Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter…I don't even own a hairbrush now! Somebody broke it… :'( But I'll be fine…I am strong…I can overcome this…!
A/N: I have almost finished this story! YaY for me! Writing it I mean, not typing…
Chapter Three:
By the time the train came to a stop, the sky had grown completely dark. Stars were shining like she'd never seen before, and there was a somewhat familiar air about the place.
As they exited the train, Sirius and Remus directed her toward some carriages that were pulled by…well; she couldn't exactly tell what they were pulled by. Must be the lack of light, she told herself. She climbed into the carriage and didn't even bother to ask Remus or Sirius. When she sat down, she looked at her cousin and noticed that he looked strangely different than he had a minute ago, as did Sirius.
"What are you two wearing?" She asked curiously. They looked like the sort of things that girls might wear over a prom dress or some other sort of formal wear.
Remus looked down at himself. "Oh, these? Well, they are part of our school uniform. They are called robes. Every wiz- I mean student has to wear them." Sirius nodded his agreement.
"But they are dreadfully restricting and you can't see a girl's proper form in them for nothing. I think they are intended to make us practice abstinence." Sirius said, then added, "But they just make me all the more curious."
She smiled in spite of herself at his rude, but charming nonetheless, antics. "Well, they're cute, I suppose."
Sirius lost his smirk. "Cute? Penguins are cute. Men," He said, motioning to himself and Remus, "Are supposed to be handsome. There is a difference, you know."
Amaya laughed. "What handsome men you are." She said. Just then, James entered the carriage with a faraway look in his eyes.
Sirius grabbed his arm and pulled him down beside himself in order to prevent him from sitting on Amaya. "Oy! What's gotten into you, Prongs?" He demanded.
James didn't answer and instead kept staring into space ahead of him. A look of apprehension appeared on Sirius' face. "Ah, seen Ms. Evans again, haven't we, Prongsie ol' buddy. Come on, then, tell us what she said."
James smiled a lopsided smile. "She…she called me an arrogant git…" He said, seeming happy by the insult.
Amaya stared at him confused. "Um, I know I'm not from around here, but, from what I've gathered, I thought that an arrogant git would be on insult, not a compliment." She said.
"Oh, it is." Sirius said simply.
Remus smiled at her still utterly confused expression. "Compared to what she normally says to him, which is nothing, that is a huge step in the right direction."
Amaya smiled. "Then he must really like her, for that to make him this happy."
James looked at her sharply, and then his face softened. "I don't like her. She is the love of my life. I am going to marry her one day, and then we will have kids together and be happy for the rest of our lives." He said.
Amaya was speechless. Very rarely had she ever heard of a boy wanting to be married and have children. Most of the American boys she knew were only into relationships for the cheap rides that some lonely girls often granted them. Nothing more. "Well then, good luck." She said sincerely.
He smiled. "Thank You. That is more than I get from these two."
"Oh, calm down, Prongs. We just give you a hard time because we love ya so much, is all." Sirius said.
"I'll bet."
"Hey Amaya, you might want to look out of the window if you want to get the first glimpse of Hogwarts." Remus said.
Amaya pushed the moth eaten curtain out of her way and peered out of the window. What she saw took her breath away almost immediately. A few hundred feet in the distance across a huge lake stood a monstrous castle towering high above the cliffs that surrounded it. There were lights in every window, even the tallest tower was illuminated beautifully. Looking at the lake, she saw lights amongst the many boats that were crossing the water. Those, mixed with the reflection of the castle itself caused a magnificent glittering effect that she had the strongest desire to get a picture of. Sitting back in her seat, she slowly inhaled.
"Wow. That's where you guys go to school?" She asked. They nodded.
Sirius leaned in towards Remus and whispered, "If she can see the castle, doesn't that mean that she's a wi-" He was cut off by Remus shushing him.
"Quite possibly, but their really is only one way to find out for sure." He said as the carriage came to a stop and climbed out. Sirius exited right behind him, followed by a rushing James.
"Watch out! I've got to go see Evans. Thank Merlin I was made Head Boy and her Head Girl! This year is going to be glorious." He said.
"Yeah, how you managed that one still baffles me." Sirius said, offering his arm to Amaya to help her out of the carriage.
