A/N: Next Chapter! Yes! Ok, enjoy and don't worry I'll get to Past Times. You can expect the next chapter for that either this weekend or within next week.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything but Leona and her friend Scott. If anymore people show up that you don't recognize it's most likely because I own them too.

Note: Thank you Nocturnal for being the first to review this story! Many kisses to you!

Chapter 2

"What do you think they have us locked up here for?" Harry and Ron had gone through about five games of wizards' chess, Harry glamorously losing every time, when Ron finally asked this. Harry looked up from one of his pawns shouting at him for 'making them go through this type of torture' every time he played with them to see his friends face filled with worry. Hermione abandoned her book to hear the conversation.

"I'm sure it isn't anything to worry about. Maybe one of Hagrids' animals got loose. He was saying a while ago that he'd be showing us something he described as 'the best animal ever'. By best I'd assume that it's probably something dangerous." Ron gave a snort when he heard this, but grew silent when he saw the disapproving from Hermione.

"Really you too, you shouldn't say stuff like that about a teacher. He's our friend too, no matter how strange his pets can be."

"Don't forget dangerous," Hermione glared at Ron but he continued, "Oh come on, 'Mione. You've got to admit it. I think the safest one he's had so far was Norbert." Harry nodded in agreement, which Hermione only sighed in frustration at.

"We're supposed to be setting examples for the younger students and here you two are talking about our Magical Creatures professors' dangerous animal obsession. We're sixth years, and Ron and I are Prefects. Try to act just a little responsible for once." By now, both of the boys' eyes had gone slightly unfocused from their friends lecture. You'd think they'd be used to it from the amount they received each week. They both nodded, though they had lost interest in what she was saying somewhere after dangerous animal obsession. Before they could say anything else the portrait was swung open at the entrance and Professor McGonagall entered. Everyone that had remained in the common room grew silent and all eyes were on their head of house.

"The problem has been taken care of everyone and there's no need to worry. Now, usually after something has been fixed you are allowed to go about your previous business, but seeing as it is past your curfew you should all head up to bed. Good night." She then made shooing gestures with her hands and several of the students got up and headed towards their dorms. Harry wanted to know what had happened though, and made his way to McGonagall.

"Professor McGonagall, what exactly was the problem?" McGonagall's lips pursed in the way they usually did when she didn't want to say something and Harry's hopes dropped of knowing what was going on. He tried something else, hoping this would work, "After all, whatever it is may have something to do with Voldemort and I might need to know."

"Mr. Potter, if you really want to know you'll have to go to Professor Dumbledore to get the answer because honestly, I'm not sure what I just witnessed down there myself. Not now though, now off to bed you three." She gave each of them a meaningful look and swiftly left.

"What did she mean by that?"

"Whatever it is it's obviously something that's never happened before," Both the boys turned to Hermione as she said this, "She looked a bit shaken up by it too."

"She did?" Hermione groaned in frustration and turned stomping off to the girls' dorms, muttering about 'boys having the smallest span of attention when it came to girls' emotions'.

"I'll see you guys in the morning. Good night." Harry and Ron looked at each other in that way that they usually did when they felt they were in trouble with Hermione and then headed up to their dorm too.

~*~

The first thing that crossed Leona's mind was the thought that she was in a bed. As she grew more conscious she could hear some voices about her, one a clipped off high voice of a woman and the other of a drawling voiced man.

"You tried to revive her earlier, Poppy," The man drawled, almost in a bored manner.

"Yes, but nothing happened. The spell seemed to be absorbed. Strange muggle, that one." Muggle? She must be dreaming because she just heard the most absurd conversation. Deciding she was just asleep still, she tried to ignore the voices and relaxed to go into a deeper sleep.

"Let's try again; really how long can someone stay in a faint?" The man sounded agitated and Leona heard footsteps coming towards her. He said a strange word and she felt a tingle in her body that spread. At first she resisted, as if her body wasn't sure whether what happened was good or bad. Something seemed to click in her head and she immediately knew it was good though, and vaguely knew what it meant. She complied with the urge it sent through her body suddenly once she let it do what it was there for, and woke up entirely.

Her eyes opened up to a face that made her yelp in surprise. A greasy haired man in black towered over her where she lay in a bed. He was pulled back from the bed, much to Leona's relief, and replaced by a woman in white. She scowled at the man for disrupting one of her patients, which Leona guessed she was by the look of the woman's clothing. The woman then turned back to her new patient (A/N: *Cough* Victim *Cough*) with a skeptical eye but a gentle look about her despite the sternness.

