Chapter 19: When Pigs Fly

Harry turned to Laur very quickly.

"Wait, what?" he asked, confused.

"I think I know how I know O'Connell," Laur repeated. "And some other information as well."

"What do you mean Laur?" Harry asked more eagerly.

"I think that I know where I know him from. I figured it out today when I was re-decorating our room."

"How did 're-decorating' help you remember how you know Professor O'Connell?"

"Because at the time, I was looking in my photo album. So, there I was, looking at a picture of Mom, Dad, and me when I was a baby, and my dad's friend who looks alot like O'Connell. I don't think that it's not a coincidence."

"But Laur, that doesn't really make sense."

"Yes it does. Look, I've been thinking about this a lot, since last night. So many people in Diagon Alley claim to have known my dad, although he is a muggle. But since I've seen that picture with the man who looks like O'Connell, so I'm starting to think that my dad is keeping secrets from me."

"Like…?"

"That he is a wizard, from England, and that he and O'Connell are, or at least were, friends," Laur said quickly.

"Do you really think that your dad could have lied to you about something that important? That he's a wizard?" Hermione asked, joining the conversation.

"Well, I'd like to think not, but this is what it looks like, doesn't it? I mean, c'mon, why would I have been accepted here when I live in America? None of my friends from my old school got accepted, what makes me so special?"

"Look, why don't you just write home and ask your parents what's going on," Harry said reasonably.

"I want to know. No, I need to know the truth. It's gonna bother me for the longest time if I don't know soon. It's going to drive me crazy."

"So write them a letter, and in the mean time, talk to Dumbledore. But right now, dinner's about over, and everyone's starting to leave," Hermione said. Looking around, they realized she was right; there weren't that many people around. Some that were lingering were talking to friends from other houses. In other words, just a few other Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws.

"Laur, why don't you show us the picture?" Ron asked, participating in the conversation for the first time.

"Ahh, good plan Ron. Well then, allons!" Laur said, standing up and leaving. The other three followed in her wake.

"Laur, when are you ever going to get used to the staircases?" Hermione asked as they walked into Gryffindor tower.

"When pigs fly," she answered sarcastically. The four of them sat down at a table.

"You know, that day could be very soon," Fred replied coming up to them with George beside him.

"Might even be today," George said. "After dinner mint anyone?" he asked innocently, offering them candies.

"Who would be dumb enough to try candy from you?" Ron asked.

"Obviously they are," Harry said, pointing to some small pigs hovering in the air.

"Are you kidding me?" Laur asked, laughing. "That's hilarious!"

"Who are they?" Hermione asked.

"Our most faithful guinea-pigs," Fred answered, smiling.

"How can you do this?" Hermione yelled. The common room started to get quieter as Hermione's voice began to rise.

"Do what?" George asked.

"Test out your stupid products out on poor first and second years!" Hermione bellowed.

"Look, Hermione, before you get all huffy at us, they offered," Fred explained.

"So, Laur, how's that picture doing?" Harry asked before Hermione could say anything else.

"I don't know, why don't I go get it and we can talk about that thing we talked about earlier?" Laur said.

"Hey Laur?" Ron asked.

"Yeah?"

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"I said guess!"

"Fine. Hermione stopped flipping out?"

"No, as you can see, she is still 'flipping out'. Guess again."

"I watched Mary Poppins?"

"No. Guess again."

"Hell froze over?'

"No, getting warmer."

As if realization hit, she put her hand over her mouth and then yelled out, "Pig's flew!"

"YES!" Then she and Ron shared a laugh.

A few minutes later, Hermione had calmed down, Laur had gotten her picture album, and the four of them went up to the Boys dorm to figure things out.

"Here it is." Laur handed Harry the picture that depicted her, her mom, Samantha, her dad, Bob, and the man that looked like O'Connell.

"Hey!" Harry exclaimed, almost dropping the picture.

"Doesn't he really look like O'Connell?" Laur asked.

"Yea, but that's not it! Your mother is in one of my pictures!" Harry said, walking over to his trunk.

