Out of the Clear Blue Sky
Epilogue - Reunions
Sandra Andrews sat brooding in her living room. It had been a year since her daughter, Tracey, had disappeared. A whole year since her only link to her first husband had vanished without a trace. Though Tracey had been declared dead, Sandra had never truly believed her daughter was dead.
The sound of the doorbell ringing disturbed Sandra from her reverie. Wondering who it could be, she got up to answer the door. A small, slender woman with wavy auburn hair, bright blue eyes, and wearing a cream-colored blouse, denim capris, and cream-colored slip-ons stood on the front porch. A man about half a foot taller stood beside the woman. He had golden-brown hair, blue-gray eyes, and wore a dark gray shirt with the top couple buttons undone, black slacks, and black loafers. In her arms, the woman held a bundle of purple blankets. After staring for a few moments, Sandra finally found her voice. "May I help you?"
"Sandra Andrews?" the man asked, blue-gray eyes studying her carefully.
She nodded, a little wary. "Yes, that would be me. Who are you?"
It was the woman who answered. "Don't you recognize me?"
"Well, you remind me of my daughter, Tracey," Sandra admitted.
The woman smiled shyly. "I'm Tracey."
Sandra felt the blood drain from her face. "No, my daughter would be 21, not 25."
The woman looked amused, although Sandra could have sworn she saw tears glittering in the blue eyes. "Actually, I'm 28."
Sandra stared, her hand clenching around the doorknob. "T-Tracey?"
The younger woman nodded, a lone tear trickling down her cheek. "Yes, Mom, I'm alive and well."
"Oh, Tracey." Sandra opened the screen door and pulled her daughter into a hug. A cry from the bundle of blankets startled them and Sandra pulled back. "I think it's time we talked."
Tracey nodded and moved past her mother into the house. The man followed. As Sandra closed the door, Tracey asked, "Where are Ryan, Lynda, and Jeff?"
"Ryan took Lynda to look at cars," Sandra explained as they moved into the living room. "Jeff's at football practice."
"Football?" the man asked as he and Tracey seated themselves on the couch and Sandra sat down in the chair facing them.
"Don't worry, Griffith," Tracey patted the man's hand with hers. She turned to her mother. "A year ago, Tracey Cooper sat up late, typing a fic on her computer. She typed and typed and typed until she finished the fic she was writing. When she finished, she began to read the story over to check for any grammatical or mechanical errors. Something happened to her computer and the next thing she knew, she fell into Hogwarts' lake."
Sandra stared at her daughter once more. "Tracey, what are you saying?"
"I was transported through space and time to Hogwarts on July 4, 1996," Tracey explained. "Though I fell into the lake, Professor Minerva McGonagall was there to pull me out," Sandra breathed a sighed of relief. "Not long after I came face to face with none other than Albus Dumbledore, we figured out that he was my father."
"You mean Albus is alive?" Sandra asked, startled.
Tracey grinned and nodded. "Yep, and still going strong."
"He must be close to 160 years old by now," Sandra exclaimed softly.
"One more year," Tracey confirmed with a smile.
Sandra shook her head and studied the man sitting beside her daughter. "Who is this?"
"This is my husband, Griffith Hooch," Tracey informed her mother, smile still in place.
"Husband?" Sandra asked weakly. Tracey and Griffith nodded. Sandra nodded to the bundle of blankets. "I'm guess that's your baby, then."
Tracey nodded again, peeling back the blankets to reveal a baby with auburn hair and wide blue-gray eyes. "Yes, this is Jessica."
"May I hold her?" Sandra requested.
"Of course." Tracey stood up and walked over to place the baby in her grandmother's arms.
"Tell me everything," Sandra requested once her granddaughter was firmly ensconced.
"Everything about what, Mom?" Tracey asked, puzzled, as she returned to her seat on the couch.
"What happened after you ended up at Hogwarts," Sandra clarified.
Tracey looked a little sheepish. "Er, that was eight years ago for me, Mom."
"Eight?" Sandra was so surprised that her hold on Jessica faltered. The baby would have been hurt if Griffith hadn't pulled out his wand and summoned the baby to him. "Did you go back in time?"
