Record keeping: Sorry about the delay. Real life and family illness is doing its thin. Minerva is about to find out the truths witch will continue in the next upcoming chapter. In the next chapter the film is shown again, and several guests will be shocked to their cores. This will precipitate a visit from everyone's favorite frog woman and the battle will be on!

This chapter is longer than I wanted, as for this story I wanted them short. I will try to keep that promise if I can. Please take care and be safe

AlbertG

Master Xander

Chapter Twenty-six

. Like everyone else who heard the story, Professor McGonagall reeled with the implications of this impossible story. She wasn't prepared to hear something this nightmarish. A part of her fervently prayed that these two people were exaggerating.

"You're speaking of a wizarding world war."

"It's worse than that, Professor," Ceraine grimaced, and in the process, smashing any hopes by the assistant headmistress that this was some sort of horrible prank. "You've only heard a small portion of the story." The way the older woman looked at her, Ceraine was sure that she didn't want to hear anymore but couldn't help Hershel. She had to know. "The time has come for you to learn what your boss wants to keep from you."

"It's a different world," Alex Xander Harris gently told her. He understood the toll this news was starting to grate on her. "I know it's great to feel safe and not worry about things that go bump in the night, but we also have to be diligent if we want to continue to be safe and comfortable. Ignoring danger doesn't make it go away and the knowledge of it makes it worse. But when I look at you, I see someone who rises to the challenge. If you want to know the whole truth, come with us to our home." The woman's eyebrows rose at the subtle challenge. "We have to talk."

Minerva followed the two American professors back to the classroom. Expecting answers, she wasn't sure she really wanted to hear. The classroom was still configured in theater mode when Delane pulled out her wand and began waving it in intricate moves. In a matter of seconds, the room restructured itself into the classroom. Minerva's eye narrowed. The feel of the magic was different from what she was used to. It felt foreign in ways she couldn't quite describe.

Magic had a certain feel to it. Whether it was open magic, of family magic, it had a certain 'feel' to it. Professor Delane's magic, like Alex's, didn't feel familiar to her. She noticed earlier but dismissed it. Now she wondered. And she stood, not moving, appearing apprehensive.

Naturally, both Ceraine and Alex noticed. "Are you sure you want to know?" asked Alex. His usual silly, distracting, naïve-like smile (which didn't fool her for a moment), now turned deadly serious. "Last chance. Choose carefully. Your life will never be the same once you listen to what we have to tell you."

Minerva gazed at him, indignant, yet cautious. There was something in his voice that screamed danger. Nevertheless, her curiosity peaked. She needed to know, if Hogwarts was being threatened, wanted to be prepared to defend the school with her life if necessary. This was her home. "I want to know the truth."

"This is going to be a long talk, and I prefer to do it at home," Alex announced, while he headed towards the front of the classroom.

Hogwarts had wards protecting unlicensed portkeys, or apparating.

"You know that Hogwarts will not allow us to apparate," the older professor stated primly. She was, in effect, daring him to do something illegal. "Well, how are we going to get to your home? Surely, we have to move outside the school grounds as you are not licensed by the Ministry."

For an instant, Alex's smile made him looked like a mischievous teenager for a moment. "Jessie," Alex said, and instantly, his wand leaped into the air and started circling a section of the wall. Seconds later, a golden circle appeared and in its rapidly expanding center, she could see another room. It was stunning in so many ways. Again, McGonagall's eyebrow raised as Ceraine walked through the aperture. The woman hesitated, this being the first time. She'd just seen a portal appear and remain stable, without effort. The wards hadn't so much as twitched with resistance or warning inside the school. It was a form of magic that she hadn't experienced before. Alex's wand definitely had a mind of its own and it gave the impression of being dark magic.

Smirking, Harris waved his hand, gesturing for her to step through. "Are you coming, Ms. Spock?

"And what does that mean, Mister Harris?" she growled. His words felt like an insult, but she wasn't sure. And who was this person, or the creature Spock?

"oh, nothing," he smiled. "You just reminded me of someone. Are you coming?"

The woman practically hissed at him as she walked through the portal and into House Harris. She expected to feel some sort of resistance or even discomfort, similar to apparating, but she felt nothing.

Harris quickly followed, while straining mightily to keep from calling her catty. She might have hexed him.

Several minutes later, she was seated on one of the couches, refraining from whispering, "oh, Merlin," for the fourth time.