"What are you talking about Harry?" Laur asked. "My mom is muggle, my dad's the wizard."

"Or they're both magical," Hermione said, standing over Harry's shoulder, looking at both pictures, examining them.

The picture that Harry brought out was a picture of Lily and her friends from Hogwarts. In both pictures was a woman with soft brown hair and a great big smile.

"What the hell is going on?" Laur whispered.

"We'll figure it out Laur," Hermione reassured. "But it's getting late, and we have classes tomorrow."

"Laur, I'll come with you to Dumbledore tomorrow," Harry said. "I want to know what all of this means, because in your picture, that's a picture of Godric Hollow; the neighborhood that I lived when I was a baby."

"So are you saying Harry, that we knew each other when we were babies?"

"It's possible," he whispered.

"I'm going to bed," Laur said, storming out of the room.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione soon followed suit.

At breakfast the next day, Laur was rather quiet and playing with her breakfast. Hermione, Ron, and Harry knew why, but her change in attitude was evident to even Lavender and Pravati.

"Laur, are you alright?" Lavender asked, spreading some jam on her toast.

"A-whattah?" Laur responded, not sure she was being spoken to. "Oh, yeah, I'm just nervous about classes and all."

"Well cheer up, we don't have Potions today!" Pravati said looking over her timetable.

At that moment, Harry handed Laur her timetable. Laur said, "But we have two periods of Transfiguration bright and early."

"How cheerful you are this morning," Ron teased.

"Shut up," Laur said a bit harshly. "You would be too under the circumstances," she added quietly.

"Have you written them a letter yet?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, I sent it while I was waiting for you down in the common room."

"Wait, what?" Ron asked, his mouth full of food.

"I decided to send my letters by floo so my poor Sonata won't get too exhausted from continuous trips back and forth. I bought floo powder in Diagon Alley so I just 'firetalk' or whatever to whoever is in the room and then Sonata picks up the letters and brings them to Danielle or my parents. I was really hoping to see Danielle, but she wasn't there, only a girl that I didn't really like."

"I see."

"So what else do we have today?" Harry asked.

"I have a study period, and Herbology," Laur said. "Your schedule is probably a bit different."

"Why do you have a study?" Hermione asked.

"So I can read up on history material," Laur said, "and take the OWL's this June. Dumbledore said that instead of having two electives, I would have a study in which I would have to study all those Goblin Rebellions and crap so I can catch up to you. And then I have history with you guys, too."

"How does he know that you're doing work?"

"He's going to give me a test at the end of each month."

"It's time to go to class," Hermione said, taking a last sip of her drink.

"Let's get this over with," Laur said, getting up as well.

During Transfiguration and Herbology, Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout talked a great deal about the importance of the OWL's and how important it was to study hard and do all of the required work. In Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall started by reviewing the basics they'd been learning since first year.

After Herbology was Laur's study period where she basically just wandered around, trying to find the Library following Hermione's directions and thinking back to her tour. Hermione had Arithmacy and Harry and Ron had Divination.

Laur took another wrong turn and walked right into Professor O'Connell.

"I'm so sorry, excuse me," she said, backing up so she wasn't five inches from him.

"Excuse me, Miss Richardson," he said at the same time.

But Laur heard him and couldn't help but saying, "How do you know my name? We haven't had class yet."

"Professor Dumbledore asked me to come find you," he said. "He would like to talk to you about something."

"Okay," she answered nervously and followed him to Dumbledore's office. They stopped in front of a stone gargoyle, and he said, "gum drops", and the gargoyle moved, presenting a staircase. Laur hesitated walking onto the staircase, and O'Connell, noticing her tension, said, "shall we?" and started walking onto the staircase. Laur followed and soon found herself spiraling up to an open door, with Professor Dumbledore, and to her surprise, her parents, Bob and Samantha Richardson.

AN: ooooh. a cliff hanger!what is Bob and Samantha doing at Hogwarts if they are muggles? I've been trying to write Chapter 20, and its been really difficult, so review, let me know what you think, and perhaps it will be up soon!