C.2 Dealing Out Fiction

*Sigh* I still don't have the rights to Harry Potter and everything related. They're still J.K.'s. Also, thanks to my reviewers! I do take to heart what you write to me.it makes me happy, even the criticisms. One can only get better, I hope.

Madame Kaazebra returned with a tray. She placed it down in front of Sarah and said, 'Eat up. It's good for you. Also, once you are done, Shadow here'-she pointed to a black puppy-'will come get me. The Headmaster would like to have a word with you.'

Headmaster? She thought as she ate the soup. What a funny name for the director. The nurse had mentioned his name earlier. What was it she had called him? Alba Dorie? No it had started with a 'd.' Hmm. Dinquel? No, wait.Dumbledore? Ha ha, no way. She had her mind stuck in Potterworld! If not that then it was Lord of the Rings hands down. How is Katy getting along without me? She wondered.

The door opened. A little black puppy dog entered and took her tray from her. Man, that is one trained dog, she thought. I can't believe it can carry the tray it's almost as big as he is! And with that thought the dog left her alone in the room.

The door opened a minute later with the aging man whose glasses were absent. Sarah opened her eyes wide with shock. Her mouth hung agape as she watched Gandalf enter the room. Then she laughed at her self. No, it can't be Gandalf! It could be Dumbledore, that started with a 'd,' but Gandalf, the last time she had checked, started with a 'g!' No, no, no, she continued to laugh at herself. They were both fictional characters. Real to her and a few others, but could they truly exist in this world?

She stopped laughing to learn that the old guy was just staring at her like she was some alien or had no manners or something. She couldn't help it that he reminded her of all these fictional characters. Man, and then there was all of those parodies.like the one where Frodo and Sam are transported to Hogwarts and see Dumbledore and called him Gandalf. They were like interchangeable characters, right?

He was staring at her. The look on his face made her sense that she should say something. 'I'm sorry I was laughing. It's just you remind me of some characters in some stories I've read. And just thinking such characters existed made me laugh.' She looked away. Great, I'm getting myself in trouble and I just woke up!

He shook his head and with eyes twinkling replied, 'No need to apologize. I am Professor Albus Dumbledore an-'

'NUH-UH! No fucking way.' She interrupted him. 'You were paid to say that weren't you? Who paid you? Was it Katy? I bet she thought that this would be a funny joke. What's next? This isn't a hospital, but the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts? Puh-lease! You can't fool me. I'm going to kill Katy when I see her next. It was her wasn't it?'

'I have known many a Katie in all my years at Hogwarts, but I would not lie. I do not have any clue as to what you are talking about.'

'It's ok. You don't have to tell me. I know it's Katy. So when do I get out of here?'

'Well, first I would like to find out what happened, but that can be conducted in my office if this room is to your distaste. Which would you prefer?'

'I guess I was struck by lightning. I don't really remember. I was letting Scarlet out, that's my dog, and there was a bright flash and here I am. Bet it was the lightning, wasn't it?'

Dumbledore stood and thought for a minute. 'Perhaps we should go to my office. Follow me, Miss-?'

'Sarah Gregory.' She replied.

'Come along, Miss Gregory.' And with that he left the room.

She hopped out of bed wearing the jeans and shirt she had been yesterday. No hospital gown, thank God. She found her shoes by the bedside and put them on. Then she went off after the Professor, if that's who he really is.

They meandered through corridor after corridor, following the flow of stairs in between. For the start of their journey, Sarah really wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. Something was strange and she just couldn't put her finger on it. Then she did conscientiously look around her as they walked. That was it! They weren't in a hospital. It was stony.like a castle. That's strange. Hmm. But it wasn't something to worry about. This could just be some strange hospital. Of course, she couldn't think of any hospitals that would look like this in Hampton, or the surrounding peninsula.

They were now walking down a long corridor with pictures hanging on either side of her. Out of curiosity, Sarah began to glance at the picture, at first not taking note of their peculiarities. Then she stopped at a picture in which two ladies were having tea. There's nothing odd about this, she told herself. It's normal. Ladies drink tea and artists paint it. No, this one was different. She was enthralled. But what was it? The cup moved. The lady was drinking from the cup. That was what was so different.

Then she looked around the rest of the room only to notice that ALL of the pictures were moving some way or another. One picture had a knight galloping and fighting the same dragon over and over again. However, each time he would go after the dragon, he would do so in a different way.

She moved further down the hall to come across a portrait of a man with a sinister bar handle moustache. His eyes were darting around in the picture much like the portraits from the Scooby-Doo cartoons she watched. She could stretch things and make them fit. This was all a huge practical joke and she'd be on Candid Camera or the Jaime Kennedy Experiment or something. Or perhaps she was just asleep.

She had made it only halfway through the hall when she noticed Dumbledore standing at the end of the hall waiting for her to catch up. She stopped admiring the pictures and ran the rest of the length of the hall.