Harry stood on the battlements atop a tower, hackles raised as he looked up at the strange land in the sky. It had been almost two months since the defeat of DarkCraig and since that time, the sun had not shone. Most of the Digidestined found this tough as they had once had a similar experience right before their final fights. Now, at midnight on the 24th of December, Harry still felt unease at the sight.

After a few minutes, Harry felt a hand on his shoulder. "Hello Sara."

Sara stood next to Harry, following his gaze. "I think it looks pretty."

Harry turned to her, "Pretty?"

"It looks close enough that we could build a bridge and just walk there. Almost like… that new book, Northern Lights? Did you read it?"

Harry shook his head.

"See, toward the end there was a city in the Northern Lights and a man built a bridge to it and this girl who had just lost her friend crossed it into another world… But then it ended." Sara looked out at the strange land. "If only we could go there, what would it be like? Would we find people like us, or…?"

A few hours and kilometers away, a haggard man entered the Forbidden Forest. Where his golden hair was once kept tied back neatly, the now brown hair hung free, covering his scarred face. The man wore a tattered travelling cloak that concealed a sword belt containing a Daito. If anyone was watching, they would barely give him a second look. Those that did would notice rippling muscles and the ease with which he carried his sword and body. If the wind caught his hair just so, the observer would notice kind brown eyes tinged with worry and anticipation. However, everyone knew to stay away and Dudley Dursley entered without anyone noticing. When he gave Harry his last message, he wandered among muggle settlements, secretly leaving protection or stopping problems as he went on. At last, it was time to return.

Dudley had never been in the Forest, yet he walked through the trees without fear, going on what his cousin had told him of the forest. He knew the dangers and where to stay clear so as morning fell, Dudley had at last found a place to sleep, hanging a handmade hammock above two trees near a clearing. Exhausted, he tried to fall asleep.

A minute later, he was fully awake, listening to a set of footsteps approaching. As he saw who they belonged to, Dudley grinned, keeping still as to avoid discovery. Hagrid the Groundskeeper was carrying a large haunch of Dudley knew not over to where he watched. Then, the man set it down on a stump. Dudley wanted to sigh in relief but waited. Unfortunately, Hagrid looked up at that moment and saw Dudley.

"How di'ja get 'ere?"

Dudley sighed before drawing his sword and slitting one of the hammock's ropes, falling to the ground and landing at his feet. "How did you find me?" He asked, sword at Hagrid's massive throat.

"Dudley?"

Though Dudley liked the man, he pushed his sword harder against the neck, "I asked you how you noticed me!"

"I jes looked up, th' sky is so strange."

Dudley sighed and sheathed his sword. "It is good to be back again. I needed to return by Christmas."

Hagrid stared at the man, remembering seven years ago when he had given Dudley a pig's tail because the then boy was acting like a pig. Now he was a kind man who had been forced on the run due to someone else's war. "Apparently there was a fight some time ago. It was storming that day but when it stopped, the sky looked like… like tha'." Hagrid pointed at the Aurora.

"Ah, so they won. I am glad we weren't needed."

Hermione swung from tree to tree, a feat that should be impossible for a woman that had only one good arm. The other was starting to break down, the flesh streaked with metal. Hermione had been pursuing a lead on a Horcrux in Albania, learning of a man who had found a crown and another who had died. Now, she was headed back to Scotland, however she was not going to make it to Hogwarts by Christmas. Sighing, she leafed through her bag before pulling out a portrait of a strange man. "Alright you." She said, talking to the portrait. Unlike most portraits and paintings, this was a magical one so Hermione was not shocked when the head swiveled and looked at her.

"So you let me out?"

"I can't be seen talking to a picture."

"So what do you want this time?"

"How many days are there until Christmas?"

Phineas Nigelus was now used to the bossy woman's orders, the strange request getting nothing more than a snort from him. "It's the 24th of December."

Hermione set the portrait on a forked branch before setting herself across from it. Though she didn't care for the man, she felt like giving him a present. "Thank you for your help. If I wasn't wanted by both Muggle and Wizarding police, I wouldn't have had to sneak into Sirius' house and grab you."

