Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ Fusion of Destinies ❯ Touchdown ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Fusion of Destinies
a Harry Potter/??? crossover
Chapter 1: Touchdown
9-7-2005
by Grey

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling.

Special Note: For those of you who'll undoubtedly figure out who the mystery character is, I ask you to PLEASE NOT reveal who it is in a review. I want it to be a surprise for those not in the know.

This fic is dedicated to Razor Knight and CubedCinder128, whose support gave me the confidence I needed to write this thing.

---

This is a story hardly anyone knows the full details of, even those closest to me. It's a story about the most dangerous adventure of my life, and that's saying something. Only one other truly knows all about it, for this person was with me almost every step of the way.

My name is Harry Potter, but of course, the world I belong to - the wizarding world - usually calls me 'The Boy Who Lived.' Of course, these days, they've started calling me 'The Chosen One'.... but I'm getting ahead of myself. Besides, I hate being called either one.

Anyway, do you ever look up at the night sky and wonder what's beyond the stars? I know Muggles do. For a good number of them, it's an obsession. In this day and age, they even make great strides in actually LEAVING our planet to explore what's out there. They've already landed on the moon and sent probes to check out the rest of our solar system.

But the wizarding world.... has taken a more laid-back approach. Sure, our kind studies astronomy, the orbits of the planets and their moons and all that. These are used in Divination as well. But as for actually GOING into space and exploring it, the wizarding world has never really been as interested as Muggles are. I don't really think witches and wizards, except maybe Muggle-borns, have truly thought about what's awaiting mankind out there.

We should have.

---

The evening after term ended and all of the students had boarded the Hogwarts Express to return home, everything was relatively peaceful on the grounds around the Hogwarts castle. In fact, all across England, things were quite uneventful. For those who knew the truth - about how Voldemort, the deadliest Dark wizard in history, had revived himself - this uneventfulness didn't match the direness of the situation. Indeed, it seemed like the calm before the coming of a hurricane.

Still, it was a peaceful night mostly everywhere in Great Britain. Hardly any clouds covered any part of the isle, giving everyone a clear view of the night sky and all the stars. And those far away from the lights of Muggle cities had an even better view.

But then, something happened that shattered the tranquil stillness of the evening. All of a sudden, a BANG! could be heard overhead.... but it sounded extremely faint, as if it had happened miles and miles above the Earth's surface. A second later, there was a bright flash of light in the sky among the many stars. And a second after that, stargazers in the northernmost parts of England could see what one would guess, at first glance, to be a meteor just entering Earth's atmosphere and burning up as the planet's gravity dragged it down.

And so, the blazing object rocketed down toward Earth, leaving a brilliant trail of fiery sparks in its wake for all to see. Moments later, it finally crash-landed, in a dense forest nestled in the mountains. When it impacted the ground, it kicked up a huge plume of loose dirt and became entombed within the ground, tunneling under it and uprooting it for a length of about two hundred feet.

If any witches or wizards had been present at the object's impact site, they would have also possibly seen that beyond the tall trees, a few miles away, was the renowned Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

---

"Ugh, I hate this forest. I really do," said Snape in his customary sour voice after almost tripping over a root. He trudged on through the Forbidden Forest, holding up his wand to illuminate the path before him.

"Not me, but I hardly feel this is th' time fer a stroll. Normally, I'd fancy 'nother trot through th' forest. But I've got business, me an' Olympe. Need ter get underway," replied Hagrid, who was following Snape closely. He held up a lantern in one hand and his umbrella in the other. He also had his crossbow slung across his back, just in case he needed it.

"Yes, I do wish you and your new girlfriend the best of luck with that," Snape said dismissively as the two of them marched on.

Hagrid ignored the jab, and said, "Y'don' reckon' this could be somethin' cooked up by You-Know-Who, do yeh? There's not much he can' do, but ter put t'gether an attack on Hogwarts so quickly?"

"Where the Dark Lord is concerned, one cannot be too cautious. I would know," replied Snape coolly. Hagrid said nothing more, and the two focused on navigating the forest, whose darkness seemed to creep all around them like a living thing, ready to snuff out their light sources and consume them.

