Chapter Two

Sarah lay on her parents' bed, reading. Much as she loved her bedroom, since her last ordeal, she didn't like to leave Toby alone for too long. Her brother began to whimper in his sleep. Sarah put down her book and tiptoed over to him.

"Shush honey, its ok. I'm here." She softly stroked his hair. He rolled over and began to sleep more peacefully, his thumb in his mouth. This was a habit that Karen had recently tried to rid him of, saying that it was bad etiquette, and would ruin his teeth. Frankly, Sarah didn't really see why a baby should have to worry about etiquette, so as much as Karen reminded her to stop him whenever he started, she wouldn't, claiming she hadn't noticed him doing it.

Toby began to cry. Sarah leaned over and picked him up, holding him in her arms.

"I'll tell you a story, hey Tobes? That'll make you feel better." She sat on the bed, Toby sitting on her lap, still sucking his thumb, his wide eyes looking up at her.

"Once upon a time... there was a beautiful young girl whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby. And the baby was a spoiled child, and wanted everything to himself, and the young girl was practically a slave. But what no one knew is that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers. So one night, when the baby had been particularly cruel to her, she called on the goblins for help!"

Toby gurgled with delight and clapped his chubby hands, urging Sarah to continue weaving her tale.

"The goblins obeyed her wish, but it was too late when she realised that that wasn't what she truly wanted. The girl did everything she could, and in the end she completed a maze in under ten hours, refused the Goblin King's offer to give her her dreams, and she realised that nothing was what it seemed, to bring back her baby brother. It was then that she saw how much she truly loved her younger brother, and that she would go to the ends of the earth for him. She saw that he wasn't a spoilt baby, but that she was, and she swore to do everything she could to make it up to her brother for wishing him away to a place far below their world."

By this time, Toby was asleep. Sarah placed him gently back in crib, tucking the blankets back around him, before whispering,

"I'm sorry Toby. I love you, I promise never to do anything like that again."

She picked up her book and went down to the kitchen to get herself a cup of coffee. She noticed that all of the lights in the outside streets had been turned off.

Funny that. I don't remember anything like this ever happening in my neighbourhood.

As the kettle finally reached a boil, she pulled it off the stove and began pouring her coffee. It was then that she heard a knock at the door. Picking up her mug, she went to answer the door. A man with a long white beard and wearing what looked to be a long purple dress stood at her door.

"Miss Sarah Williams?" He asked. She nodded, dumbstruck. "I have a letter for you." He handed it to her. She opened it and began to read as he introduced himself.

"My name is Professor Albus Dumbledore, and I am the headmaster of a school called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am right to assume that you have not heard of it?" Sarah said and did nothing; she was frozen to the spot.

The letter was written in green ink, and it seemed as if the words were forming themselves as she read. It claimed that she had some form of strange powers, which she needed, urgently, to control. She had now been enrolled at this Hogwarts school, where she would learn to control all of her new powers.

Or so he said.

"You crackpot." She whispered.

"I am sorry?" Dumbledore said, still smiling cheerfully. He was rather potty, Sarah noted.

"You can't seriously think I am going to believe that you're a wizard. Not to mention the fact that you claim that I'm a witch, when I am far from it!"

"Oh but Sarah my dear, you are!" he said. "Now, are your parents home?" he asked

"Ummm…Yes" she said, hoping he didn't plan on coming inside if he knew she was home alone. She still thought he was crazy, he hadn't done anything to persuade her otherwise.

"Brilliant, then we can talk to them about sending you to Hogwarts right away."

"They're… asleep. Sorry, come back in the morning." She shut the door in his face, then turned to walk away.

"Miss Williams, I do not like to be lied to. If your parents are not here, then I suppose I must withdraw until the morrow." Dumbledore stood in the middle of her foyer.

"But… but…" Sarah was flabbergasted. "How did you get in here?"

"Miss Williams, I told you before. I am a wizard. It is easy for one to move about when one is such as myself.

Sarah frowned. He was extremely confusing.

"I must withdraw now Miss Williams. Your parents will be home shortly, and I think it may be best if I did come back tomorrow to speak with them when they are… fresher. Good evening." He said.

With a loud CRACK Dumbledore had vanished. No smoke, just gone without a trace.

Sarah dropped her mug, which dropped to the floor with a crash, and fell back against the front door. It was then that her father and Karen arrived home, and tried to push open the door. Which refused to move because Sarah was leaning against it.

"What the…" Her father said, pushing harder. Sarah, who wasn't in a particularly good state of mind at the moment, thought that it was Dumbledore, come to torment her some more, and therefore began to push back with all of her might.

"Sarah, is that you? Sarah, it's me, your father. Let me in this instant!" he said angrily, banging on the door. Sarah shook her head, then stumbled away from the door.

"Uh, sorry Dad." She said, as he fell forwards, the opposing force having left the door he was pushing against. "It was just a… practical joke"

"Oh look at this Sarah, you naughty girl! You've spilt coffee all over my nice carpet!" Karen cried, taking off her coat and hanging it in the cupboard. "Quickly, we have to wash it out before it stains." Sarah nodded and ran into the kitchen, grabbing two cloths and a bucket of hot soapy water. She and Karen scrubbed at the carpet for almost half an hour, until it looked almost as clean as the rest of it. Sarah's father came down the stairs, now dressed in his pyjamas.

"You two still at it?" he asked, yawning. "Come on, I think we should all head off to bed." Sarah yawned, not for the first time, and nodded. She emptied the bucket in the kitchen sink and rinsed out the cloths, before stumbling back upstairs to bed.

She hoped Dumbledore hadn't been serious when he said he wanted to talk to her parents in the morning. She hoped he was just some crazy guy who would forget about it in the morning. She even hoped it was just some crazy trick her mind had played on her.

But deep down she knew that it was all just false hope… she closed her eyes as her head hit the pillow, and tried to sleep, dreading what tomorrow may bring…