Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the related characters. I only own the characters I make up.
Chapter 1: Muggle Magic
Harry was looking forward to the last month of summer. He was going to spend it at Hogwarts! Professor Dumbledore needed him for a top-secret project.
His aunt and uncle didn't even so much whisper a compliant. They were too relived that no magic would be involved in getting Harry to the school. Dumbledore himself was coming to pick Harry up at the train station. All they had to do was get him there.
For once, his uncle didn't even bat an eye at the cost of a taxi. He refused to take Harry in the family car. He didn't want to be seen, even in the same building as Dumbledore. "Heaven forbid if people see me with your kind, boy," Uncle Vernon would snarl when Harry asked them to take him to King's Station. Harry was fine with that.
On August 1 at one o'clock sharp, Harry was standing in front of his uncle's house with his school trunk. Hedwig waited patiently in her cage. Beside Harry stood his cousin Dudley, who had the unhappy task of making sure Harry got in the taxi and left in it. Dudley remembered the last time he was around that someone had come to pick Harry up for school. His tongue had grown to a gigantic size thanks to one of the Weasley twins' magical trick candies.
At last, the taxi arrived. Dudley squealed and ran inside. "Harry's ride's here!" he yelled as he slammed the door. The taxi driver had just gotten out to help Harry with his trunk. It was no other then Hagrid, the care of magical creatures teacher at Hogwarts.
"Good to see yer, Harry," Hagrid said. "What's wrong with him? You'd think he'd seen a ghost. Peeves! Did you hitch a ride?" He winked at Harry. They could see Dudley watching them through the front room windows.
"Now don't go scaring anyone, Peeves!" Harry said load enough for Dudley to here him.
Hagrid turned around and yelled "Boo!" They heard another squeal from the house and Dudley ran out of the front room into the kitchen. Harry and Hagrid laughed.
On the way to the train station, Harry asked what Dumbledore's project was. "Why dose he want me to help?" he asked. Harry loved the Hogwarts headmaster ever since he started going to Hogwarts. The great wizard had always treated him kindly. No matter how dangerous the project was, Harry would be glad to help anyway he could. "Does it have anything to do with the Order of the Phoenix?"
"All I know now is that your one lucky boy to be working with the professor. He said that it would be fun and that's all," Hagrid told him.
Harry had to agree. He was a lucky boy. Imagine, Dumbledore trusted him with a top-secret project.
They used the rest of the drive to catch up on what was going on in the wizarding world. Harry wasn't allowed much contact during and so didn't even know who had won the latest Quidditch match. Harry was one of the best seekers in Hogwarts history and looked forward to the up coming games at Hogwarts.
Dumbledore was as pleased to see Harry as Hagrid was. A warm smile peeked from above his long silvery beard. He gave Harry a welcoming hug. "Well, Harry, how was your summer? Not much fun, I dare say. I think we can fix that. Ready to practice your seeking skills?" Dumbledore asked. His eyes twinkled with merriment at Harry's startled look.
"Your project involves Quidditch!" Harry cried. He thought he was in for a month of hard work.
"Not quite," said Dumbledore, "but remember it's top-secret. You can't write to any of your friends about this unless I say you can and I will screen your mail. It's not that I don't trust you, Harry, but we must be careful. No one can know about what we're doing until school starts or I say they can help us." Harry nodded that he understood.
When Harry started toward platform nine and three-quarters, Dumbledore stopped him. "I told everyone that we would be at Hogwarts so we could keep this secret." He smiled. "We will be taking an ordinary muggle train for the first leg of our journey. It should be very interesting!"
Harry and Hagrid looked surprised. This must be a very important project! Dumbledore was taking every precaution to keep it secret.
As they handed their tickets to the conductor, Harry noticed the man was staring at Hagrid and Dumbledore. Harry knew it was their robes. "Er. Their not from around here, they're from a different country. They dress differently in their country."
"Foreigners, uh?" the man asked. Harry nodded. "Welcome to England! Hope you enjoy it." The conductor said as he shook a puzzled Dumbledore's hand.
Then the professor realized how odd he must look to him. "Ah, yes. Lovely, lovely Country! Can't wait to see more!" He put on a perfect tourist face and glanced at Hagrid. Hagrid just grinned and shook the man's hand.
A blond girl, a little younger then Harry had been following them. She tapped Dumbledore's arm as he was about to board the train. He turned to her, his eyes shinning. "Yes, miss? How may I help you?"
"Please,sir," she looked at him nervously. "I hope you are Professor Dumbledore. Madame Colwell says that if I can find you, then I passed the test." Dumbledore smiled and nodded." You are him! Can I see you magic? And this must be Harry Potter! Oh,wow!"
Dumbledore smiled, "Young lady, You are as smart as madem said you were! I am indeed Dumbledore and you get to come with us since you passed the test. Harry, Hagrid meet Shelee Lovell. She will be working with us." Harry and Hagrid shook the young girls hand a borded the train.
On the train,Dumbledore told them That they would be going to a small village called Milsberg. From there, They would use Flo-Powder to get to Madme Colwell's castle.
As they travled, Shelee told them more about herself and why she was there. She was from the U.S. and was staying with her aunt during the school year. Much to Harry's surprise she was a full-blooded muggle who knew a LOT about magic. She had one gift, the ability to "see" magic and tell if was the dark arts or not.
Shelee would have told them more, but Dumbledore interupted, pointing out a lady who had been watching them while pretending to read a newspaper and suggested she talk abouther family back at home.
"i'd rather not at the moment," Shelee said quietly. A strange shadow passed over the window, and she smiled weakly. Harry gave her an odd look, then settled down for the trip. Just as he fell asleep, Harry swore he saw what looked like a winged wolf flying beside the train.