"How are you feeling, dear? My name is Madame Pompfrey."

"Uh, never better actually. Where am I?" Madame Pompfrey gave an unbelieving snort as she heard the girls' answer.

"Don't be ridiculous girl. I doubt you'd feel that well after managing to shake off a stunning spell and then fainting. To your question, you're in the hospital wing of Hogwarts School." Leona did feel perfectly fine; better than she had in years. She could hardly believe it herself. Mostly, she couldn't believe what the woman said.

"I'm in a school? How? Last thing I remember was being chased in front of a giant castle." The man loudly cleared his throat and Madame Pomfrey glared at him.

"Yes, it would seem that the teachers thought you were something evil and chased after you. You're inside that castle you saw, that's the school. Now, what's you're name dear?"

"Leona Watson. How could you think I was evil?" Leona held in the laugh that wanted to escape as she waited for them to answer.

"You were running towards the Forbidden Forest," The greasy man suddenly cut in, "How may I ask, did you get on the school grounds?" He stepped a little closer, but fortunately not as uncomfortably close as before due to the glare that he was getting from Pompfrey.

"I'm sorry, I could see ruins from up on a hill and I wanted to check them out. Then I just… kind of found this in its place," She took in the walls around her with a gesture but then froze for a moment as she realized something, "Oh no, Scott!"

"Scott," The man asked confused.

"My friend that pointed out the ruins to me in the first place."

"Do you mean there's another muggle wandering around the school grounds?"

"What's that word, muggle?"

"Non-magic folk."

"Oh, so would this make you…"

"Magic? Indeed, Severus please tell me you're treating the child kindly." Leona looked to her left where the new voice came from. There stood an elderly man with a long white beard, purple robes, and half moon spectacles on his beak like nose. He reminded her of what she remembered her grandfather was like before he died when she was younger. He seemed to be the most welcoming presence she had had so far. Slowly the man came in beside Leona's bed and smiled down at her, a twinkle ever present in his eyes.

"Welcome Miss…"

"Leona Watson."

"Ah yes, Miss Watson. Welcome, I am Professor Albus Dumbledore the headmaster of this school."

"If you don't mind, sir, I'd like to know what exactly happened."

"Well, I'm not sure where I should start…"

"How 'bout with how it's possible that I'm in a castle that at first looked like some ruins," suggested Leona.

"Yes, that would be a good way to start. First, Hogwarts has several forms of protection on it, one being a cloaking spell so that non-magic folk can't see the real school. They can still get past it perfectly fine though so we have the distraction spell further out so that muggles don't wander onto school grounds by accident. It would appear though, that you were able to get past this ward."

"Distraction spell?"

"It causes any muggles that approach near the school to suddenly remember an important task they forgot and go off to do that task instead of intruding on the school," Put in the greasy haired man.

"So that's why Scott turned around? Why didn't I though?"

"That's a mystery to us as well. Tell me, what did you feel when you past the no trespassing sign?" Leona blushed as she remembered she wasn't supposed to go past that sign in the first place. Dumbledore didn't show any sign that he was upset though, much to her relief.

"There was a feeling that I forgot something, just a feeling though. Sir, I'm sorry I went past that sign. I had no intention of trespassing on a school."

"It's quite all right, Ms. Watson," He said with a reassuring smile, "That's all you felt, a small feeling?"

"Yes, it did get a bit stronger as I got further down the trail but then it disappeared."

"And were there any other… strong feelings as you proceeded?" Leona nodded.

"Right before I saw, Hogwarts did you say, yeah before I saw the real Hogwarts. It was as if I were walking through water." 'Who names a school Hogwarts?' Leona asked herself, trying to contain her laughter. Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully at her answer and then turned to the greasy man named Severus.

"Severus, would you please inform the house elves that we will be having a guest tonight and to prepare a room? I'm sure Ms. Watson won't need anymore medical attention for today." Severus nodded and exited the room. Pompfrey looked as if she wanted to protest but didn't say anything.

"A guest room? Oh I couldn't possibly stay. My friend would worry, I'm sure I can just go to the cabin."

"I'm afraid it's a bit late to be walking any long distance, especially near the Forbidden Forest. I'm sure we can contact your friend and tell him you'll be staying the night." Leona hesitated to answer. As much as she didn't want to impose on their hospitality, her mind kept reminding her that it was way too dark and far to the cabin. She finally made up her mind though, when the thought of what was in that Forbidden Forest to make it so forbidden crossed her mind. She slowly nodded her head appreciatively.

