When Country Comes to Hogwarts

Hog What?

Willow dropped to the barn floor and headed downstairs to get some water. She drank from the milk house hose as she waited for the rest of her family to come down from the hay mow as well. She turned to see her younger sister standing in the doorway eyeing the hose in her hand. Willow handed her sister the hose and stepped into the warm summer air. She heard her parents coming towards the barn doors while the cows chewed their cud semi-loudly in the relatively quiet barn.

She looked at her dad and asked "Whataya thinkin' for tomorrow daddy?"

Her father twanged back at her "Probably another 400 bales at least, if not more. I think we should be able to handle it, if not we can try to find some help."

Willow tried not to roll her eyes at that, it was a little bit hopeful to think that they could find help for their small little farm. The whole property was only about 110 acres and a good chunk of it was woods. They had a lot of hay fields to feed their herd of cows, but it seemed that no one wanted to help them for whatever reason; whether it was the payment amount, the small amount of work, her family; she wasn't sure anymore with how many excuses that her family had been given. 

Her family grabbed some glasses of sweet tea before sitting on their deck in the shade to relax a few moments before splitting up and doing their separate things. Willow and her father would be doing the barn chores while her mother and sister were going to be handling dinner. They talked and chatted about hay the next day tomorrow and how the hay season was going.
It seemed like time flew and it was time for the family to get back to work. Willow and her father walked towards the barn chatting about everything and nothing while missing the shift in the air around them. 

The pair entered the barn and immediately set to work. Willow immediately let the cows into the barn while her father started getting the milkers and stuff ready. After she finished putting the cows in their stalls she and her father started to milk them; ignoring the sweat that dripped off them in the suffocating heat. As they were getting halfway and were both covered in sweat, dirt, and patches of cow manure they sensed that they weren't alone in the barn. 

Willow turned towards the doors and alleyway of the barn when she noticed an elderly man standing there calmly and quietly.
She turned to her father "Daddy, there is a strange man standing by the doors." 

Letting her father handle it, Willow went back to milking the cows. She bounced back and forth between sides to help her father keep up. As she went to get the next set of cows ready her father came back to his side with the man following him. 
Her father introduced him "Willow, this is Headmaster Dumbledore. He is Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." 
Willow blinked in confusion "Hog what?" 
Dumbledore smiled warmly "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." 
Willow blinked again "But pigs getting warts is very rare." 

Contemplating that thought Willow went back to milking while her father suppressed his snort of amusement. As she popped back up from between a cow to move a milker she said: "I got your side caught up daddy."  Her father nodded and got back to work while Willow turned her attention to Dumbledore "We got about 25-30 more cows to go so you will either have to talk while we milk or you will have to wait until we're done. They can't wait." 

Dumbledore blinked in shock; he wasn't used to being talked to so bluntly. He looked down the barn floor and at the cow manure specks that were both all over the girl and her father and decided to stay in the safe zone. 

Willow smirked at that and continued to milk and chat with her dad while the Headmaster stood and waited for them to finish. After they finished they put their milkers on their cart and her father started to haul them to the milk house to wash them and to wash and rinse the milk line. Her father pulled the cart in front of the milk house and shut the alley gate behind it. Willow turned to the Headmaster "Ya might not want to stand there; the cows will be going out thataway and we don't want ya to get trampled." 

Dumbledore blinked in amazement at this strange girl as he stepped out of the way. She didn't pay him any attention as she started unhooking the cows from their stalls. Dumbledore raised a brow as the American witch talked with a cow who licked her face before getting out of her stall and heading out the door with the rest of the herd. Willow let the last cow out and turned to the Headmaster "I hope ya can talk and walk, 'cause I gotta floor to scrape." 

Dumbledore cast some spells on his shoes as he walked slightly behind the girl as she scraped the long barn floor. He said, "I come to talk to you about magic school and judging by the lack of surprise you already know about magic." 

Willow nodded "Yessir. I attend Ilvermony School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I was sorted into Pukwudgie." 

Dumbledore said, "I understand that you have a life here and everything, but I want to offer you a place at Hogwarts." 

Willow answered "Headmaster, why would I want to transfer to another country when I already have a place at magic school here...in my own country, that is only a 2-hour flight from my family." 

Dumbledore blinked "Flight?"

Willow answered "Yeah, flight...in an airplane. Yall have them in Britain right?" 

Dumbledore shook his head "Maybe muggles do, but us wizards normally apparate, fly on a broom, or portkey places." 

Willow shook her head "Y'all are behind then. Us witches and wizards over here have figured out how to mix electronics and magic, how to live as a muggle and so much more. We even have lights at our school." 

Dumbledore blinked at that...that is a compelling argument. He had looked into Willow Bronson when a friend made mention of her after coming back from guest speaking at North America's magical school. He needed her, he needed someone that could help keep Harry on track for his greater good plans. However, he wasn't expecting this girl...with a blunt mouth, a southern drawl, and to be perfectly at ease talking to him while covered in cow spots. He needed something that would get her to come to England and attend Hogwarts for the sake of Harry Potter's destiny. Her and Hermione would work well together to keep Harry on that path...maybe he could manipulate her into thinking she needed some culture and adventure outside of this little boring town. 

He threw caution to the wind "Miss. Bronson, I want to offer you a chance at my school as sort of a foreign exchange program to give my students a little taste of something different and for you as well. Something bigger and different than red dirt and cow stalls. If you don't like it, you don't have to stay, I won't force you. I will even pay for the whole trip and even give you a reward at the end of the year to help your farm." 

'Nobody can turn down an offer for culture and for money' Dumbledore was thinking as he stared at the teenage girl who was now scraping cow stalls in thought unknowingly about to change wizarding history.