I thought I'd let everyone know that so far this story has no beta. Two people have asked to beta for me, but after sending the prologue to them, I never heard anything back about the story. Although one person have apparently added me to their list of people to send junk mail to. So if anyone wants to seriously beta for me, let me know. This is my first attempt at fan fiction, and I know I'm probably making tons of mistakes. Sorry about that.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Bill and Ted, or anything else mainstream that might be mentioned in this story in any chapters coming up or in the past.
Ron was obviously feeling impatient, watching the first years getting sorted. With one hand propping his chin, the other drumming at the table, he whispered to Harry, "Is the sorting ever going to end? I'm starved! Why can't they do this after the feast?"
Harry grinned. Leave it to Ron to think of his stomach before anything else.
Hermione sighed exasperated. "Honestly Ron! Do you think before you speak? How would the new first years know where to sit if the sorting wasn't first? Besides, it's tradition. In 'Hogwarts, A History' it says the sorting has been a ritual since..."
"Oh look! It's done now!" Harry cuts in.
Hermione looked towards the head table. She glanced back at Harry. "Nice diversion, Potter."
Harry smiled weakly at her. He and Ron appreciated Hermione for her cleverness, but when she started quoting that book she could go on for hours. Ron gave Harry a grateful look.
'Thank you' Ron mouthed at Harry.
Harry just nodded back. Truthfully, he was quite hungry himself. While the traditional Weasley breakfast was wonderful as always, there were rushed due to oversleeping. It seems to always be rushed September 1 before dashing off to Kings Crossing to platform 9 ¾ and the Hogwarts Express. And the chocolate frogs weren't all that filling, and seemed to have been eaten a long time ago on the train.
Professor McGonagall was approaching the stool and sorting hat to put them away until next year when the air felt suddenly heavy. Harry noticed the static in the air as the hair on his arms and on the back of his neck stood up. He, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other and wordlessly reached for their wands. They could hear Draco Malfoy saying some snide remark about the 'golden trio' but ignored him in favor of the increasing static in the air.
Harry looked at Professor Dumbledore and started to rise out of his seat when the ceiling of the great hall clouded over and began rumbling. A flash of lightening bolted down brightly and struck the floor. Everyone quickly dove underneath the tables, including Malfoy and his goons, except Harry and Professors Dumbledore and Snape.
"Well," Harry mused to himself, "If Malfoy is even scared, it can't be a Death Eater attack."
Then he glanced toward the front of the hall and saw a girl standing there in muggle clothes, looking all around her. She seemed to be looking for something or someone. Her eyes finally got around to Harry and widened. She started walking toward him. Thunder rumbled through the room again, and some students started whimpering along with a few screams. She stopped where she was, and looked up.
The girl threw her hands up and said, "All right already! I forgot to do the hat first! So sue me!"
By this time most of the students and teachers had wearily come out from under their tables, and were watching the newcomer.
She walked over to the stool, picked up the sorting hat, and shoved it down on her head. The hat seemed to bristle.
"What's this? The sorting is over! And you are older then the usual students beginning their first year here at Hogwarts."
The hat paused. "Oh my!" it exclaimed after a few moments.
"Now I understand. This is most unusual indeed. To never have had formal training, and to have that much knowledge...none the less, it is my job to place a person into a house if I am on their head, and so I shall. Hum, very interesting. Clever, kind to friends, ruthless to those that wish to harm said friends. Sly and cunning. Don't like to study much, do you? I think you will be in..."
The girl yanked the hat's mouth shut and pushed it further down on her head. It appeared she was arguing with the sorting hat by her facial expressions. Finally she let go of the hat.
"Gryffindor! Gryffindor!" The hat quickly shouted. "For Merlin's sake, put me down and go to your table!"
The girl whipped the hat off her head with a big grin. She picked up the stool, strode over to Professor McGonagall and thrust both the stool and the sorting hat at her, who took them quickly and backed up to the head table.
Professor Snape stormed toward the girl with a hostile look on his face. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her one when he was shocked with something not unlike electricity and hit the floor.
"No one touches me without my permission." the girl said in a threatening voice, glaring at the man.
She then looked back up towards the ceiling.
"Ok, I did the stupid hat thing-can I have my bag now?" she called out.
A bulky muggle backpack materialized on the floor in front of her. She crouched down, unzipped it, and started going through it's contents. The girl stood up, put her hands on her hips, and said, "Excuse me! Walkman and cd's-now please! I told you I was taking them with me!"
The candles dimmed for a second, then returned to normal. A small metallic machine and a large bulging black case appeared on the floor next to her.
"Did you do the spell on them?"
The light dimmed briefly and returned again.
The girl bent down, picked up the items and carefully placed them in her backpack. Glimpsing back at the golden trio, who had their wands out and seemed to be struggling on whether or not to approach the stranger, she turned back to the front.
She looked at Snape. "Sorry, Professor Snape. You startled me. I really don't like to be touched, though! Besides, it's kinda rude to just grab someone without their permission Here-let me fix that." gesturing towards his singed hands.
"Don't-touch-me" Snape seethed.
"Don't-be-ridiculous!" the girl mocked back. She grabbed his hands and a blue light enveloped them. Releasing his hands, she smiled and said, "There-all better now!"
