Disclaimer: Nope.

Author's Note: Wow, thank you so much for the amazing response to the last chapter! I appreciate all the lovely comments!

Thank you for telling me about the typo. I fixed it. I also took that sentence out about all the Muggle parents learning about the Salem Witch Trials because they were taught about it at school. You're right - you mostly learn national history in whatever country you're from. It now says that only "some" of the parents knew about it. I don't doubt that those who are particularly interested in that kind of history would learn about it.

I'm really glad you enjoyed Harry's interactions with his friends. I wanted to make that chapter one of the lighter ones, because there's been so much angst, and there will be more of it to come. After all, this story is set during a war, and there will be casualties.

Thank you so much for your kind words about my "Professor Crewer". She truly was wonderful, and I'm really glad you had a teacher like that as well. Some people are just meant for that kind of job, and they help people more than they could ever realize. September 11, 2001, is one of those days that no one can ever forget.

Oh wow, I went to the Harry Potter World at Universal Studios twice as well, and I absolutely loved it too! Yes, I can imagine the Muggle parents being just as awed by Hogwarts as I was by experiencing that world. I was so incredibly lucky to get to go there. It's an experience that is truly, for lack of a better word, magical.

Okay, here's the next chapter. I haven't done one yet from Fiona Giddens' perspective, and she's certainly got a lot to say. You'll learn a little more about the American magical world as well, but not all. The questions about what happens to a Muggle-born who finds out they're magical and lives in a no-magic zone will definitely be answered in a later chapter.

I hope you enjoy it!

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Professor Fiona Giddens was rather overwhelmed as what she had fought for, what she had spent so much time hoping and wishing for, had come to pass. All around her, Muggle and magical parents were conversing with each other, asking questions, sharing thoughts, and discussing all things magical.

She had been to Great Britain before; when she'd travelled here, she'd been with her family - her mother, father, and older sister. She'd only been six years old, but had always been told that she was exceedingly intelligent for her age. She'd learned very quickly that the magical world here operated in much the same way as the United States, with the Statute of Secrecy also being in effect.

But there was one major difference - Great Britain didn't have any no-magic zones. None of the heads of government had ever negotiated with the Ministers of Magic to create places where witches and wizards weren't allowed to go. As a child, Fiona had always found this part of American wizarding society exceedingly strange, but it hadn't really affected her life in America - well, not until much later.

It was one of those things that Fiona had put to the back of her mind. There was much talk about it - her parents often discussed it at the dinner table. "It's blatantly unfair," her mother had said. "To actually disallow any magical person from stepping foot in certain places."

Her father had stabbed viciously at a piece of steak with his fork, clearly displaying his anger. "Who do they think they are, telling us what to do?" he'd snarled.

Fiona had been rather oblivious to the ramifications of this - but she knew it was one of those subjects that made her parents especially irate. She never dreamed that it would affect her the way it did, years down the road.

As a young adult, she'd moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. What led to that decision would always remain in her memory. She had gone to a Quidditch World Cup, where she and her family had stayed in a tent for several weeks. It had been an exhilarating experience, and the highlight of that summer.

But what had made it truly successful for her was the fact that she had met an amazing young man who was from Minneapolis. She and Philip had hit it off, and after the World Cup was over, they continued to see each other. Both of them were nineteen years old, having graduated from their magical schools the year prior. Fiona had attended the Salem Institute in Massachusetts - Boston was where she and her family lived - and Phil had attended a small wizarding school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, he and his family had always lived in Minneapolis.

It was much easier for witches and wizards to travel long distances, as Floo travel, Apparition, and Portkeys were open to them. Both Fiona and Phil had already gotten their Apparition licenses, so it became common for them to see each other. Fiona had been hungry for a change of scene - although she had loved Salem Institute and had adored Boston, she wanted to experience what it would be like to live somewhere else. Phil had presented the perfect opportunity, and Fiona had jumped at the chance for them to be together.

Fiona could freely admit that she had rushed into it. They rented an apartment, and six months later, their relationship fell apart. Neither of them had been ready for such a commitment. With broken hearts and hurt feelings, Fiona and Phil went their separate ways. It was one of the hardest times of her young life.