"Thank You." She said. Their eye's locked and for a minute it looked as if he was going to say something else, but instead he let go of her hand quickly and stood beside Remus.
"Well, now that James has rushed off, let's go and see Professor Dumbledore, shall we?" He asked.
Amaya nodded. "Sure. Anything to figure out what the hell is going on."
Sirius smiled at her choice of words, but deep in his mind he hoped that something would go wrong, that she would have to stay longer for some reason.
As they approached the castle, Amaya made a mental note that it looked even larger up close, if that were possible. When they entered, she saw a giant hall, filled with pictures. The pictures she had to do a double take on. At first she thought that she might just be hallucinating, but on her further inspections, she noticed that they were in fact moving.
"Remus, why..?" She began, but stopped when they approached the stairs. She looked up into a seemingly never-ending ceiling to find that the staircases were moving as well. It was as if some force…magic or something like that were moving them. Clutching Remus's arm, they began their trek up the steps. When they got to about the third floor, they turned right and went down a long hallway until they approached a statue of a gargoyle, or at least that's what it resembled to her.
"Well, shall you do the honors of saying the password, Pads, or shall I?" Remus asked. Sirius shook his head.
"You go ahead. I can't think of any other sweet he hasn't used. You're the sweet lover here anyway, go ahead."
Remus nodded, and put his hand on his chin as he brainstormed. "Umm…Cockroach Cluster? No, umm…Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans? No again…ummm…Lemon Drops?" He said. Amaya leapt backwards as the stone statue came to life and jumped aside, allowing them entrance into a spinning spiral staircase.
"There we go. Third time is always the charm." Remus said as they entered the staircase. When they all stepped on, the staircase began spinning, taking them to the room at the top with no strenuous activity involved on their part.
"What was that last one you said? The one that worked?" Sirius asked. "I didn't recognize it."
Remus smiled. "That's because it's a muggle sweet, my dear friend, and considering that you're pure-blood, well, it's obvious that you wouldn't know."
Sirius nodded. "Oh."
Suddenly the spiral staircase came to a stop in front of a large door with a knocker in the shape of a gargoyle as well, although this one seemed far less…ugly…than the one at the beginning of the stairs. Remus stepped forward and knocked lightly.
A voice on the other side of the door called, "Come in," Just as softly as if they were standing right in front of the source. Remus twisted the door knob and they all filed in one by one, with Remus in the lead and Sirius bringing up the rear.
The room on the other side of the door was vast in its own way, yet small in others. If the room were perhaps cleaned up a bit and not littered with various unrecognizable trinkets on every available surface, then it might be as large as, say, a muggle living room or dining area. As it was, the space seemed only as big as a larger bathroom.
"Ah. Mr. Lupin and Mr. Black. I was expecting you. Who is this lovely young lady accompanying you, though? I can't say that I recognize her." An older man with a long, white beard that intertwined with his hair and half moon glasses said. Noticing her confusion, the old man spoke again. "You must forgive me, Miss, for not introducing myself properly. I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And yes, you heard me correctly." He said with a wink.
Remus stepped forward. "This is my cousin, Amaya Cole. I don't know how, but while we were at Kings Cross, she somehow fell through the barrier. Well, once we got through, we figured that, after a shock like that, that it would be best to bring her to you for an explanation."
Dumbledore nodded. "Which was a smart decision indeed, Mr. Lupin. Ms. Cole, if you should have a seat, then I would be pleased to inform you of what has taken place." He pulled a stick out of his pocket, waved it around some, and three chairs appeared right behind them, taking up and space that had remained in the room. Amaya sat, as did Remus and Sirius.
"Now. The best place to start is, as always, at the beginning. You see, your father, as you know, was from London. He attended school here, at Hogwarts. What you may not know is that he was, and still is as you can't just quit being, a wizard. Before you ask any questions, I beg you to let me continue." He said as she began to open her mouth to say something. She nodded at his request. "Very well. After your father met your mother, around the time of your birth, there were…rumors…of terrible things that were supposed to befall the wizarding world. Rumors of a man, a wizard, so evil that he would take over the world by force, and murdering innocent people would not be something that would be last on his list. These rumors unsettled your mother so much that she begged your father to take you away from everything. To protect you at all costs, even if that meant denying you your true calling. You see, you are a witch as well, Amaya. Just like your father, you have strong powers that cannot be contained or pretended that they don't exist. They have been there all along, begging for a chance to make themselves known. And that they did. For it takes a little magic in it's self to get through that barrier at Kings Cross, and as such, no muggle could have accomplished it. In equal respects, it takes magic to be able to see Hogwarts itself. There is a charm, a very powerful one, guarding the school from prying muggle eyes. A muggle would look upon the school and see ruins, as you would look and see a grand castle. So that, I believe, sums up my explanation. Feel free, now, to ask your questions." He finished.
