Into the Unknown

Chapter 1 - Extraordinary

River Aspen Jones was an ordinary person. She grew up in an ordinary house, with an ordinary family and liked ordinary things. At the age of 7, all she wished was to be extraordinary, to be able to walk into her wardrobe and end up in Narnia, to receive a letter on her 11th birthday telling her that she was magical, to come face to face with a minotaur and run away from monsters to find out she was a demigod. Of course, no matter how hard she hoped, none of this happened, because River was ordinary.

The summer of 2020 had been a long one, and as the last week of august appeared, River found herself looking forward to going back to college and getting back into a proper routine, but until then, she still appreciated the freedom of not having to study. That is how, on a sunny Tuesday morning, River found herself walking through the nearby forest.

Straying from the path and exploring the woods was something River started doing that summer. She loved to just look at the trees, and was fascinated by the way the branches and leaves moved with the wind, and the different wildflowers that bloomed without the need of human care. Once River had even seen a wild rabbit hop out of a hole under a tree and sniff about on the search of something. Sometimes, although she would never admit it, she would pick up a stick and pretend she was a child again, pretending to wield a sword, or attempt magic, daydreaming the time away.

She thought a lot while walking. Sometimes humming a tune, other times in silence, wondering about nothing, and everything at the same time. River was so deep in thought about what her favourite pokemon was, she didn't realise that the grass and weeds were overgrown, that she had reached an area of the woods no one had explored in years. When a rabbit ran through a gap between two trees and disappeared, she did not notice, too caught up about thinking what her dad will be cooking for dinner. And as she stepped through the same way, a shiver ran up her spine. Thinking it was just a cold breeze, she continued debating what food it will be, hoping there wouldn't be too many vegetables on her plate. She did not realise that the trees around her had suddenly gotten massive, or that the mushrooms growing in clusters were not native to her own forest, or that there were hoof prints embedded in the dirt, something which surely would not be possible as no horses lived anywhere nearby. As far as River was aware, it was just an ordinary walk in the forest. At least until she found herself staring in the eyes of a hippogriff.

I must be dreaming, she thought, staring into its eyes and trying not to blink.

~

River awoke to a pounding headache and a sore left shoulder. It almost felt like a large dog had tackled her to the ground, however she found herself no longer in the forest. She clumsily moved her hand around in search of her glasses, knocking over a glass full of water in the process, before finally picking up the specs.

It looked almost like she was in the infirmary from a movie about world war two. The beds looked old fashioned, and the architecture of the building contained giant windows, out of which a forest could be seen, along with a lake and a -

"Oh thank goodness you're awake!" A lady's voice said. River looked to see an old lady approach before realising that her left arm was in a sling, and blood was dripping from her shoulder. The woman was quick to clean and rebandage the wound.

"It may leave a bit of scarring and will ache for a while but you're going to be okay, just make sure to be gentle with your arm" she smiled. The large double doors at the end of the room opened, and an old man with a long silver beard walked in.

"I would like a word with your patient Poppy," he said calmly. Poppy quickly used her wand to clear up the broken glass of water on the floor before retreating to her office. After a while of awkward silence, the man spoke.

"Who are you?"

"I could ask you the same thing"

The man gave a perplexed look and stroke his beard muttering something under his breath.

"I am Professor Dumbledore, and you are currently in the hospital wing of Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry"

I must be dreaming, River thought. I must've knocked myself out while walking in the forest. A tree branch must have fallen and hit my head. Any second now I'll wake up, and be back in the forest, or my own bed.

"I- I'm River"

"Do you know how you got here?"

"I was walking in the woods next to my house and then... I woke up here" she explained, using her right hand to fiddle with the bedsheets.

"And where do you live"

"South of England, near the sea"

Dumbledore's eyes gleamed. "You must be very good at magic to travel all the way to Scotland then"

"I can't do magic", River stuttered. "Its not real"

"You are a witch" Dumbledore stated, taking a seat in the chair next to the bed. "Otherwise you would not be able to see the castle, there are charms in place to prevent muggles from coming near. And after all, why would you have a wand if you were not a witch?"

"Wand? I don't have a-" Dumbledore pointed to the wand on her bedside table. It was about 12 inches long and had engravings of vines along the handle. River picked it up and a soft wind blew. Somehow, she knew that the wand had chosen her.

"It was found on the floor next to where you were found"

"This doesn't make sense"

"Why?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, looking like he already knew what River was going to answer.

"Where I'm from, all of this, Hogwarts and magic, it is just a story. If I really had magic, I would've gotten my letter when I was 11 right?"

"And when were you born?"

"2003"

Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly. He muttered to himself again, thinking quietly out loud.
"How old are you now?"

"My 17th birthday was last week"

"I may not know how or why you are here, but it is clear that you have magic, and therefore you have the right to call Hogwarts your home," he stated, waving his wand. "You shall join the 6th years, as a transfer student from ilvemory, and I'm sure the Weasleys will be glad to look after you until term starts."

It was then that an old rugged hat came flying into the room. Although she already knew the sorting hat could talk, she still jumped slightly as it was placed on her head and began speaking.

You are very interesting aren't you? Oh yes, what a life you've lived but this is only the beginning. Oh..? This is just a dream? How amusing. Ah you're a loyal one aren't you? Hufflepuff will do you well, yet there's a fire inside you, my one might say your bravery is foolish. Well, it better be-

"GRYFFINDOR!"