"My pastor always says our lives are streams flowing into the same river towards whatever heaven lies in the mist beyond the falls. Find the joy in your life, Edward. My dear friend, close your eyes and let the waters take you home." - The Bucket List

{~~~~}

Blackwolf sidestepped a large rock in his path. He had a folder open in front of him while he walked, reading in what looked like a complete disregard to his surroundings. His footing was still surer than that of the students he had spent a summer training.

A stash of empathy amulets the Amazon had gone missing. Just one week prior, a group of hooded men had tried to buy the same amount. The Amazons had turned them away, citing discomfort with the group as their reason when aurors talked to them later. And now the amulets were gone.

Empathy amulets were not inherently dangerous. They were used to connect people who were long distances apart, usually partners or soul mates, platonic or not. The material they were made out of was very rare, and most of it went to the creation of these amulets.

Seven had been stolen.

Blackwolf closed the folder and opened the one behind it. A Tibetan monastery had been broken into last week. Most of the original "cycle" runes, as they were called, were held there.

He slid both folders into a bag on his waist and looked up. A moment later, Buckbeak landed beside him, feathers rustling as he closed his wings. Blackwolf ran a grateful hand over the hippogriff's neck, then climbed onto his back. Buckbeak bolted forward, opened his wings again, and sent them into the sky.

They went west. Hippogriffs had endurance the likes of which had never been fully put to the test before and were known for practically limitless flight. Blackwolf held onto Buckbeak's back as they flew to the Pacific and then just kept going. The air got colder, but a few warming charms fixed his chills.

Riddle has almost entirely focused on Europe. He shouldn't have even left Britain. The only reason why he would have would be if the rest of the world had something he needed, but none of the items or knowledge he was seeking seemed to fit together. No ritual Blackwolf had ever heard of called for what Riddle was collecting. Was he trying something new, or something so obscure and dark that its existence was kept hidden?

If Riddle was now interested in global matters, though, Blackwolf might be able to get American aid to the Hogwarts stronghold. The Americans wouldn't be pulled to war, but they could lend a hand at least through resources or people. Blackwolf just had to find out what Riddle was up to and prove it was a threat to the Americans. Even if it wasn't a threat, the Hogwarts leaders would be interested to know about any potential news of Riddle's plans.

He needed more information.

They finally reached Tibet. Buckbeak shook out his wings when he landed on the mountain ridge. Blackwolf slid off, feet landing a bit unsteadily on the ground after such a long period of immobility. He could have just used Floo powder to get to China, but then he would have had an even longer journey to get up here to the mountains where there was no access to a fireplace.

Blackwolf was certain that there were other, quick ways to make a trip to the Tibet mountains without walking like all the foreigners did, but he didn't call them out on it. If they wanted their secrecy and privacy when they were holding some of the most powerful runes, then they could hide their magical escalators or whatever it was they used.

They were a couple miles from the monastery, but Blackwolf walked the mountain instead of letting Buckbeak take him the rest of the way. He wanted to wake up his sleeping muscles a bit, for one thing, but he also wanted to avoid startling anyone with his arrival. An hour and a half walk wasn't really going to make a difference anyway.

There was a monk waiting for him when he arrived, sitting in front of the monastery with his eyes closed. Blackwolf's steps were almost silent but he approached just a little more unobtrusively to avoid interrupting the monk. Beside him, Buckbeak got the quiet memo for about five seconds before squawking loudly at a cat that was sitting on a flat stone. The cat hissed back at him.

The monk opened his eyes and looked up at them. A grin spread across his face. He got to his feet and started towards them to meet Blackwolf halfway. Behind him, Blackwolf could hear Buckbeak and the cat resolving their dispute with each other.

"An Apache visitor!" the monk cheered. "It is not often you come here."

"We assumed you wanted peace from the outside," Blackwolf said.

"Yes, but you do not bring disorder," the monk pointed out. "The natives of America do not bring disorder to anyone's lands, not after disorder was brought to theirs."

Blackwolf smiled slightly. "We're human like anyone else, but we don't go to war every weekend like the Europeans."

The monk put one arm out towards him, curving around his shoulder without touching, and used his other arm to point towards the monastery. "Come in. You are here for a reason. I would like to know when we are more comfortable."

Blackwolf glanced over his shoulder at Buckbeak. The hippogriff had dropped his head to the cat, sniffing at her. She stared at him, unblinking. His beak nudged her shoulder and she batted it aside irritably.

Inside the monastery, it was a couple of degrees cooler. Candles put shadows across the floor and walls, but nothing was hiding in the darkness. A couple of monks were sitting in various states of contemplation, and a small group towards the back was whispering spiritual theories. Blackwolf couldn't understand what they were saying, but he knew those tones and expressions well enough that the topic was clear.

