A/N: I am so so so so super sorry about how late this chapter is. My computer died on me and we didn't get a new one for ages, and then my boyfriend was being stupid, and just a lot of other stuff. But now I'm back, and I promise more regular updates from now on.
It was almost midnight, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione had just returned to Hogwarts for a break from horcrux hunting. They were on their way to the Gryffindor common room when they heard a noise from behind a door. Instinctively, the three drew their wands.
"Ow, Fiyero, that was my foot!" a female voice hissed.
"Sorry," a male voice replied. "Hey, I found a door!"
The knob turned and two people stumbled out. They looked to be in their mid-twenties.
"Who are you?" Harry asked.
Oddly, it was the girl who answered. "I'm Elphaba," she said, "and this is my-my good friend Fiyero."
Hermione smiled at her and lowered her wand. Slowly, the boys followed her lead. "Hello," she said. "My name is Hermione, and these are my friends, Harry and Ron. How did you get here?"
"If you don't mind me asking," Elphaba said, "where is here?"
Hermione was shocked. "Why, you're at Hogwarts, of course!"
"Hogwarts? I've never heard of it. Have you Fiyero?"
"No. Kind of a strange name, wouldn't you say?"
Hermione was astounded. "You've never heard of Hogwarts?"
"Maybe they're muggles," Ron said.
"What's a muggle?" Elphaba asked.
"Non-magical people. Are you a witch?" Hermione asked.
Elphaba bit her lip. "It depends."
"On what?"
"On your definition of witch."
Hermione thought for a moment. "A witch is a woman who can do magic."
"Well then, I guess I'm a witch," Elphaba said.
"And you've never heard of Hogwarts! Where did you say you were from?"
"I didn't," Elphaba said fiercely.
"Oh." Hermione blushed. "Well, where are you from then?"
"Kiamo Ko."
"I've never heard of it," Hermione said. "Where is it?"
"In the Vinkus."
"The Vinkus?"
"Winkie country?"
"Doesn't ring a bell."
"Where is Hogwarts exactly?"
"Well," Hermione said, "I'm not exactly sure. It's unplottable-you can't put it on a map-but I know it's somewhere in Scotland."
Elphaba looked at Fiyero in alarm. "We're definitely not in Oz anymore."
He smiled. "No we aren't."
"We'd better go see McGonagall," Harry said.
"Yeah. Follow us," Hermione said to them. Hesitantly, Elphaba and Fiyero followed them into the more brightly lit main corridor. In the light, Hermione was able to see that Elphaba was not normal. She was unmistakably green.
"Oh, your skin!" Hermione cried. "What happened?"
Elphaba drew back into her cloak and Fiyero's arms so that none of her skin was exposed. It was apparent that Elphaba and Fiyero were a couple. "I was born this way," Elphaba hissed, with such malice in her voice that Hermione let the subject drop.
They passed the rest of the walk in an awkward silence, with Fiyero whispering words of consolation and restraint to Elphaba. Hermione could tell that Elphaba was seething, and that her temper was something Hermione knew she would not want to cross.
They stopped in front of a huge stone gargoyle.
"I'll be here," Harry said to Hermione.
She nodded. "Chocolate frogs," she said to the gargoyle. To Elphaba and Fiyero's amazement, the gargoyle sprung aside to reveal a moving spiral staircase. Ron stepped onto one of the stairs and was carried up them. Hermione motioned for Elphaba and Fiyero to follow.
"Why doesn't your friend come with us?" Fiyero asked.
"Harry won't see McGonagall in her office," Hermione replied. "It's too painful for him to be in the room, ever since..." she trailed off, leaving Fiyero to wonder exactly what had happened in that office.
They reached the top of the staircase and found themselves staring at a closed door. Hermione took a deep breath and knocked. There was a pause.
"Come in," called a tired sounding female voice. Hermione opened the door and entered s lowly, beckoning for Fiyero and Elphaba to follow. Elphaba was still hidden in the shadows of her cloak, and in Fiyero's arms. The room was huge, but seemed very empty, like the occupant had not been in the office very long. One thing she did have in excess, though, were portraits. There were hundreds of portraits lining the walls of the office; all of them of sleeping old men and women. Sitting at the large desk in the center of the room was a woman of about sixty. She was tall, and looked like she hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time. She looked up at them as they entered.
