"Maggie?"
A hand shaking her shoulder and a gentle voice from above both woke Maggie. She opened her eyes and discovered that she had fallen asleep in the corridor. She glanced to her right and saw the most offensively-bright purple she swore she had ever seen. She followed the bottom of the robes up and discovered a long silver beard and the concerned face of her godfather.
"Uncle Albus!" She quickly stood up, smiling broadly.
"Hmm… I don't think you need this at the moment," he said, pulling off the invisibility cloak she had forgotten she was wearing. He smiled at her, "Hello child."
She quickly hugged him, "It's so good to see you again!"
"And you, my dear," he replied, patting her on the back warmly. "Minerva has told me everything that has been going on," he continued, pulling away.
Her face fell as she thought about her mother. Then she remembered what had happened to her father. "Is my father alright?"
"Oh, yes," Dumbledore responded. "Madam Pomfrey kept him overnight, much to his aggravation. He's in my office at the moment. I offered to come down and fetch you." He handed the cloak back to her, "I think it would be best if you put this back on, though. I would rather not have your presence here known just yet."
Maggie hurriedly put the cloak around herself and pulled up the hood. She followed as he led her out of the dungeons. Their progress was interrupted a couple times by groups of students who caught sight of him and called out greetings. Obviously, many of the students were glad to see their old headmaster back.
Finally they reached the door to his office and the gargoyle moved aside, allowing them access to the revolving staircase. "You can remove the cloak now," he said to her. He opened the large door to his office and she followed him inside.
Her godmother and her father were seated before Dumbledore's desk. To her father's right sat an empty chair.
"Have a seat, Maggie," Dumbledore said, moving to take his seat behind the desk.
Maggie glanced around the room in awe. There were a multitude of paintings adorning the walls, the occupants of which were observing her. There were a number of strange, totally unidentifiable objects. To the side of the desk, there was what appeared to be a bird's perch, but it was currently empty.
Sitting, she glanced at her father but he was looking at Dumbledore. She wasn't sure what they were going to discuss, but she hoped her father wouldn't be too mad about her disobeying him.
"Now that we're all here, I thought we could discuss the plans for Maggie's future," Dumbledore began. "Minerva has told me that her magic suddenly returned three nights ago. She also said that Maggie has been accepted to the school. Severus, have you decided if Maggie will attend Hogwarts?"
"We have discussed it, but we have made no conclusive decision. She is five years behind her peers. She hasn't cast a single spell yet and certainly showed no aptitude for a basic charm."
"Who was teaching her the charm, Severus?" Minerva asked, turning to face him.
"Potter was serving his detention and I thought it would be productive to have him instruct her," her father said defensively.
"Well, the boy has shown an aptitude for teaching, that much is certain. Never have we had such a large number of students achieving E's or better on their Defense N.E.W.T.S. Personally, I believe it is the unresolved disappearance of her mother which has kept her from performing as she should." Dumbledore frowned and continued, "And before either of you ask, we still have no information on Katrina's whereabouts."
Silence descended for a moment before Maggie's father spoke again. "And… if Katrina isn't found before the summer begins? You are aware that Maggie can not stay with me. The Dark Lord does occasionally stop by Spinner's End, as do some of his followers. Nor can I suddenly change where I go over holidays. It would be too suspicious."
"Not even to Prince Manor, Severus?" Dumbledore questioned.
Her father shook his head, "They are as likely to visit there as at Spinner's End."
Maggie felt stricken, but her father must have noticed the sudden slump of her shoulders because he turned to her. "Do not mistake me, Maggie. Were it possible, I would gladly take you home with me. It is for your safety that I do not." He turned back to face Dumbledore. "I assume you have some plan in mind?"
Dumbledore smiled, "Of course. She will spend the summer under a glamour – whether spell or potion I will leave for the two of you," he glanced at Maggie's father and godmother, "to decide. She will then, if Molly and Arthur Weasley are willing, go to the Burrow for the summer."
Her father groaned, "The Weasleys? Surely you jest!"
"Can you think of anyplace better, Severus?" Minerva asked. "Perhaps the Malfoys would welcome her with open arms," she said sarcastically.
"At least the Malfoys could afford the burden of another child," he sniped back.
"Severus, Minerva, enough! This is getting us nowhere. The Weasleys have raised 7 children and would sacrifice their lives to protect them from Voldemort. Now, unless either of you have any other… suggestions…"
"Just one," her father said, glancing from Dumbledore up to one of the shelves behind him. Maggie followed his gaze and spotted a curious looking hat. "I want her Sorted, first."
'Oh,' Maggie thought with a small start of surprise. 'That must be the Sorting Hat which was mentioned in Hogwarts, A History.'
"Afraid she might be overly influenced by the Weasleys?" Minerva asked angrily.
"Yes," her father hissed, turning a glare on her godmother.
"The choice is Maggie's," Dumbledore's calm voice cut across the beginning of another argument. "She can be sorted now, or – assuming she can get to the level of her peers – with the first years at the beginning of the school year."
All eyes turned to face her and Maggie swallowed hard. She wasn't sure if she wanted to wait to be sorted or not. What if she ended up in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff? Would her parents be disappointed? "Uhm, I think now would be best."
Dumbledore pointed his wand at the hat and it gently drifted down and towards Maggie. With shaking hands, she plucked it from the air and placed it on her head.
"Oh ho," she heard a strange voice say. "What have we here? A child of Gryffindor and Slytherin?" There was a pause before the voice continued, "Well, now, where to put you… I see plenty of bravery here. I also see a good deal of cunning and a lot of ambition." The voice paused again and Maggie began to become nervous. "Hmm, yes, it had better be…"