His guide settled him on a rug and sat across from him. "You seem to be in a hurry, otherwise I would extend offerings to you as a guest."

"I'm not in a rush," Blackwolf said.

The monk grinned. "Maybe you just don't think you are."

Blackwolf wondered if this was why Hotch sometimes looked like he wanted to strangle him and he had a flash of understanding. Blackwolf, however, had no issue with having his emotions and actions deciphered like this. He smiled back. "Probably. I'm sorry to be so abrupt."

"Well, perhaps you will have to return another time and be a proper guest," the monk told him.

"I will," Blackwolf promised. "I am investigating a series of odd thefts around the world, some property and some intellectual. What has been taken is being transferred to a dark lord."

"There is no current dark lord," the monk said immediately. "The last dark lord's power diminished until he was no longer a lord."

"Tom Riddle," Blackwolf said, nodding. "Europe still thinks of him as one."

The monk shook his head. "If he were a true dark lord, he would not have contented himself with a single island. He would have spread his influence while he had the chance. His early defeat led to his early power decline. He is no longer a dark lord."

"I know. But the Europeans are..."

The two shared a grin.

"A bit dramatic," Blackwolf finished, more politely than anything else he could have said.

"Their concept of a dark lord is mistaken," the monk said. "Evil is not born in the simple manner they understand. It is created, with many of the same forces that create the most powerful light."

"They do not understand," Blackwolf agreed. "But something is happening right now, something they aren't preparing for. There is a boy who is going to be in the center of it. He and his father have been making every effort to end the war, but they can't fight something they don't know about."

"Ah," the monk said, smiling. "You know them?"

"Very well."

"Please send our greetings. They are good people."

Blackwolf paused. "Who's been talking about them?"

"Cassius Warrington."

The air vanished from Blackwolf's lungs. "He's..."

"Dead. Would you like to speak to him?"

It took a moment for Blackwolf's head to clear enough for him to manage a nod. He got to his feet, a bit shaky, and the monk led the way to the back of the monastery, passing by fellow monks in the midst of prayer and debate. Blackwolf, who would normally have been so interested in what he was seeing, could hardly focus on anything more than the back of the monk ahead of him.

Cassius?

They went into the passageways, away from the main enclosure. Blackwolf finally asked, "How do you know Cassius?"

"We have a threstral herd at the bottom of the mountains. Sometimes they bring wandering spirits up to us." The monk glanced over his shoulder briefly. "Though...threstrals are not common in America, so am I being too bold to assume you've met one?"

"I've had interactions with the herd by Hogwarts," Blackwolf said, "but I don't know much about them. Only the dead can see them."

"Do you know why?"

Blackwolf shook his head.

"They have a connection to the dead. Spirits often use them as steeds when they need to travel, which is why they are so hard to tame. Threstrals are responsible for the dead, not the living."

Blackwolf might have to have some words with Hagrid about taming that herd. Maybe they'd be better of performing their usual duties.

"When Cassius died, he was too slow to turn himself into a ghost, but he did not stop himself from leaving the land of the living. Unfortunately, as many find themselves, he was then stuck here without any way to assist his friends. A threstral found him on the edge of a battle and brought him here."

"Why?"

"At this monastery, we have the ability to send the dead on. The threstrals know this, so they bring lost souls here. Only...Cassius wasn't lost. He still has a purpose, and he won't let us send him on until he's accomplished it."

"He wants to help his friends."

"Yes. He has some of the answers you're here for, I believe." They reached an old wooden door. The monk pushed it in. "Cassius. You have a friend."

A ring of stones in the center of the room housed a blue fire. Whispers emanated from it, carrying snippets of words to Blackwolf's ears. Most of them were in languages he couldn't speak. He thought he could see flickers of faces in the flames. He yanked his gaze from it, looking around the room. Shelves were holding large pots and containers of liquids and items he couldn't quite make out.

And standing to his right, shoulders hunched and leaning against one of the shelves, was Cassius.

The young man was staring at him, mouth gaping. Slowly, his shoulders fell, posture relaxing in shock. "Blackwolf? What are you doing here? I didn't think anyone was coming!"

"We didn't know!" Blackwolf said. He glanced at the monk, who was frowning apologetically.

"We tried to send messages to Hogwarts but with the shut down of the government none of them got through," he said, answering the question before it was asked.

"I didn't even think to send them to you," Cassius breathed out. "I assumed everyone from Quantico was at Hogwarts."

"Garcia and JJ still aren't," Blackwolf said. "Hotch managed to keep them off the battlefield, especially after Henry was born."

A small smile crept over Cassius's lips. "Henry?" Blackwolf nodded. Cassius let out a relieved laugh, but his expression quickly sobered. "There's a lot I need to tell you."

"What about? Have you been spying on Riddle?"