Though he was nervous to ask, Phineas figured he would try his luck, "Why do we want you?"

"Well, I didn't show up to school and I'm Muggle-Born."

"Ah, so you've been on the run. But why do the Muggles want you?"

"I'm not an adult in their society until I'm 18 and I had to break out of a hospital where I was admitted for having a mangled arm. If the police catch me, I'd be forced back to the hospital and that's dangerous for me and my family."

"So where are we?"

"I've been here on a vacation before so I recognize it. We're in the Forest of Dean."

"Hmmmm."

Hermione's expression turned dark. "And you know what I'll do to you if you tell anyone!" After the threat was issued, she sighed and rubbed her face. "I'm sorry. For some reason, I feel angrier than usual nowdays. I hope it isn't because of Hermes."

"Who is Hermes? I've heard that name before as well as another one, Yami?"

Hermione thought for a moment. "Even if you told anyone this, I doubt it would do any harm." The woman lifted her cloak, tossing it back to expose the left arm. She then turned to show Phineas the damaged arm.

"What happened? And what is with that sword?"

Hermione reached over and picked up the portrait, holding it close to the arm so the man inside it could see that the sword was going through her flesh. After a minute, she set the picture back in the fork before speaking up. "Last year I went with some friends to try to find some who had gone missing. Along the way, more went missing until I was the one leading a group that had fewer people. After a long adventure, we parted ways, me going with others we had found while the rest of my group went back to school. Soon after the split, I was transported to another world. There, I was asked to find The Blade of Split Soul, a sword that was supposed to point the way to the world's savior. I should have said no…"

"But you went looking for it."

"But I went looking for it. Armed with the warning to not look for it too hard, I searched and eventually found it in a blast crater. When I touched it, it tried to permanently attach itself to my arm. For some reason, it only tried on my left arm. The contact broke the bones in my left hand so I just shoved the sword into my belt and walked back to the person who asked me to retrieve it…"

"And then?"

"Well the person said that I had found it and then said I must be tired. Well at that moment I felt tired and followed the person's advice, I couldn't do anything else. When I woke up…"

Hermione turned away while Phineas waited. Finally, he couldn't contain himself. "When you woke up?" He prodded.

Hermione turned back to him and the man saw her eyes filled with tears for the first time that he knew of. "When I woke up, the blade was fully attached to my arm. Somehow I managed to save that world when I set the tip of the blade in a lake shortly after waking up and then I opened a portal by slashing at the sky. The next thing I knew, I was sprawled on the ground and the people who were with me before I was pulled in were asking me about some fight. The doctor of the group, Thomas decided to amputate my arm as the wrist and hand were like they are now. So we tried that but after it had been castrated, these gold threads shot forward and reconnected the arm. Then the blade started going through my arm. After that, something possessed me and forced me to kill a friend, or so I thought. Not wanting to cause any more harm, I put the blade through my own heart. However, I found myself in a hallway with three doors. There were chains on one, another had books, and the last had a table with the same person who had started me on this quest. He told me a bit about the sword and then I woke up unable to move my wrist or elbow…" Once again, she broke off, this time shoving Phineas in her bag. He opened his mouth to complain when he noticed that the arm was now covered and that he could hear some noise. "Quiet."

After a bit of movement, he heard Hermione speaking in a low voice, "I don't know if you can hear me but I'm sorry about that. I'm trying to get higher so I can talk freely but you won't be able to come out. I don't know if this was an accident or if someone is following me. You may want to go back for a minute or two just in case." At this, Phineas used a special ability that only some portraits had and slipped from one painting to another.

Severus Snape was having a horrible day. The Carrows were getting pushy, the sky, Potter, Longbottom, the recruitment graffiti for Potter's old gang without Potter being a part of it, maintaining his image of a loyal servant to the Dark Lord, Albus' harassment, and Phineas' last communiqué about being stolen from a wall at the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. However, his day got worse when Phineas appeared, the haughty look replaced by one of nervous worry. "Headmaster, she's in the Forest of Dean."

