~Previously~
"She moved a mirror?" Snape asked Teddy sharply, looking even paler than usually, "How big was it?"
Sirius suddenly gasped in horrified realization.
"You don't think…" he uttered in horror, "…that she found a reflection portal?"
Snape trailed off for a bit before giving the distressed family a somewhat less cold than usually look.
"Don't worry," he said, "I'll bring her back safe."
~Chapter 3, Part 2~
Mimi was beginning to really have fun the more she got used to navigating the heaving sea of junk when she spotted the end of the road in the distance. It was a wall of planks, just like those in the distance to her left and right, but this one had a high ledge against which the junk splashed every now and then and a single door in the corner of the wooden platform.
"Patchy, there's a way out!" Mimi declared to her plushie who was patiently sitting in the corner of the sofa, protected from falling by Mimi's booted foot, "Hang on tight! It might get a bit bumpy around the- whoa!"
Everything stopped moving so suddenly that Mimi nearly toppled over, carried by the inertia. She managed to grab onto the lean of the sofa at the last second and look around, mouth agape, when she realized that everything was now completely and utterly still, as if frozen.
"What- oh, come ON!" she cried in frustration, "We're so close to the exit!"
"Miss Huggins!" a dark, deep voice suddenly called out Mimi's name from far behind her and the girl whipped around to see the black-clad wizard from before approaching her calmly from the now still sea of junk, "That's quite enough now, time to go back!"
"It's the Plushie Hater!" the girl gasped and grabbed her stuffed toy, hugging him to her chest, "I'll protect you, Patchy!"
Snape scowled as he strode towards the girl awkwardly, over the uneven terrain made out of junk. It was difficult enough using the freezing charm on such a huge amount of moving stuff, now it also seemed the blasted child was determined to cause trouble. And what did she just call him?
"Don't be difficult, young lady," he called out to her, trying his best to look at least less menacing than usually, "I need to get you back before-"
He was rudely cut off by a piece of wood that flew towards him, struck his large forehead and then bounced off it.
"Stay back, I'm warning you!" Mimi shouted as she grabbed another random thing from under her feet one of the cushions from the sofa she'd been riding and chugged it at poor Snape, "I won't let you take Patchy! What kind of a man hates cute toys!"
Snape twitched angrily as he dodged the cushion, looking rather un-dignified.
"I don't hate-" he began, but got cut off by a large sprocket that probably belonged inside a grandfather clock that landed on top of his head.
"Liar!" Mimi accused as she backed away from his approach while throwing everything she could pick up from the ground at him, "I heard you before! Well, you're NOT getting Patchy, you big meanie! Stay away from us!"
"Gh- you little-" the wizard groaned, rubbing his aching head while trying to dodge the rain of other flying junk before he risked looking up and realized the girl was now climbing to the ledge to get to the door which Snape knew was actually another portal.
This was just a transit area. A place where bits of many different dimensions of time and space ended up when they were misplaced in planes in which they didn't belong. It was dreadfully unstable and incredibly dangerous, but that paled in comparison with the potential dangers that lurked behind that door. Especially for a wandless little witch who knew so little of the wizarding world, she was practically a Muggle.
"Don't you take ONE step through that door!" Snape roared, forgetting his efforts to be subtle as his Headmaster position kicked in, "I'm warning you- don't-"
But it was too late. Having climbed to the top of the ledge, Mimi dove straight to the door knob.
"Accio brat!" a furious, deep voice roared behind her and Mimi screamed as she felt a physical force pulling her backward, but then she took a swing at the invisible force with Patchy and it suddenly stopped as though she'd managed to swat it away.
Snape let out a gasp of shock when his spell was broken by nothing more than a swing of the little toy and with such force that his want was knocked out of his hand. He could only stare in shock as Mimi scrambled back to her feet and then ducked through the door, slamming it behind her.
"...damn it!" he snapped. storming off furiously to retrieve his wand.
Heavens only knew where the stupid child ended up now. This entire business suddenly got ten times more difficult.
Still he was positive about one thing, at least. That toy was definitely magical and dangerous.
Mimi again felt the same sensations like when she'd passed through the first portal first the feeling of being dunked in ice and then loss of equilibrium. When it passed, Mimi realized she was crouching, curled around Patchy who was pressed into her chest tightly. The first thing she became aware of was the sound of a crowded street all around her.
