Year, Disclaimer and all that good stuff: Fall 2003. I have to go back in time to make myself happy with my tale! Plus, most of my characters that do NOT belong to J.K. herself tend to be umm, real people. Or they are people whose name I had heard and liked. But really, I hate to say, I did not make anyone up *sob* I just used people I knew and made them umm fictional. And any characters that appear in the Harry Potter books do in fact belong to J.K. Rowling and I am merely using them to make people happy *cough SARAH cough* Also, the setting after Virginia belongs to J.K. and I cannot claim the Virginia setting as it's not even my own! For crying out loud, the dog even exists! Anyway, I've carried on too long and must work on Sarah's Tale (what I call it), which I hope to rename at a later date. The title was just my hypernish speaking.

C.1: THE GIRL WHO LIVED (this is subject to change)

It would be nice to say that it was a dark, stormy night when it all began. It would be nice to say that the thunder ripped through the clouds and lightning lit her room. It would help her mind except such things. It would be nice to say that the rain poured down, echoing the sorrow felt. But it would not be true. Her tale is not one to start off on such a note. It was average, like her. And she spent an average, dull Virginian fall school night typing online to various people through her instant messenger.

blackwerewolf3: man, I'm still waiting for my Hogwart's letter.

mangaangel87: lol. me too.

blackwerewolf3: do you realize we've harry pottered and lord of the ringsed the entire day?

mangaangel87: yeah *sigh* i really should write that friggin paper but the book was so dumb

blackwerewolf3: brb, scarlet wants out.

Of course, she did not realize that the conversation would end there for the time being. She went on her way, much as she always had. She took Scarlet to the door, and, being the dumb mutt she was, the girl had to keep an eye on her. So when lightning flashed suspiciously from the cloudless sky, she did not notice. And it flashed. It flashed in so closed to her that the world went black.

Meanwhile, across the ocean and leaving London as the 11:00 train from platform 9 and ¾ travels, the grounds to Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry, were seemingly empty. That was due to dinnertime and hundreds of hungry students. They were in a grand hall, the Great Hall, as it was called. They were busy listening to the grumblings of their stomachs to pay much attention to the aging man talking at the front of the room. His hair was nearly all gray, his half-moon glasses reflecting the light of the room.

'Before we begin eating, I would like to say a few words. First off, the Forbidden Forest, as always, is off limits to EVERYBO-'

Just then something fell down and landed on the ground with a THUMP.

'It's a girl!' One of the Hufflepuffs stood up and stated.

'No duh it's girl,' remarked a Slytherin. 'The question is, not what is she, but who is she and what she is doing here?'

'Does it matter as long as she gets help!' screamed a young, brunette woman as she bent to help the fallen girl. 'Accio Stretcher!' As the stretcher came, she looked to the Hufflepuff table and called, 'Ziff! Johnson! Help me carefully put her on the stretcher. Wingardium Leviosa!' The lady then proceeded to take her out of the room.

Green eyes fluttered awake and stared at the surrounding room. Where the heck was she? This certainly wasn't her back yard and she didn't remember any rooms in her house looking like this. It vaguely reminded her of a hospital room. Then she remembered the odd lightning. Where in the world did it come from? Maybe I am in a hospital, she thought to herself. She didn't think that the lightning hit her but it could have. Then the door walked in and a young brunette in a white nurses uniform came in.

'Oh I see you finally woke up. I'm Madame Kaazebra, nurse to the hospital wing.' The nurse informed her patient. 'And you are?'

'Sarah,' she croaked. 'How long have I been out?'

'Only for the night, Sarah. Professor Dumbledore will want a word with you now that you have woken, I bet. Well, I shall go get you something to eat.' Madame Kaazebra walked out of the room.

Sarah stared at her surroundings. Her light brown hair fluttered about the pillow. She struggled to sit up and threw her hair back with an elastic on her wrist, a grumbling erupting from her stomach. She then proceeded to look around the room. There were a few gifts on a table beside her. She picked a box up and looked at it. It took a smile from her as she read what it was: Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Well, the box looks different, wonder who they're from, she thought lazily.

Hey, I'm Alexander Ziff, a sixth year here at Hogwarts. I hope
that the fall wasn't too bad and you'll be up soon. Lots of us,
students I mean, are wondering where you come from. Are you an
exchanged student? Is that how exchange students travel? Oops.
Looks like I'm bombarding you with questions. And you're
supposed to be recovering too!
Sorry and Get Well Soon,
Alexander B. Ziff

Her mouth hung open as she read the note. Hogwarts? Falling? Was she asleep? This was like the Wizard of Oz, wasn't it? Uh-oh Scarlet, I'm not in Hampton anymore. She read the other notes; this one must be a joke. Maybe Katy sent it to her thinking it would be funny. After all, weren't they talking about Hogwarts before she went to let Scarlet out?

The other Get Well cards and notes were all along the same lines. Was this some kind of sick joke? None of these people she knew, Mark Johnson, Mary Ann Eluch, and Chi Chong. There were more, but none of those did she recognize. What was going on? Her question would soon be answered.