Cassius grimaced. "I tried, but the threstrals didn't like me meddling like that and nothing I learned was helpful anyway." In an odd sort of thinking, it did make sense that the threstrals wouldn't want Cassius using his deathly experience to get an advantage during war. Death wasn't meant to be a continuation of a fight. It was meant to provide a conclusion. "But you need to know – Death is taking a huge interest in the war."

Blackwolf frowned. "You're not speaking metaphorically."

"No. Actual Death, like the personification or whatever it is. When I was still at Hogwarts, I saw it around all the time. Looked kind of like a dementor but worse. Kept taking souls. Wanted mine, but I wouldn't leave. It didn't seem to mind that, actually. It probably had better things to do than try to convince me. Watching it was...weird. Time didn't seem to apply to it when it was picking up the souls."

Cassius licked his lips nervously, thoughts still on what he had seen. He had moved closer to Blackwolf, but not close enough to touch. Blackwolf had a feeling that they would have passed right through one another if they had, and Cassius was certainly trying to avoid that.

"Sometimes, when it wasn't picking up souls, it would wander around the castle. It seemed to be looking for something, or...waiting. I asked it what it wanted and it drew this pattern," Cassius said, raising his finger into the air. He made a line, and then inscribed a triangle and circle around it. He glanced at the monk. "Sonam told me it was saying it wants its items back."

"There's a story, but it's so old that we doubt it's complete authenticity now," Blackwolf said. "In Europe, they call it the Tale of the Three Brothers, after one of Beedle the Bard's fables."

Cassius nodded to the monk. "Sonam told me about it. We think Death wants those items back."

"The issue is that the items are in the realm of the living now, something Death can't touch," Sonam said. "Death needs an intermediary to bring the items. People have died with the items in their posession before, but without the intent to return the items nothing would have happened."

"So...Death is looking for someone who would be willing to help," Blackwolf said. "And with so many people dying on the battlefield, it's hoping that one of those people would offer if it can make communication with one of them."

"Death's already chosen someone," Cassius said. "I don't know who and I don't know why, but it was definitely watching someone specific. It was just...waiting."

Blackwolf frowned. "Then... Why do you seem so nervous about this?"

"Well... Perhaps I'm biased against it, but I'm concerned about what's going to happen when Death gets what it wants," Cassius said.

"I believe Death will simply carry on when it's mission is accomplished," Sonam said soothingly. "Death has no aspirations past maintaining balance."

"Why would items of Death disturb the balance?" Blackwolf asked. "We have plenty of other powerful items around and those three haven't caused significant damage."

"Have you heard the Double Lord Nine-Fold theory?"

"The what?" Cassius asked at the same time Blackwolf said, "Yes."

"Do you believe it?"

Blackwolf sucked in a breath. He glanced at Cassius, then back to Sonam. "I'm one of the Gatekeepers."

Sonam smiled. "So am I."

Cassius raised a hand. "Hang on. What?" The two looked at him. "Hey, I'm dead anyway. I'm not going to tell anyone."

"The Double Lord Nine-Fold Theory refers to the concept that magic is too wild and unpredictable to be contained in one reality. It would reverberate within its container too powerfully and would destroy everything. As a result, we concluded centuries ago that there had to be more than one reality, and after a long time spent listening carefully...we found the other worlds. In total, we located nine, including our own."

"Each world is supposed to maintain its own balance," Sonam said. "Usually, this is managed easily. Someone who believes destruction is the only solution builds power, and someone who believes in creation stops the world from falling into chaos."

"A Dark Lord and a Light Lord," Cassius said. He got two nods in return. "But... Light Lords are rarely seen."

"That's a whole other topic," Blackwolf said. "It's more complicated than that. Light Lords are actually just as common as Dark Lords, but they aren't seen as often, and when they are seen, they tend to die soon after."

Cassius's eye twitched. "Okay, so... What does all that mean?"

"There is only one Death, so there can only be three true objects of Death," Sonam said. "If you are seeing Death here, searching for what it has lost, then the items must be here."

Something in Blackwolf's head clicked. "The balance has been disturbed because those objects exist here and not in any of the other worlds. We're too strong."

"And as a result, some of the gates between the worlds began to flare. We are not the only ones who heard the other worlds this time. It would seem that Tom Riddle has discovered that he is not the only Tom Riddle."

"The Gatekeepers, like you two, are supposed to keep the presence of the gates secret, right?" Cassius guessed. They nodded again. "What happens if someone finds out, or tries to go through?"

"There are only seven worlds now," Blackwolf said. "The last time someone found out, two of the worlds were destroyed."

"...Oh."

Blackwolf glanced at Sonam. "Empathy amulets went missing. Riddle could be trying to use them to connect with one of his alternate selves."

"It is possible."

Blackwolf frowned. "I can't tell the Hotchners any of this."