"Did you hear that Severus? You remember what to do?" the portrait of Albus Dumbledore asked.

"Yes Albus, I know." Snape said as he swung the offending portrait to reveal a box that held the sword of Gryffindor.

"And please be discreet, she'll stick that thing through my portrait and then…"

"What are you talking about Phineas?" Snape and Dumbledore asked.

"Please just… She has powers…"

"What kind of powers?" Snape asked.

A shiver went down Phineas' spine, "That one could kill us all with her broken arm."

"You're a portrait!"

"I know. I'd better be going; she was explaining something to me about these people named Yami and Hermes. Something startled her and she had me go back. I couldn't just return or she'd find out."

As Phineas returned, Hermione spoke up again. "I hope you're back Phineas, we're safe as we can be right now. Where was I again?"

Phineas longed to answer however Hermione wouldn't have been able to hear him. After a few swings, the woman remembered her place and spoke up. "Well as time went by, the condition of my arm go worse. It turned out that the blade was now up to my elbow which is why I couldn't move it. Three days after, I was woken up from a slight nap by Lavender Brown. She told me I had been having a nightmare but I couldn't remember it. All I remembered was lying in bed, trying to go to sleep and then, while still trying, I found her waking me up. She was alarmed and called Professor McGonagall. Well Professor McGonagall thought the sword was like hers so she tried to get me to meet the spirit in it by stabbing me with hers. As the blade fell, Harry Potter came in and tried to stop her but it was too late. When I woke up, I was back at the hallway but the chains were weaker. Fin, the one I told you about before told me to be careful and think before I tried to unseal the door. I paused but…"

"But?" Phineas said, even though she couldn't have heard him.

"So you are back." Hermione said.

"But?"

"I had to figure out what was going on. After a moment's hesitation, I held out my hand and touched the chains. As I felt the metal, the chains burst apart and I opened the door. A colorless throne room was on the other side. As I stepped in, color spread out, revealing historical tapestries. When I came to the end, there were two thrones, one empty and one occupied by a sleeping person. I tried to shout at him but he couldn't hear me and didn't wake until I stepped on the dais the thrones sat on. When I stepped on the dais, the thrones became red and gold and the person woke up. But when he woke up, I saw…"

"What? What did you see?" Phineas said in spite of himself.

"I saw myself."

"Was there a mirror?"

"No. Though it was like I stood in front of one. When I am in the hallway my sword is gone and my arm is missing. When he sat up, I saw someone identical to me except for his eyes, they weren't brown like mine are."

"Your eyes aren't actually brown."

Hermione blinked. "Well they were. Now his were silver on grey on silver-grey. I thought it was a mirror until he spoke. His voice was like mine only it was male. I asked him who he was but he said he was me. He then said I could call him Hermes if I wanted to or another name that means double soul, Yami. Well after that he had me sit on the throne next to him. When I did, it changed to conform to me and then I woke up in the hospital wing."

"So this other is Yami AND Hermes?"

"Yes. According to him, I was destined to find the sword because I had been born with half a soul. It was an accident that the sword fell on Faelith, the other world instead of Earth. He also said the reason why I couldn't remember my dreams or night was because I ruled the day but he ruled the night. Even though he said this, since the sky… Well since the sky changed, I've been in control for exactly 12 hours. I now have the other 12 back but they're spent in the hallway."

Phineas whistled before speaking. "That is an amazing story."

"I know. But you saw the proof." As she said this, Hermione ran out of tree and swung down in the strange one handed way of hers before landing in a clearing. She made a move to pull Phineas out when she saw a silver deer appear. "Someone is here."

Hermione got down, balancing shakily on three limbs. As she looked around, she saw Hermes was back. "Go slow and keep your senses pricked. Put your left leg behind, right hand forward, and use your right leg to balance." Hermione followed the instructions, noting that the deer wasn't evil OR good.

From behind a tree, Severus Snape held back a laugh at the way the girl was walking and the one sided conversation she was having. However, he lost his laughter as he heard a familiar voice speak up. "That's a Patronus."

"Yes. It looks like Harry's used to. But for some reason, it doesn't feel like a normal Patronus. Phineas, do you think it's because there are no Dementors?"

