Must Be Dreaming
I remembered going to bed in the bottom bunk, in the room in which I share with my younger sister. When I woke up, I found out something that I never thought could happen.
I had no idea where I was. The room was pitch black, and the floor was hard and damp. My head hurt, but other than that, I wasn't in any pain. Planning to look for a door, I stood up slowly. It was then that the door opened behind me, quickly but quietly. I turned around and shook my head, thinking that I must be dreaming. The man in front of me looked almost exactly how Mad-Eye Moody was described in the Harry Potter books.
"There is someone in here," the man said. "I told them it was necessary to look. Are you hurt?" he asked gruffly.
"I only have a headache," I answered, finding my voice hoarse. How long was I down here? I wondered. "Who are you?"
"Call me Moody," he answered, and I knew I had to be dreaming. Or this was some kind of crude joke, but I figured it wasn't. I didn't know anyone who would have the means to do something like this. "If you can walk, come along. But be quiet, and watch your surroundings. Danger could be hiding in any corner." I nodded, not knowing what else to do, and followed Moody, my legs tingling from what must have been the lack of movement.
A few minutes later, I was passed on to someone who had to be Tonks. My thoughts were confirmed when Moody told her to take me to headquarters to get medical attention. I realized then that I was still in my pajamas, which was a knee length black nightgown with shorts underneath. I never could stand shirts shorter than calf-length. I was brought out of my musings when Tonks addressed me.
"We are going to apparate, now. It won't hurt, but it is a little uncomfortable at first. You will be fine, I promise." I nodded, knowing the described feeling from the Harry Potter books. When we ended up in some bushes, I was glad that the feeling was over. It wasn't something I really wanted to experience all the time.
"Come on. Headquarters is right down the street. Are you feeling all right?" Tonks asked.
"I don't know," I answered truthfully, and was thankful when Tonks didn't question it. I hate when people don't believe me when I don't know something. I find it quite unnecessary to examine my feelings everyday, and I don't lie and say I'm 'good' when I'm not.
"Here we are," Tonks said, and I was surprised to see Number 12 Grimmauld Place right in front of me. I was expecting something like from the fifth book, when Harry first saw it. Tonks rang the doorbell, and I closed my eyes, expecting to hear Sirius' mother's portrait screaming. I didn't hear anything until the door was opened, and we were ushered in. Someone quieted the portrait almost immediately, though, and I was grateful. I already had a headache, which only got worse since we apparated. I was surprised to see that the person who answered the door looked a lot like Snape would, and when I spoke, I knew it was the potions master. I had trouble hiding a smile.
"You are supposed to knock, Ms. Tonks," Snape said flatly. "Who is this?" he asked, indicating me. I looked at him, and was about to answer, but Tonks beat me to it.
"Moody found her in one of the cells."
"I wasn't aware that they were keeping people there," Snape answered, not really interested. Or if he was, he wasn't showing it.
"She doesn't appear to have been there long, but I need to go get Pomfrey," she said, leaving the room, and I rolled my eyes. I really hate it when people talk about me as if I wasn't there.
"Sit," Snape said, indicating the sofa. "And don't touch anything." He then left the room in the same way Tonks did, but someone else came into the room immediately. I guessed she was Pomfrey by the robes she was wearing.
"How are you feeling? Do you hurt anywhere?" she asked, not bothering to introduce herself.
"My head hurts, but that's all," I answered. She nodded, then, I'm guessing, cast a few spells then left the room. She was back in half a minute with a vial of something.
"What is it?" I asked, not wanting to drink anything that would put me to sleep. I did not want to go to sleep until I knew what was going on, even if this was a dream.
"It is a potion for your head pain. I checked you over, and you do seem in good health." She handed me the potion and I quickly gulped it down, trying to ignore the awful taste. "There are a few people in the kitchen who wish to talk to you," she said offhandedly, pointing to the door she came from.
In the kitchen were Tonks and Snape, and what looked to be Dumbledore and McGonagall.
"Hello, Briana," Dumbledore said, and I stopped in the doorway and narrowed my eyes suspiciously at the old man.
"How did you know my name?" I asked, and I was handed a bag and a purse. "These are mine. How did you get them?" I asked, recognizing the bag as the one I packed the night before for the rode trip I was going to be taking with my best friend.
