DISCLAIMER: I'M DOING THIS FOR FUN, NOT $$$.

Enjoy! This was a persistent little thing, written on a whim.

She peered through the rain, blinking a few raindrops out of her eyes.

The tent stood on the crest of the next hill; it's bright yellow and red stripes still visible through sheets of water pouring from the heavens. A bright blue flag was attached to the top, fluttering madly in the storm. The small caravans clustered on one side of the tent almost rocked with the power of the gale. Lightening flashed, making the lurid colors of the circus stand out against the angry grey sky and swirling grass.

Her momentary trance ending, she shivered. The persistent pouring had already soaked through her stolen coat, and her normally curly hair was slicked against her head with water.

She hurried through the long grass, faster than a walk but slower than a run, mentally praying.

Please, God. Please. Let them take me on.

She jumped over the small stream of water that had collected between the hills, and began walking up the hill the tent was perched on top of. The weight of the knapsack on her back made her pant slightly, although the exercise made her feel less chilled. The stalks of grass began thinning, and soon she stood ankle deep in mud, looking at the encampment.

A few of the cheery caravans had spluttering lanterns attached by the door, and light shone through many of the curtained windows. None of the cabins were identifiable in any way, besides the colors they were painted, and she had no idea who resided where. She turned her head to look at the large circus tent. Perhaps, she mentally debated, someone would be there. It would certainly feel less intrusive.

Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, she trotted to a small entrance flap on the side of the tent. Her numb fingers fumbled with the rope, and after a few seconds, she was able to pry it open. Runaway she was, she still had manners. She flicked the sludge off her shoes, and wrung out her dripping hair before pulling open the flap to allow herself inside.

The air was noticeably warmer, and she was able to re-tie the knot holding the door closed without much trouble. She turned around, hoping no one had seen her yet.

It was set up for a performance, the benches stood at attention around the circular ring. Posters bragging various achievements were attached to the undulating walls. It would've looked abandoned, were it not for the roaring fire in the middle the ring. Several people lounged around it, sitting or reclining. As far as she could tell, they weren't doing anything. It was decidedly odd, for them to all be sitting up around a fire in the early hours of the morning as a storm raged outside. Slowly, she approached them. The fire suddenly flashed purple, causing her to squeak in surprise and fall on her bottom.

Twenty eyes were suddenly trained on her as she picked herself off the floor.

"G-g-good evening. I'm sorry if I'm intruding on anything."

An ancient woman wrapped in dozens of scarves and scraps of fabric stood up from the pillow she had been sitting on. Beads rattled with this action, and she smiled a gap-toothed smile at the unexpected visitor.

"'Course not, dearie. We was just having a chat, is all. 'Sides, it's one hell of a storm brewing out there…as if he were the devil himself...poor trees, bending like that…" Her eyes refocused on the woman-child in front of her. "Can't fault you for wantin' to get some shelter." Her withered hand gestured for her to come closer. "Come closer. We won't bite."

She took a shy step forward, encouraged by the grandmotherly tone of voice the woman in front of her had. As she got closer to her, the woman grabbed her sleeve and tugged her closer to the fire and the people sitting around it.

"Harrino," she said, her voice booking no argument, "get the girlie a pillow, would you? And some blankets. If you're not too dirty from mucking about, you might even brew the poor chit a cup of tea."

A long, slender man with long and unruly hair stood up with reluctant elegance. He was dressed in nothing but a pair of loose pants and a white tank top. His feet were bare. Wildness and almost animalistic aggression radiated out of his every pore. Emerald green eyes flickered to her face, and she could tell, with absolute certainty, this man hated her. Another shiver coursed through her, this one originating in fear and not cold.

"Anything else, Ally?" he asked in a smooth rumble.

Ally, the woman in front of her, appeared unperturbed by his obvious hatred. "No. But," she suddenly scowled, "don't brew her that nasty African bollocks you gave him. Not if you don't want to end up like one of your pests."

She couldn't be certain, but she thought she saw a flicker of amusement pass through his face before he turned around a loped off. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw the fire flash green. Stop making things up!

Ally tsked, her hands patting down the sides of her arms and over her wet coat. "We need to get you out of this getup, girlie," she said, even as her teeth chattered. She was slightly surprised that the circus crone didn't remark at all on her indecent male wardrobe. Stop it, Hermione. You're at a circus, not a party of the ton.

"Lavender, come with me, will you?" Her sleeve was once again being tugged by Ally, toward the opposite end of the tent and away from the warmth of the fire. She lamented slightly at the loss.

