It was a particularly cold day in New York. Mora was outside playing soccer in the park with her friends. None of them were very good, but they had noting else to do that day because they were on their winter break from school.
"It's so cold!" complained Louis, a scrawny 13-year-old dressed in clothes much too big for him, which were in fact hand-me-downs.
"We can't!" replied Mora. "Ms. Gina kicked us out remember?"
Just then a soccer ball soared past Mora's head, just missing her ear.
"Sorry!" Alex shouted, from the far side of the field.
"Never mind, I'll get it!" Mora shouted as she turned around and jogged into the small forest lining the far end of the park.
After searching for 10 minutes, Mora saw the soccer ball lodged in a shrub up ahead. She quickly jogged up to it but she never reached it.
Where did it go?
"Hey, what are you doing in here?" shouted a gruff voice to Mora's left. Mora turned to see a large man hurrying towards her. Behind him were two kids, a boy and a girl, trying to keep up.
"I-I'm just looking for my soccer ball." Mora explained. "Did you see it?"
The three strangers looked at each other.
"You're American!" said the girl. She had an easily distinguishable British accent and was dressed in the oddest clothes. They reminded Mora of the witch costumes she would see little girls wear on Halloween.
"Yeah, so?" said Mora, getting defensive.
"How'd yeh get here?" asked the large man. As Mora looked closer she noticed her was carrying a crossbow, and sitting immediately to his left was a big black dog.
"What do you mean? I'm just looking for a soccer ball. My friend's and I are playing soccer in the field back th-" Mora stopped short. Behind her was just more forest. Forest seemingly to stretch for miles. Quickly she began walking back the way she came. They she broke into a trot.
"Where is it? Surely I didn't walk this far in before." Said Mora stopping and looking around. Then she turned around, glaring at the large man and the two teenagers with him.
"What's going on here? I don't know how you did it but-"
"We didn' do a'thing." Said the large man.
"Hagrid, maybe we should take her up to the school." Spoke the boy, also wearing the same odd black clothing as the girl, but it contrasted greatly with his flaming red hair.
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Said Mora loudly, backing away.
"You're righ' Ron." said the large man. The girl also nodded in agreement.
Mora, meanwhile, kept backing away. She didn't know what to think.
"Listen." said the girl, taking a step forward. "Come with us. There's someone at the school who can figure out how to get you back where you came from. You can trust us."
"Trust you! I don't even know who you are! Where I am, or even how I got here." Mora said disbelieving.
"You're in Britain. I'm Herminone, this is Ron," she said pointing to the boy with the red hair. "And this is Hagrid." she pointed to the large man who was about 7 feet taller than all of them.
"Britain! Are you insane! How did I get here? From New York?"
"We don't know. But someone back up at school can surely figure that out. What have you got to lose?" said Herminone.
"Well, how about m-" started Mora.
"Come on, we ain't goin' to hurt you. We're tryin' to help yeh." said Hagrid.
Something is obviously going on here. But they obviously know the grounds so I can go with them, and make a break if I need too.
"Alright." said Mora somewhat hesitantly.
"Good! Follow me then!" said Hagrid.
We must be really deep into the forest. Thought Mora. They had been walking for a while now. Their path led to a clearing and in the distance Mora could see what looked like a castle.
Suddenly there was a rustling in the forest behind Mora. Mora turned around startled, as did Herminone, Ron and Hagrid. Out of the brush came the most beautiful creature. Mora had never seen one like it before. She gasped
"Is that…a unicorn?" she said hardly daring to believe it. She began to walk towards it. It was stubbling towards her. Abruptly it collapsed in front of her. Mora ran over to it and dropped to her knees, amidst warnings shouted at her by those behind her.
"It's injured!" Mora cried, looking at its side. There was a deep gash across it's back.
"Look." she said. When the others had gathered behind her. Carefully, Mora began stroking the unicorn on its head.
"Look!" exclaimed Ron, pointing at the unicorn's wound. Right before their eyes the unicorn's wound was healing. Soon it disappeared without a trace that it had been there at all.
"I can' believe it." said Hagrid. Hagrid, Herminone, and Ron stared in awe at Mora. Mora meanwhile was staring at her hand. Various emotions flickering across her face.
"That was wicked!" exclaimed Ron.
"How'd yeh do that?" asked Hagrid.
Herminone stared at her speechless.
Then the unicorn stood up. The three of them took a step back, while Mora seemed rooted to her spot on the forest floor. The unicorn motioned its head as if to be saying "thank you" and walked away into the forest.
"Your school is a castle!" exclaimed a shocked Mora.
"You can see it?" asked Ron, confused.
"Oh course I can. It's right in front of me!" said Mora miffed.
"It's just that Mug-" Ron grimaced. Herminone had just elbowed him in the side. He gave her a questioning look but said nothing more.
As they stepped inside Mora smiled to herself at the warmth that greeted them. In a few minutes, Mora could feel her limbs again.
"Hagrid, where are we going?" asked Ron.
"I thought it'd be best to see the headmaster." said Hagrid leading the way.
