[HPxEnchanted Forest] ficlet: In Which Cimorene Becomes a Professor
-----In Which Cimorene Becomes a Professor-----
Dumbledore, true to his nature, used strange ways to locate his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher every year. Some say the position was cursed, hence why professors who took the position never lasted long.
However, when a strange, tall woman dropped out of the air in front of him during his latest search, even Dumbledore was surprised.
She was wearing dreary, gray clothing with rolled-up sleeves and held dirty rags in her hands. But despite the state of her clothing, she sported a gleaming, golden crown on top of her head of long, midnight black hair.
Dumbledore ran a hand through his beard.
“Who might you be?” he asked, for he had never seen her before and he knew plenty of wizarding folk.
The woman righted herself as she glanced around the dark tavern where she had fallen.
“I’m Cimorene,” she declared. “Or actually, Princess Cimorene of Linderwall, but just Cimorene will do.” She glanced at him. “Have you even heard of Linderwall before? I have a feeling I’m in a strange place.”
“Why, I believe you are, for very rarely are there princesses and princes nowadays. Our own minister is elected by the people. And you are right that I have never heard of Linderwall,” he replied jovially.
“A world without princesses and princes?” marveled Cimorene. “I’d like that!”
She took the seat that the kindly old man offered her. However, when she took in the robes that the old man was wearing, a question tumbled right out of her mouth.
“You’re not a wizard, are you?”
The old man’s eyes twinkled.
“How rude of me that I haven’t properly introduced myself while I’ve already heard your lovely name! I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,” he replied.
Cimorene scooted back an inch, as her previous experiences with wizards weren’t very good. But her mind very quickly wrapped around what Dumbledore had just said, for she was indeed very clever. If the Sorting Hat ever had a chance to sort her, it would most likely put her in Ravenclaw. Slytherin would also have been a good choice, except for the fact that she lacked ambition. All she wanted from life was to be able to be a normal person who could live her life however she wanted.
“A school for witches…and wizards? They study together?” she asked, thinking of how she’d never find Morwen and Zemenar studying magic together.
Somehow, Dumbledore’s presence felt entirely unlike that of Zemenar’s. Cimorene had never met a kind wizard before. They talked more about their worlds (she even learned that the dragons of this world were incapable of speech. It was absurd!) and that magic had become largely part of a hidden community.
“Have I been transported into the future?” she wondered at one point. She liked the place, despite all the restrictions on magic. Here, princesses didn’t matter and witches and wizards learned side-by-side. If she had been born here, she wouldn’t have had to run away from home to escape her duties of being a princess.
Their lively conversation eventually died down, and Dumbledore asked the question that he had been meaning to ask since the beginning.
“Will you be willing to accept the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts?”
Cimorene only knew a few basic spells (she didn’t know if they worked the same way in this world) but she knew just the right way to dispose of dark wizards. Soapy water with some lemon in it worked like a charm!
And so, she accepted the position.
Cimorene ended up living on the edge of the Forbidden Forest next to Hogwarts, for the proximity of the forest reminded her a lot of her own home next to the Enchanted Forest. It made her feel safe, though also somewhat nostalgic for her friends back home. Dumbledore had reassured her that the entire arrangement would only be for a year until he found his next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, so she supposed it wasn’t so bad. Meanwhile, she was determined to find a way back home.
-----the end-----
I think I should practice speed-writing more.
Here's my measly word count for November: