Disclaimer: Neither Kagumi or Bridget own anything related to the Harry Potter series, other than the stuff they've bought and the ideas they come up with. Original characters and most of the situations presented, however, they do own.

Story Summary: When two girls make a wish, their whole world changes. Dropped in a universe where the world of Harry Potter is real, before the Marauders were torn apart, will they try to change everything or let nature run its course? And what happens when they learn that they're supposed to be there?

Prologue: Can't Fool Me

"Beginnings are often scary, endings are often sad, but it's the middle that counts. You should remember that when you find yourself at the beginning." - Steven Rogers

"But… Rick!" the young man whined; he knew his grandfather hated the sound. One of the shadowy figures in the corners sniggered and robes rustled as bodies shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

There was a heavy sigh. "No, Cordan," came the weary response from the shadows. "When I say 'no,' I mean it. You seem to be having trouble with the idea, so I'll say it once more. No!"

In a chair sat a man easily reminiscent of a lion. He was a formidable man, with a silver-streaked mane of tawny hair, suntanned skin and a posture that screamed pride, but it was tempered by the kind blue eyes set beneath his dark brows. Now, though, he seemed exhausted, as if the constant debates were wearing him down. He looked down at his grandson, who was kneeling before him rather dramatically; it was a gesture he'd not seen in a few hundred years.

The boy leaned forward, clasping his hands together in a pleading gesture. "Please, Grandfather."

There was a moment where the older man seemed to be giving it some thought, but he still shook his head negatively. "No." He held up a hand, eyes sober and unrelenting, to stem the arguments everyone knew was coming. "We've got too many to deal with as is, Cor, and it's just not nice to mess around with people's lives!" The man's voice resounded with authority, telling the young man that there would be repercussions if he was disobeyed; it was a voice many politicians would have killed for.

"Mum," Cordan appealed, turning to the man's favored daughter. "It's not fair!"

"Oh, Daddy, let Cordan have his chance."

He glowered at his daughter, who had ignored the argument better than anyone else in the room. "No, Maura, the boy isn't grown enough."

Aside from the family, there was a black haired, gray streaked woman in a yellow dress. A woman in deep blue robes sat in a chair near the fire, her white hair glinting red in the dim, flickering light. A few others loitered around the outskirts of the room, namely two more in yellow, another in the same deep red that Godric, Maura, and Cor shared, three other women in blue, and, in the fair corner, one young man in deep green robes.

The first woman in blue smiled softly, gently amused by the family tiff. "Godric, stop being a prude; the boy is old enough and you very well know it. We should at least look into the idea; they could be the ones we're looking for."

"Rowena, be quiet." At her indignant glare, he added, "I'm sorry, but I just don't want Cordan messing around with innocent lives. He doesn't know what consequences guiding other realms can have. After all, I don't presume to tell you how to do your job."

She paused for a moment, hand covering her grin. "Perhaps not, but it is an amusing idea."

Godric stared at her and huffed, ruffling some of his long, red-blond beard. "He doesn't understand."

The lone man in green sniffed derisively, earning glares from Godric and Maura. "What? Are you honestly telling me that you understand what messing with other realms does any more than Cor? We've had to destroy universes because of your mistakes!"

"Ram, don't." The woman in yellow rushed forward, putting herself between the two. "Please don't pick a fight. None of us really know the consequences, but we all have our orders. If Ri—Godric doesn't want his grandson to potentially ruin something that we're not told to mess with, then we should respect his wishes."

"Oh, yes," the younger man sneered. "Let's all bow down to Godric. After all, he's amazing and wonderful and we have to do everything he says! God, Helga, has he gotten to you too? Why don't we just kneel and worship the ground the almighty Godric Gryffindor spits on and—"

"That's enough." The voice cut through the bickering easily and there was the sharp slapping sound. When the shock wore off, Godric's hand was still outstretched and Ram was staring, red creeping up his neck. It was a huge insult, but Raminus refused to let Godric know how much it hurt.

