McGonagall led Emily out of the Headmistresses Office and all the way up to the seventh floor. They walked down the empty hallway until they got to a tapestry, then McGonagall turned and walk back the way they had came. She stopped after a few paces and Emily watched as she walked back and forth two more times past the tapestry. Suddenly a door appeared in the wall.

"Here you go, dear," McGonagall told her. Emily knew that there was something magical about this place but she was too exhausted and shocked to question what it was. "Someone will come for you in the morning."

Emily thanked McGonagall and then entered the room. Inside she found a bedroom with a large, four-poster bed in the center. She trudged over to the bed and crawled in. She laid flat on her back staring blankly at the canopy above her. Soon her eyes welled up with tears and sobs wracked through her body until they consumed her and carried her off to sleep.

All of a sudden Emily was back in her kitchen. There was her father lying motionless on the floor, head lolled to one side and his blank eyes staring at her. Even as she heard the front door crash open, Emily couldn't move. Her father's mouth impossibly began to move as he formed a single whispered word, "Run!"

Emily turned and ran for the stairs in the living room. One hooded man had come in through the front door and the other appeared from behind her. She reached the stairs as the men were closing in. Up and up she ran but the stairs continued on above her, so far that she couldn't even see the top. The men were so close now she could hear their ragged breathing. One of them reached out and grabbed her ankle, sending her crashing into the stairs. She began to slide backwards down the stairs and managed to knock down both men in the process. The three tumbled down in a knot and landed on the floor below with a thud.

When Emily opened her eyes she saw that she was now in a small, dark room light by eerie green candles. There were four hooded men in the room, though they seemed to take no notice of her. They were talking but their voices were muffled and she couldn't make out what they were saying.

"You lost her?" one of the men roared suddenly. She had strange feeling that they were talking about her. She couldn't hear their response but she could tell they were pleading desperately to the first, whom she assumed was the leader. He turned slightly and reached his long white fingers into his robes, and Emily could see two red orbs glowing from beneath the hood. The two men edged away from the leader as he withdrew a long wooden wand and pointed it at them. Her heartbeat quickened; she could almost feel the fear in the men. The leader flicked his wand and the men screamed in pain.

Emily's eyes flew open. She calmed down a little as she looked around and realized she was still in the four-poster bed at Hogwarts. It was just a dream, she thought to herself. Sunlight was streaming in through the windows and she climbed out of bed, still fully clothed, to explore the room further. A few minutes later there was a sharp knock at the door.

"Yes?" Emily called and the door swung open. At first she didn't see anyone, but then a small creature became visible on the other side of the bed. It was a strange looking creature with rough brown skin, bulging eyes, and long floppy ears. Emily took a step back when she saw it. The strange creature made her feel uneasy, though his large eyes looked innocent.

"Miss Emily York," it said in a wheezy, nasal voice. "Headmistress wishes to see you, miss. She is sending Dobby to retrieve you." Emily nodded warily and followed Dobby out of the room.

---

"Miss Granger!" Professor McGonagall called out to a girl who was walking toward the Great Hall for breakfast with her two friends. They stopped and watched as McGonagall descended the marble staircase.

"Good morning Professor!" Hermione Granger said cheerily while her friends, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, exchanged looks.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall replied. "Miss Granger, I need to see you in my office, please."

"Of course, Professor," Hermione answered and told her friends she would meet up with them in a few minutes before following McGonagall to the Headmistress's Office.

"We have a very unusual guest with us today," McGonagall started. "Last night a girl was found in the Great Hall. I talked with her and she informed me that two Death Eaters killed her parents yesterday afternoon and then attacked her. She then apparated here to escape them." Hermione's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped. McGonagall continued, "I've had members of the Order working all night to verify her story and it appears that she was not lying. She has no other family and due to the nature of the attack I have decided that she will be staying here with us for a while.

"As Head Girl, I would like you to show her around and look after for a few days. She was very upset last night and I'm sure she will be this morning." McGonagall paused, trying to find the right words. "This situation is very delicate. Her parents were muggles and it is possible that she does not know that she is a witch, as we have found no known record of her."

"But Professor, how can that be? Shouldn't she have been notified when she was eleven?"

"Yes, she should have been. We are still investigating the situation," McGonagall explained. "However, there is no doubt that she is a witch so this will have to be dealt with. I'll need you to help her become adjusted."

"Of course, Professor," Hermione assured her. There was a knock on the door and when it opened Emily walked in.