Tracey nodded. "Yes, I said so before." She pulled an envelope out of her pocket. "It would take me too long to explain everything at once, but here's a letter that might help."
Sandra took it with shaking hands. Even after 21 years, she recognized the writing on the envelope. She opened it and pulled out the letter inside.
~Dear Sandra,
From what Tracey has told me, only 21 years has passed since you last saw me. I last saw you 130 years ago. I did not know you had been transported 119 years into the future. I was devastated, of course, but I moved on. I had no choice.
After our daughter's rather unorthodox arrival, I had a friend of mine in America look around. She found you, your husband, Tracey, Lynda, and Jeffrey. I kept this information to myself for a few months before telling Tracey. She was ready to go see you right that minute, but I explained to her that we would have to wait.
These past eight years with Tracey have been very fulfilling. Now, if you'll lower the letter and look at Tracey and Griffith, you'll see that you have some more visitors...~
Sandra did and drew in a breath when she saw the handsome barn owl perched on Tracey's shoulder. She barely registered the silver tabby cat curled up in Tracey's lap. "Albus?"
The owl took off from Tracey's shoulder and became Albus Dumbledore, looking much older and grayer than Sandra had last seen him. "Hello, Sandra."
"I never thought I'd see you again." She stood and practically fell into his arms. They held each other close for several moments before Sandra deliberately disentangled herself, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Thank you, Albus. I've missed you."
He gently wiped the tear tracks from her cheeks. "I've missed you, too." Someone cleared their throat and Albus looked up. "Ah, yes. There's someone I'd like you to meet, Sandra."
She turned to see a tall, slender woman with black hair pulled back into a French braid, dark green eyes, and wearing an emerald green blouse, a black A-line skirt, and practical black pumps. "Er, hi."
Inexplicably, Tracey giggled. "What's so funny?" The tall woman spoke with a trace of a Scottish brogue
"I'm sorry," Tracey replied, stifling her giggles, "but I haven't heard Mom sound so British in years."
Sandra laughed at that. "I guess you're right."
"Anyway," the woman spoke again. "I'm Minerva Dumbledore."
"Sandra Andrews," Sandra shook the taller woman's hand, noting the ring on Minerva's left hand. "I'm guessing you're married to Albus?"
The corners of Minerva's mouth tilted upwards. "Yes. For the last seven years."
Just then, the front door opened. "Mom, we're home! We found the sweetest car! Oh."
Sixteen-year-old Lynda stopped short upon entering the living room, hazel eyes going wide. "Lynda, what is it?" Ryan appeared behind his daughter, dark eyes taking in the four strangers in his living room with his wife. "Um, who are you?"
"Hi, Dad," Tracey replied quietly, standing up and moving so he could see her better.
"Oh my God." He stared at her, copper skin paling. "Tracey?"
She nodded, blinking rapidly. "Yes, Dad. I'm most definitely alive."
"Tracey!" Lynda flew across the room and flung her arms around her sister. "You're alive!"
Tracey laughed as she hugged her sister back. "Where's Jeff?"
"Still at football practice," Ryan replied, coming in to kiss his wife hello. Sandra was smiling by the time he lifted his head. "So, would anyone mind telling me what's going on here?"
Lynda had been staring hard at Albus and Minerva and now shrieked. "Oh my freakin' goodness!"
"Lynda!" Tracey exclaimed, glaring at her younger sister.
The teen quailed under her sister's glare. "Sorry, Tracey, but am I right in assuming that he," she pointed at Albus, "is Albus Dumbledore and she," pointing at Minerva, "is Minerva McGonagall? From the Harry Potter books?"
Tracey grinned, "Well, yes, but it's Minerva Dumbledore now."
Lynda looked from one professor to the other. "This is so cool! I didn't know the books were real."
While Lynda and Tracey had been talking, Albus and Minerva had sat down on the couch, leaving enough space for Tracey to sit between Albus and Griffith, and Ryan had sat down in the chair facing the couch, pulling Sandra down to sit in his lap. "Lynda?"
"Yeah, Mom?" Lynda turned to her mother as Tracey sat down as well.
"Sit and be quiet." Sandra told her younger daughter firmly.
"All right." Lynda plopped down on the floor. "Now what?"