The magical aura that permeated the Harris home felt similar to Hogwarts. Yet, it was completely different. It wasn't unusual for magical signatures and wards protecting the family homes and properties to feel unique. In fact, her family home, the Black home, and the Malfoy manors, to name a few, were prime examples. Pureblood homes were steeped in magic. This, however, was different. The magic here felt different, and it threw her senses off. But she did notice that it felt the same as the Harris store, but stronger, and the wards made no attempt to hide themselves. They were powerful and meant to be noticed.

Harris and Delane were the perfect hosts, and that gave her some comfort.

Another thing throwing her senses off were the pixies flying throughout the house. Most of the magicals creatures hid from her direct view. So, she only saw them in the corners of her eyes, except for the few who served her tea and those American biscuits she was becoming so fond of. The species of pixie were different from any species she recognized. They appeared to be more stable than the ones she knew of, and that sparked her curiosity. Surprisingly, they spoke to her, sparking her desire to have a real conversation with them. It was amazing and was another example of the differences with these two people.

Magical objects dotted the room everywhere she looked, some of which called to her. The muggle or non-magical items were naturally far more numerous, but she had no idea what many of them were or what purpose they served. But she recognized the computer device and the monitor. They both were larger than the ones in the classroom at Hogwarts.

"So, this is an American manor," she mused, while sipping her tea, so American blend she assumed. The flavor was different, but she thought she could get used to it as long as she didn't have to drink it all the time.

"Where are your elves?" she asked before wincing. Professor Delane was an Elf if she was interpreting that movie correctly. She didn't want to offend the woman.

Ceraine returned the gaze and smiled, understanding the woman's discomfort. She didn't try to correct the woman. Her understanding would come later. "No offense taken, Professor. Similar name, different species. But it does present the perfect opening for our discussion."

"Yes, quite," Minerva said primly. "Firs, I would like to know about your wand. It acts as if it has a mind of its own! At first, you were controlling it using wandless magic, like some exhibitionist, but the way it moved made me reassess that belief. It responds to you like a living thing."

Alex nodded. "Jessie is an extension of myself and can be independent if I choose it to be," Alex told her. The wand freed itself from its holder and gently floated towards the older woman and settled onto her lap. "Go ahead, you can examine it."

Minerva picked it up gingerly and felt its pulsation and its warming. After examining it for a moment, she quickly returned it to Alex. "Now, she gaped at him in wonder.

"It pulsates like a heartbeat. It can't be alive, but it feels like it! It's unheard of!"

"It's not alive, but it is self-aware. It's bonded to me by my friends and by blood."

"Blood magic!" she gasped.

"Yes, but not dark magic, as you understand it," Alex stared at her for a moment before speaking to her once more. "For good or ill, it's always about the blood. Speaking of which, you have no idea how many times I was tempted to destroy the blood wards at Harty's family house. They were set up as protections, but sooner or later, probably sooner, they will draw evil and death."

"Headmaster Dumbledore hasn't told you what's going on. He hasn't told you what we're about to tell you, and he should have," Delane said. "We warned him some time ago, so he's aware of the situation, but he can only fight one battle at a time and his obsession of keeping everything secret is endangering the very people he wants to protect."
"And what is the situation, exactly?" she asked.

"Your He-who-must-not-be-named because-it-irritates-your-eardrums, is alive and back. Exactly how, we're not sure because we've had other things to worry about. He is alive," Alex stressed again. "We don't have the details of his existence, but he is alive."

Minerva looked exasperated. "Must you be so flippant about such matters?"

Alex, to his credit, looked a bit sheepish. "Sorry. Force of habit when I deal with rulers of the world wannabes. Let's try this once more. Your dark lord is still alive, and we haven't had the time to hunt him down yet because of other pressing matters. Your dark lord is a problem, but there are others working towards the same end. They want this world, not only to take over the wizarding world, but the rest of it as well. The Ministry is involved and is being subtly influenced by those same forces who have infiltrated your government."

"We believe," continued Ceraine, "that the Statute of Secrecy is being manipulated to keep you from seeing what is really going on. Yes, it protects you from the non-magicals discovering your existence. That was the point of the law, in the first place. But now, it is keeping you from seeing their world and the progress that is being made, and not being made."

"Like the giant ants?"

Ceraine shook her head in bemusement as she rolled her eye. "Yes, that is an example we can use. But I want you to think about this. There are airplanes passing over the skies of Hogwarts and the magical community all the time. They don't see your territory. But you don't see them either. You do not know what they really are, and you don't care to find out because it isn't part of the wizarding world.