Peering out from under the rim of her black, indigo-stripped hoodie, Mimi realized she was in a street. People were passing by, talking, laughing and cautiously walking around her, giving her strange and sometimes worried looks as they passed.
Mimi quickly straightened up and tried to look at least a little normal, but it was difficult since most of the people around her were dressed in clothes that she'd only seen in old thirties' movies. Men wore beige suits with vests under them and they all had fedora hats on and women were dressed in long skirts or dresses with those lovely little round hats on their heads and curled, short hair coiling out from under them.
Dressed in her crazy hoodie, laced short skirt and stripped stockings, it would be an understatement to say Mimi stood out like a sore thumb.
"Honey, are you alright?" a female voice asked gently and Mimi jerked around to look up at a beautiful, blonde woman who was smiling down at her.
"Um yeah, sure." the girl croaked out around her heart that pounded high up in her throat, "I- uh- I'm great!"
"I'm with the circus!" she added quickly, realizing the woman's eyes were now examining her outfit, "I'm a clown in training. They won't let me put on clown makeup yet. Uh right. I have to go, so "
She dashed away without finishing her sentence. As she ran down the street, she heard the woman calling out after her, but didn't stop until she found a narrow side street she could duck into and get out of sight.
"Oooh, maaan " Mimi groaned breathlessly as she leaned on the wall, squeezing Patchy to her chest, "I can't believe we traveled back in time! I mean, don't get me wrong it's awesome, but what am I supposed to do now?"
After a bit, she let out a long breath and glanced down at Patchy gratefully.
"Yeah you're right." she said, "If we do get stuck here, I can always predict the future for a living since that's where I'm from."
"...man, I'm hungry " she sighed after a moment, "I shouldn't have ran from home before breakfast."
A tummy-grumbling moment later, Mimi sighed.
"Well, no use hiding here." she told Patchy, "Let's go look around maybe we can find a way back or at least get some grub."
She discreetly edged out of the side street and tried to fall in step with the crowd. She still got her share of odd looks, but now that she was walking down the street like a normal person, people seemed to just assume she was going to or from a costume party even if it was still strange to see such a young girl on her own in the street.
She patted down the streets aimlessly, looking for anything that looked even vaguely familiar. She could see the Big Ben in the distance so she was sure this was, indeed, London, but other than that, Mimi felt no connection to any of this.
Suddenly, something fluttered at her from the crowd ahead and then disappeared behind the next corner and Mimi's heart pounded. It had been something that blended in the mostly beige and brown outfits of the crowd almost as little as Mimi herself had. Bright red and fluttering Mimi decided it could only be a bit of a wizard or witch's outfit!
The girl rushed through the crowd and ducked around that corner and, sure enough there was an elderly man skipping down the street in a long, bright red overcoat with golden edges. It was a wizard robe if there ever could be one. Without even considering the possibility that the man was a street performer or something like that, Mimi hurried after him and followed him to a rundown little pub called the Leaky Cauldron. The girl's heart pounded even harder flamboyant robes, cauldrons these were all signs of the wizarding world!
Once there, maybe she could find someone to help her go back to her time. So, Mimi didn't even wince at the intimidating, shady-looking establishment that most people went around in a wide circle and marched straight inside, firmly hugging Patchy to her chest.
The moment she stepped in, hot air splashed Mimi in the face and made her realize how truly cold it had been outside. Back in time or not, it was still autumn and she was wearing only her hoodie and a short skirt; Mimi's face was icy and when she breathed in the warmth that smelled of tobacco, coffee and hot wine, it scalded a path through her airways and into her chilled lungs.
But that was soon forgotten as the sheer marvel of this place, even if it was still dark and unkempt, struck her flat in the face. Chatting away as if nothing at all was unusual, was the strangest bunch Mimi had ever laid eyes upon.
Passing the first several tables, she saw some stocky people no taller than she was but at least twice as broad who Mimi assumed were dwarves or something of the like. They laughed raucously over huge kegs of foamy ale and sang what sounded like Scottish folk songs, only not the like Mimi ever had the chance to hear they mentioned mines and underground cities.
Mimi lingered a little near their table, listening, before turning around to see some old women, dressed in rags who were cackling wildly at another table. They sounded just like those mean, old witches from cartoons and their arms and hands were just as bony, poking eerily out of the folds of their gray, hooded cloaks.