Half an hour earlier, the staff that still remained at the castle had witnessed what appeared to be a meteor crash-landing near Hogwarts. They all guessed it was probably nothing more than that, but Dumbledore didn't want to take chances. Thus, Snape and Hagrid had been sent to investigate the grounds, in case it was some sort of plot hatched by Voldemort. The minutes passed by, and the pair delved deeper and deeper into the Forbidden Forest, but they still hadn't stumbled upon anything unusual, or even any sign of the meteor (if that's what it was) . In fact, they hadn't run into anything at all. They hadn't spotted a single acromantula, unicorn, or centaur, and hardly any other creatures had crossed their paths.

Eventually, however, upon reaching an area not as densely forested, Snape and Hagrid stumbled upon a clue. Both of them spotted it at the same time. Visible in the combined light from Snape's wand and Hagrid's lantern, a series of bootprints could be seen in the soft soil, leading away from where they guessed the meteor hit. They looked as if they were made by a human, but looked as if they belonged to a rather large one.

"Let's follow the trail. Be ready for anything," Snape said imperiously as he cautiously walked beside the trail. Hagrid sighed, then followed Snape.

They followed the footprints for about two minutes, then they led back into the thick of the forest, where the ground was covered with thick foliage and footprints would be almost impossible to spot. "No worries. I can track 'em," said Hagrid proudly as he stepped in front of Snape and led the way, looking for telltale signs such as crushed twigs and bent plant stems.

However, it wasn't long before they found who made the trail. As Snape and Hagrid neared a huge tree, they could make out a human hand poking out from behind it, laying motionless on a thick root. The pair quickly ran to the other side of the tree to see who, or what, it was.

Lying against the base of a tree was an unconscious woman with long blond hair pulled back tightly into a ponytail. She looked as if she was in her mid-twenties, but the first thing that caught Snape and Hagrid's attention was that she was extremely tall for a human woman, easily over six feet. She had on a very odd, and very revealing, set of clothes. Her top was sleeveless, exposed her midsection, and zipped up at the front, and she wore what looked like an EXTREMELY short pair of shorts (almost like cut-offs) . But the material her garments were made out of looked very strange. In their light, it had a shiny quality to it, and resembled thick, teal-colored rubber. Wristbands and knee-high boots, all composed of the same strange material, completed her wardrobe.

And another instantly noticeable thing about her was that she had a large amount of muscle mass. On every bit of her exposed skin, Snape and Hagrid could see well-developed muscle that almost looked sculpted. Despite all the muscle, however, she still had a very feminine shape.

"Who is this?" Snape said curiously as he stepped closer, half-expecting the woman to awaken as he approached. "Her attire looks like a Muggle's, but Muggles can't approach this far."

"Dunno," said Hagrid. "Pretty big an' built up fer a lady, tho'. Then again, not as much as Olympe, but...."

Snape ignored Hagrid's rambling and timidly reached out for her neck to feel if the woman had a pulse. He could feel a very faint one. "She's alive. But could this woman have some connection to that meteor?"

"Maybe. Maybe not," Hagrid said airily as he pushed past Snape and reached for something by the side of the tree. He had obviously spotted something Snape hadn't.

"Wha.... Hagrid, what are...." Snape began to ask. But he fell silent when the half-giant held up what he had found. It was what looked like a large teal, metal sphere, about two feet in diameter. A groove, colored yellow at its lowest point, circled around its length, bisecting it. Each of the two hemispheres were then divided into three equal portions by three yellow grooves, all of which converged at a single point.

Snape stared at it for a moment, then said, "This must have some magical function. Whatever it is, I'll find out. Drop it, please." Hagrid let the sphere drop to the ground, and it bounced a couple times before it remained still. Snape then performed every charm he could think of that were used to discover hidden magical abilities. But after several attempts, nothing happened; it was as if the sphere had no traces of magic whatsoever. "Well, this is most intriguing," Snape growled, frustrated by his failure.

"Forget 'bout that. Let's worry 'bout th' lady. It looks like she needs help, so we need ter get her back ter Hogwarts," said Hagrid. Snape looked back over to the unconscious woman, then back to Hagrid, his expression one of uncertainty. Hagrid could tell what he was thinking: she might be dangerous, or have some hidden curse put upon her. "Listen, Dumbledore'd want her brough' back," Hagrid said hotly. "He'd want ter help her."