Albus sighed. "We begin at the beginning, Miss Andrews." Lynda made a face at the name, but did not comment. "I grew up with your mother, Sandra--"
"Hold up!" Lynda inserted. "Wasn't that during the mid-1800s?"
"Yes, Lynda, it was," Sandra confirmed. "If you'll listen quietly, we'll explain."
The teen subsided and Albus resumed his story. "I was surprised to find I was a wizard, but pleased all the same. I visited with Sandra during my holidays, but could not tell her I was a wizard until I began to court her. We were married not long after I finished my schooling at Hogwarts." Lynda opened her mouth to ask a question, but a glance at Tracey shut Lynda's mouth. "The next year or so was pure heaven. It seemed nothing could take it away from us. When Sandra became pregnant with Tracey, it felt like nothing could stop us. Then, Sandra went shopping for baby clothes one day and never returned." His voice was bleak. "I searched everywhere for her, but never found her. After several months, I assumed her dead and moved on with my life."
"However," Sandra inserted as Tracey transferred Jessica from Griffith to Albus, "I had not died, but somehow ended up being transported from England in 1864 to southern California in 1983. To this day, I never figured out how I went from walking along a street in the local town to falling on top of Ryan."
Ryan grinned as Albus handed the baby to Minerva. "That was a bit of a surprise, let me tell you. I was just walking along, minding my own business, when this lovely lady in an authentic Victorian-style dress fell out of the clear blue sky and landed on top of me. Naturally, we ended up in a heap on the ground, but I did what any gentleman would do in this situation. I helped her to her feet and asked if she was alright."
Lynda giggled, and then caught sight of the baby. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but whose baby is that?"
"Mine, Lynda," Tracey replied. "Her name is Jessica and you may hold her if you like."
"Thanks!" Lynda stood up and accepted the baby, entranced with her peacefully-sleeping face.
"At any rate, I invited Sandra home with me so we could talk," Ryan resumed his explanation. "She told me her story and I offered to let her stay with me. After a week, I asked her to marry me, so her sense of propriety about staying with an unmarried man would be satisfied."
Sandra smiled. "I was still very much in love with you, Albus, when I married Ryan, but he didn't insist on physical intimacy at all. He wanted me to take things at my pace. He was there when Tracey was born and loves her as much as he loves Lynda and Jeff." Tracey beamed, swiping at the tears trickling down her cheeks. "I _do_ have a question, though."
"Go ahead and ask it, Sandra," Albus encouraged. "I don't guarantee anyone will have an answer for you."
Sandra nodded. "Is Tracey a witch?"
"Yep!" Tracey confirmed with a nod.
"Then why were you never invited to attend one of the schools for magic in America?" Lynda was the one who voiced the question as she returned Jessica to Tracey.
"The American Magic Academy has several branches spread out around the country. It is not nearly as old as Hogwarts and I'm afraid they're still adjusting the spells that detect magical children among Muggles," Albus explained. "The nearest branch, located in Colorado, is one of the newer branches. I would not be surprised if the spells there still need some adjusting. Consequently, it's quite possible that it overlooked Tracey."
Lynda frowned. "What about the other branches? Wouldn't one of them found her?"
Minerva shook her head. "Each branch covers a certain area and no farther. If the Colorado Academy didn't detect Tracey, she didn't get an invitation to attend."
"If I had, Mom, would you have let me?" Tracey asked, looking at her mother.
Sandra nodded. "Of course. I never forgot Albus, or the wizarding world. I sometimes wondered if you could be witch, but, when no letter arrived before you started middle school, I assumed I'd been dreaming."
"What about me and Jeff?" Lynda burst out suddenly.
"Jeff and I," Tracey corrected her sister. Lynda stuck her tongue out at Tracey and the elder returned the favor.
"You're wondering if you could be magical?" Albus asked. Lynda nodded, curly black hair bouncing around her shoulders. "Well, it's possible, but you would both need to be tested for it."
"Tested for what?" Jeffery's voice drew all eyes to the doorway. "Whoa, what's with all the people here?"
"Hi, Jeff," Tracey greeted him.
"Hi, Tracey," he replied, wiping his forehead. Then he froze. "Wait, I thought you were dead."
"Come in, Jeff," Ryan instructed his son. "There's a lot of explaining we need to do."