She almost moved back to Boston, but she thought twice about it, not wanting to make another impulsive, hurried decision simply based on emotion. Fiona had honestly fallen in love with Minneapolis - so she decided to stay.

Several years later, she began teaching at the Salem Institute, and returning to Minneapolis during the summers. It was an extremely rewarding experience, and her expertise had always been in defending oneself against the Dark Arts. For ten years she had taught there, seeing students come and go, and feeling honored that she could help them on their journey.

She had always been interested in Great Britain's culture after she had gone there in her childhood. Only a year after she and her family had gone on holiday there, a war began against a dark wizard. Her parents had been very unhappy that she'd wanted to study anything about it - according to them, she was much too young to hear or read about anything so awful. Thinking back on it years later, she'd understood their motives, not wanting their little girl to have nightmares about something that wasn't even affecting the United States.

Still, Fiona found ways around them, scouring the newspaper when they weren't looking, learning as many little snippets as she could from the small international section of the paper. She felt so terrible for the people who were suffering in Great Britain, and one day, when she was eleven years old, she proclaimed, "I wish I could do something about it."

As she made her way through her years at the Salem Institute, she was dismayed to find that not many people talked about what was befalling Great Britain. Many were just relieved that Voldemort wasn't setting his sights on the United States. Others said they felt empathy for what was going on, but Fiona saw that they were so wrapped up in their own lives that they didn't really pay it much attention.

And then, after she'd graduated, she'd spent a year at home and then gotten involved with Phil, and she was ashamed to admit that thoughts of Great Britain's war became few and far between, even as it grew worse and worse. However, she was jolted back into awareness when even the people in the USA were discussing the sudden and unexpected defeat of the villain by a fifteen-month-old baby, Harry Potter. It all seemed so strange, and Fiona's instincts were screaming at her that something wasn't right about the entire thing.

But Great Britain lived in peace for over a decade, and Fiona got on with her life, but she would forever feel like she could have done something to help those in Great Britain. The war had been terrible, and she could only hope that the peace would last.

She was happy in Minneapolis. She was content. Although she obviously loved the school year, her summers were extremely enjoyable. No matter how badly her relationship with Phil had ended, she had no regrets about moving to Minneapolis.

And then, one day at the beginning of June 1994, something terrible happened. Fiona wasn't privy to exactly what, and to this day, she was furious about it. All those who were directly affected by these events deserved to know what prompted them - that was her opinion.

What she did know was that someone had almost succeeded in breaking the Statute of Secrecy in her state, and the American President, who knew about the wizarding world, was incredibly angry. Over the years, many a President found any excuse to try and force a Minister of Magic to give up certain areas of the country, saying that the magical government shouldn't interfere there. And, therefore, as soon as the Statute had almost been broken in Minneapolis, a round of negotiations began. The President wanted to punish all those who had made their home in Minneapolis by throwing them out of their houses, simply because one person had broken the rules.

The day of the final negotiations, Fiona and her best friend, Evelyn, were sitting in Fiona's living room. The Minister of Magic had been on the wireless the night before, and he had told everyone that there would be a press conference at noon the next day. Fiona deeply respected him - he was one of those people that had a lot of charisma, and he always spoke with purpose. Although things were uncertain, Fiona had faith that he would succeed in the negotiations no matter what it took. They were down to the wire and there was only one more chance for him to make his points.

But he had succeeded in so many things, had accomplished so many feats. What was one more? The odds were stacked against him - but he'd beat them. Worry wriggled inside Fiona's gut, but what was the point? The Minister would come through for them - he always did. Fiona wouldn't have to leave her home. Everything would be okay. The press conference would begin on schedule, and maybe the Minister would look exhausted - maybe he'd say it had been a tooth pull - but at the end of the day, it would be successful. It had to be.

Fiona couldn't have foreseen the news that would come eighteen minutes before the press conference. But ... if she thought that the Minister would succeed, why was her gut giving her a bad feeling? Why were she and Evelyn sitting on the couch, silent, fearful, by Fiona's fireplace waiting for ... for ...

And then, it happened. Fiona had imagined it. She'd tried to prepare for the worst case scenario. But when the whooshing sound actually happened, she gasped.

A bulletin from the American Ministry had just arrived through the Floo network. It was sitting innocently on the floor.