"Excuse me, before you continue. Is an airplane one of those mug… I mean non-magical contraptions that float in the sky by heated air?" she asked. "I've seen those before. Quite beautiful, actually."

Alex was both amused and appalled. "No, what you're referring to are balloons. Airplanes are something else. I refuse to believe that you're that far behind the times," he muttered. "I'll explain later. Still, it does illustrate my point. You're just as blind to no-magicals as they are to you. Not only are you not aware, but you are not interested, and are being encouraged not to be so. There are enchantments influencing you to keep from thinking about it. Think and ask yourself, why is that?"

"These people are moving, putting things in place for their attacks. This other enemy will keep us both off-balanced until they are ready to strike both worlds. Your dark lord wants control of the wizarding world with non-magicals as slaves at best, under his control. Theis other group wants total control, and a war between Voldemort and them is inevitable. Your dark lord will lose because of the vast array of resources you and he don't understand are not prepared to go up against. That is the reason why elements of the non-magical world and other magical people and what you call magical creatures are coming together to fight against them."

Minerva's lips tightened to keep her mouth from hitting the floor. "Muggles know about magic. That is a violation of the rules!"

Both Ceraine and Alex looked at her. Neither of them was surprised at her answer. "We've just told you about an incoming war and all you can think of is to scream about the statue?" Alex asked her. "Doesn't that seem strange to you?"

"But the Statute!"

"Which is more important to you?" asked Ceraine. "The statute being violated, or a possible world war?"

"The…"

She hesitated.

"And that's our problem, right there," Alex stated. "The British wizarding world is being compromised without much of a fight. Your people are being cut off, isolated. The battle's begun and you don't know that you're in a fight and most of you don't want to know."

"We are not in a war!"

"Your people are terrified of Voldemort, and no one has even seen him! Right now, he's just a rumor, an idea that frightens your people." Ceraine calmly told her, trying not to panic the already frightened matronly instructor. "The statute is being manipulated to work both ways, to your detriment. Albus hasn't told you because he doesn't want to upset you, but that very attitude will get you killed."

"Professor, we are introducing the students to a bit of the non-magical world. We are giving them information, and information is power. The magicals all over the world are coming together and it's not just because of What's-His-Name. The Fae and goblins are talking, making plans. The non-wand wavers are coming together to keep from being slaughtered. The non-magical people are making deals with magicals from all over the world, and you don't have a clue. Because the statute protects you," Alex sneered. "I am sorry. I don't mean to come off as rude, but I went through this before at my high school. You have no idea how many people died because they didn't know what was going on. In the night. But my friends and I fought back. We couldn't stand by and ignore what was happening and we couldn't stand by and watch people die, or worse."

: Minerva was aghast. "You fought in American high school? Is that like the fifth and sixth year here? You should have never been involved in fighting!"

"Sometimes, you don't have a choice. At Hogwarts, the ley line converges, making the school a powerful magical nexus which is why it was built there in the first place. People are drawn to it because of its power.

The Ministry wants to control it and influence everything in it. It's just a matter of time until they attempt a complete takeover. How, I don't want to blame the whole Ministry, but there are those in it that will do their best to take control. And those people are also being influenced by power, Voldemort and this other Cabal and the average person is stuck in the middle.

"The students are at risk, and they can't fight back," stressed Ceraine. "They don't know how, have no concept of such fighting, and have zero ability to understand what they'll be fighting against. Hogwarts is one of only a few schools in the British Isles that actually teach official magical courses, including some form of defensive spells. The rest are either family taught, trained in small schools with inadequate resources or they pick it up from the streets. Hogwarts is expensive, caters to pure-bloods, is prejudiced against anybody other than pureblood witches and wizards. It's a recipe for disaster. You're cutting off your cream. Your pureblood families are incestuous, trying to keep their line unpolluted and their money in the family. Your Ministry isn't helping. So, it is our intention to help give you people a fighting chance. Defense against the Dark Arts class is a joke the way it is being taught now. They're bowing to each other in some kind of chivalrous game of jousting. They learn just enough to get themselves killed going up against Death-Earths who care nothing for such things. Professor, what we plan to do is to train a few selected students and train them to become protectors, and I don't mean Aurors."

"But they are children! They're too young to be aware of such things!"

