Chapter 2: A School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

"Professor Longbottom, you'd better get over here, quick!"

Bella shifted uneasily in the grass, eyes fluttering in the darkness.

"What is it, Hagrid? You're lucky I was still out at the greenhouses." A smooth baritone filtered in and out of her ears, sending shivers down her spine. Bella was half tempted to open her eyes fully and find the source of the voice, but it was too dark to see and she opted to keep quiet.

"Muggle I'd wager. Never seen a lass so scared in all my life."

Muggle? What on earth was that?

"A Muggle? But Hagrid, how did she get here? There are muggle repelling charms all over the grounds."

"I haven't the slightest how she got into the forest, but it's lucky she ran into the thestrals. Merlin knows what she could've run into if she'd been out there after night fall."

She shuddered involuntarily and realized she'd probably given herself away.

The one she guessed was Professor Longbottom cleared his throat and crouched by her side. "Are you alright, miss?"

Bella sat up carefully and peered at the man in front of her. He was wearing a light, button down shirt with rolled-up sleeves that allowed her to observe dimly-lit but well muscled forearms. His face was still obscured, but she felt much more comfortable with his presence than with the man called Hagrid.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was lost, but those dragon-horse things helped me get out of the forest."

"They're called thestrals," he almost laughed, but then his expression sobered. "But – how did you get in the forest in the first place?"

"I was on a tour, and the guide was taking us along a trail into the forest, and—"

"A tour?" The man called Longbottom looked confused, and the giant man interrupted.

"Sightseeing. Groups of muggles – er, people – going 'round to look at interesting sights."

The younger man nodded. "Oh, right. Sorry."

Bella bit her lip. These guys were getting weirder by the minute. "Anyway…we were going along this trail, but the trail ended, and everyone suddenly remembered appointments and meetings and their grandma's birthdays and just…left."

"Everyone except you." He stood up sighing lightly, and Bella could finally see his face in the light emanating from the hut. In the dim light she could see his dark eyes, tousled hair, and chiseled face. He held out his hand, and after a few seconds of hesitation Bella clasped it and was lifted to her feet.

Bella's fingered tingled at the man's touch. It was neither ice cold – like Edward's had been – nor flaming hot like Jacob's; it was just right. That made Bella worry. These men were definitely not vampires, and they weren't wolves either. So what were they? She gazed up at the twinkling lights of the castle and grimaced.

"I'm really sorry for stumbling upon your castle…"

"My castle?" Longbottom burst with laughter. "Godric, no. This is a school. I'm a teacher here. As a matter of fact, Hagrid and I are both professors here. I'm Neville." The one named Hagrid also stepped closer, smiling brightly and nodding repeatedly.

Neville. Bella bit back a snort. Well that was certainly a proper name.

"This place is pretty well hidden for a school. And a castle…dang. I've never seen anything so grand in my life – let alone a school building."

Neville frowned at her comment. "The castle looks grand to you? It doesn't look like an old ruin?"

She smirked. "You're joking right? It's like it's right out of a fairy tale."

He frowned again and paused to appraise her, stopping when he noticed her knees. "You look like you got scraped up a bit. Would it be alright if I escort you to the hospital wing?"

"Yeah, but would it be okay if I had something to eat too? It's been awhile."

"Of course." He continued to stare at her with wonder, and Bella couldn't help but wonder herself how she had managed to confound yet another group of potentially supernatural beings.

Neville offered his arm, and as they set off toward the castle she couldn't help but notice something familiar about his quiet temperament.

"So, uh, Neville. How long have you been here?"

"This upcoming term will be my fifth year teaching at Hogwarts."

This time Bella couldn't control her outburst of laughter. "I'm sorry, the name of this place is Hog…warts?"

"You know, I never really thought about it." Neville chuckled lightly, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. "I suppose it does sound a bit strange though to someone who's never heard of the place."

Bella's attention was diverted toward the aforementioned castle as they neared the massive doors and entered the dimly lit entrance hall.

"This is amazing," she spouted absentmindedly as they made their way up the grand staircase. "How long has this place been around?"

"Eleven...twelve centuries, give or take." He grinned at her obvious awe, but then Bella noticed a hint of worry flicker across his face as their eyes made contact. "Madam Pomfrey will have you good as new in no time. Then, er, Professor McGonagall will probably want to see you. She's headmistress here at Hogwarts." The crease between his eyebrows grew more pronounced, and Bella felt a sense of foreboding at the mention of this Professor McGonagall. Neville definitely seemed to be hiding something.

They took a left turn upon reaching the first level, and Neville led her to what she presumed must be the Hospital Wing. He led her in hesitantly.

"Poppy, have you got a moment?"

A much older lady wearing garb that closely resembled Puritan attire came bustling out of her office.

"What is it, Neville? Are the Venomous Tentaculas causing trouble again? I told you they shouldn't be kept so close to the open windows...Oh!" She had just caught sight of Bella, who smiled in somewhat of an awkward, shy twitch of the lips. "My dear girl, what happened to your knees? Sit down at once!"

Bella obeyed, taking a seat on the nearest cot.

