"Well I'm sure you can understand my reservations against allowing you into a place filled with students based on what you've managed to do to the Quidditch stadium."
Wendy flushed and looked down at her sandals. "I'm sorry…"
...
Hooch's piercing expression softened a little, offering the young girl a more comforting smile. "You are something new," she observed. "I've never seen anything like what you just did before."
"I've been hearing that quite a bit recently," Wendy replied with an embarrassed giggle.
Hooch paused, considering for a moment before she lifted her wand. Wendy blanched, thinking she was about to be attacked again, but Hooch pointed her wand up into the air and a bright silvery light burst out of the tip, swirling in the air before taking on the shape of a glowing hawk that shot off towards the castle.
"There," Hooch replied. "I've just sent a message to the Headmaster. Now he will come out here to meet you instead. I'll let him decide whether you can come up to the school or not."
Wendy beamed. "Thank you, Miss. Thank you so much."
"But Madam…!" Malfoy protested.
"Don't you see what she did to us!?" Montague agreed.
"This is my pitch, boys!" Hooch rapped sharply. "And as long as you are students of this school you will abide by the decisions of the staff members. And I don't want anyone to leave this pitch until the Headmaster arrives and gives you permission to go! Let's see what he thinks about all this!"
The amassed Slytherins grumbled and glared angrily but none of them wanted to cross Hooch lest she deny them access to the pitch for practice as punishment, which she could and would do.
Wendy, meanwhile, moved over to stand next to Luna again.
"That was quite a performance," Luna appraised her.
"It was nothing special really," Wendy rubbed the back of her head. "You should see what some of my friends are capable of doing it. Natsu-san would probably have levelled the stadium."
"Well then, thank goodness it was you that came here first instead of him," Luna replied simply.
...
It took less than five minutes before the awkward silence over the arena was broken by the arrival of a tall, elderly man that strode with confidence despite his age, out onto the pitch. Instantly all the Slytherins seemed to tense and you could practically see them trying to work out the details of their story in their own minds, while Wendy broke off listening to Luna talk about something called a Blibbering Humdinger to watch.
"Rolanda," the man smiled as he addressed Madam Hooch. "You called for me?"
"Professor Dumbledore," Madam Hooch dipped her head respectfully. "You appear to have a visitor. One who stopped by the Quidditch pitch on her way up to the castle and appears to have caused quite the ruckus."
"So I see," Albus Dumbledore replied, looking up at the stands before his bright blue eyes came to rest on Wendy herself, peering at her from over the top of his half-moon spectacles. Wendy took a step backwards slightly under his gaze.
"Oh dear, I appear to have unnerved you," Dumbledore observed gently. "I do apologise."
"N… no, it's alright," replied Wendy, bowing again. "It's just that… you remind me of someone."
Two someones actually. The tall elderly man with the long beard and the flowing robes had reminded Wendy a great deal of Master Hades of Grimoire Heart, which had intimidated her slightly. But while this man bore some resemblance to Hades, he didn't feel like Hades at all. Hades had had an aura of darkness around him that had practically made the skin tingle, whereas this man almost seemed to have a kindly, benevolent aura about him, as if you knew you could trust him. And in that way, he reminded her of Master Makarov. Makarov didn't really have an aura but Wendy couldn't help but feel reassured, standing here in his presence.
"I see," Dumbledore replied, staring at Wendy for a couple of extra seconds, before he turned around and faced Montague instead. "There appears to be have been quite the kerfuffle here today. You are the captain of this team - would you care to explain?"
"Professor," Montague replied. "We were merely flying around in a typical Quidditch practice session, minding our own business and getting down our techniques so that we could have a shot at victory this year when suddenly it was like we were flying in a hurricane and we were all forced to land on the ground, where that girl assaulted us all with some strange wind magic."
Wendy was about to object loudly, before Luna put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from doing so. Dumbledore, on the other hand, merely stared at Montague for several seconds before asking, "And why would she do something like that, do you think?"
"How should I know?" Montague shrugged. "The attack came out of nowhere, Professor, isn't that right everyone?"
There was a round of nodding and a cry of assent from each of the Slytherin players, and Dumbledore slowly swung his head around to stare at them all for a considerable length of time until they were all fighting not to fidget uncomfortably beneath his gaze.