"They were found near the cell that you were in," Dumbledore answered. "They were brought here before you arrived, and I had them checked out. What confuses me is that, when I talked to a friend in the States to have your family looked up, you did not show up. It was as if a Briana Viahn does not exist." I thought about this. If this was real, then of course I wouldn't exist here. This was a book series. I decided to tell them so.
"That would make sense, I suppose," I said quietly. "Since this can't be real."
"Stating that this isn't real would be stating that we don't exist, and I can assure you, we do," Snape said flatly.
"Severus, please," Dumbledore said, before turning back to me. "Do you mean the magic?"
"No," I said. "This can't be real because, where I'm from, this is a book series," I said, emphasis the fact that it was a book. "One in which is very popular, so this should be a dream."
"You say should, but you are not sure, are you?" Dumbledore asked, and I shook my head slightly.
"No, I'm not. It feels too real. May I ask what the date is?" I asked.
"It is August Third, 1995," said McGonagall, her first time speaking up.
"What interest would Voldemort have with someone not from our world?" Tonks asked, and I almost rolled my eyes. Now that I thought about it, it was pretty obvious.
"I know things about the Light Side that most wouldn't," I said. "After all, I've read all six books so far. I know things about the Order that Voldemort could use."
"So you know what is going on?"
"If this is going along the same lines as the series, then yes," I said. "But . . . Harry would be going into his fifth year, and the last book, which is the only one that didn't come out yet, he is going into his seventh year. That is, if he goes at all . . ." I trail off and think about it. There had to be a way of seeing if this will follow in cannon with the books, despite me being here. "Do you know who the Defense teacher is going to be this year?" I asked, getting a surprised look from McGonagall and Tonks.
"Why, yes. A woman name Camila Demahar. Is that the same as . . . the books?" Dumbledore asked, and I shook my head.
"No, it was Umbitch . . . sorry, Umbridge who was Defense teacher. Absolutely no one but Filch liked her. Her idea of a detention was using a blood quill!" I said, finally getting a surprised look from Dumbledore, and an angry look from Snape. Snape looked like he wanted to say something, but he never did. "But, I don't think it will go along the lines of the books. I mean, this certainly didn't happen." Dumbledore seemed to be in thought for a time, and the four Order members sat in silence while I just stood there, wishing for a shower and actual clothes.
"You are a muggle, are you not?" Dumbledore asked.
"I guess so," I answered. "As far as I know, anyway."
"Usually, we obliviate muggles and return them to their home, putting protection charms on them. But, since you don't really exist in this world, and you appear to be in Voldemort's attention for a specific reason, I don't see that as such a good idea. That, and you might turn out to be some help. We will, of course, try to find a way to send you back to your world, but I do not know if it is possible. I have never seen something like this before."
"Um . . . okay," I said slowly, it now starting to sink in that I might never see my family and friends again.
"But for now, I do believe that you need some decent clothes. Ms. Tonks, would you mind lending Briana some clothes? Afterwards, I am sure Severus wouldn't mind taking her through the international floo so she could shop for her own clothes."
"Where?" Severus asked, not masking his irritation. "And why not here in London?"
"To the States, of course, because it might be too dangerous to have her wandering around in London where she might be recognized by a Death Eater," Dumbledore answered, and I started to get mad. Once again, they were talking about me as if I wasn't there.
"Here's some robes, Briana," Tonks said, handing me a set of blue robes. I threw them on over my pajamas, and then looked to Dumbledore.
"I'd like to take a shower or something first," I said, and Dumbledore nodded. The bathroom is right outside the room, the first door on your right," he answered, and I nodded. After my shower, deciding there was nothing I could currently do with my curly, soon to be frizzy hair because I had nothing to put in it and no hair ties, I got out of the bathroom and nearly ran into Snape.
"Ready?" he sneered.
"Yeah," I said, not intimated by him at all. I guess that was a good thing growing up with my dad. My dad used to frighten all my friends, but I was used to it. He wasn't as mean as he appeared, and I figured Snape was probably the same way. Though, I wondered why he was escorting me when he was a spy. Wouldn't it be bad if someone recognized me?
My thoughts were interrupted when we stopped in front of the fireplace, and I internally groaned. My first time through the floo.
