A Muggle at Hogwarts

“He’s a Death Eater”. Those were the words that continuously played in my mind. It was like a broken record that I couldn’t turn off.

“Are you feeling all right?” Hermione asked as we walked towards Platform 9 3/4.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” I said with a weak smile.

“You’re a terrible liar, you know?” Hermione said with a small smile.

I laughed. “Yeah, you’ve told that me before.”

“We’ll talk to Dumbledore the moment we get to Hogwarts,” Hermione suggested. “In the meantime, I think you should try and get some rest on the train. You look extremely tired.”

“Actually, once we get on the train, I actually have to find someone,” I said.

“W—who?” she asked.

“Draco Malfoy,” I replied.

Hermione’s eyes widened. She then took a hold of my arm and we stopped. With a serious look on her face, she said, “I don’t think you should do that.”

“I have to, Hermione,” I said. “I have to find out if what Harry said was true. It’s probably the reason why I’m here. Someone wants me to know something about Draco. I probably won’t be able to return to my regular time period if I don’t find out.”

“Are you sure that’s the only way?” Hermione asked.

“I won’t know unless I try,” I replied.

Hermione just nodded. She then suggested that we head to the platform, which we did. This time, I didn’t go in with Harry. Instead, Hermione and I entered together. Once on the other side, I scanned the train for Draco. The last time I was here, Draco saw Harry and me coming through the platform together. That meant that he should be on the side closest to the entrance I came through.

“Draco,” I gasped when I saw him through the window. I quickly bid Hermione goodbye and hurried onto the train. Just as I entered the train, the rush of students came hurrying in. I ran through the hallway so that I could get into Draco’s compartment before I get trampled.

“Draco!” I called as I entered his compartment.

“Violet!” he gasped as he pulled hid left sleeve down.

I looked down at his sleeve and then back up at him. I forced a smile onto my face as I said, “I need to talk to you.”

“S—sit down,” Draco stuttered as he moved aside.

I nodded as I sat down beside him. The moment I sat down, the first thing I said was, “I’m a Muggle, Draco.”

“Y—you’re a what?” he gasped. “You—you’re a Muggle?”

“I’m from a different world where you are nothing but a fictional character in a series of books. I fell through a Universal Portal that connected my world with this one—a world of magic. The place I come from has absolutely no magic—simply illusions.”

A small, weak smirk fell onto Draco’s face as he said, “That’s some story. If you were a Muggle—“

“I wouldn’t be attending, Hogwarts. I know,” I said. “But what’s more is that all of this has happened before. That’s why you had the feeling that I was familiar somehow. This all happened before, but for some reason, I was transported back to the time which I first arrived here.”

Draco stared at me like I was crazy. I could tell from the look on his face that he didn’t believe about the whole future thing. But I knew he believed that I was a Muggle.

“You got me a silver rose that is actually chocolate,” I said as tears formed in my eyes. “I don’t know if you have it for me now because I didn’t reject you back in Diagon Alley like I originally did. But that’s what you would have gotten me.”

“H—how did you know?”

“I told you. This all happened before. But because I wanted to be with you, I did things differently. I originally rejected your offer for a drink when we were in Diagon Alley. But because I agreed to let you walk with me, you never had the chance to ask.”

“I did—“ Draco paused. He didn’t finish. Instead, Draco pulled out the familiar box covered with silver wrapping paper and emerald ribbon and placed it in my hands.

“I still have that box,” I grinned as I took the present from Draco. “It still has the smell of chocolate. But unfortunately, I’m not here to relive these treasured moments I had with you,” I whispered as I handed the present back to him.

“Violet—“ Draco began as be reached out to cup my face.

“Please don’t touch me,” I begged as I backed away from him. “If you touch me, I don’t think I’ll be able to accomplish what I’m supposed to. So please, just answer my question: are you a Death Eater?”

Draco didn’t answer. He then sighed heavily as he pulled his left sleeve up. A tear slipped from my eye as I saw the dark mark on his arm.

“So you were Death Eater this whole entire time,” I sobbed. “When did this—when did this happen?”

“Last week,” Draco answered as he hid the mark beneath his sleeve. He then glanced at me and said, “You’re the girl from the prophecy, aren’t you?”

“What prophecy?” I asked.

“When I became a Death Eater, there was a prophet there. He said that a Gryffindor—a Muggle—will help the Chosen One—Harry Potter—bring down the Dark Lord with her knowledge of future events. No one believed this to be true because a Muggle attending Hogwarts was simply ridiculous. I didn’t believe it either—until now. Now that I met you, Violet,” Draco explained. “This means—“ Draco stopped and turned away. In a low voice, he said, “It means Death Eaters will be after you once they find out who you are. They’ll come after you—try to kill you so that you can’t help Potter.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Draco laughed. “I should be trying to kill you right now. But somehow,” he said as he turned to look at me, “I can’t—or at least I don’t want to.” With that, Draco moved closer to me before placing his hand upon mine.

“Draco,” I whispered.

He chuckled a little bit. “It’s so strange—I feel so out of character with you. I feel as if I want you by my side. Strange isn’t it?”

“No,” I said shaking my head. “No, it doesn’t sound strange at all.”