"Hagrid found her next to the whole lot of thestrals just outside his hut," Neville filled in who Bella was sure was Madam Pomfrey. "Says she got lost in the Forbidden Forest."

"Oh, good heavens, child. You know it's never safe to venture out alone in the Forbidden Forest, especially so close to nightfall." The kindly woman began applying a thick salve to Bella's kneecaps, then wrapped them in a light gauze.

Bella blushed deeply. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"You didn't know? How on earth didn't you..." She turned to Neville astonishment. "Professor Longbottom, do you mean to tell me that you've brought a muggle into Hogwarts?"

Bella's companion paled, and she took the pause to ask something for herself. "Can someone please tell me what a muggle is?"

Madam Pomfrey's eyes bulged, apparently no longer needing an answer. Whatever a muggle was - Bella almost certainly was one.

"Why I've never in all my days at Hogwarts..." She paused peering sympathetically at Bella. "Forgive me, what is your name, dear?"

"Bella Swan," she answered cautiously.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I've tended to your injuries, but I'm not sure I'm the right person to answer your questions. The headmistress will want to see you."

Neville looked away, as if to avoid the impending confrontation, and Bella's anxiety rose to the forefront.

Finally she sighed, "I suppose there's no point in beating around the bush then." Neville and Madam Pomfrey stared at her quizzically. "I mean there's no point in putting it off..."

"Right, of course," Neville nodded in understanding. "Well, I suppose you'd better follow me."

"Farewell, Miss Swan," Madam Pomfrey waved almost apologetically, and Bella continued to wonder just what she had gotten herself into.

"So, Bella, huh?" Neville commented as he led her back up the main stairway. "That's a pretty name."

"Thanks." Conversation had dwindled as her thoughts centered around speculation of the Headmistress, and Neville seemed deep in thought as well.

After a few minutes of the gentle rhythm of ascending footsteps they reached the top of the staircase, and the pair continued down a torch lit corridor until they seemingly reached a dead end with only a great, stone gargoyle there to meet them.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Bella scrunched her face in confusion.

"Of course we are," Neville grinned reassuringly. Then facing forward he uttered, "Scaraben, stone, and bog."

The gargoyle leapt to the the side, and Bella shrieked, clutching to Neville's arm. "Wha-wh...what just happened?"

"It's all right, Bella. You'll see."

Her eyes locked with his, and she nodded slowly, choosing to trust him - for better or worse. "Okay." Maybe it was a mechanical gargoyle…for security purposes. She followed Neville onto a sort of spiraling, stone stair as it ascended until they reached yet another door.

He rapped on the door loudly, and to Bella's surprise it opened of its own accord. She stayed close behind Neville as he strode into the room, but Bella marveled at the slew of curious trinkets and shimmering gadgets around the room.

"Professor Longbottom, I didn't expect to see you this evening, and who is that hiding behind you?"

Bella moved to Neville's side and nodded at the wizened but taut-featured woman. She looked ancient but stern, someone who would have been formidable in her prime.

"Minerva, this is Bella Swan. Hagrid discovered her shortly after our thestrals rescued her from the Forbidden Forest. She says she was on...a tour group, was it?" Bella nodded in affirmation. "Right, a tour group, but when they reached the borders of the forest surrounding Hogwarts everyone else felt suddenly remembered pressing appointments and left."

The headmistress narrowed her eyes shrewdly. "Forgive my skepticism, Miss Swan, but as I am unfamiliar with your name, and your story seems tenuous at best, you'll of course allow me to administer some veritaserum to you to confirm your tale."

Bella turned to Neville warily. "What's veritoserum?"

Neville coughed to cover his laugh. "It's perfectly harmless; it just makes you tell the truth until it wears off."

Bella blanched. Would they ask her about the vampires and werewolves? Would Jacob's tribe be in danger? Who were these people anyway?

"How long does it take to wear off?"

Neville shrugged, so Bella turned to Professor McGonagall.

"Only a few minutes...if you are cooperative of course."

Bella shuddered. "I don't have much choice, do I?"

To this the headmistress pursed her lips sympathetically. "I'm afraid not, Miss Swan." She turned to one of the many portraits of sleeping old people and to Bella's surprise, spoke to one.

"Severus, go to your other portrait in the dungeon and ask Professor Burke to bring a prepared mixture of veritaserum to my office at once."

The man in the portrait shifted, glaring at the headmistress. "As if that poor excuse of a Potions master could possess the subtlety to prepare a concoction as delicate as veritaserum."

"Severus, please. Professor Burke is perfectly competent at preparing complex potions."

Grunting in noncommittal acquiescence, the man in the painting disappeared from the portrait, leaving nothing but the background.

Bella's mind might have exploded. "Okay, what is going on? How do stone gargoyles come to life a-and paintings move and speak? What is this place?"

The headmistress appeared quite nonplussed at her outburst. "Miss Swan, I'd have thought it was quite obvious. This is a school of witchcraft and wizardry."

Bella's gasp filled the entire room. "Holy crow." First vampires, then werewolves, and now wizards and witches? Bella seemed destined to discover every supernatural being in existence.

Still just trying to figure this plot bunny out. Thanks for reading, and insights and ideas are most welcome. -V