Amaya just sat there in silence. To think that she was a witch, a magical being that existed only in fairy tales…well, it was a lot to take in. Seeing her overwhelmed look, Dumbledore spoke again.
"I know, Ms. Cole, that it is a lot to take in. But these things were kept from you for your own good, I assure you."
She smiled. It was the only thing she could do. After all, she couldn't be dreaming, as Remus was here with her as well. He wasn't saying anything so she knew that all of these things must be true. She just had to except it. She was, no matter how unbelievable it may be to her, a witch. "Ok. So know what?" She asked.
"Now, I must place something else on your shoulders. A proposition, if you will." Dumbledore said.
"Go on."
"You have a choice. Mind you, it will be difficult, but I am offering you a place here, as a student of magic, if you want it. However, keep in mind that you are seven years behind those of your age, so if you decide to undertake this, it will not be an easy task."
All sets of eyes in the room were on Amaya. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach and as if she needed to lie down. As if reading her mind, Dumbledore smiled.
"Alas, it is late. And you have taken a long journey and have had a lot of pressure put on your shoulders for one night. You may stay in the
Head Girls room with Lily Evans for the night. She should be a very welcome person to you. Also she is muggle born and should be able to accommodate you well. In the morning, we shall discuss your decision. Now, off with you! Remus, Sirius, can I trust you to take her to the Head's rooms?"
Remus nodded, as did Sirius. They all stood and exited the room the same that they entered down the spiral staircase. When they stepped into the hallway, Remus let out a breath that Amaya guessed he had been holding all through Dumbledore's speech.
"Whew! I'm glad that went well. So, I'm not the only magical one in the family anymore. What a relief." He said. They walked down the hallway and turned left at the end.
"You never were the only one according to that speech." Sirius said. He had an oddly satisfied look on his face.
"Amaya, what do you think?" Remus asked her as they approached the end of another hall and turned right this time.
Amaya looked at him. "I think, that it is a lot of stuff to take in on one night, and that I am going to send a very angry letter to mom and dad in the morning." She said.
Sirius looked at her wide eyed. "You are staying, though, aren't you?" He asked.
They stopped in front of a portrait of a very fat man. Amaya looked at him amusedly. "Of course. My cousin's not the only one who likes an adventure every now and then." Sirius just stared at her, mouth gaping.
The picture of the fat man opened, revealing a red- haired girl and a large room behind her. "Remus, Sirius." She said, acknowledging both of the boys in turn. Looking at Amaya, she said, "And this must be Amaya. Dumbledore just informed me of the situation." She said, smiling. She led the way into the room, where Amaya was surprised to see James sitting on a large sofa in the middle of the room.
"Amaya, Remus, Sirius! How wonderful to see you! And so late at night." He said. Lily rolled her eyes.
"Yes, well it's not like it was a surprise. You heard Dumbledore say they were coming."
James blushed. "Ok Evans. Just trying to be a good host. After all, this is our lovely little abode, now isn't it?" He said in a sweet voice.
"Not as if I had a choice." Lily said under her breath. Amaya chuckled. It was clear to her that Lily obviously didn't share the same passion for James as he did for her. She did feel sorry for James though. After all, he did plan out his whole life for this one girl. "Anyway. I'll fetch you some clothes that you came sleep in. I hope you don't mind that we head straight to bed. I've got lots of things to do tomorrow, what with being Head Girl and all."
Amaya shook her head. "Not at all. I am exhausted." So after saying a quick goodnight to Remus, and an awkward on to Sirius, she changed into the clothes Lily provided for her and went to bed. All night dreams of witches and wizards from TV shows she had watched played in her head.