Chris Carter and 1013 Productions own the X-Files. JK Rowling, Warner Brothers and Scholastic own Harry Potter. All I own is this story line, every Harry Potter DVD and a complete collection of X-Files DVD's. I wish I owned Fox Mulder.
A/N This story is set anytime during Sorcerers Stone through Prisoner of Azkaban of HP (although it contains information in all the books) and after X-Files episode "Emily", but before "Requiem".
Thanks to all you wonderful reviewers!
GUEST QUARTERS
HOGWARTS
Mulder was startled awake by the sound of footsteps outside his door. He reached over to the night table to check his watch and sat up abruptly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. The sound was muffled through the stone walls, but he could hear Scully talking to Professor Snape. Then he heard the key rattling in the lock of her door and the sound of Snape's footsteps dying away down the hall, away from the guest quarters.
Mulder stared into the darkness for a moment before he got up and headed to Scully's door.
"Scully, can I come in? It's me, Mulder."
"Yeah, Come on in."
Mulder walked in to see Scully sitting Indian-style on her bedspread, notebook open on her lap and ballpoint pen poised in the air. Her jacket was off, hair pulled back into a ponytail and she was wearing her glasses. He sat down on the edge of the bed.
"What are you doing, Scully?"
"Field report. On paper, nonetheless. I really miss my laptop."
"How elaborate are you going to make it? You're not supposed to take anything back to our world."
"This is for Dumbledore. Of course, I'll write up a brief summary for Skinner, but I have no idea what he'll do with that."
"Line his birdcage, probably."
Scully sniffed. "You're probably right. But old habits die hard."
Mulder was silent for a while. Then he spoke. "It's really late, you know."
"Yes, I know, Mulder." She had her head down and she was writing.
"Is everything all right, Scully?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"
"No reason. I was just concerned you'd run into trouble tonight. With it being so late and all."
"I told you, there was no trouble." She looked at him very calmly.
"I'll take that as my cue to leave," he said as he stood up. But he paused at the door. "If you need anything..."
Scully looked at him, her eyebrow raised.
"Okay, okay, I'm leaving now."
After he left, Scully pushed up her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose wearily.
McGonagall met them outside their quarters early the next morning. "We need you right away, but don't worry, we'll send breakfast over. I'm to take you both to Hagrid's hut. One of his creatures was killed sometime last night. He just found it today."
GREAT HALL
NOON
Snape was standing by the door to the great hall, watching the students file past him to go to lunch when Mulder and Scully arrived in the entrance with a distraught looking Hagrid. The two agents were quietly conversing with the gamekeeper, but Scully caught Snape's eye and he nodded to her almost imperceptibly. She returned his nod and he turned his attention back to the students
"You ready for lunch?" Asked Mulder, patting her shoulder lightly.
"You go on ahead. I'll be in shortly." She stood and waited until the foyer was empty of students and staff.
Snape shut the door and made his way over to her. "What happened?"
Scully shoved her hands in her pockets and started to walk away from the Great Hall doors. He fell in with her.
"It was the peryton," she said quietly, not wanting to be overheard. "Attacked in the same manner as the house-elf and presumably the student."
He was quiet, frowning.
"Hagrid said perytons are impervious to all muggle weapons and most wizarding...weapons," Scully continued. Actually Hagrid used the terms spells and hexes, but Scully still felt uncomfortable using such words to describe wizarding defense.
"That's right. It takes powerful magic to destroy a peryton. Most wizards would not be capable of it."
"Is it dark magic?"
"Not necessarily. But it requires very strong powers."
Scully stopped. "But why the peryton? What's the point of killing a peryton?"
"Why do you assume there was a point to this killing?"
"Because nearly every crime has a motive. Nearly every human action has a motive. People almost always have a reason for the things they do."
She met his eyes then, and they both looked away.
THE CORRIDORS
HOGWARTS
Snape met Scully outside the library that night.
"I couldn't find anything that would give a clue as to why the peryton was killed," she said.
Snape only shrugged. While they patrolled, she asked, "Would you explain something to me? I know what 'muggle' means--someone with no magic. But what does 'mudblood' mean precicely?"
He looked at her sharply. It wasn't a word usually said in polite company, but she didn't seem to realize she'd said something rude.
"It means somebody who has non-magic parents."
"Is that bad?"
"That's the opinion of some of the pure-bloods. It was an opinion shared by You Know Who."
