Chapter 12: The Headmaster
Ellie couldn't take her eyes off the vast castle that was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The turrets and towers loomed over head as she approached closer. Ellie was then lead through two large oak doors and into a magnificent entrance hall. The cavernous room was lit by dozens of torches hanging along the stone walls, and had a ceiling that was so high it was hardly visible. A wide marble staircase stood opposite from the oak doors. Ellie followed Harry, Ron and Hermione up the marble staircase with her jaw gaping open.
Suddenly Ellie let out a yelp in surprise, as the lady in the portrait she had just passed waved at her.
"What is it?" Harry urgently asked, turning around.
"The p-picture moved." Ellie answered still in shock.
"Oh." Harry smiled, "Yeah, they do that."
"All of them?" Ellie asked in amazement.
"All the ones that I've seen." Harry nodded.
"Do you think you could give me a bit more warning next time something unusual happens?" Ellie asked coolly.
"Sure." Harry grinned. "Oh, just so you know, there are ghosts in the castle as well."
"Ghosts?" Ellie repeated in an uneasy tone, as she followed Harry up a second flight of stairs.
"Don't worry, they're really nice." Harry reassured her. "But you'll have to watch out for Peeves the poltergeist. He's a real nuisance."
"Ghost and poltergeist." Ellie listed to herself. "Is there anything else I should know about?" But just as she asked this question, her foot sank into the step up to her knee.
"Yeah, there are a few trick steps around the castle."
"You're a bit late on that one." Ellie dryly said.
Harry turned around. "Oh, sorry." He apologized and helped Ellie out of the step.
Ron and Hermione were waiting for them at the top of the staircase.
Ellie continued to follow in silence, taking in all the fascinating sights around her. Finally Harry, Ron and Hermione stopped in front of a large stone statue of a gargoyle.
"Anyone happen to know the password?" Ron suddenly asked.
"It's Canary Cream." Replied Harry.
At the sound of those two words the gargoyle jumped aside to reveal a spiral staircase that moved upwards. Once at the very top, Ellie found herself staring at a huge wooden door with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffon. Hermione, being closest to the door, knocked on it firmly. A voice from the other side beckoned "Come in!"
Hermione pushed open the door, but stopped abruptly after only taking one step inside the room.
Peering over Hermione's shoulder, Ellie could see that the room was very large and circular, with various interesting instruments, some even emitting puffs of smoke.
"Sorry Professor Dumbledore, we didn't know you were busy. We can come back later." Hermione said quickly.
"It's perfectly alright Miss. Granger. Please come in." A gentle voice spoke.
Hermione hesitated before fully entering the room. As Ellie walked in her eyes immediately fell on the walls, which were covered with hundreds of moving portraits. Next she noticed a golden bird perch with the most extraordinary bird she had ever seen. It was the size of a peacock, but with brilliant red and gold plumage. Finally Ellie laid eyes on a huge claw footed desk where two men were sitting on either side. The man standing behind the desk was tall and thin with very long, flowing silvery hair and a beard to match. His nose was considerablely crooked, and his twinkling blue eyes fell on Ellie the moment she stepped in the room. The other man, who remained seated in front of the desk, was portly with grey hair, wearing a pinstriped suit, a scarlet tie, and had a lime green bowler hat resting on his lap.
"What can I do for you all today?" The tall, thin man asked standing up.
Ellie was expecting for Harry, Ron or Hermione to answer, but none of them responded; all of them were looking worriedly at the stout man in the chair.
"They're here because of me." Ellie said stepping forward, not being able to take any more of the long silence.
"And who might you be?" The tall man kindly asked.
"My name is Eleanor Richards, and I'm ... um ... what you'd call a ... a muggle." Ellie had never felt so nervous in her life.
The lime bowler fell to the floor as the short man stared at Ellie with a pale, stunned expression. The tall man, however, didn't look surprised at all.
"Well, Miss. Richards, I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts." The tall man said walking around the claw footed desk to shake Ellie's hand. "And this," he said gesturing to the seated man, "is Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic."
Ellie politely extended her hand to shake the minister's but he just continued to gawk wide eyed at her.
"A m-muggle? H-here?" Fudge stammered, finally finding his voice.
"Come now Cornelius, you knew it would only be a matter of time before this would happen again."
"Again? What do you mean 'again'?" Harry asked dumbfounded.
"This isn't the first time a muggle has been able to find their way into the magical world Mr. Potter." Dumbledore smiled.
"But I've never read anything about muggles getting past anti-muggle charms before." Said Hermione.
"That's because the Ministry does a very good job of covering them up." Dumbledore replied, glancing at Fudge.
"There haven't been many security breeches, but some have occurred." Fudge said bitterly, not taking his eyes off Ellie.
"Exactly how did you get here?" Dumbledore asked Ellie, his sparkling blue eyes looking down at her.
For the second time that afternoon Ellie told her story of following the two men into the pub, and again didn't mention anything about her cousin.
"We'll definitely have to step up security around the Leaky Cauldron." Fudge mumbled to himself. "And I wasn't aware of the floo network being connected from Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade."
"When was the last time the anti-muggle charms failed?" Harry curiously asked.
"About seventeen years ago, the last time Voldemort was at full power." Dumbledore answered. Ellie noticed the minister give a strange shudder.
"You see, the anti-muggle charms that are placed on every magical dwelling or building are based on the desire and focus of all witches and wizards not wanting to be discovered. When there is an evil threat, like Voldemort for example, the priority of muggle security changes. Suddenly people are much more worried about protecting themselves from an powerful wizard than a harmless muggle. When wizards and witches don't fully concentrate on the anti-muggle charms the spells become weaker. They still repel muggles, but there is a greater chance of one or two slipping by. Most times the muggles that do get by are very intelligent people who are very observant with their surroundings, and have an open mind to the extraordinary." Dumbledore winked at Ellie.