The exotic girl with mocha-colored skin and blonde hair who had been embroidering stood up. Her expression was serene, her blue eyes and high cheek bones beautifully illuminated in the light of the fire.

"D'you want me to find something for her to wear, Ally?" she said to the old woman with obvious affection. Her eyes flitted toward Hermione, glowing with mild curiosity as she followed them across the tent. She noticed the girl was dressed in a fashionable empire waisted gown, the same color as her name, her wavy hair bound up in a ribbon that color as well.

"Of course. You screamed like a bloody banshee last time I went through your stash. Not gonna let you throw a tantrum like that again. Terrible, terrible…"

Hermione cringed at the easy profanity that seemed to constantly roll out of the elderly woman, as Lavender rolled her eyes.

"Went through is not the appropriate term, I think. Rampaged would fit much better."

Ally huffed. "I was in a hurry. And since you haven't got a understandable organization system-" They stopped in front of a cloth that covered an entrance. A dress-maker's dummy, a pair of scissors and a measuring tape were embroidered it, clearly marking this as the domain of Lavender the seamstress.

"Lavender, why don't you go in first. Get everythin' ready, won't you?" Ally said with a pleasant manner. Lavander gave a stiff nod, marching into the room. A few seconds later, the curtains rippled slightly and Hermione would've sworn she heard a loud 'pop!'.

"Come along, dearie. Musn't dilly-dally, or you'll catch a nasty chill tomorrow," Ally said as she almost dragged her through the lavender-covered doorway.

The room was huge. Racks of clothing stretched as far as the eye could see, and it was high-ceilinged, the clothes two sets on top of each other. A ladder on a rail went around the room, much like the libraries she knew to reach the higher set of clothes. Hermione was so astounded by the room's sheer magnitude, that she didn't question how circus folk could afford the clothes, or where the stored all of these things as they traveled. She could hear herself gasp quietly as she took in the gigantic room.

"This is amazing…"

Lavender turned to her, a small smile gracing her features. "Thank you. Now," she said, turning business like, "What shall we get you to wear?" Instead of looking at her, Hermione noticed, she looked over her shoulder at the considerably shorter Ally. The gypsy-like woman tapped her chin with a gnarled finger thoughtfully.

"One of those delicious flannel nightgowns, with a nice warm overcoat. Don't forget underthings, and some stockings as well, don't you think?"

Lavender nodded, and walked down one of the rows between the racks of clothing, her hair dancing behind her till she was out of sight.

Hermione turned to Ally. "How on earth is she ever going to find anything?"

Ally shrugged, "Don't be asking me, dearie," she said, her blue eyes twinkling. "The girl is magic."

Not a minute later, Lavender walked with brisk stride out of tunnel of attire. In one hand, she carried a folded baby blue nightgown, a dark green overcoat, and a thick knitted pair of golden wool stockings. In the other were a pair of red slippers. Hermione thought she might salivate just looking at the warm, dry things. Lavender gave a small smile and extended her arms, handing the clothing to Hermione.

"Here, you can get changed over there." She pointed to a small curtained-off square by the door. Hermione nodded and almost bolted into the changing room. As she shed her sopping clothes, she could hear mumbling as the two women talked.

"Ally, I know the girl is soaking wet and he's exerting his rage through this damn weather, but what are you thinking?" Lavender hissed, wringing her hands. "Not only letting her in, but she saw the fire, and now my wardrobe! What are we going to do with her? Yes, yes, I know, we can Obliviate her, but really! We should take more caution, the way we have the Ministry breathing down our necks…"

The old woman didn't seem to be affected by the tirade of the younger. Her expression remained tranquil as she sank down onto a small stool.

"Dearie, really. After the last escapade," she said the word with clear distaste, "I really won't make such a mistake again." Her hands began toying with one of the strands of beads that were tied to her skirt. "I saw the girl coming, you know. She's one of us."

Some of the rage-induced flush left Lavender's cheeks, and she also took a seat on a chair. "You saw her coming? It must have been important then."

Ally's sky-colored blue eyes became hard. "More important than you know. She's going to affect all of them. Harrino, Voldemort, Malfoy…But now we mustn't speak of such things. She'll be coming out soon."

They sat in silence for a minute, Ally gazing off into nothingness and Lavender straightening non-existent wrinkles on her dress. Suddenly, Ally turned, looking at Lavender with a fierce expression.

