Traitor: A Draco Malfoy Story

four

I looked around for a taxi to call to catch a ride to JFK, but Dumbledore gestured behind me and the biggest man I have ever seen came ambling around the corner. I wasn't even sure if it was a man at first, but the wide grin and brown mane of hair proved it to be correct. He stretched out a hand as large as my torso for me to shake. I did, and his grip was gentler than I expected from such an ample creature.

"This is Rubeus Hagrid, Caretaker of Hogwarts, and a very dear friend," Dumbledore explained.

"'Ello there!" The big man rumbled in a Southern English accent. "You can just call me 'agrid."

"Azalea," I grinned up at him. I already liked this man. If all the teachers were like this, I knew I would have an excellent time at the school.

"You'll be accompanying Mr. Hagrid to MACUSA in the Woolworth Building, and I will meet you there," Dumbledore said, pointing to a ginormous blue motorbike and sidecar.

" 'Op in!" Hagrid beamed. I looked uncertainly at the vehicle. I guessed if Dumbledore trusted it, so should I.

"What about the trunk?" I asked before hesitantly sliding into the sidecar.

"Don't worry about that, Miss Beckett," Dumbledore smiled reassuringly. "I will take care of that."

I had prepared myself to be weaving through New York City traffic very close to the ground in an open sidecar, but I had not prepared myself to fly through the air in an open sidecar, or become invisible to the public, and yet there we were, Hagrid and I, soaring through the air towards the Woolworth Building. I had no idea what MACUSA was, nor was I feeling in the best of health looking down over the city, so I didn't ask questions until we landed. The ride was surprisingly smooth, but as soon as we were on the ground I jumped out, savoring solid ground. There were so many weird things happening it was overloading my brain.

"Welcome to MACUSA!" Hagrid boomed. "The Magical Congress of the United States of America. Kind of like our Ministry of Magic overseas. Takes care of all things magic, and that Muggles such as yourself stay unawares of the goings on in the magical community: The International Statute of Secrecy."

"The...what?"

Hagrid must have seen my bewildered look because he smiled apologetically at me. "Dumbledore'll explain everything once we get inside."

We walked into the large building through revolving doors, and Hagrid pointed a pink umbrella at the ceiling, a spray of sparks coming out the tip.

"Oh my god!" I gasped. "Your umbrella is sparking!"

"That means it's workin'," Hagrid winked at me. "Do me a favor and don't mention this to anyone. Dumbledore knows I 'ave it, but I don't want anyone else knowin' I'm doin' magic."

I nodded, still at a loss for words as we walked into a vast atrium of white marble. The floors, columns, and walls were all made of the material, and were accented with gold. A large, wide staircase went up to the second floor directly in the middle of the atrium. Spikes with gold tips lined the banister, a threatening beauty that was breathtaking.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Dumbledore asked as he came up beside us, though I didn't see where from. "I always make a point of visiting if I'm in the area."

I couldn't imagine when else he would need to be in the area if he ran a school in Scotland, but who was I to judge?

"We need to get you caught up," Dumbledore said, gently taking my arm and leading me towards the stairs. "It's time you learn what our school is really for, though, a bright young woman like you must have figured it out already."

"It's a school of magic, isn't it?" I asked as we entered an empty office, a semicircle desk in the center with three orbs of light hanging over it. "It teaches you incantations and things."

"Since time began, there have been two beings within the human race: those with non-magical blood, and those with magical blood," Dumbledore began, and I knew I was in for a good story. "There were some that agreed that magical blood and non-magical blood were destined to mix, but there were others that saw this idea as tainting precious blood. To a select group of wizards and witches, it is an abomination that the 'blood traitors' have led to the increase in Muggle-born witches and wizards. To others, it's a victory for the magical community that it is expanding." He took a breath before continuing. "Muggles are what we call non-magical humans in Great Britain. In the United States, they call them No-Maj. Either way, under the International Statute of Secrecy, a witch or wizard cannot reveal themselves to a Muggle or suffer dire consequences. Most of these instances lead to world events such as the Salem Witch Trials, I'm sure you've heard of these?"

I nodded.

"The idea that I am bringing a Muggle to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is astounding, let alone an American Muggle, and for that I had to pull several strings with several higher-ups to both approve this and keep it secret...Miss Beckett, it is mine and a few of my colleague's belief that you are in grave danger. Hogwarts is the safest place for you. But to do that, you need to go undercover as a witch. You must pretend to be one. To understand the culture. You must not reveal that you are a Muggle unless I authorize it. Trust no one. Do you understand all my instructions?"

"We are going to travel by a system called Floo Powder," Dumbledore explained. "Before we go, I should warn you, you must enunciate very clearly, otherwise you might end up someplace very different from where we wish to go. The second thing I should tell you is that when you attend Hogwarts, you are to say that you are an exchange student from the US, entering into your fifth year. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." I didn't necessarily have a problem with lying or playing a role. I'm a foster kid.
Dumbledore took a handful of powder and walked over to a massive fireplace. "You'll want to do the same when it's your turn," he said. "You say the place, in this case, it's Diagon Alley, and you throw the powder down into the fireplace. Think you can do that?"

In response, I grabbed a handful of powder from the bowl and waited my turn. A smile tugged at the bottom of his lips, and he said the place and disappeared in a funnel of green fire. My eyes widened. Well, if this was my time to die, this was my time to die. At least I'd said goodbye to my family. I stood in the fireplace and clearly said Diagon Alley, throwing the powder down at my feet. Then my world was engulfed in green.