There is a place, that Cecilia called the Old World. When Cecilia left it, the Old World it felt more like the End of the World: Lord Voldemort, with his Death Eaters, had obliterated many aurors from the ministry having been sent there by Dolores Umbridge to defend the beacon of wizard liberty and done a good deal of damage to the Order of the Phoenix.

They had been provided with muggle weapons, guns, knives, and were not above using them. One of the great casualties of this war is Tabitha Penwright, now in the arms of Severus Snape, who is trying desperately to keep her alive, under the misguided belief that she is needed for the next part of the plan.

The Order, too, are using muggle weapons and matching Death Eaters' with their own. Several of the children who had foolishly, but bravely left Hogwarts had taken some injuries as they had fought as bravely as their adult counterparts and much of the Department of Mysteries had been destroyed beyond recognition.

But Tabitha Penwright, who had completed her task in the other world had not quite finished it here. Like a mirror, the exit of Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore from that place had caused a time loop which, when she had really finished, meant that Tabitha Penwright would need to appear here too. Snape knows this. But one is not quite a reflection of one another. For, when he had propped up by an obsidian-black wall to rest momentarily, with Vincento threatening her, she had gone. Gone Beyond the veil, her elvish colleague following her, to begin her part of this.

And, at the same time, she reappeared, just below the veil archway, as she had done in the other place, waiting for the right time to emerge.

Tabitha Penwright looked. She was there, out of this scene, beyond it. How long was she to wait in order for Aloysius to be there?

That long, she realised, for there was a flash of white and suddenly he was here, the last reciprocator. And, by his side was...Cecilia,

Then, Tabitha's mind filled with everything. She knew what she must do. And more importantly, when. She pulled on the Twine of Togo and edged, unseen, to the place where, in this reality, she had just been.

Lying down, she noted Harry's prone form. He had taken potion and attempted the Avada Kedavra curse, in vain. Snape was kneeling by his body and, just beyond them Sirius, the traitor who had turned coat to Bellatrix, was pointing his wand at them both.

"The boy tried, but failed!" Voldemort's beguiling voice filled the department chamber. "Pax my followers, and prepare for the ultimate showdown. I cannot die, for my soul is out of reach. Through this veil will come the most powerful wizards who will give me eternal life amd ultimate power!"

Out of the hands of Neville Longbottom, he seized at last the book he had been seeking for over fifty years: Mysterious Mythology's golden letters reflected in the grey half-light. Vincento sidled over with the locket that once belonged to Tabitha Penwright and once belonged to Salazar Slytherin.

"Tabitha Penwright, begin this process!" he declared. "Use these artefacts and bring them to me!"

"It won't work," Tabitha heard herself saying from just below the veil's floor level, and noted that she had walked, almost involuntarily over to dark wizard. "I cannot. If you want them, you must get them for yourself!"

But, instead of white-hot fury that Tabitha expected from behind those slits of eyes, Voldemort greeted her rebuttal with laughter.

"Ah, my fellow wizards, you, who may have added their memories to those behind the veil, of your comrades departed from this world. This is the Mysteriour Tabitha Penwright, who will - " he grabbed out Tabitha and held his wand to her throat, " - be bringing at any moment the second greatest wizards of all time to fight at my will."

Cecilia watched as Voldemort thrust "Mysterious Mythology" into her hand, and then looked down into her own.

"I will not!" she shrieked. But Voldemort did not move his wand. For behind her, carrying the body of a child, was Gellert Grindelwald, and behind him, locket around his neck and intransmutable objects in hand was Albus Dumbledore.