Disclaimer:none of the characters are mine. they belong to JK Rowling and Diane Duane
Harry groaned and stretched as he attempted to write a 4-foot long parchment on how an additional dose of monkshood could effect the potency of an Anti-Dreaming Sleeping Potion. He stretched again and stood up to look out the Gryffindor Common Room window. Snow had fallen the night before, and students waded knee-deep in soft yet slightly crusty snow. Harry made up his mind, dropping his quill and reaching for his boots.
Nita Callahan and Kit Rodriguez grinned as they cavorted in the New York snow, smiling and chucking snowballs at each other. Liused watched the two snow-covered teens amusedly. Nita stood and started a futile attempt at brushing the snow off herself and turned to her partner in wizardry, Kit.
"Let's go over to Tom and Carl's place!"
"Good idea, Neets. Lets hurry and leave before Ponch wakes up and sees us gone."
"He's gonna find us anyway, Kit. Come on, lets go!"
Nita and Kit lined up the transport spell and vanished with a rush of incoming air.
The two young wizards arrived with a soft POP in Tom and Carl's front yard. Annie and Monty came rushing up.
"Down Annie! We don't have Ponch! Down!"
"Monty! Get off!"
Tom called from the house, "Come on in, the dogs will stay in the yard." Nita and Kit entered, and true to Tom's statement, the two dogs stayed in the yard.
"Tom, where's Carl?" Kit asked.
"Vet." Tom replied as he walked over to Kit and Nita. "Listen, I called your house to see if you three could come over. Dairine should be here any minute-" There was the sound of the door opening and barking dogs. "There she is now," Tom finished. Dairine walked in, followed by her Apple, Spot.
"Yo." Her all-around greeting. Tom winced and asked,
"Don't you know that that really gets under my skin? It's not proper English, and it really irritates me. Why don't you just say hello?" Dairine grinned at him and turned to Nita and Kit. "Yo." Tom winced again. He shuddered and continued, "I called you guys over because the Area Seniors have discovered something, and they sent it to Carl and I for us to examine it." Tom turned and walked into his room. He returned, walking slowly, holding an old beer bottle. Nita stared at it incredulously.
"A beer bottle?" she asked in shock. Kit turned to her.
"Neets, don't be stupid. Can't you feel the magic?" Nita reached around tentatively with her wizardry. It was true. The beer bottle was wreathed in strange spells and unfamiliar kinds of magic. Kit reached out to take it. Nita touched the neck of the bottle, trying to find some kind of response. Kit and Nita offered it to Dairine, who was sitting with her Apple by her side. She turned it on and reached for the bottle absentmindedly. Suddenly, the outline of Tom, the room, and everything else began to blur. They all felt a jerk from behind their navels and a sickening twirling feeling as colors warped and twisted. Kit cried out, sounding strangled, "What the-" His exclamation was cut off with a rush of wind.
Harry headed out towards the Quidditch pitch, broom under his arm. He pulled on gloves as he neared the pitch. A slightly chill wind blew, making him draw his red-and-gold scarf around his neck snugly. He grinned as he swung a leg over his Firebolt. He pushed off the ground and soared into the air, laughing like a madman and doing crazy tricks.
Harry landed an hour later. His hair was windblown, and his cheeks and nose red from the chill. He headed inside as he heard breakfast be announced. He stopped to put his broom away and warmed his hands a bit by the Common Room fire. He ran through the portrait hole and down the stairs as he headed to Great Hall.
The Hall was filled with the house colors. Most people were already sitting and waiting for Headmaster Dumbledore's speech. Harry dashed to his regular seating place between Ron and Hermione, and settled as Dumbledore stood to speak. Suddenly, there was a POP of air as three people crashed to the ground at the Headmaster's feet.
Nita tried to scream, but her lungs were pressed into a void. Suddenly, there was light, and sounds, and Dairine, and Kit. She stood, heart racing, struggling to comb her auburn hair. She was standing in front of a roomful of people, some her age, some Dairine's and some younger. They were all staring at them. She could sense their magic. She established a connection with Kit.
Do you know where we are?
