You Only Live Once

CHAPTER 2

 Mira had liked the story very much. Silia had picked a good one, much to her surprise. She had eventually fallen asleep while reading, the book still wide open on her chest. The sun was falling directly in her eyes so she knew it was now morning. Had she not closed the curtains? The wind was quite cold for a summer morning. Had she forgotten to close the window as well? And there was her bed. Somehow it wasn't at all comfortable . It was moist and hard and ... it smelled like grass. Grass? She immediately opened her eyes to look at her surroundings. She realised she wasn't on her bed anymore. She wasn't even in her bedroom. Where was she? She slowly stood up to look at her surroundings. It looked like she was in an endless field on a mountain. The place looked familiar but she couldn't put her finger on it. A forest could be seen in the distance, a lake too and a...a castle. A castle that looked an awful lot like-

"Good morning Miss Aisling"a voice sounded behind her, making her quickly turn around to see where it came from. There was an old man with a long white beard , looking at her through half moon glasses. He clothes were kind of weird too almost like he was cos-playing.

"It is completely normal for you to be confused Miss Aisling. Waking up on the side of a hill in Scotland must be very confusing indeed." the man said trying to calm her down. She still couldn't find a way to respond. There was one thing she did agree on though. How did she end up on the side of a hill? And in Scotland?

'Let me introduce myself." the man said taking a step closer to her before he was close enough to extend his wrinkled hand. "I'm Albus. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry." she just stood there looking at him dead in the eyes before she starting laughing maniacally.

"Is this my father's idea of a bad joke?" she asked still not able to control her laughter.

"I assure you I am very much real" the old man who claimed to be real stated .

"Oh sure, sure. Okay then, Professor. Let's see you do some magic" Mira challenged the man, rather amused with the whole situation. Them man shrugged before lifting his hand and moving it in a way that made the sky full of dark clouds . This was totally a coincidence. Or that's what Mira thought. Seeing as she didn't look totally convinced he took out a wand wit which he made her levitate off the ground. While terrified Mira couldn't help but feel confused. It must have been a dream.
"It is not a dream"

"What..how..who?" Mira was lost. This couldn't be real.

"Why do you follow me up in my office so we can talk more comfortably?" the man suggested and Mira just nodded.

They walked a long way before they reached the castle's entrance. It was majestic. Everything about it was beautiful. It felt like magic. Mira was still in her red nightdress, he hair a mess just like her mind. They roamed through the endless corridors through endless stairs before they reached the Gargoyle Mira knew so well. She couldn't help but wonder how her remembered all those turns and pathways to his office. It was quite complicated. But it wasn't real. She had to keep reminding herself over and over, It felt real.

"Do you want me to pinch you?" the man, who claimed to be Dumbledore asked out of the blue.

"What?"

"So you can see it is not a dream"

"No, thank you"

She didn't even hear him say the password out loud. Before she knew it she was on the stairs and inside a very familiar looking office.

"It appears that you, yourself have no idea how you ended up here." Dumbledore said walking towards his desk before sitting comfortably on his chair, folding his hands in front of him. "Please sit" and just like that a chair appeared for Mira to sit. She hesitated at first but soon she was sited on the wooden chair. Still, not a word had escaped her lips. She was waiting for him to explain what was happening. "I won't tell you what it is you're doing here, simply because I do not know" those weren't words of comfort for Mira. What was happening? "What year is it Miss Aisling?"

"2022" the words fell from her lips in a hollow voice.

"Ah there we are. I must inform you that it is currently June 30th 1977."

She could laugh but the last time she did it didn't end well for her.

"I must admit, I'm quite impressed that I cannot fully see inside the mind of a muggle but that's something to talk about another time, perhaps when you are well rested and less shocked." he smiled at her before standing up one more time making her do the same. "Seeing as it's the last day of term I will arrange for you to stay with a trusted family. The Potters would be the obvious choice but as I was informed they will be out of town for the next month so for the time being, I think... oh but yes it is the right choice." he seemed to go on and on lost in his own thoughts . Mira had never been more confused in her entire life. Muggle? Potters? See in her mind? She had dreamed of moment like that, She had read of such stories. All fiction of course. She didn't want to believe that any of it was real. But it felt real, she couldn't deny that . The door of the office opened once more , revealing a woman, a woman Mira could also recognize.
"You called for me?" she asked in a worried voice. That's when Mira realised it was six in the morning.

"Ah yes! Minerva this is Mira, a muggle girl that somehow time-traveled into a different dimension" Dumbledore announced casually, as if what he was saying was the most normal thing he had ever said. The woman , Minerva, also looked quite confused, mirroring Mira's expression.

"I'll explain later. Now if you must , could you bring me Mister Lupin when he wakes up? Also could you accompany Miss Aisling to the Gryffindor common room, find her something to wear, get ready for her journey" the woman just nodded , gently taking Mira's hand in hers to guide her.