The Writer\'s Companion

Author’s Notes:

* Own nothing…except this little plot line…yeah

* I love reviews… so long as you’re not flaming me, I like to listen

* I am by no means an English major, nor do I know how to correctly right the various accents that will be present in this story. So please forgive me.

*I also really like to play with the ideas that certain American’s have of the British and vice versa. So if I am generalizing in that respect it is mean to be humorous. Although I may fall short.


Chapter 1: A Shove in Fate’s Direction


A pleasant composition of sound was winding its way to her ears. Deep, impassioned notes flowed and clashed together to form the melodic tune of Beethoven’s Fifth. She chased the sound through the blooming fields of lavender to its source, and found that it was coming from a tulip.

‘Wait, that isn’t right,’ something in her mind whispered to her. ‘Music doesn’t come bursting out of flowers, but that song does come out of….’

“My phone!” Just like that Maddie’s dreams of dancing daises was over. Reality crashed into her sleep-clogged mind, rapidly sending her half-woken body catapulting to the floor. Cussing and kicking the blankets wrapped around her legs she reached up and snagged her cell from the nightstand.

“What!?” Maddie croaked viciously into the receiver.

“Maaaaadeeee,” whined a voice that originated from another continent. “Momma said that you can’t talk to me that way.”

“Good thing she isn’t here to listen,” Maddie mumbled in reply, her head thumping back in resignation.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing Envy. What do you want?”

I just wanted to call and invite you to my...well our welcome home party. Richard and I will be returning from our honeymoon in just a week.”

“You’re throwing your own welcome home party?” Maddie couldn’t hide the disbelief in her voice. Even if she would have tried, which she didn’t.

“Well…my errant sister slash bridesmaid hasn’t offered to do it for me.”

“Okay Evie, there are so many things wrong with what you just said. But let me remind you of two quick facts.”

“What?” Evie snapped back.

“One, I am in London remember. Went to Scotland came to England, heading back to Scotland…wont be home for months.”

“Oh yeah you’re doing you’re…what was it again?”

“Book, Evie, I am writing my book. But besides that, it’s what..” Maddie paused to push herself up and squint at the alarm clock. “Good Lord Evie! It is three o’clock in the morning here.”

“I forgot about the time change...shoot me”

‘Don’t tempt me.’ Maddie thought.

“Anyway, I think it is well past time you stopped chasing after these childish dreams of yours. You should come home and try and concentrate on finding yourself a man Maddie. You know, Momma agrees with me, she thinks you’re way to old to be traipsing about the world…”

“Stuff it Evie, I am going to bed. Bye.”

With that Maddie slammed her phone shut and tossed in the general direction of the bed. ’Screw you and your mamma to!’ Maddie thought. Thus satisfied with her snide yet somewhat witty remark she pulled the remaining covers off the bed and promptly fell asleep on the floor.
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King’s Station was packed, a proverbial sea of people coming in waves but never receding back. This is what the sleep deprived Maddie fought her way through in a desperate attempt to reach platform ten. She had exactly 11 minutes to get to the platform board, board the train, stow her carry-on, and sit. It didn’t seem much, but when it was only one’s second time on a train getting the task done in under fifteen minutes looked daunting.

‘Oh for heaven’s sake,’ Maddie thought irritably as she was once again shoved aside. ’I thought the British were supposed to be unfailingly polite.’

Seeing the platform number just ahead she brought all of her American nature to the front and plowed through the people standing between her and her destination. The seconds ticked by in what felt like minutes as she was jostled this way and that. She did her fair share of jostling, mind you, and was finally making progress. When a large man came barreling at her from behind shoving her towards the wall.

Maddie had exactly one second to think, ’Oh hell’, before closing her eyes against the approaching impact with the wall. Only the pain she braced herself to feel never came.

Instead it felt as if she had brushed through a spider wed, a sensation so unexpected that Maddie’s eyes flew open in surprise. Just in time to see the floor meet her face…for the second time that day.

“Oh dear, are you alright?” A kind female voice clucked above her.

Maddie stared up from her undignified position, smiled and pushed herself to her knee’s.

“Yeah, I think I am alright. A little bruised.” The woman helped Maddie up from the floor and began to fuss over her with sincere concern. She brushed some dust from Maddie’s jacket, helped her gather her things, and then kindly pointed her in the right direction. Before waving good-bye and hustling away.

The little, red-haired woman was so kind, and Maddie’s day so harrowing that she forgot all about the weird events preceding her fall. She just raced up to the man calling for departure, hefted her carry-on into the train car and raced down the crowded isles to find an empty booth.

‘Thank God I made it!’ was Maddie’s mantra of the moment.
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‘There was something seriously wrong with this train’ Maddie thought to herself as she stared out her door window at the children bustling by.

First and foremost this didn’t seem to be the smooth, fast, train she had ridden from Edinburgh to London on. If anything it jumbled about like one would expect an old-western steam engine to do. Maddie could just envision cowboy hat-wearing, horse-ridding, gun-slinging robber racing past her train car in an attempt to reach the engine.

Secondly, the scenery just seemed…off. Where as before she had passed not only slopping green-hills, but national landmarks as well. Now there was only a vast, unending stretch of emerald green grass. Nary a house, nor station, nor town was to be seen. And although Maddie was willing to accept that there was most likely more than one route to and from Scotland and England…

‘Hell,’ Maddie thought crossly. “What do I know? I am just tired…nothing more, nothing less.’
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“What do you mean she has a ticket to muggle Scotland?” Professor Remus Lupin asked?

“Jus’ what I said sir.” the harried looking ticket master replied. “She came a rushin’ up ‘em stairs into the train. Handed me ‘her ticket and rushed off. She looked like she knew what she was doin’, so’s I didn’t bother to look ‘till just a few moments ago. And when I saw she had this muggle ticket I came straight to you!”

“Of course Coachman, I don’t blame you.” Remus sighed rubbing his fingers through his fading brown hair. “But you do realize what this means, don’t you? We have a muggle on the train to Hogwarts.”

“Not necessarily sir.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the ways I look sees it she most likely a witch who bought the wrong ticket. She didn’t look like she was from ‘round here.” Coachman began reasonably. “I mean, she has to be a witch to get through the barrier don’t she?”

“One would suppose so, still it is for the best that I find her and get her explanation.” Remus looked at the many cars that stretched between him and the end of the train. “You wouldn’t to have happened to have seen where she went did you?”

“No sir, I didn’t.” Coachman replied looking at the same view as the professor.

“Just as well,” Remus smiled reassuringly at Coachman. “I will handle this. No need for concern.”

“Thank you kindly sir.”

So it was the Remus Lupin began the arduous task of searching for one young women among a flood of children. His only hope was that this mysteriously lady was every bit as unique as John Coachman made her out to be.
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Kay so that is the First Chappie...What do you guys think?
In other words..don't be shy! Review!