"I see," he eventually replied, before turning to Wendy. "And what do you have to say for yourself?"
"They're lying, Mister," Wendy replied. "I was just watching them play when they came down on their own and started picking on me and Luna, who was taking me to see you before we got sidetracked. They called her names, threatened me with their stick things and then pushed Luna over. I… lashed out a bit after that, I admit. But they started attacking me then so I had to fight back."
Dumbledore gave her the same stare that he'd given to everyone else as if he was analysing her and Wendy, unlike the Slytherins, stared rigidly back. She knew that she was telling the truth so she had nothing to hide and she had the feeling that Dumbledore somehow already knew that the others were not being truthful.
"And why were you coming to see me?" Dumbledore asked.
"To ask for your help in finding my friends. I'm lost, you see. We're… we're all a bit lost actually, but I got separated from the others and Murcus-san said that you could help me."
"San?" Dumbledore questioned.
"Oh… where I come from, we add 'san' to the end of someone's name when we want to show respect to them," Wendy replied.
"And where do you come from?"
"…A very, very long way away…" Wendy replied.
Dumbledore examined her shrewdly for several more moments before he nodded and gave her a smile, his eyes twinkling brightly behind his glasses. Then he drew his wand and raised into the air, calling out, "Obliviate!"
There was a flash that lit up the stadium, causing Wendy to shield her eyes, but when she looked again she could see no visible difference to anything. Although, the Slytherins were all looking rather blank for some reason.
"Remain calm, everyone," Dumbledore announced to them. "I would suggest that you all head back to your dormitories and get some rest. That freak wind seems to have taken it out of you all a bit but thankfully it seems none of you are seriously injured. Off you go. Chop, chop."
There were rounds of muttering as dazed Slytherins slowly walked off and away, back towards the school castle. Wendy frowned in confusion as she watched them go, none of them paying her the slightest bit of attention until eventually there was nobody there except for Wendy, Luna, Dumbledore and Hooch.
"Professor," Hooch stared in slight shock. "You just modified all of the memories?"
"Indeed," Dumbledore stowed his wand away. "It's very rare for me to Obliviate a student for any reason - doing so makes me feel as though I am abusing my power as Headmaster over them. But this time I feel it was necessary. I believe, Rolanda, that we have stumbled onto something rather… extraordinary. And I would rather not have word of it spreading until we know exactly what we are dealing with."
"Then why have you not Obliviated me, Professor?" Luna asked curiously.
"Because, Miss Lovegood, you were on the right side of this altercation," Dumbledore smiled. "I believe that I can trust you to keep this a secret, can I not?"
"Of course, Professor."
"Then I would ask you to return to your dormitory now as well. And not a word to anyone - for your new friends own protection."
"Will I be allowed to see her again?"
"I am not yet sure, but I will let you know," Dumbledore replied.
"Okay," Luna nodded. "Bye Wendy."
"Bye…" Wendy waved as she drifted away. "Thank you for everything!"
Once Luna was gone, Dumbledore turned to Hooch and said, "I would much appreciate it, Rolanda, if at least for now you too could keep this a secret. But, I would ask that you find Minerva, Severus, Filius and Pomana and tell them that I wish to see them in my office in two hours time, as well as yourself. Hopefully I shall know more about this by then."
"Very well, Professor," Hooch nodded.
"But if you could try your utmost to keep Dolores Umbridge from finding out, that would be very much appreciated too."
Hooch wrinkled her nose in distate at that name and gave a resolute nod. "Of course."
"I thank you," Dumbledore turned back to the girl who was quietly waiting to be addressed again. "Now, then, Wendy was it not? Would you like to accompany me to my office? You can tell me everything that you need to from there."
"Um… okay…" Wendy nodded, unsure what was really happening but going along for the ride.
And then suddenly there was a flash of fire right over Dumbledore's head that made Wendy scream in surprise and almost fall over, but she stared in amazement as a large bird with crimson feathers swooshed out of the fire and soared up and over their heads, crooning several long and beautiful musical notes from its beak before coming to rest on Dumbledore's shoulder.
...
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