"I understand," said Ceraine sympathetically. "But I can't go to the certain restrooms without Moaning Myrtle's misery just breaking my hear. She's stuck here, unable to move on. I will do something about that later," she promised.

"We've heard about the troll. I heard about the giant snake. I am watching this goblet of fire tournament," Alex growled.

"This place is almost as bad as Sunnydale High. I am sorry to tell you this but trying to keep kids safe by not telling them anything doesn't work. They will find out and someone will attempt to do something about it. Let me correct that. The dedicated ones will do something about it. They will likely get killed because they don't have any training, and no one is willing to tell them anything. I know you and Albus believe in keeping kids ignorant to protect them." Alex shook his head. "That does not work. The Weasleys will try to fight back. So will some of the Gryffindors and a few of the others. You can't stop this. But you can mitigate the problems and train them to prepare for this. Your Defense Against the Dark Arts is little more than a class. It's not training. It's theory."

Minerva didn't say anything, but her eye did twitch. How dare he compare Hogwarts to an American high school! "Despite some incidents, Hogwarts is a highly respected and safe school. I consider it the best in the world."

"I will not dispute your claims," Ms. Delane said. "And to keep it safe is why were are telling you this. Please prepare yourself. After you hear this, your life will never be the same again."

Ceraine did something and gestured with her hands, and an image appeared in front of them while the room darkened.

Minerva watched carefully at the almost effortless demonstration of wandless magic being performed in front of her. Like Alex, the woman didn't need a wand to perform magic. Then she realized that the two of them didn't need wands at all. Another movement and the older woman felt a tingle as a spell hit her. She nearly panicked, pulling her own wand out in a defensive manner. "What was that?" she demanded.

"It was a mind-protection spell," Ceraine said. "It's a spell developed by my people. It allows you to speak of what you will see, if you choose, but no one can read your mind or force you to reveal any information, no matter what they do to you," she added.

Minerva didn't like the implications of that little tidbit. The images, along with detailed explanations, were cast on another one of the large televisions.

"This is who we are here, and why we've come here," she started. "This is why we use the words your world instead of our world. I know you noticed our word phrasing."

"The universe is darker than you know," Alex started.

"Think of the universe as a set of layers, one on top of another. There are several worlds that are almost exact copies of this one. In one world, your dark lord wins and in doing so, he destroys everything because of his stupidity. In most others, he loses. These worlds are separate and should not interact with each other. But something happened. A hell god called Glorificus in her need to get back home. She ripped apart the dimensional walls. We repaired the tear, but it was too late. Other extra-dimensional beings escaped into certain realities, and we are here to stop those tears and stop the things coming in. That is our job. However, in this reality, in your world, there are other forces trying to take it over. This is an internal problem and not our primary concern. We could have left it alone, but we are preparing your people so that they can defend themselves. Personally, Ceraine and I have no interests in having your people pushed back to the 12th century. The magical and non-magical world has a common enemy, and we are here to offer some preparation. What you do with it will be your world's responsibility."

"so, you refuse to help us in this war with our Dark Lord?"

"Stop calling him that," snapped Alex. "He is not your Lord. I am sorry to tell you this, but whether you like it or not, this is a war that you will have to fight. Your people will have help. Your different races are coming together for survival. What you make of your world will be for you to decide."

"We're here to make sure you have that chance. We will defend against the monsters who have pierced the barrier and keep this world from becoming a demon-infested planet."

"They weren't allowed in this reality. There are protections keeping this reality safe, but there are cracks we must deal with. Glory is dead and whatever passes for a soul is being punished for an eternity, by powers far above my instructors. That power will not allow this abomination to go unchecked.

Two hours late, an exhausted Professor McGonagall returned to Hogwarts. Not surprisingly, she had trouble sleeping that night. Her thoughts refused to settle, and she refused to take anything to help her sleep. Her students were at risk,

Dumbledore, and the wizarding world, were at risk at a level she hadn't imagined. But what could she do? She was a schoolteacher. But she was also a protector of the school.

Her school. The headmaster had too much on his plate at the moment for her to confront him now. She'd do that later.

And she would confront him about those lemon drops. How dare he potion her!

In the morning, she resolved to owl the Weasleys about this. She needed someone to talk to. The Weasleys were going to do nicely. And she intended to ask the Americans to teach her a couple of their spells, like the portal creation and memory protection charm. There would be a use for them very soon, she expected.

TBC