These words seemed to have an effect on Snape. "I suppose," he finally said. Hagrid nodded in approval, then he reached over and hoisted up the stranger, slinging her limp body over his shoulder. "Might as well bring this too," Hagrid said as he picked up the metal sphere again. He now had the sphere in one hand and was holding the woman securely on his shoulder with the other, leaving Snape to carry the lantern.

"What if she has something to do with that meteor? What if it IS a plot of the Dark Lord's?" suggested Snape.

"All th' more reason ter get her ter Dumbledore," replied Hagrid.

The two then prepared for the long trek back to the castle, but before they could move, they both heard the sound of hooves striking the ground. A second later, a group of centaurs surrounded them, though they looked more curious than angry. "Evenin', Firenze, Bane, Ronan," said Hagrid amiably. "Out awfully far tonight, aren't yeh?"

"As are you," said Bane haughtily. "What is that you have there? Some human who trespassed into our forest?" he said, pointing at the woman slung over Hagrid's shoulder.

"We don' know. We're takin' her back to ter castle," explained Hagrid.

"And we're in a hurry," Snape added impatiently.

The centaurs ignored Snape, and instead focused on Hagrid and the woman he carried. But after a few moments, they backed away, allowing the two to return to Hogwarts. Just as Snape and Hagrid were about to leave, however, Firenze spoke up. "Hmmm, an odd smell, this one has."

Hagrid turned to look at Firenze. "Wha' do yeh mean?"

Firenze stared back at Hagrid, an odd expression in his sparkling blue eyes. "Much like yours, Hagrid. Partly human, and partly.... something else. What else she is, though, I do not know."

Snape and Hagrid looked at each other, expressions of confusion and trepidation etched in their features. But they said no more to the centaurs as they walked past them, heading back to the castle.

---

Dumbledore swept into the hospital wing, his violet robes rippling in his wake. He had just received a message in his office that Snape and Hagrid had returned from inspecting the forest. And that they had found.... a stranger. This news both intrigued and disturbed him. It was certainly curious to find a lone human unconscious, yet unscathed, in such a dangerous place like the Forbidden Forest. Yet there was the possibility she could have some connection to Voldemort. Now would be an opportune time to try and take Hogwarts for his own through some underhanded means, now that only half the staff remained. But he doubted it, feeling he knew what Voldemort was truly after....

Upon entering the hospital wing, Dumbledore immediately saw Snape and Hagrid, along with Minerva McGonagall, crowded around one of the beds. In addition, he could hear the three of them them arguing. "It was foolish to bring her in here!" snapped McGonagall. "I assume you two have heard the Muggle fable of the Trojan Horse?"

"Hagrid insisted," Snape replied sharply. "He said Dumbledore would have wanted her here in case she needed help, and I agreed."

"Indeed, Minerva, I would want to aid anyone in need," Dumbledore said calmly. The three teachers, who were unaware he had arrived, swiftly turned to face him. "Rubeus, Severus, if you please, I want to know exactly what you saw."

Snape quickly explained what happened in the forest, with Hagrid throwing in an extra detail here and there. When he was finished, he said, "I too was concerned that she may be dangerous, but all in all, I fail to see how her appearance is related to that meteor crash. She looks like a simple Muggle woman who stumbled into the Forbidden Forest."

"She's not so simple," said McGonagall. "I don't think any Muggle women have that much muscle."

"I have news for you, Minerva. Most Muggle MEN don't have that much muscle," said Snape with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Dumbledore gazed down at the unconscious woman who was now lying on the hospital bed. Indeed, the stranger was very muscular, and at the same time, very beautiful and exuded an air of serene femininity. "If it wasn't for what Firenze had said, I too would guess she is a Muggle, even though there's the question of how she could get past all the anti-Muggle charms. Whether or not she is linked to that meteor crash or to Voldemort, we have a perplexing mystery on our hands."

"An' then there's that weird sphere we found by her," Hagrid spoke up. "We've put it in a protective glass case, so yeh...." Hagrid's voice trailed off when he heard a soft, low moan coming from the hospital bed. All four of the professors turned to look at the stranger. She was stirring slightly, and her eyes were moving rapidly underneath her eyelids....