******Finis******
Epilogue - Reunions
Sandra Andrews sat brooding in her living room. It had been a year since her daughter, Tracey, had disappeared. A whole year since her only link to her first husband had vanished without a trace. Though Tracey had been declared dead, Sandra had never truly believed her daughter was dead.
The sound of the doorbell ringing disturbed Sandra from her reverie. Wondering who it could be, she got up to answer the door. A small, slender woman with wavy auburn hair, bright blue eyes, and wearing a cream-colored blouse, denim capris, and cream-colored slip-ons stood on the front porch. A man about half a foot taller stood beside the woman. He had golden-brown hair, blue-gray eyes, and wore a dark gray shirt with the top couple buttons undone, black slacks, and black loafers. In her arms, the woman held a bundle of purple blankets. After staring for a few moments, Sandra finally found her voice. "May I help you?"
"Sandra Andrews?" the man asked, blue-gray eyes studying her carefully.
She nodded, a little wary. "Yes, that would be me. Who are you?"
It was the woman who answered. "Don't you recognize me?"
"Well, you remind me of my daughter, Tracey," Sandra admitted.
The woman smiled shyly. "I'm Tracey."
Sandra felt the blood drain from her face. "No, my daughter would be 21, not 25."
The woman looked amused, although Sandra could have sworn she saw tears glittering in the blue eyes. "Actually, I'm 28."
Sandra stared, her hand clenching around the doorknob. "T-Tracey?"
The younger woman nodded, a lone tear trickling down her cheek. "Yes, Mom, I'm alive and well."
"Oh, Tracey." Sandra opened the screen door and pulled her daughter into a hug. A cry from the bundle of blankets startled them and Sandra pulled back. "I think it's time we talked."
Tracey nodded and moved past her mother into the house. The man followed. As Sandra closed the door, Tracey asked, "Where are Ryan, Lynda, and Jeff?"
"Ryan took Lynda to look at cars," Sandra explained as they moved into the living room. "Jeff's at football practice."
"Football?" the man asked as he and Tracey seated themselves on the couch and Sandra sat down in the chair facing them.
"Don't worry, Griffith," Tracey patted the man's hand with hers. She turned to her mother. "A year ago, Tracey Cooper sat up late, typing a fic on her computer. She typed and typed and typed until she finished the fic she was writing. When she finished, she began to read the story over to check for any grammatical or mechanical errors. Something happened to her computer and the next thing she knew, she fell into Hogwarts' lake."
Sandra stared at her daughter once more. "Tracey, what are you saying?"
"I was transported through space and time to Hogwarts on July 4, 1996," Tracey explained. "Though I fell into the lake, Professor Minerva McGonagall was there to pull me out," Sandra breathed a sighed of relief. "Not long after I came face to face with none other than Albus Dumbledore, we figured out that he was my father."
"You mean Albus is alive?" Sandra asked, startled.
Tracey grinned and nodded. "Yep, and still going strong."
"He must be close to 160 years old by now," Sandra exclaimed softly.
"One more year," Tracey confirmed with a smile.
Sandra shook her head and studied the man sitting beside her daughter. "Who is this?"
"This is my husband, Griffith Hooch," Tracey informed her mother, smile still in place.
"Husband?" Sandra asked weakly. Tracey and Griffith nodded. Sandra nodded to the bundle of blankets. "I'm guess that's your baby, then."
Tracey nodded again, peeling back the blankets to reveal a baby with auburn hair and wide blue-gray eyes. "Yes, this is Jessica."
"May I hold her?" Sandra requested.
"Of course." Tracey stood up and walked over to place the baby in her grandmother's arms.
"Tell me everything," Sandra requested once her granddaughter was firmly ensconced.
"Everything about what, Mom?" Tracey asked, puzzled, as she returned to her seat on the couch.
"What happened after you ended up at Hogwarts," Sandra clarified.
Tracey looked a little sheepish. "Er, that was eight years ago for me, Mom."
"Eight?" Sandra was so surprised that her hold on Jessica faltered. The baby would have been hurt if Griffith hadn't pulled out his wand and summoned the baby to him. "Did you go back in time?"
Tracey nodded. "Yes, I said so before." She pulled an envelope out of her pocket. "It would take me too long to explain everything at once, but here's a letter that might help."