Addressing the headmaster, she said in an upbeat tone, "Hi! You must be Professor Dumbledore. I'm Bethany Frost. I was sent to this fine establishment to learn, prank, have fun, and all sorts of things that I really can't talk about here. Oh yeah, and to help."
She leaned closer, putting her hands on the head table, looked into the headmaster's eyes and spoke in a low voice, "Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K."
Professor Dumbledore's eyebrows raised and he quickly shot up out of his seat.
"Most Excellent Bill and Ted reference." he said with a strange look on his face.
"Thought you might know what I was talking about. Although I don't think the rest of your "order" does.
"For certain. Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, and Sprout-please see that your houses return to their dormitories. Also, Minerva and Severus, please join us in my office when finished. You too, Hagrid."
Snape protested. "Sir, I will not leave you alone with this-this person! She has already proven herself to be untrustworthy, and could be a danger-we know nothing about her. I insist on being with you when you begin to interrogate her."
Bethany seethed at this. "How well are you going to interrogate me with your wand shoved up your ass sideways?" she sneered, crossing her arms in front of her.
Harry, Ron and Hermione, who had been inconspicuously inching forward, immediately stopped.
"I cannot believe she said that to a teacher!" exclaimed Hermione.
"I like her already!" said Ron.
Hermione grabbed at Ron and Harry to go sit back down. Ron went, but Harry stayed where he was.
Harry was silent, eyes furrowed. He didn't like the idea of Dumbledore going anywhere with this Bethany person-she was probably a spy from Voldemort or the ministry. Neither had been happy with all the commotion that the headmaster had caused lately. The Order had been very successful in bringing in several death eaters this past summer, and the Daily Prophet had been reporting in favor of the headmaster against Minister Fudge.
Ignoring Bethany's remark to Professor Snape, Dumbledore addressed the rest of the great hall. "In light of these unusual circumstances, start of term notices shall be given at breakfast. Please return to you houses upon completion of you meal."
Gesturing to Bethany, he said, "Shall we continue to my office, Miss Frost?"
"I'm kinda hungry-can we get a doggy bag?"
"I'm sorry, I'm not sure of what you mean by 'doggy bag', but I can have the house elves bring up food and refreshments in a moment." Dumbledore said, curious with her manner of speaking. 'Americans have such a strange way of talking', he thought to himself.
"That'd be great-but no tea for me. I don't like flavored water unless it's lemon. Juice would be nice. Or maybe some hot chocolate?"
"That can be arranged. Dobby?"
Bethany was startled when a short little creature wearing clashing clothes (stripes, polka dots, and plaid) popped into existence in front of her, facing the headmaster.
"How may I be's serving headmaster this evening?" said the elf.
"Would you please be so kind as to bring dinner for myself and Miss Frost to my office in 15 minutes? And please bring our guest some pumpkin juice and hot chocolate. She appears to not enjoy tea."
Dobby turned around. "Oh miss! I's not seeing you there! I.." he peered closely at her. "You is the one!" he gasped.
Bethany looked uneasy. "Uh, I'm one new student. That's all. Nothing too much more then that." she stammered. How could someone here know about her already?
"Oh miss! You is more then one student! Any house elf can tell you is special. But why is you here, now?"
Bethany crouched down so she was face to face with the odd creature. "I'm here to help Harry." she whispered to Dobby. "But you can't tell anyone, not Harry, Professor Dumbledore, or anyone else who or what I am. Understand?"
"I is not telling, miss. I promise on my free elf position!"
"Thank you, Dobby." she whispered. A little louder, she said, "We will have to talk later-how can we be friends if we don't know each other?"
Dobby started blubbering. "You is too kind to Dobby, but I is looking forward to talking with the great miss! I must go get your dinner ready now." and with that he popped away.
"Miss Frost, I am curious as to how you made friends with Dobby so quickly, but I think that would be better explained in my office. After you."
"Sure. Just tell me right, left or straight, seeing how I don't know where your office is." Bethany told him, grabbing her bag off the floor and walking towards the doors. She stopped in front of Harry, who was standing there with his arms crossed and a look of distrust on his face. Bethany grabbed a piece of bread off a platter, held it up to him and said, "One for the road-haven't ate real food in a long time. See you later, Harry Potter."
Harry grunted at that.
"I'm sure we will, Bethany Frost." he said in a not very polite tone.
"'Get your broomstick out of your arse' is what two of my mentors would say to that"
Harry was about to retort when he saw Dumbledore shake his head slightly. He went back to his seat next to Ron, glaring at Bethany as the headmaster led her out of the great hall.
The rest of the school burst into loud chattering as soon as the doors closed.
Ron turned to Harry.
"She can't be all that bad, mate. Dumbledore seems trust her, and she insulted Snape-right to his face! I'll remember that for a while, right along with the bouncing ferret incident."
"Ronald Weasley! Professor Snape may be a horrible, mean teacher, but he's still a teacher! We may not like him, but we should still respect him." Hermione lectured.
"Teacher or not, he lost my respect when he started disrespecting Gryffindors because of what house we are in!"
Harry ignored the argument, one of which he was sure to be many this year. He was busy wondering what could be going on in the headmaster's office. Harry sighed. Why couldn't he ever just have a normal year? He got up from the table.
"I'm going back to the common room. See you guys there."
Ron and Hermione stopped bickering and raced after him, Ron still chewing on his last bite of food. It looked as if he had shoveled three or four bites of food in his mouth before chasing after Harry.