And then her eyes snapped open. Sapphire-blue eyes gazed about wildly, darting from professor to professor, who were all slowly backing away from the bed, unsure of what to expect. In one swift motion, she leaped off of the bed and landed at the foot of it, then stood up to her full height. She looked even more powerful and imposing standing up than she did while unconscious. But all four of them were wizards, armed with their wands. What danger could she pose?

The stranger continued to look about wildly, her demeanor like that of a wild animal cornered by predators. Her eyes betrayed a sense of deep terror. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out; she was clearly having trouble finding something to say. Eventually, she spoke, and her voice was shaky and barely audible, though at the same time, there was an aura of strength behind it. "Who.... who are all of.... where am I?"

Hagrid stepped forward, and the stranger turned to face him, her eyes widening even more. "Calm down, miss. We're not gonna hurt yeh. We...."

But Hagrid's words didn't seem to register with her. His immense size was obviously making the stranger extremely nervous, making her feel threatened. "Who, w-what are.... g-go.... go away!!"

"Now, now, I'm not...." Hagrid started to say, putting up his hands in an attempt to seem non-threatening.

It didn't work. The stranger's expression suddenly changed from being fearful to being enraged. "I... said... GO AWAY!!!" she shrieked as she reared her fist back. Then she delivered a punch to Hagrid's stomach.

There was a loud thud, and Hagrid was suddenly propelled backward as if his body was fired from a gigantic slingshot. His body flew across the length of the hospital wing, stopping only when his back collided with the wall, the sound of masonry being smashed filling the chamber when he did. He then landed on the floor, his body not moving the slightest bit; he was out cold.

The stranger's face had a half-astonished, half-overjoyed look. Undoubtedly, she was pleased that she had struck down someone who she had deemed a threat. The other three professors, however, all stared at Hagrid's unconscious body with faces betraying a mingling of horror and shock. None of them could believe what they had just witnessed. Despite the stranger's robust physique, there was no way she could be strong enough to fell a half-giant with one punch!

Snape was the first to get over his shock and react, his hand reaching into his robes to pull out his wand. But the stranger had heard him, and swiftly turned around and clamped a hand onto his throat, then she slowly hoisted him off the floor. His wand forgotten, Snape instinctively tried to pry her hand loose, but it was fastened around his neck like a steel vise. She was slowly crushing his throat, and he was beginning to black out from the pain and lack of oxygen. McGonagall was the next to reach for her wand, but the stranger once again deduced that danger was heading her way. She threw Snape into the nearby wall, and at the same time, ducked down and swept McGonagall's legs. The stranger's leg smashed into hers with so much force, she almost snapped them in half. McGonagall's face hit the ground hard just as Snape's body slid down the wall to the floor, blood oozing out of her mouth.

Hagrid, Snape and McGonagall had all been taken down in less than ten seconds. Now, the only professor left standing was Dumbledore. The stranger whirled around to face him.

But Dumbledore was ready for her. Just as she turned around to face him, he cut loose with the strongest Stunning Spell he could muster. The blinding blast of red light struck her before she had a chance to dodge it. However, she did not drop to the floor unconscious, as she was supposed to. She looked hurt, but hurt as one would be after merely stepping on a stingray or being stung by a hornet.

One thing was for certain: whether witch or Muggle, this was no ordinary human. She displayed a savage, inhuman level of strength and apparently had a strange resistance to magic. Dumbledore, keeping his wand aimed at the stranger, spared a second to think of a more powerful spell to use against her, yet would incapacitate her instead of harming her.

But that one-second delay cost him. Once Dumbledore had decided on a spell, the stranger quickly jumped up and forward, her body curling up and spinning in the air at a rapid pace. She rose well over ten feet, soaring over Dumbledore. He heard her gracefully land a foot behind him....

And that was all he remembered before blackness filled his vision and he slipped into unconsciousness.

---

"Ennervate!"

"I think he's comin' 'round!"

Dumbledore's eyes flickered open. He felt himself lying on the hospital wing floor, and noticed that his half-moon glasses and hat had been knocked off. Snape, McGonagall and Hagrid knelt beside him, looks of concern on their faces. Hagrid looked like he was in reasonable shape, considering what had happened to him, but Dumbledore saw McGonagall was wiping blood from the side of her face with a rag. As for Snape, his greasy hair looked disheveled and his sallow face was contorted, a look of utter frustration upon it.