Fiona checked the time. The press conference wasn't scheduled to start for eighteen minutes. Why had this ... this thing been sent out?

Fiona suddenly didn't want to know. She didn't want to know what it said, because it could only be bad news. Why couldn't she and Evelyn just sit back and pretend that that whooshing sound had never been heard? If Fiona stopped looking down at the floor, that bulletin would just disappear, wouldn't it? Wouldn't it? Wouldn't it?

But she couldn't help herself. She had to know. She had to know.

She picked it up.

And immediately wished she hadn't.

NEGOTIATIONS FAIL: ALL WITCHES AND WIZARDS ARE REQUIRED TO LEAVE MINNEAPOLIS.

No. No. No. No. Nonononono.

She had always known it was a possibility. She'd prepared herself for it, by thinking these very words and imagining how she'd cope with them.

But to see her imagination become a reality ... to see those exact words, written clearly on that parchment ... they weren't just in her own head anymore. Now, they were all too real.

It wouldn't sink in at first. He couldn't have failed. The Minister was one of those people who never, ever gave up. Never. Sure, he got tired. Sure, things got hard sometimes. But he never, ever gave up.

And it was this that made Fiona realize just how massive this incident must have been. If the Minister couldn't convince the President ... oh Merlin.

Therefore, noon came and went and Fiona didn't even bother turning on the wireless for the press conference. She didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to hear the Minister's apologies. She wanted none of it.

There had been tears that day. So many tears. And so many angry, dispirited people.

And so it was that Fiona Giddens was forced to leave her home that she loved so much. She was able to stay until everything was settled, and every day she was still there caused her pain, knowing that the moment she left, she'd never be able to see the place again. Never again.

The main wizarding district was located in Philadelphia, and all witches and wizards from Minneapolis were given the option to move there. Many decided not to, opting to go elsewhere - most of them choosing to live in a different part of Minnesota - but Fiona and Evelyn, both devastated from the turn of events that had upended their world, took the government up on it. If they couldn't be in Minneapolis, they didn't want to be in the state at all - it was too painful. Both needing each other, they moved into an apartment together in Philadelphia. Fiona had begun to get used to it - but she couldn't think about Minneapolis without pain ripping through her gut. She was forever barred from setting foot in the place ever again.

She spent another year teaching at the Salem Institute, where she received much comfort from both staff and students. She found strength in her work, letting it be a distraction. Honestly, she loved her job - it gave her drive and motivation. She adored each and every one of her students, even the ones who gave her trouble.

And then, there was the headline at the end of June of this year. Splashed across the international section of the American newspaper:

HARRY POTTER ACCUSED OF MURDER OF FELLOW SCHOOLMATE, CLAIMS DARK LORD WHO TERRORIZED GREAT BRITAIN WAS REBORN

And the rest, they say, is history.

Fiona left her entire life behind her. It hadn't been an easy decision - not at all. She hadn't wanted to leave her family. She hadn't wanted to leave the Salem Institute. There were so many people she loved there.

But she felt she had no choice. Great Britain was her calling, and she had to help. There was nothing else she could do but follow her instincts, which screamed at her to assist in the war effort.

And now, here she was. She had never imagined that these parent-teacher conferences were under way because she had played a large part in their beginning. Muggles whose children were involved in the magical world had every right to know what was going on. With a jolt, Fiona remembered vividly her own despair when she was told through blunt, cold words in a Ministry bulletin that she was no longer welcome in her own home, and she'd had no idea what had actually happened.

And now, these Muggles had children who were in a world at war, and they didn't know either. And their situation was a million times worse - these were their children, and all this ridiculous propaganda that Muggles were somehow backwards because they didn't possess magic - it needed to stop. It was what had helped form the Death Eater ideology.

Now, as Fiona sat in her classroom waiting for her first set of parents to arrive, she thought back to this morning, and the headline that had screamed out at her from the Daily Prophet's own international section.

NEGOTIATIONS SUCCESSFUL: ALL MAGICALS ALLOWED TO REMAIN IN DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA

This time, the Minister had pulled it off. There had been talk of ousting him, of votes of no confidence after the fiasco in Minneapolis, but in the end, none of that had happened. There wasn't enough support for it, and the fact that this was only the first time he'd been unsuccessful at negotiations allowed him to maintain his position. Minneapolis was only one of many cities in fifty states, after all. And, obviously, something enormous must have happened to force the Minister to concede. Honestly, Fiona admired the man immensely, and although she was utterly heartbroken by what had happened, she couldn't turn against him. Circumstances had obviously made the end result inevitable.