He smiled. “Listen to me very closely, Violet. When you get sorted tonight, pick a house. Tell that hat which house you would like to be in. But whatever you do, don’t pick Gryffindor. I don't want to think of what will happen if you do. I,” he paused briefly, "I don't want you to leave my side for some reason."

“But I’m a Muggle—“

“I don’t care. Just—please, don’t pick Gryffindor,” Draco begged. “I don’t want to have to hurt you in any way.”

I couldn’t say a word to him. I simply closed my eyes and buried myself in his arms. I finally understood. Everything about that evening at Hogwarts made sense now. Those words of his: "It would be different if you were in Slytherin—or any other house—but you’re not, you chose Gryffindor”. Those were the words he had said to me. Because I chose Gryffindor, I fulfilled the description in the prophecy. That was why Draco said we couldn’t be friends anymore—and it was true. We couldn’t be friends because I was his mission—his target.

Once the train arrived at Hogwarts, Draco and I got ourselves a carriage and headed to the castle. Snape once again greeted me, and I sadly departed Draco to go to Dumbledore’s office.

“Headmaster is waiting for you upstairs, Ms. Bell,” Snape informed as he turned his heels to walk away.

“Professor Snape!” I called out. Slowly, he turned around and faced me. “You—you probably won’t remember this, nor know of the events in which I’m talking about, but just wanted to say I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to remind you of her—Scarlet Angel. I’m terribly sorry for the pain that I have caused you and the pain that put you through due to my selfish acts to try and discover who she was.”

“How do you know about—“

“Things will become more clear the future. Just wanted you to know that I’m sorry. The future you is probably still angry at me for intruding your memory,” I said. I apologized once more before heading to Dumbledore’s office.

“Professor Dumbledore!” I called as I opened the door to his office.

“Ah, Ms. Bell,” Dumbledore exclaimed as he came down the stairs. “What a pleaser it is to—“

Suddenly, he paused and looked at me. His eyes narrowed as he closely observed me.

“Is something the matter?” I asked.

“You’re not from this time, are you?” he suddenly asked.

“You—you can tell?” I stuttered.

“You have this—this aura around you. It usually appears on people who have been transported to some different time,” he explained.

“Do you know how I can get back—well, forward actually—to my time?” I asked.

“That all depends on what you have to achieve in this time. I’m afraid I cannot help you there, though,” said Dumbledore.

“Isn’t there something that you can do? A spell or something that can send me forward to my proper time period?”

“I’m afraid not. Unless you achieve what it is that you are meant to achieve, I don’t think you will ever get back to your time period. It is also likely that if you pass whatever event you’re supposed to change, you will start back at the beginning,” Dumbledore sighed.

“The beginning? You mean I would end up at the Weasley’s place again and go through all of this again?”

“Quite possibly,” Dumbledore replied. “But in the mean time, shall we get you sorted. I don’t think you would want to miss the banquet.”

I groaned as I walked up to Dumbledore, who pulled out the ancient sorting hat. He placed it on my head and it began to mumbled to itself.

“A very, very complex mind you have,” the hat muttered.

“Tell me about it,” I sighed.

Once again I was in the situation where I was the last time I was being sorted. I was torn. If I picked Gryffindor, there are two possibilities that can occur. I could either pick Gryffindor and become Draco and all other Death Eaters’ next victim. On the other hand, everything will be how it was. Then again, choosing Gryffindor might be the wrong choice and send be back to the Weasley’s place. Just the thought of having to explain the whole situation over gave me a headache.

Option two would mean I pick any other house then Gryffindor. Draco and I already hit it off very well, so maybe this was the chance I was wishing for. If I were in another house, I would not fulfill the description of the girl from the prophecy, meaning Draco and I can be together. However, this too could be the wrong choice and then I could have to relive everything again. Also, what if this entire transporting thing was planned by Voldemort and his little minions? They would want me to not pick Gryffindor because Harry won’t have me to help him then!

“Oh, I hate my life,” I whispered lividly.

“Don’t be selfish,” the hat suddenly said.

“W—what?” I asked as I glanced up at the hat on my head.

“Don’t be selfish. Choose the house that would be best for you. Don’t think of the rewards that comes with it,” said the hat.

“Last time you told me to be selfish,” I commented.

“And now I’m telling you to not be selfish!” snapped the hat. “Then again, it is your choice to make. Take my first advice or my new advice. It is up to you.”

“Wait a minute! You remember me, don’t you?”

“I don’t remember you specifically, but I remember your complex mind,” the hat replied. “I never forget minds like yours. So, which house shall it be?”

“You mean you’re not going to sort me into a house?” I asked.

“No,” the hat answered. “This is your decision to make—not mine.”

I nodded. This was my chance. This was my chance to be with Draco. If I pick any other house, Draco and I can be together—just like I wanted. We wouldn’t have a care in the world. By choosing any other house, I could start over. My heart wouldn’t have to bear the scars that had been felt upon it during the last four months. This was my untaken path, and now I get the chance to go down this road and see where it would lead me.

“Do you have an answer for me?” the hat asked.

“I do,” I replied with confidence. I smiled as I said loud and proud,

“I choose Gryffindor.”