Leto was bored. He had been bored for a long time. Over 3000 years of boredom now, but the golden path continued, so he sighed to himself and prepared for more boredom. He began to follow the path forward again hoping for a glimmer of when his task might show signs of progress and his boredom could at last end. There were places and times he could not see approaching. He had felt a bit of something other than boredom when these blank spots first appeared. He studied the times before and after the blank spots. The path continued unchanged and the boredom returned. It seems as though his adversaries had once again created a seer in an attempt to take control, but his vision was, as always, the stronger one and nothing would change. Leto sighed again. He was almost ready to give up and admit failure. He had never felt this helpless before. He turned inward and began to trace his memories. If there was no answer in the future, perhaps there would be one in the past. He followed his past lives. Deeper and deeper he went, through lives he had seen a thousand times. There was nothing there. He had seen it all before. In his boredom he relaxed and allowed his mind to wander in a way he never had before. He continued searching past lives almost automatically and sighed to himself again. Then he saw something he had never seen before. A life that was separated from the others. How was that possible! Something new! He moved toward the life, but could not approach. A mystery! Leto sank further into his trance. He gave up all awareness of his surroundings. He allowed his excitement at something new and his fear of something old to fade into nothingness. He allowed the Catechism against fear to flow through his mind for the first time in three millennia... Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little death. I will face my fear...

As Leto's mind calmed he ceased striving. He allowed even his inner self to cease control. He floated in nothingness. A being of nothingness with only the faintest glimmer of life. As he ceased his struggle, the memory life moved toward him, becoming larger and larger in his vision until he was swallowed.

xxxxXXXXxxxx

Harry was having the worst day of his life, and that was saying something, seeing as how his life had gone so far. His name had just come out of the Goblet of Fire. He had been called a "leetle boy" by a beautiful French girl. And only one person believed him when he said he hadn't entered himself in the tournament. He was grateful that Hermione at least believed him. They had gone to the library when Harry could no longer bear the whispering in the common room.

Harry looked at his best and now only friend as she buried her head in a book. "Hermione" he said in a small quiet voice. She looked up. He could see the worry and unshed tears in her eyes. "Hermione," he said again, a bit stronger and firmer this time. "Thank you so much for believing me. I don't what I might have done without your support and friendship. I hope you will forgive me, but I need to be alone for a while. I am going to use my cloak and go somewhere where I can be by myself."

Harry stood up, moved around the table to give Hermione a hug with a tearful "I'll see you soon" whispered in her ear. He walked out of the library pulling his cloak out of his bag as he left.