Round 10: The Rift

Harry was somewhat despondent. Not only had the new Ginny routinely rejected him, but now he felt like Hermione had as well. The two had been running a tandem research marathon for hours, and he had offered to help with his unique perspective along with Ron. Usually the three of them could accomplish anything together. But when he appeared with Ron in the library and had spoken with Hermione, she had cast a quick glance at Ginny, who tried to hide her discomfort. Hermione picked up on it and gave Harry and Ron some weak excuse about needing to teach Ginny to research for herself because she had never had to write papers in her universe.

"It's rubbish! You know it is!" Harry sighed in frustration.

"It did seem a bit…conspiratory." Ron admitted, trying to be the calmer of the two.

"I just wanted to help! This is something that affects all of us and the more we can discover, the better."

"You don't have to tell me." Ron gave a bitter half-smile. "Sure, there's always been danger from You-Know-Who, but it never seemed so immediate until it caused everything in my family to go all wonky. Things haven't been the same since then, and I don't mean only with Ginny."

"It's completely changing everything." Harry agreed. "Although I suppose that can't be helped. I'm sure this new Ginny feels the same way, too."

"Hermione's been all dodgy with me lately." Ron admitted. "I thought we could trust each other and tell each other anything. I know when she acts like this she's up to something…legally questionable. She's got to realize that, whether she tells me or not, I'll still know." He shook his head. "Just feels kind of cold. Always dodging behind Ginny like that. She may be from another universe, but she's still my sister!"

"I miss that we can't help them. I miss being a team." Harry sat down.

"I know what you mean. But until they decide to let us help, we're just bashing our heads against the same wall. Best to just wait it out." Ron suggested.

"I just…I don't mean to sound childish, but I wish things could go back to the way they used to be." Harry confessed, nervous about saying it out loud.

Ron looked at him a moment as if deep in thought.

"Me too."

Dumbledore shrugged under Snape's fierce glare.

"I dunno. I was bored, I guess." He said indifferently.

"You know me better than that, Albus. That isn't going to fly. Everything you do is deliberate and calculated." Snape narrowed her eyes.

"I should pretend to be flattered, Selena, but I know you're far more shrewd than that." Dumbledore smiled wide.

"I know that your retrieving of Ginny from another universe was somewhat of a gamble, but I can't help but suspect an ulterior motive beyond, as you so tactlessly put it, 'fucking with death'."

"More of a re-statement of the sentiment than a quote, but I digress." Dumbledore temporarily quibbled with senseless details. "You are correct that retrieving Miss Weasley was not to replace one deceased girl and again correct that it was a gamble. With parallel universes being extremely theoretical and no exact science, I had no way for certain to be sure what kind of universe I would be taking someone from – much less who!"

"Wait. Do you mean-" Snape's eyes widened.

"That retrieving Ginny Weasley was a mistake, as much up to chance as roulette?" He closed his eyes. "Yes."

"You had no intention of taking Ginny at all." Snape could hardly believe the sheer irresponsibility of it all. "Why?"

"Strigiforma." Came his simple reply.

"What the hell is that?" Snape hadn't bothered to remember the details of Hedwig's sob story and failed to recall that Strigiforma was the name of her people.

"Why, it's what our dear Hedwig is." Dumbledore's smile was a little less sincere and Snape gave a derisive snort. "While not much is known about them, humans have had some significant, if limited, involvement with them. They possess great powers, few of which we have ever seen."

"Powers? All I've seen is annoyance and angst." Snape crossed her arms.

"Come now, Selena, has it never occurred to you to wonder how some of our magnificent magical objects are created? The time turner, for example."

"That's a product theoretical magic – a bunch of insane old coots paid to sit around thinking useless thoughts that never manifest themselves into anything productive beyond the time turner." Snape remembered her visit to that wing of the Ministry in disgust. Tax dollars visibly being wasted. "Isn't that where Sybill used to work before she graced us with her presence?"

"The time turners were based on what was discovered through inhumane testing and experimenting on two captured Strigaforma." Dumbledore dropped a bombshell. "We did not create that magic ourselves. It is not possible for a human – unable to see how time can function – to craft and use such a power. Because of this, the time turner's power is limited to small, petty use that won't affect much of anything. No one who knows of its true power would use it without understanding the effect it might have on the universe. Not even Voldemort."

"This does not even begin to explain why you took the risk you did with Miss Weasley's badass universe." Snape was feeling edgy. Such desperate actions were unlike the Headmaster.

"The stakes were raised, Severus." Dumbledore's face was intense. "We stand poised to lose everything."

"What do you mean?" She suddenly twigged on something, "You knew about Rhombus before he appeared to you, didn't you?" Her eyes widened.

Dumbledore nodded. "You did not hear the cock and bull story I pretend to believe. I must confess it took a great deal more physical exertion than I expected it to. No, what Rhombus never knew is that I was entirely aware of his brief and disastrous involvement with the Strigaforma, although I lacked many of the details. Further, he never knew that my leaving home after our parents' death was not what it seemed, either. I traveled, spoke to many, and, once I had information, returned home and watched him. I discovered what was happening and I knew the consequences that it could have had. That it did have."

"Sir?"

"You see, Selena," He was continuing to speak now, more on momentum than anything else, "I knew when he disappeared. Exactly when. Because I was the one who killed him."

Snape's face went pale.

"Or at least, I thought I did." He sighed. "He was some kind of tricky bastard after all."

"Dare I ask-"

"Not now. I'll explain more when the time is right. I will, however, explain more about Miss Weasley."

"Very well."

