Author's Note- A huge thanks to lady clark of books, CJmynixMG and BIGHROCKS for their valuable reviews; it really means the world to me! Guys, sorry I can't reply to you personally, so here are the individual replies-

1) Lady clark of books – What can I say? Either you are excellent are guesswork; or I'm bad at suspense (Okay, maybe that was kinda obvious.) Sorry, but as much as I'd love to kill Umbridge, I really can't cause a) I don't want Mia to be a murderer and b) because she appears in OotP. Er ya, the 'dream of a dream' thing, that's my favourite line too, but it's taken from my favourite movie Chronicles of Narnia (But please don't sue me! ;) And thanks for replying to all my queries; sorry if I bothered you!

2) CJmynixMG – Well, I thought the sudden ending sounded good, so I just left it there. You sure have a lot of questions. I am really sorry to keep you waiting; but it'll ruin the story if I tell you every thing now. You can try guessing the answers; some of your questions may be answered in Chapter 10 or 11; so watch out for it. Rest assured, you will understand as the story unfolds.

3) BIGHROCKS – You haven't really asked anything; but thanks for the review all the same. I really appreciate it.

I though you guys were bored with my descriptions of every minor event; but I can't bring myself to skip anything.

Chapter 8 – Midnight Prowls

'Aw, come on…' Mia pleaded with the scowling portrait of the Fat Lady.

It was past midnight; Mia standing outside the Gryffindor common room in a pale pink dressing gown; her auburn hair, tousled - fighting a losing battle with the half asleep portrait of the Fat Lady.

'Please let me in…' she said imploringly, wringing her hands at the annoyed portrait.

'No password; no entry.' the Fat lady countered firmly, crossing her arms across her pink frill-covered chest.

'But I don't know the password!' Mia wailed morosely. 'How can I give it to you? And I can't spend the night outside the common room.'

'You should have thought before you left.' the fat lady told her resolutely. 'Walking out at midnight and returning back asking me to let her enter without a password…Hmph!' she sniffed disdainfully.

'But it's only my first night here.' Mia asserted in self defence. 'And I just went to the bathroom…'

'A likely story. I repeat, no password; no entry.' she repeated tartly, returning to her slumber.

Shooting a last mutinous glance at the snoring portrayal, Mia marched away from the common rooms, scowling malevolently.

It had been a little earlier than midnight; when Mia had woken up, with the urge to go to the bathroom. She vaguely remembered the Prefect gesturing at a small door somewhere in their dormitory, informing them it was the bathroom; but when she had attempted to search for it, she only blindly stumbled at the foot of someone's bed; causing it's occupant to roll over and mutter something indistinct grumpily.

Finally deciding that she didn't want the whole dorm asking her why she was causing such a rumpus in the dead of their first night; she resolved to look outside the common rooms; recollecting a large oaken door that looked as though it might lead to the restrooms.

On her return, she realised, much to her consternation, that a password was required in order to enter the common room and that she hadn't the faintest idea what it was.

The pointless argument with the drowsy portrait followed; after which the young first year was left with no choice but to spend her first night at Hogwarts, outside her dorm.

'Great!' she huffed vehemently to herself. 'First night here…I'm out of my dorm…without my wand…no password…just great.'

Mia hadn't the faintest idea where she was headed; she just stormed about in the dark, knowing she would probably have to spend the whole night in some empty classroom or something. She was too busy cursing herself and her imprudence to even think straight.

Veering sharply at the edge of another dimly lit corridor, Mia decided she could no longer ignore the circumstances and continue walking about an unknown castle aimlessly. She, after all, had to spend the night somewhere.

Her first thought was to go back to the Great Hall; the only place she knew in the enormous castle. She turned back, pleased by the fact that she had been able to make at least one rational decision that night, when the reality of the situation hit her. She neither knew where she was, nor did she have her wand with her; so there was absolutely no way she could move around without getting lost.

She felt a faint glimmer of hope that someone might want to go to the bathroom, just like her…

Finding no other means of venting the frustration that was building inside her; Mia sank into the cold stone wall; her hair strewn, her face buried in her hands in aggravation.

'Lost, are we?'

The merry voice of Albus Dumbledore cut straight through Mia's hopelessness and frustration; she looked up, expectantly, hastily straightening her auburn locks with the palms of her sweaty hands.

'Professor… Dumbledore?' she asked uncertainly, half relieved and half bewildered by the fact that the head of the school should be wandering about, so late at night. She hadn't even seen him arrive; possibly she had been too pre-occupied with her thoughts to take much notice of anything else.

'Hmm, you do recognize me, don't you?' he said pensively glancing at her; a smile playing on his lined face.

'Erm yes…' Mia replied, trying hard to think straight. Unfortunately, her brain had chosen that particular moment to go blank. 'I saw your picture on a Chocolate Card on the train...and at the Sorting…'

Her voice trailed off when she noticed that he seemed to be eyeing her curiously, with mild interest; as though he was summing her up.

