Chapter 2

"Are you alright?" the kind and concerned voice of Molly Weasley asked as she peered over the table at the form on the ground.

"Just- slipped-" Sandy replied and she felt a strong arm pulling her back up onto the chair. Feeling thoroughly embarrassed, she reseated herself and her arms clutched onto the arms of the wooden chair. Her gold hair was tussled and looked oddly like a dust ball. Her bag was left forgotten on the floor by the leg of the table.

"Well- then, I supposed I should introduce you to everyone," Molly stated after she saw that Sandy was fine. "To your right is Moody, you've already met him. This is my husband Arthur," Sandy saw that he was the balding man from the library whom she had seen conversing with a cat. "Across from him are Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and Hestia Jones."

As each person was introduced to her they slightly inclined their heads. The pink-haired woman named Tonks smiled and waved cheerily when it was her turn. Sandy sat still, noting that all of them had very odd names and that most of them appeared to be wearing robes. There was a short silence and then Molly continued.

"You probably want to know why you are here," She glanced at her husband, as if looking for the right way to put it. "You see, this may be hard for you to understand, but-" The woman ran into a long-winded explanation about a secret Wizarding community of witches and wizards, magic that could be done with wands- what Sandy recognized as the sticklike objects they had been waving around earlier-, and the like. "Those people who were following you are called Death Eaters."

Sandy started laughing, quietly at first, but then it escalated into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Her face was turning a darker shade of red, like scarlet, and she was finding it difficult to breathe. The others quietly waited for her to calm down. When her laughter finally started to fade she looked around and saw that the people held stony expressions; they did not see the amusement. She smiled and asked, "So, where are the cameras. You have to be taping this, right?"

"There are no cameras." Lupin answered seriously.

"This must be a joke. Witches and wizards… How much do you get paid for this? Which one of you is going to be taking me home?" She looked around at each of them one by one and saw that their expressions were not changing. Either these people were very good actors or they were not kidding. Sandy found it hard to believe they were telling the truth.

"I'm afraid you can't go home dear," Molly said soothingly. "At least not yet. It's not safe."

"What do you mean it's not safe?" Sandy asked curiously. "I mean, London isn't the safest place in the world, but it's a lot better then some places."

"It's not safe because they could still be out there," Arthur, Molly's husband, replied. "They probably even know where you live."

"You're- you're serious then?" she asked in astonishment, a wrinkle between her two eyebrows. "You are a wizard, and you a witch? Pointed hat, flying broomstick, and the lot of it?"

"Something like that, yes," Tonks answered for Molly. She was the only one sitting at the table who was smiling.

"Now that's out of the way- where was I? Yes, you were being followed by Death Eaters. They probably won't give up looking for you, but they won't be able to find you here." Molly stated.

"What are Death Eaters?" Sandy asked, not sure if she truly wanted to know. Whatever they were she did not like the sounds of them. She knew she had seen them, forms in black cloaks, but she had thought they were just people. Now she knew the name for them they sounded more like monsters.

"The wizards who follow, or at least used to, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," Molly answered. Then, after a slight hesitation on her part, she whispered his name, as if speaking it would call him there or cause the house to explode. "Voldemort."

"He was a dark wizard who we believe was finally vanquished last year," Arthur explained when he glanced up and saw the puzzled expression on Sandy's face. "One thing is for sure though, the Death Eaters want you. They have been following you for days."

"B-but what would they want with me?" Sandy asked, flabbergasted.

"That is the question, isn't it," Lupin responded, taking a sip out of the mug that was sitting in front of him after exchanging glances with Tonks.

Sandy was about to question them further when there was a loud bang followed by two knocks at the front door. Molly made to get up, but her husband gestured for her to stay and went in her stead. When he returned he was followed by three people who looked like they had just been through a hurricane. As he moved over and returned to his seat, Sandy had the opportunity to examine them.

Standing in the middle was a girl, who looked about several years younger then her. She had brown hair that came down to her shoulders and puffed out, such as what happens to Sandy's hair when it has been in humidity for too long. On the girl's right was a tall boy with bright red hair, a long nose, and freckles. On her other side was a boy with round black glasses, messy black hair, and an odd-looking scar on his forehead.

Just as they entered the room everyone at the table looked up and greeted them, except Molly who had gotten out of her seat and was hugging each of them in turns. When she was done squeezing the life out of them she stepped back and all three glanced at Sandy. She was eyeing them curiously and they were returning the same quizzical expression.

"This is her," she whispered hastily and then turned to Sandy. "This is my son Ron," she said, gesturing to the tall redheaded boy. Now that she knew, Sandy noticed a certain resemblance to Molly's husband Arthur. "This is Hermione Granger, and this is Harry Potter."

Sandy simply nodded, wondering how many of these strange people would be turning up. They joined the table, pulling up chairs that Sandy did not notice before. As she sat there, she thought quietly to herself. Surely this could not be possible, magic, wizards, people after her… She imagined returning home late and attempting to explain to her mother what happened. It was utterly absurd, that's what anyone she told would say- and Sandy would have to agree with them. No, this was not real, this was not really happening. It was all a dream, yes that's it, a dream- a very detailed dream, but a dream nonetheless. Any moment she would wake up in her large comfy bed and laugh about it over tea.

"Are you three hungry?" Molly's voice broke Sandy's train of thought and she looked up to see the short woman pulling out a wand and pushing in her own empty seat. "I'll make some dinner."

"Starved," the one named Ron replied, patting his stomach.

"Yes, thank you Mrs. Weasley," the brunette answered politely.

"Want some help?" the woman named Tonks asked, about to get out of her seat.

"No, no, it's completely unnecessary," Molly responded, moving about her wand. Sandy watched in awe as several pots and pans came flying out of cabinets and landing on the counter. With another wave plates started floating one by one out of a cupboard and landing with a small plunk in front of each person at the table.

"Ginny gets out tomorrow, right?" Hermione asked no one in particular as she grabbed hold of a mug that was flying past her and set it down.

"Yes," Molly answered, still moving things around like she was conducting an orchestra. "We will have to go pick her up at King's Cross Station."

"Sounds good to me," Ron commented.

"How is Ginny?" Harry Potter asked casually, setting down his cup and looking up at Molly. "I haven't seen her since winter."

"Oh you know her," the woman replied, still focused on the dinner she was preparing. "She'd rather be here and in the action then at school where she belongs."

"Sounds like her."

Sandy, truly believing that she must be in some twisted dream, decided that she was ready to wake up. Abruptly she stood up from her seat and spoke in her British accent, addressing the whole table. "This was great, really great, but I've got to be going now, I'm meeting Hugh Grant and the Beetles at the coffee shop. Give me a ring though, we should do this again sometime."

Everyone in the room turned to look at her with bewildered and slightly amused looks on their faces. Sandy ignored them and proceeded to leave the kitchen. She only made it to the doorway when a voice shouted, "Stupefy!"

Sandy did not even know what hit her as she fell unconscious onto the floor.

"Moody!" Molly scolded, glancing at the man holding out his wand. "Was that completely necessary? She is harmless and besides, she has already been stupefied once today."

"She could have gotten away," he gruffed. "It was for her own protection."

"I knew she was a Muggle," Ron commented after a short silence. "But I didn't think she would be a lunatic as well."

"Yes, well, I have to finish dinner," Molly Weasley said, "Ron, why don't you and Harry take her upstairs and lay her on the guest bed. I will check on her later."

"Alright mum," he replied, getting up from his chair. Harry copied him and they both met by the door. They returned to the kitchen after placing Sandy back on the bed that she had originally woken up in and thought no more about her for the rest of the night.