A/N: Welcome all new readers! I'm glad you've come to read my ff, and I really hope you stick around! Right now, I'm actually quite busy, and don't have the time to write individual replies, but next time around... I shall! Enjoy!
Mandy, Harry, Hermione, and yes, even Ron, had a pleasant dinner with each other. They managed to skim across all the important topics, (or at least all the ones they considered important.) Harry had questioned her about Quidditch and managed to find out that she was a seeker and was just as thrilled as he and Ron were about the game as well. Hermione held her head up high, as if she was too dignified to be involved in such a conversation, and continued to eat her dinner quietly, having no input about Quidditch. The rest of the group ignored her and her unsaid remarks easily though, (it is easy to ignore a person who remains silent after all.)
Although, when they finally reached the topic of schoolwork, Hermione considerably lightened up. Hermione and Mandy managed to agree that anything under an O on a work assignment was simply under par and despicable. That was the time when the boys merely ate their food silently, having no comment or care on schoolwork.
Overall, from what they could tell - she was a good rounded out person... But the one thing they found odd about her, although she was charming, was that whenever they brought up the topic of how she got here and why she came here - she would simply change the topic.
Although they all did like her, they felt like she was being quite mysterious from the person it appeared she usually was. They all couldn't help wondering about what had happened to make her this way. They all couldn't help but wonder what the truth was behind it all, but the problem remained that they needed to get Mandy distracted in order to talk privately about it.
"Mandana, Mandana!" Colin Creevey called. Mandy quickly whispered back to the trio in hopes to find out who was calling her.
"Um... guys... who is that?"
"Colin Creevey," Harry replied.
"He probably wants to take a picture of you," replied Hermione quickly, "you being the first student that was ever accepted late in Hogwarts' history."
"Oh," replied Mandy, with a hint of curiosity and question in her voice. Mandy wasn't quite sure if she was telling the truth, she always had a good sense of other's emotions...
Hermione noticed that Mandy paused to stare at her; it felt like she was scanning Hermione for lies. She became as tense as ever, hoping her true emotions didn't shine through. Luckily though, Colin called after her again.
"Mandana! Mandana!"
"I'll be right back guys," Mandy responded slowly, still staring at Hermione, "you know - just to see what he wants."
The trio watched her walk away and just as soon, they engrossed in a quick conversation.
"Well, that was a lucky coincidence," said Hermione.
"Yeah," Ron replied.
"What are you guys talking about?" Harry asked.
"Come on... you can't tell me that you aren't just as curious as we are to find out about why and how Mandy got here," Hermione said with a nonchalant tone.
"Well... yes, I suppose," he replied.
"Now... how are we going to find out?" Hermione inquired to Ron and Harry.
"W-What do you mean?" Harry asked, thrown off, his thoughts still focused upon Mandy who had just walked away, "Shouldn't we respect her privacy a bit?"
"Since when have we ever respected someone's privacy?" Ron asked, outraged, "Mate, you are acting quite odd tonight."
Harry quickly looked down at the ground in hopes that no one would notice. "Never mind.... uh Dumbledore's always been honest with us," he said, trying to cover up his emotions.
"Perfect!" Hermione exclaimed, "We'll talk to him after dinner!"
"But how will we get rid of Mandy?" Ron asked. Next moment, both Hermione and Ron were staring at Harry, suggesting that he was the leader here - he should come up with the plan.
He looked back and forth between the two and quickly tried to think of something. "Uh... I'll... I'll... tell her she has to meet with the Head of House, Professor McGonagall, as a suggestion to catch up with us." Harry quickly replied.
"Right... she does seem quite anal about her grades," Ron said, beginning to mimic her in the childish fashion he had used the previous night, "I'll accept nothing less than an O."
Hermione smacked him swiftly upside the head, and shot him a glare.
"Owww! What the bloody hell was that for?"
"Prat..." Hermione glared at him and replied.
Harry couldn't help but laugh at the constant bickering they had with each other. Normally, it would anger him - but something just brought - happiness to him tonight.
"Sorry about that guys," Mandy said coming back to the table.
"Oh what... Oh you are back," Ron replied.
"Well apparently I wasn't missed very much," she smirked, her eyes squinting a bit with her smile.
Not wanting to give her the wrong impression, Harry attempted to quickly cover up Ron's mistake, "No, it's just that we got into some serious conversation for awhile," he said, noticing Hermione's glare of interest towards him, "and didn't uhhh really notice anything else that was going on."
"Well, what were you guys talking about?" she asked.
"We -" Harry had just been conveniently interrupted by Dumbledore, who was tapping his fork against his goblet to gain the student's attention again.
"Attention students, attention!"
Immediately, all heads turned to focus on Dumbledore.
"I am sad to announce that although tonight has been quite an eventful night, and although you wish to continue your conversations, I'm sure," he paused with a genial smirk, "it is time for you to go back to your common rooms."
The whole Great Hall had gained a look of great displeasure; some groaned and scoffed at this restricting news, and with a roll of the eyes, continued to whisper amongst themselves as they left the Great Hall. Harry, Hermione, and Ron on the other hand, had a plan.
After Dumbledore was done with his speech, and the other students started heading towards their common rooms, the three had started to slip away, but Mandy just as quickly caught hold of them.