"She's going to affect him, you know. He'll fancy her, oh he will. But he's a still just a boy. Don't let it deter you. If you do what's right, his heart will be in your hands at the end. Just don't be challenging the girl till she's trained, promise me?"

Her mocha-colored skin visibly several shades paler, Lavender started at the Seer with surprise. Ally reached out and gripped her hand. "Promise me?" she said vehemently.

Lavender swallowed, giving a terse "I promise."

When Hermione came out, she felt much better, although she still shivered a bit. Her hair was starting to curl, and she had combed it a bit with her fingers in front of the dressing room mirror. Her pants, coat, shirt and knapsack were held in one hand, and in the other she held her water-proof boots. They had been a treasure, nicked from the stables just before leaving. She had been astounded that she hadn't been caught.

Ally and Lavender were both sitting in chairs and looking at her as she came out of the room.

"Much better now, isn't it, dearie?" Ally said cheerily.

"Yes. I can't begin to thank you enough." Hermione said, blushing.

"Let me take your clothes," Lavender said. "I'll put them with the laundry." She placed her clothes into Lavender's waiting hands. As she walked away, Hermione turned to Ally.

"Don't mind her, dearie. Let's just go to the fire an' introduce you to the others now, shall we? I'll take a brush, and we can brush your hair by the fire, it'll dry nice and fast." Ally once again tugged her sleeve till they were by the blazing bonfire in the middle of the tent again, and all the curious eyes trained on her. Resigning herself, she realized that these people had already seen her in pants, and an overcoat was considerably less revealing.

She took a deep breath, and sat down gingerly on the pillow Ally said Harrino had brought for her. In front of it was a tray holding a plate of biscuits and a crude mug filled with violently yellow, steaming liquid. Hermione picked it up, wrapping her fingers around the toasty cup, and took at tentative sip. It taste like honey and oranges. Pleasantly surprised, she took a larger sip, and turned to Harriano.

"This is delicious. Thank you," she said, forcing herself to be polite.

He just stared at her with his jewel-like eyes, and then got up and went to sit with a pair of dark-skinned twins and Lavender. She turned back to Ally, her name sounding exactly like the thing Hermione found in her. The woman turned her head and began gently pulling the brush through her locks.

"Those two over there, with the insanely long black hair, those are the Patil twins. From India, you know. Our exotic dancers, a real treasure. The bloke with the red hair is Ronald Weasly, he's stable master. He and Harrino, you've already met him, he's the lion tamer, are real close. Huge, greasy bat over there all alone is Mr. Snape. He's with us selling his tinctures. Those two other fellows with the red hair are the Weasly twins, wonderful clowns, they're talking to Lee, who's also a clown, and Hagrid, our strong-man."

Hermione listened as the woman rattled on, storing this as valuable information for later. The brush made soothing strokes through her drying hair.

"Colin Creevy, he does all the brochures, posters and the like, he's talking to McGonagall. She's the illusionist, you won't believe what she can pull off. Hannah Abbot, Katie Bell, and Cho Chang, they're some of our acrobats. They're talking to the black haired one, Sirius Black, our ringmaster. There's more, but they're not all here now, dearie, and I'm sure you'll get to know them all quickly, won't you?"

Hermione turned to her, unable to stop a sensation of hope from welling up.

"Do you mean," she asked breathlessly, "I can stay with you?"

"Sure you can. Long as you're willing to learn a trade and such." Ally said with a dry look at her pale, lady-like hands.

"Of course I will," Hermione said quickly, clenching her fingers into fists.

Ally nodded thoughtfully. "We'll see who to put you with tomorrow. You're probably tired, dearie. I know where you can sleep. Put on those boots of yours and wait for me by the door."

Hermione did as instructed, and Ally came back carrying a huge water-proof tarp. "Get under this," she said, with a motion of her head to indicate behind her. She did as she was told, lifting her hands above her head to hold it up as they hurried out into the turbulent storm. They walked quickly, and Ally lead her up the steps of a green-blue carvan with a moon painted on the door. She walked inside, and pulled Hermione in after her before slamming the door shut, abandoning the water-proof covering outside.

"Ginevra," Ally said loudly. "I have a visitor for you."

This was spontaneous, but I just adore the idea. It's purely for fun, and ANY suggestions are very welcome. Please don't expect regular updates, but the more reviews I get, the more likely it is that the update pace quickens. So if you've read this, leave a review, good or bad, please!

In case you haven't realized, Ally is Dumbledore in female fore. Albus=Ally.