Author's Note: I know I'm writing this as I try to finish a second one, but it's for a good cause, really!
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Chapter 2
What We All Must Understand
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It was nearly lunchtime when the car driving Willow from the airport stopped. she glanced out the window, her eyes suddenly clouded with confusion. They were on a street corner in ordinary London. They'd been driving maybe a half hour.
She blinked, trying to make sure she was seeing clearly. Leaning up to the man sitting in the driver's seat of the large black sedan, she inquired, "Is this where I'm supposed to be?"
He handed her a letter over the back of his seat.
"Well, now, that makes more sense," Willow replied as she took the letter and opened it. After reading through it twice, she put her hand on the door handle. The driver got out and opened the trunk, handing Willow her luggage.
"Good luck, Miss Rosenberg."
"Thank you," Willow said with her quiet smile as she proceeded toward a phone booth, standing at a slight tilt on the corner. Behind her, the sedan pulled back into traffic.
"And everything about this looks normal," Willow joked to herself as she dialed the numbers on the old phone.
Please state your name.
"Willow Rosenberg," she replied, glancing at the letter again. "I'm here for a two o'clock with the Department of Magical Education."
The cool feminine voice instructed her to place the badge that had been spit out from the coin tray of the phone and fasten it to her robes. Willow quickly fastened the badge and smiled. It lasted only momentarily as the booth started to descend.
Willow screamed, her hands hitting the sides of the glass as daylight quickly disappeared. "Oh my God," she whispered as layers of light began flashing through the booth until it came to a stop, finally.
The doors opened up.
She stepped out and looked around, wheeling her large suitcase behind her. "Wow," she whispered, taking it all in. There were dozens of fireplaces lined up on one wall and what appeared to be a bank of elevators gathered up on the other end. Or were those fireplaces as well? As Willow walked along, she was taken by the large mix of both men and women dressed in long, brightly colored robes. They appeared to be in a queue of some sort, waiting to...
It seemed all too strange. They were standing in line to get into a fireplace. It had to be some mode of transportation, but Willow couldn't tell what for.
Her thoughts were interrupted as a hand took her arm. She gasped, dropping the two bags she carried on her shoulder. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she gasped, bending over and lifting the bags again. "I wasn't watching where I was going..."
"Are you looking for a particular office?"
"It'd be nice if you could sort of point me in the right direction," Willow said, unfolding the letter and showing it to a young man, dressed in long, flowing emerald green robes.
"Department of Magical Education," he said, pointing toward the bank of elevators. "You want sixth level. Just get inside, tell it where you need to go, and just follow on from there."
"Thank you," Willow thanked him, but he was already moving off. Feeling slightly more confused than she did five minutes ago, she stepped into the queue. Within a few minutes, she was stepping inside the elevator with another throng of people. After calling out level six, she stayed in the back as the cage began to descend once again.
It finally stopped on level six. Willow stepped out and found herself looking at a beautiful sight. The walls and ceiling were gold, and the windows looked out into a magnificent garden. It had to be magic, she realized, because most of it was all underground. They had to be underground, because no matter which elevator she took, it just went down.
While she was deducting all of the reasoning in her head, she had no idea that someone had stopped in front of her and plucked the letter from her hands. "Miss Willow Rosenberg?"
Willow turned toward the voice with a dreamy expression. "That's just -- huh? Oh! Willow... I mean, I'm Willow."
"I thought you might be," the woman said, gesturing toward a large chair. "Have a seat in my office."
"I'm in your office?" Willow asked in a tiny voice as she took a seat.
"Somehow you managed to find your way in here," the woman replied, folding up Willow's letter and setting it aside. "So you're one of our new American university students."
"Yes, I am," Willow said, trying to make herself sound more presentable than the idiot she'd sounded like only moments before.
"We've asked you to meet with myself or one of the other counselors before you start off your new education," the woman explained, pulling open a desk drawer and lifting out a large blue package. She handed it over to Willow. "This contains your course list and your book list. You, of course, have your choice in which cirriculum you decide to follow, but the book list is the same for whichever classes you wish to take. And all students must have Potions and History. There aren't any two ways about that. Have you decided on a direction of study you wish to partake?"
