It all started out like a normal day at New Haven High. The day started out beautiful, with the bluest of blue skies and sunshine that stretched across the whole campus. I should have known it couldn't last.

"Come on outside, everyone, I've got something to show you all." It was my Government teacher, yelling at all us sophomores to come out and see some new relic he'd discovered.

I got up from my desk and walked out into the backyard to see my teacher kneeling by the roots of a gnarled old oak tree. We were supposed to be learning about the law in his class. Instead, he taught us about ancient artifacts, a bit of archaeology, some Alchemy, and about the world of Divergent. Needless to say, his was my favorite class.

"What are you going to teach us about today, Mr. R?" one of my classmates asked. In return for all the stories and knowledge he gave us, we had to promise not to ask him his real name. It was a small price to pay for such a great class.

"Today, you're going to be taking part in a demonstration," he said.

"What kind of demonstration?"

"In ancient times, elderly trees like this one were held with the utmost respect. The people of those times performed certain rituals to avoid angering these plants. So today, I'm going to be using this tree as an example, to show you all how people back then made sure that their trees wouldn't one day... turn on them.

"It is said that trees have feelings, and are as sentient as the rest of us. However, they do differ from us in one key way: the older a tree gets, the more powerful it is said to become, and therefore the more dangerous it is to civilization. So, I've decided to show you just how to care for an old tree like this. If you follow my instructions exactly, we should have no trouble. But be warned-- fail to do exactly as I tell you, and you will all be in grave danger."

I looked around, and could see that no one looked particularly nervous. We were all used to Mr. R trying to scare us, so one little story wasn't enough to get us shaking in our boots. But there was still one question I had to ask.

"Sir, why are you telling us all this? It doesn't really matter, does it? Why put us in danger if there's no reason too?"

"Ah, Ms. Lunar, I see where you're going with this. You think that leaving these trees alone will keep you safe. Well, I'm sorry to say that you're mistaken there. Even though accidentally messing up while caring for it can cause the tree to attack, not doing anything at all only prolongs the inevitable. It's best to interact with the trees before they decide to take the initiative."

I was still a bit confused. Eyeing the tree he had picked, it was quite obvious the reason he said this one could be dangerous; its gnarled branches and ominous appearance were a bit out of the ordinary. But still... it was just a tree, right? It looked just as stationary as all the others around it.

"Who would like to go first?"

Everyone looked around, hoping that someone other than them would volunteer. But no one did.

"No one? Alright then, how about... Ms. Lunar. Step forward, please, and take off your shoes."

A bit wary, I obeyed, slipping off my sneakers. I felt like a bit of an idiot, standing there in my socks, but I didn't want to risk 'angering the tree', did I?

"Your socks, too," Mr. R said.

Grumbling a bit, I slipped off my socks, stuffing them inside my shoes. "Happy now?" I asked.

"It's not about my happiness, Ms. Lunar, it's about the tree's happiness."

I was starting to wonder what Mr. R's true motives were. We all knew he loved a good story, but he had never taken it this far. He seemed so... serious.

"Alright, now using your right hand, reach out and touch the tree."

"Okay..." I said, reaching out. I could hear my friends sniggering as I stood there, barefoot, petting the bark of an old tree.

"Good, good! Now... climb it!"

"Climb it? Are you insane?" I asked him. I didn't know how to climb a tree, and the last thing I needed was to slip and break my neck.

"Just do it," he said.

To avoid the staring eyes of my classmates, I obediently wrapped my hands around the trunk of the tree and swung myself up onto the lowest branch.

"Careful... steady...."

Suddenly, I felt a lurch beneath me. The branch was... moving?

"Interesting..." Mr. R muttered. "But I suppose this was what I was expecting."

"What are you talking about?" I exclaimed. "What's going on?!"

"Everybody, inside!" Mr. R yelled above the panicked voices of my friends. "Except for you, Ms. Lunar. You stay where you are."

"Oh, right, because I was going inside to throw a party."

"No time for sarcasm, Ms. Lunar. Brace yourself."

The minute the last of my classmates disappeared inside the school, Mr. R rushed up to me. I could feel the tree's sharp branches cutting a fine line across my cheek, so precise it was as if that was what it meant to do. Blood was dripping out of the cut at an alarming rate, and the pain I felt was unearthly. How could such a thin scratch cause so much pain?

Just as I was about to scream out in pain and terror, I saw a blinding flash of light and heard a single word: "Expelliarmus!"

I felt the tree drop me, but something still wasn't right. Clouds were obscuring the sky, and the atmosphere felt more ominous than it had before. All I could see through the suddenly very thick fog was Mr. R... brandishing a wand.

"Come on, Skye, we have to get out of here," he said.

"Wait... but... what... wand... what?!?!"

"No time to explain. We've got to start moving!"

"Well, at least explain as we're moving!"

"Fine, but first, take this. Sycamore with a dragon core, 12 3/4 inches, unyielding. Your Pottermore wand, correct?"

He threw me a shaft of wood, and immediately I felt a warmth spread out from my fingers, travel through the wood, and before my eyes a shower of blue and bronze sparks was emitted.

"Thank Merlin Ollivander had one in stock. It chose you, right? Good, let's go."

"What's going on?"

"All in good time, Ms. Lunar. First, I believe I should tell you my real name... or have you guessed it already?"

"I haven't a clue," I said, puzzled. What did his name have to do with anything?

"Think back," he said. "What have I taught you thus far?"

"Well, about artifacts, which reminded me a bit of Harry Potter... and about Alchemy... Divergent.... Wait a second... Professor Rubedo?!"

"The one and only," he said.

"But... Hogwarts is Here... it can't be... real?"

"Yes, it is. We set up that online school hoping that of all the Harry Potter fans, some of you possessed true magical talent. And it seems some of you did. We've suspected you from the first day you made an account, Skye, so I was tasked with getting a job at your school to keep an eye on you. We were going to wait until you were older to induct you into our world, as you were already getting all your teaching on that Muggle Inter-weby thing, but certain... circumstances... have arisen. It was too dangerous to wait any longer."

"Professor, what do you mean by... circumstances?" I was starting to feel really nervous, and a bit sick to my stomach.

"The thing that just attacked you? That was a member of the Arborem Monstrum, a race of tree-golems that are bent on the destruction of the entire Wizarding World. They can sense magic in humans, which is why I asked you to go up the tree. I wanted to make sure you really were a witch before we reached out to you."

"Why didn't my Hogwarts letter arrive when I was 11, then?" I asked.

"Not important. There are different rules in America... wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey, not important. The point is, the Arborem Monstrum want to destroy all Wizardkind before we can destroy them, because as of right now, we're the only ones with the capabilities to do so."

"But... why me? If this was all some sort of test, why was I the only one you tested? Anybody here could be a witch or wizard!"

"Yes, but you were the only one with a Hogwarts is Here account. However, there is one other... and we need to fetch her. Come with me."

Professor Rubedo had already been walking so fast I could barely keep up with him, but now that he had picked up the pace I was lagging behind even more. I ran to catch up, wondering who the other witch in the school was. Did I know her, whether on the site or in real life? Was she in as much danger as me? And was I even ready for all this?

"Wait a second Professor... is this all some sort of joke? Because if it is, it's not funny."

He gave me a stern glare. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

He didn't.