why the names were so familiar. She took a deep, shaky breath. "This can't be true. This is all a dream."
She saw the adults exchanged puzzled glances. "What do you mean, Miss Cooper?"
She drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, unconsciously withdrawing into herself. "In the world I come from, magic is nothing but fantasy. And there's a series of famous books about a boy named Harry Potter." The adults exchanged glances once more, but they were surprised now instead of puzzled. "In these books, Harry attends Hogwarts to learn how to be a wizard. The Headmaster is named Albus Dumbledore, the Deputy Headmistress is Minerva McGonagall, and the school nurse is Madam Pomfrey." She looked up at them helplessly. "The descriptions are very accurate."
Professor Dumbledore abruptly stood and crossed to the window. Professor McGonagall watched him, a worried expression on her face. "What is it, Professor?"
He turned back from the window with a sigh. Tracey was surprised at how old he seemed. "I wondered when this would come up."
Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey exchanged puzzled looks. "What do you mean, Professor?"
He waved his hand and a chair appeared beside the bed, which he sat in. Another wave of his hand and a chair appeared beside his. Without a word, Professor McGonagall sat down in it. He sighed and began to speak. "I never told you that I was married once before, Minerva, did I?"
Professor McGonagall shook her head, dark green eyes focused on Professor Dumbledore. "No, but I'm not surprised that you were married once. You've lived a long time."
Professor Dumbledore smiled at that. "Yes, I have."
Professor McGonagall's voice was soft when she next spoke. "What was her name?"
Professor Dumbledore glanced at Tracey before answering. "Sandra Cooper." Tracey drew in a deep breath. "She was a Muggle, but it didn't matter to either of us. We were very much in love."
"What happened?" Tracey asked, her voice choked.
Professor Dumbledore sighed, folding his hands in the sleeves of his robes. She was sure they were shaking. "We were married for only a few months when we realized she was pregnant. We were so thrilled. It seemed nothing could shatter our happiness." He sighed again, a pained look appearing in his eyes. "How wrong we were."
Professor McGonagall touched his shoulder, gripping it comfortingly. He raised one hand to cover hers. Tracey glanced at Madam Pomfrey, but the medi-witch's face was neutral.
He took a deep breath. "As you know, there are spells to determine if the baby will be male or female and we'd learned that Sandra was carrying a girl. When Sandra was about seven months pregnant, she went shopping with her mother and sister for baby clothes. I never saw her again. She just...vanished. I searched for her for years, but never found her. I was devastated. That's why I decided to become a teacher. Since I had lost my chance to be a real father, I would teach and train children to become witches and wizards."
Tracey was puzzled. "But why tell us all of this? What does this have to do with me?"
"Because I see Sandra in your face, Miss Cooper," Professor Dumbledore replied softly. "I hear her in your voice. I believe you are our daughter."
She frowned. "But, that would mean that Mother was somehow transported to an entirely different universe."
Professor Dumbledore nodded. "Precisely."
"I didn't know there was even the *possibility* of alternate universes," Tracey muttered, running her fingers through her thick auburn hair. "This is a bit much to take in. You realize that, don't you?"
Another nod. "Yes, but I have one question I must ask you."
"What is it?" Tracey asked, meeting his gaze without flinching.
"Have you ever known your father?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
Tracey looked at her knees. "Mother married a nice man before I was born, but, no, I never knew my real father. She only had one picture of him, and it was in black and white." Tears filled her eyes. "She refused to tell me his name, saying I was better off not knowing."
She jumped when his hand touched her arm. "There are spells that will help us determine who your parents are. I'm fairly certain you are my daughter, but it would be nice to know. Would you like to know who your real father is?"
Tracey sniffled and nodded. "Yes, it would be nice."
Professor Dumbledore looked across the bed at Madam Pomfrey, who'd listened in silence the whole time. "Poppy?"
The medi-witch nodded and waved her wand. A rainbow-colored mist appeared and sank into Tracey's body. Madam Pomfrey closed her eyes and focused for a moment, before opening them and terminating the spell. Her brown eyes were moist when she looked at Professor Dumbledore. "Tracey is your daughter, Professor. Sandra is her mother."
The tears spilled down Tracey's cheeks as Professor Dumbledore gathered her into a warm hug. She wrapped her arms around her father --she had a father!- - and squeezed him tight. "I always wondered what had happened to you."
* * *
Poppy Pomfrey was the only one who noticed when Minerva got up and left the hospital wing at brisk pace. Concerned for her friend, Poppy followed her. Although Poppy lost sight of Minerva eventually, she had a pretty good idea where her friend would be going. When she reached the North Tower, she found Minerva perched on the window ledge, just staring out over the grounds. Poppy watched her for a moment, trying to decide what to do. As she watched, a tear slowly slipped down Minerva's cheek. "Min?"
Minerva hastily swiped the tear away. "You know I don't like that name, Poppy."
Encouraged, Poppy crossed the room to stand by her friend. "How else was I going to get a reaction out of you?"
Minerva gave a watery chuckle, blinking rapidly behind her glasses. "You know me too well, Poppy."
"Considering how long we've known each other..." Poppy trailed off, wondering how to bring up the question she wanted to ask.
Minerva sighed and rested her chin on her knees. "I don't know what's wrong with me, Poppy. I'm happy that Albus has found his daughter, but I feel sad, too."
Poppy laid a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Minerva, can't you tell him this?"
Minerva shook her head and sighed. "Oh, Poppy, I don't know *what* to do. I mean, it's obvious that she's his daughter, once you think about it. She has his eyes and his hair, after all."
"Her mother must have been tiny, then," Poppy mused.
"What do you mean?" Minerva looked up at her friend.
Poppy raised an eyebrow. "You noticed how small she is. She can't have gotten that from Albus."
Minerva chuckled and looked out the window once more. "Do you think she's a witch?"
Poppy shrugged. "Who knows? Albus is a powerful wizard, but her mother was a Muggle. We'll just have to wait and see."
Minerva sighed. "I guess so. Thanks."
"For what?" Poppy was puzzled.
"For talking with me," Minerva replied. "For being my friend."
"You're welcome, Minerva." Poppy hugged her friend and left the Deputy Headmistress to her thoughts.