Willow had thought about this through much of the twenty-one hour flight and delay. She frowned, deep in thought. "I was looking at the technopagan studies, although they seem to be a bit undefined. I was also quite interested in this..." She quickly opened up her handbag and removed a catalogue. "An Auror?"
"A dark wizard apprehender," the woman replied, crossing her hands and planting a perfect toothy smile on her face. "How... nice."
"Obviously you've heard something good about me if I'm here," Willow said quickly, taking the woman's casual interest in her to heart. "You must understand, I come from a different continent and a different way of life."
"We really take all of that into consideration, Willow," the woman replied quickly. "Honestly, we do."
Willow shook her head in disbelief. All of the culture shock was beginning to hit her. This woman really had an annoying accent, not to mention that perfect, blinding smile was starting to unnerve her. "I have already decided on my schedule too, if you don't mind me telling you. I want to study Runes, the History of Magic in the Muggle World, Potions and, of course, Introduction to Transfiguration. This term, anyway."
The woman consulted her list a moment. "That seems like a good-sized courseload, especially since most of your Potions laboratories will be held after dark."
"I can deal," Willow said, memories flashing before her eyes. "I've had a lot of experience dealing with the night."
"Very well," the woman said, making a tiny note on her clipboard. "Welcome to the Apocrypha University of Magic. In your packet you'll find everything you need to prepare for your courses. We will also need you to stop by Diagon Alley and pick up a wand, since wands are a requirement at our school. I happen to sense your magic is triggered by your mind but in time, you will be as proficient with a wand as you are with your thoughts. We will also add a small course for your first year and that would be Introduction to Wands. It's only two hours per week but I believe it'll help you get acquainted with an instrument you will most likely be using your entire life."
As thoughts of whipping out her wand to help slay vampires crossed over her mind, the woman charged on.
"You will be required to meet with me or one of my associates at the end of your first term before you start on spring term. By then hopefully you will decide what you want to study."
"I can only hope," Willow muttered under her breath.
"Now... we have booked you a room in advance at one of the finer inns on Diagon Alley. Once you return outside, the driver will take you there. Feel free to unwind, since you still have a few days before the train leaves for Apocrypha. The school is quite near the other institution in the area, Hogwarts. Some of the faculty from Hogwarts are also going to teaching at Apocrypha. You will understand when you get there. Since you have a few days before the train leaves, that will give you plenty of time to prepare. Just read the notes inside and feel free to contact me if you have any questions."
"I have one to begin with," Willow replied, standing up and lifting the heavy package into her arms. "Who are you?"
"Oh, my dear," the woman said, clapping a hand over her mouth. "I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Delores Umbridge."
"Good to meet you, um... ma'am?"
"Try Consulate," the woman replied, twisting her tiny hands together anxiously. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my two fifteen will be arriving shortly and I must meet them in the hallway. Have a nice day. And don't forget, if you would like to spend more time here, there is a tour going through right about now. You might be able to catch them."
"Right," Willow said, taking her luggage and dragging it out behind her, weighed down even more by the heavy packet. "That's exactly what I need... to get more lost."
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"This is wonderful," Hermione raved as she picked her way through a large box of chocolates. After debating on whether or not to get rid of the large package Fred and George had given them, Ron had finally decided to just bust it open and get it over with. Since they had, Hermione had burst into song twice while Harry's wand had shot out a stream of flames instead of violet sparks.
"I'm not even going to begin to ask what this is," Ron said moodily, lifting a shiny stick and peering at it closely. "If it turns me into anything unnatural, I'm going to kill those twins."
"Be nice," Hermione giggled, her voice still melodic as she gently set down the box, her eyes already anticipating the next brightly-wrapped candy. "Do you realize how much work they put into this?"
"We're probably just their guinea pigs," Ron muttered as he handed the stick off to Harry, who laughed and unwrapped it, cracking it in half.
"Personally, I'm glad they thought of us," Hermione said, finally selecting a small package of what appeared to be jelly beans inside the basket. "I can't wait to see what they sent to the University."
"I can't wait to get there," Ron said, tucking a bit of the stick into the corner of his mouth. He turned and grinned at Harry. "I can't wait until there's just three of us to a room instead of five."
"Speak for yourself," Hermione said huffily, tasting the edge of a bean. "I'm a little less anxious and a little more hesitant myself."