"So what happens to me now?" Ellie timidly asked.
"Your memory and all knowledge of anything magic will be erased of course," Fudge said hastily, "as well as the memory of anyone who has knowledge of you being here."
"You're going to obliviate our memories too?" Hermione gasped.
"It's standard procedure." Fudge authoritatively answered.
"No body's memory will be obliviated." Dumbledore said in a calm tone.
"Dumbledore, this matter concerns the ministry of magic, and as minister what I say goes." Fudge said rising from his seat.
"That may be true Cornelius, but she is in my school, and as Headmaster I have the authority to decide what goes on within these walls." Dumbledore firmly said.
"She doesn't belong here!" Fudge exclaimed.
Dumbledore tuned away from Fudge and faced Ellie.
"Miss. Richards, I am inviting you to stay at Hogwarts Castle for as long as you possibly can."
Ellie's body went numb and her bag of Honeydukes candies fell to the floor. It was as if someone had just informed her that she'd won the lottery, or was invited to have tea with the Queen. Fudge was looking purely scandalized.
"This is madness!" He hissed. "A muggle has no place in Hogwarts. You'll be kicked out of here so fast-"
"Cornelius, do I have to remind you what happened last time you disagreed with me?" Dumbledore sternly said. "I see this as a learning experience; a chance for the students to work on their muggle relations." He added.
"You've been hanging around that Arthur Weasley too much." Fudge spat.
Ron clenched his fists.
"If you ask me, you should hang around him more often." Dumbledore remarked.
Fudge had opened his mouth to say something, but promptly closed it. Finally he opened it again.
"This muggle probably has a family who will be very worried about her whereabouts, so she couldn't possibly stay." Fudge cleverly smirked.
"My mum isn't going to pick me up until Monday evening." Ellie quickly said.
Fudge's grin vanished.
"But I am supposed to be at my friend's house in a hour." She said lowly. "But I did tell her that I'd call if any plans changed." Ellie wasn't ready to give up a chance to stay in an enchanted castle.
"It's a shame you won't be able to call your friend, since the fellytone, or whatever you muggles call it, doesn't exist in the magic world." Fudge said in a sarcastic devastation.
"You don't have telephones?" Ellie asked, sounding very disappointed.
"That's what the owls and fireplaces are for." Ron said apologetically.
"It would take too long for an owl to reach her friend, and it is illegal to have the Floo Network connected to a muggle home." Fudge said before anyone could come up with any suggestions for Ellie to stay.
Ellie's hopes and wishes to stay at Hogwarts were quickly being dashed away.
"Ellie, would you like to stay at Hogwarts?" Dumbledore asked kindly.
"Yes, I'd love to." Ellie replied without hesitation.
"Alright then." Dumbledore smiled, and with a wave of his wand an old fashion rotary phone appeared on the desk top. The phone had a long wire running out the back of it, along the floor, out the window, and out of sight through the thicket of trees.
"I always keep one around just incase." Dumbledore winked. "But I ask you to please use it quickly; I don't want an unaware person to trip over the phone line."
Ellie picked up the receiver, and could hear the dial tone on the other end. Cornelius Fudge was looking completely outraged. Ellie tried her best to ignore him, and dialed Jo's phone number.
"Hello." Jo's voice came from the ear piece.
"Hi Jo, it's me." Ellie said excitedly.
"Are you alright? Did you find any information about Nicole's death?" Jo quickly asked.
"No...not yet." Ellie said awkwardly. "I'm just calling to let you know that there's been a change of plan."
"What's changing?" Jo asked suspiciously.
"I won't be staying at your house for the weekend."
"What do you mean? Is everything alright?"
"Everything is fine. I just found somewhere else to stay."
"Where?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that."
"Why not?" Jo asked skeptically.
"I really can't talk that long. I'll explain everything when I get back." Ellie said hastily.
"But-"
"If my parents phone to check up on me just tell them that I'm fine, but I'm not able to come to the phone. Tell them I'm in the bathroom or something." Ellie could see Fudge giving her a disapproving glare out of the corner of her eye.
"You know how I feel about lying." Jo said uneasily.
"Look, I really have to go now. I'll be at your house on Monday in time for my mum to pick me up; I'll tell you everything then. Bye." Ellie hung up the phone without waiting for a reply from Jo.
"I can stay till Monday, but I need to be back at my friend's house by four o'clock in the afternoon. Ellie informed everyone.
"Splendid!" Dumbledore exclaimed.
"Dumbledore, you're violating at least twenty-four laws by harboring this muggle." Fudge warned.
"Since you've already made friends with Harry, Hermione and Ron, I'll assume that you'll want to stay in Gryffindor tower." Dumbledore said, ignoring Fudge completely. "I'm sure we can fit in an extra bed in the girl's dormitory."
"I'll have your job for this Albus!" Fudge threatened.
"If there is anyone who should be worrying about their job Cornelius, it's you." Dumbledore said firmly.
Fudge scowled at Dumbledore, but didn't say anything in retaliation.
"Could you three please show Miss. Richards to the Gryffindor dormitories so she can put her purchases from Honeydukes away before giving her a full tour of the castle?" Dumbledore asked Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"Sure." Harry replied, but Ellie could sense that he'd rather stick around and see what Fudge was going to do next.
Ellie picked up her bag of candies and followed her three escorts, who were slowly exiting through the door. Before Ellie stepped out of the office she abruptly stopped.
"I should probably return this." She said removing the dark brown cloak she had taken from the Leaky Cauldron.
"I'll make sure it gets back to its rightful owner." Dumbledore smiled taking the cloak from Ellie.