"Good morning, Miss York. How are you feeling?" McGonagall addressed her.

"Good morning, Professor. I'm ok, I guess," Emily answered, her eyes still glancing nervously toward her escort.

"Thank you, Dobby," McGonagall dismissed him. He bent so low that the tip of his nose grazed the floor and he backed slowly out of the office.

"Have a seat, Miss York, we have much to discuss. This is Hermione Granger, Hermione, this is Emily," Emily took the seat next to Hermione, glancing at her and smiling before McGonagall started to speak. "As you have noticed, Hogwarts is a very unusual place. It is a school for young witches and wizards." She waited for Emily's reaction. Emily blinked once but didn't seem too affected by the idea of wizards. "It's interesting that you found the place, considering that it is invisible to non-wizards."

"Then how did I… Are you saying I'm a wizard?" Emily asked slowly. The corners of McGonagall's mouth turned up slightly.

"Female wizards are called witches, dear. And yes, that is what I'm saying. You don't seem too surprised by this. Have you heard of wizards before?"

"No, not exactly," Emily told her. "But I've always noticed strange things going on that other people didn't, and I've…" she hesitated. "I've done things - not on purpose, though. I didn't even realize I was doing it. Like one time I was really angry at my boyfriend and we were fighting and all of a sudden my lamp justexploded."

"That's perfectly normal. When young wizards become very emotional their powers become erratic." Emily nodded and after a pause McGonagall continued. "The men who attacked your parents were also wizards."

"Were my parents wizards?" Emily asked. McGonagall shook her head.

"No, they were muggles, er, not wizards."

"Well, why would wizards want to kill my parents?" she asked trying to remain calm.

"We aren't sure yet. There are some things you should know, however." McGonagall broke into a brief lecture on the history and important facts of the wizarding world and Hogwarts to which Hermione was listening intently and Emily was trying to follow.

"There is a state of much discord in the wizarding community right now due to the uprising of a great malevolent force; a powerful dark wizard called Lord Voldemort." Emily was sure she heard several hushed gasps at the mention of the name. "We are on the verge of a war. Voldemort is trying to gain power to take over the wizarding world. He has been growing stronger every day, and it is probably only a matter of time before he begins his attack. Voldemort has many loyal followers called 'Death Eaters', and it is two of these followers that we believe are the men who attacked your parents.

"We have no idea why Voldemort would have any interest in attacking them, nor how he even knew them, but we are looking into it," McGonagall answered before Emily could even ask. "Until we figure that out I believe the best thing would be for you to stay here with us."

"Am I in danger?" Emily asked quickly. Having seen the trouble that was caused when Dumbledore withheld information from Harry, McGonagall decided to tell Emily the truth.

"We don't know," she stated simply. "But it is best to be safe rather than sorry and Hogwarts is the safest place you can be. Now, the most important thing for you to do is to learn how to control and use your powers. You are very far behind other wizards of your age, as wizards being their training at the age of eleven and you are…"

"I'll be seventeen in March, Professor."

"Sixteen, then. So you have five years to make up for. Hermione," she turned to her. "Would you be willing to help tutor Emily?"

"Oh yes!" Hermione's eyes lit up. She loved to tutor people, though they did not usually share the same feelings about having her tutor them. "Harry and Ron would love to help, too."

"Good, I'll leave it to you then to organize. Emily, you'll stay with Hermione today and get to know the school and get yourself adjusted to everything. You will be staying with us for a little while so you can continue to use the Room of Requirement for your bedroom. You should find everything you need in there when you return."

"Thank you, Professor. For everything," Emily said sincerely.

"You're welcome, dear," McGonagall said warmly. Hermione stood and Emily followed suit. They left the office and headed back toward the Room of Requirement.

"So, do you have any questions?" Hermione asked trying to break the awkward silence.

"About a million," Emily answered and Hermione's cheeks flushed a little.

"Of course, that was a dumb question, I'm sorry," she said quickly.

"It's ok," Emily smiled at her. They had reached the room and gone inside.

"Well, first you'll need to change," Hermione told her. She walked to the trunk that was now sitting at the foot of the bed and opened it. "Here, try this on." She handed Emily a black knee-length skirt, white button up shirt, solid black tie, and a long black robe. When Emily had finished dressing she looked pretty much just like any other Hogwarts student. Hermione had also fished out a roll of parchment and a quill from the trunk and handed them to Emily.

"If we hurry we should have enough time for breakfast," Hermione told Emily and led her out of the room.