Fiona wasn't aware of what had happened in Durham, either, to force these negotiations. Nothing had been said about it being an issue with the Statute of Secrecy; it might just be the case that the President was trying to find another area to ban magic, as some Presidents often tried to do. Fiona could only be grateful that any magical person in Durham didn't have to go through what she and Evelyn had. She had imagined them waiting on tenterhooks to find out the news, just like she and Evelyn had done on that Godforsaken day. Thank Merlin the news had been favorable this time around.

Fiona heard footsteps coming towards the classroom, and her mind immediately snapped back to the present. She was used to these conferences - after all, American magic schools had been holding them for a decade now. Still, she knew that this experience would be wholly different from what had happened there. There was far more going on here than whether students were receiving good grades in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Fiona's first set of parents were a tall, blond-haired man and a shorter woman with red curly hair. Both were looking around, their expressions varying between wonder, interest, and wariness.

"Excuse me," the woman said quietly. "We are Henry and Stacey Stockford, and this must be the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, right?"

Fiona smiled at them. "Yes, it is," she said. "Come on in."

The couple, who were clearly Muggles by their style of dress and the way they were looking around at everything, walked into the room. Their attention immediately went to the walls, where many pictures were hanging. All of them moved, showing people partaking in duels. Mr. Stockford's eyes were wide with fascination, and Mrs. Stockford's mouth moved soundlessly as she watched one wizard fall to another's Body-Bind Curse.

"Ah," Giddens said. "These are definitely interesting pictures."

"How do you get them to move?" Mrs. Stockford asked. "I ... I never thought that was possible." In the next second, she looked annoyed with herself for having said such a thing in a place surrounded by everything that had seemed impossible to Muggle eyes.

Fiona smiled reassuringly at her. "They're developed by using special potions," she explained. "It's extraordinary, isn't it?"

"It's unreal," Mr. Stockford said. "This castle is ... is ..." He looked up. "Our daughter lives here," he said in a tone laced with disbelief. "Alysa described it to us, but ..."

"No description can do it justice," Fiona agreed. "Even the best person for the job couldn't achieve what actually being here can. It's one of the most renowned wizarding schools in the world."

Mrs. Stockford nodded, and she and her husband continued to stand in the classroom, both looking rather ... lost, as if they didn't belong in a place like this. Fiona remembered seeing many Muggle parents looking around the Salem Institute in the same way.

"Please, sit down," Fiona told them, wanting nothing more than to make them feel welcome.

Both of them sat at desks next to one another, and Fiona sat at one as well, which was across from them. Retrieving a parchment from the stack of papers she placed on it, she announced, "I am very impressed with your daughter's prowess - she is doing very well at this subject. Alysa is so far achieving an Outstanding, which is the highest grade there is."

The Stockfords looked very proud at this news. "She's always talking about her Defense classes in her letters," Mr. Stockford stated. "She explained that she's learning about magical creatures this year, and how to defend herself against them."

"There are such things as dragons," Mrs. Stockford said, her tone suggesting that she was still grappling with believing all of this. "And vampires and werewolves." Her voice grew fearful. "They're not just in fairy tales."

"No." Giddens said seriously as she shook her head. "They're not."

She desperately wanted to tell Mr. and Mrs. Stockford that they shouldn't worry about such things, as the chance of their daughter coming into direct contact with one of them was exceedingly rare. She was sure that, due to the changes made at Hogwarts this year, that Alysa would be safe here, but what about when she was away from these halls and Lord Voldemort attacked Muggle places? Fiona's heart hurt - what did this mean for the students' safety? This was why she was working so hard to make sure everyone knew the best ways to defend themselves, because if she could be the reason any life was saved, she would do everything she could. She wasn't going to bury her head in the sand and pretend that these students would always be sheltered from the war, because when cold, hard reality crashed down on you, it could be catastrophic in these times.