"How long was I out?" Dumbledore asked calmly, ignoring the stinging pain in his spine and sitting up.

"It's been a few minutes, sir," answered McGonagall as she helped Dumbledore rise. "That stranger.... the centaur was right. She can't be human. She moved so fast, like an animal...."

"And she is loose in the castle," Snape added. "We have no idea what she's doing or what her motives are."

"Too true, Severus," said Dumbledore as he stood up, though his back still ached. "We must apprehend this intruder at once."

As Dumbledore ran to the door, he heard McGonagall smugly mutter, "I told you so," to Hagrid and Snape.

---

The stranger blindly ran through the many maze-like corridors and hallways of the lower levels of Hogwarts, unsure of where she was going. In fact, she was unsure of just about everything. She had no idea where she was, or who the people she had attacked moments ago were. All she knew was that the labyrinthine building she now found herself in was not to her liking; a strange, intangible energy that was completely unfamiliar to her seemed to permeate the very air of the corridors, making her feel queasy and apprehensive. Furthermore, she had a feeling those who dwelt here were dangerous and hostile, and would not look upon her attack on those four kindly. Like a hunted animal, escape was foremost on her mind.

The stranger slammed open a set of heavy, oak double doors, almost knocking them off their hinges. She had stepped into a fairly large square room, in which all the walls were laden with portraits, and two suits of armor stood in the far corners, like ever-watchful sentinels. Another set of double doors was directly across from her. She ran for it, her heart pounding in her chest and her breath coming in short, erratic gasps.

"Hmph, such an immodest outfit! In my day, a young lady would be ashamed to be seen in public like that!" came a croaky male voice from nowhere.

"Indeed. What a jezebel this one is!" came another voice, this one high-pitched and unmistakably a woman's.

The stranger skidded to a halt and looked about nervously, trying to find the source of the voices. To her utter horror, she soon found them; for the first time, she realized the portaits in this labyrinth actually had ANIMATED, SENTIENT PEOPLE within them! And half the portraits in this room had occupants who were staring at her, some with obvious curiosity, others with disdain.

She shook her head wildly, as if by doing so she could banish all the outlandish things she had witnessed. She bolted toward the double doors again, her determination to escape renewed. But then, she heard an echoing clanking sound, like heavy, loose metal parts slamming into each other. And they were coming from either side of her. Turning to her right, she saw one of the suits of armor had suddenly sprung to life, and was advancing on her with its sword drawn. She had no doubt the other one was approaching too.

Acting purely on instinct, instinct which negated her fears and anxiety, the stranger darted toward the suit of armor. It tried to slash at her clumsily, but she bent over backwards to avoid the sword. Then she righted herself and came at it with a roundhouse kick. The force of her kick left a deep dent in its chest plate and made the rest of it fly apart, its components scattering everywhere.

She heard the other one noisily approach from behind just as she looked down at the first one's remains; she spotted its sword laying a few feet from her. Deciding it was best to arm herself, she dived for it and scooped it up. Then she turned and parried an incoming sword swipe. It then tried to come at her again, but the stranger parried that blow as well, striking its sword with such force that the suit of armor shook about wildly, making a resonating sound like that of a tolling church bell. Before it could try and attack a third time, the stranger swung her own sword at its head, knocking it off; it flew across the room and became embedded in the wall, tearing into one of the portraits. The rest of the suit crumbled to the floor a second later, its individual parts scattering about like discarded children's toys.

The stranger stared at her handiwork for a moment, her heart once again beating rapidly. She had disposed of these enemies with ridiculous ease, showing prowess that surprised and scared her....

A loud, grumbling voice snapped her to attention. "There yeh are! When I get my hands on yeh!" said the voice.... a voice she recognized. Turning around, she saw the giant, bearded man she had bested moments ago running into the room, following the old woman she had swept. Once again, the stranger obeyed her fighting instincts, acting faster than either of her pursuers could blink. She threw her sword, and it spun toward them with frightening, deadly speed.

