Following her unexpected arrival at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Major Marion Price finds herself leading a mission to rescue survivors from a helicopter that has crashed in the grounds….


Taking care to avoid touching the wand blasted remains of the hinges, Price stepped through the empty doorway. Grateful for the wand lights that appeared next to her, due to the helicopter now leaning slightly towards the trees, she carefully walked towards the two figures lying behind the cockpit. The first, presumably the American voiced man she had spoken to, appeared to be late middle aged, with slightly greying dark hair. He was wearing a white polo Shirt, pale trousers and white boots. As Price approached, he shook his head slightly, before looking up. The other figure, who lay semi conscious on the floor, was noticeably older, with a thin face under a peaked cap, and dressed in a Russian rear echelon duty uniform.

Looking around, Price noticed that the pilot and co-pilot in the cockpit, and the three battledress clad figures slumped at her feet, were clearly beyond saving.

'Curiouser and curiouser.'

'My thoughts exactly!' said the white clad man, who was now gently easing himself upright. 'Only, that out there doesn't look like Wonderland, and I'm guessing that none of you are named Alice!'

'Well spotted! I'm Marion Price, and this is Hermione Granger, Ron Weasly, Harry Potter and Ron's sister Ginny. Their friend Hagrid's and his dog Fang are waiting outside.'

'And I'm Sam Beckett.' said the man, his right hand outstretched towards Price, who briefly clasped it with her own. ' Unfortunately, I have no idea who the rest of our guests are.'

'Probably a military escort of some kind.' said Price, quickly glancing around the confined and dimly lit space.

'Not so fast, Major!' snarled Hermione as she stepped forward, the fierce expression from earlier back in full force. 'How do you know so much about us?'

Just as Price was about to respond, a low groan from the floor drew everyone's attention to the Russian officer,. Beckett and Price crouched down in front of the older man, whose eyes slowly opened as he sat up.

'What happened?' he groaned, in what Price was surprised to realise was a mixed English/Russian accent.

'Your helicopter crashed, sir.' replied Price, as Beckett gently pressed his fingers against the older man's neck, while quickly examining him,

'Pulse is good, and there's no obvious signs of injury.'

'So, we can move him, then?'

'Well, we can't leave him here!' snapped Hermione.

'Fair enough!' said Price. 'Let's get him up off the floor, and lead him out!'

Once the officer was standing, the three adults followed the teens along the fuselage, and out through the helicopter's doorway, to be greeted by a noticeably relieved Hagrid.

'Everything alright, Miss?'

'Not entirely' sighed Price, as she and Beckett gently escorted the officer away from the wreckage. 'We've got a crashed helicopter next to a forest, with five corpses in it, and a group of people who've suddenly found themselves in the grounds of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry!'

A look of horror immediately crossed Price's face. 'Oh blast – I shouldn't have said that!'

'Bit late for that, isn't it?' said Beckett. 'Anyway, there's no harm done, is there?!'

'You may think that, I couldn't possibly comment!'

'Excuse me' said the officer, while facing Hagrid with a worried expression on his face. 'Did she just say that we're at a school of Witchcraft and Wizardry?'

'Finest in the world, sir!' replied Hagrid cheerfully.

'How long has it been operating?'

'Since the early 990s'.

'Well, It probably wasn't housed in a castle when it started' remarked Beckett, in response to the officer's puzzled expression. 'More likely a collection of big huts timber walls and thatched roofs!' He turned to the teens. 'Was it?'

'Pretty much' said Ginny.

'Wait a minute', said Ron, stepping forward. 'I've just realised something - we still don't know where you three came from, or what you two' here he pointed at Beckett and the officer 'were doing in that helicopter!'

'That's right' exclaimed Price, who turned to face the older man. 'In fact, we don't even know who you are!'

'Do you really need to know?'

'I think it would be best for you to tell us, instead of us having to find out another way!'

'Oh, very well.' sighed the officer, a downcast expression on his face. 'My name is Kontarsky. Colonel Mihail Yurievich Kontarsky, and I am, or rather was, a Special Projects KGB Security Officer!'