Chapter 4: How Long Has This Been Going On?
Oh, I feel that I could melt,
Into Heaven I'm hurled!
I know how Columbus felt
Finding another world!
On the first of September, Clancy arrived at King's Cross Station and searched the platforms for the sight of anyone with red hair. Suddenly a flurry of children pressed by her and a voice behind her said, "Do you need any help, dear? You look lost."
Clancy turned around and saw a short, plump, kind-faced woman smiling at her. "I'm trying to find the Hogwarts Express," she explained. "I've been invited by Professor Dumbledore to visit his school."
"Oh, you're American. How lovely! My name's Molly Weasley," she said, extending her hand. "What's your name, dear? Are you a Muggle, by any chance?"
"My name is Clancy Norgard. I think I might be a Muggle," she confessed, recalling the strange word Aunt Hilly had used in her letter. "I'm not certain that I fully understand what the term means."
"Well, if you're not quite certain," Mrs. Weasley laughed, "then it probably means that you are!"
Two boys passed by, and Mrs. Weasley grabbed the arm of the one who resembled her. "Ronald, Harry, -- this is Miss Norgard. She's going to be visiting your school."
The boys didn't seem very interested in this news, but they nodded a polite hello to Clancy.
"This is my youngest son Ronald, Miss Norgard. And this is...HARRY POTTER!"
"Hello, boys," Clancy said.
"This is the Harry Potter. You know...", Mrs. Weasley said, with a wink.
Clancy inferred from Mrs. Weasley's wink that there must be something special about the scrawny, messy-haired boy with glasses, but she didn't have time to find out.
Another red-headed Weasley flitted past. "Ginny, dear, stay with me," Mrs. Weasley called to the girl. "Come along, Miss Norgard. Hold on to us and we'll pull you through."
In a blink of an eye they were gone.
The shock of being pulled through a solid barrier proved to be only the beginning of Clancy's remarkable day. After a long train ride, and sharing a boat with the largest, hairiest man she had ever met, she was greeted at Hogwarts Castle by the most diminuitive man she had ever seen.
"Miss Norgard?" inquired the little man.
"Yes. Are you Professor Dumbledore?"
"Oh, good gracious, no. I'm Professor Flitwick. Professor Dumbledore asked me to escort you into the Great Hall. Our start-of-term banquet and the Sorting ceremony are about to begin. Professor Dumbledore will meet with you later this evening. Will you follow me, please?"
Flitwick showed Clancy to the High Table and found her an empty seat next to a blond gentleman wearing robes of aquamarine.
"Hello," the man said to Clancy. He flashed a sparkling smile, with a row of perfect white teeth that seemed to stretch the length of the table. "And who might you be?"
"Clancy Norgard. I wonder if you'd mind if I asked you --"
"Of course. I'm always more than happy to autograph pictures for my fans. Do you have copies of all my books? I'll be glad to sign those as well."
Clancy was nonplussed. She didn't wish to appear rude, but she had absolutely no idea who this fellow was, or what he was talking about.
"I've only just arrived from America. I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with --"
"Oh, you must be our Muggle guest that Professor Dumbledore mentioned in the staff meeting. I'm Gilderoy Lockhart, author of Magical Me, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award."
Feeling a little dazed, Clancy continued, "I see. Well, I just wanted to ask you if you'd mind pointing out Professor Dumbledore to me."
Lockhart's answer would have to wait, for it was time for the Sorting ceremony to begin. Clancy took it all in, trying her best to comprehend what was going on. She understood the four Houses that comprised the school -- but a talking hat? That just about topped off her day!
Halfway through the lavish dinner that had magically appeared, a hideous, hook-nosed man dressed in black robes strode into the Great Hall from a door near the High Table. He seemed agitated about something, and motioned to a man and a woman seated at the center of the table.
"There's Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall," Lockhart noted, indicating the pair who hurriedly followed the ugly man in black out the door. "Ask me anything you like. I'm an expert on everything," he laughed merrily.
A while later, Dumbledore returned to eat a custard tart for dessert and to make a few announcements. An older man in a purple robe, he had a fine, white beard and a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Clancy decided that he looked both dignified and friendly. Stuffed with too much fine food and exhausted from the train ride, Clancy wanted nothing better than to collapse into a soft bed, but she hadn't even been shown to her quarters yet.
At last, a bespectacled, stern-faced woman with her hair in a tight bun approached Clancy and introduced herself as Minerva McGonagall. She led the young woman out of the Great Hall, and up countless flights of steps, until they reached a large, and extremely ugly stone gargoyle. "Lemon drop!" Professor McGonagall said, and the gargoyle slid aside to reveal a moving staircase spiraling upward. They stepped on, and rose up until they reached a gleaming oak door. Professor McGonagall rapped on the door, and it opened silently.
"Wait in here, Miss Norgard," she instructed Clancy. "Professor Dumbledore will be with you shortly."
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
How Long Has This Been Going On?
~Lyrics by Ira Gershwin