Walking a bit deeper into the pub, Mimi was overjoyed to see a group of leprechauns bouncing off the chairs at yet another table. They giggled maniacally and shot golden sparkles from their little pipes wile drinking something probably alcoholic from adorable miniature kegs.
" so cute!" she snickered to Patchy softly as she walked around the table, grinning at the little, green creatures.
Something suddenly ran into her feet, nearly tripping her to the ground. Mimi managed to keep her footing as she grabbed on to the nearby coat rack. Whipping around to see what it was, Mimi just managed to see something small, pink and fluffy zip under one of the tables and out of sight.
Still, as amazing as it all was, Mimi didn't see any actual, classic wizards she could talk to about getting her back home somehow. The bartender was a scary-looking, toothless old man who seemed deeply focused on running a filthy rag across the counter where no one seemed brave enough to sit.
Just as Mimi was about to give up for the moment and simply take a rest by the inviting fireplace that blazed at the far end of the pub, a long, forlorn sigh made her glance at a table she hadn't noticed before. There was a completely unremarkable young man sitting there, looking miserable as he stared at his cup of tea.
He was tall and lanky, bony even, dressed in a beige, tweed pants and vest with a crisp-white shirt underneath. He didn't look like a wizard at all, in Mimi's standards. His long face was ordinary, just like his watery, pale eyes and his enormous, crooked nose only made him look sadder.
Mimi crept closer until she came nose to edge of the table. She had to stand a little on her toes so she could grab the end of the table and peer over it. Up close, the skinny young man looked even more miserable; he looked like he was about to cry into his tea and was completely oblivious of the two wide, dark blue eyes staring at him from beyond the table.
A long moment later, the young man sighed and looked up slowly, probably to cast a miserable look around the pub and nearly had a heart attack when he unexpectedly saw a little girl staring at him.
"MERLIN, WHAT IN THE WORLD?" he practically shrieked as he nearly knocked over his teacup while jumping up and kicking the table.
Mimi yelped and ducked under the table on impulse.
"Don't blast me with magic!" she blurted out and peered out again when she heard a sigh of relief from above, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
A pair of watery, pale blue eyes gave her a somewhat unnerved, cross look.
"Are you here on your own?" the young man asked shakily, "This is n-no place for kids t-to come on their own."
"Well I had nowhere else to go." Mimi told him dejectedly, "I somehow got here from the future and now I'm stuck here and I don't know anyone so I followed a wizard I saw in the street to here because I wanted to ask him to help me get back but now he's not here and-"
Her stomach interrupted her with a loud, roaring growl. The girl paused awkwardly before finishing her sentence in utter misery.
" I'm starving." she said, all sad-blue-eyes.
The young man stared at her mutely for a long moment before ducking his head with a sigh of surrender.
Not five minutes later, Mimi was happily digging into some hot pancakes, lavishly overflowing with chocolate syrup, her feet dangling from the tall chair. The young wizard stared at her, still rattled from his earlier fright and the sudden flood of information from the girl that followed afterwards.
"So let me get this straight " he said slowly, "you went through a mirror, sailed a uh-"
"Fea ov junk." Mimi replied, her mouth stuffed with pancakes.
"Right and then you went through a door and ended up in the past?"
"Pretty much." the girl said with a nod, "Oh, don't forget that a plushie murderer was after Patchy."
The young wizard cast a nervous glance at the scarecrow stuffed toy that sat upright on its own in the middle of the table.
"I see." he said, "Uh, so wait, what's your name, anyway?"
"Mimi." Mimi replied as she poured herself some more syrup, "Mimi Huggins. What's yours?"
"Uh Howard." he replied, looking a little embarrassed, "Howard Ollivander. P-pleased to meet you, I I suppose."
"So, you're really a wizard?" Mimi asked curiously, "I mean, no offense, but you don't look like one."
Ollivander looked a little embarrassed.
"Ah, well I- I'm-" he cleared his throat awkwardly, "I'm living in the Muggles' world so I need to blend in. A-and I'm not really a classic wizard. I'm a wandmaker. Er- well, a wandmaker in training, really. Uh honestly, I don't think I'll ever become a real one."
Mimi tilted her head at him.
"Why not?"
"Oh, it's complicated " the young man sighed and trailed off, but when he looked up, Mimi was still staring up at him expectantly, waiting for the story, so he sighed in surrender, "I have to do something to complete my apprenticeship. I have to find rare, magical ingredients and make my first wand out of them, on my very own. So, my fellow apprentices are out chasing unicorns and hunting dragons, but I I'm not really good at that."