"Throw in the floo powder, and say 'International Floo'," he said, handing me a container of powder. I did so, then entered.
At first, I thought I would miss the grate I needed to get off at, but there must be some magic means of helping a flooer, because once I saw the grate, I knew it was the one I needed to get off at. I stumbled out of the fireplace, but I was able to catch myself. I tried to get out of the way before Snape came through, but he ran into me anyway.
"Next time, move," he said, and I gave him a look. I followed him through the corridors. The place reminded me a lot of an airport. We stopped at a line that was labeled "The United States of America", and waited. Bored, I took out my wallet and counted how much money I actually had. I had saved up a bunch from before, because I was planning on doing a lot of shopping on the road trip. A lot of shopping since I hadn't gone shopping anywhere in over a year.
Counting my money, I was glad to find that all the money that I saved up was there. Dumbledore must have known I had it, in American currency too, because he didn't say anything about money.
Finally we got to the front of the line, and Severus paid the lady at the desk the floo fare for both of us (I didn't know what else to call it). The time in the floo was much longer this time, and I started to feel my motion sickness coming on. It wasn't too long, though, and soon we were standing outside a muggle/wizard clothing store inside the flooport (once again, for the lack of a better term).
"Quickly get some muggles clothes on, because we are going to be in the muggle area," Snape said. I went in and bought a pair of dark blue jeans and a black T-shirt before I found a bathroom to change in. I shoved my pajamas and Tonks' robes into the bag.
"So, what city are we in?" I asked Snape as soon as I found him, reading what looked to be a muggle newspaper.
"New York City," he answered flatly, and I groaned, out loud this time. Yeah, I liked New York. I've been there a few times, but not well enough to know my way around. "There is a . . . what I believe you muggles call a mall near here. We will only go there." I followed Snape outside, and he was right. There was what looked like a three story mall just down the street.
"So . . . you are Severus Snape, right?" I ask, and Snape gave me a look.
"Yes," he answered.
"But, why are you escorting me, though? Couldn't it jeopardize your position as a spy?"
"I am not spying," Snape said, stopping to look at me. "How did you know that I used to spy?"
"It's in the books. In the books, though, you started spying again once Voldemort came back."
"I see," Snape said, but didn't elaborate. He walked into the glass doors of the mall and I followed him. Ignoring him for a time, I went a found a map of the place and thankfully, there was pamphlets that you could take. I was glad to see that the stores that I usually went to where all on the same floor, relatively close to each other. Snape stopped beside me.
"Where are you going?"
"Second floor," I answered, and Snape gave a curt nod.
"I will be in that bookstore," he said, pointing to a Barnes and Noble. "Do not take long."
"I won't," I answered, before going off to find some clothes sales. An hour later, I had everything I needed, and I was browsing the bookstore, looking for Snape. Of course, I had a few books in my arm that I was going to buy. To me, entering a bookstore without buying anything should be considered a sin. The metaphysical section of this store was a lot better than any of the stores I've been to recently. They actually had more than two decent runes books!
"Finished?" Snape asked from behind, causing me to jump.
"I guess," I answered and made my way to the checkout. Snape also bought a few books, and I wondered what he would get from a muggle bookstore.
The trip back to Headquarters was harder because Snape refused to shrink my stuff for me. He told me I shouldn't have bought so much, but I pointed out to him that I had nothing otherwise. Once we got back to Headquarters, I decided that this could make for a good fan fiction, so I took out of the of notebooks I bought and started recording what had happened so far. Snape seemed to be the only person in the house other than me, and he wouldn't talk, so I had little else to do but keep myself busy.
Remembering my bag, and hoping that my CD player would work, I dug through it until I found the player and the CD I wanted to listen to. There really wasn't that much in the bag, but there were some other things I could do if I got bored.
Crossing my fingers, I pressed play. I mean, this wasn't Hogwarts, and there couldn't have been that much magic in the building.
I was excited when it worked. I didn't know what I'd do without music to listen to. Go crazy, I know that. I've been in music my entire life. When I was six, my parents sent me to piano lessons, when I was nine, I started violin, and when I was fourteen I started guitar. I also had voice lessons when I turned twelve. So, I know I would to crazy if I didn't have music around.
Putting the headphones on my ears, I took out one of the books I bought, one on runes, and started reading.
