The Key

J.K. is the owner; she’s the lady, I’m just having fun.
I’m not making any money through this.
Please don’t sue me I don’t have anything.
Thanks to the good writers that I’ve read. For sure they’ve influenced me.
And like one of them said, if you recognize something, it isn’t mine.

CHAPTER 1 – The Key
From this moment, life has begun.

She crossed the street, and sighed. It was finally Friday. The work seemed to have doubled, everybody was tense. She recalled the argument.

‘Screw it’.

She was stressed. She wasn’t going to let that ruin her weekend, she decided. She had to think about nice things, to rest. No appointments until Sunday, when she would have dinner with her parents, brother and sister, in-laws and an occasional guest. She smiled with the memory of her nephews. Her family gatherings every two weeks were what kept her sane.

She relaxed. She could read, browse the Internet, and do whatever she wanted to. Anything, even listen to music and think about him - Severus. She felt a little sting. She shook her head in distaste. That wasn’t right. A fantasy couldn’t interfere that much, occupy so much of her thoughts; or of her feelings. She took a deep breath, her attention on the mall full of people. She thought about the party Andrea had invited her to go on Saturday.

‘Maybe.’

****

After taking a shower she sat combing her hair. The black pants would look nice with the white blouse. She almost regretted having agreed to go. She had spoken with Andrea on the phone, earlier.

‘Well, there is no way out of it now.’

She didn’t want to exaggerate; a purse, a few accessories and some makeup. She could not forget the black sweater; it would be colder at dawn, if she was to stay out that long.

It was good that the apartment was already clean. She wouldn’t have the time to clean it on Sunday.

She stood up to go get dressed. She took the small earrings and put them on. She dried her hair and pinned it up. She would have to cut it when the weather started to warm up, she wouldn’t bear it if it was this long.

She turned off the lights, closed the door and went down the stairs. It was better than waiting for the elevator to go down two floors.

When she left the building, she decided to walk to the bar where Andrea would pick her up. She distracted herself walking. Black hair.

‘Severus.’

She sighed, frowning. This was getting out of control.

She crossed the street. She looked ahead and saw two men in weird cloaks. They entered a dark alley, where she knew there was nothing but shops. She shook her head in denial.

‘Now I keep imagining Death Eaters everywhere’.

They left as quickly as they had entered. She was closer now, but they didn’t seem to notice. They seemed to be arguing. They turned the corner.

She kept walking slowly. But her curiosity took her best. She glanced inside the alley and frowned. It was barely lit. Weird. It seemed like the light inside the alley was weaker than outside. That was when she noticed something resting in a corner. The thing shined. Who would leave a .... that just there? She didn’t think. She looked around and entered.

‘Crazy woman, some murderer may have hidden it there!’

But they had got in and out without carrying anything. She approached, observed it. It was a candlestick, a beautiful one; and it seemed very old. She thought she had heard voices. Her fear made her take a quick decision. She ran to the end of the alley and hid herself in a place she knew a little. It was a small entrance to the second floor of one of the shops. She stood there, holding her breath.

“It’s a total waste of time,” she heard, in an angry mutter.

“What did you expect? You believe in anyone!” he seemed impatient “Did you think that... old man was going to give you something important?”

“I’ve known him for a long time,” the other man said between greeted teeth, “and he was not a liar or just any wizard!”

‘Wizard?’

“And after so many years he suddenly showed up, almost dying, to tell you that he had charmed a different key!” he mocked, “and you believed him! Why didn’t you remember to ask him what was so special about that thing?” his voice was rising with his anger.

She wasn’t missing a word. Maybe she wasn’t listening well, or maybe it was some kind of criminal’s slang.

“Keep your voice down!” he answered angrily. “He said he was running away. That he had no one to leave it with! And if you hadn’t noticed, he wasn’t able to say much before he died!” he was tired of repeating himself over and over again.

“And he gave it to you! You! To deliver it to one of his relatives?” he was furious, “he must have been crazy or an idiot to believe you would do it. If it had any value,” he was exasperated, “and you still believed in him!”

She saw the shadows moving. She hopped they wouldn’t start fighting.

“So did you!” she heard in a low, dangerous voice, “or you wouldn’t have come.”

“You know that if it took somewhere important it would have been the perfect gift to the Lord,” he added, annoyed, “it would be good for us,” he muttered gloomily.

She held her breath. Everything fitted, but it shouldn’t!

“I know,” she heard a sigh, “let’s go back. It’s not safe to take so long.”

“Take that thing then!”

He lowered himself, but didn’t touch it. The other one got closer. “Ready? One, two... three!”

They held it together and disappeared. She couldn’t believe it.

‘It’s impossible!’

She stood still, trying to understand, and calm down. She shook her head. It was too much. She walked slowly back to the street and saw something on the floor. A candle. She took a deep breath. If it was true... She shook her head again.

‘This is not happening.’