"Well can't you just buy some somewhere?"
"I could, but no wandmaker ever sells his best stock." Ollivander said forlornly, "They always keep it for their own wands."
"Well that's mean." Mimi sighed and gave everything a little thought while munching on some more pancakes before she had an idea, "Hey, I know! I'm great at finding stuff! Why don't I help you get your wand-making thingies and then you help me go back to- er- forward to future?"
Ollivander gave her a cross look.
"You can't help me, you're just a little girl and you're a long way from home." he said, "Besides, you don't have to do anything in order for me to help you. Eat up and I'll see if I can find someone to get you back home."
Mimi looked disappointed.
"But I'm great at finding treasures!" she whined, "Come on, I know I can help you out!"
"N-no." the young man said sternly, "Don't be stubborn material-hunting is not a job for little girls who don't even have a wand of their own yet. Now finish up your meal so we can go find some help for you."
Mimi glared at him crossly and dug in again, muttering grouchily as she ate.
The sudden slam of the pub front door opening abruptly made her start and as Mimi looked over a gush of cold, outside air struck her flat on the face, just as her eyes caught sight of a swelling, swaying blackness of the robes belonging to the man who'd just barged in.
With a yelp, she ducked under the table.
"It's the PLUSHIE MURDERER!" she hissed when Ollivander raised one end of the red table cloth and peered down at her confusedly, "Oh, don't let him find me! He wants to take my Patchy away he's a bad, bad, BAD man!"
"I'm looking for a rather uncouth child," a deep, dark voice remarked menacingly from above, making Ollivander jerk up in shock and blink up at the intimidating man in black robes.
He did look like a shady character, the wandmaker had to admit. Pale like someone who rarely sees the sun, dressed all in black and with dark eyes that promised dangerous thing if defied, the man looked like a poster boy for your average Dark Wizard stereotype.
"You weren't talking to someone under that table, now were you?" he pressed, his dark baritone turning icier by the second.
"N-no " Ollivander lied lamely, "N-no, I was- uh I thought I'd dropped something a-and-"
A startled yelp suddenly came from under the table as it shook lightly. Snape narrowed his dark eyes at it and the plate of nearly eaten pancakes, swimming in syrup. He reached for the tablecloth, but then a round, pink thing suddenly shot out from underneath with a sharp squeal and zipped past his feet before zigzagging away across the room rapidly.
" just the friendly local Puffskein." Ollivander smiled timorously as Snape glared back at him.
"I strongly urge you to tell me if you've seen this child." he growled darkly, "A small girl with long, black hair and a scarecrow toy. This is extremely serious she might be in possession of an immensely powerful dark artifact that has no place in a child's hands. Have you seen her?"
Ollivander gulped loudly, now completely at a loss. However, when looking up at the darkly menacing face of this frightening man and then thinking of the terrified child hiding under the table, it was easy to pick a side to defend.
"N-no no, I'm s-sorry, I haven't seen anyone like that." he said and offered a thin smile to back his statement up.
Snape glared on at him for a long moment, as if weighing his words before drawing away.
"Thank you for your time." he droned softly before whipping around and striding away, towards the back end of the pub.
Mimi peered from behind the table with huge, blue eyes.
"Is he gone?" she asked while Ollivander was in the process of digging through a small, brown pouch out of which he took a handful of bronze coins and slammed them on the table.
"He went into the back," he said hurriedly, "and I think we should be long gone after he returns."
"Gotcha!" Mimi nodded as she jumped out from behind the table, "Where are we going?"
"I'll take you home with me for now," he told her, "and then I'll contact someone about sending you back- er- forward to your time."
Ollivander extended his long-fingered hand to the girl who latched onto it immediately and they hurried towards the exit, the odd couple of a small, adventurous child and a lanky, awkward wizard.
~~~ End of Chapter 3
~Next time~
"I want to go home!" she snapped tearfully, sounding angry at herself, "What if I end up stuck here for good? I'll never see Teddy and Remus and Mr. Puppy again!"
"Something this precious deserves an equally amazing core." the skinny man concluded passionately,
"And some day I will be the Ollivander to find it and I will craft a piece of magical art."
"Hey, Mr. Ollivander, what's a Millennium Unicorn?"