"Something's going on." Mrs. Stockford said. It was stated as a fact - she wasn't stupid. "We know there's been issues with owl post, as we never receive owls from her anymore. Someone from the Ministry always delivers Alysa's letters, and we've been given a special address to send ours to. She told us that our questions would be answered tonight. We hope that's true."

"Most importantly ... our daughter had nightmares this summer," Mr. Stockford divulged quietly, his face lined with sadness. "There was a death in this school last year, wasn't there?"

"One of her housemates, Cedric." Mrs. Stockford said. "He died in a ... a tragic accident. That's what she told us."

"She was always dreaming about his lifeless body, which the whole school had to see." There was a note of steel in Mr. Stockford's voice as he tried to hide the heartbreak he was obviously feeling.

"It wasn't an accident." Again, it was stated by Mrs. Stockford as a fact. "We spoke with a couple named Hestia and Dedalus when we first got here. Hestia sounded all ... ominous when she said there was a lot we didn't know."

"We're scared for our daughter." Mr. Stockford spoke bluntly. "We'd like to know what's going on."

Fiona Giddens sighed - she did not want to do this. She didn't want to be the bearer of bad news. She felt a sudden burst of sympathy for the American Minister of Magic's Undersecretary, who had unfortunately been the one to write out that damned bulletin saying that the Minneapolis negotiations had failed. Only this time, she felt that the news this Muggle couple was to receive was far more devastating.

"Cedric Diggory was murdered," Fiona said softly. "I'm sure Alysa didn't want to inform you."

"We don't blame her," Mrs. Stockford said just as softly, and Fiona could see that neither parent looked surprised by this revelation - only devastated by the confirmation of their suspicions.

"She loves Hogwarts," Mr. Stockford whispered. "She spent all summer trying to convince us that everything was okay."

"Who did it?" Mrs. Stockford's eyes were suddenly blazing. "Who murdered that young man? Did Alysa see the actual murder?"

"No." At least Fiona could assure them of this much. "She only saw him afterwards. As to who did it ..."

And then, Fiona had the conversation that she knew she was going to have many times over the course of the next five days, the conversation she was dreading but knew had to happen. Whatever decision the Muggles came to, about whether to keep their children from Hogwarts after this discussion was had ... Fiona could only give them advice. She could never tell anyone what to do about their own children.

In the past, when she'd taught at the Salem Institute, she always hated having to tell parents if their children weren't doing well in her class, especially the Muggle ones who struggled to understand the subject, and couldn't perform magic to help their children. Now, however, she would take that conversation an infinite number of times over this one. The look of horror that passed over the Stockfords' faces made her heart incredibly heavy.

"And so this is how it's always been, up until now?" Mrs. Stockford's eyes were filled with unshed tears as she stared down Fiona Giddens. "Just because we're Muggles, people like us have been kept in the dark?"

Mr. Stockford was furious. He got up from the desk and started pacing in front of the teacher. "And now my daughter has to learn to defend herself against ... against ..." He was at a loss for words.

"We can't protect her." The naked horror in Mrs. Stockford's voice was clearly displayed all over her face as she couldn't help but shed the tears that she had been trying to hold back. "If ... that monster comes for her, and for us ... we can't do anything."

"We're useless." Mr. Stockford's eyes flashed. "Apparently, that's why we've been kept in the dark, right? You haven't said as much - but it's obvious, isn't it? Stupid Muggles can't do magic, so best not to involve them in things they can't do anything about."

Fiona didn't take his words personally - they were the words of an angry, heartbroken father who had just learned that he, his wife, and their daughter were in danger, with a monster and his band of goons wanting to snuff out their lives. And, honestly, there was more than a grain of truth to what he had said - even well-meaning witches and wizards underestimated Muggles, or thought their culture was something to marvel at without really understanding them at all.

"We have to take Alysa out of Hogwarts." Mrs. Stockford was standing as well, her back ramrod straight, tears still on her cheeks. A look of fierce determination was coming over her features.

"Stacey." The terror on her husband's face broke Fiona all over again. "These people ... they hold the power of Gods. What if we leave, and that monster knows about it? What if he finds us anyway?"

Mrs. Stockford sank back into her chair. "What do we do?" she whispered.