"What?" Cassius practically shrieked.

Blackwolf glared at him. "It's not like they would believe me! And even if they did, I still can't tell them about the other worlds! That's the whole purpose of being a Gatekeeper!"

"Oh come on, how often do secrets actually help people?" Cassius demanded. "Especially within the coalition at Hogwarts?"

"There isn't complete unity at Hogwarts anymore," Blackwolf said. "There was just a major division between the Order and the rest after Hotch admitted to being Harry's father. Dumbledore and Hotch are no longer in agreement, and you can bet that Dumbledore would do anything to take back some power. What do you think he would do if he found out that there are other worlds out there?"

Cassius blinked. "I... I don't know. But...hang on, everyone knows?"

"Some people do."

Cassius shoved that thought aside. "Isn't there a way you can tell Hotch and Harry without anyone finding out?"

"Not in that castle. It's duty is split between its students and the headmaster, and as long as most of the students accept Dumbledore as their headmaster he will remain in power. The castle would find a way to tell him anything I try to keep secret from him."

"The QDA doesn't really accept him anymore."

"But the QDA doesn't represent most of the students."

Cassius scowled.

"The chances are too great. In any case, I still need to ask the rest of the Gatekeepers if I could tell them. It shouldn't take me long."

Cassius frowned and crossed his arms, but he settled into grudging agreement. "I'd say something, but I know you'll hurry as quickly as possible." Blackwolf nodded. "So... Why is this disorder happening now? Haven't we had the Hallows for, like, centuries?"

"Yes," Blackwolf said, "but at this particular moment we happen to have had a huge build of power, so I expect we're disproportionately stronger than any other world. It means we're way out of balance, just by happenstance."

"Build of power?"

"We've got a couple people who might become Light Lords, and one is uncommon," Blackwolf said. "We've got-"

"Wait, a couple?"

"Light Lords start to show their power when they're young, and they fully develop after experiencing extreme trauma," Blackwolf said. "Multiple students have showed signs, just of the ones I've noticed." Cassius nodded in understanding. "We've also got stronger potential for the future because of the connections the QDA has made between the muggle and magical world, and potential is more powerful than people normally believe. A leopard-spirit is on the move."

"A leopard-spirit?" Sonam asked curiously.

"Yes."

"Interesting."

"We also have cooperation between magical creatures, the likes of which hasn't been seen in a long time, and now Death's disproportionate time spent in this world. We have a lot of power right now." He glanced at Sonam. "But...one of the other world's seemed to be building up too."

"You keep an eye on the other worlds?" Cassius asked.

"Yes. We never interact with them, but we do make sure that no one is ever trying to cross into this world by keeping an eye on the stability of the barriers. It seems like power is building in one of the other worlds, though."

"Which one?"

"We can't say. The barriers are all connected, and whoever's messing with it seems to be trying to hide his or her presence."

"Could I go through the barrier?" Cassius asked. Sonam and Blackwolf stared at him. "I mean, I'm dead. Couldn't I go through and see what's going on?"

"I don't think so," Blackwolf said slowly. "But..."

"Whoever is adjusting the barriers has made it all but impossible for movement to occur through them," Sonam said. "It seems like they are trying to ensure that they are the only ones who could cross. Cassius might be able to disrupt that and change the barriers back to how they should be."

"Like magical wave frequency disruption," Cassius said smugly. Sonam blinked in mild confusion.

Blackwolf smirked. "It's a QDA thing," he told Sonam.

Sonam looked at Cassius. "You do understand that changing the barriers will likely exhaust your hold on this world, don't you?"

Cassius grimaced. "I don't have anything else to do here. I suppose I might as well help in any way that I can."

"This is going to take a while," Blackwolf told both of them.

"Better get started, then," Cassius said. "By the way, can you tell someone to grab my will when the war's calmed down? I left something to the QDA that they might find helpful, once everything's been wrapped up."

[-]

Author's Note: I was seriously considering not writing this chapter at all and just skipping it, but now I'm really glad I did because I made some connections that I realized hadn't been put down specifically in any chapters and Cassius wasn't supposed to return at all, so I'm glad he got a conclusion since I know some of you really liked him. (I didn't think anyone would get attached and then a bunch of you were so happy with him and I just had to quietly sit in my corner and wait for that first battle... Sorry.)

I meant to have a conversation between Hotch and Harry with Blackwolf nearby so you could really see them from a different view, but it just didn't happen because Blackwolf didn't need to go back there for any reason since he can't tell them anything yet. Sorry. But because this was short, next chapter will be up tomorrow.

Trust me, you're going to be a lot happier with the alternate realities than you would be if I just left everything the way it was. There's a couple of conflicts that definitely would have been darker without alternate realities because of who would have been required to fit certain roles.