But it was. She could see the street, at the end of the alley; listen to the noise of the cars, of the people. And even so... She looked at the object on the floor.

Two people, weirdly dressed, had disappeared in the middle of a mall. And unless she was getting crazy, or having some kind of delusion, she had really seen them disappear. Or better, she had seen their shadows disappear. Well, if it wasn’t real, then there was no harm in holding a simple candle. Not so simple, but... just a candle. Now, if it was...

‘In a remote possibility. Very remote’, she added.

It could be dangerous if a child or someone else took it.

‘You’re just being silly. There are no such things as wizards; only in the Harry Potter’s stories.’

She almost laughed of herself, out of nerve.

‘And Severus’.’

Severus. She took another breath, frowning. She bent down and caught the candle.

She felt herself spinning very fast; a weird feeling on her navel. It was lasting too long. It was weird. It was provoking nausea. Things were crossing past her eyes, making her dizzy. She shut them. And then...

Everything stopped, with a jostle. She tried to get a grip on herself, but couldn’t. She got on her knees, trying to control the sickness, she finally handle it. She took her hand to her dry mouth, trying to focus her dizzy eyes. It was dark, but a narrow beam of light was coming through the door.

She was sure she wasn’t in a mall. She looked around but couldn’t see much. The place seemed abandoned. No, there were voices coming from far. It was a dirty room with a fallen screen; a broken chair, with a piece of cloth on it, on a corner and a candlestick on another. She recognized it, and looked at the candle she was still holding with trembling hands. She threw it on the direction of the candlestick. It made a low noise. She thought she saw a shadow. She looked quickly to the door, but there was nothing. She walked with faltering steps to the chair and grabbed the cloth, and eyed it. It was some kind of cloak, with a hood. It looked like the ones those men were wearing.

She raised her head, suddenly; her heart beating even faster. The voices were rising in volume. She needed to hide! She went to the screen and hid behind it, crouching and trying to breathe silently. It was hard due to the fear she was starting to feel; with all this mess, and everything that had happened.

“I won’t take long,” it was the same voice from the alley.

She heard the sound of steps; a moment of hesitation. One more step; her fear had grew.

‘Please don’t look this way.’

“Did you find it?” she heard the impatient voice, far.

“No,” she heard when he raised the chair and let it fall again. “Damn it! I was sure I had left it here!”

She looked at the cloak in her hands.

‘Stupid!’

“We can’t take long! We’ve wasted too much time already,” she heard the angry voice, distant. A mutter.

“All right.”

He walked to the door. She released a breath, relieved. He stopped. She tensed up again.

She heard when he turned on his heels and stepped back into the room.

“Evanesco!”

The steps were growing distant now. She waited a little longer before standing up, controlling her breathing. She lifted her hand to her forehead and rubbed at it; her heart still pounding. There was nobody. No sound.

The candlestick and the candle had disappeared; and so had her chances of going back. She sighed. At least for now.

She looked once more to the cloak in her hands, and dressed it. She walked cautiously outside the room. There was a small corridor that leads to the door. It was lit by a single candle. She had to get out. She couldn’t be there if or when they got back. She could guess it wouldn’t be a very pleasant encounter. All the rest was half-lighted, illuminated only by the moonlight, where it could penetrate.

‘Moon ? But the moon is in its last quarter!’

It wasn’t what it seemed. She looked at the full moon outside. She looked carefully for signs of movement. She left quickly, closing the door without making a noise.

The hood of the cloak was covering her head and her hands grasped the cloak shut. She walked fast, trying to stay as far as possible from that house. There were other houses nearby. She went down the street walking in the shadows. She saw only a person or two, and avoided them. She saw a sign in front of a place that looked like a pub. It was closed now. It read: ‘Three Broomsticks’.

Her heart skipped a beat, only now she realized what could be really happening. But there was a great difference between reacting to situations and danger.... and being sure... of something this crazy.

“Oh my God!” she muttered standing there, foolishly.

She heard a low noise. She turned quickly, breathing fast. But from the direction she thought the noise had come from, there was nothing. Only shadows.

‘I’d better get out of here.’

If she was really in Hogsmeade, there was danger everywhere. She shook her head. It was still very difficult to think all of that could be true. Better not to think.

She withdrew quickly, and continued walking aimlessly. The houses were becoming scarcer. She needed to find a safe place. It was probably two or three in the morning, she estimated.

There were a few scattered trees. She kept walking and saw some more of them ahead. She looked around and saw no one. She entered quickly among the trees. She hid the best she could, wrapping herself with the cloak, feeling cold. She sat against a tree trunk. It wasn’t the best place to sit, but it was the only one available.

She sighed. It was freezing, it would be a long night and she still didn’t know what to do in the morning. Or better, there was no possible option. She had to avoid everyone that crossed her way and find the way to.... she hesitated ... Hogwarts.