"Don't worry." Said Herminone, turning to face Mora. "If anyone can figure out how you got here, and how to send you back, it's Professor Dumbledore."
"It's so cold!" complained Louis, a scrawny 13-year-old dressed in clothes much too big for him, which were in fact hand-me-downs.
"We can't!" replied Mora. "Ms. Gina kicked us out remember?"
Just then a soccer ball soared past Mora's head, just missing her ear.
"Sorry!" Alex shouted, from the far side of the field.
"Never mind, I'll get it!" Mora shouted as she turned around and jogged into the small forest lining the far end of the park.
After searching for 10 minutes, Mora saw the soccer ball lodged in a shrub up ahead. She quickly jogged up to it but she never reached it.
Where did it go?
"Hey, what are you doing in here?" shouted a gruff voice to Mora's left. Mora turned to see a large man hurrying towards her. Behind him were two kids, a boy and a girl, trying to keep up.
"I-I'm just looking for my soccer ball." Mora explained. "Did you see it?"
The three strangers looked at each other.
"You're American!" said the girl. She had an easily distinguishable British accent and was dressed in the oddest clothes. They reminded Mora of the witch costumes she would see little girls wear on Halloween.
"Yeah, so?" said Mora, getting defensive.
"How'd yeh get here?" asked the large man. As Mora looked closer she noticed her was carrying a crossbow, and sitting immediately to his left was a big black dog.
"What do you mean? I'm just looking for a soccer ball. My friend's and I are playing soccer in the field back th-" Mora stopped short. Behind her was just more forest. Forest seemingly to stretch for miles. Quickly she began walking back the way she came. They she broke into a trot.
"Where is it? Surely I didn't walk this far in before." Said Mora stopping and looking around. Then she turned around, glaring at the large man and the two teenagers with him.
"What's going on here? I don't know how you did it but-"
"We didn' do a'thing." Said the large man.
"Hagrid, maybe we should take her up to the school." Spoke the boy, also wearing the same odd black clothing as the girl, but it contrasted greatly with his flaming red hair.
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Said Mora loudly, backing away.
"You're righ' Ron." said the large man. The girl also nodded in agreement.
Mora, meanwhile, kept backing away. She didn't know what to think.
"Listen." said the girl, taking a step forward. "Come with us. There's someone at the school who can figure out how to get you back where you came from. You can trust us."
"Trust you! I don't even know who you are! Where I am, or even how I got here." Mora said disbelieving.
"You're in Britain. I'm Herminone, this is Ron," she said pointing to the boy with the red hair. "And this is Hagrid." she pointed to the large man who was about 7 feet taller than all of them.
"Britain! Are you insane! How did I get here? From New York?"
"We don't know. But someone back up at school can surely figure that out. What have you got to lose?" said Herminone.
"Well, how about m-" started Mora.
"Come on, we ain't goin' to hurt you. We're tryin' to help yeh." said Hagrid.
Something is obviously going on here. But they obviously know the grounds so I can go with them, and make a break if I need too.
"Alright." said Mora somewhat hesitantly.
"Good! Follow me then!" said Hagrid.
We must be really deep into the forest. Thought Mora. They had been walking for a while now. Their path led to a clearing and in the distance Mora could see what looked like a castle.
Suddenly there was a rustling in the forest behind Mora. Mora turned around startled, as did Herminone, Ron and Hagrid. Out of the brush came the most beautiful creature. Mora had never seen one like it before. She gasped
"Is that…a unicorn?" she said hardly daring to believe it. She began to walk towards it. It was stubbling towards her. Abruptly it collapsed in front of her. Mora ran over to it and dropped to her knees, amidst warnings shouted at her by those behind her.
"It's injured!" Mora cried, looking at its side. There was a deep gash across it's back.
"Look." she said. When the others had gathered behind her. Carefully, Mora began stroking the unicorn on its head.
"Look!" exclaimed Ron, pointing at the unicorn's wound. Right before their eyes the unicorn's wound was healing. Soon it disappeared without a trace that it had been there at all.
"I can' believe it." said Hagrid. Hagrid, Herminone, and Ron stared in awe at Mora. Mora meanwhile was staring at her hand. Various emotions flickering across her face.
"That was wicked!" exclaimed Ron.
"How'd yeh do that?" asked Hagrid.
Herminone stared at her speechless.
Then the unicorn stood up. The three of them took a step back, while Mora seemed rooted to her spot on the forest floor. The unicorn motioned its head as if to be saying "thank you" and walked away into the forest.
"Your school is a castle!" exclaimed a shocked Mora.
"You can see it?" asked Ron, confused.
"Oh course I can. It's right in front of me!" said Mora miffed.
"It's just that Mug-" Ron grimaced. Herminone had just elbowed him in the side. He gave her a questioning look but said nothing more.
As they stepped inside Mora smiled to herself at the warmth that greeted them. In a few minutes, Mora could feel her limbs again.
"Hagrid, where are we going?" asked Ron.
"I thought it'd be best to see the headmaster." said Hagrid leading the way.
"Don't worry." Said Herminone, turning to face Mora. "If anyone can figure out how you got here, and how to send you back, it's Professor Dumbledore."