"But why?" Harry asked curiously. "I mean, I know you won't be in the same tower as Ron and I, but you'll have only one other person living with you."
Hermione sighed and reached for the packet of information on the table in front of them. "My new roommate is a Witch from Cyprus by the name of Aura Starr."
"Too bad you didn't want the room draw with the rest of the Gryffindors," Ron smirked as he began gathering all of the empty wrappers around them.
"I wanted a change," Hermione admitted. "I've been living with those people for seven years and now I think I need a bit of a change of pace. If I have to sift through Greek vernacular, so be it."
"Our little girl has grown up," Harry said, his eyes softening as he glanced at Hermione. "I'm glad you decided to take the plunge for us."
"Personally, I couldn't believe it when Harry and I drew the same room," Ron said, a slight flush appearing in his cheeks.
"Maybe because you personally fixed it so you would?" Hermione pointed out. "I mean, what's so bad about rooming with Neville Longbottom? And besides, you two did request a suite and in that suite comes a third roommate. And you have no idea who he is yet."
"At least we know it won't be Malfoy," Ron spat bitterly. "He and those two overgrown boulders are probably going to be hogging the third floor suite."
"You could get someone completely new from another country," Hermione pointed out.
"Just like your Lady of Greece?" Ron snickered.
Whenever this bickering started, Harry found it best to stay out of it. His thoughts were on how his experience at this new experimental University would change his life.
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Willow studied the list in front of her. After the taxi had dropped her off at Diagon Alley with instructions to get inside, she had found her inn, unpacked and had gone shopping.
Her first culture shock was walking into the Alley for the first time. Everyone there looked like everyone else at the Ministry. All were wearing long robes of various shades and colors. They were all jabbering excitedly as they moved from place to place.
Her first stop was at Flourish and Blotts. As she stepped inside, she felt as though she were being transported to a whole new world. It was like being with Giles in the Library. Again.
She pulled out her book list and made up her mind on which classes she had already signed up for. After making a decision on which other classes she was actually interested in, she managed to find herself stalled out at the books for introductory Transfiguration.
"I am so lost," she mused aloud as she lifted one book from the stack and began to pore though it. Before she knew it, one of those weird men in a long red robe was standing over her, clearing his throat.
"Can I help you?"
Willow glanced up and quickly stood up, brushing off her long skirt. "Um, hi. I was looking f-for this." She handed him the booklist and showed him the book. He nodded and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "Apocrypha" under his breath.
As he started gathering her books for her, Willow found herself at the discount book counter, going over different volumes.
"Are you one of the exchange students?" the Wizard asked her, taking a stab at making conversation. "I haven't heard your accent before."
"I'm from the United States," Willow told him as she glanced through the index of a particularly thick book.
"Ah!" the Wizard exclaimed as he started going through the remainder of her list. "Which school did you attend over there? I have heard there are many popular Wizarding schools--"
"I-I didn't," willow confessed. "I never attended a magic school."
The Wizard looked deeply impressed or else really agitated. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."
A faint smile crossed her face as the past three years of being a Slayer's sidekick flickered through her mind, like a really good made-for-television movie. "I think I do," she replied softly as she collected some of the discount books. "In fact, if I hadn't been offered a spot at this prestigious school, I never would have been introduced to your world at all. I'm what you call a Muggle."
"You don't say." The Wizard was now watching her very carefully as he started bagging her books. "Would you like those too?"
Willow nodded and pulled a shiny blue card. "I was told to use this to pay for everything."
"Good old Ministry credit," he replied, taking the card from her and ringing up the other stack of books. "As soon as you get a Gringotts vault, you'll be set."
"I'll probably have to take care of that tomorrow because it's nearly dark now," Willow said, her voice full of disappointment.
"Are you with the others at the Leaky Cauldron? Or are you staying at the new Three Broomsticks?" he asked her as he handed her the bags.
"The Leaky Cauldron," Willow replied, tucking the blue card back into her purse. "Thank you for your help."
He smiled as she retreated to the door. Although the sun had dipped below the horizon, the streets seemed to be empty. The few Witches and Wizards that moved about moved quickly and direct, no longer browsing. "At this rate," Willow grumbled as she toted the three heavy bags back to the inn, "it'll take me three months to get all this shopping done!"
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To be continued.