She sighed again. Yeah, Hogwarts. She placed her head on her hands once more. She tried to clear her mind, to control herself. She was looking around, with cloudy eyes, trembling; reality falling over her, finally.

‘God!’

Hogwarts, as soon as the sun rises. Until then, she had some hours to think about what to do and let her brain adapt to the situation; or at least try to. She tried to rationalize, and almost laughed. She closed her eyes, covering them with her hands, and bit her lips. She wasn’t going to cry. They would probably take her back, and use Obliviate to make her forget. She wouldn’t be allowed to take anything with her. She wouldn’t know she had been here. That would be it. At the end, it would be like a dream. She got sad. Maybe, at least, she would be able to see them all; Harry Potter, Dumbledore, and the others.

And Severus.

She shivered. That would make it all worthy. She took a deep breath. The tiredness was falling over her. She closed her eyes but was trying to keep awake; she had too much to think about.

‘It’s really cold!’

****

As soon as the day arrived, she woke up. She glanced around, confused, and then remembered. She’d closed her eyes once more, but everything remained the same when she opened them again. She took a deep breath. She was sore, tired and cold. She stood up slowly, arranging her clothes. There was no one else around. She had never read anything about them being early birds around here, anyway. Better move on, if her estimations were right, she had a long walk ahead.

And she still had to find a way to get in.

She started to walk, following the road, looking at the trees. She was walking for quite a while when she realized there was a crossroad, and no signs.

‘Hell!’

The sun was getting hotter, and she wasn’t going to take the cloak off if it got worse. She looked around. Maybe she could figure out which way was used more often. Surely they preferred to Disapparate or use the Knight Bus. She didn’t name they, though. Then, walking was only for Hogwarts’ students.

She sighed again and decided for the road to her right. If she took the wrong way all she had to do was go back by the same way she had gone, and take the other one instead. That was if she was lucky and didn’t meet anyone.

The sun was hot and she was tired of walking. That was when she saw it - a strange gate ahead of her, old and ugly. No sign of a castle or anything of the sort. Actually, there were no signs of anything at all. She was getting anxious. She was tired, feeling nervous and warm; tension escalating inside her.

She rubbed her forehead. Maybe she had taken the wrong way. She looked to the track behind her. She had to go back. She got to confirm if she was where she thought she was. Take the other road. Try to take a ride. She had to go back.

‘She had to leave that place.’

She turned on her heels and started walking back quickly, trying hard not to run.

Anxiety was calming down as she walked away. That was when she realized, but couldn’t stop herself.

‘The anti-muggle spells!’

She slowed down and tried to concentrate. She took a deep breath and stopped. She took another deep breath, turned back again and started running.

She was getting anxious again.

‘I have to see Dumbledore, I have to see Dumbledore, I have to...’

Her steps were getting slower.

‘God!’

Something really terrible was about to happen to her, she realized, distressed. Her heart was pounding fast, her skin was itching. It was almost unbearable, and it was getting worse as she tried to keep walking, slower and slower, breathing anxiously. She turned away again, still breathing hard, anxiously. She managed to control herself enough not to start running. She took a few steps in the wrong direction.

‘This is getting ridiculous!’

But she couldn’t come to control her trembling body. She kept taking deep breaths. She stopped, turned on her heels for the second time and started to run.

She started to cry; her tired body aching with the effort. Her skin was feeling uncomfortable again, as if it would start raining all of a sudden. She tried to keep her mind focused.

“I have to see Dumbledore. I have to see Dumbledore. I have to...” were the words coming out of her mouth like a mantra; her eyes were hurting.

Her skin was still itching. She tripped and fell. Crying uncontrollably, she turned back and tried to keep going, crawling on her knees and hands. She heard a little noise from behind her, as if someone was mumbling something. She turned quickly but saw nothing. She lowered her head trying to calm down. Breathing slowly, she kept looking to the ground.

Suddenly she realized it was not that difficult anymore. She stood up slowly, corrected her steps and started walking again, slowly in the beginning, looking to the ground. After a little while she felt the day was getting clearer again. She took another breath, and then dared to raise her eyes. What she saw made her stop, ecstatic.

‘Hogwarts!’

In its entire splendor, on a sunny day, the castle revealed itself in front of her eyes. The lake, so bright it was almost blinding. She looked away and saw the Whooping Willow. She laughed to herself. She felt like jumping, dancing, singing. She shook her head. Even if it was impossible,

‘I got it! I’m here!’

It didn’t matter what had happened. She was there.

I sincerely thank Fer Porcel for the patience in translating this fic into English.
Thank you very much!!
You are making a dream come true!
Nina

Reviews? Please!!
Ananinasnapeyahoo.com.br
A/N: Translating this fic into English, one of my beta readers, Court, practically became a co-author, altering the fic so it would be more “friendly” for the English speaking public. Even then, not wanting to lose the “different” way this fic was originally written, FerPotter helped me and we also have here the translation to the original version.
Thank you Fer.
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