"Um... guys, aren't the Common Rooms that way?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
This question took them all of guard... how did she already know where the Common Rooms were?
"Well..." Hermione attempted to cover their plan up quickly, "we were going to go speak to Professor McGonagall about the work you need to catch up."
Mandy stared at Hermione suspiciously and skeptically at the remark she had just made, but nonetheless, denied Hermione's offer nicely.
"Well, thanks, that's nice of you guys, especially since I had completely forgotten, but I think I'll go do that myself... There are some other things I need to work out as well with our Head of House, but thanks for the thought."
'Nice going, Hermione,' Harry thought.
He couldn't have covered that up better himself - if Mandy was as concerned with grades as Hermione was, (which she practically was,) she'd want to go see Professor McGonagall herself.
"Oh, are you sure you don't want us to go with you?" Hermione asked innocently.
"No, that's alright... could you just tell me how to get there?"
"Ahh... Yes, it's..."
Harry couldn't believe how well this was working out, too perfectly in fact. The other thing he couldn't help but wonder is what the other things she had to sort out were... He hoped that he would find out from Dumbledore - but being Dumbledore, you can't expect him to do exactly what you think he will.
"And then you are there..." Hermione said, finishing off her instructions.
Mandy smiled, "Thanks, I'll meet you guys in the Common Room?"
"Yes," they replied in unison; Mandy laughed.
"Bye!"
"Bye!" they chorused back.
"Phew, we almost didn't make it..." Ron said, side-glancing at Mandy, who was walking a fair amount away from them by now.
"Yes, we are having an enormous amount of lucky chances tonight, aren't we?" Hermione replied slowly.
They then quickly ran to meet up with Dumbledore; little did they know that another person in an invisibility cloak was following them.
When they finally got to Dumbledore's office, Harry knew exactly what to say: "Sugar Quill!"
Hermione stared blankly at Harry, "Harry, how on earth did you know that?"
Ron responded quickly and urgently, "Hermione, we don't have time for that now," then turned towards Harry, "Harry, save that story for later."
Harry merely nodded in return, so that Ron acknowledged his agreeing on the matter.
Then, the trio, as well as the person underneath the invisibility cloak, rushed into his office - only to find that Dumbledore was waiting for them.
"Ah yes, I figured I'd be seeing you three after Mandana's welcome to our school..." Dumbledore paused with a smile, watching Prof. McGonagall and Prof. Snape suddenly dash in, "but I had not expected you two to come and ask the same questions of me as these three," he said with his eyes twinkling. "I would have thought that you would have trusted my judgment in such matters," he stated, still smiling curiously.
There was a slight awkward pause; Harry had to admit that this was the first time he had seen Professor McGonagall so uncomfortable.
"Well - sir - we, we were just curious, uh as to... why you perhaps ... didn't tell us?" she asked meekly.
Harry then looked towards Professor Snape, hoping to see that same uncomfortable look that Professor McGonagall had, but instead, was greeted by a face that was as stony as it usually was.
"Ahhh, but I did tell you..." Professor Dumbledore replied.
"You mean...?" Professor McGonagall replied aghast, trailing out.
"Yes, she is the one."
"Oh, oh my...." Professor McGonagall looked troubled.
"Well, now that that mess was cleared up, I suggest you two retreat back to your offices... You will find someone waiting for you there, Professor McGonagall." Professor Dumbledore informed her of what Harry, Hermione, and Ron already knew. As usual, he knew everything.
Immediately after the two left, the trio was left to ask the questions that had been plaguing their minds since Mandy's arrival.
"Now, I must inform you that although you must have formulated some plan to come and talk to me away from Mandy, obviously," he paused, "I can not answer any questions about her past life without her consent."
Within a snap of the fingers, a shard of paper appeared right from thin air and floated into Dumbledore's hands.
"What the bloody hell was that?" Ron asked, interested in the randomness of the piece of paper.
Dumbledore smiled knowingly, "Why, consent from Mandy of course..."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione's faces all drained of color; they thought their plan was absolutely concrete – there was no way she would guess.
"Oh, don't worry," Dumbledore said vaguely, "she understands the matter... and furthermore, that you three have an immense amount of curiosity."
"B-but," stammered Hermione, "h-how did she know we were coming to see you?"
Dumbledore continued to smile and replied; "She is an apt witch, and more intelligent than you think," he paused. "Now, I'm assuming you three have an abundance of questions for me... do feel free to begin your inquisition," he said, waving one of his hands out towards them acceptingly.
"Okay," Harry responded quickly, "why is she here? Why did she enter so late? Why is she so important that she can do this?"
Dumbledore nodded, expecting this situation to occur. "I shall answer you, but not with words... with visions, memories from the life of Mandana herself."
"Proctorus memorila displaicia," Dumbledore pronounced.
These words seemed oddly familiar to Harry, he had most definitely heard them before.... Then he remembered; Hermione had used this same spell to produce the screen to show her incident of the mysterious voice. The screen that had just come out of thin air had just fitted itself upon the nearest wall that had an empty space big enough on it and opened itself up. Suddenly after, a machine protruded out of the ceiling and came down to the level of the screen, as if a movie were about to begin. Before he knew what was about to happen, the screen started to fuzz and crackle, and the machine was ready to display some of the most important events in Mandy's life. They didn't even know what they were about to see, but that it would explain almost everything about her.