"How dare you? I knew your father, Raminus, knew what he was capable of and overlooked it; I refuse to let the same mistake happen again!" His voice was barely above a low growl, but everyone in the room could hear it. In fact, everyone was so focused on Godric that no one noticed Cordan slip out through the small door by the third fire to the left. Raminus, however, did. He gave his friend another moment to escape before squaring his shoulders and walking stiffly from the room, looking past anyone he came across as if they weren't there. He sincerely hoped that the diversion Cordan had asked for was worth the shame it brought him.

Cordan Gryffindor leaned over the large, rune-covered bowl. His lips curved up into a smile as the sight he'd been waiting for all day appeared in front of him: two teenaged girls laughing together as they eagerly argued over a couple of books clad in green dust-jackets.

Search not for the famous Three, but ones of the previous degree:

Saviors two, bound to time and place unseen but through the fog of sleep.

A paragon of Light and a paragon of Grey shall leave their mark for good or naught.

If the Whole should fail, Darkness will prevail; should Darkness be shown his sins, a new world begins.

One girl turned to the other, a wistful expression on her heart-shaped face. "Merlin, Jet, I wish it were true. I—I wish I could just escape this world; I don't fit in here."

"Neither do I. Still, it's not real, no matter how much either of us wishes it was." She sighed. "Heavens above, life sucks."

The sound faded out and Cordan grinned; he'd heard everything he needed to. The smile grew larger, much like the cat that'd gotten the canary. He placed his hands on the brim of the bowl and peered into the endless depths. Grimacing, he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood and let precisely four drops fall into the silvery liquid. He added a few petals and a vial of azure liquid before speaking.

"So she speaks, so she intends and let it be done," a hoarse whisper spilled from his lips even as the images swirled together to show an unfamiliar expanse of marble stone. Unnoticed by the young man, the door leading to his small retreat clicked open and robes brushed the floor as a second person entered. "And that is their destination."

"What are you doing?" Raminus asked.

Cordan straightened up, trying to both look and sound innocent; it didn't work well, "Nothing much."

"Nothing much? Right. I've known you for nine hundred years, Cordan Gryffindor, and you're only my best friend. You can't fool me." Raminus crossed his arms over his chest. "You've taken things into your own hands, haven't you?"

"Well… yes."

Author's Notes: Well, there's the first part of Distinctus Inter Nos (DIN). We hope you enjoyed it. Please review if you read it.

08/04/09- Hey guys, Gumi here. We've re-edited all of the DIN chapters, trying to make the story a bit more...streamlined. Over the past few years, Jet and I have gotten much better at writing together, so the earlier chapters seem too choppy and nonsensical for our current style. So, they're getting a make-over. Go back and read, see if you can discern what's different. Enjoy, and don't worry, anything plot-essential is NOT, repeat NOT gone.

Next time:

"Right in what, exactly, Rowena?" Godric responded. He continued to scratch at the parchment with his quill. His voice held the tone of someone who had discussed the subject many times and was, quite frankly, rather tired of it. "The boy just wants something to do; he's not ready for the responsibility."

"Rowena has a point, Rick," a second woman said. She was wearing light yellow robes and carefully monitored one of the many mirrors used to keep track of the universes they were in charge of. "Besides, a little hard work never killed anyone. It would be good for him, as well as for Raminus."

Godric stopped writing, the sudden lack of the familiar scratching sound louder than anything he could have said. "What does Sal—Slytherin's boy have to do with this?"

"Cordan's no longer a child, my dear," she continued, giving him a sympathetic look, "you cannot protect him any longer. He isn't you and Raminus isn't Salazar. You must allow him to grow up." The woman paused for a moment, and then cracked a smile; the light lines in her deeply tanned face indicated that she smiled a lot. "Even if he is still dead. But still; Cordan won't make your mistakes; he'll make his own, love."