"Probably. Oh, it vanished."

Hermione looked around before noticing that they were standing at a lake that had a sword she had only heard about lying there. The hilt was covered in rubies and she would bet that it had the words Godric Gryffindor carved on the blade. Without removing the bag, Hermione threw back her cloak, causing the hidden Snape to gasp. However, the noise was too soft to be heard over the shattering of ice. Pulling the drawstrings tighter on the bag, Hermione jumped in, hooking her sword through her pants on the way down to keep it from getting in the way. Even so, the metal caused her arm and part of her chest to go numb, leaving her short of breath. Ignoring Phineas' shrieks at her stupidity, Hermione grabbed the sword of Gryffindor and made to swim up. Unfortunately, the lack of air caused her to lose conscious, the aurora tinged sky fading to black.

Dean Thomas was in trouble. It all began… well when he found out he was wanted for questioning… but this strain of bad luck had started when he had heard someone familiar talking. He called out but the person had stopped speaking and fled. Not thinking, Dean had shouted out, "I'm warning you, I'm no friend of Voldermort and if you serve him, I'm armed!"

With a crack, people had appeared and now he was turning to see he was surrounded. Yes, this was not a good day in a string of bad days.

"Who are you?" One of the men asked.

"D-D-Draco Malfoy?" Dean said, speaking the first name that popped in his head.

"Oh? I didn't know you changed your hair color. So what house are you in?"

"Slytherin."

"And where is it?"

"In the basement."

"In the basement? Well Draco would know more than that." The man said after a while.

"B-b-but." Dean said, drawing his wand.

"You must be a run away. I'd say you're a Mudblood too."

Dean gulped. "Of course I am. But my blood is just as pure as yours! I have every right to go to school and you have no right to keep me from there or to take me against my will. I know my rights!"

"You are a thief. You have no rights. Let's get 'em boys!"

Drawing his wand, Dean readied himself for battle when one of the men, the one who was interrogating him fell. A knife flew from the man and Dean followed it with his eyes, noting it was moving toward a stranger in black, face covered. As Dean watched, the stranger grabbed the knife and spun, throwing another before spinning again to throw the one received. The knives, somehow there were more than two, struck the group that Dean knew were the legendary Snatchers that he had heard rumors about. When half of them were gone, the others ran, closely followed by those that had fallen.

Dean turned to thank the stranger but was stopped when the knife, for there was only one now, was put away and an arm grabbed his wrist. The stranger dragged him into the cover of the trees before letting go. Not sure what was going on, Dean gripped his wand that he somehow managed to keep a hold of, hand shaking from the experience.

The hand that had been grabbing Dean's wrist rose to the hood of the cloak that Dean could see the stranger wore. The stranger finally spoke, "You can stop that, I won't hurt you." A gruff voice spoke up. However, the shock came when the stranger threw back his, no her hood to reveal a woman in her forties or fifties. "So, you're on the run then?"

Dean gulped before speaking, "Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." The woman spoke, unfastening her cloak to reveal something that looked like black light armor, "I'm Petunia."

"I'm Dean."

"Dean huh?" The woman said with a chuckle. "You know that this forest is known as the Forest of Dean right?"

"Really?"

"Wait, Dean I've heard that name. Aren't you…?"

"Aren't I what?" Dean said, wondering if he had just gotten himself caught after being freed.

"You are! Dean Thomas right?"

"If I am, how would you know?"

Petunia smiled. "Well, this is a coincidence. I save some poor soul from capture only to find out that he is on the front lines AND in my family's own House."

"Pardon?"

"All of my family that went to Hogwarts went into Gryffindor."

"Really?"

Petunia took a bag off her back and quickly started a fire before cooking a can of beans on it. "I'm afraid I don't have anything else to eat but this should do until we get there."

"Get where?"

"Oh, have you heard about Dumbledore's Army?"

Dean's eyebrows rose up at the mention of the secret club at the school but he did not speak as he was focused on eating his beans.

"Well, some of them helped my family last year and of those, even fewer went to a place where they saw friends turn to stone."