"You see, I mapped out roughly the major changes and turning points I saw in the rise of Tom Riddle to becoming Lord Voldemort. It was entirely guesswork and, as I'm sure you have long deduced, the actions of a desperate man. I needed someone from a universe where things had turned out as hopelessly as possible – where the very act of still being alive proved them to be more capable than almost anyone here. Using my own life, I had hoped to bring myself here. Alas, my plan mostly failed. Purely by chance I uprooted Miss Weasley from her world and brought her here. But I can already see the potential that she has. I just need to wait for her to actualize it and come to her calling in her own time. This is something that cannot be rushed." As Snape had only partial information, she couldn't help but feel that the Headmaster was beginning to sound a bit…mad.

"So why did you bring her here? Is our war against the Death Eaters really so hopeless?" Snape persisted.

"While the loss of your body was a heavy blow to our cause, the situation was not hopeless. At least, not until I discovered – mere weeks before his appearance – that Rhombus was still alive."

"It's a little hard to take him seriously." Snape admitted.

"You would do well to take him seriously." Dumbledore sighed. "If he succeeds in what I am certain he is planning, then we are going to need more than just Miss Weasley in order to survive. I have ordered him to stay in his quarters in order to slow him down, but I don't know how long it will be before he makes his move to capture Hedwig. There is no doubt in my mind that he partially succeeded in his plan – that he can use some of the powers that Strigaforma have. I can think of no other explanation for how he survived. And although I don't know when or how, I know that he will try to take the rest of the power – as well as the knowledge of how to use it – for himself. When this happens, he will be free to access the most powerful beings across all existing universes to aid his cause."

"How does this in any way involve the Death Eaters?" Snape feared the thought of two villainous and powerful factions against which they would have to defend themselves.

"I don't know yet." Dumbledore frowned. "But I know that they need each other. At least, for now. One does not move without the other. I need to figure out how they are helping each other and why."

"This…does not bode well."

The distance between Hermione and Ginny from Ron and Harry increased as time went on. Harry and Ron didn't even bother to exchange pleasantries as they passed each other, since the girls seldom responded.

Ginny failed to respond out of discomfort. She had felt guilty after the first time she refused to speak to either of them, and each subsequent time made her feel worse. The worse she felt, the less likely she was to say anything, and so they had descended into a frigid silence. Hermione, in a strange sort of solidarity coupled with her nose constantly being stuck in the middle of a heavy book, had ultimately ended in radio silence as well.

Ocassionally, they would speak with Luna and sit with her at lunch, but to many the noticeable chasm between the two groups was baffling and cause for gossip. Rumors flew and the four found themselves unwillingly in the middle of social intrigue.

Only a few days later, however, the intrigue deepened. A grey owl soared through the air above the Gryffindor table and Luna's face lit up.

"It's Fitzwilliam! My father's owl!"

The owl landed on the table and carefully laid a package wrapped in brown paper on the table. Luna paid him a few sickles and soared off, no doubt bound for her father.

"Is it the book?" Hermione's eyes widened in interest.

Luna smiled in her mysterious, sleepy way and unwrapped it.

"This is it!" She pulled the book out and passed it to Hermione.

"Oh my." Hermione breathed, preparing to open the heavy leather cover of a gorgeously hand-made book.

Ginny and Luna leaned in close as Hermione opened it.

"What?"

The first page was blank.

Hermione's brow creased and she turned a few more pages. All of them were blank.

"How can this be?" She quickly flipped through all of the pages. "It's blank!"

"It can't be blank." Luna shook her head. "He didn't want anyone to read it."

"Luna's right." Ginny mused. "It must be that the text is somehow being hidden from us."

"It's a puzzle!" Hermione sat bolt upright.

"Seriously?" Ginny was starting to get a feel for this universe – and she didn't like it. "But... didn't you say that you had read some of it before Luna? So you should know the trick to reading it right?" Ginny asked hopefully.

"Oh, well actually my mother was the one who used to read exerts to me when I was younger. She must have known the secret but unfortunately she's dead." Luna crushed Ginny's hopes that there would be a quick and easy solution.

"No matter, we can solve this ourselves." Hermione said enthusiastically.

"We're going to need all the help we can get! He was quite adept with secret magic." Luna noted.

"Ginny, I'm really sorry. I know how uncomfortable everyone here makes you, but Harry, Ron, and I are a puzzle-solving machine! Let's face it, you're kind of new at it."

"This is true." Ginny agreed with Hermione.

"So we really need to open up communication with them again!" Hermione pressed.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Hermione. I didn't mean for it to get so out of hand. Or for you to get swept up in it as well. I'll go talk to Harry and Ron alone. I need to make things right so that we can work on this…er…puzzle, together!"

Luna's expression hadn't changed at all, but Hermione and Ginny suddenly became aware of the fact that they were excluding her.

"And of course you too, Luna!" Ginny stuttered.

"You have…such unique knowledge that will no doubt come in handy." Hermione added.

Luna gave a slow, sleepy smile.

"Sounds smashing!"

Author's Aside

Tomato Face: Yeah…late again.

Blonde One: What's the dealyo?

Tomato Face: Sorry, I went on a weekend family thing and got carsick on the way there. My brilliant plan to complete this on time was foiled by my own weak stomach!

Blonde One: Ouch. Well anyway, back to the story. Things seem like they are coming together and I feel like it's time to show my hand.

Tomato Face: You mean you're going to play your last card?

Blonde One: Yep. Here it is folk. For my next turn I play: Switch Bodies!

Tomato Face: What, that one again? Man this is starting to feel redundant. Maybe we shouldn't have made so many of those cards?

Blonde One: Don't complain until you read my update. I promise it will be a doozy!

What does Blonde One have planned. Can she really make that tired old body switching trick seem fresh? And what will happen to the direction of the story now that Tomato Face is the only one with a card left? Tune in next time to find out!