"Why, hello Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley," she said.
"Good evening, professor," Hermione replied. "I hope we aren't disturbing you."
"No not at all! How was your trip?"
"It went very well. We had fun."
The woman smiled. "That's good to hear." She finally caught sight of Elphaba and Fiyero. "Who are your friends?" she asked, slightly alarmed seeing Elphaba completely concealed, with not an inch of skin exposed.
"My name is Fiyero, crown prince of the Arjikis tribe," he said, stepping forward, "and this is Elphaba Thropp Third Descending. Please, ma'am, could you tell us where we are and how we might get back to Oz?"
"Oz? I've never heard of Oz. Is it in America?"
"I don't think so. I've never heard of America. Is that where we are? America?"
The woman laughed. "No, America is the country across the ocean. You're in Hogwarts."
"Hogwarts," Elphaba said, speaking for the first time since Hermione's comment. "That's a strange name for a country."
"No, Hogwarts is the name of this castle. It's a school for magic. Are you magical?"
"A little," Elphaba said. "I'm not very good at controlling it," she confessed.
"We could teach her, professor!" Hermione said. "Harry, Ron, and I."
"That's a possibility," the professor said. "But tell us, how did you get here?"
So Fiyero told them everything. From how they met, to their affair in the Emerald City and Elphaba's tirade against the wizard, to Fiyero's imprisonment by the wizard and his eventual escape, and of how Elphaba had faked her own death so that they could escape Oz forever. He explained about the Clock of the Time Dragon, and about the dwarf's cryptic message.
"So it sounds like you were sent here for a reason," the professor said when Fiyero was finished.
"I guess so. But we don't know what that reason is."
"And you just happened to run into Harry, Ron, and Hermione."
"There are no accidents," Hermione said.
"Indeed." The professor looked at Fiyero. "I need to think about this for awhile. Come back tomorrow at noon. Tell Mr. Potter," the professor said to Hermione, "that his presence is also required. For tonight, at least, you can stay in one of the Gryffindor guest rooms. Do you two mind sharing a room?"
"No, not at all," Fiyero said.
"Excellent. Food will be sent up to you room. Will you require anything else?"
"Bath oils," Elphaba said quickly. "Lots of bath oils."
The professor looked at her strangely. "Any particular reason?"
"I'm not exactly normal," Elphaba revealed. "I'm allergic to water. And-" Elphaba pulled down her hood, revealing her skin underneath. "I'm green," she said, stating the obvious.
The professor gasped. "But, how did this happen to you? Were you hexed or something? Because I could put you right-"
"Right!" Elphaba cried. "How do you know what's right for me? I've been like this my whole life! Who are you to tell me what's right for me? Maybe I like being green!" Her eyes widened at the thought, and she covered her mouth in shock.
Fiyero grabbed her hand and turned her towards him. "What did you just say?" he asked quietly. You could hear a pin drop as they awaited her response.
"Well, I do," she replied softly, testing the idea. "I do! I like-no, I love being green! I just, never realized it before."
Fiyero smiled. "Well that's good, because I like it too."
Elphaba turned back to the professor. "So, I'll need a liberal amount of bath oils. I use them to keep clean, so it takes quite a bit." —
"I can arrange for that," the professor said. "The password for you room is Amortentia. Miss Granger, it's the portrait of the wizened old man next to the girl's staircase. I shall see you all at noon sharp. Oh, and the new Gryffindor password is Veritaserum. Goodnight!" She ushered them out the door and shut it in their faces.
"Well, she's nice," Fiyero commented, as they stood staring at the door.
"She's just got a lot on her mind," Hermione said, turning away from the door and leading the way down the staircase. Elphaba and Fiyero followed, and Ron came down right after. They walked quietly and subdued to the Gryffindor common room, where Hermione somehow accessed a hidden door behind a portrait. Fiyero led a half-asleep Elphaba across the huge room and onto the bed, where she immediately curled up and went to sleep. "Goodnight," Hermione whispered, leaving the room. Fiyero curled up beside Elphaba, pulled her into his arms, and fell asleep.
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