Dean spat out his mouthful of beans as he heard an adult mention something that his friend Seamus had seen. "How do you know about Dumbledore's Army? Anyone who reveals it would have splotches on their face. I heard what Hermione Granger did to the paper we all signed."

Petunia surveyed Dean before answering, "Though it is effective, that jinx only works under two conditions. The first is if someone tells an adult which you can see I am. However, the second condition is that the jinx only works on humans. So if someone with no human blood… or even any blood at all mentioned it to someone, even an adult, the jinx would not activate."

"Wh-who?"

Petunia fished through her bag to pull out a watch. With it, she quickly checked the time. "I have to go. If you want to come, you might want to help me put out the fire."

Hermione woke up, still underwater, hand frozen to the sword she had just found. She was shocked that she was able to see and wondered how she was still alive without breathing. When she looked up, she was more stunned to see her former Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, the hated Severus Snape. The man was trying to use his wand to warm the ice up but having difficulty. A glance out of the corner of her eye revealed that Yami was beside her and she could faintly hear Phineas asking her if she was alright.

Severus Snape was so ashamed, he shouldn't have followed that traitor's advice and now that he had, he was trying to save that Granger girl's life. As he tried to free her, he noticed that somehow the girl's eyes had cleared and they were no longer the same brown he had scowled at for 6 years. She seemed to look at something by her side but there was nothing there. Now she looked back and then… and then… Snape jerked back as he saw Granger's eyes glow silver-gold, the blade in her left hand glowing the same color. He noticed the arm and part of her shoulder also glowed but the most stunning part was that the ice melted from the lake. In an act of courage that would be remembered for as long as Hermione lived, Severus jumped in, pulling her out.

As the girl was laid on the ground, Severus noticed her eyes return to that strange gold and brown but this time they were more half gold and half brown. Severus got to work trying to get the water out of the girl's chest, first by magic, then by muggle means that Lily, dear sweet Lily had taught him. When he pressed his hands over her heart, Severus jerked back in shock. He knew the feel of bone in flesh and the girl didn't have that. Instead of bone, Granger had… metal in her chest. After his initial shock, Severus checked to see that the metal continued into her arm. As he checked to see how far it stretched in the other direction, he got another shock as he felt the metal growing into her collarbone and down the ribcage.

After Snape noticed that the growth had suddenly stopped halfway down her ribs, Hermione woke up. "P-p-professor?"

Severus blinked for a moment before trying to wrench Gryffindor's sword out of Granger's hand to check her hand. However, the sword seemed stuck to the girl's hand.

"Professor? What are you doing here? And why did you save me?"

"I should never have listened to Phineas Nigellus." Severus barked.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing…"

"Professor, might I ask… Why do you hate Harry?"

Severus turned to the woman. Hermione could clearly see tears in his eyes, "I don't… hate Potter."

"Then how come-?"

-He was in love.-

At that, Hermione screamed and clutched her head. When her eyes slid shut, she saw a young blond haired boy being scolded by Fin. "She hasn't met you yet, you need to be careful!"

Hermione's eyes opened and she turned to Severus, "Who was she?"

"Wha-what?"

"Who was the girl you loved?"

"Li-Lily."

At this, Hermione stood… or tried to. When she tried to stand, she found that Gryffindor's sword was stuck to her hand. "Not again." She groaned, trying to shake the thing loose. However, when it touched her left side, there was a flash and the sword was secured to a sword belt around her waist. Hermione raised her eyebrows before standing. "I have to go Professor." And with that, she set off, Snape following close by.

Dean had decided to follow Petunia and now the two were trekking through the forest. When daybreak should have come, Petunia turned to Dean. "Are you sure you want to come?"

"You saved my life, I have to."

Petunia surveyed Dean before nodding. "Grab my hand." Dean did so and suddenly they were no longer in the forest.

Dudley had just slipped away from Hagrid when he realized it was time. He quickly accessed the Digi-Portal Program and vanished.

All around the world, Digidestined made their trip to the Digital World, some bringing others along while others went alone. The first to arrive was Harry.