'Is anything wrong, Professor?' she queried tentatively, pushing back further into the wall.

'Nothing at all, my dear.' he replied jovially, as though nothing could have made him happier than meeting her here in the dead of the night. Then, all of a sudden, he gazed at her sternly. 'Why, may I ask, are you out of bed, alone, so late at night?'

Mia flushed. 'I, sort of, wanted to go to the bathroom, so I left the common room…and when I came back the Fat Lady wouldn't let me in … because I didn't know the password … I was, kinda mad at myself for not thinking about that before I left… so I just stormed around, erm, cursing myself for being so stupid.' she finished, shaking her head, looking thoroughly ashamed of herself. 'First night here, and I'm outside my dorm, it's past midnight…oh, just great…' she muttered more to herself, than to the elderly wizard beside her.

'You're without your wand?' he asked her sombrely.

The pink flush crept in to Mia's neck as she replied, 'Yes.'

'Very unwise to wander around without your wand in such dangerous times…'

'I know…' Mia cursed herself, sinking deeper into the wall.

'Now, now…everyone makes mistakes.' Dumbledore asserted gently patting her shoulder. 'Perhaps, you'd like to go to your dormitory now?'

Mia nodded, smiling slightly, as she stood up, reaching for Dumbledore's hand. 'Thanks' she said quietly.

Dumbledore only nodded, smiling serenely as he did so; he seemed to be savouring every moment with her.

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'Professor' Mia asked hesitantly, as they made their way across the castle in the light of Dumbledore's ignited wand tip. 'Can I ask you something?'

'You just have.' He smiled brightly. 'You may ask me one more thing, however.'

'My friend Alexannah told me about a … certain Dark wizard … she kept calling him you-know-who … do you know why? Doesn't he have a name?' Mia looked up at the Professor's face hopefully.

Dumbledore studied her fervent expression for a few seconds; his cerulean blue eyes bearing into her emerald green ones. Then, sighing deeply, he said, 'People are afraid to speak his name, Miss Bridger. They fear his name, as much as they fear him.'

He closed his eyes tightly, heaving a deep sigh as he did so. 'His name is Lord Voldemort.'

Mia glanced up at him thoughtfully. 'Can't anyone defeat him? Alexannah told me that he killed loads of people…tore apart so many families…'

She inhaled sharply and stopped walking abruptly, burying her face in her hands again. She felt someone's arm around her shoulders, looking up she saw the Professor bending and watching her; his arm around her shoulder.

'Sorry.' she mumbled, looking ashen faced. Then, biting her lower lip, she asked him, 'Alexannah told me, you could probably defeat him…can you?' She was rather hoping she hadn't offended him in any way.

'Lord Voldemort is not foolish enough to face me. He is rather…evasive.' Dumbledore replied in answer to her uncertainty.

The pair of them had arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady, who was stilling snoring placidly, oblivious to the fact that two people were standing right in front of her. Dumbledore bent on his knees, his hands resting on Mia's shoulders as he spoke anxiously.

'Do not wander around the castle alone…times are Dark and dangerous…you never know…' his low voice trailed off into nothingness.

Getting up he slowly, addressed to snoozing portrait of the Fat Lady.

'Miss Bridger wishes to enter the common room.' he said softly.

'Password, if you please, Professor' she said mordantly, opening one eye reluctantly and pouting at being disturbed so late at night. She turned to glower at Mia, who returned the glare.

'Rosa Indica' he supplied merrily. Mia was a bit stunned at his sudden change of mood, but she did not voice her thoughts.

The portrait hole swung open; Mia walked to it and turned to the Professor, at a total loss of what to say.

'Good night!' he said, surveying her tranquilly, from the top of his half moon spectacles; his blue eyes, bearing into her green ones, once more.

Mia nodded silently, as Dumbledore watched her clamber through the portrait hole, his heart heavy with grief.

A/N: How is the chapter? I know they mostly ask each other stupid questions, but it's not like they can just blurt out their feelings to each other. It's just their first meeting. If you've noticed, Mia is a bit hesitant to trust anyone, a bit too strict with herself, and she has a ferocious temper too (that'll come later on). Please review! And yeah, my mom's kinda psyched by the fact that exams are only 7 weeks away, so she's banned me from using the internet till my finals are over. So I'll keep writing and post about 5 chapters in March, second week. (Maybe I'll manage to sneak some chappies in between.) But sorry if I can't, I apologize in advance. Please read and review, though! I'll look forward to it!

A/N: Why is Albus' heart heavy with grief??? Any guesses? (mynix, this could be your answer.)

PS: Rosa Indica is the scientific name for rose; I couldn't find any other password. (Since I don't know Latin or Spanish or any other language! Here, where I live we only have Arabic and English…)