"What the..." she muttered.
All around her, people in brightly covered robes bustled to their locations. Each wore a high-pointed hat. And even stranger, owls swooped and dived everywhere in the sky.
She rubbed her eyes, hoping to make this vision go away. But everything about it felt real.
She stood there in the middle of the sidewalk, feeling out of place with all of these peculiar people. They stared at her while they passed; likely because she was the only one not wearing robes.
A finger gently tapped her back. "Hello. Er. Just making sure, but are you a muggle?"
Her eyes opened wide. "A what? Like from Harry Potter?"
"Oh, you are a muggle." He shook his head, disappointed.
"Umm... No, I'm not. I'm a witch."
"Well, I don't believe you," he said.
"I think that's rude of you," she said with what she hoped was a threatening glare.
"OK, well obviously you're a muggle so..." He reached to grab his wand.
"No! Hold on, don't erase my memory. I have questions to ask," she quickly said, hoping that she could somehow keep these memories.
The man tapped his foot impatiently, indecisive about what to do. "OK. But, I'll obliviate you afterwards."
She couldn't believe her luck, she had never actually believed that would work. Her only problem would be to somehow evade the memory charm.
The two of them walked to a nearby shop and sat down. The walls were wooden and definitely not thick enough to hold up the roof. But then again, they had magic. Trinkets and toys of all types whistled, beeped, honked, and generally made too much noise around them. Wizards and witches sat in chairs set in neat rows, eating food that was surprisingly no different than muggle food.
"OK. Well, make it quick, because I have to get to the Ministry soon."
She hadn't actually prepared what to ask. But luckily, it wasn't too hard of a task. "Umm. Did Vol--I mean. Did You-Know-Who actually exist?"
"Yes. And it's fine, you can call him Voldemort. We got over that after a few years."
Her eyes opened wide. "Really? How did that happen?"
"Well, let's just put it this way--we found a new Voldemort."
She scratched at her head--she definitely hadn't expected that. "Umm... Who is this new Voldemort?"
"We do not speak her name. And you do not ask about it," he said with a dark haze in his eyes, a stark contrast to the previous cheerfulness in which he had been.
"OK. What did she do?"
He slammed his fist into the table, rattling the dishes and causing the other wizards and witches to peer curiously at the two of them. "I told you--We don't speak of her!"
She recoiled backwards in her seat, knowing she had made a mistake. He would erase her memory right here on the spot and that would be the end of it all.
He took a deep, shaky breath and said, "I apologize. She has brought much trouble to our world--muggles everywhere. The ministry has had to work overtime every day for the last twenty years." He wiped a trembling hand over his face, washing away the look of anger. "I will grant you a final question."
This was the one she wanted to know the most. "Is this like Harry Potter? You know, by J.K. Rowling?"
Everyone near her jolted in their seats. He screamed in rage, covering his ears, and shouted, "I told you never to say her name!"