However, McGonagall wasn't exactly a slouch for speed herself, despite her age. She raised her wand and performed a Banishing Charm just as the sword came within a meter of her, and it spun back toward the stranger with equal speed. She ducked to avoid it, and the sword became lodged in the door behind her. The stranger was then on the run again, bolting through the double door. McGonagall and Hagrid pelted her with Stunning Spells, but they had even less effect than Dumbledore's had, and soon she was out of sight again.

"Come on, Hagrid! We must catch her!" cried McGonagall as she ran across the room, her voice dangerously sharp.

"I'm comin', I'm comin'!" replied Hagrid irritably as he lumbered after her, umbrella-wand at the ready.

The two chased the stranger through many more rooms and corridors, assailing her with a variety of jinxes and curses. However, most of the time they missed since she was so fast and agile, and the ones that did hit seemed to have no effect.

Eventually, the stranger ran into the bottom portion of one of the enormous stairwells, McGonagall and Hagrid still hot on her trail. However, she now had more to worry about: Dumbledore and Snape were already there too, standing at the very bottom of the stairs.

Seeing no other option, the stranger charged at them with the ferocity of an Erumpent, prepared to smash through them if it meant gaining her freedom. However, Dumbledore calmy raised his wand and said, "Incarcerous." Instead of ropes, thin metal bands shot out of his wand and wrapped around the stranger's upper body like writhing serpents, binding her tightly. Her advance was halted immediately, and she merely stood about ten feet away from Dumbledore and Snape.

McGonagall and Hagrid ran in a moment later, and saw the stranger standing in place, struggling against her bonds. "Well, it appears we've finally found a spell that has some effect," said McGonagall, her sharp voice still filled with frustration.

"Indeed, Minerva. Somehow, her body negates the energies of most spells used directly against her, but obviously, she can still be restrained by solid matter," said Dumbledore. Then he turned his attention to the stranger, slowly approaching her. "Now, my dear, if you will calm down, perhaps we can...."

"Argh! Get away from me!" screamed the stranger, not at all placated by Dumbledore's calm words. She continued to struggle against the metal cords, flexing her muscles, until....

All four of the professors looked on in horror as the metal bands snapped apart, filling the stairwell with the sound of metal wires whipping about wildly. Then, before any of them could even think of another spell to use against her, she made another tremendous leap, going into a spinning jump. She landed on a flight of stairs, then began briskly running up the stairs, away from her pursuers before they could start chasing her again.

"Damnit, she slipped through our fingers again!" growled Snape, the hostile undertones in his voice even more acidic than usual. Turning to Dumbledore, he said, "Sir, this is getting out of hand. She repels everything we throw at her. Perhaps we should consider using Unforgiv...."

Dumbledore held up a hand to silence Snape. "Perhaps you would be right, Severus, if she were indeed a hostile enemy. However, I do not believe that is the case."

"But sir, she.... she brutally attacked us!" McGonagall cried in disbelief. "And her strength, her speed.... she's too dangerous! She's clearly something set loose upon us by You-Know-Who!"

"No, Minerva, she is not," Dumbledore replied calmly. "If she is a creation of Voldemort's, a 'Trojan Horse' as you had theorized, she would have slain us. She clearly has the power and the opportunity to do so. Instead, she seems obsessed with escaping this castle. Why would an agent of Voldemort be so eager to flee the enemy's stronghold if she has the power to eliminate the opposition? I do not believe she is hostile, but rather frightened and confused, attacking us only to defend herself."

Silence lingered in the stairwell for a few moments. It was Hagrid who spoke up next. "Yeah, that seems ter fit. When she woke up, she seemed like a frightened animal, watchin' out fer predators. An' she only flipped out when I got close."

"I must confess, this theory does make sense, now that I think about it," Snape admitted. "Whatever she is, she's probably not a creation of the Dark Lord, but something else entirely. However, we must apprehend her. She's too dangerous and unpredictable to allow to roam free."

"I agree, Severus," said Dumbledore. "But we must not approach her en masse. I will seek her out, alone."

---

Tracking down the mysterious intruder by himself proved to be more of a challenge than Dumbledore had expected. With her speed and her uncanny leaping abilities, she could cover much ground in little time, and the fact that Apparation was impossible in Hogwarts ensured she kept that advantage. However, by politely asking the people in the many portraits of Hogwarts, Dumbledore was able to figure out her trail quickly enough. It was then simply a matter of cataching up to her before she went on the move again.

