This story occurs during the time covered by the second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This fan fiction takes place near the beginning of the school year. However, the characters and setting that appear in this fan fiction are from other Harry Potter books, particularly books five through seven, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In order to enjoy this story fully, you should read all of these other books first.
HARRY POTTER, characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J. K. Rowling. All rights reserved. All uses of material subject to these copyrights on this site are used without permission. All material presented here is intended solely for the enjoyment of the reader and is not authorized for copy or resale.
James E. Pettis, April 2008
The student approached the door with interest. It was her first week at Hogwarts, and she hadn’t yet had the opportunity to examine the knocker up close when it was speaking. A prefect had been leading the previous times she had returned to the common room. This was her first attempt at entering without assistance. She lifted the bronze knocker, shaped (inappropriately, she thought) like an eagle, and let it fall.
A resounding KNOCK boomed forth, and immediately the beak of the eagle opened. “What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs at night?” it asked in a surprisingly soft, chime-like voice.
“An Ambulatory Diurnal Mandrake,” responded the student promptly in a very matter-of-fact way.
“A...what?” the eagle sputtered, or would have if it had the proper anatomy.
“An Ambulatory Diurnal Mandrake,” she repeated more slowly.
“Such a creature does not exist,” responded the eagle.
“But…,” the student began.
“And even if it did,” continued the knocker, “that is not the correct answer to the question.”
“But…,” she tried once again.
“Moreover,” pronounced the eagle, “it is customary to provide an explanatory answer so that I can ascertain that you actually possess understanding. It would be derelict for me to permit entrance to anyone who happened to make a lucky guess.”
HARRY POTTER, characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J. K. Rowling. All rights reserved. All uses of material subject to these copyrights on this site are used without permission. All material presented here is intended solely for the enjoyment of the reader and is not authorized for copy or resale. To fully enjoy this story, the reader should be in possession of the book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling.
Any and all copyright priveleges not belonging to the aforementioned, including the entirety of this web site design and content, are Copyright © 2007-2008 by James E. Pettis