Sandra took it with shaking hands. Even after 21 years, she recognized the writing on the envelope. She opened it and pulled out the letter inside.
~Dear Sandra,
From what Tracey has told me, only 21 years has passed since you last saw me. I last saw you 130 years ago. I did not know you had been transported 119 years into the future. I was devastated, of course, but I moved on. I had no choice.
After our daughter's rather unorthodox arrival, I had a friend of mine in America look around. She found you, your husband, Tracey, Lynda, and Jeffrey. I kept this information to myself for a few months before telling Tracey. She was ready to go see you right that minute, but I explained to her that we would have to wait.
These past eight years with Tracey have been very fulfilling. Now, if you'll lower the letter and look at Tracey and Griffith, you'll see that you have some more visitors...~
Sandra did and drew in a breath when she saw the handsome barn owl perched on Tracey's shoulder. She barely registered the silver tabby cat curled up in Tracey's lap. "Albus?"
The owl took off from Tracey's shoulder and became Albus Dumbledore, looking much older and grayer than Sandra had last seen him. "Hello, Sandra."
"I never thought I'd see you again." She stood and practically fell into his arms. They held each other close for several moments before Sandra deliberately disentangled herself, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Thank you, Albus. I've missed you."
He gently wiped the tear tracks from her cheeks. "I've missed you, too." Someone cleared their throat and Albus looked up. "Ah, yes. There's someone I'd like you to meet, Sandra."
She turned to see a tall, slender woman with black hair pulled back into a French braid, dark green eyes, and wearing an emerald green blouse, a black A-line skirt, and practical black pumps. "Er, hi."
Inexplicably, Tracey giggled. "What's so funny?" The tall woman spoke with a trace of a Scottish brogue
"I'm sorry," Tracey replied, stifling her giggles, "but I haven't heard Mom sound so British in years."
Sandra laughed at that. "I guess you're right."
"Anyway," the woman spoke again. "I'm Minerva Dumbledore."
"Sandra Andrews," Sandra shook the taller woman's hand, noting the ring on Minerva's left hand. "I'm guessing you're married to Albus?"
The corners of Minerva's mouth tilted upwards. "Yes. For the last seven years."
Just then, the front door opened. "Mom, we're home! We found the sweetest car! Oh."
Sixteen-year-old Lynda stopped short upon entering the living room, hazel eyes going wide. "Lynda, what is it?" Ryan appeared behind his daughter, dark eyes taking in the four strangers in his living room with his wife. "Um, who are you?"
"Hi, Dad," Tracey replied quietly, standing up and moving so he could see her better.
"Oh my God." He stared at her, copper skin paling. "Tracey?"
She nodded, blinking rapidly. "Yes, Dad. I'm most definitely alive."
"Tracey!" Lynda flew across the room and flung her arms around her sister. "You're alive!"
Tracey laughed as she hugged her sister back. "Where's Jeff?"
"Still at football practice," Ryan replied, coming in to kiss his wife hello. Sandra was smiling by the time he lifted his head. "So, would anyone mind telling me what's going on here?"
Lynda had been staring hard at Albus and Minerva and now shrieked. "Oh my freakin' goodness!"
"Lynda!" Tracey exclaimed, glaring at her younger sister.
The teen quailed under her sister's glare. "Sorry, Tracey, but am I right in assuming that he," she pointed at Albus, "is Albus Dumbledore and she," pointing at Minerva, "is Minerva McGonagall? From the Harry Potter books?"
Tracey grinned, "Well, yes, but it's Minerva Dumbledore now."
Lynda looked from one professor to the other. "This is so cool! I didn't know the books were real."
While Lynda and Tracey had been talking, Albus and Minerva had sat down on the couch, leaving enough space for Tracey to sit between Albus and Griffith, and Ryan had sat down in the chair facing the couch, pulling Sandra down to sit in his lap. "Lynda?"
"Yeah, Mom?" Lynda turned to her mother as Tracey sat down as well.
"Sit and be quiet." Sandra told her younger daughter firmly.
"All right." Lynda plopped down on the floor. "Now what?"
Albus sighed. "We begin at the beginning, Miss Andrews." Lynda made a face at the name, but did not comment. "I grew up with your mother, Sandra--"
"Hold up!" Lynda inserted. "Wasn't that during the mid-1800s?"
"Yes, Lynda, it was," Sandra confirmed. "If you'll listen quietly, we'll explain."
The teen subsided and Albus resumed his story. "I was surprised to find I was a wizard, but pleased all the same. I visited with Sandra during my holidays, but could not tell her I was a wizard until I began to court her. We were married not long after I finished my schooling at Hogwarts." Lynda opened her mouth to ask a question, but a glance at Tracey shut Lynda's mouth. "The next year or so was pure heaven. It seemed nothing could take it away from us. When Sandra became pregnant with Tracey, it felt like nothing could stop us. Then, Sandra went shopping for baby clothes one day and never returned." His voice was bleak. "I searched everywhere for her, but never found her. After several months, I assumed her dead and moved on with my life."
"However," Sandra inserted as Tracey transferred Jessica from Griffith to Albus, "I had not died, but somehow ended up being transported from England in 1864 to southern California in 1983. To this day, I never figured out how I went from walking along a street in the local town to falling on top of Ryan."
Ryan grinned as Albus handed the baby to Minerva. "That was a bit of a surprise, let me tell you. I was just walking along, minding my own business, when this lovely lady in an authentic Victorian-style dress fell out of the clear blue sky and landed on top of me. Naturally, we ended up in a heap on the ground, but I did what any gentleman would do in this situation. I helped her to her feet and asked if she was alright."
Lynda giggled, and then caught sight of the baby. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but whose baby is that?"
"Mine, Lynda," Tracey replied. "Her name is Jessica and you may hold her if you like."
"Thanks!" Lynda stood up and accepted the baby, entranced with her peacefully-sleeping face.
"At any rate, I invited Sandra home with me so we could talk," Ryan resumed his explanation. "She told me her story and I offered to let her stay with me. After a week, I asked her to marry me, so her sense of propriety about staying with an unmarried man would be satisfied."
Sandra smiled. "I was still very much in love with you, Albus, when I married Ryan, but he didn't insist on physical intimacy at all. He wanted me to take things at my pace. He was there when Tracey was born and loves her as much as he loves Lynda and Jeff." Tracey beamed, swiping at the tears trickling down her cheeks. "I _do_ have a question, though."
"Go ahead and ask it, Sandra," Albus encouraged. "I don't guarantee anyone will have an answer for you."
Sandra nodded. "Is Tracey a witch?"
"Yep!" Tracey confirmed with a nod.
"Then why were you never invited to attend one of the schools for magic in America?" Lynda was the one who voiced the question as she returned Jessica to Tracey.
"The American Magic Academy has several branches spread out around the country. It is not nearly as old as Hogwarts and I'm afraid they're still adjusting the spells that detect magical children among Muggles," Albus explained. "The nearest branch, located in Colorado, is one of the newer branches. I would not be surprised if the spells there still need some adjusting. Consequently, it's quite possible that it overlooked Tracey."
Lynda frowned. "What about the other branches? Wouldn't one of them found her?"
Minerva shook her head. "Each branch covers a certain area and no farther. If the Colorado Academy didn't detect Tracey, she didn't get an invitation to attend."
"If I had, Mom, would you have let me?" Tracey asked, looking at her mother.
Sandra nodded. "Of course. I never forgot Albus, or the wizarding world. I sometimes wondered if you could be witch, but, when no letter arrived before you started middle school, I assumed I'd been dreaming."
"What about me and Jeff?" Lynda burst out suddenly.
"Jeff and I," Tracey corrected her sister. Lynda stuck her tongue out at Tracey and the elder returned the favor.
"You're wondering if you could be magical?" Albus asked. Lynda nodded, curly black hair bouncing around her shoulders. "Well, it's possible, but you would both need to be tested for it."
"Tested for what?" Jeffery's voice drew all eyes to the doorway. "Whoa, what's with all the people here?"
"Hi, Jeff," Tracey greeted him.
"Hi, Tracey," he replied, wiping his forehead. Then he froze. "Wait, I thought you were dead."
"Come in, Jeff," Ryan instructed his son. "There's a lot of explaining we need to do."
******Finis******