Dumbledore briskly walked down one of the hallways on the seventh level, heading for an area of the castle that was scarcely used. Hardly any classrooms were in this part of Hogwarts; it was mostly used as a storage area for miscellaneous items.

Finally he reached the end of the hallway, where there a single door. According to the information he had gathered from the portraits, the stranger was last seen coming down this corridor and going through this door.

And judging from the loud shrieks coming from the other side, the loud crashes, and a familiar, maniacal cackling, she was still there.

Dumbledore reached for the doorknob, but before he could open the door, another unpleasant sound pierced his ears: the wailing of a young girl. A second later, Moaning Myrtle glided through the wall beside the door, looking as if she was yet again on the verge of tears.

"Well, good evening, Myrtle," said Dumbledore, trying to hide his surprise over this unexpected arrival. "May I ask what you what is happening in there?"

Myrtle turned to face Dumbledore, silvery tears streaming down her anguished face. "I don't know!" she bellowed. "I'd ventured away from my bathroom and was just exploring the castle, minding my own business, and then.... as I went through that room, someone threw an OAK CHEST through me!"

Myrtle let out another wail and sobbed. "What IS IT with people throwing things at me?" She then took off down the corridor, her wails echoing for several moments until they finally died away.

Dumbledore watched her go, then turned and opened the door. What was inside was a scene of chaos. It was a small storage room filled with old furniture, only now, much of it was in pieces, scattered about the floor along with shards of broken glass and pools of a black, vicious substance. A cauldron was also lodged into the wall on the left. High above, Dumbledore heard that cackling again, and looked up to see what he had expected: Peeves the Poltergeist, and in his arms were several vials of dark-green liquid, which Dumbledore guessed was Stinksap. He was tossing them across the room. Dumbledore turned to see what Peeves's target was....

It was the stranger, now covered in Stinksap. Her face had changed from a fearful, confused one to being contorted in rage. She was lifting a massive dresser drawer over her head as easily as if it were an empty cardboard box, and was poised to hurl it at her tormentor. It was obvious what was going on: Peeves was causing trouble as usual, and the stranger was retaliating by hurling anything that wasn't nailed down.

"Peeves!" shouted Dumbledore authoritatively. "Leave us. Now."

Peeves looked down at Dumbledore, then dropped all of his Stinksap bottles, letting them fall to the floor and shatter. He stuck out his tongue at Dumbledore as he floated away upside-down, gooing through a wall.

Once Peeves was gone, Dumbledore turned to the Stinksap-drenched stranger, who now looked ready to toss the dresser at him. With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore made the dresser vanish in a wispy plume of white smoke before she could throw it. "My dear, you have no need for weapons," he said calmly as the stranger stared up dumbly, seeing the dresser was gone. "And neither do I, I believe." With that, he gently tossed his wand over to the stranger, and it landed near her feet. She nervously kicked it away, as one would kick away a grenade ready to explode.

"You see, my dear? I am now unarmed, and I cannot possibly harm you," Dumbledore continued, watching the stranger stare at him warily. "I can tell you are not a recklessly violent person, despite your uncanny powers. You are merely frightened, having awakened in a strange place."

The stranger continued to eye Dumbledore silently, looking ready to pounce on him at any moment. Her mouth opened slightly, but she didn't utter a single word, though Dumbledore guessed that she truly wanted to say something.

"I wish to help you if I can," said Dumbledore, still calm even though he knew nothing could stop the intruder should she decide to attack. "I and my staff are curious about you, and will gladly help you return to wherever you come from should you wish it. Tell me, what is your name? Who are you?"

At last, the stranger spoke. Her voice was soft and shaky, and her nervousness was palpable. "I.... I.... d-don't know."

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And so, this marks the beginning of what will be the longest fic I will ever write. I truly hope what I've written so far is compelling enough to interest all of you, for I've wanted to join the Harry Potter fic-writing community for a long time, and provide something that everyone will enjoy. I've been brrainstorming for this ever since I finished reading Harry Potter 5, but I was busy with other stories. But since I've finished those, work on this can begin....

So long,
Grey