No. try and find Tom and Carl. Nita attempted to establish a mind-connection with Tom. No response. She tried again with Carl. There was no response, either. She shook her head, turning to the people behind her. They were adults, each emanating power so great that she turned mentally away. focusing on the old man in front of her, she spoke.
"We are on errantry, and we greet you." The man looked at her in confusion. So did the adults behind him. Kit and Dairine were already standing. She bowed to each of the magic-radiating people as she looked at them. Some were friendly faces, some stern, such as the woman in green robes and peaked hat, and a weathered looking man with greasy black hair. The kids behind her were whispering. She looked at them. The room had four long tables, each occupied by a group of black-robed students. Behind the long table where the adults sat were four long banners. One was gold and red, with a lion on it. On another there was a snake's head on a back of green and silver. On the other two were a badger and a raven. All of Nita's observing had taken up the space of three or four seconds. Being wizards, Nita, Kit, and Dairine were forced to always stay on alert. Nita, Kit, and Dairine jerked to attention as the old man began to speak.
"Dear students, will you please continue feasting as I go to my office. Minerva?" The green-robed woman came up. She bowed slightly to the man and replied, "Of course, headmaster Dumbledore," and turned to the students. The old man, Dumbledore, steered them out of the room of gaping students and teachers towards one of the long corridors in the main hallway.
Harry looked at his two friends cautiously. Did these new arrivals have anything to do with Voldemort? Was Hogwarts in danger? Harry turned to his Ron and Hermione, shrugged, and looked at his meal.
"I am afraid that I do not know what errantry means, but I know, as should you young ones, that Apparating is not allowed at Hogwarts. " Dumbledore told Kit, Nita, and Dairine. "Please take a seat and tell me about yourselves." Nita and Kit took a deep breath, and began. By the time they had finished their story, and Dumbledore had finished his, the sun was already setting.
"Well, Juanita, Christopher, Dairine, since we do not have an answer to your predicament, you shall have to stay here. To provide you with as much as an education as we can on your short- he groped for words- visit , here, we must Sort you. Please sit here." Nita perched precariously on the stool provided. Dumbledore drew a bedraggled pointed hat from a shelf. Fawkes the phoenix watched from his perch. The hat was humming busily to itself. Dumbledore placed it on Nita's head. Nita started mentally conversing with the hat.
Hello, I am the Sorting Hat. Would you happen to know any words that rhyme with thyme?
Well, there's time, and rhyme, and dime, and mine, and-
Aha! I've got the line. Well, down to business. I see. You are a true Gryffindor at heart, with great courage just obviously emanated. It is quite a privilege to be in this house. Farewell!
The hat shouted, "Gryffindor!" It shouted the same word for Kit, though it took longer to decide for Dairine. Finally, it shouted "Gryffindor", and Dumbledore smiled. He spoke some words, disappeared, and returned swiftly with two people, a red-headed, freckled boy, and a bushy-haired girl, both were Nita's age.
"Hello," the two said.
"Hi!" replied Kit and Nita.
"Yo" replied Dairine. Nita elbowed her and Dairine glared and corrected herself. "Hello" The girl looked at Dairine quizzically and frowned slightly. She smiled again and said,
"We are the Gryffindor prefects. We'll help you find your way around for the first few days. Come with us, we'll head to the Common Room, dinner is done. I'm Hermione, and this is Ron." The bushy-haired girl, Hermione, grinned and jabbed Ron in the stomach with an elbow.
"Ouch! What was that for? Herm-ow-ninny?" He grinned back at her and dodged a fist. Kit and Nita looked at each other ruefully and grinned.
"I'm Kit, and this is Nita. This is her little sister, Dairine."
"Nice to meet you, Kit, Nita, and you too, Dairine." Ron grinned. Dumbledore waved them out of his office.
"You know how to get to the Common Room from here, Merlin knows you've been here plenty enough. You'll find food in the Common Room. Oh, Kit, Nita, you'll attend classes with Ron and Hermione, Dairine, you can be paired up with Ginny, Ron's sister. Go on then, you'll find robes and uniforms at your dormitories. Go!" Dumbledore winked at them and disappeared. Kit and Nita turned to each other and grinned. This was one exciting day.