Scully nodded. Predjudice in general was nothing new to her. But to have it directed against people who didn't have magic ancestry was a new concept.
"The longer I'm here the easier it is to forget that there is a world outside Hogwarts--one that I'm part of. I'll have to ask the Headmaster if I can borrow his old newspapers."
"Personally, I rarely leave the wizarding world. I have no need to. And no desire, either."
"Don't you find it confining being stuck in one place?"
"No. You don't seem to understand. Our world is bigger than Hogwarts or the Ministry of Magic. We're everywhere, in every country, including yours. Staying in the wizarding world doesn't mean being isolated. You could even have wizarding neighbors and not know it."
"So your people don't actually have restrictions against associating with muggles? Then why did we need special permission to come to Hogwarts?"
"There's no law against mingling with muggles, but it's not encouraged, either. Unfortunately, getting too close to muggles has lead to complications in the past."
She looked at him steadily, but he gave her look for look.
"What types of complications?" She ventured.
"For instance, the complication of muggles wanting all their problems solved magically, then not understanding why the wizard is unwilling or unable to help them. That leads to anger and hurt feelings and worse."
"Did that ever happen to you?"
"I never got close enough to a muggle to find out."
She stared at him, then shrugged. "We muggles needn't bother turning to magic to solve our problems, if you ask me. You people certainly have problems of your own, don't you?"
Her sarcastic tone put him on the defensive. "Maybe we do, but that doesn't stop some of your people from trying, doesn't it? I know all about your good luck charms and superstitions. What is all that other than a feeble attempt to control the universe?
"I won't speak for all muggles," she said hotly, "but have you ever seen me do anything superstitious? And you couldn't possibly have known enough muggles to make those sweeping generalizations. You admit you spend all your time in the magical world."
"I spent enough time with muggles to know how they think."
"No, I don't think you have. Besides, it's easy enough to wave a magic wand and say some magic words and make wishes come true, but a lot harder to have to think and reason solutions to your problems--which is what muggles do everyday."
They walked in stony silence for a long time.
"I know you're not superstitious, but you have to admit that many of your people are," he said.
"Thanks for the compliment. Or whatever that was."
"What I was trying to say is my people have certain...gifts...that would be very valuable to your people. Therefore, we have to keep our existence a secret."
Scully scoffed. "If I were you, I wouldn't brag about having special 'gifts' until wizards can eliminate human suffering... or bring the people we love back from the dead," she murmured quietly, her face turned away from him.
He looked at her sideways. After a long moment he said, as quietly as she, "Nobody has the power to bring people back from the dead."
When she didn't look at him, he took her hand. She still didn't look at him, but she didn't pull her hand away, either.
"Dana?" He said. "Agent Scully?" He drew her to him and after a moment's hesitation she put her arms around his neck. He bent down and whispered, "Would you like..."
At that moment they heard a voice say "Severus..." They stepped apart--it was Dumbledore. After a pause he said, "...and Agent Scully?" There was a longer, uncomfortable pause before he continued. "A word with you in my office. Both of you."
In silence they followed Dumbledore through the winding corridors. Scully wanted to glance at Snape, but decided against it. She was sure being summoned to the Headmaster's office in the middle of the night did not bode well.
When they were in Dumbledore's office he motioned for them to sit. He looked at them both closely without speaking for a moment. Scully resisted the urge to look away. Then he folded his hands and leaned forward.
"It seems we have another problem. No, not an attack. But there have been reports of muggles in Hogsmeade."
"Have they done anything illegal?" Asked Scully.
"Not that we can tell. There've only been sightings, and they don't seem to be doing anything other than lurking. But it's highly irregular and needs to be investigated."
"Can't the Ministry investigate?"
"They say they're going to, but I don't have much confidence in them right now. I'd rather know what's going on without going through Ministry reports. Tomorrow night, Severus, I want you to go to Hogsmeade." Dumbledore looked intently at the young woman sitting composedly with her hands in her lap and seemed to come to a decision. "And Severus, take Agent Scully with you."
Dumbledore saw how Snape glanced at Scully quickly before nodding to him, although he seemed strained.
"If that's what you want, Headmaster."
"It is what I want." Dumbledore turned to Scully. "We generally don't allow muggles in Hogsmeade, you see. In fact, muggles can't even find Hogsmeade unless they've been brought there by a wizard."
"But you want me to go?" She asked.
"Anti-muggle security has already been breached. Besides, I think you'll be an invaluable help," Dumbledore replied enigmatically.
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