Fiona sighed again. "There have been many mistakes made at Hogwarts," she said quietly. "Although this is my first year here, I have learned much about what has happened at this school over the past few years. I am very pleased to say that much has been done to rectify these mistakes. We can never reverse the damage that has been done, but we can all help to create a better future."

She went on to explain about warding, and how no one could be kidnapped from school grounds again. She spoke of the Aurors who were guarding the castle, and the fact that many of the other wards had been strengthened extensively.

"But ... Harry Potter's the prime target, and that boy was killed simply because he was standing beside him. Those monsters didn't care who Cedric was - they only knew that Harry was there with him." Mrs. Stockford sounded so sad. "I can't imagine ..." she whispered.

"We don't blame Harry," Mr. Stockford continued for her. "As you've explained, he wasn't at fault for any of it. But what if ..."

The horrible thing was that Fiona could understand the fear and worry of these parents. But she was also glad they did not hold Harry responsible. She couldn't accept Harry Potter being denied an education here. It was a conundrum she hated, and she didn't know how to reassure these parents that nothing would happen to their daughter.

Mrs. Stockford seemed to understand. "Will the wards keep Harry safe as well?" she asked quietly.

"There has been a lot of thought and discussion that has gone into this. None of it has been taken lightly," Fiona said, and she launched into what had happened at the end of the previous school year with Jeffrey Bushman's petition. The tortured expressions on both the Stockfords' faces hurt - they understood Jeffrey's point, but hated it at the same time. When she explained about the counterpetition, Alysa's parents looked exceedingly proud and sad.

"Did Alysa sign it? Either the petition or the counterpetition?" Mr. Stockford asked the question that Fiona knew was going to come out of his mouth.

"Yes." Fiona gave them a very sad smile. She remembered seeing the piece of parchment with all the names on it - McGonagall had shown her. "She signed the counterpetition."

"That's my girl." Mr. Stockford whispered the words, while Mrs. Stockford held back tears again.

"Because of this counterpetition, Harry will be allowed to return as a student in January," Fiona told them. "The governors held back for as long as they could, but they have agreed. Security measures are going to be extremely tight at this school - in fact, they already are."

The Stockfords looked at each other. "Is there anything else we can do?" Mrs. Stockford asked finally. "It's obvious that Alysa was deeply affected by Cedric's death."

A look of dawning, horrible realization came across Mr. Stockford's face. "All those deaths on the news," he breathed. "All those random ones in London that were said to be a gas leak. They weren't a gas leak, were they? We were lied to."

"Yes." Fiona nodded, her expression suddenly fierce as she truly realized exactly what the Statute of Secrecy was making okay. "You were lied to, but not any longer. If I have anything to say about it, you will know everything. It is only right."

She cleared her throat, and looked them right in the eye. "It is now more important than ever that you support your daughter," she said, feeling a real sense of purpose sweep over her - this was what she had come here to do. "Don't be upset with her for being untruthful about what happened last year. Be there for her and let her open up to you on her own.

"Don't take her away from Hogwarts," she continued. "I should hardly have the right to say this, as I do not really know you, or the relationship you have with Alysa. But from what I have gleaned from teaching her, she is truly blossoming and finding herself here."

Both parents were looking at each other, and then back to her, terrified and unsure. They were in a situation they never dreamed they'd be put in.

"Contrary to the views of many in the magical world, Muggles are not backwards," she said, every word laced with meaning. "And they certainly are not useless."

Mr. Stockford's eyes hardened. "Is there anything we can do against Voldemort and his Death Eaters? We have our own weapons." His eyes grew cold, and Fiona Giddens knew she was looking at a man that would stop at nothing to protect his wife and daughter.

Mrs. Stockford nodded, all remnants of tears gone as her eyes, too, adopted a fierce gleam. At that moment, Fiona knew that any Death Eater who got on the wrong side of this woman would have hell to pay.

"They think we're disgusting abominations that don't deserve to grace the planet, and they believe that people like my beautiful wife and daughter are scum," Mr. Stockford hissed. "They have no idea how wrong they are."

Fiona's mind wandered to Dillen Philand, her coworker until Dumbledore had returned. He was a spell inventor, and he had fascinating ideas about how Muggle weapons could be mixed with magic.

And as she once again looked into the eyes of these parents, she knew that as soon as tonight's meetings were complete, she'd be sending him a letter.