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore. I'd love to stay, but just for this night." Dumbledore smiled at her and moved over towards a chair where Leona saw all her things piled.

"Then I believe you'll need these," He pulled out what looked like a stick to Leona and with a swish of his wrist the stuff was gone with a popping noise. "There, they should be in your guest room when you get there." Leona quickly closed her gaping mouth, which she found hanging open in shock much to her embarrassment.

"Wow," she said in awe, "When you said magic, you meant magic." Albus chuckled at this and then turned to where Severus was now entering the room.

"The room has been prepared, Albus."

"Thank you," He then turned back to Leona, "Leona, Professor Snape will now take you to your room." She nodded and got off the bed, following Snape.

~*~

They were silent most of the way. Leona didn't bother trying to speak to the stiff man that led her. His eyes always seemed to hold disgust when they looked her way. Also, she was too busy taking in her surroundings. Every hall they past through was made of stone and moving pictures hung on the wall. Several of them waved at her, much to her amazement and much to her disgust, a sly looking wizard made a cat call at her. She glared back at his portrait but didn't say anything.

Every stone she stepped on sent an unusual tingle up from her feet to spread across her entire body; a similar feeling that she had gotten from what she assumed to have been a spell that was used on her when she was being chased and the other to wake her. It was different though. Whatever she was feeling was much older and stronger, and seemed to be at the very core of Hogwarts' substance. Why did it feel so familiar to her then?

"Watch that step." Leona was shaken out of her thoughts, stopping before she reached the step Snape spoke of.

"What?"

"It has a tendency to disappear at any moment," the man said this as if her were speaking to a child, much to Leona's annoyance.

"Oh." She didn't bother asking why a step would disappear assuming that she probably didn't want to know. Skipping that step, Leona continued up the stairs behind Snape. After a moment more of silence she finally asked the question she had been rolling around in her mind since she'd woken up.

"Why did I glow?"

"Excuse me?" Snape turned to her with a look of impatient confusion on his face.

"I got shot by… a spell I suppose you call it and I glowed. Was that supposed to happen?" He continued walking for a moment, not answering her.

"No, that wasn't supposed to happen. It was a stunning spell; a strong one too. If you'd bother to listen to Madame Pompfrey you would have known that." Leona ignored his shrewdness and considered what he had just said.

"You were the one that shot me weren't you?" He spun around back towards her, his eyes blazing with anger then. Leona almost yelped but resisted, only moving back a step away from him. She knew as soon as she saw that anger in him she regretted what she'd said.

"If you don't mind, muggle," he spat out the word with disgust, "I'd appreciated it if you would keep your comments and questions to yourself." She nodded hastily, staring at him in shock. Apparently she'd hit a soft spot. He scowled once more at her before turning back around and stalking down the hall. Leona quickly followed, nearly having to run to catch up with his long legged strides.

'Stupid man prid,' she thought agitatedly. He probably didn't want to admit one of his own spells didn't work, and on a girl too. Her thoughts were cut short when Professor Snape stopped in front of a statue of a woman holding a crystal ball. Madame Maxime the Soothsayer, it read on a plaque on the base.

"Divination," said Snape and the statue suddenly sprung to life and moved to the side. He then walked through the door that had been behind her and Leona hesitantly followed. She found herself in a well-sized room with a bed on one wall and on the opposite wall, a desk by a window that showed the starry night outside. Placed in the center of the room was a round table with two chairs, one occupied with Leona's pack and jacket. The room was decorated in forest green and cream colors that softened the appearance of the stone ceiling, walls, and floor. A full length mirror, framed by silver, metal leaves, hung on the wall by the desk. Leona couldn't believe all of this could be behind a statue, and it seemed comfy too.

"The password is Divination," Snapes' voice interrupted her thoughts and she listened to him intently, "The house elves have left you something if you are hungry and will arrive in the morning with your breakfast. The bathroom is behind that mirror. Just hold up your hand in front of it and say the password bubbles; this will also close it. Now, good night." He made a speedy exit, black robes billowing behind him. Leona felt that familiar tingle as he left and found the statue moving to cover the entrance. It wasn't the older tingle she could still feel pulsing from the crevices of the castle though, more like the one that came from the spells. Something Snape had said suddenly rose to the edge of her mind and she crinkled her brow in confusion.

"Did he say house elf? What's a house elf?"

A/N: Please review! I'd love your opinions. Just watch the language and I will love you forever, no matter what you say. Well… okay, maybe I might hold a slight grudge if you say you don't like it, but I'll get over it I promise!